Groundhog Day | The Real Reality Show Blog

It would be too easy to write up a quick post on the Fourth of July and what it means to us. Instead, here’s a quick post on what it could have meant to us. Actually there were two big holidays this year that fall into this “could have been” category: Independence Day and yes, Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day is a big deal around here, “here” being the very tight confines of our residences and work places and mostly only when we are there. Somebody has to keep up a tradition. Type “Groundhog Day” into our search box and see how many posts will pop up. It’s so special that it’s the only topic that hosts our only post of a photograph.

What made it very special this year is that it fell on a weekend. Legitimately that could have meant a trip to the rascal’s lair so we could have seen for ourselves how this ball of fur became the world’s greatest meteorologist. True, you need a good 3 or 4 year advance plan to get a hotel room but a slightly worn, rented RV could have done the job. But He’s health just wasn’t going to cooperate and it was a plan better not even brought up.

And now, it the same year, the Fourth of July sits on Friday just begging to be the start of a terrific three day weekend. Where we live is a pretty good place for fireworks. Some of the best are put on several times a year within a handful of miles from either of our houses. But it is the Fourth of July. No matter how good the ones in our own backyards may be, doesn’t the thought of seeing the display at our nation’s birthplace in Philadelphia or exploding over the same Fort McHenry that Francis Scott Key kept in sight before writing the words for the Star Spangled Banner make you want to check hotel reservations (or RV rental agreements)? But again, no good cooperation from that package of skin and bones that he keeps dragging around every day.

Strangely, the two holidays aren’t that dissimilar. It’s because of the actions taken on the Fourth of July some 238 years ago that we can make fools of ourselves on the Second of February. The cynic in all of us is going to raise its ugly head and ask if that’s the only thing we can relate freedom to, some silly fur-lined frenzy. Actually, no, it’s not.

We’re quite thankful for the freedoms we have and for those who continue to work to keep them for us. In fact, He was one of those for some years some years ago doing just that. So maybe that’s why when we talk about what freedom means to us we’re willing to take a few liberties with our liberties. Be as serious as you want this weekend and be mindful that freedom doesn’t come easy. Be as thankful as you can be for those who aren’t going to get to see the artificial displays that we’ll Ooh and Ahh over. But if you really want to thank those who are doing the hard work so you can enjoy the rockets’ multicolor displays, do something special with it.

Maybe make plans to go visit your favorite rodent or your favorite spot on the beach. And go ahead and selfishly enjoy them. That’s what they are there for. The ones making sure they are won’t mind.

We think that because of the cycle of leap years between now and then that Groundhog Day and Independence Day will both be on weekends again in a mere five years. Maybe if we start planning now… Hmm.

Now, that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you?

Happy Groundhog Day! For over 225 years Phil has been the reigning prognosticator of Punxsutawney Pennsylvania perusing his property for signs of his shadow to predict the waning winter’s weather.

What began as an adaptation of Candlemas for the local farmers not too distantly removed from their German homeland now brings an estimated 30,000 people to the Pennsylvania home of Punxsutawney Phil for 4 days of planned events highlighted by the shadow sighting on national news broadcast across our homeland.

Now here we could tell you all the different things one can do in Phil’s little hamlet. Who will be playing, singing, dancing, and crafting. We could guess how many television cameras will be in use. We could compare the last 2, 5, 10, 25, 100, 150, or 200 predictions and the actual results. We could talk about the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club or The Inner Circle. But really, you don’t need to hear from us if last year’s prediction was on the money or how much money the park vendors made.

Nope, we’re just going to marvel at all that has become of our little rodent friend and all of his friends living in the sunny or shadowy mountains on the edge of the Allegheny National Forest. Phil has his own official souvenir web-site. The Inner Circle (those are the guys who pull him from the stump, we mean help him from his hollow) have an annual formal ball. There are 60 chapters of the Groundhog Club from California to Florida and chapters in Canada, England, and Iraq. There’s even an Internet chapter. (The Bluegrass Chapter of Louisville, Kentucky was chartered on Feb. 2 2002, that’s 02-02-02. There’s a lottery number waiting to be played!) Other than the iconic “Groundhog Day” movie there isn’t much in the way of multimedia for our little friend but we did find 5 songs celebrating Groundhog Day including “Groundhog Blues” by John Lee Hooker.

Unlike Candlemas in the 17^th century we really don’t need Groundhog Day to tell us if we’re almost done with winter and can breathe a sigh of relief over our dwindling food and firewood supply or if the cold will stay with us for another 6 weeks and challenge our larder. Groundhog Day in the 21^st century is a time when grown men dress in formal attire and play with field animals, when people gather to figure out just how long Phil Conners (Bill Murray’s character in “Groundhog Day”) was stuck in Punxsutawney, when people get married in Phil’s Wedding Chapel by the mayor of Punxsutawney (weddings on the half-hour, call ahead to get on the schedule), when it’s ok to be seen in public with a hat on your head that looks like a groundhog emerging from a tree stump.