In the afterglow of early morning fireworks on Groundhog Day 2012, the Inner Circle of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania—human handlers of the word’s most famous groundhog—took the stage at rural Gobbler’s Knob to introduce what Vice President Mike Johnston called “the Great Oz of weather forecasting.” (See Groundhog Day pictures.)

“Using a chirp and a click and a wink of an eye,” Johnston said, Punxsutawney Phil had just signaled to the Inner Circle that he’d seen his shadow—meaning, according to legend, six more weeks of winter. (from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/120202-groundhog-day-2012-punxsutawney-phil-weeks-winter-weather-nation/)

So, every year we wait for a groundhog – a large rodent of the ground squirrel family – to determine whether he has a shadow or not to let us know if we are going to get a longer winter or soon arriving spring.

Okay.

Speaking of nuts – and since we are talking about a ground squirrel that eats, among other things nuts – “who is zooming who?”

But, who I am to say this is wrong?  We live in a society that embraces snake-oil salesmen, phony politicians and corrupt televangelists.  Phil is just doing what society (and his very prominent handlers) wants and they want to know whether a groundhog who probably doesn’t know what a shadow is has seen it.  Supply and demand is the order of the day.

There is a prince of darkness who is counting on that very thing.

Good thing for Phil he will be underground when that happens!

Since it’s all about shadows we are leaving the LIGHT on!