Punxsutawney Who?

Let me get this straight -  If the groundhog sees his shadow, we can expect six more weeks of winter?  If he doesn't, spring will come early?  Hmmmmmmm!  In order to see his shadow, it would have to be sunny, right?  And for him not to see his shadow, it would have to be cloudy or stormy?  Does that seen counter-intuitive to anyone else?

I went looking for the origins of Groundhog Day and found that it was brought to America by the Germans and was first officially mentioned in this country in Pennsylvania in 1841.  Apparently it morphed out of superstitions surrounding Candlemass.  I never did find out how a little rodent got involved in the process, but the sunny/shadow; stormy/no shadow has been around awhile.  One of the sources I read said that Candlemass celebrated the first time one could notice appreciably that the daylight hours were beginning to creep up on the nighttime hours (although they won't overtake them for about seven more weeks at the spring equinox.)



I JIST WUV SPWING!

I'm not sure how a famous little rodent in Pennsylvania is going to tell me about climate prospects in Arizona.  Seems like a big to do over nothing.  Or an excuse to make a Bill Murray movie.

Just sayin'.

Copyright Gebara Education  February 2013

 

Picture from www.commons.wikimedia.org

I know the other little rodent isn't a groundhog, but he's so doggone cute,
I had to post him. 
I received the photo in an email so I don't know the original source.