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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


Groundhog Day – 2 February 2009
By Mary T. Hoffman

Today’s news services mentioned that Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting Pennsylvania groundhog, had seen his shadow; and that this means that six more weeks of winter are in store for us.

In the wild, groundhogs (members of the squirrel family and also known as woodchucks) eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion, clover, and grasses, and not the dog food and ice cream that are fed to Phil who is said to weigh 15 pounds, according to his handlers! How much better off (and happier) Phil would be if he were fed vegetation instead of processed “food.” Unfortunately, this groundhog happens to be just one more exploited animal.

Groundhog Day had its origin as an American legend that started with the Pennsylvania Germans. It says that on the second day of February the groundhog awakens from his long winter sleep, sticks his head out of his home in the ground, and looks around. If the sun is shining and the groundhog can see his shadow, he is frightened and crawls back into his hole. Then winter lasts another six weeks. If the day is cloudy and the groundhog cannot see his shadow, he stays out of his hole and winter has come to an end. This legend has become a permanent part of American folklore.

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