Marmot meteorologists?

Well, it's official. The furry little rodent has spoken...or grunted. Or did whatever the hell he does.

We're apparently having an early spring.

That should bring some comfort to the folks in Colorado, who are digging out from a metric ton of snow. My folks down in Berrien Springs should appreciate it, too, considering they've been snowed in for a while. This will not please the wife, as she's been wanting to ski and snowshoe for as long as possible.

As for me, I'm all for an early spring. I'm not a big fan of snow, nor do I much care for the cold. Ironically enough, however, I live in Michigan. Spring coming early appeals to me - more chances to get out of the house without freezing bits of myself; more chances to be active. Much less chance of sliding off the road, or avoiding some window-licker in an SUV that thinks they're invincible because they have four-wheel drive and don't realize that that means that you have four wheels to spin.

However, I doubt that a varmit that spends most of his days hiding from the 24-hour webcam can accurately predict when spring is coming. Seems like we're going to be cold for a while, most likely until May.

Time to break out the roaring fires and hot beverages.