Word came down early this morning that forecasters in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, were calling for an overcast day.  That meant that famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil likely would NOT see his shadow, meaning an early spring.  Well, about an hour later, Phil did, indeed, see his shadow.  So much for that.

Phil then gets contradicted by Wisconsin's own Jimmy the Groundhog, as Jimmy did not see his shadow.  So are we getting an early spring or not?  Of course we all know we NEVER get an early spring here.

Last week I blogged about a pig being used in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, instead of a groundhog.  This morning I learned Alaska is using a marmot, which resembles a groundhog.  But Oxford, Michigan, has outdone them all.  Their former prognosticator - a one-eyed groundhog named Noah - passed away a few years ago after being hit by a car.  Instead of getting another groundhog, they replaced him with a llama!  Apparently, having a groundhog for Groundhog day really isn't important.  It reminds me of an episode of the Beverly Hillbillies, when the Clampetts were the only ones in Beverly Hills celebrating possum day.  Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.