Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog. His fame comes once a year, maybe twice, when he comes out of his little burrow to tell us whether or not we should brace for more cold or pull out the capris and tank tops. Then every year everyone gets mad, no matter what he says.
But that's not the point. The point is that I love Punxsutawney Phil. Almost unhealthily. My borderline obsession with him does not just rise from its burrow at the end of January and beginning of February; it's an all year round thing. I was born on Groundhog's Day and up until I was about seven, I was convinced I was part groundhog. It was hard to convince me otherwise, I was a little kid, we stick to our guns about everything. But even when, to my pure heartbreak and disbelief, I learned that I wasn't part groundhog, I never stopped loving Punxsy Phil.
What's not to love? He's a groundhog. And unlike the majority of his rodent family, he is adorable. He gets flat when you pick him up and he tries to bite the handlers who pick him up each year because let's be honest, he's tired of being woken up at the crack of dawn to tell the humans what their weather will be.
He probably mutters to himself: "Don't you have people to do this for you?" And yes, I know that the Punxsutawney Phil from 2017 was not the same one from 1887, but they're all equally as perfect and adorable.
I have this ludicrous idea that I might one day become the first female member of the Inner Circle of The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. It'll never come true because I don't plan on moving to Punxsutawney, PA anytime soon, but hey, hope floats, right?
After living in Pennsylvania for nearly a year, I've learned that most Pennsylvanians don't care about the hype of Punxsutawney Phil because most all of them have been to Punxsutawney to see him. Aren't they just lucky. I still, in my 20 years of living, have never been to Punxsutawney and I can almost guarantee that after I go - because I will - I will still be excited every year when February 2nd comes around to see a fat little groundhog come out of his burrow.
