How much ground could a ground hog grind if a ground hog could grind ground?

groundhogdayCall it what you want, this cross-quarter day, midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Ground Hog Day, Candlemas, Sausage Invention Day (get it? get it? No, I didn’t make it up). Folklore says that if the weather in February is gorgeous and warm and sunny, like it was today, i.e., the Groundhog could see his shadow, we’ll have a long winter. Myself, I kind of like Candlemas but I prefer to call it Groundhog Day after one of the many aminals we see in our back yard. And we have long winters most years, so I’m not sure what all the fuss is. I can still remember being a junior in high school and it was April and I was hanging out the window up in my parents’ room in the front of the old house on Superior. The street, not the lake, in this case and I was definitely hanging *out* the window. I had it open. Hey, I wasn’t in much danger. That house was the antithesis of our modern McMansions and it was really not that far down to the ground, plus the roof of the entryway was right below me. Anyway. It was pretty warm out but there was an absolute ton of snow and I remember seriously wondering if it was ever gonna go away! I will say that the warmth and sunshine of the last couple days, first days above freezing (I mean 32 F., not 0 F.), bring hope for spring for those who need it. I’m on the fence. I get sick of slodging around in my snowpants but I do like the cold and the dark. Anyway, we’re supposed to go back into the deep freeze tomorrow. Hang in there, y’all.

2 Responses to “How much ground could a ground hog grind if a ground hog could grind ground?”

  1. Margaret Says:

    It was beautiful and mild here today; it felt like spring! Do people still take the groundhog seriously? All I care about is that it’s also my younger daughter’s 19th birthday!

  2. Fran Says:

    ou must be living in paradise. Very soon I will be unable to see the street because of the mountains of snow! I’m sure no groundhog could dig his way to sunshine.