Groundhog memories

Groundhog Day
Photo by Eddie~S

So Punxsutawney Phil has informed us that its 6 more weeks of winter. Like almost all of my Facebook friends, I can handle more of this kind of winter… mild temps that resemble Spring more than Winter.

I’m no meteorologist, but I think we still have a lot of Winter to go… it’s just going to be late. I could be wrong, but that’s my official non-meteorological opinion.

Groundhog day never ceases to amuse me, though. Even before I ever saw the movie Groundhog Day, I found particular amusement with this “holiday.”

A rodent is going to decide the weather. Uh-huh. Sure.

Of course, as a kid who liked playing outside, I’d root for rain that day, so no shadow would be seen and summer would come quicker. Some particularly long winters, I’d deep down hope this hocus pocus was real. Whatever happened on Feb. 2nd in Pennsylvania would dictate if I’d be outside playing on the swings sooner or later.

Then, I saw the movie Groundhog Day and Feb. 2nd was never the same. It became more about if the day would repeat over and over again, versus if the groundhog saw his shadow. The movie made the day even more amusing than it was before!

Life is so serious, though. I think that’s why days like Groundhog Day are so endearing. What other day can a group of grown men wear top hats and see if a rodent can see his shadow? What other day can we all find this level of simple, lasting entertainment in the hum-drum days of winter? For me, Groundhog Day isn’t about the weather or a movie. It’s about finding a little bit of amusement in ourselves and our history.

Winter will end when it ends. The groundhog is going to go back to bed, pissed off he was awakened in the first place. And we’re all going to go back to the daily rhythm of things that we’ve grown accustomed to once again. But for today? Let’s have a little giggle.

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Photo Credit: Eddie~S

[Blogging for Books] — A Sound Among the Trees

So let’s see. This book has history, strong women, a potential haunting and its set in the South. Gee… is there any doubt I’d gravitate to it and love it?

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner is a carefully woven and well detailed story that bridges generations with suspense. The story starts with Marielle Bishop moving from Arizona to Virginia to live at Holly Oak with her new husband, his children from his first marriage, and his first wife’s grandmother, Adelaide. If that doesn’t intrigue you, keep in mind that the Civil War mansion where they live may be haunted by Susannah Page, a former resident who is considered by many to be a Civil War traitor.

However, what Marielle finds is that her new home is wrapped up in its past and the events of the lives of the women who have lived there. You get to meet these women through the pages of this book, each one carefully brought to life for the reader.

One of the coolest features of the book is a section of nothing but letters written by Susannah during the Civil War. What a wonderful way to tell her story in her own words and to give a good look at what her life was like as the war raged just outside her front door. The letters gave the whole story a new depth and perspective to the story!

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone. In fact, I plan to re-read it myself!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group book review bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own.