what about the groundhog?

Way back when I first started writing this blog, I told you about this tree. Now it's a pile of logs..due to development. I know this photo isn't very good, but

this is as close as I can get to where this golden birch used to be...due to development. The city and the developers that they have given this tax-payers-paid-for land to, have most of the waterfront fenced off so they can do their developing without being harassed. They will, of course, say it is due to safety reasons, and that is partially true, but it is only partially true. They will say, too, that they are quite excited about this development.

The birch used to be on the right hand side of this viewing platform, under which lives a groundhog. The groundhog comes up, and to the annoyance of the parks' workers I'm sure, eats some of the flowers that they have planted

in the shape of the Canadian flag. I see some of the munched flowers lying around. Groundhogs are vegetarians and why not eat these pretty munchies right outside your front steps...that is, stones?

The groundhog is shy and hides away, scurrying away by the stones when he sees you. He's always by that platform, running underneath it when he senses danger, so I think the rocks hide the opening to his den, which must be somewhere under that platform. Musti and Tassu sniff around those rocks sometimes, trying to get at him.

If you don't walk regularly at the waterfront and stop and look around, however, you will miss him. I am sure the workers down there cutting down trees and moving around docks and getting ready to fill in piers haven't a clue the groundhog is there. The groundhog has gone into his den for the winter. I am sure the city councillors and all those folks who are excited about the condos and hotel going up have never met the groundhog.

Groundhogs don't visit their dreams.

This morning I woke up in the middle of a dream. In my dream there was a groundhog. He was inside of his tunnels, inside the home he had dug out and lived in for a number of years. He should've been sleeping, but he was pacing around in there. Running back and forth along the tunnels he's dug out over the years. He can't get out. I thought this morning when I woke up, maybe it's better that he suffocates in his lair, anyway. If he gets disturbed and thrown out in the lake, there is no way this late in the year with winter on our doorstep that he has time to dig out another tunnel home and fill it with food.

Maybe this is is all made up. Maybe that groundhog is not sleeping under that platform and maybe that pier is not going to get "developed" and filled in blocking that groundhog's home.

Groundhog medicine is Mystery of Death without dying. I'm not sure what that means. But I'm sure that if a groundhog's home, if the opening to his tunnels gets blocked by earth and water, the groundhog is trapped and will die.