February 2011

“The groundhog is like most other prophets;
it delivers its prediction and then disappears”
Bill Vaughn (1915-1977)

Mid-Atlantic weather watch:  Windy with some snow showers in the north (1,2,3). Fair and rather cold (4,5,6,7,8) with the chance of a Nor’easter and heavy snow (9,10,11). Windy again, cold, and flurries (12,13) turning fair and remaining cold (14,15,16,17,18,19). More winds cold temperatures and more flurries (20,21) turning fair and not so cold (22,23,24,25). Light snow in the north (26,27,28).

Full Moon: the Full Moon for February occurs on February 18th at 3:36 AM EST. Native Americans often referred to February’s Full Moon as Snow Moon because of the increased amount of snowfall in many regions during this month. It has also been referred to as Crust Moon for the icy crust that forms atop deep snow piles.

Special Notes: Candlemas, the Christian Festival of Lights is celebrated on Wednesday, February 2nd. It is also Groundhog Day and in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, everyone eagerly awaits the prediction "Punxsutawney Phil" on the coming of spring. If he sees his shadow, we are in for another 6 weeks of winter! Let’s all hope that he does not! One other interesting note: The US Weather Bureau was established on February 9, 1870 (a mere 73 years AFTER The Hagerstown Town & Country Almanack began forecasting weather!).

Holidays: Do something special for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day, which will be celebrated in 2011 on Monday, February 14th. Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th and Washington’s birthday is Tuesday, the 22nd. Both are honored on President’s Day, which falls on Monday, February 21st.

The Garden: Perform a germination test on last year's stored seed. Place ten seeds between sheets of paper towels and keep them moist and warm for a few days. If less than eight of the ten seeds sprout, consider starting with fresh seed. If the weather will allow, start to prune roses, Oriental grasses, and other deciduous shrubs. Carefully prune fruit trees prior to any new growth that will start soon (the cold weather can’t last forever!). Begin to sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables and frost-tolerant perennials indoors. Consider sowing seeds of warm-season vegetables indoors and for hardy spring-blooming annuals. Keep tabs on your houseplants and make sure they are getting enough humidity. Check for pests. Remember to feed the birds!

J. Grubers' Thought for Today's Living:

"Beauty is all around us when there is love at home"

Index of Past Month's Entries