wacky wednesday - winter or spring??

Just two and a half weeks ago the world-renowned groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, saw his shadow and six more weeks of winter were predicted. And, as much of the U.S. plunged into more snow and ice storms, it seemed PP's prediction was, once again, accurate.

But I wonder.

As my sweethearts living in the Charlotte, N.C. area battled snow and ice resulting in three school snow days last week, the unseasonably warm temperatures here in the Valley of the Sun resulted in the mind battle of whether or not it's too early to turn on the air conditioning.

And then there is the tree in our front yard which turns into a giant, white blossom ball every spring - usually in mid-March or later. But this year, even before all the leaves fell off, the "snow" covered its branches - a sure sign of spring.

The National Climatic Data Center analyzed PP's forecasts and announced he has "no predictive skill." I think I have to agree with them. (And I hope my tax dollars did not fund that bit of research… another post for another day!)