Happy Groundhog Day

Photo by Alan Freed

From the Official site of Punxsutawney Phil........

Phil Says

"Six More Weeks of Winter!"

Phil's official forecast as read February 2nd, 2009 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Hear Ye Hear Ye
On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009
Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators
Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper
And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths
After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time
And a bright sky above me
Showed my shadow beside me.
So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.

~*~

With that said, I guess we should just dig in and brace ourselves for the 6 more weeks of winter that has been predicted. Now there are impostors all over that claim they have the inside track on the weather forecast. It is your choice of course which you will put your trust in. Meanwhile you can get into the swing of the Ground Hog celebrations by singing the old Appalachian song:

Ground Hog

Shoulder up your gun and whistle up your dog

Shoulder up your gun and whistle up your dog

We're off to the woods for to catch a ground hog

Ground hog, ground hog

Too many rocks and too many logs,... (x2)

Too much trouble to hunt ground hogs,...

He's in here boys, the hole's wore slick,... (x2)

C'mon, Sam with your forked stick,...

Stand back, boys, and let's be wise,... (x2)

I think I see his beady little eyes,...

Here comes Sam with a ten foot pole,... (x2)

Twist that whistle pig outta his hole,...

Work, boys, work just as hard as you can tear,... (x2)

The meat'll do to eat and the hide'll do to wear,...

Up come Sal with a snigger and a grin,... (x2)

Ground hog grease all over her chin,...

The children screamed and the children cried,... (x2)

"I love that ground hog cooked or fried!",...

You eat up the meat then you save the hide,... (x2)

Makes the best shoestring that ever was tied,...

Look at them fellers, they're about to fall,... (x2)

Eatin' till their britches won't button at all,...

Little piece of cornbread laying on the shelf,... (x2)

If you want any more you can sing it yourself,...

If the song isn't enough to get your toes to tapping then you might want to try a Groundhog recipe:

Woodchuck Pie

1 woodchuck (groundhog)

3 medium carrots

3 potatoes

1/4 cup of butter or margarine

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons of flour

pie crust dough

Quarter the woodchuck and place the pieces in a large pot with enough cold water to cover the meat. Boil it for 10 minutes, then discard the water, refill the pan, and bring the liquid to a boil again. Lower the heat and let the contents simmer for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue cooking the stew for about another 30 minutes ... until the meat is tender and separates easily from the bone. By this time, you should be able to pierce the vegetables readily with a fork.

Now, strain the liquid and reserve 2 cups. The remaining pot liquor can be saved for soup stock, or discarded.

Next, remove the cooked meat from the bones and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Melt the butter or margarine in a large, heavy skillet, add the diced onion, and cook it for 5 minutes. Then add the flour and stir the mixture until it bubbles ... put in the reserved liquid and blend the brew some more until it thickens . . . and, when that happens, combine the vegetables and meat, mixing the whole concoction thoroughly.

Finally, butter a large casserole and pour in the meat-and-vegetable mixture. Lay pie crust dough over the top of the filling, brush the pastry with milk, and place the container in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the crust has turned golden brown.

~Or you could just go back to bed and hibernate a little longer with the covers pulled up to your chin. Personally, that sounds like a good idea to me, but I have an appointment this aftenoon to get my 3rd and final Synvisc injection in my knee. I guess I will have to save the hibernating for later.

"Happy Groundhog Day"