Groundhog Day: Will Winter Stay?

"Groundhog Day - Half Your Hay" -  Old Farm Saying  

     It's February 2nd again, otherwise known as time for that groundhog to do his thing, and hopefully proclaim an early spring!  You see, I'm from the bizarre state that once a year uses one of these rascals to predict the onset of spring every Groundhog Day (or February 2nd).  It's an interesting tradition that hearkens back to Punxsutawney Phil (from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) in 1886, and although he is a "beloved" groundhog around those parts... here in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, he's really starting to bother me!    There's lots that I can say about groundhogs.  They do this...

Eating my black raspberries... 

    And this...

Stealing my black walnuts...

      And in the end they also... predict winter.  

     Punxutawney Phil is notorious for this as out of the 119 recorded predictions he's made since 1886, only 17 of those times he actually predicted an early spring.  Therefore this morning, I was not holding my breath that the 130-year-old-or-more Phil (yes, they really do claim he's the same groundhog from 1886 who drinks a special magical punch during the Annual Groundhog Picnic each summer that gives him seven more years of life) wouldn't see his shadow, and give me an early spring.

     The day before, the cats didn't seem to be holding their breaths either, and decided nothing good was going to come of this and they should just go about their daily schedules of following me up to the coop, and scratching on trees while I do the chicken chores, making a single file line back down from the coop, and then playing in the driveway because Momma's slow.  Someone has to become king (or queen) of the board pile, and then everyone eats.

     Oh, and it wouldn't be a morning without Whitey pesting poor Gravy thinking she's the Gray stray (that you see on the right).  What can I say?  He likes to defend his territory (and supper dish).  

     Needless to say, through their mud-covered faces at the breakfast dish, they were awaiting spring to come as much as I was, but it's all up to that pesky groundhog.  With baited breath, I awaited the morning prediction from old Phil...

    Through the glare of media spotlights, camera flashes, and smartphone selfies, he didn't see his shadow.  WHAT!?!?  Glad I'm not a betting person.  I guess that means we're supposed to have an early spring folks.  Perhaps I should get out the shovel from the shed and start trenching the driveway and snow banks for the inch of rain we're supposed to have come with our 50+ degree temperatures tomorrow?  Woo!  No more snow, right, right?

     Here's to the dream!  Does your state or country have any strange ways of predicting the onset of spring?