.
If Candlemas is bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year;
If Candlemas brings snow and rain, old winter shall not come again.
It’s called Groundhog Day in modern America, but the folk belief remains the same. And with the “most far-reaching snowstorm of the season to date” promising to dump another 8″-12″ on the existing hip-high snow piles here, the hope for a swift transition into Spring is the thread to which I cling.
There’s a rumor that Richard Sherman may have played the Superbowl with torn elbow ligaments that will require Tommy John surgery, which I assume is some measure of vindication for Seahawks fans… or else another reason for despair.
Apart from shoveling and/or otherwise recovering, what’s on the agenda as we start another week?
Mustang Bobby
Speaking of surgery, it was 26 years ago today that I slipped on a piece of ice in my driveway in Longmont, Colorado, and ended up having surgery that afternoon to screw my ankle back together. I still have the screws in there.
So there’s another reason why I don’t miss living up in snow country.
Villago Delenda Est
Well, Richard Sherman’s performance was exemplary…Brady never challenged him.
It’s a concern long term, of course.
The problem was with that last offensive play call, which should have scored the game-winning TD, but of course was instead an intercepted pass that effectively ended the game.
OzarkHillbilly
Let the Woofmeister out and “Lookie There!” White stuff on the ground! Only an inch but I’ll take it. We’ve had the mildest winter since ’06 when it didn’t snow until the first day of Spring.
Zinsky
Let’s see if Obama has the yarbles to veto the Keystone XL pipeline this week. If he cuts some kind of deal, he will have signed the death warrant for the planet.
Chickamin Slam
I’m seeing Patriots Champs ads everywhere. “Buy your gear.” “Support your team” F the Patriots. They are a dirty, no good, bunch of cheats that get away with it even though they don’t have to. Why? Because Goodell and Kraft invite each other over for sleepovers.
Now we are going to get those nauseating calls for “Brady needs one for the thumb.” And the inevitable “Are the Patriots better than the Steelers since time began?” I’m serious Cole, your team has to pummel those smug bastards next year. “What’s that crater?” “Oh that’s just Belichick, Brady, and the rest of New England, buried under 50 tons of Pittsburgh Steel.”
And yes many Seahawks played through the pain. They lost Lane and Avril. Even then they were knocking at the door.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mustang Bobby: Always thought you had a screw loose.
OzarkHillbilly
@Chickamin Slam: Why don’t you stop beating around the bush and tell us how you really feel? ;-)
raven
@Chickamin Slam: Crybaby fucking loser.
Chickamin Slam
@raven:
Oh raven … oh raven … oh oh ….
Tom Brady is that you?
Patricia Kayden
@Chickamin Slam: Let it all out!! I don’t even understand football, but I understand where you’re coming from. That whole deflated balls thing peaked my interest.
Patricia Kayden
@Zinsky: I thought he already promised that he would veto any Keystone legislation.
OzarkHillbilly
@Patricia Kayden: That whole deflated ball controversy left me a little flat.
Schlemazel
For those of you with no sense of humor about football I’d strongly suggest avoiding the Onion – today. They are on fire in that way that they can (Like the Jan 2000 Headline Bush” Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity are over!”)
2 headlines today:
Super Bowl Confetti Made Entirely From Shredded Concussion Studies
Fingerprints On Lombardi Trophy To Be Used In Dozens Of Criminal Investigations
Did see the ending, it may have been one of the more entertaining SB.
Patricia Kayden
@OzarkHillbilly: As Chris Matthews of MSNBC would say, “Ha!”
raven
@Patricia Kayden: Point well made, people that don’t know anything about football grab onto that as if it has something to do with one of the epic chokes in history. “We would have won if the Pats hadn’t deflated balls in another game. ‘” The Seahawk players are warriors, they know better.
raven
Richard Sherman is no crybaby
OzarkHillbilly
@raven:
Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman conceded he was “a little bit surprised” that the Seahawks didn’t run the ball at the 1.
“Their guy made a heck of play,” he continued. “You’ve got to give him all the credit.”
Would he have handed the ball to Lynch instead on that play?
“What I would have done is irrelevant at this time,” Sherman replied. “We went with that play. We trusted our quarterback, and unfortunately they made a play.”
raven
@OzarkHillbilly: Is there an echo in here?
OzarkHillbilly
@raven: Beat me to it by this much.
Mustang Bobby
@BillinGlendaleCA: Yeah, I hear that. I also tell people that I got screwed three times and slept through the whole thing.
BillinGlendaleCA
@Mustang Bobby: That’s what my wife says.
Betty Cracker
@raven: Fine sportsmanship from Mr. Sherman right there. What a game it was!
Schlemazel
@Betty Cracker:
That sort of thing seems to be rare these days when woofing appears to be such a huge part of the game. It was nice to hear.
Sherparick
Well, Bill Belichek owes Pete Carroll a steak dinner for that call/brain cramp. Besides allowing him to win his 4th Super Bowl when all seem lost, no one is talking about deflated balls anymore, but instead it will be “the Call.” Lots of credit to the kid who made the interception because he really had studied Seattle’s goal line play calling, recognized from the formation the probable play, and had the guts to “jump” (anticipate) the route and make the interception. Definitely one of the biggest plays in a championship game that I have ever seen.
Iowa Old Lady
Sounds like it was a good game.
And our driveway service came a few minutes ago, so we’ll be able to get out of our house again. Yay!
Hawes
Here’s your Superb Owl in a nutshell:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/10612561_10153002674499303_8616190804675198803_n.jpg?oh=4467b7e32c2bbde5de9a62d3f70cad9f&oe=554AAF0C&__gda__=1433093481_59b01e51859045570c4cf8961e8deec4
satby
We got a foot of blowing and drifting snow yesterday ourselves here in SWMI. High today will be about 17, wind chill making it feel like 2 above.
Lots of smaller roads are impassable because they don’t plow anything but the major highways. Waiting to hear if anyone cancels any of my meetings today. Made soap yesterday so at least I had fun.
Baud
@Hawes:
So many memes!
debbie
@Patricia Kayden:
Right. Caught once stealing calls might be an anomaly, but now with this ball deflating, they’re nothing but cheating bums. And I used to root for them.
greennotGreen
I don’t care about football. One of the continuing benefits of my long-ago divorce is never having to have it on the TV.
The highlight of my Monday will be an appointment with my oncologist when I find out the treatment regimen for the recurrence of my ovarian cancer. When I was in the waiting room for the CT scan that would reveal the new lesions, I was listening to three other people talk about their cancers, but they weren’t dying from cancer – they were living with it. So that’s my plan: to live with this chronic disease and treat every recurrence with the latest medicines and hope to live long enough to be around for the Cure (and I don’t mean the band.)
Okay, you may now return to your discussion of Brain Damage for Fun and Profit.
Iowa Old Lady
@greennotGreen: Great attitude! Blessings on you.
PurpleGirl
It snowed overnight in NYC. Now it’s raining and this afternoon it should be raining hard. By tomorrow morning the roads and sidewalks will be slicked with ice as the rain continues overnight and the temperature drops. Days like this are nice ones to spend at home. (When I still worked, I saved a week of vacation time to use as bad weather days.)
PurpleGirl
@greennotGreen: I agree with Iowa Old Lady — you have a great attitude. I hope that you do live a long and mostly healthy life, from this point forward.
Weaselone
@debbie:
The rule violation was not stealing calls. That was legal, every team did it. The violation was that the Patriots set the camera up on the sidelines.
It’s also becoming increasingly likely that the Patriots did not in fact deflate any footballs.
raven
@Betty Cracker: So much like the UGA-South Carolina game down on the goal line.
Patriots Fan
@Chickamin Slam: Pussy
Keith G
@greennotGreen: There are people I know who use your plan. They are the folks I cherish the most and always want to be around, good and challenging times alike. I hope for the best for you.
Betty Cracker
@greennotGreen: Best of luck to you.
@raven: I was reminded of it too. A heart-breaker for the losing side.
OzarkHillbilly
What would it be like to watch the SuperBowl with Neil deGrasse Tyson?
Occasionally I wonder what a football game would be like if played by Zombies. Would be slower, but oh so much more violent.
A 50-yd field goal, in the University of Phoenix Stadium, deflects about one-third inch to the right due to Earth’s rotation
Enjoying colorful fireworks in Arizona? Thank Aluminum Barium Calcium Chlorine Copper Iron Nitrogen Oxygen Sodium & Strontium
greennotGreen
Thanks for all your good wishes.
Now, unless the doctor gives me some made-for-TV “You have six months to live” which I think only happens on TV, I’ll be breaking ground on a new house really soon, so my open thread comments will be all about that.
Please return to your regularly scheduled diatribes…and puppies!
Baud
@greennotGreen:
You posted too soon. I didn’t get to give you my good wishes.
Congrats on the house. That’s exciting.
OzarkHillbilly
@greennotGreen:
It doesn’t, but here’s hoping only the best for you.
gogol's wife
Watching my husband out there at the end of the driveway, grimly determined that we make it to work today. He won’t listen to reason, or the governor.
raven
I would have run Lynch
satby
@greennotGreen: best of luck on your treatment and your new house!
Baud
No, Obama. You were supposed to tell them not to drink Drano. I swear, the guy just does not listen.
Steeplejack
I have concluded that it is much easier to ignore the “to be read” stack of books when it is contained in a Nook rather than actually sitting on the floor beside the bed. And harder to notice that you’re not reading, pick one up and start reading.
raven
@Steeplejack: Man, I took two box boxes to a book donation site and now am trying to figure it if it’s worth it to organize the rest of the house. My “to read” stack is giant and that doesn’t count my iPad.
OOoh, the google is good:
“Always start with a blank slate. Trying to organize a bookshelf with the books already on the shelf will create challenges. For one, you may end up with a category that is large and after you’ve arranged the books you would have to take them all out and start again. This might also affect other shelves as well and then it is twice the work!”
JPL
@greennotGreen: My wishes for a good visit and continuing regimen. Save some energy for yelling at the contractors.
Hunter
I didn’t watch the Superbowl. I never watch the Superbowl. This year, since we were having a blizzard, I cleaned house, finally vacuuming (I hate the vacuum; it’s noisy), since the dust bunnies were having litters. I feel much better now.
As far as the Candlemas rhyme, right now it’s nice and sunny and 7 degrees, although we are under threat of more snow. I just heard the janitor go by with his snowblower. Again. (We got a lot of snow yesterday. I’m not sure I want to know how much.)
And I have to call my stepmother and wish her a happy birthday.
Patricia Kayden
@greennotGreen: Sending positive thoughts your way.
Bystander
greennotGreen, best wishes. You’ve got the right attitude, I think.
PurpleGirl, please keep us posted on the terrible weather in NYC. We flew out to LA yesterday morning for a week at the beach, and you’re making the flight sound cheap at any cost.
Gogol’s wife should be ashamed of herself for making a frail, 19th century Russian shovel her drive.
Tenar Darell
@Baud:
Is someone actually going “Mohr measles, please?” Because, I think they should stop. Also, how many do you think must be monitoring now? Same or more people as Ebola? No 24-7 hysteria though. /preferred snark here, I got nothin’
rikyrah
Final snowfall near me: 18.4 inches.
Will be shoveling in three shifts.
philpm
Based on the rhyme, I’m screwed. Bright and sunny as can be here this morning after a snowy weekend.
shelley
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow? How the fuck is that possible. Was he sitting in a tanning bed?
Villago Delenda Est
@Betty Cracker: And yet I had to endure some Patsies fans gloating and talking about people crying and all that crap…as if Tom Brady never cried on TV after losing a game.
Patsies fans wonder why they’re so loathed. They’re up there with Yankees fans in the don’t throw stones list.
Villago Delenda Est
@Tenar Darell: Ebola is an infectious disease from darkest Africa, if you get my drift, wink wink nudge nudge say no more say no more.
Matt McIrvin
They say our love don’t pay the rent / Before it’s earned, our money’s all been spent…