Prognostication v. Observation
In case you missed it, Monday was Groundhog Day. In the event you didn't know, there are two groundhogs that are watched. The famous one is up north in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil; but we have a groundhog down here in Georgia, General Beauregard Lee. I read yesterday that Phil is more often accurate than Beau, though Beau's website says otherwise.
There's another competitor for the country's best predictor of spring, Mohave Max. It seems to me that he's got the mammals beat. He's a tortoise that hibernates and according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "[t]here is no shadow involved. No silliness. Just some scientists and a hole. When Max comes out, it's springtime. Before that, it is winter."
Probably not as much fun though.
4 comments:
Actually the ground hogs are quite accurate. It is a jet stream thing indicating if it has moved north. If they see their shadow it is six more weeks of winter. If not it is only a month and a half.
I think it would be MOST interesting to grille him when he showed his face.
The next year would be a little anti-climatic though.
"when he comes out it is spring?" Isn't the idea to predict rather than report?
As an amphibian I have say that I'd go with the turtle. Can't trust mammals. Stinky old groundhog probably just wants to get out that nasty den he's been in all winter.
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