Feb 2, 2010

Six more weeks of winter

I am incredibly disappointed this Groundhog Day, more so than any groundhog day before.  It is not six more weeks of winter that troubles me as much as not knowing which groundhog to believe.  Not too long ago, Groundhog Day was a time to honor a small town in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney, home of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the caretakers and enthusiasts of Punxsutawney Phil.  The legend goes, once Phil pops up from his burrow, he speaks in Groundhogese, a language only understood by the president of the Groundhog club, and tells him whether he saw his shadow or not, signifying a longer or shorter winter.  It is then translated to the world, even by text message this year.
It wasn’t too long ago that angry golf-club grounds keepers were tossing dynamite into the burrows of these cute creatures, but now everyone wants one.  Apparently, Phil’s predictions aren’t good enough for the world, with weather predicting groundhog gurus popping up all over the world at a rate comparable to shopping mall Santas.  The real question, are these groundhogs imposters, or are their predictions accurate?  Or, is it possible that their predictions are only good for the area it lives in?  Luckily for us at Tabor, Massachusetts’s resident groundhog, Ms. G agrees with Phil, six more weeks of winter, avoiding any conflicts.  The same goes for us Connecticut natives as well; our own Chuckles claims there will be six more weeks of winter too. 
What really worries me, however, is the story behind Oxford, Michigan’s Mr. Prozac.  According the www.windstarfarm.com, “The history of Groundhog Day in Oxford Michigan- In 1998, a baby groundhog was taken to a local veterinary clinic where surgery was performed to save his life.  The groundhog, unable to be released back into the wild due to his injuries, was named Noah John.  He became Oxfords beloved one-eyed weather prognosticating groundhog.  Noah passed away on April 22, 2002 as a result of injuries sustained in the traffic accident.  Before Noah John died, he met several times with his llama friend Mr. Prozac and instructed Zac in the art of weather prognosticating.”  There are so many things wrong with this; I’m not sure to begin.  I’d personally have trouble believing whether a one-eyed groundhog could accurately see his shadow, and I had no idea groundhogs befriended llamas.  Also, is a llama really wired to foretell the weather as well as a groundhog?
Out of respect for tradition, I think I’m going to stick with Punxsutawney Phil’s prognostics.  After all, he is the original foreteller, with a history richer than any of his imposters, and finely dressed caretakers dressed in tuxedos and top hats.  For more information on groundhog day and the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, check out the official (or so they say) Groundhog Day website, www.groundhog.org.

-Jay Greenfield ’10

More »