Friluftsliv!

Depending on where you live and what your perspective is, February 2, Groundhog Day 2026, was either a happy day or a sad day.

Perhaps Punxsutawney Phil is your go-to groundhog weather forecaster; however, there are others who claim the honor:  Beardsley (Zoo) Bart, Buffalo Bert, Essex Ed, Staten Island Chuck, and not to forget Mrs. G, Massachusetts' official state groundhog.  They all ventured out of their burrows on February 2 into a blue, blue sky with a brightly shining sun casting black, black groundhog shadows that sent them scurrying back into their burrows, where they will wisely stay cozy and snug in anticipation of six more weeks of winter.

Canada, has its own favorite fuzzy weather forecasters.  Wiarton Willie of Ontario, Fred la marmotte of Quebec, and Shubenacadie Sam at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park in Nova Scotia, along with most of their Canadian counterparts, did not see their shadows this Groundhog Day and will remain out cavorting in their prediction of an early spring.

​If you live in New England and are one of those folks who is upset by the possibility of bracing yourself for plunging Arctic temps, howling winds, and blowing snows while Canadians lounge around in beachwear, one option is to break out your passport and head for Canada.

Another more accessible option is to take control of your mindset and ask, "What would Scandinavians do?"   Answer:  cultivate what Norwegians call friluftsliv, which translates roughly to “open air life.” (Challenge:  Say friluftsliv three times fast.)  Luckily for us and thanks to Miss Edith Morton Chase, friluftsliv can mean dressing for the winter weather and going to Topsmead for a walkabout or snowshoeabout or cross country skiabout.  Once you get out there in the open air, you will surely feel a boost in your "outdoorphins"!

While you are out and about, challenge yourself to notice something small and wonderful.  Notice the sun on a snowdrift while you head up the drive to the house; notice a perfect icicle hanging from the leaden gutter of the house; notice snow packed by the wind into the bark of a big pine tree. 
 
If you can appoint yourself a Topsmead wintertime ambassador and encourage others to cultivate friluftsliv and notice small and wonderful wintertime delights, those six weeks of winter will surely fly by!

Margaret Hunt
BlogMistress