Happy belated Ground Hog Day... a friend (thanks Wanda... I used your cute picture) asked on her blog where did this tradition start and why a ground hog.... you know they are mean little boogers. Well without looking it up or thinking about too much, I would say that the ground hog comes out of it den to breed sometime around the first of February... like skunks.. oh believe those little stinkers are out and about... just ask my son Ron who had to de-skunk his house after the dogs got one in his garage. Phewwwww My first encounter with a ground hog didn't end happy. I was maybe eight years old and I had a springer spaniel name Ginger. Ginger had nine puppies under the crib floor of the barn. One morning I heard her barking and ran out to see what was the matter. She was trying to stop a ground hog that had one of her puppies in it's mouth. Of course I ran to help. When the ground hog saw me it either made it mad or scared it but it shook that poor puppy killing it. I stood there horrified but Ginger was irate. She pounced on that rodent and injured it bad but you have to know that hog was nearly as big and Ginger. Daddy came out and told me to get Ginger. She really didn't like that idea and nipped me twice before I could get her by the collar. Daddy took a shovel and killed the ground hog then went to look for it's den. He found it on the backside of the pond. The ground hog had been a mommy and her four babies were waiting in the den. Daddy took care of them too. Logan, my brother, and I had a very nice funeral for the puppy and Ginger went back to caring for her puppies.
I guess that was the day I learned there is no place for varmints on a farm.
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