Frazz by Jef Mallett for January 20, 2025

Just about six weeks after Grounhog Day is the Spring Solstice.

Shame on Caulfield.

Actually, the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club makes the decision months in advance.

~A Pennsylvanian

Doesn’t Phil have, like, a 40% success rate?

This kid is starting to get on my nerves. Maybe time to switch it up.

The end of "winter” is already on my calendar. Warm weather? … not so much.

Spring starts on March 1 meteorologically, and traditionally on March 21 astronomically. Do the math. :D

The December Solstice used to mark the mid winter point, at least in northern European cultures (as with the June Solstice being mid summer). Groundhog Day has its origins in Candlemas, one of the old cross-quarter days, the days coming midway between the solstices and equinoxes. By February 2nd, those ancient peoples were pretty much getting tired with the dark and cold of winter and were hoping for an early return of spring warmth, what is meant by the “early spring”. But, as the old saying associated with Candelmas goes, “If Candlemas dawn be bright and clear, then six more weeks of winter for the year” (may not be exactly like that).

And he starts with a bad assumption, as usual, then ends with a bad conclusion. Next.

How many more weeks of winter?

All of them.

It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Did I say it doesn’t matter? How much money does the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club pull in anyway?

Mmmm. Pork sausage.

My Dad, who grew up in Puxy, told me that “Phil” is a fuzzy little guy who has no idea of what is going on…

I still think it’s a nice movie. So there.

Something tells me that Caulfield is going to be getting a lot of black eyes in high school.

Here in the Boston area, it’s winter until Patriot’s Day.

Mrs. Olsen is trying to make this round a draw.

It doesn’t matter, kid. In the slightest.

Ah, but you’re a character in “Frazz”, so it’s matter of life and death.

Don’t obey in advance.

Fun fact: Groundhog Day is actually an ancient holiday. It was not actually invented in Punxatawny, Pennsylvania. It just wasn’t always a groundhog seeing its shadow. And why was a shadow important? Well, that’s kind of interesting. You see, it’s one of the cross-quarter days: holidays that fall halfway between a solstice and an equinox, which are times of transition. In ancient Britain, it was Imbolc, and on that day, if you could see your shadow, it meant the Cailleach (the witch hag who could control the weather) had ensured sunny weather so that she would be able to gather more firewood, and if she was gathering more firewood, that meant she knew winter was going to last a lot longer. If it was gray and grim, that meant she was sleeping in because she knew she didn’t need any more firewood; winter would soon be over.

Did Caulfield just invent a new science – Punxsutawney Quantum Physics?

If it sees its shadow it’s 6 more weeks of winter. If it doesn’t it’s only a month and a half.

I’m with the teacher this time…

Groundhog Day was 32 years ago.

She’s right, you know.

But what happens when Bill Murray sees his shadow?

I’m picturing groundhogs in their burrows the evening of February 1, frantically paging thru the Old Farmer’s Almanac, trying to figure out what time to set the alarm for.

Instead of answering, Mrs. Olsen should have asked Caulfield, “If David Lynch’s train leaves the Twin Peaks station heading towards Mulholland Drive, how long will it be before he realizes he left his cherry pie with the dancing dwarf?”

There’s always 6 more weeks of winter…or more. So it doesn’t matter.