On Vacation Until February 6 - the Why is Fun

In 2001 I went to Punxsutawney for the first time in search of groundhog photos, the day after Groundhog Day. The celebration was still going on a little, & the Inner Circle of the Groundhog Club still had members walking around town in their tuxedos & top hats, being friendly & attending events. I fell in love with the town & the festivities right then, & we decided to go back on February 2nd the next year. Every year the event grew on me (at that time we'd travel in from Hagerstown, Maryland, about a 4 hour drive depending on the weather & route). We started spending more & more time in Punxsutawney & decided to move there. Well, we ended up about 40 minutes outside of Punxsy, April of 2009 - renting a house on the edge of a farm out in the country. We needed a rental at the time, or rent with option to buy, & were ready to move, & that's where we landed. We figured from there we could scout out other locations closer in if we wanted - far easier from there than from Hagerstown.

By the time we moved I had friends in Punxsy, knew which events I wanted to attend, & eventually participated in almost everything. Therefore my time of celebrating "a large squirrel predicting the weather" as Bill Murray said in the movie, "Groundhog Day," became about 5 days of fun activities with friends. This has been my "vacation" for many years now. I know - most people go south in the winter on vacation & to the beach in the summer on vacation & I do the opposite - go north when the weather is usually at its worst. Call me crazy if you want, but let me tell you - it's the most pure fun I've ever had in my life! The people are so nice - visitors & townspeople & most especially, the Inner Circle! They put so much work into the whole thing, have it really organized, & it's all about US. They truly love to talk with the visitors & put on the most special & well organized event year after year that I've ever attended. The latest former president of the Groundhog Club says "it's not serious, it's just serious fun." How right he is!

I started the blog in April 2010 & even posted all during the holidays & while I was moving (although those were carefully selected reposts). Now I needed a brief break from it, a mental vacation. And in truth, it's so hard for me to think of anything other than Groundhog Day events starting mid January. I start to get so excited in anticipation & it's always near the forefront of my mind. So I'm taking a vacation from the blog & my work to give myself a mental break & allow myself to just enjoy my absolute favorite holiday of the year!