As usually is the case, today's annual rodent-based forecast varied wildly depending on where one lived. The movie-famous Punxsutawney Phil had clear skies above and could thus be frightened of his shadow to predict six more weeks of winter. Here, the prediction seems to be a rather moot point, but with cloudy skies there would be no shadow to scare away our marmot, suggesting an early spring--which I can believe considering how warm this past January ran. Sadly, the pressure was too much for Quebec's Fred la Marmotte who was found dead today before he could give his prediction--seeing a far different shadow, I suppose.
For me, a late winter or an early spring both sound appealing. I have different reasons for wanting either one. Seeing my shadow or not, I'm excited for these next six weeks.