Groundhog Day: Signs of Spring??

As yet another major winter storm bore down on the already snow-schnockered Northeast, Long Islanders anxiously awaited the February 2nd emergence of the local celebrity marmots from their winter burrows....Would "Malverne Mel" and "Holtsville Hal" see their shadows, meaning we must endure another six weeks of winter, or would their shadowless silhouettes mean we will have a mercifully early Spring?? (and -- for us open-water swimmers, a quicker return to open water swimming?)  Alas, Malverne Mel's appearance was cancelled due to the weather, but Holtsville Hal reportedly saw his shadow this morning, signalling six more weeks of winter  (and contradicting the predictions of "Staten Island Chuck" and their more famous relative, "Punxsutawney Phil" of Pennsylvania, for an early spring)...Of course, this ancient tradition of using groundhogs' shadows to predict the weather is deeply rooted in superstitition, and there are those who prefer to rely on more objective, scientific evidence that Spring is on its way....


Happy Groundhog Day!