South Side Muskie Hawks
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Southside Muskie Hawks
Vince's Restaurant and Pizza
6217 W 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60638
United States
Southside Muskie Hawks
Vince's Restaurant and Pizza
6217 W 63rd Street
Chicago, IL 60638
United States
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Articles
FEBRUARY’S FAMOUS FABLE
There are many fables concerning things that occur in February, and they start off right at the beginning of the month with
Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Supposedly, if the groundhog (also known as a woodchuck) comes out of his burrow on
Gobbler’s Knob and sees his shadow, we will have six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t see it, we will have an
early spring. There is one immediate problem with this scenario, and that is which groundhog we should pay attention to.
The most well-known one is Punxutawney Phil, but he is in Pennsylvania, not here, so I would imagine that his forecast is
only good for the section of Pennsylvania where he resides. However, our local groundhog at Brookfield Zoo often does
not even want to come out of his burrow, as it is still too cold and nasty. So my question is whether we should be paying
attention to the celebrity groundhog in Pennsylvania, or the one here? I guess we’ll all have to make up our own minds on
that one.
While we are talking about groundhogs, let’s get enlightened about the history of Groundhog Day. While Groundhog Day
has been observed in the United States for 125 or more years, its origins date back several centuries in Europe. Its very
beginning is lost in time and space, but it is thought that it is associated with Candlemas Day. The belief in animals coming
out of their
burrows on a certain day is a common denominator among various European cultures and ethnic groups, and it is fables
such as this that remind us of our distant past, when our lives did totally rely on the signs that nature gave us, things such
as the length of the period of daylight getting longer, and the weakening of the ice on streams and rivers.
Other things that were noticed included the running of the sap in maple trees, the beginning of budding on the trees,
the rising of the sun higher in the sky, the shifting position of the constellations, the sprouting of the very early plants, the
activities of certain animals, and the amount of activity of the animals. Additional things that were kept track of included
the coloring of the daytime sky, the crispness of the air, the warming of temperatures, the change in direction of the
predominant winds, the change in appearance of the clouds, the migration of birds, the availability of game animals and
fish, and when the ground became soft enough to plant certain crops.
Of course there were many other fables associated with keeping an eye on natural things, fables such as the thickness
of the band on the wooly bear caterpillar allowing someone to be able to predict the harshness and length of the
upcoming winter, or the timing of avian migrations foretelling the early onset or brutality of the winter. While these
things may be indicative of an approaching cold snap, they are not meteorologically accurate.
Man has been trying to predict the weather for quite a long time, and he still hasn’t mastered it. There are far too
many variables to take into consideration, and just when they think they have an accurate forecast of what the weather
will be like, Mother Nature throws them a curve ball. In spite of all of the scientific advances in the art of weather
prognostication, Mother Nature still has the final word.
The eruption of a volcano in a far off land can affect the weather patterns of the world, and has often done so in the
past. Volcanoes such as Krakatoa and Mount Pinatubo throw so much ash into the atmosphere that the amount of sunlight
reaching the earth is decreased, thus affecting not only the temperature, but also the amount and patterns of precipitation.
This is but one example of how the weather patterns can and do change. Any particulate matter in our atmosphere
affects the weather this way. Get enough particulate matter in the atmosphere and temperatures will drop by a degree or
two worldwide, and the amount of precipitation will increase dramatically. It is believed that this is what caused the
“little ice age” when Niagara Falls froze solid. This also is believed to have played a part in the major ice ages of the
past, and may produce another ice age at some time in the future.
However, the weather patterns are affected by much more than just volcanoes. Weather patterns, as with
everything else on earth, are ruled by biogeochemical cycles, cycles that are on such a grand scale that none of us will live
long enough to see the complete cycle, as they measure in the hundreds of thousands of years. These cycles include such
things as hydrological cycles, sunspot cycles, geological cycles which include the building up and gradual disintegration of
mountains, plate tectonics, the evolution and disappearance of animal species, the changing chemical composition of our
atmosphere, and respiration versus transpiration, which affects the chemical changes.
These things are all woven together into the matrix that we know as weather patterns, but there are also several
other things woven in, things that I do not have the room nor the expertise to talk about. I think by now you get the idea
that our weather patterns are formed by this intricately woven web of things that are far beyond our control, and that to
try to predict what the weather will be like in any given place at any given time with 100% accuracy is pure folly, as
Mother Nature is always standing by and ready to throw a monkey wrench into the predictions.
Yes, the meteorologists’ equipment and knowledge helps them make fairly accurate predictions, but at this time,
they can not be 100% accurate, and they may never be. However, as far as making accurate predictions for the weather
beyond the next five days or so, it is a crap shoot, as too much can happen within that time period, that like your GPS
every time you make an unexpected turn, they would have to be constantly “re-calculating”.
Therefore, while fables such as the groundhog being able to predict the weather are entertaining and give everyone
something to talk about, they are pure fiction. However, if you are looking to start up a conversation with someone this
month, you can always begin it with “Did the groundhog see his shadow?”
There are many fables concerning things that occur in February, and they start off right at the beginning of the month with
Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Supposedly, if the groundhog (also known as a woodchuck) comes out of his burrow on
Gobbler’s Knob and sees his shadow, we will have six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t see it, we will have an
early spring. There is one immediate problem with this scenario, and that is which groundhog we should pay attention to.
The most well-known one is Punxutawney Phil, but he is in Pennsylvania, not here, so I would imagine that his forecast is
only good for the section of Pennsylvania where he resides. However, our local groundhog at Brookfield Zoo often does
not even want to come out of his burrow, as it is still too cold and nasty. So my question is whether we should be paying
attention to the celebrity groundhog in Pennsylvania, or the one here? I guess we’ll all have to make up our own minds on
that one.
While we are talking about groundhogs, let’s get enlightened about the history of Groundhog Day. While Groundhog Day
has been observed in the United States for 125 or more years, its origins date back several centuries in Europe. Its very
beginning is lost in time and space, but it is thought that it is associated with Candlemas Day. The belief in animals coming
out of their
burrows on a certain day is a common denominator among various European cultures and ethnic groups, and it is fables
such as this that remind us of our distant past, when our lives did totally rely on the signs that nature gave us, things such
as the length of the period of daylight getting longer, and the weakening of the ice on streams and rivers.
Other things that were noticed included the running of the sap in maple trees, the beginning of budding on the trees,
the rising of the sun higher in the sky, the shifting position of the constellations, the sprouting of the very early plants, the
activities of certain animals, and the amount of activity of the animals. Additional things that were kept track of included
the coloring of the daytime sky, the crispness of the air, the warming of temperatures, the change in direction of the
predominant winds, the change in appearance of the clouds, the migration of birds, the availability of game animals and
fish, and when the ground became soft enough to plant certain crops.
Of course there were many other fables associated with keeping an eye on natural things, fables such as the thickness
of the band on the wooly bear caterpillar allowing someone to be able to predict the harshness and length of the
upcoming winter, or the timing of avian migrations foretelling the early onset or brutality of the winter. While these
things may be indicative of an approaching cold snap, they are not meteorologically accurate.
Man has been trying to predict the weather for quite a long time, and he still hasn’t mastered it. There are far too
many variables to take into consideration, and just when they think they have an accurate forecast of what the weather
will be like, Mother Nature throws them a curve ball. In spite of all of the scientific advances in the art of weather
prognostication, Mother Nature still has the final word.
The eruption of a volcano in a far off land can affect the weather patterns of the world, and has often done so in the
past. Volcanoes such as Krakatoa and Mount Pinatubo throw so much ash into the atmosphere that the amount of sunlight
reaching the earth is decreased, thus affecting not only the temperature, but also the amount and patterns of precipitation.
This is but one example of how the weather patterns can and do change. Any particulate matter in our atmosphere
affects the weather this way. Get enough particulate matter in the atmosphere and temperatures will drop by a degree or
two worldwide, and the amount of precipitation will increase dramatically. It is believed that this is what caused the
“little ice age” when Niagara Falls froze solid. This also is believed to have played a part in the major ice ages of the
past, and may produce another ice age at some time in the future.
However, the weather patterns are affected by much more than just volcanoes. Weather patterns, as with
everything else on earth, are ruled by biogeochemical cycles, cycles that are on such a grand scale that none of us will live
long enough to see the complete cycle, as they measure in the hundreds of thousands of years. These cycles include such
things as hydrological cycles, sunspot cycles, geological cycles which include the building up and gradual disintegration of
mountains, plate tectonics, the evolution and disappearance of animal species, the changing chemical composition of our
atmosphere, and respiration versus transpiration, which affects the chemical changes.
These things are all woven together into the matrix that we know as weather patterns, but there are also several
other things woven in, things that I do not have the room nor the expertise to talk about. I think by now you get the idea
that our weather patterns are formed by this intricately woven web of things that are far beyond our control, and that to
try to predict what the weather will be like in any given place at any given time with 100% accuracy is pure folly, as
Mother Nature is always standing by and ready to throw a monkey wrench into the predictions.
Yes, the meteorologists’ equipment and knowledge helps them make fairly accurate predictions, but at this time,
they can not be 100% accurate, and they may never be. However, as far as making accurate predictions for the weather
beyond the next five days or so, it is a crap shoot, as too much can happen within that time period, that like your GPS
every time you make an unexpected turn, they would have to be constantly “re-calculating”.
Therefore, while fables such as the groundhog being able to predict the weather are entertaining and give everyone
something to talk about, they are pure fiction. However, if you are looking to start up a conversation with someone this
month, you can always begin it with “Did the groundhog see his shadow?”
WHAT AM I?
Let me begin by telling you that I am an animal that can be found living on land, in fresh water, or in salt water anywhere from the Antarctic to the
desert. There are 650 known species of me worldwide, and 42 species of me in eastern North America.
My body is generally long and slender, and I may be brown, reddish-brown, black, or other mottled colors, though none of them are very bright. I can
have the appearance of wearing camouflage coloring, but not always. I can be anywhere from ½ inch to twelve inches in length (depending on my
age and species), and there have been reports of the largest example of me being eighteen inches long. My body is very sinuous, agile, and flexible,
and if necessary, I can look bigger than I really am. Our nervous system is very similar to that of humans, though we are far from being human, and
we can live for several years. One fifth of us live in the sea, but we will just deal with those of us who live in eastern North America now.
Depending on my species, I may hunt by detecting skin oils, blood, heat; vibrations caused by movement, or exhaled carbon dioxide. I am a
sometimes a predator, and when I am, four or five of us can kill a rabbit in a half hour. However, I can also be found living on decaying plant and
animal material.
I have been known to prey upon other animals, fish, insects, frogs, turtles, snails, and amphibian eggs, and can eat up to five times my own body
weight, and sometimes I only need to eat once or twice a year.
However, we are also a prey species, and are preyed upon by fish, turtles, crayfish, water birds, and man. Outdoorsmen know me well, and I am
probably familiar to most of you who have ever spent any time near, on, or in the water.
Do you think that you may know what I am, or are you stumped by this one? If you think you know, take a guess, but don’t be surprised if you are
wrong. If you are not up to guessing, or even if you are, you will still have to wait for next month to get the answer!
Answer to last month: massasauga rattlesnake
Let me begin by telling you that I am an animal that can be found living on land, in fresh water, or in salt water anywhere from the Antarctic to the
desert. There are 650 known species of me worldwide, and 42 species of me in eastern North America.
My body is generally long and slender, and I may be brown, reddish-brown, black, or other mottled colors, though none of them are very bright. I can
have the appearance of wearing camouflage coloring, but not always. I can be anywhere from ½ inch to twelve inches in length (depending on my
age and species), and there have been reports of the largest example of me being eighteen inches long. My body is very sinuous, agile, and flexible,
and if necessary, I can look bigger than I really am. Our nervous system is very similar to that of humans, though we are far from being human, and
we can live for several years. One fifth of us live in the sea, but we will just deal with those of us who live in eastern North America now.
Depending on my species, I may hunt by detecting skin oils, blood, heat; vibrations caused by movement, or exhaled carbon dioxide. I am a
sometimes a predator, and when I am, four or five of us can kill a rabbit in a half hour. However, I can also be found living on decaying plant and
animal material.
I have been known to prey upon other animals, fish, insects, frogs, turtles, snails, and amphibian eggs, and can eat up to five times my own body
weight, and sometimes I only need to eat once or twice a year.
However, we are also a prey species, and are preyed upon by fish, turtles, crayfish, water birds, and man. Outdoorsmen know me well, and I am
probably familiar to most of you who have ever spent any time near, on, or in the water.
Do you think that you may know what I am, or are you stumped by this one? If you think you know, take a guess, but don’t be surprised if you are
wrong. If you are not up to guessing, or even if you are, you will still have to wait for next month to get the answer!
Answer to last month: massasauga rattlesnake