Everyone seems to know Groundhog's Day but here in NEOhio we have another animal that predicts the weather. John Niedzialek is a weather enthusiast retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Niedzialek teaches Earth Science at Lakeland College in Mentor, Ohio, works part time for the Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District, and volunteers at St. Casimir Polish Church.
John Niedzialek
John rescued an abandoned kitten on the footsteps of St. Casimir Polish Church on Cleveland's east side at what many are now calling "Cleveland's Miraculous Polish Church" after it reopened on July 15, 2012. He named it Concord Casimir (as opposed to the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil) and each year since John dons a top hat and has a pierogi ceremony to see what the cat predicts.
Concord Casimir eating pierogi and predicting the weather
John says that it's all in the way Casimir eats his pierogi. He reported that "Casimir was flipping his pierogi around today during his annual prediction meal and that can mean only one thing: expect a "flip- flop" end of winter where you will be freezing one week and then shedding your clothes the next.John advises "Keep your Long Underwear (gacies) and your Shorts (krotkie spodenki) handy in the same drawer."
When asked about a cat predicting the weather John points to Casimir's long streak of successes and asks, "In any case, why would anyone listen to a groundhog?"
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