Groundhog Day is one of my favorite holidays. Maybe because it is silly and frivolous and has little significance in the real world it becomes “something special”. Most people know the story of Punxsutawney Phil , the famous Pennsylvania rodent. For me it’s kind of a turning point in winter. The days get noticeably longer and while it was -16F (-27C) with about a 15mph (6.7mps) breeze, there is a promise of spring in the way the sky looks. My SAD seems to wane a bit and the drive to work and home again has enough light to see the deer (ditch donkeys) before they attack. I want to try and describe the drive in this morning. After warming up the truck for a few minutes I proceeded down the county road to the big lake. I turn west toward town and the vision most of the way is this: the sun is rising behind me through the steam rising from the lake lights up the blue sky with a ¾ moon beginning to set the horizon is obscured by the lake steam giving it a dreamy effect. Of course, I didn’t have my camera, but if I get the same thing tomorrow morning I might try and do it. Tough on the equipment and fingers, though.
The groundhog would have seen his shadow which means only 6 more weeks of winter! That is awesome!
While we refer to them as woodchucks, they are still the same rodent, but I couldn't bring myself to wake one from hibernation in this sub-zero weather. That would be cruel. I'll get out in the sun, but then hunker down with a few cats and a good book (Indridason's "Voices").
Certain things are abandoned in the winter like tundra houses from Dr. Zhivago, but here we have trees, however stunted they may seem. Not so frost covered either, but still looking abandoned.
