Well, When You Put it That Way

The Agence France-Presse did a writeup on Groundhog Day. The AFP is a global, French-based news agency and wire service akin to the AP or Reuters. Interesting to see the outsider's perspective of our holiday devoted to rodential meteorology, starting with the headline, "Supernatural Rodent Predicts Early Spring for US."

The article starts:

Punxsutawney Phil, a chubby rodent with supposed powers of prognostication, has been dragged from his burrow in Pennsylvania and predicted an early spring in the United States.

Fair enough assessment of the events. After getting a National Weather Service meteorologist to weigh in, and the obligatory Bill Murray reference, the AFP reporter gets to the part of the Groundhog Day story that doesn't get told:

According to tradition, Phil speaks to the town's Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese," which the club says is understood only by the president of the Inner Circle -- a group of dignitaries who dress in top hats for the event.

Punxsutawney Phil is held by town authorities to be the original seer and over 120 years old, even though groundhogs usually only live for around two or three years. He allegedly owes his longevity to a secret elixir.

Phil in fact spends most of the year living in the town's library and is moved to the heated burrow on Gobbler's Knob in time to be pulled out at 7:25 am every February 2.

Again, factually accurate, but when you put it like that, those of us who enjoy a good marmota-based diversion in late winter seem just a touch crazy.