“Let’s go chase groundhogs!”
hollered Ellie to the children she was babysitting. Ellie
was tiny, light as a feather and seemed to fly with wings, as she ran down
the hill, across the field and up to the top of the next hill. As she ran,
her long, brown hair fanned out in every direction. Her plaid, cotton
dress took on pastel, rainbow shades, as its bright colors merged.
“Whew!”
she said. “This is fun!” She had chased groundhogs with the children, many
times. The groundhog hill had received its name because there were dozens
of groundhog burrows in that
area, even on the top of the hill.
Ellie
sat in the soft, green grass and caught her breath while the five, young children caught up with her.
“Aunt
Ellie, tell us about Groundhog Day,” one child insisted.
“Yes,
tell us about Groundhog Day,” the other children echoed in unison. “Please!”
Ellie
smiled, knowing that she had their attention. She waited a moment and
surveyed the area watching for a groundhog to come out of its burrow.
“There is folklore about Groundhog Day. Stay quiet and keep your
eyes open and we might spot one while I tell you about it.”
The
top of the Groundhog Hill was like a huge bowl. For some reason it had caved in, but it was
still a wonderful place for children to play, as they could lie down and peer
over the edge while they watched for groundhogs.
“On
the second day of February, every year, the groundhog comes out of his burrow.
If he does not see his shadow, he leaves his burrow, because he knows that
winter will end soon. If the sun is shining brightly, he will see his shadow
and retreat back into his burrow. This means that there will be another six
weeks of cold weather.”
“There’s
one!” hollered one of the children, suddenly. They watched it run across
the field.
The
chubby, brown groundhog seemed to say, “Catch me if you can!”
“Let’s
catch it!” Ellie hollered, as she ran down the hill. Of course, she knew they
would never catch it as the groundhog could dive into another burrow, but it
was fun trying!
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