Prognosticating rodents 3-1 for prolonged winter

Good grief! Groundhog Day again! Walt got up at the crack of dawn, compiled this report on the festivities, then sealed up the crack and went back to bed. 

North America's famous prognosticating rodents were split over spring’s arrival on Groundhog Day.

In rural Pennsylvania, hard by the Moshannon State Forest, Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather watcher, was pulled from his warm burrow this morning and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.

On the other side of the World's Longest Undefended Border (TM), Ontario's Wiarton Willie, pictured, reportedly did not see his shadow, which is good news for people tired of wintry weather. But Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam and Québec's Fred la Marmotte saw their shadows, predicting a long winter ahead. 

Tradition holds that if a groundhog doesn't see its shadow on Groundhog Day, springlike weather will soon arrive. But if a shadow appears, winter's icy grip won't let go for quite some time. Walt places more trust in Wiarton Willie [because he's white? Ed.], but cannot overlook the majority opinion -- 3 to 1 for more winter. Back to sleep.

VIDEO: Canuck groundhog predicts early spring

 Well, it's Groundhog Day again.../// Well, it's Groundhog Day again.../// Well, it's Groundhog Day again... but you saw the movie right, so enough with the reference. 

If you're from some other part of the world and have no idea what I'm talking about, the residense of northeastern North America have a superstition that if a groundhog (aka woodchuck, as in "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?") sticks his head out of his burrow on February 2nd and sees his shadow, he gets frightened, goes back underground, and we'll have six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow, it'll be an early spring.

Three groundhogs* have attained a degree of international fame [notority? Ed.] over the years, the best-known being Punxatawney (PA) Phil, featured in Groundhog Day, the movie. Walt, however, prefers Canada's Wiarton Willie. He lives so far north that he's white! OK, the original Willie was white; he died a couple of years ago and his successor appears to be the usual mousy brown. Anyway, he's better-positioned than Phil to notice the advance or retreat of winter weather. Watch this.

* Who's the third one (I hear you ask)? That would be Shubenacadie Sam, who lives way Down East in central Nova Scotia. If you want to go to wherever for next year's festivities... we should live so long... Walt recommends Wiarton. It's just down the road from Tobermory ON, at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula and therefore the Bruce Trail, the longest hiking trail in one state/province. You'd be unwise to try hiking the Trail in the dead of winter, but there you go...

And here's a follow-up from Blazing Cat Fur...

White and coloured rodents agree on early spring

Yes, folks, it's Groundhog Day... again. Furry seers on both sides of the World's Longest Open Border have been dragged out of their burrows -- cages, actually -- to blink in the sunlight... or not. American readers will be familiar with Punxatawney Phil, the one shown in the eponymous movie. [No. You could only say "eponymous" if the movie had been named "Punxatawney Phil", not "Groundhog Day". Ed.] Bah! You know what I mean...

I just want to say that, having seen the animal in the movie, our American readers may think that groundhogs are brown. That's true, but the Canucks have their own polar groundhog, not tawny like Phil (geddit?), but white! The Weather Woodchuck of Wiarton ON is called Wiarton Willie, and here's what he looks like.

Wiarton Mayor Janice Jackson was joined by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his "shadow cabinet" (geddit?) this morning for the announcement of Willie's forecast. The event was not without its share of excitement, however, when Ms Jackson misinterpreted the portent. She initially told the town crier that the rodent had seen his shadow, meaning spring was on the way. But by the time Willie was coaxed out of his den, the sky was cloudy, so, no shadow.

Punxatawney Phil also made an appearance this morning with his top-hatted handlers before a huge crowd at Gobbler's Knob PA, and likewise predicted an early spring.

There is another groundhog, colour unknown, further east, in Shubenacadie NS. They're on Atlantic Time there, so Sam is always the first groundhog in North America to make a prediction about how long winter will last, with Willie and Phil weighing in about an hour later. Sadly, the festivities at Shubenacadie Wildlife Park were cancelled this year due to a blustery snowstorm that hit the region last night.

[That's enough groundhogs. You're straining the spell-checker. Ed.]

Rodents predict early spring. What could go wrong?

I got out of bed at the crack of dawn this morning, with the intention of seeing whether Fort Mudge Francis (the local natural-born groundhog) would see his shadow. Unfortunately his hole was covered in two feet of snow and ice, so I sealed up the crack (of dawn) and went back to bed.

Ed. has found a picture of the new Wiarton Willie, mentioned in yesterday's post on global warming, whose residence is enclosed in glass for protection from the winter's snows, as well as meeja accessibility. Reports just in say that Willie did not see his shadow this morning, which means there will be an early spring.

Walt's agent in the vicinity of Pennsylvania sends word that Punxatawney Phil was likewise unshadowed, so the omens are good. That's if you believe what Willie and Phil tell you. I learned not to listen to rodents during the Obama administration.

FROZEN! What global warming looks like

One of Walt's agents sent along this nice photo of Niagara Falls -- the Canadian Falls part, actually -- where they've been having a real, old-fashioned winter. None of that global warming or climate change BS for the hardy folks who venture out to see the beauty of the falls, which, by the way, is not frozen. The falls are still falling, underneath the crusts of ice.

Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. In villages north and south of Niagara Falls, famous groundhogs will come out of their burrows -- voluntarily or otherwise -- to predict how much more of this global warming we'll have to endure. In Pennsylvania, Al Gore will explain to the media any cold signals given by Punxatawney Phil. In Ontario, Canuck Environment Minister "Climate Barbie" McKenna will interpret the actions of the new Wiarton Willie. The old one died last summer... of the heat, no doubt.

Groundhog day results conclusive: early spring!

Ed. here. The results are in! First out of his hole this morning was Shubenacadie Sam, who was greeted by bright sunshine. Somewhat later Punxatawney Phil (the Great American Groundhog) did not see his shadow. So far, a tie... Carrying with it the possiblity of cross-border hostilities.

Shortly after 0800 (EST) Wiarton Willie had the same vision, or lack thereof, as Phil. And now... Wait for it... Walt has likewise failed to see his shadow. Yes folks, it's a 3 to 1 vote for an early spring!

Walt needs a little rest so Ye Ed. will dip into readers' e-mail and answer some burning questions.

Lon Moore sends a TXT msg: HOW OLD WALT REALLY?
Ed.: Old Walt really fine. How you?

Rick Tushernia asks: Walt sometimes writes "Lifetime pct .991" or some other number. What is he talking about?
Ed.: You're obviously not a fan of baseball, the sport that entertains through the minute analysis of statistics. Walt is referring to his record of correct vs incorrect predictions. As of today he has been right 991 times out of 1000. Walt is occasionally wrong, but never in doubt!

Pat Strami writes from Rye NY: Don't you think Walt is just a bit anti-Semitic?
Ed.: Tell me who or what you think Semites are and I'll tell you the answer. Walt says some of his best friends are Jews.

Cordelia Weatherbee wants to know Walt's opinion of marriage.
Ed.: Walt thinks marriage is a fine institution, if you want to be in an institution. But, he warns, anyone who thinks "love means never having to say you're sorry" has never been married.

Bess Arabia enquires how Walt voted in the last election.
Ed.: Walt voted early and often, but it didn't do any good. Next time (he says) he won't vote; it only encourages them.

And remember folks... Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never get bent out of shape.