shadow

Mr. Groundhog, better known as Punxsutawney Phil, has decided that we are going to have six more weeks of winter. For myself, this is heaven sent, because I love winter. Don't give me that look. I like summer too, but I like winter clothes so much more; i.e. my love of boots, leg warmers, hats, and scarves. The whole story behind Groundhog Day is actually, rather interesting. Some guy wrote this diary entry that was recently found, dated February 5, 1841. A storekeeper named James Morris of Berks County, Pennsylvania wrote:

Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans,the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.

So it was the Germans who started this little tradition. If you're unfamiliar with the tradition, it goes like this: If the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, sees his shadow, we're stuck with six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, we luck out with an early spring. Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow 97 times, has not seen it 15 times, and nine years are unaccounted for. What I don't understand is how the hell a groundhog can live to be over one hundred years old. Well I found that though groundhogs typically live only six to eight years, Groundhog Day lore suggests that Phil drinks a magic elixir every summer, which gives him seven more years of life. This is odd, but hey, it's a tradition that has lived on, and even though it is rather foolish to let a groundhog predict the weather, they are kinda cute.