Viva Las Espuelas
02-02-2011, 03:07 PM
The groundhogs have spoken - spring will come early this year.
Staten Island (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Staten+Island) Chuck made prediction Wednesday morning even as he was pelted by freezing rain during the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of winter storms.
"Spring is coming," cried Mayor Bloomberg (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Michael+Bloomberg) as he held the wet woodchuck aloft.
His wooden home encased in a sheet of ice, Chuck bounded outside and seemed unfazed by the crowd of photographers and fans.
The woodchuck seemed most interested in an ear of corn and eagerly ate away before the Mayor picked him up and interpreted the varmint's words.
"What Mayor in the world will predict a long wet winter?" Bloomberg joked.
The Mayor noted that the morning's wintry weather may have ironically led to the forecast of an early spring. The sun was nowhere to be found in the overcast sky, preventing Chuck's shadow from appearing.
Though several local prognosticating groundhogs - including Malverne (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Malverne) Mel on Long Island (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Long+Island) - cancelled their forecasts due to the wicked weather, Chuck made his appearance just after 7:15 a.m. In Pennsylvania (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Pennsylvania), famed rodent Punxsutawney Phil (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Punxsutawney+Phil) similarly failed to catch sight of his shadow this morning in Gobbler's Knob.
Bloomberg was not injured during the ceremony in Staten Island - unlike two years ago when his finger was chomped by Chuck.
Wearing black leather gloves, Bloomberg held the woodchuck at a safe distance as the animal squirmed in his grasp.
Though last year's Groundhog Day (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Groundhog+Day) also passed without incident, Bloomberg had been joking for days about his face-to-face encounter with the Staten Island zoo's most famous resident.
"Last year I was civil," the Mayor joked last week, "but you know, I never forgive and forget."
Zoo officials said Chuck - who has a new custom-built log cabin designed by a local charity - has accurately predicted the durations of 24 out of the last 30 winters.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/02/02/2011-02-02_punxsutawney_phil__staten_island_chuck_agree_on _groundhog_day_spring_to_come_ear.html#ixzz1Cpll35 mY
Staten Island (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Staten+Island) Chuck made prediction Wednesday morning even as he was pelted by freezing rain during the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of winter storms.
"Spring is coming," cried Mayor Bloomberg (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Michael+Bloomberg) as he held the wet woodchuck aloft.
His wooden home encased in a sheet of ice, Chuck bounded outside and seemed unfazed by the crowd of photographers and fans.
The woodchuck seemed most interested in an ear of corn and eagerly ate away before the Mayor picked him up and interpreted the varmint's words.
"What Mayor in the world will predict a long wet winter?" Bloomberg joked.
The Mayor noted that the morning's wintry weather may have ironically led to the forecast of an early spring. The sun was nowhere to be found in the overcast sky, preventing Chuck's shadow from appearing.
Though several local prognosticating groundhogs - including Malverne (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Malverne) Mel on Long Island (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Long+Island) - cancelled their forecasts due to the wicked weather, Chuck made his appearance just after 7:15 a.m. In Pennsylvania (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Pennsylvania), famed rodent Punxsutawney Phil (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Punxsutawney+Phil) similarly failed to catch sight of his shadow this morning in Gobbler's Knob.
Bloomberg was not injured during the ceremony in Staten Island - unlike two years ago when his finger was chomped by Chuck.
Wearing black leather gloves, Bloomberg held the woodchuck at a safe distance as the animal squirmed in his grasp.
Though last year's Groundhog Day (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Groundhog+Day) also passed without incident, Bloomberg had been joking for days about his face-to-face encounter with the Staten Island zoo's most famous resident.
"Last year I was civil," the Mayor joked last week, "but you know, I never forgive and forget."
Zoo officials said Chuck - who has a new custom-built log cabin designed by a local charity - has accurately predicted the durations of 24 out of the last 30 winters.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011/02/02/2011-02-02_punxsutawney_phil__staten_island_chuck_agree_on _groundhog_day_spring_to_come_ear.html#ixzz1Cpll35 mY