Iten's Acres: January 31, 2012

I saw him on Sunday. Frisky. Energetic. Gamboling all over the hillside. Stupid groundhog. His day isn't until Thursday. Why we give a fat, ugly, destructive rodent a day, I don't know? By the way, no doubt that he saw his shadow. I can never remember what that means. Six more weeks of winter? Spring's coming early? Does it even count if it happens on January 29th? Does it count if he comes out when the sun is behind a cloud and I shoot the varmint before he can see his shadow? The only good groundhog is a dead groundhog. Undoubtedly part of the curse. And while I'm pontificating, the only good squirrel is a dead squirrel. And the only good deer is venison. I mean, who was the "genius" who saw a groundhog on February 2nd and then marked his calendar for six weeks to see what would happen? And how many eons did he do it to come up with his theory? The only good thing about the inane superstition we call Groundhog Day is the movie.