Giveaway Winner and Groundhog Day Love

I'm likely the only one goofy enough in my immediate family to feel this way, but today and tomorrow, Groundhog Day, always seem like extra-special days designed for my family, as if  the first couple dates on the calendar this month are very much "ours."  My older brother's birthday is today ("Groundhog Eve"), and he, my dad, and I were all born in Punxsutawney, so we share the hometown of the celebrated groundhog, "Punxsy Phil."  It always feel both odd and somehow fitting for "our" family birthday and hometown to be celebrated and on the news over a national holiday every year.  (My family would all roll their eyes at this, as I said, but I myself love holidays, even strange ones that fete a rodent weather forecaster.) 

Have I mentioned here before that groundhogs are one of my favorite animals?  They can get so big and chubby, and their hind-ends waddle when they run (if they're chubby enough), and they just melt my heart.  'Love, love, love them.   

I worked at a dollar store off and on throughout college and a couple years after, and one of my customers mentioned once that she had found a groundhog cub in the woods behind her house, and after watching it for awhile and concluding that its mother must have died, she decided--illegally--to keep it as a pet.  The groundhog lived right in the house with her and her family for years, just as a cat or dog would, she told me--and although I wouldn't really keep one as a pet the way they did, I've been somewhat envious ever since.  A pet groundhog!  Be still, my heart! 

And as I just said to Terri from the lovely blog "Artful Affirmations," be still to her heart too because she's the winner of my first giveaway.  Congratulations again, Terri!  :)  And thank you all for your sweet comments and the stories you shared in the comments of the last post. Reading them and discovering new blogs and new people brightened an exhausting end-of-January, so thank you for everything.  ♥ 

Happy birthday, Older Brother, congratulations again, Terri,  and a jubilant Groundhog Day weekend to you all.  ;)