Punxsutawney Still Life
Groundhogs are no friend to the gardener, and that's certainly true of Punxsutawney Phil, who always manages to see his shadow. Six more weeks of winter is an eternity for the gardener.
German tradition holds that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.
A group of goundhog keeps called The Inner Circle annually announces Phil's forecast at dawn on Gobbler's Knob, about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, with lots of pomp, circumstance and media attention.
This year, Phil was supposed to text and Twitter his prediction, but his hands must have been cold because those messages didn't appear until about two hours after he spotted his shadow.
Photo credit: Associated Press
If Phil's predictions are routine, his life isn't, and PETA is complaining.
PETA wants Phil replaced by a robotic groundhog. The group objects to the fact that he is on display at a local library and isn't able to hibernate. Add to that the squealing school children, the flashing cameras and the human handling and PETA is NOT happy.
PETA suggested that Phil isn't any happier, and that's why he keeps predicting six more weeks of winter every year.
