You may think that groundhogs merely predict the weather. Here’s the inside scoop–they don’t predict, they control the weather. You know why? The answer may astound you.
Probably every area has a groundhog. We all know about the famous Punxsutawney Phil. Being born and raised in Oklahoma, all I know about are Okie groundhogs and one in particular who, by the way, was not named Phil. She’s a girl.
Here’s the reason I know all this and have the inside scoop on Groundhog Day and the weather. It was late one night, and I had just gotten home from a church business meeting which had dragged on and on until the moon rose over the hills and hollows. A beautiful, moonlight night that silvered the tops of trees and cast long shadows across the ground. As I got out of my car and started through the back gate toward the house, a shadow moved in front of me. Already half-asleep and groggy on this night of February 1, I was startled. I screamed. The shadow scurried behind a bush and a voice came out from behind it
“What’s wrong?”
A voice? A talking bush? Curiosity overcame fear and I answered. “You scared me.”
The bush rustled and a short, plump, furry creature waddled into the moonlight. A groundhog!
“You’re a little early, aren’t you?” I asked. “Tomorrow is groundhog day. You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“It’s about time you knew the truth,” she growled. “Everybody has the wrong idea about groundhogs. I was merely checking to see if my weather stick is working correctly. From all the shadows around here, I’d say it is.”
It was a long, rambling tale but this groundhog gal, who introduced herself as Lil, was a writer of mysteries. She wrote best in her dark, snug home, lit by a kerosene lamp and candles. This was the perfect atmosphere for concocting some of the scariest, most spine-tingling thrillers the world has ever read. And, she wasn’t quite finished with her latest soon-to-be best seller. She needed more time and she didn’t want to come out of her hole until it was quite complete, happy ending and all.
“You mentioned a weather stick,” I whispered, quite over-come with this ridiculous fabrication and not believing that I was actually talking to a bulky, oily-looking rodent.
“Every groundhog has a weather stick,” Lil said. “It is attached to the wall. We can point the stick to sun, rain, snow, sleet, any kind of weather you can imagine. Then, on Groundhog Day, that’s what comes out of the sky. I need a few more weeks to finish Death Stalks the Sinister Mole. So, I’ll keep my weather stick set on sunny and clear. Tomorrow, I’ll peek out, see my shadow, and pretend to be terror-stricken. Then, I can have six more weeks to happily write in peace.”
And, you know what, she disappeared back down her front door, I went into the house and to sleep, and the next morning, the sun rose beautifully and every groundhog within the state saw his or her shadow. You don’t believe it? You think this may just be a fabrication, a little too much moonlight or one too many cups of coffee at a church meeting? Well, all I can tell you is it must be true, because I heard it from the groundhog’s mouth–the inside scoop from an expert by the name of Oklahoma Lil.
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