Happy Ground Hog Day
2 February, 2010Today, I began a new tradition. I began celebrating ground hog day. No, not the drag-the-poor-rodent-out-of-his-hole-in-the-middle-of-winter-and-shove-him-into-the-bright-television-lights version of ground hog day. Not the Bill Murray version either.
I fried up some pork sausage*, took it outside, and saw a shadow from the sausage. Which means, of course, a longer winter.
I then ate the sausage. And it was good.
*Well, pork sausage counts as ground hog (with seasonings), right?
(((Billy))) The Atheist 
When I woke up this morning, crawled into the bathroom and flipped on the light, I turned around and saw my shadow. Does that count?
Only if it is Ground Mantis Day.
Which it isn’t.
SI:
That depends upon whether the shadow was of your sausage.
Wow, it didn’t take long for this thread to go right down the toilet.
Larry: In that case, no shadow, early spring, right?
Chappie: Why do you sound surprised?
Just the thought of ground mantis makes me , although I’m sure my cat would consider it a delicacy.
that was supposed to say “makes me gag”….
Actually, (((Billy))), you wish you lived the life that ground hog does.
I live about an hour and a half away from Punxatawny (depending on road construction) and I’ve been to the celebration a couple of times. It’s something to do for people in the middle of winter, and if you can stand the cold some years.
If you pass near the place turn aside and visit the city park. It’s really well kept, and the library has got a built in ground hog habitat, I don’t know whether they keep “Phil” there or not anymnore, but they used to.
I’ve played there in groups during a couple of summer festivals, and I had noticed something when we were pulling into town, five road-kill ground hogs right under the Welcome sign which also announced that the place was home to Punxatawny Phil.
We were playing polkas, and this little old lady was dancing as we played. She looked to be in her seventies (hard to tell in one of those places) and she was certainly a good dancer. Very graceful, and I’m not kidding.
I said to her, “I bet you was a pistol in your younger days”.
She said, “What do you mean WAS”? No doubt about it, that put me in MY place!
The mayor actually came around to all the groups and thanked us for coming, and he asked what we thought of the town.
I told him it was fine, but it might make a better first impression if the dead chucks were removed from the sign. He asked if I was joking, I assured him I was not.
And when we left at the end of the gig, lo! the casualties were gone!
One has eaten ground hog stew. I know some fellow reenactors who have banjo heads made of ground hog (their main and second most utile function) and when I went in the army one of the guys I went in with had ground hog boot laces in his foot gear.
There was a guy riding the bus in a beaver suit yesterday, which didn’t surprise me (if you ride public transportation you know what I mean), so I had to have it explained to me that it was groundhog day. Must have been the elitist scientist in me that kept me from making the connection. Someone said that it’s not often you see a beaver on the bus, and I really had to bite my tongue on that one! (chillun were present)
I’ll bet there are some big city bus lines on which beaver sightings are pretty common.
Besides. Everyday is is Beaver Day.
Mutzali: Mmmm. Ground mantis is a picquant saddleback caterpiller sauce over fried silkworms.
Sarge: I’ve also had groundhog. Good in the late spring, not as good in the fall. Possibly because of the sweet young grasses in the spring?
Ildi: Wouldn’t a beaver suit be a minimalist costume?
Chappie: Not up north.
SI: You’re mind is really in the gutter on this thread.
What’s Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I am hoping to give a contribution & aid different customers like its helped me. Great job.