Mark Sasser
Latest posts by Mark Sasser (see all)
- Invitation to the Ball - November 6, 2015
- Sportsman’s Warehouse, the New Kid In Town - July 20, 2015
- The Freewheel Project - July 13, 2015
I went outside and I saw my shadow today.
Thankfully I’m not a groundhog or we would be looking at 6 more weeks of Winter, California Winter.
This little walk outside though did get me to thinking about Punxsutawney Phil and our American ground hogs day. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been curious if he would see his shadow or not come Feb. 2nd and almost every year the call has been spot on. So what about this year?
I guess we will have to wait until Spring Break to know for sure but as for me I saw my shadow which according to folk-lore if I were a ground-hog means I would become scared and go back into hiding for 6 more weeks. Luckily we live if FresYes and our winters even at their worst are not much more than a typical spring day over on the East Coast but I do like to watch the snow on my news feed and be glad I can go outside in shorts 340 days a year. FresYes winters recently have been less than newsworthy but FresYes Springs now there is something to talk about.
Spring time in the Yes is truly something to enjoy for all outdoors lovers young and old. As I write this my wife is out on a MTB ride and I’m sitting on the patio with a fresh cup of joe enjoying my shadow looking into the history of groundhogs day. It’s a wintry 45 degrees and sunny, light breeze and my trees are budding. Winter is a bear in these parts.
As luck would have it for my search I quickly learned it’s not an American tradition at all, its German and its called Candlemas. Go figure. I can imagine a burly German Badger was the star, I can also imagine the Celts on their version of the day going outside and looking to the sky which was almost always cloudy searching for answers.
In my reading I found a quick little Scottish Poem about the day that I like so much I’m going to share it with you.
If Candle-mas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year.
If Candle mas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
All it really means is we are so excited to go out and enjoy the spring that we created a holiday to land about 6 weeks before spring starts so we can have some fun talking about it. Its our caveman brain telling us to start thinking about planting in our gardens, getting ready for crops and getting out into nature to fish and explore a little bit.
So Candlemas Day, Groundhogs day or whatever you call it in your home has come for 2015, did you see your shadow?
Did you?