The official report from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is that on Feb. 2nd groundhog Phil did see his shadow, and thus there are supposedly 6 more weeks of winter to endure. Here’s a rather cute photo of Phil, for those of you (including me) who have never seen a real groundhog:

Punxsutawney Phil (from their website)

I have lived in the colder climes more than once (Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and Charlottesville, Virginia) so I know what that means– 6 more weeks of snow, ice, and cold.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog yesterday, precisely timed for 6 a.m. (as in the movie when February 2nd begins over and over). The best part of that 1993 “Groundhog Day” movie was that egotistical weatherman Phil (coincidentally the same name as the groundhog) has to learn to become a better man, by repeating and repeating the lessons he must learn till he gets it right.

Take heart readers, and enjoy the hope of Springtime coming. I well remember waiting with anticipation for the first signs of spring: the crocuses peeping out of the snow-covered ground, the forsythia budding, the tiny light-green leaves appearing on the bare branches of the trees.

And if you want to see the Official Website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, click here. That site has more than you will ever need to know about groundhogs.

Happy Groundhog Day again!

Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2 in the United States (most notably Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) and Canada. “According to folklore, if a groundhog emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.” (from Wikipedia)

So what do we do here in Arizona in the great Southwest, watch the prairie dog or the ground squirrel emerge from their burrows today?

prairie dog emerging

I grew up in Hawaii where we had no groundhogs, or prairie dogs, or ground squirrels either for that matter. We didn’t even have cute squirrels. All we had (and still have) were fierce mongoose (mongooses?), which had no burrows.

The first time I ever heard of a groundhog animal was from that popular and hilarious 1993 movie, “Groundhog Day”, where the main character Bill Murray keeps repeating February 2nd over and over and over…

Happy Groundhog Day anyway!

And to repeat myself, Happy Groundhog Day today.

movie poster