Groundhog Chronicles

A young groundhog

I've seen some strange stuff in the groundhog world lately.  Unfortunately, the mother groundhog chased one of her kids around.  It might be real aggressive behavior, but I've seen the same thing, a generation ago, when Sheila attacked Sloopy.  Then I saw a bird perched on a groundhog's back for possibly close to a minute.  I can't stand mean birds stalking groundhogs.  Birds love to attack cute little groundhogs, and they're too loud, they need to get their act together.  I have, in the past, assumed the birds were just bullying the groundhogs.  But it seems possible that the birds are eating bugs/parasites off of the groundhogs.
Another strange thing I saw was the mother doing a little maintenance on the family hole in the ground.  I saw her digging dirt out of the hole.  She also seemed to go under the bush where I hid all the rocks and glass, so people wouldn't throw them at groundhogs, and she dragged most of it out to put around the hole/home.  I think she's trying to protect their home, but she doesn't realize she's setting up bullies with things to throw at her and her kids.  It's a shame.  It's a shame she's setting them up, but more so for those who would take the bait.
Attacked by humans twice, that I know of, the groundhogs continue to flourish.  After all, they have my protection.  I'd gladly lay my life down for any one of the 6 groundhogs living around here.  They are great. I saw a couple of youngsters wrestling the other day.  They are so cute.  I watched them carefully.  I didn't want to see one dominating the other for sure.  What I was glad to see if that both of the groundhog wrestlers went on to their backs, the submission position, which, to me, meant that one wasn't dominating the other.  Maybe they love each other and are playing for fun.   They are so freakin' cute.  They get scared of lots of things.  Lots of noises and such, it sends them running to a bush near the building to hide.  I fully love all the groundhogs in the world.  I challenege you to treat animals as well as you can.  They live under our thumb, and we don't treat them well.  Things need to change.  Become vegetarian, it's easy, or vegan.

Good Deed for the Day

I won't let them hurt my groundhog friends.

We should be guardian angels for all the animals out there who need our help.  I heard some kids talking.  Their voices were coming from an area that contains the hole/home for a mother and her 5 baby groundhogs.  I had to see what they were doing.  I looked out the window.  They were throwing rocks and glass toward the hole.  I said "Leave them alone!"  The kids looked at me.  "What are you doing?"  I asked.
"Filling it up," said one of the kids.
I said, "No, don't do that.  There are little animals living in there.  Leave them alone."   The oldest of the kids looked at me with what seemed to be defiance, but I think they listened to me.  Then they ran off to somewhere else.
I had to go down and see if things were okay for my groundhog friends.   It wasn't okay.  The kids had thrown many rocks, pieces of glass, and sticks into the hole.  I can't believe how efficiently they blocked the hole.  Of course I removed as much as I could, and I tossed the rocks and glass underneath a nearby bush, because this was the second time I saw people throwing rocks at groundhogs, so if I hide them, maybe they'll have nothing to throw at them.
It must have been a very traumatic experience for my groundhog friends.  These kids put so much debris in that hole, and blocked it so completely, that if they couldn't dig their ways out, they might have starved to death.  Maybe they'd even be forced to cannibalize each other. 
So you see how animals can use our help.  Everything happens for a reason.  It's not just chance that I, someone who loves animals, would live right next to a groundhog hole.  I am my brother's keeper.  I think only one groundhog has come out so far today.  Poor things must be terrorized.  It's such a shame that people, especially kids, would attack animals.  It's such typically crappy human behavior. 
Anyway, maybe I'll have a chance to do more good things, but I've guess I've done at least one good deed today.  I got those kids to leave the groundhogs alone, and I cleared lots of rocks and glass out of their way so they could get out the usual way.  Try to do good deeds for animals, it feels good.

Stoned to Death

Fear not the bad man anymore, baby groundhog.

Bumpkin found out about what the evil elderly man did to the baby groundhogs; he threw rocks at them.  I'm sure he never imagined how he sealed his fate with the first rock he threw.  He angered the most powerful sentient being in the history of the world.  She got up early and waited for the nasty man to walk by.  She stared out the window for hours.  She saw him.  She levitated rocks from all over the area.  Once they were in the air, they hurtled at great speed toward the man.  He was shocked.  He was pelted over and over again with rocks.  He tried to cover his head and run, but he was constantly being hit by rocks.  Bumpkin did not want him to run away.  He was going to die; that was certain.  Bumpkin wanted him to die within sight of the hole where the baby groundhogs and their mother were attacked by him.  She sent 2 rocks at hyper velocity toward the man's kneecaps.  The rocks shattered them.  He had no choice but to crumple to the ground.  Rocks continued to hit him mercilessly.  He continued to cover his head with his arms.
"Suffer if you want to," said Bumpkin.  She increased the speed of the rocks that hit him.  Blood stained the man's white shirt.
Sweetpea poked her sweet little head out of the hole to see what was going on.
"That's right, Sweetpea," Bumpkin said.  "Come on out and watch the bad man die.  He won't try to hurt you or your sisters anymore.  He's going to die."
Sweetpea came out of the hole and so did her mother and sisters.  They watched as the man's body continued to be struck by rocks.  Sweetpea scampered over to the man.  By this time, he had lost a lot of blood.  Sweetpea dipped her front left paw into a pool of blood and began to write on the sidewalk.
"I knew it," said Bumpkin.  "I knew that Sweetpea is far from being the average groundhog."
Sure enough, Sweetpea wrote her name on the sidewalk using the bad man's blood.  When she was finished, she calmly crawled onto the grass and began to eat.
"Now the circle is complete," said Bumpkin.  "Sweetpea and I have enough power between us to conquer the universe.  I'm sure of it."
The man continued to bleed.  In fact, he bled out and perished where he fell.
"Good riddance," declared Bumpkin.   

The Face of Evil

How could a grown man try to hurt little babies like these?

Evil lurks behind many different faces.  I saw one this week.  Fortunately, I happened to be looking out my bedroom window as an elderly man walked across the grass toward the groundhog hole/home that's right next to the building I live in.  I suppose he saw the groundhogs frantically scamper into their home once they saw him coming.  He began by making a sudden move to frighten them.  Then he picked up rocks and began throwing them at point blank range into the hole at the baby groundhogs: not on my freaking watch.
"What are you doing?"  I yelled out the window to him.
He stopped throwing rocks and looked around to see who said that.  He saw me at the window.  He seemed guilty; like he'd been busted.  He smiled and said something that I didn't entirely catch, but I think he said something about how they damage the ground or some such garbage.  They're on this Earth, so they obviously belong here, and they have the right to live here in whatever way they see fit.
My adrenaline was pumping, so I don't remember if I told him to leave the animals alone.  I think I did, but my memory is a little fuzzy.  This guy's cruelty blew me away.  I think he's just a bully.  Now he's old and feeble, so he can't bully someone like me, so instead he terrorizes some baby groundhogs.  What's even worse about it is there's at least one bully among the babies.  One time, I watched from my window as a baby groundhog kept trying to get into the hole, but it seemed like at least one of the babies wasn't letting her enter.  So it's possible that one or more of the babies was having trouble getting to safety while this coward was throwing rocks at them.
Today, I heard a bunch of kids running around.  They were chasing and terrorizing rabbits.  I didn't like it, but as long as they were just chasing them, I'd figured I'd stay out of it.  When I saw that the largest of the kids was throwing rocks at a rabbit, I knew it was time to intervene.  I went downstairs and walked toward the kids.  They noticed.me.
"Don't hurt any animals," I said to them.  "Don't throw anything at them."
The largest boy said, "Okay."  So I went back inside.
I realize I can get into a lot of trouble, but I don't want to passively watch as people try to hurt animals.  I'm against fighting; it's stupid.  But if I see someone beating an animal, my plan is to tell them to stop.  And if they don't stop, I might have to take action.  And in such a situation, it's highly likely that I would be the one in trouble with the police.  But our legal system exists mostly to protect people: not animals.  Pets have some rights, though they are obviously abused on a massive scale.  Wild animals and "food" animals like pigs, cows, and chickens have very little in the way of rights.  And all I'm really referring to is the right to not be beaten, tortured, and killed.      

Mind the Gap

Blood of my Blood.

This is a public service announcement: without guitars.  This weekend, my friend and I went to see a stand-up comedian perform at the Comedy Club in Webster, NY, which is a Rochester suburb.  I couldn't believe how loud his mic had been turned up.  I've seen a bunch of comedians there; they have had plenty of impressive talents gracing their stage.  Anyway, this comedian was so loud, that I needed to go to my car to get my earplugs, which I usually bring everywhere with me, because everyone I know plays their music and/or TV too loud for my sensitive ears.  I was running behind the Comedy Club to my car.  I didn't notice a step on the sidewalk.  I tripped over it and landed on my hands and my right knee.   The picture I'm posting with this is of the tissue I used to absorb the blood that came from my hands afterward.  My right hand was worse.  A strawberry-sized piece of skin had been completely removed from my hand as a result of the trip.  The left hand wasn't much better.  The skin had been broken in several places on the palm.
Sure, what I did was stupid.  But I wonder whether it even makes sense for that step to be where it is.  It comes out of nowhere, and I bet it's tripped lots of people.  It's dark back there.  I think they should have an outside light over that step, so people can see it.  Of course we need to watch our steps.  We should look to see exactly where we're stepping and whether it's safe or not.
The baby groundhogs continue to grow.  They really grow too quickly.   For the first time, I stretched my neck so I could get a look at them climbing into their hole in the ground from my bedroom window.  They're great, but the sad part is that new babies means in with the new and out with the old.  Groundhogs can be tough and ornery.  I think the mother always chases away other groundhogs once she's had her babies.  She wants to protect them.  She has the instinct.
I'm worried about me naming one of the babies Sweetpea.  I wonder if this will be another situation where I helped a groundhog get her superpowers.  As was the case with Bumpkin, a perfectly cute groundhog has received a perfectly cute name.  Have I done it again?  Will Sweetpea get superpowers?  Will she be able to fling fireballs from her left paw like Bumpkin can?  Time will tell.
Bumpkin, and her sisters Lucinda and Sloopy, are still in love with the new babies.  Bumpkin has indefinitely postponed her war against humans for control of the world.  She's full of peace and love.  Once again, humans have the luck of the Irish.  If not for the recent births of these 5 babies, she'd be wreaking havoc against them for sure.