Groundhog Day
There is likely more folklore surrounding the weather than any other aspect of daily life. The width of the center band on the wooly caterpillar predicts the severity of the coming winter. A green Christmas means a white Easter. The weather of each of twelve days of Christmas predicts the weather for the corresponding month in the coming year. Surely you have your own favorites.
My grandfather was a dairy farmer, completely dependent on the weather for his livelihood. He listened to the National Weather Service forecast every day; but he also consulted the Old Farmer's Almanac.
As a Pennsylvanian, the dearest folklore has to be Punxsatawney Phil, the groundhog whose interest in his shadow attracts media coverage from around the world. If the day is sunny, Phil sees his shadow indicating six more weeks of winter. If cloudy, spring is on its way.
According to the Official Website of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil will be texting his forecast this year.
The best thing going for Phil is that by the time spring arrives, we have long forgotten if he saw his shadow or not.
1 comments - Posted by Steve Rauch at 1:29 PM - Categories: