Did We See A Groundhog’s Shadow?

Yes, today is the day that, when historically, we look for the groundhog to foretell the weather.  So…

…what are those darling little rodents telling us this year?

According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring.

This tradition came over from Germany with the first settlers but it was a hedgehog which they relied on for the weather forecast.  Because groundhogs were plentiful in the Keystone State, they switched!

In 1887, a newspaper editor belonging to a group of groundhog hunters from Punxsutawney called the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club declared that Phil, the Punxsutawney groundhog, was America’s only true weather-forecasting groundhog.   The line of groundhogs that have since been known as Phil might be America’s most famous groundhogs, but other towns across North America now have their own weather-predicting rodents, from Birmingham Bill to Staten Island Chuck to Shubenacadie Sam in, yes you guessed it, Nova Scotia, Canada.

So, Phil, what will our weather give us this year?  Oops!  No shadow which means we will have an early spring!

But with winter or spring there is love, joy and abundance, as always!