conuly

I am so so sooo sick of hearing "the groundhog saw his shadow! It's going to be a long winter!", and NOT just because it's an idiotic superstition. Let's examine this superstition.

The groundhog sees his shadow: six more weeks of winter... In 42 days, it will be about March 16th. A few days after that is the vernal equinox.

The groundhog doesn't see his shadow: six more weeks till spring... In 42 days, it will STILL be about March 16th. Six weeks doesn't change depending on shadowspotting. And a few days after that, it will STILL be the vernal equinox.

IT'S A SCAM! STOP LISTENING TO THAT CRAP!

I also have a question: Why did we ever start calling "midwinter" and "midsummer" the start of winter and summer? I think the older system made more sense. The longest day of winter/summer should, logically, occur in the middle, with a brief period of "getting darker" and "getting lighter" surrounding the solstice. That is, I believe, the way it used to be, with what we now call the midpoints (if we think about them at all) being the start of the seasons.