Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather

By Bruce Koscielniak

Can’t resist the oft quoted loud shout from the Bill Murray movie about you know who – “IT’S GROUNDHOG DAY!” Well, almost.

Geoffrey’s not driving ANGRY like Bill Murray’s cute quadruped, but he IS prognosticating. And he does get it right here, unlike some recent snow storm Juno prognosticator’s of historic inches of the fluffy stuff.

Winter storm Linus is about to descend on most of the east coast states and people are casting a cautiously uplifted eyebrow at Punxsutawney Phil and all his iterations come February 2nd. They will either be the heroes or the goats er groundhogs, depending on whether they see their shadows portending an extra 6 weeks of winter. While no shadow cast by Geoffrey and his cohorts, indicates an early spring!

As I said before, the gentle Geoffrey and the equally gentle, yet demanding folk of his environs, are not ones to let him get away with one for one. Nope, he has to prove he’s on his game EACH YEAR or the groundhog fur will fly.

But, what if Geoffrey, just this once, sleeps in on the 2nd, as many animals do when the winter winds blow, and as the song says, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

Will Geoffrey oversleep? Will the fur folk have his hide or will he use an age-old adage that wisely put, states, “When in doubt, ask Mom.”

Its author, Bruce Koscielniak, even says   “…he waits to see what the groundhog has to say before making any spring plans.”

And his art here is so delightful and cartoonishly quirky. From his drawings of animal folk like Merton Moose, news editor of “The Daily Gazette”; circulation 359, to the sampler in Geoffrey’s mom’s burrow, stating “ Home in the ground, sweet home!”, Bruce has the ability to make this a place that you care about. And it is these small, eye-catching details that kids and parents will love picking out.

My money is on Geoffrey, aided by mom, to get it right, once more.

Gentle suggestion to weather forecasters: please give Geoffrey’s mom a jingle BEORE you go on air with your upcoming Linus winter storm snow amounts!

“It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Just plucked that bit of trivia out of my head from a 1970’s Chiffon margarine TV ad. Still works. Weather prognosticators: take note please!