But I have my doubts.
It is likely that instead of his shadow, what Punxsutawney Phil actually witnessed was an angry crowd, sick of the winter, holding pitchforks. Any sane rodent would have turned tail.
In a show of groundhog solidarity, Staten Island Chuck, Phil's doppelganger, also indicates spring will arrive on time. You would too if you faced the commuting public in the tri-state area.
I have to confess that ordinarily I am a cynic when it comes to using rodents to predict the weather. I find groundhogs serve very little purpose, other than inspiring a fun game of "Whack-A-Mole."
But this winter I will believe anything that tells me the arctic assault will end. And I would imagine that the groundhogs are pretty sick of this weather too.
The weather prediction is a good news / bad news scenario.
Here is the bad news:
- The local Shawn White fan club will lose the 15' half pipe in my driveway.
- My plow guy may need to return his new Rolex.
- Costco swill lose a steady stream of panicked housewives stocking up on toilet paper.
Here is the good news:
- The local hardware store is stocking up on gopher wood. We'll need it when all this snow melts in the coming spring.
