Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

At the curiously-named Gobbler's Knob, in the town of Punxsutawney, western Pennsylvania, just a few moments ago, the little furry form of Punxsutawney Phil cautiously emerged, sniffed around for a bit... and then quietly muttered in Groundhogese that his own shadow he could see. So according to the seer of seers, the …

[Jeroen Braamhaar]

What the groundhog really said ...

http://www.comics.com/creators/bc/archive/images/bc2008026112002.gif

No further comments ^^

[Geoff Mitchell]

Pee-free event This Year

Regardless of whether we have 6 more weeks of winter or not, at least the groundhog didn't pee over his handler on live national TV this year.

What a relief for the handler...

/coat

[Anonymous Coward]

I think he should have gone with..

..'pop' in that cartoon. Had me confused there for a minute.

[Tawakalna]

deja vu?

I have the strangest feeling that I've read this before.....

..a feeling exacerbated by the lack of PH or IT angles!

[Eddy Ito]

Hmm

Up here in the Northeast, 6 more weeks of winter _IS_ an early spring. Then again if they really meant it to apply here they would have called it "Woodchuck Day".

For the uninitiated, they are called woodchuck because because they look like a short rotting log, hence the "wood" and "chuck" is the sound they make when a high velocity .22 LR knobs them in the gobbler.

[eddiewrenn]

every day is groundhog day

Old news. Heard this on the radio in my bed and breakfast this morning. They said:

"Yes, 'ya aaall rise and shine campers! Don't forget your booties because it's cold out there. It's COLD out there everyday!"

[Adrian Jones]

Canada fares better:

Wiarton Willie didn't see his shadow

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2006/02/02/groundhog-060202.html

[Sam]

Question

....Why is it Saturday again?

[Kalle]

Polka

The mere mention of Punxsutawney Phil made "The Pennsylvania Polka" start playing in my head. If I kill someone, I'm blaming the Register.

[cor]

As I said yesterday...

... why do people keep on posting this article each day as if it were new?

I'm getting tired of the same thing here every day.

[Krissie]

Candlemass day?

Bit of poor research there - it actually dates back further, to the pagan festival of Imbolc on which Candlemass itself is based, where rather than groundhogs the behaviour of snakes was observed.

[Jeroen Braamhaar]

How far ...

...would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood ?

[Anonymous Coward]

re What the groundhog really said ...

alternatively

http://www.comics.com/comics/offthemark/archive/offthemark-20080202.html

[b shubin]

Woodland creature botherers

for each (double loser in gathering)

{

get(life);

do { something(useful); something(constructive); } while (NOT(dead));

}

[Greg]

Phil's a pessimist

I'm here in Pennsylvania about 40 miles away, and Bob the local groundhog was chillin' in my backyard all morning.

I think Phil's being paid off by corporate interests- he's been taking campaign contributions from the sidewalk salt and snow chain industries for years!

[Anonymous Coward]

eh

bastard hair ball

[Hrishikesh]

@How far ...

A woodchuck could chuck no amount of wood, 'cos a woodchuck can't chuck wood.

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Monkey_Island#Monkey_Island_2:_LeChuck.27s_Revenge

Off to go play Monkey Island 2 once again ...

[John W. Naylor, Jr., P.E.]

It's winter ?

What happened to the 1st 6 weeks ? 44 F outside.

[Anonymous Coward]

@Krissie - Snakes in February?

At the risk of looking like I'm actually interested, I looked up Imbolc on Wikidedia (I know, I know) and it looks like Imbolc was celebrated around February 2nd.

They also had this old rhyme:

"The serpent will come from the hole

On the brown Day of Bride,

Though there should be three feet of snow

On the flat surface of the ground"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't snakes cold-blooded? It's just that I'd have thought most snakes would be doing a passable impression of a broom handle if there was 3 feet of snow on the ground.

[Darren Gallagher]

Laughs@bws

Could be his middle name.

[multipharious]

Snakes!

Snakes come out in the winter to sun themselves, good time to catch them...if one is so inclined.

I was in Ost Tirol hiking about a bit late in the season, and came across a little snake at around 1800m with snow all around. It was on the path. I nudged it out of the way with it hissing aggressively at me with my hiking stick when my German partner pointed out that this was a Kreuz Adder. Poisonous.

Well I am more used to the rattlesnakes back home, so I was not too worried...but point be made if there is a touch of sun, then some snakes come out...and that is just the type of event that makes the prediction. Sunshine as opposed to heavy clouds.