Sorry, you can't actually meet Bill in this post. I don't have a picture of him, because he scampers away every time he sees me. He's a flighty little fella. But today's as good a day as any - well, really, a better day than any other - to introduce you to Bill. Bill is a groundhog, and he seems to spend quite a bit of time on my property. One of his hideouts is under my shed, and I've seen him in the garden a couple of times. He's done some digging in the garden, but I have no idea what he's found (or hidden) there.
I think Bill is spending the winter on my property as well. Groundhogs hibernate during the winter, according to Wikipedia, which would explain why I haven't seen Bill in a few months, and why he probably didn't emerge from his burrow this morning to check whether he could see his shadow. It was a partly cloudy, partly sunny morning, so if Freeville Bill had emerged, and if the remainder of winter were predicated on whether he saw his shadow or not, it would be a toss-up.
Why did I name him Bill? Well, that one's pretty easy. My parents had a groundhog that lived under their deck and tore up their yard. They named him Bob. So picking a name starting with a B was pretty straightforward. But I went with Bill because I have an uncle with that name. Uncle Bill happened to be born on Groundhog Day. And if I do say so myself, with his round face and moustache, Uncle Bill bears some resemblance to a groundhog as well. So it was only natural to name him Bill.
Happy Groundhog Day!
