Gopher Day 2011

As most of you know I started a new tradition last year called "Gopher Day" that occurs every year on the day after Groundhog Day. I call it Gopher Day since I have a gopher living in my house rather than a groundhog.

Digby, my odd and proud little gopher, has been with my family since before I was born, so there's no telling how old he is. He's from a beautiful world deep inside the earth called Krybos. While in his native Krybos Digby can speak like you or I do, albeit with an unsettling Sean Connery accent. Here in the surface world he is more gopher-like and tunnels through the neighborhood, tortures us all with non-stop stomach distress, and makes funny squeaking noises because he doesn't have speech capabilities. And although he can't talk here in the surface world, he more than makes up for it with street-smarts which, I guess, in his case would be tunnel-smarts.

On last year's inaugural Gopher Day, Digby established how he was going to prognosticate on the coming weather trends, making certain there was no similarity to how the lowly groundhog does it. (See Gopher Day 2010 post). I knew this year would be no different.

I woke up this morning when Digby jumped onto the bed then clawed his way up and over the edge, having not quite made the leap. I could feel the covers being clawed away a few inches at a time. I just laid there with the remaining corner of the top sheet pulled up to my nose and waited for the inevitable. When it didn't come, I took a breath and peeked out to see my furry friend sitting on his haunches with a DVD case clamped in his bite.

Now remember, last year Digs abandoned traditional rodent weather prognostication methods and made a deliberate selection of a DVD with a seasonal theme to indicate his decision. He chose National Lampoon's Vacation which is a warm, summer-themed movie. So, I wondered, what would this year be?

As I sat up, Digby came forward and offered the dripping movie case which I took and swiped across my pajama top. "Interesting choice," I told him. "The cover says it all."

I placed "The Day After Tomorrow" DVD case on the nightstand then scooped my little buddy into my arms. Following the familiar sounds stirring above us, we climbed the spiral staircase to the fourth floor treasure room called Grandpa's Attic.

"I'm sure you know the groundhog didn't see his shadow yesterday," I said. "That means he's predicting an early Spring." Digby gave me his toothy smile as if to stand by his decision. "Right. Well, one thing's for certain. One of you is wrong."

Just because Digby is predicting six more weeks of winter weather doesn't mean we can expect it. I really think his prediction is based more on differentiating himself from the groundhog. After all, he's not a weather expert, he's a movie expert.

Until next time,

Maddie