Groundhog vs. groundhog

Posted by Dave Bonta on February 2, 2010 (last modified at 8:11 pm, 2/2/10)

In honor of Imbolc and its buck-toothed seer, I uploaded a sharper copy of some footage I shot two years ago. Groundhogs are among the most solitary of marmots, and I think what we’re seeing here is a territorial dispute over some valuable real estate — the crawlspace under my house.

And as long as we’re watching videos, here’s another one I just uploaded, from the three-banjo jam session. There were other songs they performed more flawlessly, but this is the only one where the video is also half-decent (emphasis on “half”). And yes, it is entirely possible that they interrupted the sleep of the groundhog(s) below the floor.

Filed in Books and Music, Plummer's Hollow, Video and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.Print Print

6 Responses to Groundhog vs. groundhog

  1. carolee says:
    February 2, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    i love that banjo version of come together. awesome! it’s happy music!

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      February 3, 2010 at 10:39 am

      You said it! Actually I think bluegrass or three-finger-style banjo in general has a very bright, happy sound (I’m working on another “medicine show” poem right now that riffs on this oft-commented aspect of banjo music). Of course, I personally prefer the bluesier sound of clawhammer, especially when combined with high, nasal vocals in a minor or modal key, but I’m weird that way.

      Reply
  2. Dianne at Rhythm of the Light says:
    February 3, 2010 at 12:54 am

    I just found your site through Dick Jones Patteran Pages.
    I love banjo and bluegrass here in California, and have a brother who plays. I don’t know why I cannot open the video on your site, some blocker on my software I guess. Great moon shots, tripod, that’s it!

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      February 3, 2010 at 10:35 am

      Hi – thanks for stopping by! If the videos won’t play, you might try a different bowser. Are you on Chrome, by chance? I hear the lastest version has some Flash incompatibilities.

      Reply
  3. kasturi says:
    February 4, 2010 at 11:25 am

    i loved when the groundhog’s face appeared (twice) and then when he or she put his or her little hand on the stone!

    also love the banjo music – it is such a positive optimistic sound. I recently posted on my blog about the stringbands of the Mummers Parade in Philly, which I attended every New Year’s Day for probably fifteen or more years when I was growing up. In those days they featured the banjo, accordion and glockenspiel.

    Reply
    • Dave says:
      February 5, 2010 at 1:55 pm

      Yeah, I saw that post. I was watching Mummers band videos on YouTube at the beginning of January and wondering whether the bands used to be more like what I think of as a string band: banjo, guitar, fiddle, bass.

      Reply

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