Groundhog Day

There he is; the purveyor of good or bad news, depending on your point of view. I've always known about Groundhog Day but not the reason behind it.

Why do we even care about an overgrown squirrel who lives in a burrow? Well, I did a little [very little] research, and the truth is the German settlers who came to America brought the tradition with them. In those days, prior to continual newscasts, those people who depended on the farming needed to try and find a way to prepare for early planting if the signs prevailed. Since they didn't have any familiar creatures to observe such as the bear or badger -- I don't think they were looking very hard. After all, Wisconsin is the badger state -- they chose the closest hibernating creature they could find, i.e., the groundhog. 

The idea is if the groundhog appears from its burrow early in February, the conditions will be right for early planting. The thought was the warming of the earth would alert them animals to coming spring.

Apparently, the groundhogs aren't as reliable as bears or badgers. However, we have another reason for a celebration.

Sable Angel