Back to to Punxy.....
Fade to black.....
We found seats on a yellow school bus in the middle of the night. The heat was on but I could still feel the chill of the air. I knew that I was in trouble but I was not going to complain because I made the decision to go and I was going to be fun BP mom and not dour BPMom.
The bus let us out at Gobblers Knob and we walked through the gate. Dr. G took a selfie with the three of us. We looked eager and excited to be there. Yes, I was excited. I was actually in Punxy and was eager to see the groundhog. All we had to do was get through the next three hours.
The air was electric as people stood by bonfires, the stage show was going on, there were bands, singers, comedians, tee shirt vendors, and port a potties....If you know me, you know that I never, ever use those things, so I did not drink for 24 hours in preparation.
We stood on the hill and watched the festivities. There are ground hog calls and all kinds of songs and poems dedicated to Phil. Yes, it was all ground hog.....
I made it a point to meditate through the shows. Deep breaths....visualizing a warm beach and palm trees rather than whipping winds and frigid temperatures. My hand a feet warmers were not working which made me breathe deeper.
If I could move my arms, I would have been looking at my watch, but my mind went numb and I just stood there shivering.....then it was 6:30 am, it was not sunrise yet, and the lights went out. Suddenly, there were fireworks. The fireworks were so close, I was hoping one would hit me and warm my immobile toes. The fireworks were pretty cool and took my mind off my frozen digits for a while.
After the fireworks, all of the singers and dancers returned to the stage for a finale....it was getting close.
I looked at the sky and could see dawn....yes! This means Phil is coming out of his stump soon!
Then it happened...everyone in Gobblers Knob hushed....we looked up the hill and there was the PA state police escorting the Men of the Inner Circle....yep, they needed a police escort to get down the hill...like they were rick stars and not school teachers, plumbers, or funeral directors.....
We cheered as they assembled around Phil's stump. There were more speeches...a ground hog call....pledge of allegiance...then the President spoke about how he can speak ground hog-eese. Yes, with his magical cane in his hand, he has the capability of communicating with Phil.
When Phil emerges, they place him on a red carpet remnant on top of his stump. The President looks at Phil and speaks to him carrying his magical cane, of course. Then the President asks Phil if he saw his shadow.
It was time....we held our breath in anticipation.....6 more weeks of winter? spring? Come on, man! What is it??
The President finished his conversation with Phil and picked up a scroll. He read it to the throngs of Phil lovers and announced...."Six more weeks of winter!"
We booed and hissed and waddled back to the buses.
it took us 45 minutes to actually get on to a bus wince everyone was in the same predicament that we were...frozen solid and going to do anything to get off Gobblers Knob. After jockeying for position, we finally got on to a bus and were whisked away back to Wal Mart.
And so, my friends, that ends the story of our trip to Punxy. After thawing out at our hotel with lukewarm coffee and oatmeal, we headed home.....
One last note....Dr. G wanted to go with us and I thought it was because he had such a great time when he went with our cousin. Yes, he had a great time but never made it to Gobblers Knob...you see...they partied all night at the Burrow pub, passed out and never made it to see Phil.
All's well that ends well.....
Got to hit the gym!
Peace!
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