underground operatives

Sso, it’ss ground hog’ss day again, iss it? Ssay your s-ss with a whisstle and you can ssound like the gopher in Walt Dissney’ss “Winne-the-Pooh”. He’ss a favorite character for ssure and a good excusse to practisse your whisstling sskillss. Ssee what i mean?

Here’s the news from Pennsylvania reported by TODAY: “Around 7:30 a.m. local time, Phil’s handler retrieved him from his burrow, and the president of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club said that Phil did indeed see his shadow…which means six more weeks of winter are ahead.”

It’s probably safer to be a ground hog in the Keystone State than a prairie dog in South Dakota. Hunting season is year round with no limit to the number of black-tailed prairie dogs you may shoot. It’s a way to control the prolific population and protect grasslands from degradation.

watch prairie dog town
heads pop up, tails disappear
curious critters

prognostications

Yes, the calendar says that February 2 is Groundhog’s Day. So what’s that to me? I may be a German groundhog but I am NOT getting up for any festivities, especially for Candlemas. I must finish hibernating and am feeling all tuckered out…now please, just let me sleep!

What in tarnation is all that commotion atop my burrow? Stop ringing that #punxsutawney% bell up there! I thought Gobbler’s Knob was a peaceful neighborhood but it’s gone to the prairie dogs, I say. There’s no shadow of a doubt, I’ve had my phil of winter in these parts already!

winter’s soft shadow

falls upon snowy landscape

seek comfort of hearth


Frank hosts haibuns at dVerse poets in observance of Groundhog’s Day…