by Richard
Hard to believe that for 124 years, people have actually hung out at a place called Gobbler’s Knob on this date to watch a large, furry rodent come out of his burrow. Yep, it’s Groundhog Day and the folks in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, are all set to freak out.
I mean, come on. What else is there to do in Punxsutawney? I think it says a lot when the highlight of a town’s year is seeing whether or not a rodent will espy his own shadow. Kind of sad, actually.
Especially considering the good folks of Punxsutawney have made up an entire mythology for the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. Supposedly, there’s only been one groundhog hanging around since 1886. The folks say he takes a sip of the elixir of life every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and that gives him an extra seven years of life. Of course, were that true, right now he’d have 744 more years of life. If this continues, we could have a functional immortal on our hands. Trust me, I did the math. (I know. How sad is that?)
Seriously, let’s all storm the good people of Punxsutawney and demand they give up the elixir of life. I’ll be glad to hold the groundhog hostage. Well, I will as long as I don’t have to actually touch the thing.
Anyway. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow today, it will mean six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow, it’s supposed to mean an early spring.
Personally, I’d rather rely on long-range forecasting based on computer models and backed up by satellite eyes. I know. It’s so unrealistic to suppose weather can be forecasted by something other than a fuzzy piece of walking roadkill.
Ah, well. I guess that’s life in the big Gobbler’s Knob.
*no, not the movie. Although that is one of this dude’s all-time favorite movies.
Tags: A Dude's Guide to Life, Burrow, Computer Models, dude, Dude's, Early Spring, Elixir Of Life, Freak, Freak Out, Furry Rodent, Gobbler, Good Folks, Groundhog Day, Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil, Hostage, Man, math, movie, Myth, Mythology, Pennsylvania, People, Picnic, Punxsutawney Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, Punxsutawney Phil Sees His Shadow, richard, Roadkill, Seven Years, Sip, summer, Weather