Groundhog Day February 2nd

The day is clear with the sun shining! It had been forecasted to being a snowy day, which would have been better for our long term winter! Now, that means sun, and the Punxsutawney Phil Groundhog will see his shadow. If Phil sees his shadow, he will be scared, and go back into his hole for 6 more weeks. That means 6 more weeks of winter.

Growing up in western Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney was in my back yard. Punxy was one of our town’s high school rivals. They had this groundhog that they got out of a cage in the middle of winter. Phil would predict if we were going to have more winter. I didn’t think much about that town. It was just another western Pennsylvania small town.

We sure didn’t make pets out of groundhogs. They were rodents and made terrible holes in the hay fields, and everywhere else. My dad used to shoot groundhogs! Some people used to eat them but we didn't! I always thought that Groundhog Day was just something in “our neck of the woods”. Punxy is just down the road, part of an hour away. I never dreamt that they would talk about this rodent miles away. Then I moved to the eastern part of the state and over the border to New Jersey. And you know what? They knew about this groundhog there! I was amazed. Then we moved to the outskirts of Pittsburgh, and they knew about that groundhog there. But I figured that Punxy was only a little more than an hour away and it must be a western PA thing. But I was astonished when I moved to Michigan and they knew there!

AND…I finally got it when I moved to Nebraska! Everyone knows!!! My husband still laughs at me to this day, 28 years later, every time February 2nd comes around. I never realized that Groundhog Day was a national thing! Over a rodent. Go figure!!! Remember, these were the days before the movie!

So now we have 6 more weeks of winter. Just because of some Groundhog! Who needs that? I still don’t get what the big deal is all about on February 2nd!

Now there is an OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.groundhog.org Go figure, again!

But I did find out that Punxsutawney Phil has a girlfriend groundhog, and I know her name! Do you? And I know how many times Phil has seen his shadow and how many times he hasn’t!

HINT: Phil has seen his shadow more than not seeing it! Looks like we almost always have more winter after Feb 2!

Oh…where is the spring sunshine and warmth?