Punxsutawney Phil has, er, spoken. Having seen his shadow, the rodent is confidently calling for another six weeks of winter.
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – America's most famous groundhog emerged from his burrow early on Saturday and declared that winter will last another six weeks.
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow shortly before 12:30 p.m. British time to the cheers of more than 30,000 people from as far away as Alaska and Texas, one of the largest crowds in the 122-year history of the event in the central Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney.The rodent was taken out of a tree stump on a hill called Gobbler's Knob, and delivered his prognostication to William Cooper, President of Punxsutawney's Inner Circle, who organizers say is the only person in the world who can speak "groundhog-ese."
According to the tradition that may have links with the European festival of Candlemas, if the groundhog sees his shadow, it will mean six more weeks of winter. If not, there will be an early spring.
Actually, the weather prediction skills of any given burrowing rodent seems no better or worse than some human professionals. But we here at Blue Crab Boulevard maintain that if the groundhog sees his shadow, it will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't, it will be a month and a half.
Or 45 days. Whichever comes first.
Jimmy, the groundhog, in Sun Prairie, WI, did not see his shadow. We Wisconsin Badgers welcome a little Global Warming at this time of year.
It snowed again today. Rats!
Six more weeks of winter. Six more weeks suffering the dire effects of global warmi-, ah, climate change. Six more weeks for Big Shovel to flex its political muscle and corrupt our public insitiutions.