the over-grown rat has spoken!!

Punxsutawney Phil  has not seen his shadow on this groundhog day!!  for all those that believe in this silly superstition that breaks down to an early spring for most of the country. i really don't think that it applies to residents of Florida, because we always have an early spring.
i don't understand what a groundhog has to do with the forecast of spring, but then again i don't understand a lot of things. i really don't know much about groundhog's to begin with, so i checked out wiki-pedia to see what they had to say about Phil. i learned a little bit. you can check it out for yourselves.

Punxsutawney Phil

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Groundhog Day 2005 in Punxsutawney featuring Phil.

Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, USA. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, which begins well before the winter sunrise, Phil emerges from his temporary home on Gobbler's Knob, located in a rural area about 2 mi (3.2 km) east of town. According to the tradition, if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he will predict six more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, he will predict an early spring.^[1] The date of Phil's prognostication is known as Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada. During the rest of the year, Phil lives in the town library with his "wife" Phyllis. A select group, called the Inner Circle, takes care of Phil year-round and also plans the annual ceremony. Members of the Inner Circle are recognizable by their top hats and tuxedos. Phil currently has two co-handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.[2

Punxsutawney Phil lore

Zoological data suggests that groundhogs have a average lifespan of 10 years in captivity and 6 years in the wild, with a maximum lifespan of 14 years in captivity documented.^[3] Punxsutawney Phil fans say that there is only one Phil (all the other groundhog weathermen are impostors), and that he has made weather prognostications for over 120 years as of 2010. They say that every summer, Phil is fed a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Punch, which magically lengthens his life for seven years. This is done by Inner Circle members.^[4] According to the Groundhog Club, Phil, after making the prediction, speaks to the Club President in "Groundhogese", which only the Inner Circle appear to understand, and then his prediction is translated for the entire world.

i wonder how these distinguished gentlemen learned how to take groundhogese?  i speak a language know as southernese, and it has taken me all my life to do that!!

all in all it look like a fun way to spend a cold winter morning. plenty of hoopla, music, and good food. i don't know if the rest of the world celebrates a form of groundhog day or not. i guess as Americans we just love to celebrate, and we don't need much of a reason. that's what makes life good!!

                ..............much love