Thursday, February 02, 2006

Happy Ground Hog Day

Happy Ground Hog Day!

Today is an important day on the calendar, because this is the day we find out if we will have an early spring or six more weeks of winter. This forecast will be done not by the Farmer's Almanac, the BBC or even the Weather Channel, but instead by a groundhog named Phil who lives in Pennsylvania.

This odd American holiday seems all the more strange when you have to explain it to your six-year-old son. It's one thing to be indoctrinated to the idea by your kindly second grade teacher Mrs. Feno and your classmates seem to think it makes all the sense in the world, but it's another thing entirely when you have to explain it, on your own, without the support of the local popular media to do so.

Sadly for us, Phil has told us today that we will have six more weeks of winter. I still don't know if the groundhog's progrostinations extend to the U.K. I hope not.

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