Friday, February 02, 2007

The Hallowed Groundhog

Happy Groundhog Day, everybody!

So, what's Groundhog Day anyway, you might ask? Well, each year this is a big deal in Canada and the U.S.. There are celebrity groundhogs who are proclaimed at being able to predict when Spring will arrive, or, in other words, whether or not we will have 6 more weeks of Winter.

We even have mascots for this celebrated event (though no one has ventured to make this a National holiday....yet).

The 2 most famous groundhogs are:
    Ontario has Wiarton Willy.
    Pennsylvania has Punxsutawny Phil.


Other known Groundhog Day mascots include (and some of these could be still living or in groundhog heaven):
    Alberta has Balzac Billy.
    Nova Scotia has Shubenacadie Sam.
    Georgia has General Beauregard Lee.
    New York has Staten Island Chuck and Dunkirk Dave.
    Ohio has Buckeye Chuck.
    Vermont has Peewee the Woodchuck.
    Alabama has Birmingham Bill.


I'm sure there are other famous groundhogs, but that's what I could find offhand.

Oh, and My Mom was born on Groundhog Day. She would have been 85 today. Each year, we'd have 2 things to celebrate...her Birthday and Groundhog Day. Below is a picture of one of the groundhogs that Beanie Babies created for Groundhog Day. I gave this to her for her last birthday.

If you're watching, Mummy, Happy Birthday. Wish you were here. xx

Happy Groundhog Day.

19 comments:

Nikki Neurotic said...

Don't forget the Bill Murry movie! Just watched it the other night at work, funny stuff. Never watched it before then actually.

masgblog said...

I'll have to re-watch that one.....hee

lattégirl said...

Oh, you little research fiend, you.

So, was TODAY Groundhog Day? Because this whole six-weeks-of-winter thing is a bit of a joke NOW, isn't it, when winter only just started. Eh?

*grumble*

Where I live, it is usually winter until the end of April, so Wiarton can go chase his tail, for all I care. :)

(PS: didja read the big brouhaha a couple/few years back, when the authorities in Pennsyvalnia admitted that the original Phil had died years before, and that they had been using a stuffed version of him? Or something to that effect. Maybe it was another groundhog. In any case, it was a big rodent-style scandal, which shocked parents into protesting loudly that their darling children had been traumatized forever.

Don't recall if anyone tried to SUE anyone over it. Probably.

Thanks for an entertaining entry.

Jeni said...

Hmmm! I never heard that one about Punxsy Phil and he's fairly local to me - about 60 miles, give or take a couple.

According to the headline in last night's daily paper though, Punxsy Phil is the most famous of the animal prognosticators though. And, according to what I heard today at the doctor's office, he didn't see his shadow today either - first time in 14 years since that's happened. Whoopy ding! It is still six weeks till the beginning of spring regardless what the rodent says! My opinion there and I'm sticking to it.

masgblog said...

all...I am banking on an early spring. We have had virtually no winter (or maybe a condensed versiom) so at least we deserve a lengthy summer, similar tio what I used to experience as a child.
Happy G Day!

jeweledrabbit said...

What's the name of your mom's groundhog? :-)

jeweledrabbit said...

Most of the beads in my bracelets are made of glass. But there are some chunks of tiger eye in the brown one.

Barb said...

Sending birthday wishes up to your mom.. and the beanie groundhog is so cute!

Anonymous said...

Where is Andy McDowell in any of this?

I would repeat myself, but that's taking a joke too far.

I would.......... no - I'm not going there.

lattégirl said...

You have to watch out for Creechman, he tends to throw in random actresses - at random.

masgblog said...

creechman - welcome! Now, the Andy McDowell that I know of is not a groundhog, but if she were, would that make her Andy from Hollywood? An interesting notion.


lattégirl - thanks for the beware..hee

jeweledrabbit said...

mas, you're not a cave dweller. Such is the power of makeup. ;)

Hootin Anni said...

Now, I really LEARNED something today....I didn't realize that we all had so many different mascots for the Groundhog Day.

Why, I must stop, and thank you for all this cool info.

Happy Monday...I'm here visiting through the Over 50 bloggers blogroll today.

Mike said...

I'm not sure the groundhog will be right this year. It's still very cold here and I don't think it's going away soon lol.

Anonymous said...

I READ IN A NATIONAL ANIMAL MAGAZINE WHERE THE WORLDS TWO MOST FAMOUS GROUNDHOGS WEWE PHILL, AND SMITH LAKE JAKE OF ALABAMA

Anonymous said...

Punxsutawny Phil, and Smith Lake Jake are the two most famous of the groundhogs.

Sandra lynn said...

I read in a news paper that " Smith Lake Jake" was the most famous groundhog, after Punxsutawney Phil, then Gus the groundhogof Penn.

Anonymous said...

Go under smith lake jake, and find smith lake living go into it and scroll down to smith lake jake's adorable picture wearing his famous hat. you need to have his picture on your sight. SMITH LAKE JAKE , is just too cute.

Anonymous said...

The seacon most famous Groundhog is Alabamas own, "Smith Lake Jake"