Oh, No! Phil Saw His Shadow!

(February 2, 2025) The prophetic rodent and early riser, Punxsatawney Phil, came out of his den and saw his shadow just after 7 am.  He made his prediction of six more weeks of bitter cold weather and promptly returned to his den, which was witnessed by a sold out crowd in Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania.

The tradition of allowing a groundhog to predict the weather dates back 130 years or so. It stems from a centuries-old Pagan and Christian tradition.

German settlers brought the “holiday” to America but adapted it to make it an American holiday. Prior to coming to America, a hedgehog made the prediction, not a groundhog.  Due to a lack of hedgehogs, the settlers began using another hibernating mammal: the groundhog.

I suspect that Punxsatawney Phil is as accurate a predictor of weather as anyone else and is certainly paid a lot less. Has anyone told Elon Musk about this opportunity for saving $1.3 billion per year?