Was the Groundhog Right?

photo courtesy The Washington Post

I don't know if the groundhog has had anything to do with it, but we have had pleasantly mild temperatures at the Ridge this week. On, Monday--Groundhog's Day--Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which means six more weeks of winter. Old Man Winter, it seems, is not ready to retire for the year--but for now we are enjoying this hint of better weather.

Groundhog's Day is actually my father-in-law's favorite holiday. I told you a little about him in a post earlier this week. Although he lives in Maine now, Bill is originally from northwest Pennsylvania and played a high school football against Punxsutawney, whose team mascot was the Chucks (short for "woodchuck," which is another name for groundhog). Punxsutawney is the home of Punxsutawney Phil, the world-renowned weather prognosticator.

"It's great fun," Bill says. "Maybe--just maybe--it's a little indication that spring is around the corner. It's a fun way to get a little glimmer of hope to get you through the last of the long winter months."