Ground Hog Day

Well my groundhog didn't see his shadow early this morning. So winter is just about over . But I didn't need him to predict this as the birds have been singing again, birds I didnt hear all winter, so some are returning already. It is so wonderful to hear their little voices so sweet and dear.
Mr. Beaver, as my daughter named our groundhog, is a Ziti lover. That is how he met my family. He was eating left over Ziti from the trash can. With his front paws and face covered in sauce, he and my daughter bumped into one another as she was coming home from school.
He screamed and flung Ziti to the wind as he raced off to his home under the shed and she screamed flinging text books to the wind as she ran into her home with breathless news of a "beaver" in the backyard.
Now we have seen "Mr" Beavers children through the years too. Cuddly fat and furry little balls of fluff that came out last spring to cavort in the new grass.
Anyway, it was not sunny in the early AM today so no shadow. Spring is on it's way my friends!
From the Almanac:

Look at the legend that has had folks trekking to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania since 1887. According to the folklore, if Phil the groundhog comes out of his hole and sees his shadow on February 2, it means there will be six more weeks of really crummy weather. If not, the rest of winter will melt away.
This legend is a holdover from European folklore. Since medieval times, people watched hedgehogs, badgers, bears or wolves to see if they saw their shadows on Candlemas, February 2. Once people settled in America, the local groundhogs took the place of bears, badgers and other critters.

Any signs of spring in your neck o' the woods?