Fifty Plus (50+) - Anybody Seen That @#%$*@XX! GroundHog?

Just came back from a 38 degree wind from the North ride. What's all this about an early spring? Sure, if you want to keep holed up on your trainer in the basement all year.

...dunno, man...

70 and sunny...about 5 degrees below normal...

I think the groundhog was bribed.

I can't go out today. The streets were like a luge run this morning. Most of the snow that fell yesterday has melted and now I've got to wait for the salt to get washed away.

I was out over the weekend and it was about 35F. I think I'll get booties for my road shoes next year to keep the wind out. I came in after only doing about 15 miles because my toes were starting to get pretty cold.

He was good!! :D

WOODCHUCK (GROUNDHOG) STEW


1 woodchuck
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
Flour
Vinegar and water
Salt and pepper
Cloves

Clean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; thicken gravy with flour.

:lol:

Now that the weather is getting warmer the raccoons are up and about and shopping for garbage again. It appears that some researchers are claiming that Toronto is "The Raccoon Capital of the World" http://science.yorku.ca/News/Research-News-Events/raccoon-capital-of-the-world.html

It makes me wonder.. A local regional airline (Porter) uses a stylized raccoon in all it's ads. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMXChXPsW7o

Since then, I've been referring to our needle nosed bandit friends as Mr. Porter.

He was good!! :D

WOODCHUCK (GROUNDHOG) STEW


1 woodchuck
2 onions, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
Flour
Vinegar and water
Salt and pepper
Cloves
1 lb of bacon

Clean woodchuck; remove glands; cut into serving pieces. Soak overnight in a solution of equal parts of water and vinegar with addition of one sliced onion and a little salt. Drain, wash, and wipe. Parboil 20 minutes, drain, and cover with fresh boiling water. Add one sliced onion, celery, a few cloves, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender; add baconthicken gravy with flourand bacon fat.

Fixed it for you.

looks even better.

I say we form a committee and go to Punxsutawney and barbecue Phil and I actually grew up in the town of Punxsutawney.

A story told to us in 6th grade by my 67 year old teacher: When he was a kid(around 1910) it rained like the dickens on Groundhog Day. Of course the city fathers had to declare spring was here early. no shadow. The next 3 months were some of the worst winter weather on record. They met in a back room and determined that Phil will not go shadow less again and didn't for a long time. I have many other sad and funny Groundhog stories but I will save them for the next time Phil screws up.

Those that fail the know their history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

I say we form a committee and go to Punxsutawney and barbecue Phil and I actually grew up in the town of Punxsutawney.

A story told to us in 6th grade by my 67 year old teacher: When he was a kid(around 1910) it rained like the dickens on Groundhog Day. Of course the city fathers had to declare spring was here early. no shadow. The next 3 months were some of the worst winter weather on record. They met in a back room and determined that Phil will not go shadow less again and didn't for a long time. I have many other sad and funny Groundhog stories but I will save them for the next time Phil screws up.

Those that fail the know their history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.

How can a groundhog that lives all year inside a library forecast the weather. That charade of pulling that furry rat out of a stump every year is really funny. Went there one year and saw how he really lives and wish I could be treated the same way. My wife used to say how awful that they pulled him out of his bed every year until that trip. Now she laughs every February when they do their show. The stump is even fake. It is now the middle of March and snow is forecast in Virginia. Groundhog predicting the weather, Yea Right.

How can a groundhog that lives all year inside a library forecast the weather. That charade of pulling that furry rat out of a stump every year is really funny. Went there one year and saw how he really lives and wish I could be treated the same way. My wife used to say how awful that they pulled him out of his bed every year until that trip. Now she laughs every February when they do their show. The stump is even fake. It is now the middle of March and snow is forecast in Virginia. Groundhog predicting the weather, Yea Right.

You don't know how right you are. Before they built the groundhog habitat at the new library the "Groundhog Club", yes there really is one, kept the furry guy somewhere for the big day. He either died or got away but when I was in HS the morning announcement over the PA system was something like this: "If anyone knows where the Groundhog Club can get a live groundhog contact ........" They were fretting that they would have to use a stuffed taxidermy Phil for the event.

Some farm kids got their dad's backhoe and dug some poor hibernating "whistle pig" out of the frozen ground to supply the live critter. The whole thing was a big joke when I was growing up there. Somehow it got some legs when hordes of drunken college kids would show up for the event. And the movie didn't hurt either.

Another slice of Groundhog history is when a church bought the property the "Gobblers Knob" is on. They were quite upset about all the drunken revelry and threaded to kill the whole thing. They all worked it out, with massive police presence I think.