Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil

Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil




在 賓夕法尼亞州的一個小鎮 Punxsutawney，每年冬天都有個節日叫做：Gound Hog Day 土撥鼠日。


Gobbler's Knob （C）at Punxsutawey （B）Pennsylvania USA


Ground Hog Day 2013， Did The Groundhog See His Shadow 2013?


【huffingtonpost】What kind of a winter are we expecting in Canada? Lets not look at long-term forecasts or other types of weather predictions. Let's all crowd around in small towns to see what the humble groundhog thinks. Yes, it's Goundhog Day 2013 on Saturday.

Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, predicting early spring.

Wiarton Willie, Canada's leading rodent prognosticator, also predicted an early spring.

Nova Scotia’s Shubenacadie Sam did see his shadow, so maybe some of us shouldn't put the parkas and winter boots away just yet.

Other groundhogs will also be forecasting the weather on Feb 2.

To keep score, Wiarton Willie predicted an early spring in 2012, meanwhile, Phil saw his shadow and predicted another six weeks of winter. So much for cross-border weather unity.

And in case you're not done with winter, see some of the pictures HuffPost Canada readers have sent us this winter.





嗜悲 點解會知道這個小鎮 Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States，是因為一部陳年舊片 Groundhog Day 港譯：偷天情緣 當然我不是在戲院看到，應該是某年在旅行中看過的吧。。。。





男主角 Phil 來自匹茲堡，是一個神憎鬼厭的電視台天氣報告員，某一年電視台派了 Phil 和 女編導 Rita and 攝影師 Larry 三人去 報導 Groundhog Day 土撥鼠日的慶典。


傳說這位又是名 Phil 的土撥鼠，會預告每年春天的來臨，若從冬眠中喚醒 Phil 見到了太陽照到影子，就要多等六個星期春天才會降臨，相反若 Phil 沒有見到影子，大地將會有個早來的春天。


報導工作完畢回程卻被大風雪阻擋，三人唯有回到小鎮多留一天，第二天早上 Phil 醒來準備離開時，發覺他仍然處於 Ground Hog Day，於是他又做多一次報導，離開時又是遇到大風雪，三人唯有回到小鎮多留一天 。


如此 Phil 和 Ground Hog Day 不斷地每天重覆着，但只有 Phil 一個察覺到，這麽 Phil 可以每天都從錯誤中學習，初時 Phil 利用這個方便來溝女 。。。。。




Phil 知道這招用得着後就挑戰難度，用同一方式去追求，對他一向印象不佳的編導 Rita 。。。。。。也是由錯誤中學習！




Rita 有腦當然沒有這麽容易追的到手 。。。。。如此每天都是重覆再重覆再重覆，Phil 曾經自殺過多次，但一到天明 6:00am，他又復活過來，又要重過一次土撥鼠日。




Phil 就改變積極面對，去學其他的技藝和知識，讓每天自己都學到一點點新的東西，因為每天都是重覆重覆着，Phil 由不懂音律開始學彈鋼琴，結果成為 Jazz 的高手，Phil 又每天都去幫助有需要的人，還去依時依候去拯救臨死的人！





Phil 由神憎鬼厭變成救人英雄人人愛戴，最後 Phil 一覺睡醒來再不是 Ground hog day, 而是新的一天，他愉快地離開切底改變了他的 Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, United States ！！！




但是究竟 Phil 被困了在 Punxsutawney 幾多年紀多月幾多日呢？


Phil 知道鎮內 cafe 的每一個人的背景 。。。。。。。。。一清二楚！
維基百科的撰稿人說：可能是 10年，也可能是一萬年！


於是很多年後 嗜悲 趁一次去紐約自駕遊之後，便轉了去 賓夕法尼亞州，前往距離紐約市 313英哩（五百多公哩）外的 Punxsutawney，這一程為了節省時間需要轉上 I-80 付費公路，經過約五個多小時不停駕駛才抵達。






小鎮風情到處都插有美國旗，賓夕法尼亞州是 13個早期英治殖民地之一，聯起反抗英國，最後創立美國獨立。






【維基百科】The 13 colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Each colony developed its own system of self-government.

Residents of these colonies were mostly independent farmers, who owned their own land and voted for their local and provincial government. Benjamin Franklin, in 1772, after examining the wretched hovels in Scotland surrounding the opulent mansions of the land owners, said that in New England "every man" is a property owner, "has a Vote in public Affairs, lives in a tidy, warm House, has plenty of good Food and Fuel, with whole clothes from Head to Foot, the Manufacture perhaps of his own family."

Following a series of protests in the 1760s and 1770s, these colonies united militarily in opposition to Great Britain and the rule of King George III with the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775. In 1776 they declared their independence and formed a new nation, the United States of America.


嗜悲 駕車在市內勾留了幾個小時，看看週圍擺了很多的 Ground Hog 像後，去到 Gobbler's Knob 土撥鼠日的場地，原來平日是沒有 Events，於是在某 cafeteria 吃了個英式下午茶，就返回 I-80 繼續上路再向西走，下一個點是去 賓夕法尼亞州 Grove City 的 Premium Outlet Mall，不過抵達時經已入黑需要在 Grove City 投棧先！


天明後行了大半天，最後買了一對 G.H. Bass & Co. BUCKINGHAM TAUPE Casual weekend shoes，至今還未著爛喲，哈哈，哈哈哈！



伸延閱覽：
Groundhog Day 2013 huffingtonpost.ca
Groundhog Day 維基百科
Groundhog Day （movie） 維基百科
Movie Groundhog Day 港譯：偷天情緣 維基百科
Thirteen Colonies 維基百科



我的舊文：
Ground Hog Day 土撥鼠日
又是 土撥鼠日