WAIT FOR IT: So what will Groundhog Day have to tell us about the rest of winter in Chicago? Chances are, not a thing. Our local woodchucks still will be fast asleep, says Dan Thompson, ecologist at the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County in Wheaton. The holiday, based on natural rhythms of a different climate, is way out of whack with ours.
Groundhog Day goes back to ancient traditions in Europe, which associated the first stirrings of hibernating animals, such as badgers, with the end of winter and the beginning of the growing season. In England, for example, that tended to happen roughly midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox, or about Feb. 2. English settlers brought the tradition to the East Coast. Scouting around in those regions for a suitable American animal, they settled on the groundhog.
But here’s the trouble: In the colder Chicago climate, groundhogs naturally hibernate until late February or early March, depending on the year’s weather. For them, Feb. 2 is way too soon even to hit the snooze alarm. Other signs of spring are already to be seen in our woods, Thompson says. In damp places, you may find the green spikes of skunk cabbage, soon to be followed by their stunning yellow calla lily-like flowers. Great horned owls are already sitting on their eggs. Coyotes are pairing up and planning families.
But we’ll have to wait for groundhogs, and turn to meteorologists for the weather forecast.
–Beth Botts
SURF IT: Are you ready for the Super Bowl? For party and menu ideas, head to www.foodnetwork.com, and click on “Football Party.” There you will find recipes galore as well as a few entertaining tips from newcomer Guy Fieri, the winner of last season’s reality series, “The Next Food Network Star.” We like Tip No. 3: Consider setting up two televisions: one for the die-hard football watchers, and another for the social viewers. Also, check H&G’s Dishing column next week for last-minute game snack recipes.
–Tran Ha
READ IT: If the H&G cover story hasn’t already gotten you thinking about babies, Judith Wilson’s “Babies’ Rooms: From Zero to Three” (Ryland Peters & Small, 128 pages, $27.50) will. “Rooms” touches on everything from displaying your newborn’s pictures to what to do about lighting if the baby is sharing your room. Wilson devotes entire chapters to decor for the unisex nursery, girls’ rooms, boys’ rooms and shared rooms. At the end of the book, a checklist on room planning, furniture basics, bathroom essentials and safety considerations is something every first-time parent would appreciate.
–T.H.
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