Today is Groundhog Day, and Phil better not see his shadow because it’s been cold enough in my neck of the woods.

Every morning I have to check on my rabbits.

Their hutch has places for them to hide from the cold, and I keep them covered when it dips down into the 20s and teens, but their water freezes. And in just the few minutes I step outside to change those out, my fingers and nose freeze, too. My Miami blood is not cut out for this type of cold, but it could be worse.

I can’t imagine living so far up North where they typically see several feet of snow every winter. No thank you, not for me.

And it’s weird to hear about it being cold enough in Florida and having the iguanas freeze and fall from their trees. When I was younger, the number of iguanas in the city was not as many as they are today. I recall a few times it got cold enough in Miami, like below the 30s, but don’t recall frozen iguanas being a thing back then. Maybe we should all chip in and make sure Phil is so busy eating tons of groundhog food, he decides to take today off entirely.

I also can’t believe it’s already February!

Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas? Where is the time going? Soon the two-year anniversary of my dad’s death will be here, and I am not ready for that. Although I was rudely reminded that February was coming soon after walking into the local Walmart and seeing all the Valentine’s Day candy and cards.

Mind you, this was likely the end of December when they started bringing out the red hearts.

I’m willing to bet the Walmarts in Savannah already have St. Patrick’s Day stuff up for sale. It feels like time stands still sometimes, and then you blink, and BOOM, we are celebrating 2023!

This also means that all three of my dogs will be a year older in May.

Little Man’s beard is turning white. He and Piper will be 6. Chelsea turns 14, and her whole mug has turned white.

It was just yesterday they were all puppies.

I’m dang sure it was yesterday. Speaking of time, are we still doing that Daylight Saving’s Time thing, or is that finally a thing of the past? Or was that spring forward?

Onward to the next topic… Are you a “Jeopardy” junkie? I am! And I can’t wait for this year’s Tournament of Champions! Are you on Team Matt Amodio or Team Amy Schneider? I’m leaning toward Team Schneider myself, but also not counting out 11-time winner and fellow Floridian Jonathan Fisher. Also, I like Ken Jennings as the host, with Mayim Bialik hosting the special tournaments, like the upcoming college tournament. But I still miss Alex Trebek.

Do you recall that one time a Board of Education in Tennessee banned the Holocaust book called “Maus”?

And within a day’s time, “Maus” became the top-selling book on Amazon and other online retailers. Isn’t it about time people realize that when you tell people to not read a book, or see a movie, or go down a rabbit hole, most are going to do just the opposite? So, whatever you do, don’t watch the movie “Human Centipede”!

(Send me an email with your thoughts after you do watch it, though).

There is one true thing about time: You are never guaranteed just how much time you will be here. So, always tell your loved ones how much you love them.

Always treasure the time you share together with family and friends.

Always be generous with your time by using it to do good things for others. And always be respectful of other people’s time, because it is just as precious to them.

Patty Leon is senior editor of the Courier.