Woodchucks and their Shadow Selves By Rick Scholz
You might say that Punxsutawney Phil, Wiarton Willie and Woody the Woodchuck are the Holy Trinity of Woodchucks.
One of the lesser known Woodchucks: Ann Arbor Andre
All three of these illustrious 'chucks saw their shadows on Groundhog Day 2018 foreshadowing six more weeks of winter.
A lesser known 'chuck lives in our back yard in a den along the stone wall. He is a very large and somewhat woebegone woodchuck known locally as Ann Arbor Andre. Like his better known brethren, Ann Arbor Andre emerged from his burrow, precisely at noon on February 2nd, called forth from his dark den by some of the better and more hopeful angels of our neighborhood. A convivial crowd of onlookers had gathered along the stone wall in our backyard to see if Ann Arbor Andre would, as the prophets of old foretold, see his weather-wise shadow. Yes, Andre emerged, and a spontaneous "Hip-Hip-Hooray!" erupted from the crowd. Personally, I waved my blue knitted watchman's cap in the air and shouted.... Yahoo! Andre looked confused. He looked at the crowd, He looked at the Sun and then he tried to look at his shadow... OMG! What a look of confusion! Yes, Andre was confused and frightened to discover that dwelling for months in his den with only Kierkegaard for a companion had made him Shadow-Blind! The crowd was stunned into silence by Andre's panicky demeanor. Then Andre gathered his wits for a moment and said, “My thoughts are so dark. I've been reading Kierkegaard in my little den and the dour Dane's gloomy eloquence has transported me into my personal 'Dark Night of the Soul.' Sour Soren's words have compressed my mind and squished me mentally in a thoroughly un-therapeutic manner. Do I see my