Mid-Atlantic Gardening: What's happening in your neck of the woods? Spring 2012, 1 by coleup

coleup wrote:
And, for any of you who do not get the reference above to the Great Golden Mother Burrow here's a little blast from the past

Sally, I'm currently working on an article on groundhogs entitled
"What's A Well Known Weather Prognosticator Like You Doing With My Prize Poppy In Your Mouth?"

OMG< shortly after posting I went off line. Immediately, my phone rang and a voice identified as "Rambi" began to speak, saying he had been following the gh discussions on DG and felt it was time to speak personally to someone and he chose me because my title came closest to the truth!

Rambi (not Rambo he emphasized) was the very same gh that Ric had posted a picture of earlier in the thread.My mind is still reeling; let me try to remember what he said...
Oh, yes, He went on and on about the predicting the weather thing calling it the world's biggest PR coop, a stroke of genius that gave great cover to the groundhogs real work .In fact he said he was a direct descendant of Rasmus the groundhog who convinced the producer to make the film "Groundhog Day" Upon this pronouncement he whistled three low short notes and paused.

He began again in a serious tone. "The real work of Groundhogs is to unite all of the tunnels on earth and at the meeting place of all tunnels to gather stones from far and near (which curiously resemble ripe cantelopes??) and with them to build the great golden mother burrow wherein all may rest and be at peace." Wow, I whispered.

"But what about the red poppies?" I asked."Exactly", he continued. He explained that over the centuries of digging below ground that their ability to see was greatly diminished.and that "sight of the unseen" was necessary to envision where each new tunnel was to be dug and connection made.to the tunnels of the ancient ones. To see again each Master Tunneler must locate a perfect red poppy and ingest it just before it blooms. Many are tasted but few are chosen.
"Oh, that explains it then", I said. " Explains what ?"he said, and the line went dead.
I hope he calls back.

Judy

A few days later, I had a chance to review my conversation with Rambi.

Evidently this loss of sight thing is quite serious. He said that most are able to recognize objects the size of or larger than cantalopesHe muttered something about "darned soccer balls" and when pressed admitted that many cantalopes had been collected by "pseudo" or was it "neophyte" tunnelers instead of the stones they resemble for lining the golden burrow. He said that early on decisions were made not to return false stones after the mistake was discovered, but to eat them as a means of disposal and to decrease the odds of other false stones being gathered. Thus they discovered that eating the false stones enabled tunnelers to come to the surface less frequently and the eating of same has never fully died out.

Rambi said they can see the color red but must go by feel for much else which is why they prefer vines and long stemmed food sources or rows of plants. I think he put it, "It may take all day to find one, but once you do you are on to something."

Oh, and one more thing, Ric, he may try to contact you about that pastoral setting. Evidentally there is some sort of gathering of the MAAGHA planned for later this year and the setting sounded ideal.

He did say something more about tunnels but I don't have my notes handy.

Judy

Below is a pic of Rambi courtesy of Ric the relocator par excellance. If you see Rambi tell him I say Hi!