Groundhog Day
Today is February 2nd. The day known as “Groundhog Day”. German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early. Being from Pennsylvania we are typically inundated every year with the Groundhog Day tradition. Being from Southern Pennsylvania we are typically inundated with TWO groundhogs who are responsible for this legacy. The great prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, is located in western PA and is probably the best known Groundhog Oracle. The annual event has even been portrayed on the big screen! Southern Pennsylvania’s answer to Punxsutawney Phil is none other than Octoraro Orphie, the Quarryville resident who claims to be the “One True Groundhog” backed by his flawless record of predicting the weather since 1908.
In the paper today the following was said: “We will have six more weeks of winter, says Octoraro Orphie, Quarryville’s prestigious (stuffed) groundhog, who saw his shadow this morning. Meanwhile, the great prognosticator in western Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil, also saw his shadow today.”
I say this: How does a stuffed groundhog see his shadow? If the act of seeing a shadow requires a hibernating animal to come out to see its shadow, how can you make an accurate prediction if the animal can’t see? I watched the news this morning and the weather said that it was going to be cloudy all day, so in reality if a live hibernating animal were to come out today there would be a great chance that the hog wouldn’t see it’s shadow. This would also require the hog to come out on its own and not be pulled out by a person who facilitates the myth. My big beef is just with Octoraro Orphie. The stuffed candidate. Seriously, I might as well put a stake in the ground on Feb 1 and then come out early on Feb 2 to see if it cast a shadow. That’s doing virtually the same thing and then I could make the predictions earlier than Phil and Orphie and eventually establish myself as the “One True Groundhog”… Well, this may take a little more planning, so for now, I’ll leave it to the pros… well, the Pro… considering the other might as well be a sock-puppet! Happy Groundhog Day!
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