Groundhog day

Today I tried to teach my kids about groundhog day. Here is my simple ESL kindergarten explanation:

In Canada there is this animal. He's like a squirrel, or a brown pig. When it is cold he sleeps, sleeps, sleeps. December he sleeps, January he sleeps. Then in February he wakes up! He goes outside. It is sunny. Everyone is happy.

They didn't ask any questions. They didn't even realize I lied to them. Sunny means everyone is sad, technically speaking.

In case you're wondering, two out of three groundhogs did not see their shadow, which, counterintuitively means that there are only six more weeks of winter. I think...

I learned that tidbit on the CBC, which I recently remembered broadcasts via the internet. It's funny to listen to the traffic reports of Toronto. It's funny to hear the morning news in the evening. Right now there is a rip-roaring debate about the appropriateness of Howard Stern's programming. I'm so enlightened.