We have a groundhog that sees his shadow...

Before we have too good of a laugh over exploding snowmen, let’s just remember that us Yanks have that age old tradition of the groundhog and his shadow. You know what I’m talking about. If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, winter isn't over yet.

So, jump across the Atlantic and pop into Switzerland. I am sure I’ll not recount the legendary story quite accurately, but here’s my best shot.

Apparently, each year, a Swiss carpenter (let’s call him “Heidi’s grandfather”), known for his woodworking skills, constructs a snowman out of wood. About this time each year in Zurich, this snowman has explosives inserted into the inside of his wooden skull and is then placed on top of something akin to a bonfire pile. Only to be set ablaze while Swiss men dressed in ancestral clothing ride around the burning bonfire on horses. OK, pretty dramatic.

But wait, there’s a method to this madness…or the makings of a really good tale. The whole key to this exercise is to determine whether the summer will be a “good one” (pleasant summer, nice weather, etc.) or a “bad one” (unpleasant summer, too cool or cloudy, or generally unattractive). The main question is how long does it take for the snowman’s head to explode because this is what determines the type of summer in store for those fun-loving Swiss.

Sources report that previous snowman blasts, as I will call them, generally take about 16 minutes. Last year, it took 17 minutes for Frosty’s head to explode, and we all remember what a bad summer it was (e.g. lots of gray skies, cool weather, rain, temperatures in the 70s to 80s, etc. – OK, Texans who experience 100+ degree weather are not feeling your pain). This year, Frosty blew up in about 15 minutes, so we’ll see how well the summer weather prediction holds up.

I hope that my telling of this story wasn’t too far off….