Groundhog Day - Thursday, February 2nd 2023

The date of the celebration (the second day of February) coincides with medieval feast of Candlemas, and its pre-Christian predecessor, Imbolc, a day also rich in folklore. An old Scottish prophecy foretells sunny weather on Candlemas means a long winter. The tradition is recounted in this poem: As the light grows longer The cold grows stronger If Candlemas be fair and bright Winter will have another flight If Candlemas be cloud and snow Winter will be gone and not come again A farmer should on Candlemas day Have half his corn and half his hay On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop You can be sure of a good pea crop. Punxsutawney Phil is the focal point of oldest and largest annual Groundhog Day celebration, held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, every year since 1886. Members of Phil’s “Inner Circle” claim he is now 137 years old, (rumor circulates this one groundhog lived to make weather prognostications since 1886, sustained by drinks of "groundhog punch" or "elixir of life" administered at annual Groundhog Picnic in the fall), hence thanks to said magical life-extending serum they feed him each year— and his predictions one hundred percent accurate. Groundhog day - Thursday, February 2nd 2023 Coincides with astronomy's first cross-quarter day, marking the midpoint between winter solstice and spring (vernal) equinox, which will occur at 5:24?PM on in Northern Hemisphere Eastern Standard Time Monday, March 20, 2023 Small consolation old man winter spans fewest days of all four seasons, especially when A powerful nor'easter will develop in western Atlantic beginning late Friday, (February third two thousand and twenty three) bringing heavy snow, strong winds and coastal flooding to parts of the East Coast, but there remains a larger than usual amount of uncertainty in forecast for this storm. Yours truly remembers when spry Jack (hoar) Frost (just yea high - both arms stretched to sky) came early, left late and bossed zealous vernal equinox rattling barenaked lady branches obviously inapropos to budding friendship. Now (courtesy global warming/ climate change) mother nature experiences feeling strange within valleys and atop many mountain range, wherein goods traded away on stock exchange. Fortunate concerning yours truly versus daring to brave inclement treacherous weather getting stranded in the process (possibly becoming gratefully dead) risking life and limb venturing forth amidst near whiteout conditions creating debacle perilous and grave shoveling snow lest he get buried he can remain holed up (in tandem with the missus) snug as a bug in his mancave. While nestled inside warm abode for awhile (at least until temperature upwards doth dial safely ensconced against elements (of style), I stopped at metaphoric woods edge trekking until... for no rhyme nor reason the poetic metered equivalent, viz another mile then stopped for coffee break burst of energy gave me cause to smile fording imponderable stream of consciousness impossible (airy) mission to dodge regarding aforesaid daunting task to craft worthwhile poetic endeavor to entertain anonymous readers gleaning how one bard (with his shaky spear) evokes fiction being snowbound as if cast adrift within Siberian exile. Straightaway I continue writing askew aware how literary trademark modality characteristic of one hapless wordsmith unwittingly indelibly embedded analous to mine Caucasian versus swarthy melanin hue man automatically confers eligibility granting innumerable known mighty opportunities (privileged skin color - how unfair) bigoted prejudices shade those either hashtagged as black, naturally copper toned gentile and/or Jew.