Happy Groundhog Day!

Okay, groundhogs aren't squirrels, but they do belong to the same rodent family and hey, we embrace most rodents here. While we do have our fair share of urban critter encounters here in Southern California--possums, raccoons, deer, skunks, tarantulas--I can't say I've ever seen a groundhog in the city or even in the wild.

Apparently, all of the "well known" North American groundhogs, including Balzac Billy (Calgary), Wiarton Willy (Ontario, Canada), Shubenacadie Sam (Nova Scotia), and Punxsutawney Phil (USA) saw their shadows, dooming us all to six more weeks of winter.

Well, not to rub it in too much, but we've basically been having summer here in Southern California, so I can't complain. I do feel for those of you suffering through a cold winter though and hope these rodents are wrong, for your sake! In the meantime, stay warm!