Do you believe?

Do you believe?

In Santa? In the tooth fairy? That your dad is a superhero?

Belief without concrete evidence is hard. Belief by faith is harder. I think one of the most serious questions we as humans can ask ourselves is whether or not we believe in the rodent we know as the groundhog... marmota monax, also known as a woodchuck, chuck or in some areas as the land-beaver. More precisely, do we believe that the groundhog actually emerges from his hole each year on February 2nd and is a true predictor of the amount of blasted winter (it's been tough this year, huh?) we have to endure that particular year. Personally, I have a hard time with this.

Being an American, I've been taught to believe that Punxsutawney Phil is the one and only true prognosticator of the winter months ahead. But, is he really is the one and only groundhog... the only one we should believe in? I was led to the meaning of groundhog day at an early age and for many years believed unquestionably in his power to predict. I was taught that questioning his existence, and more important, his role as predictor was wrong and that I had to believe in him by faith. As I've gotten older, the questions that have been hibernating in my mind have resurfaced with a nagging tug to my rational thought process. There are other animals that would probably be just as suited to predict winter weather. The meerkat, for example would be very good at it. I've seen meerkats standing just outside their hole scouring the landscape. They are very attentive to their surroundings and I'm sure they'd see their own shadow easily. Howler monkeys would make great predictors. They'd probably scamper up a tree and vocalize whether the see their shadow or not. And there are other groundhogs too. I am just not sure anymore that the Phil is the one true groundhog or is even the only predictor of winter.

One question that nags at me constantly about the existence of a groundhog is the shadow thing. How do we know  that the groundhog actually sees his shadow or not? He can't speak, at least in a language that humans understand, so how do we know for sure that he's predicting an early or later spring. I'm sure those who push the groundhog agenda think they know whether he's seen his shadow or not, but that makes me question whether or not it's just a tale invented by man to quench his thirst for a higher weather predictor. Do we even know that he can see? We assume that he can because he has eyes, but I'm very cautious to believe that when he emerges from the hole, he's even looking for his shadow. I have huge doubts about this. If shut in a hole in the ground for a few months, wouldn't it make sense to believe that other things are on Phil's mind at the time of his emergence including breakfast, curiosity of the idiot humans surrounding him with cameras and microphones, maybe the need to relieve his bladder with one very long pee and other bodily urges that any normal groundhog has! I just don't think that the first thing he would do is look for his own shadow.

Another nagging thought of mine - groundhogs normally live about six years in the wild and about ten years in captivity. According records, Phil has been predicting the course of winters since the winter of 1887, which would make him at least 121 years old. He has made 115 predictions that are on record, has predicted an early spring fifteen times and according to the StormFax Weather Almanac his predictions have been only been correct 39% of the time. The great science vs groundhogology debate on his existence has been going on for thousands... hundreds... okay, maybe fifty years. If Phil is the one true groundhog, two questions arise; how can predicting accurate be so low, and how can he exist for so many years. While the groundhogists tell you that's it's about faith, I can't help but agree with science and the belief that no groundhog can live more than ten to twelve years. According to folklore, "Phil is given a sip of the mysterious Groundhog Elixer, which magically lengthens his life for seven years." I simply find this too hard to accept. It think it was written by man to again satisfy his hunger for the truth. I just don't believe as some others do that it is the word (grunt, shrill or squeal) of groundhog.

We've been told that Punxsutawney Phil is the one true groundhog, but how do we ignore others faith in their groundhogs, such as Buckeye Chuck from Marion, Ohio. I had a good friend at the University of Dayton that was from Marion and I'm sure his belief system was based on Chuck, and not Phil. Of course, we never really discussed it back then as we all celebrated groundhog day in our own private ways. Other belief systems are based on Staten Island Chuck, General Beauregard Lee from Lilburn, Georgia, Wiarton Willie from Ontario and Shubenacadie Sam from Nova Scotia. I'm fairly convinced that one doesn't have to believe in Phil in order to reap the reward of winter weather knowledge. The people that believe in Sam or Chuck or the General, all believe that he is the one true groundhog. Who am I to question them.

I've been taught for years to believe in the groundhog by faith and that science is wrong about this. I've come to realize that I cannot believe in the groundhog by faith alone. I imagine that I'm not the only person to question the existence of Phil as the supreme groundhog. I'm sure there are many who have the same doubts that I do. I guess I'll accept and embrace all the differences as part of what groundhog really wants for our lives.

A quote that seems to fulfill my need to know the true meaning of the animal and the day follows... I hope you can find some peace in it as I do:

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck

if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could

if a woodchuck could chuck wood!"

Cookie Cannabalism

Have you ever eaten a gingerbread man (or woman) cookie? I don't know about you, but I always feel a little cannibalistic when I do. As I hold it in my hand, I look directly into Gilbert's eyes, let out a low growl to let him know the fate that's about to be his. Yes, I name my gingerbread cookies as it makes the deed of eating it even more tortuous, and as long as I'm going to commit dough murder, I might as well make it worth the trouble. I snear and grit my teeth at him and let him know that I'm in charge! Then it's time... the horrendous deed begins as I bite down, hard and direct on the gingerbread jugular vein and tear off it's little head! Next, it's arm... and because of my OCD tendencies, the other arm has to be next. The rest is easy as there's no fight left in the cookie body as it lies there doughless!
Mwahhh ha ha... goodbye little man (or woman) of ginger, molasses and flour!

According to Theresa Brunner at examiner.com, There's a definite psychology of eating a gingerbread man (or woman) cookie. Dunkin Donuts did a fun gingerbread man (or woman) personality test and hit the streets to find out what people had to say about it, and this is what they found.

"Apparently, 64% of all people tested ate the head first, while 20% went for the legs, and a mere 16% ate the arms first. So what does this all mean, you ask. Well, psychologists state that if you eat the head first then you have more of an aggressive personality. Start with a right arm and your more skeptical and pessimistic, left arm means that you are creative and an extrovert. Choose the legs first and that is indicative of a sensitive, empathetic personality.

Now of course, this isn’t an exact science, but those people on the streets busy munching on their gingerbread man cookie were mostly in agreement with the personality type given based on how they 'attacked' their cookie."

So there you have it! How do YOU eat your gingerbread man (or woman) and what does it say about you? I'm beginning to wonder if I might have a few issues that I need to work out! Gingerbread fingers anyone?
 
If you need to determine your own cookie murderous issues, here's a gingerbread cookie recipe, compliments of allrecipes.com. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions: 

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; stir into the pudding mixture. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets. On a floured board, roll dough out to about 1/8 inch thickness, and cut into man shapes using a cookie cutter. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies are golden at the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Yields 2 1/2 dozen.

Push, Pull and Slide

My family and I spent the past weekend Christmas shopping in Bangor. It's a three hour ride from our house which in itself is nothing as we are all pretty used to being in the car eleven or twelve hours a few times a year traveling each way to and from New Jersey to visit my family. But as a driver, one encounters the same things on the highway regardless of how long the road traveled is. As I was driving this past weekend, I decided that I would splurge on my next vehicle and get three options that will certainly make any drive I make on the highway easier.

1. The first extra that I am going to order is the trillion candlepower high beam option. As I get older, I'm starting to have a harder time driving at night. With less light, the lines on the road and other hazards are harder to see. With the trillion candle power high beam option, the road will be lit up like the sun was half the distance from earth. The lever on the dashboard would carry a warning that the special glasses that came with the vehicle need to be worn and the high beams won't engage until they are. Upon flipping the lever, a loud "FWUMMMMMMP" signals the artificial daylight. I'll no longer have to worry about driving at night and hopefully the fire in the brush on the side of the road caused by my headlights will burn quickly.

2. Another option I will definitely be ordering on my next vehicle is the vaporizer. There are too many times when I'm cruising up the highway only to encounter a slow moving vehicle in the right lane. Now that in itself isn't a problem unless there happens to be another slow moving vehicle in the left lane. I am a firm believer that you keep right and pass left, but obviously, not all drivers adhere to the unwritten rule of the road... although is most states in the United States, there are written rules about driving in the right and left lanes. Anyway, as I pull up behind a vehicle moving slowly, or moving at any speed less than I am moving, I can use the vaporizer to clear the way so I can resume the speed at which I was previously going. The vaporizer is activated by turning a knob on the dashboard. Next to the knob is a label warning that the vaporized vehicle will reappear at a later time. The time in which the vaporized vehicle reappears is determined by me and would depend on how bad the other driver is... by my standards of course.

3. The last option that I will be putting on my next vehicle is a transporting device.Ever notice how the trip going is always so much easier than the trip returning? At the start of every return trip, I always wish that I could just be home. The vacation has ended... the concert is over... the family visit is done... the fun part is over and I never want to make the return trip. A button on the dashboard next to a warning label of course, will start the transport mode of the vehicle and dematerialize the vehicle and its occupants and beam us home. Of course trip length will vary... the transportation from my friend's house will take 2 seconds... the trip from Bangor 38 seconds and the trip home from my mom's in New Jersey will take 2 minutes and 46 seconds... which is a long time in transporter terms. I know this concept was well used in the Star Trek Television series and movies, but I understand that Acura has changed the matter reconverger and it works much better.

These vehicle options will cost a little extra, but I think they'll be worth the cost. I think my trips on the highway will be so much better. I can't wait to push that button on the dashboard for the first time and light up the highway... or is it pull the lever to light up the highway?. I better read those warning labels again.

What am I... chopped liver?

For the past three years, we've be going to a Christmas Tree farm here in Fredericton to buy our Christmas tree. We don't cut it ourselves, but we do walk out into the field and pick one that the owner cuts for us. The first year, we went at night but last year, we went on our lunch hours together. We decided today that we'd make it a tradition. It's a great place and we love getting our tree there.

While that was fun and we got a great tree, it's not the point of today's blog. We've had our puppy four months tomorrow and she's become such a part of our family. We all love her very much and since having her, I've really come to appreciate dogs very much. They all have such distinct personalities. They all want the same thing... to be loved, to play and to eat.

Now back to the Christmas Tree Farm... when we first got there, the owner came out the back door of his house and with him came a fairly big dog named Jade. Jade greeted us with the usual tail wagging and nuzzle up for a scratch that all friendly dogs do. She especially took to me and stayed pretty close to me. Debbie and I headed into the field to pick out a tree, found one pretty quickly and went back to the house. Jade was sitting there waiting for us and again started hanging around me. I thought that she must have really liked me or could sense my new love and appreciation for canines. We were playing and having a great time. I put my hands in my pockets and after feeling the small baggie in my left jacket pocket, I realized why Jade had taken such a strong liking to me. I've been taking ZuZu to puppy classes on Thursday nights and I take treats with me... we all do... to use as rewards when we teach our dogs. Jade had smelled them in my pocket and wanted one. I took the treats out of my pocket and gave some to her... she was happy. I on the other hand was a little crushed that it really wasn't ME she was captivated with... it was my freeze dried liver snacks.

Napoblomo comes to a close

November 30th means two things... my mother-in-law's birthday and the end of Nablopomo, or National Blog Posting Month.

First of all, I'd like to say a very happy birthday to Gloria. May you be blessed with many, many more birthdays. You've been so very kind and generous to Debbie, the kids and me since I got here over seven years ago. Thank you for everything! :)



At the end of October, a friend of my wife and mine said she was going to commit to blogging every day during the month of November to celebrate Nablopomo. My wife decided she'd take up Leanne's challenge and also commit to writing a blog every day during the month. Debbie is an excellent writer and I was so glad that she was going to start writing again. Judge for yourself how well she writes here. I'm really proud of her for sticking to her commitment... I know there were some days when she wanted to just forget it and go to bed.

A few years ago, I had a blog that I really enjoyed writing, so I too decided to take up the challenge and write a blog entry every day for the thirty days between October 31st and December 1st. At times it was easy and fun... some of the blogs just flowed. At other times, I started and erased and started and erased and started and erased and started and erased and started again. That was frustrating. Some nights I was so tired and thought I'd just forget about blogging, but my wife encouraged me to keep going because I'd be glad at the end of the month. I am... it's been pretty rewarding and has gotten me back into writing, which is something that I really do enjoy doing. Thanks for all the encouragement, Debbie. And thanks for the challenge Leanne... congratulations go out to you for completing the challenge too. Leanne's blog is a good read... see it here. I consider her my blog mentor!

As I said, I've really enjoyed this and I plan on continuing. There won't be any pressure on me unless I put it on myself, which I probably will do from time to time. I probably won't blog every day, but I hope to write three or four times a week. Thank you for reading it and especially for the comments you left. There were many times that I thought no one was reading it and the comments were quite welcome. Please keep checking for new entries... it's much easier to write for an audience.

And finally, remember that blog spelled backwards in golb!

Cyber Hoarding!

I'm a saver... a cyber saver, that is. I save things that I find online. I'll probably never use most of the things I save, but it really doesn't matter since it really doesn't cost me anything to be a cyber saver. I mean, it's not like I'm cluttering up my garage saving online stuff or causing my family problems by my cyber saving and I definitely don't think I'm a candidate for the television show "Hoarders" because of it. I'm organized and keep my saves in properly labeled folders in a very organized file system. Those who know me wouldn't expect any less.

So what do I save? Have a look:

 

I found this a few years ago while surfing and thought it was a great photo, so I saved it. Simple!

I saved this because my nickname is crickett. I might need to communicate with someone who can't read someday, in which case, this will come in handy.

This is a photo from 1940 of the public dock on St. John in the USVI. I love St. John... so far, it's my favorite place in the world and I love old photos. Why wouldn't I save it?

This is my car... well, not actually my car, but a photograph of the car that I drive. I love my car, so why wouldn't I want a photo of my car. Actually, I have four more.

This is a photo of an old White Castle hamburger restaurant hat looks like the one my family and I went to from time to time in New Jersey. This photo brings back wonderful memories. 

This is just very cool graffiti... I had to save it.

So maybe my cyber saving doesn't make sense to anyone but me. It doesn't have to... I like the things I save... they make me happy. So until there's a television show called "Cyber Hoarders", I'm okay. Hmmmm, I think I'll save a copy of this blog!

Mission Purple Purse

Yesterday morning my wife and I went out for breakfast at the cafe in the Charlotte Street Arts Center here in Fredericton. The Arts center is an old elementary school which has been converted into visual and performing arts classes. When we walked in, the halls were crowded with young mothers and fathers waiting for their young children there for ballet lessons. It's a really cool place.

After we ordered, I realized that I needed something from my wife purse which was left in the car. I walked back through the halls past all the young mothers and father standing around waiting for their children, out the door and to the car to get my wife's purse. Now, I am not a man's man by any means... I have no problem with the role reversal that often occurs in my marriage and in my house. I have no problem picking up feminine products at the store for my wife and daughter and I even like to do chick flicks with my wife.

I'm very confident with who I am, but when I got to the car and picked up my wife's purple purse, I suddenly felt self-conscious about carrying it back through the halls of the old school past all the young parents. Okay... how would I carry it? I didn't have a jacket on, so i couldn't hide it. I could sling the whole thing over my shoulder, but that might look contrived and besides, if everything started falling out as I was walking in, I'd not have saved myself any embarrassment at all. I could put it over my shoulder and maybe I could get away with carrying  it like a briefcase... but who would I be kidding, no one carries a miniature purple briefcase, especially with big silver buckles. There had to be a way for me to get this thing past all the young parents with dreams of their children performing Swan Lake with the Royal Ballet in London. I could try to hide it behind my back and slowly bring it around front as I pass people, but there were way too many people for me to pull that off. By this point, I was getting paranoid... and it was cold outside. I could just carry it... but no, that was just the thing that I was trying to avoid. With the thought of my breakfast getting cold and my wife thinking that maybe a pack of hungry moose got me, I decided what to do. I grabbed both handles in my right hand and squeezed them tightly like it was the wild animal that I just killed and was bringing home as a prize to my family for dinner. I held my breath, swung open the front door of the center and stomped through the hall one more time with a scowl on my face, showing no mercy to any of the young parents or even younger ballerinas in the making. I made it... I got through the hall with purse in hand and none of my masculinity compromised. I sat down at the table, handed my wife her purse and let out my breath. I was safe once again... mission accomplished!!

My wife took the purse, reached in and pulled out some Splenda from her purse and I put it in my chamomile tea... hey, I'm watching my figure, you know.