SCORES & OUTDOORS: Woody calls for a wintry mix of everything until spring

Woodrow saying goodbye following my annual visit to his den.

by Roland D. Hallee

Huhhhh!

It’s time again to bundle up and make my trek through the snow fields of center Vassalboro in search of my old friend, Woodrow Charles. As folklore goes, Woody is a weather prognosticating groundhog. With Groundhog Day coming on February 2, I always visit him a little early to give our readers a head start on the possibilities of the weather for the next couple of months.

As I headed out on that day, it was a pleasant start to the day, clear skies with the temperature in the low 30s. Really balmy for the last week in January.

As I walked through the fields, I couldn’t help but notice that, had it not been for the five inches or so we received the previous week, there would not be much snow to trudge through.

As I approached his lair, I spotted the usual smoke billowing from the chimney above the stump, and the glow of lights through the only window he has. There were many tracks outside with groundhog footprints headed in every direction.

I arrived at the door, knocked and waited for an answer. I noticed things were a little different from last year.

If you remember, Woody was off the grid. He had given up all his electronics, given away his 60-inch TV, had his electricity turned off, and basically went all natural with everything. Sustainability, they call it.

But today, I see an electric light on inside.

I knocked again.

Silence.

“What is going on,” I think to myself.

I knocked a third time. Apparently, he’s out. I didn’t notify him that I was coming today.

Suddenly, I heard something behind me.

It’s Woody, waddling through the snow, carrying a bag.

He stopped, looked at me, and said, “Oh, I didn’t know you were coming today. You should have called first. I’ve been out foraging”

“Well,” I responded. “The reason I didn’t call is because, as of last year, you were off the grid, and swore you were in it for the long haul.”

He had a strange look on his face. “It didn’t work out. I was out of touch with everything. Couldn’t talk to my buddies, Frank, Butch and Slim. I didn’t know what was going on in the world with no TV. It just wasn’t working.”

He continued, “Luckily, Slim gave the TV back to me, but I had to promise to invite him to every one of my Super Bowl parties.”

That got me to thinking. “Hey, the Super Bowl is on Groundhog Day this year. Any predictions?”

I don’t know how he does it, but he’s usually correct.

“If you remember last year I predicted the Patriots by 10 points,” he started bragging. “And the final score was 13-3.”

“OK,” I responded, “you nailed it! Let’s see how you do this year.”

Woody rubbed his chin, and said, “This one is a little tough. I don’t know that much about San Francisco. Being a west coast team, they are not on television that much.

“From what I have read and heard, Kansas City’s offense is generally unstoppable, and the 49ers have one of the top defenses in the league. I usually like to go with defense. So, here goes, San Francisco by four points, as long as Jimmy Garoppolo can put up enough points against an improving Kansas City defense.”

Finally, I remembered. I was here to get a weather prediction, and somehow it always turns to Super Bowl picks.

“What about the weather?” I asked. “It’s been a pretty mild winter so far.”

Woody looked at the floor, then looked up, scratched his head, and spoke: “The worst of the winter is still ahead of us. I get mixed messages on snowfall, but I predict a little more snow than we have received so far, but with no major snow events. Temperatures, however, will plummet, with most of the precipitation being in the form of some snow, but a lot of wintry mix, with rain, sleet and freezing rain.”

I smiled wryly. “That doesn’t sound very encouraging.”

“Also,” Woody continued as though I hadn’t said anything, “the winter will be prolonged into late March, and into early and mid-April.”

That being said, Woody turned to me and said, “Cup of coffee?”

“Sure,” I replied. “I have a little time on my hands.”

So, for the next hour, we had coffee, and talked about many different subjects. I didn’t realize he was so well informed.

In all, everything he had a couple of years ago was back in its place, including his cell phone, WiFi, weather equipment, even Siri.

“Cost me a bit,” he said embarrassingly. “I needed to get everything out of hawk.”

So, what about Siri? “Gives me someone to talk to,” he said. “She knows a lot about a lot. It gets lonely here during winter.”

“So, you’re fairly well connected,” I asked.

“That’s what happens when you have communication with the outside world,” Woody said. “It’s amazing what you can learn with Google. And on television, there is the Home Shopping Network, CNN, FoxNews, Home & Garden Network, and my favorite, Animal Planet.”

Coffee finished, I got up, put on my coat, hat and gloves, and headed to the door. Once there, I turned, and wished my host a good day.

“Stay warm, and I’ll see you next year,” I said.

“Be safe, my friend,” Woody responded.

With that, I began my journey back home.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

The San Francisco 49ers have appeared in six Super Bowls, winning five. Who defeated them in Super Bowl XLXII, in 2012?

Answer can be found here.