New Canadian citizen as of January 1, 1947

When I was a kid I saved the 1967 Canada centennial coins. I even bought some pretty uncirculated examples. Now I have to wait till 2047 for the real thing? I'm feeling like a pawn of an Imperialist Monoarchy. Oh, wait that's the US, sorry.
Mike from the humble corn fields of Iowa, USA.

I've been on Wolfe Island. Used to live near Kingston, and went to university there.

mshchem said:

When I was a kid I saved the 1967 Canada centennial coins. I even bought some pretty uncirculated examples. Now I have to wait till 2047 for the real thing? I'm feeling like a pawn of an Imperialist Monoarchy. Oh, wait that's the US, sorry.
Mike from the humble corn fields of Iowa, USA.

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I added the Canadian Holidays module to Google Calendar. What should appear, but "Groundhog Day!"

I'm delighted! I get tired of all these important dead people's birthdays. Why not an insignificant furry creature? Why not "Banana Slug Day"? I don't care about the six more weeks of winter thing. There are in fact just six more weeks of winter anyway. Count 'em.

A long time ago I was hard up for bread and butter stuff to shoot and my client was paying me for research. It was late in the fall. I called up this guy in Oma
k WA and asked if they might have some sort of winter event. He said "Sure, we celebrate Groundhog Day." I asked what they did at the festival. "We make sausage."

So tonight Jane took it upon herself to make groundhog tacos.

I don't know whether Canada really does honor the groundhog. Maybe it's just Google. But I think it's a great idea.

bowzart said:

I don't know whether Canada really does honor the groundhog. Maybe it's just Google. But I think it's a great idea.

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Had you not heard of Groundhog Day before? It's a tradition in both the US and Canada and is less about celebrating the groundhog and more about celebrating the idea that winter might eventually end.

Julie McLeod said:

Had you not heard of Groundhog Day before? It's a tradition in both the US and Canada and is less about celebrating the groundhog and more about celebrating the idea that winter might eventually end.

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Sure, but the fact is that there are six weeks between February 2 and the Vernal Equinox whether the G-hog sees its shadow or not. What I find interesting, and I'm not sure just why I do, is that the Google calendar lists it's day as a holiday in Canada, but not in the US. There is an implication that the day must have some greater significance in Canada, at least in somebody's mind.

A resident in a climate very similar to that of neighboring Victoria BC, I suspect that out this way, it would seldom see its shadow because our winter skies are typically gray. Yesterday was an exception. It was clear and cold, maybe more like in Pennsylvania where the "official" US groundhog resides.

bowzart said:

Sure, but the fact is that there are six weeks between February 2 and the Vernal Equinox whether the G-hog sees its shadow or not. What I find interesting, and I'm not sure just why I do, is that the Google calendar lists it's day as a holiday in Canada, but not in the US. There is an implication that the day must have some greater significance in Canada, at least in somebody's mind.

A resident in a climate very similar to that of neighboring Victoria BC, I suspect that out this way, it would seldom see its shadow because our winter skies are typically gray. Yesterday was an exception. It was clear and cold, maybe more like in Pennsylvania where the "official" US groundhog resides.

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Ah, see what you're saying now. Maybe people here do care more because most of us live in climates where it really is winter on Feb. 2. We won't hold it against you if you don't wish us a Happy Groundhog Day though!

I'm afraid the Google calendar is a little optimistic if it lists Groundhog day as a holiday . It probably should be listed as having the same sort of significance as something like National Administrative Assistant Day, or one of the plethora of other commemorative days that seem to have appeared from nowhere.
Ironically, it is snowing moderately heavily right now here in the southern suburbs of Vancouver BC. I guess the Groundhog(s) got it wrong!