And when he sees his shadow...

Hey!  Today is Groundhog’s Day!

Hey!  Today is Groundhog’s Day!

Haha, say what you will, I love that movie.  Apparently Groundhog’s Day is only celebrated in the US and Canada.  Even though it’s based on European weather lore.  And you know, I don’t actually remember the last time I really celebrated it.  I can’t figure out if it’s not being in America, or the writing of the blog, that has drawn my attention to events one step above mundane.  But it’s here, and I’m writing about it, so deal with it.

Over in Punxsutawney, people were anxiously awaiting the seasonal forecast of the most famous, highly respected, and highly intelligent rodent, Phil, the groundhog (Pinky and the Brain excluded.)  And how did they find out if he saw a shadow this year?  By…text message, and facebook status.  Oh you read me right.  This groundhog, who’s been around since before the 19th century, is more up to date then most people born in the 19th century.  I say most, because I don’t know if Kama Chinen has a facebook page, so I don’t want to jump to conclusions.

And the town of Punxsatawney was as alive as ever this year.  In fact one of the “Inner Circle” says "There's music and entertainment, spoofs of game shows, and people shooting t-shirts and Beanie Babies into the crowd.  Groundhog Day is a lot like a rock concert but the people are better behaved and there's a groundhog involved.”  Clearly this person never went to a Ozzy Osborne concert…oh wait, wrong rodent.

Of course it should be noted that, while he did see a shadow, it was cloudy and snowing…meaning the lack of sun probably caused a lack of shadow, but he’s probably psychic so he knows he would have seen one.  Which is ironic, since it was the clear skies associated with the pagan Celtic festival of Imbolc, that was the original predictor of the winter schedule.  Yet somewhere along the way, a fury, fat, public figure was thrown into the mix.  It was probably because there was a lack of hedgehogs…seriously.  But either way, he definitely saw a shadow.  And you know what that means…six more weeks of winter…ugh.  I was really looking forward to proving my calendar wrong on March 21st and saying…”you’re six weeks too late sucka!”  Oh well…we’ll get ‘em next year right Phil?

Or maybe we won’t.  Because thanks to animal rights, Phil may be looking for a replacement.  One of the metal, fake fur, and animatronics kind.  Yep, PETA is claiming this groundhog is experiencing animal cruelty and want it to be replaced with a fake one.  Even though this animal is so well taken care of, it’s over 100 years old.  Ok maybe not, but whichever Phil it is currently, is treated like royalty…much like you PETA heads treat your chickens, cows, and pigs.  Tell me, are these the same PETA people who protested the pardoning of the turkeys by the President on Thanksgiving?  Because you realize what “pardon” means right?  Sure the turkeys are so pumped full of steroids to look nice and plump, that they pass on in the Happiest Place on Earth less than a month later, but that’s besides the point!

Ok, so I don’t know where exactly this blog is going.  I guess I tend to do that.  But either way…HAPPY GROUNDHOGS’S DAY EVERYONE!  I wish you a blessed six freezing weeks!

Word of the Day: egel - groundhog