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Wednesday, February 2, 2022

"A thousand lifetimes"

 Happy Groundhog Day! It's not so "cold out there,"* here--47 in middle Tennessee (Alexa says it's 30 in Punxsutawney), but it's wet and fecund. Spring is in the air. Respect must be paid. (U@d)


On this day in 1887, a groundhog named Phil first emerged from his burrow at Gobbler’s Knob — a small hill in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania — and the tradition of Groundhog’s Day was born. According to legend, if a groundhog sees his shadow today there will be six more weeks of winter. In Phil’s case, whether or not he will see his shadow is actually decided several days in advance by his top-hat-and-tuxedo-donning handlers, the members of the Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle. Despite their trade secret methods for prediction, Phil’s accuracy rate as of last year was only 39 percent. WA

 

Phil: "Well maybe the real God uses tricks, you know? Maybe he's not omnipotent. He's just been around so long he knows everything."

Rita: "Sometimes I wish I had a thousand lifetimes. I don't know, Phil. Maybe it's not a curse. Just depends on how you look at it."

* Phil: "OK, campers, rise and shine, and don't forget your booties cause it's cold out there. It's cold out there every day."
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4 comments:

  1. Gary WedgewoodFebruary 2, 2022 at 10:04 AM

    Groundhogs only live for about three years. There have been a lot of Pihl's since 1887...

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  2. Curtis DearingFebruary 2, 2022 at 3:21 PM

    I think the groundhog dying a day or two before its civic duty can be interpreted in multiple ways. Some argue it stands for the life covid left us with, others say winter is here to stay ]. I think it was just bad timing. The movie groundhog day certainly can be contrasted to life under covid. People in lock down wake up and wonder if today will be any different than yesterday. Eat, zoom, eat, zoom- not leaving the house. Being in a routine certainly takes the living part out of life. A timeless film!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PhilFebruary 2, 2022 at 4:33 PM

      Except that Phil Connors eventually turned that routine to good purpose, became a better person, and thus got unstuck from Feb 2. Moral of the story as I read it is not anti-routine, just anti-rut.

      Delete
  3. Kirolos MichaelFebruary 3, 2022 at 10:18 AM

    I've always found it funny and superstitious to believe a groundhog can reliably tell the weather. Personally, I would rather listen to the weather app, where typically only facts are said.

    ReplyDelete