Offering 2024–033

a musing -

will the universe
unfold in a way
that will make
the rodent right
this year?

— —

Editor’s Note: For my non-American readers (yes, I have several), a quick Google search of ‘groundhog day’ will clear up any confusion regarding today’s offering.

Here in a few minutes, a bunch of folks in Eastern Pennsylvania will wrest a poor groundhog out of his little groundhog house as the sun comes up and “ask him” if he sees his shadow. A quick view of the live stream of the event informs me that this event began in 1897. While the folks who run this little shindig maintain that what the groundhog says is 100% accurate, other corners of the internet say differently. According to Stormfax Weather Almanac, the groundhog predicted the weather correctly only 39% of the time.

That’s a solid ‘F’ where I come from.

February 2nd marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. As a reminder, folks in 1897 faced a lot more challenges during the winter months than we do here in 2024 — they were likely over the cold once this day rolled around. A bit of hope for warmer weather likely powered them through nights that were still longer than the days.

But isn’t that just how life is? A correlation between a groundhog failing to see his shadow and warm weather coming doesn’t exist, but a universe that contains groundhogs and weather and hope does. That’s what makes today relevant whether you believe it or not.

Let’s hope that it’s ordered in such a way that the groundhog is right and we get the weather we want for the next six weeks.