Many people know the story about “Groundhog Day.” The tale says a groundhog spends bad winter weather underground in its hole — then ventures out on Feb. 2. (We don’t know what kind of calendar groundhogs have.)
If it is cloudy on Feb. 2, Mr., Mrs. or Miss Groundhog supposedly assumes winter is almost over, and it is safe to venture forth for an early spring. But, so the story goes, if Feb. 2 is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, it assumes winter is going to last six weeks longer, so it goes back into its hole.
But did you see the little groundhog story in the Times Free Press the other day? It related that on 19th Street, Chattanooga Police Sgt. Brenda Hafley encountered a groundhog — with its head stuck in a plastic jar!
Nobody seemed to know why the groundhog was “out” of its hole at this time of the year — but it surely was “in” a serious predicament!
Our police officers always try to be helpful, so they held the jar — and the groundhog promptly was able to back out of the jar to freedom.
But what does all this suggest about when spring will come this year? The relieved groundhog didn’t stick around to say. It presumably rushed back into its hole somewhere, so that it — and we — could await spring. Sooner or later.