Punxsutawney Phil

Sally, Conrad and Cat (Photo Universal Studios/Dreamworks) Like Sally and “Conroy”, I find myself perched at the living room window moping and watching the inclement weather outside. But instead of rain, it’s snow and there’s no Cat coming to my rescue. No, my salvo is a furry rodent named Phil. Punxsutawney Phil . This coming Monday is Groundhog Day . And the only hope I have of lasting another winter in America’s Bitter and Cold-Blooded Heartland lies in hands of what would ordinarily be considered a menace to the farming community. A freaking Groundhog! Yep! You got it. My will, my resolve to last, ... Read Full Story

P unxsutawney Phil emerged from his hole on Monday to clear skies and the sight of his shadow. That makes it a “case closed door shut” case: Six more weeks of winter for the folks up north. O r is it? As a hydrologist I come from a carefully schooled tradition of pulling all the facts in first and then making judgment. After doing just that – reading the newspapers, scouring the photo archives, and studying the film – I’ve come to a surprising but confident verdict: The AP reports are wrong and that was not the “real” Punxsutawney Phil … but rather a ... Read Full Story

Punxsutawney Phil greets admirers while handler John Griffiths holds him after he saw his shadow predicting 6 more weeks of winter during festivities in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images) more pics » The world's most famous groundhog saw his shadow Monday morning, predicting that this already long winter will last for six more weeks. If a hibernating animal casts a shadow on Feb. 2, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early. Punxsutawney Phil emerged just after dawn in front of an estimated 13,000 witnesses, many dressed in black and gold to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' ... Read Full Story

"Hear Ye Hear Ye On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2 nd , 2009 Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators..." saw his shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of winter. If you don't know the story, you can Google it, of course. The essence is this: in Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania, the official home of Phil the groundhog, there is a celebration every year regarding this purportedly Celtic tradition of determining the arrival of spring based on a groundhog's shadow. Punxsutawneyians have been conducting the ritual since 1887. You might say it's a great excuse for a party. And I ... Read Full Story

February 2nd, Groundhog Day, may be one of the quirkiest of American holidays. The Groundhog Day tradition is thought to have been brought to The States by German immigrants in the early 19th century, but it became part of pop-culture when the movie Groundhog Day came out in 1993 starring Bill Murray. If the groundhog does not see his shadow, the weather is more mild, and the groundhog can come out of hibernation. If a shadow is seen, it is said the groundhog is scared back into his den, and there will be six more weeks of winter. Despite its hokey aspects, people still ... Read Full Story