Groundhog Day

At least for those of us living in the United States, today is Groundhog Day.  Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania rises from his abode to predict the duration and severity of winter for the next few weeks.  The decision solely lies on whether or not he sees his shadow.  Today he did not see his shadow, which means winter as we know it will be mild for the next few weeks until the arrival of Spring.  According to statistics, he has been accurate roughly 39% of the time.  Personally I don't take stock in this ritual as the groundhog has probably the same, if not better, accuracy rate as current meteorologists.  The name given the groundhog is also the name of the city or town where the event takes place each year.  For me, the name elicits fond memories from when I was a regular bar fly at the TGIFriday's in Houston.  One of the waitresses at the establishment would always loving call me Punxsutawney Phil.  This nickname stuck, and very quickly others in the restaurant would call me by that name.  For my readers, this is probably a strange correlation to an otherwise normal American custom on Groundhog Day, but I usually think back and smile whenever I hear about the famous groundhog in Pennsylvania.  Anyway, my trip down memory lane is over.  Time to move on...  If anything, I'm glad to hear a mild winter is on its way leading to Spring.

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