Written by Brad Wilder, Esq.
According to Punxsutawney Phil, Spring will be coming early this year!! I wonder how it came to be that a civilized society could rely on a woodchuck for seasonal forecasting. Do not we have the Farmer’s Almanac for that?
Turns out Groundhog Day is rooted in German tradition and superstition. The superstition provides that if a hibernating animal casts and sees his shadow on February 2nd winter can be expected to last another six weeks. Conversely, if no shadow is seen, Spring will come early. When early German settlers came to Pennsylvania, they continued the tradition and it has lasted ever since. The first official Groundhog Day took place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2, 1886.
This year Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, which has only happened 16 times since 1886 according to existing records. I had no idea a woodchuck could live as long as Punxsutawney Phil. The woodchucks in my brother’s hayfield and those near my parents’ garden never seem to be around longer than a year or two. But I digress.
Of all years, this is not the year for Punxsutawney Phil to predict an early Spring and get it wrong. Has not Phil seen the news and all the snow that is piling up? It seems like it snows every third day around here. We have had so much snow that I am getting mighty close at being able to build a snow staircase from ground level to my porch roof. If this land beaver gets it wrong, we are all going to pay the price. We might have to buy additional oil to heat our homes, spend more on snow plowing, and delay getting the lawn chairs and barbeque grill out of storage. Given what is at stake, there has to be accountability. If Phil botches it this year, perhaps a class action lawsuit with claims of misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false advertisement and fraud. I bet global warming can somehow be tied to that little rodent, too.
Turns out, some on the internet are way ahead of me. Chatter has been abuzz for a few years now about filing a lawsuit against ole’ Phil. Problem is, there has not been enough momentum for a follow through. This year might be different, especially if we do not see crocuses and daffodils peaking from the ground before March 20th. I know I want to be on a golf course no later than March 30th. And while on the subject of a woodchuck, I believe it is time we revisit the whole notion of a Groundhog Day. Let us not forget that Punxsutawney Phil is of the same species as that gang in the Geico commercial that keeps chuckin’ our wood. Hmm . . . we are being told that Spring will come early this year while our wood supply is being chucked. Sounds like a conspiracy on the part of the oil industry. I would be more comfortable placing trust in another hibernating animal for forecasting. Why not a Possum Day, Hedgehog Day or Marmot Day?
According to Punxsutawney Phil, Spring will be coming early this year!! I wonder how it came to be that a civilized society could rely on a woodchuck for seasonal forecasting. Do not we have the Farmer’s Almanac for that?
Turns out Groundhog Day is rooted in German tradition and superstition. The superstition provides that if a hibernating animal casts and sees his shadow on February 2nd winter can be expected to last another six weeks. Conversely, if no shadow is seen, Spring will come early. When early German settlers came to Pennsylvania, they continued the tradition and it has lasted ever since. The first official Groundhog Day took place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on February 2, 1886.
This year Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow, which has only happened 16 times since 1886 according to existing records. I had no idea a woodchuck could live as long as Punxsutawney Phil. The woodchucks in my brother’s hayfield and those near my parents’ garden never seem to be around longer than a year or two. But I digress.
Of all years, this is not the year for Punxsutawney Phil to predict an early Spring and get it wrong. Has not Phil seen the news and all the snow that is piling up? It seems like it snows every third day around here. We have had so much snow that I am getting mighty close at being able to build a snow staircase from ground level to my porch roof. If this land beaver gets it wrong, we are all going to pay the price. We might have to buy additional oil to heat our homes, spend more on snow plowing, and delay getting the lawn chairs and barbeque grill out of storage. Given what is at stake, there has to be accountability. If Phil botches it this year, perhaps a class action lawsuit with claims of misrepresentation, negligent infliction of emotional distress, false advertisement and fraud. I bet global warming can somehow be tied to that little rodent, too.
Turns out, some on the internet are way ahead of me. Chatter has been abuzz for a few years now about filing a lawsuit against ole’ Phil. Problem is, there has not been enough momentum for a follow through. This year might be different, especially if we do not see crocuses and daffodils peaking from the ground before March 20th. I know I want to be on a golf course no later than March 30th. And while on the subject of a woodchuck, I believe it is time we revisit the whole notion of a Groundhog Day. Let us not forget that Punxsutawney Phil is of the same species as that gang in the Geico commercial that keeps chuckin’ our wood. Hmm . . . we are being told that Spring will come early this year while our wood supply is being chucked. Sounds like a conspiracy on the part of the oil industry. I would be more comfortable placing trust in another hibernating animal for forecasting. Why not a Possum Day, Hedgehog Day or Marmot Day?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment