Saturday, February 03, 2007

G is for GROUNDHOG

I think I was about 12 years old before I realized that my dolls and stuffed animals did not have personalities and feelings. When I was a kid, Dad always made my toys come alive. They all talked, told stories, sang songs, and danced. Some had different voices and accents. I remember being absolutely convinced as a child that my toys were real.

So it seems quite fitting that Dad would come across a groundhog puppet while Christmas shopping and decide that it was the perfect gift for me. "Groundhog," as I've uncreatively dubbed him, has been sitting in my apartment for the month of January. Dad has asked me a couple times on the phone if I've taken him to school to share with my kids. The answer has always been "not yet." But what better day to take dear Groundhog to school than Groundhog Day? Let me tell you, it was his day to shine. Here he is making friends with my students (in my new classroom!!). Joy took the photos for me.
Lest anyone think that Groundhog neglected his duties because of all the excitement on his big day, rest assured. He took a look outside, and unlike his buddy in Pennsylvania, he saw his shadow. Looks like it's 6 more weeks of winter here in Korea.

3 comments:

Jane Newton said...

AWESOME Groundhog stuff. Very cool. Very Creative. I was wondering about the Groundhog's shadow. Muy Bien.
It's just cold here.
You believed that your toys were real until you were 12???? Well, I had imaginary friends until I was 5...

E.M. Herbert said...

Hi Jane. I think I knew that they weren't REAL, but I still kinda thought they had feelings and personalities. I never wanted to give my dolls and stuffed animals away to charity because I thought they would feel like I didn't love them anymore. I was a super-sensitive kid.

E.M. Herbert said...

Hi Jenn. I'm a little worried that Groundhog as the potential to become quite cantakerous himself. He seemed to enjoy going to school on Friday, but there was an awful lot of tail and ear pulling. Was Homer always cantankerous, or are there any warning signs I should be on the lookout for?