GROUNDHOG'S DAY, EASTERN SHORE STYLE

Well, it is tough doing the groundhog’s day thing when you don’t have groundhogs. Here on the shore, groundhogs are in short supply – like zero. The reason? As an old timer told me years ago when we were sittin’ under a Mimosa tree one hot summer day discussing the absence of chipmunks and groundhogs, “Ain’t no place for ‘em to sleep. Cain’t dig none. Sleep in burrahs. Cain’t burrah none, ‘cause if’n we have some rain, gonna drown the poor suckers.” So, there ya have it. The shore being as flat as it is and as close to sea level, when you get a good wet spell, the ground water comes up pretty high. There are times I have dug a hole to plant a camellia or a tree, and by the time I got down deeper than a foot, the hole started filling up with water. That could be why the cemeteries here are on the highest ground.

So, in celebration of Ground Hog’s Day, we use the next best thing – a possum. Got plenty of possums. Now most everybody knows, possums are up all night and go to bed just before dawn. So if you want to see if a possum is able to see his shadow, or if you can see his (her) shadow, well, first you have to know where one is sleeping, go wake her up, let her get a few good yawns in before you put your hands near those 50 little but sharp teeth,

take her out in the sun (is this cruelty to animals?) give her a treat, apologizing all the while, and let her go back to bed.
Punkin says that is so stupid. He is not into pagan traditions. He said, “If ya wanna see a shadow, look over here! Leave the poor possum alone.” He probably meant “Is that flounder I smell? That possum is getting flounder? Where is MINE? Look how weak I am, look I am falling over. OK, I am dead… isn’t this how the possums do it? Hey! I am dead! But we might have a miracle for a piece of flounder!”
Animals. don’t ya just love ‘em?

And as for chipmunks? Our chipmunks at our place in Pennsylvania live in the rock walls and teeny chipmunk sized caves on the mountain side. And down here… “Ain’t got no rocks ‘cept for stuff fools (that would be me) bring here.” Well… and now you can buy a pile of rocks at your local garden center. But I always bring one or two back each year from Pennsylvania or wherever I go if they have rocks.