Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Cindy and I celebrated the second day of February in a manner that we have had for years. Yes, it is ground hog day. Not because of some rodent in Punxsutawney, PA that came out this morning and did or did not see his shadow. We ate link sausages for breakfast.

Years ago, I told my daughters that we were going to celebrate Groundhog Day by eating ground hog. I am a man of words. I like to use them to communicate with you. Do not believe an animal that is far away can predict your weather. I could believe that this universe happened accidentally before I could accept that.

There are four meteorological seasons in our world. Scientists who are smarter than I have set these up. Winter begins in December. March starts in spring. Every different part of the country has a Winter or Spring feel. Here in southwest Missouri winter is not filled with snow and temperatures below zero. Other parts of the country enjoy more snow and cold than we receive.

If we ignore the meteorologists and look at what we expect our local forecasts to give us we can see warmer temperatures six months earlier than usual. Where I have a problem with a groundhog in Pennsylvania telling me my weather goes back fifty years. I spent ten weeks there in 1975.

On July 4^th it dropped to 32 degrees in Gifford, PA up in the Allegheny Mountains. In my seven decades in Missouri, I never had a single July below forty. I had to light the heater in my house. This Ozarks boy never needed the heat on in the summertime at home. My hosts warned me this might be needed before they left on vacation.

If you have done any traveling, you know that what is expected in one area is uncommon in another. One December I was speaking to a business associate in Fort Worth. He told me they had an ice storm coming in. I was worried it would be like the ones we have. They can mean days of things being shut down.

In Texas, these storms normally hit in the evening, and the ice melts by the next morning around nine or ten. I could not believe it. I checked that out with other Texans and discovered how usual these temporary ice storms are in warmer climates.

This winter, Texas, Louisiana, and other southern states dealt with days of below-freezing temperatures and snowstorms. Phil could not predict that. The Farmer’s Almanac did not even suggest this possibility. No one knew the frozen north would drop thousands of miles this year.

So, in conclusion, I would like to wish you a Happy Ground Hog Day. For next year, celebrate it by eating your ground hog instead of letting him predict your weather. And remember, it’s all related to your zip code.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger