She's got Bette Davis eyes

The scurs dialed in the Weather Eye and saw improvement last weekend. Do our furnaces continue to exhale or is the relief only temporary? Starting Thursday, partly sunny with highs in the mid-30's and lows around 25. Partly sunny Friday with highs around 30 and lows near 10. Mostly sunny on Saturday with highs in the mid-20's and lows in the mid-teens. Sunday, mostly sunny with highs in the low 30's and lows in the low 20's. Cloudy on Monday with highs around 40 and lows in the low 20's. Tuesday, mostly cloudy with highs in the low 40's and lows in the low 30's. Cloudy on Wednesday with a good chance of snow. Highs in the mid-30's with lows in the upper 20's. On February 5th we'll see the sun set at 5:30 p.m. CST. The normal high for February 5th is 24 and the normal low is 5.

The scurs aren't concerned about whether the groundhog saw his shadow or not. Of greater importance is when the Valentine's Day goodies show up.

 

Actually, the groundhog probably saw his shadow at some point this past Monday. Initially it was cloudy but by 9 a.m., there was plenty of sunshine for him to cast a good, dark shadow. If you go by the metrics set forth in Punxsutawney where Phil reigns supreme, the observation time is about 7:25 a.m. As legend has it, if he sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it means that spring is just around the corner. And he did see his shadow. His track record, however, isn't something to make book on. His accuracy is 39% - 40%, so not exactly Rain Man material. At the ranch we have a groundhog affectionately known as Brush Pile Bob. He didn't see his shadow because he was asleep in his den. However, if you believe in sasquatch or lucky rabbit's feet and you're hellbent on increasing the odds of an early spring, dig one of the large rodents out of its den in the dark.

 

Problem solved!

 

So where are we in real time as far as when and what to expect for spring? Looking at the recently released outlook from NOAA, it's calling for better than even odds of a colder than normal February, with even odds of above or below normal precipitation. The 90-day outlook which encompasses February through April is looking at even odds of above or below normal temps with slightly better than even odds of above normal precipitation. Parts of IL, IN and OH are under severe drought at this point. The seasonal outlook there, however, is for improvement into April, so in other words, there could be some early planted crop in those area if the drought persists. The good news for us is the heavy snow risk map appears to show most of that occurring to our north in eastern MT, ND and northern MN as well as west in the Rockies. I don't know about you, but I'm keeping the snowblower handy just in case.

 

Are you a fan of old movies? I know I am, and if there happens to be one of my favorites playing when I actually have time to watch, that's probably what'll happen if I don't fall asleep first. While I'm partial to things like the Spaghetti Westerns, "Unforgiven," "Cool Hand Luke," "Jeremiah Johnson," etc., I also enjoy movies that move perhaps more slowly with an undercurrent of dark humor. One night after making a barn check, I came to bed to find

 

"What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" on the TCM channel. It was one of Mom's favorites, and I recall fondly staying up late watching it with her as she recovered from a hospital stay. The movie starred Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. It was released in late 1962 and was filmed in black and white. The post-war Lincoln cabriolet the police in the movie identified as a 1940 also gave Ford enthusiasts something to talk about. Sources say it was likely a '47.

 

It was no secret that Bette Davis and Joan Crawford had a long-running feud and bitter rivalry. Davis once said of Crawford, "She has slept with every male star at MGM except Lassie!" Crawford offered to accept any Oscars in 1962 for those who couldn't make the Academy Awards in an effort to snub Bette Davis who was nominated for Best Actress. She didn't win, but was once quoted as saying, "The best time I ever had with Joan Crawford was when I pushed her down the stairs in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane!" At one point during the filming, Davis

 

"accidentally" kicked Crawford in the head. Crawford countered by putting extra weights in her clothing to make it more difficult for Davis to drag her around the stage. Without spoiling the plot if you haven't seen the movie, it is chock full of deliciously hilarious evil little twists and turns. With the real-life, ongoing feud simmering just beneath the surface, it makes the performances of both actresses incredibly believable.

 

Poppy finally decided to watch the Westminster Dog Show with us. Surprisingly enough, she actually did pay attention at times as some of the dogs made their way around the show ring. No barking or carrying on, but you could see the little gears turning as she watched the activity on the screen. She definitely wasn't as animated about it as Ruby used to be when she'd launch herself at the TV. It didn't take much to set her off either. One had to be impressed with Poppy, however, as she even watched some while I ate the piece of pizza on my plate. It takes some doing to change a Corgi's focus from food to television. Once the pizza was gone, it was time for Poppy to curl up against my leg and fall fast asleep. After watching the Corgi's in the dog show and my trip to the barn, I followed suit. The Corgi didn't win the Herding Group class, but the one on the couch has definitely won our hearts.

 

See you next week...real good then.