p.1
“Dax, groundhogs are very good weathermen. We know when to go to sleep and miss the winter snow. We know when to wake up and say hello to spring,” my grandfather told me on my fifth birthday.
But this year would be different.
p.2
I have two homes -- a winter burrow in the hill and a summer cottage under the wooden steps of a big house on my property where a little girl named Virginia lives.
p.3
Crocuses were already popping up. I couldn’t wait to pull the flowers off the stem, lie on a rock in the warm sun, stick my nose up and smell the fresh air. I’m happy to be alive.
p.4
I love spring. After a winter’s nap, it’s fun to see my old friends. Make new friends. Play on the lawn. Eat fresh vegetables. I especially like lettuce, which grows in Virginia’s garden on my property.
p.5
I left my burrow and moved to my cottage. I cleaned, then played my drums. I was tired and went to bed early.
The next morning, I was hungry. I scooted outside and saw six inches of snow. And it was still snowing!
p.6
What if I made a mistake? I didn’t always listen in weather class in Groundhog School. I made a plan -- eat and return to my winter burrow. No one would know I woke up too early.
My paws sunk in the snow. My hair froze. I couldn’t find anything to eat. The snow hid the door to my burrow. I was miserable.
p.7
When I went back to my cottage, Virginia and her father were watching me from their window. “Look, the groundhog was fooled by the snow.” They were laughing.
p.8
Embarrassed, I pushed through a snowdrift and holed up in my cottage. It snowed for two days. I wrote in my journal. I played my drums. I slept and slept.
p.9
Suddenly, I woke to a horrible scratching noise on my roof and outside my door. I was afraid.
Then I heard voices. “What are you doing, Virginia?”
”I’m digging a path for the groundhog so he isn’t snowed in. He’ll get hungry.”
“Virginia. I’m sure he’ll be fine, but I’ll help you.”
p.10
I never knew that Virginia and her father ever thought about me. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been angry that they built a house on my property.
Wow, she cared about me! The thought made me feel warm inside.
p.11
I stuck my head out. They were moving the snow away using a long stick with a curved metal piece on the bottom. I’d never seen such a thing. A snow shovel!
12
This could be front-page material for "Groundhog News." I took a few photos. I wrote about the shovel and what a blizzard was really like.
p.13
I was very hungry. I climbed up on my roof and found a stale branch.
p.14
Suddenly I heard a noise. The door slid open. I saw Virginia. “Wow! Time to fly!” I thought. “Never get too close to people.” That rule from Groundhog School rang in my ears. I jumped off my roof and scurried into my cottage.
I was scared about having gotten so close to a human. Not that I have anything against them, it’s just one of the rules. They’re different.
p.15
I heard Virginia outside my door. She dropped something and left.
I was curious, but I wasn’t sure it was safe out there. I decided to play my drums to get up my courage. I sang too. “Bop bop bebop, bebop bop boo.”
p.16
I was still hungry and carefully went outside. Nose first. Then head. Then body. Then tail.
p.17
Right there was the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. An entire head of lettuce! My favorite food!
p.18
I pulled off a piece with my paw. Chew, chew, chew. I chewed and chewed until all the lettuce was finished. All in my bellyroo.
p.19
Every afternoon until the snow melted, Virginia left a head of lettuce outside my door.
I didn’t put that part in "Groundhog News." No one would have believed it. But I’ll always remember.