It's arrived Groundhog's Day 2011! The world’s most famous weather predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, did NOT see his shadow this morning, so according to the folklore, good bye winter, hello early spring!
photo courtesy of howthingswork.com
According to Wikipedia, the holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. References to Groundhog Day are found in a diary entry dated February 5, 1841, in Berks County, Pennsylvania by a storekeeper James Morris.
I don't know how I feel about this! Certainly I love spring with all it's colors and beautiful weather. But, I really am a winter person. I love the cold, crisp days, the snow, the frost, the beautiful winter sky. I'll need to explain just a little bit. If I lived in Chicago today I would be praising Phil!! But I live in Arkansas. We don't have terribly bad winters. I also don't have to get out in the weather if I don't want to. So, yes from my warm home where I'm not snowed or iced in, I love winter! This was also my Grandfather's birthday (Papaw Culps.) I always remember him fondly on this day!
Let me show you a little of January's beauty
We had a beautiful snowfall. It was the most we'd had in a long time a whopping 6". It's a lot for us, but seems so trivial considering today's storm in other part's of the country!
We had frost...a lot of frost!!
I know I got a little carried away with the frost photos, but until my Picture Winter class I had never even thought to take a picture of frost!!
I never got down and really looked at it. It's gorgeous!! If my neighbor saw me, he probably thought I'd finally lost it! Freezing cold morning and I was down on my knees taking pictures of what probably just looked like the ground to him! But, it was worth it, I love these shots!!
We had dreary days of misty rain
and beautiful days of sun!
The skies are gorgeous in winter! Beautiful, cloudy cold skies
and beautiful sunny, blue skies.
Yes, January can be brutal and harsh, but it can also be beautiful and refreshing. We only have to take a moment to stop and enjoy each day.
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. ~ Psalm 118:24
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