Oh Sir Walter Wally

I decided to take a walk downtown during lunch today to check out the big Groundhog Day celebration.  We have our own version of Punxsutawney Phil known as Sir Walter Wally.   It was a big deal and there was a huge crowd.  I had to push some little kids out of the way to get a better view (not really, but I thought about it).  I took a couple of pictures with my cheap little phone just so you could get an idea of what it was like.  Sorry the photography isn't that great, but you get the idea, right?  Can you see Wally there being held up in the air? 

The crowd was getting a little anxious because we had to wait until high noon for Wally to strut about and check for his shadow.  We waited patiently as groundhog poems were read, the history of groundhog day was explained, we learned about groundhog life and there was even a groundhog song!  Good grief!  I just needed to know if he was going to see his shadow because I'm getting kind of tired of winter.  (I really should be ashamed to say that because we had one of our crazy 70 degree days again today.)    Anyway he finally got to come out and do whatever it is he does and then we were told that Sir Walter Wally saw his stinking shadow!!!  Nooooo!  Oh Sir Walter Wally how could you do this to us - six more weeks of winter?!?!  The crowd booed.  I left disappointed.

  

(Poor Wally hiding his face from the crowd.)

I heard that Punxsutawney Phil predicted the complete opposite but he had to be dug out of a blizzard to make his prediction.  Supposedly Sir Walter Wally has a accuracy rating of 70%.  That's pretty darn good for a groundhog, but I hope he's wrong this time.