853: Groundhog Day

Summary

This American Life - Episode 853: Groundhog Day
Release Date: February 2, 2025
Host: Ira Glass

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Introduction

In Episode 853, titled "Groundhog Day," This American Life explores the multifaceted concept of repetition and its impact on individuals and communities. Through a series of compelling stories, the episode delves into how recurring events, rituals, and routines shape our lives, sometimes offering comfort and other times sparking frustration.

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Parker's Groundhog Day Ritual

Timestamp: 00:32 – 05:35

Parker shares a deeply personal ritual she created to celebrate her birthday, which coincides with Groundhog Day on February 2nd. Every year at 10:30 PM, she watches the movie Groundhog Day to mark her transition into her birthday. This practice began when Parker was 22, during a lonely time in her film studies program where she felt isolated as the only Black woman among older peers.

Notable Quotes:

• “It's a little ritual that Parker invented for herself... February 2nd.” – Parker [00:32]
• “Maybe I don't totally understand why I still do it, but it works for me.” – Rita [04:17]
• “The repetition is comforting, even if I'm forcing myself to do it.” – Rita [04:17]
• “Phil totally improves himself. He learns how to be a considerate human being.” – Rita [05:05]

Parker reflects on the irony of enjoying the repetition depicted in Groundhog Day, a film where the protagonist is trapped in an endless loop, ultimately using that repetition to become a better person.

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The Pinch and Punch Game: A Family Tradition

Timestamp: 07:34 – 16:19

Eva de Kornfeld introduces the story of Bridie and her father, Bryn, who have been engaging in a playful yet competitive game called "pinch and punch" for over 25 years. This game serves as a unique way for them to stay connected, especially when Bryn travels for work. Originally a physical game, it has evolved into virtual interactions as Bridie moved to Sydney while her father remains in New Zealand.

Notable Quotes:

• “The rules of the game are you say pinch and a punch first day of the month. No returns.” – Talia Ugastedis [07:57]
• “This was our way of staying connected while he was gone.” – Eva de Kornfeld [08:22]
• “I chose to. It was something that she could reach out... 'I'm still here.'” – Bridie [15:33]
• “There's a lie built into the premise of pinch and punch. They say no returns, but they return every month.” – Eva de Kornfeld [16:19]

The game has witnessed numerous creative twists, including pranks on live radio and the involvement of family members, highlighting the lengths to which Bridie and Bryn go to keep their tradition alive.

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Jeff's Battle with the Groundhogs

Timestamp: 22:13 – 30:21

David Kestenbaum narrates the story of Jeff, a garden enthusiast from Middletown, Delaware, whose meticulously maintained garden becomes the target of persistent groundhog activity. After initial failed attempts to protect his garden using traps and barriers, Jeff devises a creative solution by creating a separate garden exclusively for the groundhogs, effectively diverting them from his prized vegetables.

Notable Quotes:

• “It's like a selective process. It was like the groundhog was saying, yeah, it's me.” – Phil [25:41]
• “I feel like once you name the groundhog, you're crossing some kind of line.” – Ira Glass [27:06]
• “Guys builds veggie garden for family of ground dogs... It works.” – Phil [28:42]

Jeff's innovative approach not only reduces the damage to his garden but also fosters a unique coexistence with the groundhogs, turning a frustrating situation into a harmonious arrangement.

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David's Parking Enforcement on a Brooklyn Block

Timestamp: 34:43 – 47:49

Bryn recounts the challenges faced by David, a former Marine and landlord, who takes it upon himself to manage the stringent street parking rules in his Brooklyn neighborhood. The narrow streets and strict parking schedules create daily chaos, especially with the influx of new, less cooperative residents. David's dedication to maintaining order is juxtaposed with personal tragedies he has endured, highlighting his resilience and commitment to his community.

Notable Quotes:

• “He’s always playing jokes.” – Bryn [36:37]
• “Can we just get this right?” – Bryn [43:35]
• “Every week, the cycle will repeat itself... David will put it back together.” – Bryn [47:49]

The segment illustrates the tension between tradition and change within a tight-knit community, and David's relentless efforts to preserve harmony despite increasing difficulties.

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Susan the Groundhog’s Protest Letter

Timestamp: 49:06 – 55:08

In a satirical and poignant twist, Susan Hogg Kaplowitz, read by Bess Kalb, pens a heartfelt letter from the perspective of a groundhog. Susan critiques the superficiality and superficial traditions of Groundhog Day, emphasizing the groundhog's exhaustion and lack of recognition. The letter serves as a creative commentary on how societal rituals often overlook the deeper implications and the entities they involve.

Notable Quotes:

• “Do you have any idea what I sacrifice for you all?” – Susan Hogg Kaplowitz [49:06]
• “I am a shadow of my four former self.” – Susan Hogg Kaplowitz [54:24]
• “Maybe you can, too. May it be a happy Groundhog Day for us all.” – Susan Hogg Kaplowitz [54:24]

Susan's letter encapsulates the episode's overarching theme of repetition, urging listeners to reflect on the significance and impact of their recurring traditions.

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Reflection: The Endless Loop of Creation

Timestamp: 27:27 – 29:59

In a meta-reflection, Ira Glass muses on the experience of producing the 853rd episode of This American Life. He acknowledges the monotony that can accompany long-term routines but emphasizes the freshness that diverse and unique content brings to each installment. This introspection ties back to the episode's theme, drawing parallels between personal creativity and the cyclical nature of Groundhog Day.

Notable Quotes:

• “Creating the little dream that radio can be... even on the 853rd time.” – Ira Glass [29:41]
• “Seeing the groundhog every day eventually won my heart over.” – Phil [29:59]

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Conclusion

Episode 853 of This American Life masterfully weaves together personal narratives and broader societal observations to explore the theme of repetition. From individual rituals and family games to community struggles and creative protests, the stories collectively highlight both the comfort and challenges that come with repeating patterns. Notable quotes throughout the episode underscore the nuanced perspectives of the speakers, offering listeners a rich and engaging exploration of what it means to live through Groundhog Days of their own.

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This summary captures the essence of Episode 853: Groundhog Day, providing an overview of each segment, key discussions, insights, and memorable quotes to offer a comprehensive understanding for those who haven't listened.

Transcript

[Ira Glass]

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[Parker]

It's a little ritual that Parker invented for herself. And it's always the same. Every year around this time of year, February 2nd, to be exact, February 2nd.

[Rita]

Which is Groundhog Day. At 10:30 at night, I turn on the movie Groundhog Day.

[Phil]

Rita I'm reliving the same day over and over.

[Parker]

Groundhog Day. Groundhog Day, of course, is the 1993 Bill Murray comedy about a self centered weatherman who gets trapped in time, repeating the same day again and again. A day where he covers a Groundhog Day ceremony on local tv.

[Ira Glass]

Once a year, the eyes of the nation turn to this tiny hamlet in western Pennsylvania to watch a master at work. The master Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most.

[Phil]

Famous weatherman, the groundhog, who, as legend.

[Ira Glass]

Has it, can predict the coming of an early spring.

[Parker]

But Murray spends the whole film repeating February 2nd.

[Phil]

Well, it's groundhog Day again.

[Parker]

Until finally, at the end of the film, he unsticks himself in time and wakes up on the next day. Again, here's Parker.

[Rita]

I time it up so that when it's around Midnight, when it's February 3rd in the world, it's February 3rd in the movie. So when it's February 3rd in THE movie, it becomes February 3rd in the world, which is my birthday. So I do it as like, I call it like a, like I'm slowly boiling myself into my birthday.

[Parker]

Parker says she's not a big birthday person, but this is a little thing she's done for herself to mark the day ever since she was 22. I first saw Groundhog Day in a film class.

[Rita]

I was in a program where I was like the only black person, the only woman. Everyone was 10 years older than me.

[Parker]

This was like film studies.

[Rita]

This is film school. Yeah, okay, but so it was just, it was a very lonely place.

[Parker]

So she created this birthday movie night for herself to do alone that she still does alone every year with the film Groundhog Day that she's going to do this year for the 16th time. And maybe you think that means that she's really into the film Groundhog Day.

[Rita]

Nope, I don't love the movie. The movie's fine. Like, it's okay. I don't mind it. I don't find it. It's not my brand of humor. Also, like, it's. I don't know. In the 21st century, some of the stuff is fairly problematic, so.

[Parker]

Like, for instance.

[Rita]

Well, there's whole sequences where, like, Phil Connor, who is Bill Murray's character, is trying to seduce two women, and he keeps repeating the day so he can, like, ascertain information to seduce them.

[Phil]

Can I buy you a drink?

[Bridie]

Okay. Sweet vermouth in the rocks with a twist, please.

[Rita]

So it's not. It's not like known consent, Right?

[Parker]

So he's tricking them into it.

[Rita]

He's tricking them into hooking up with him.

[Phil]

Can I buy you a drink?

[Bryn]

Okay.

[Parker]

Sweet vermouth, rocks with a twist, please.

[Bridie]

That's my favorite drink.

[Parker]

Mine, too.

[Ira Glass]

It always makes me think of Rome. The way the sun hits the buildings in the afternoon.

[Parker]

Parker says there are lots of films she'd much rather be watching once a year, year after year. Like her favorite film, Point Break, the Keanu Reeves surfing film that I can.

[Rita]

Watch forever and not be mad about. Like, the. There, that's fine. But the. Like, the past however long years, I've watched Groundhog Day again. It's fine.

[Parker]

It's fine. But you do it every year.

[Rita]

Maybe I don't totally understand why I still do it, like, for so long, but it works for me. Like it's a thing that I can do for myself, by myself. And the repetition is comforting, even if I'm forcing myself to do it. Like I'm not a person who's good at repetition. Like, I ADHD. My brain's all over the place. But February 2nd, 10:30pm I can turn on Groundhog Day. I know what I'm getting into. And then I am absorbed by the movie. And then all of a sudden, it ends. And I go, oh, that's right. It's after midnight. I was born. There's a comfort in that.

[Parker]

But the thing that makes it feel comforting is the repetition. And it's a movie about how awful repetition is.

[Rita]

Yeah, there is an irony to it. I'm aware, but I like the repetition. Groundhog Day. The repetition is awful, but the end result of the repetition isn't half bad. Phil totally improves himself. He learns how to be a considerate human being. One of the last things he says to Andie MacDowell in the movie is like, what can I do for you?

[Parker]

What a day on our program for Groundhog Day, the power of repetition, how it can be utterly devastating to do something you love dozens of times or hundreds of times. You can rob it of all feeling. You can turn it into drudgery. But repetition can also do the opposite. The more you do something, the more you can find in it and live in it. I've said these next few words hundreds of times, and I said them today, excited for what is to come this hour from WBEZ Chicago CIS American Life, I'm Ira Glass. Stay with us. This message comes from MITI Health. Women in midlife face a healthcare desert, but MIDI is here to fill the gap, offering expert care for perimenopause and menopause covered by insurance. Hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, weight gain and moodiness don't have to be accepted as just another part of aging. MIDI clinicians understand how these symptoms can connect to menopause and prescribe a wide range of solutions. Book your visit today at joinmidi. Com that's join midi.com this message comes from NPR sponsor Sony Pictures Classics. From acclaimed filmmaker Walter Silas, I'm Still Here is the untold true story of one family's resilience when a dictatorship attempts to tear them apart. Led by a breathtaking Golden Globe winning performance by Brazilian icon Fernanda Torres, I'm Still Here reveals an important part of Brazil's hidden history. The the Hollywood Reporter calls it a gripping, profoundly touching film and one of salas best. Now playing select cities this American life that Quan, will you still slug me tomorrow? Sometimes choosing to repeat the same moment over and over again is an act of love. Aviva de Kornfeld has his true life example.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

Bridey and her dad Bryn, have been playing the same game for decades. It's called a pinch and a punch.

[Talia Ugastedis]

The rules of the game are you say pinch and a punch first day of the month. No returns. Obviously, the no returns is important. When I was little, when we started doing this, we would, you know, gently, of course, actually do the little pinch and punch first day of the month.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

One of them would actually pinch and punch the other.

[Talia Ugastedis]

But over the years, as the way we've done it has become more inventive and stylish. And now that we live in different countries, obviously the physical element is kind of removed. So it is often just something written down or over the phone.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

Okay. So it can be any form. It just has to reach the other person before their pinch and punch reaches you.

[Talia Ugastedis]

That's right.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

They first started playing this game when Bridie was Really little. She can't really remember ever not playing it. It was just one of the many games they played. Bryn traveled a lot for work when Bridie was young, and the games were a way for them to stay connected while he was gone. But pinch and punch, this is the game that stuck. It kept going for years. Really leveled up when Brady was in secondary school. One day when Brady was 14, I.

[Talia Ugastedis]

Got pulled out of class and sent to the principal's office. So I immediately assumed I was in deep trouble. And I was a very good kid at school, never did anything naughty. So going to the principal's office was really out of character. So I was immediately terrified. So I walk to the principal's office and there's the principal, there's this other guy holding a fancy looking envelope. I open the envelope, message for Bridie Connell, and it's pinch and a punch. First day of the month, no returns. And I think at that point in dad's mind, I'm pretty sure he's gone. Okay, well, I've escalated this game to the, you know, highest degree. She's never gonna come back from that. But I think he forgets that he has passed on his extreme competitiveness to me. And from then, it kind of kicked off.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

These days, now that Bridie's grown up and moved out, most of the pinches and punches are low key. A phone call, a text. Sometimes Brynn or Bridie will try to disguise the sentence in an email sent to the whole family. Bridi says her dad has learned to not open anything from her that's sent just to him on the first of the month. So month in and month out, Bryn and Bridie are living in this very specific type of loop, where in order for them to stay in the loop, they have to keep changing it, inventing new ways to win. Once, a few years ago, Bridie had to get jaw surgery on the first of the month. Her dad was her next of kin, and so she mocked up a fake medical form for her dad to sign and convinced the nurse to tuck her fake form in with the rest. Bridie proudly won that month. That was kind of a famous win for her, actually, because while Bridie wins more often, her dad's wins tend to be more memorable. His have more flair. Like once he convinced Bridie's best friend to interrupt her own wedding to deliver a pinch and punch. He even got Bridie while she was on live radio. The family is from New Zealand, but Bridie lives and works in Sydney, where she was a guest on this weekly local radio show and Britain conspired with the host to get her on air.

[David]

Hey, Bridie.

[Parker]

Yes. I got an email today from New Zealand. I don't often get emails from New.

[David]

Zealand, but thankfully you have also been.

[Parker]

Trained in the Internet.

[Talia Ugastedis]

It was from, was it from mum or dad?

[Parker]

Do you know a man called Bryn Connell? Bryn Connell, Okay.

[Talia Ugastedis]

That is my dad.

[Parker]

Yep. We get a long discussion about the seasons, days of the month, New Zealand time being.

[Talia Ugastedis]

Oh, no you didn't.

[Parker]

A pinch and a punch for the.

[David]

First of the month.

[Parker]

He says on his understanding with New Zealand time.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

Over time the rules have evolved. No middle of the night calls, you have to respect time zones. Also, the game is formally suspended on New Year's Eve since Bridie and Bryn would hijack the countdown for their game. And according to Bridie's mom kept, quote, ruining the holiday. Bridie says her dad escalated the game to a whole new level in 2019. She was flying home to New Zealand for her cousin Jeremy's 30th birthday party. The flight was on May 1, very early in the morning.

[Talia Ugastedis]

And as you know, we have rules about really, really, really early morning wake up calls and pensioner punch calls are not allowed and they haven't been allowed for years. So I thought I'm just going to have to wait. I'm just going to have to hope that by the time I arrive in New Zealand, which will still be fairly early, that Dad's forgotten and I can get in there and win for the month of May. And then, you know, that was all I thought about it. And then I got onto the plane, I boarded, I took my seat and I sat down on the plane. And then about five minutes later, while everyone's still, you know, filing into the plane, the cabin manager comes up to me and says, oh, excuse me, Ms. Connell, you've, you've been moved.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

The flight attendant tells her she's getting bumped up to Premium Economy and brings her to her new seat.

[Talia Ugastedis]

And then he said, oh, by the way, I've got something for you. And he handed me an envelope. I just thought, oh, maybe I'm about to be. Maybe this is part of the Premium economy service. Maybe it's a menu. I don't know what it is. As you can tell, I am not used to that Premium economy life. And I opened the envelope and it was a letter from my dad saying, I hope you have a great flight. I can't wait to see you when you land. And also Just something to reflect on while you're winging your way across the Tasman. Pinch in a punch. First day of the month, no returns.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

She spent the rest of the flight thinking about how she would get him back. Luckily for Bridie, Air New Zealand is apparently extremely into pranks and offered to help. So together they made a fake Father's Day themed ad for the airline. Air New Zealand actually got real pilots and flight attendants to appear in this short video, which Brady wrote. And then she got her mom to show it to her dad.

[Bridie]

It's Father's Day in New Zealand, and.

[Talia Ugastedis]

We want to say thanks to all.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

The amazing dads out there.

[Rita]

Thank you.

[Parker]

Start it off. Thank you for being such a wonderful dad. Well, that's generic.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

This, of course, is Bryn Connell. The video starts out thanking dads for doing regular dad stuff, but as it progresses, it starts getting more and more specific, naming things Bryn has actually done.

[Parker]

Thank you for building me a fort when I was young. I think I did that. And they were saying things like, thank you for your really bad dad jokes. Someone would say, oh, I do that. Thank you for cooking such great roast dinners. I do that as well. I was naive.

[Ira Glass]

We love your generosity, your spirit.

[Parker]

And then a female pilot came on and said, that means you, Bryn Connell.

[Bridie]

Yes, you, Bryn Connell.

[Talia Ugastedis]

You're always playing jokes. And then when the video changes and it becomes clear that they're talking to him, he just obviously does not compute for like 10 seconds. And then he was like, what?

[Bryn]

What?

[Talia Ugastedis]

Hang on.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

There are 12 firsts of the month each year, and Bridey and Brynn have been playing this game for roughly 25 years. So they've done hundreds of pinches and punches at this point. The thing about having such a long running game, though, is that life happens all around it, all the good and bad. A few years ago, Brady lost someone.

[Parker]

Very close to her over the period of this tragedy. The first of the month rolled around and I thought, should I do something or not? Because she was feeling very bruised and lonely and desperate. And I chose to. And it was just something that she could reach out. Sue. And go, dad's here. It's okay. And she just came out to me later and gave me a big cuddle and said, that's just what I needed. Thank you, Daddy. And Jenny calls me Daddy on very rare occasions. And I can't even remember what it was. I think it was just something fairly banal that month. But it was. I'm in your corner, honey. I'm still here.

[Eva de Kornfeld]

There's a lie Built into the premise of pinch and punch. It's when they say no returns. They say it every month and every month they return.

[Parker]

I'm Eva de Kornfeld, is the producer on Our Show Act 2. I'll repeat the question. So our show today is about Groundhog Day and what repeating the same thing over and over can accomplish or reveal. And I don't want to say much about this next item before it starts, except to say that it is a common thing when radio reporters sit down to interview somebody. We have to set the record volume properly, so we need the interviewee to just say some words about something while we set recording levels. And so we'll ask them some kind of, you know, neutral question to describe the route they took to work that morning or what they had for breakfast. This comes from radio producer Talia Ugasteris.

[Bridie]

This needs to be actually quite close to you. Okay. Can you tell me what you have for breakfast so I can check the levels? Yes. The answer is probably. I can't remember. Oh, no.

[Rita]

Porridge.

[Bridie]

Porridge. Porridge and blueberries. You always have the same thing for breakfast, but it's not hard to remember. Okay. Porridge and blueberries. Do you want to tell me what you've had for breakfast this morning? Oh, if I can remember. Oh, yes, I had. I had as a hint, porridge. Yeah, it's over there. Porridge and delicious berries. Do you want to tell me what you had for breakfast this morning? Honestly, I can't remember. Oh, yes, I can. It's porridge. As usual. I'm just going to check the levels. So do you remember what we do to check the levels? No. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Porridge and berries. So, okay, I just need to check the levels. Do you remember what we do to check the levels? What we talked about whether. What I had for breakfast. Yes. Okay, So I had. Did we have it for breakfast anyway? It was. Was lovely. Just a little smooth. Sorry it should take so long. No, that's okay. Let me just check the levels. What did you have for breakfast this morning? Same as usual, which, of course, I can't remember. It's in your mouth. What does it taste like then? Tastes absolutely delicious. I'm flattered. What did you have for breakfast this morning? I had. I was going to say breakfast. I had. Wait a sec. I'm so sorry. That's okay. Don't worry if you can't remember, we'll just. Do you want a different question? Yes. What did you have for breakfast today? I probably had porridge and.

[Phil]

Some stuff.

[Bridie]

Yeah, a nice things. You didn't eat much of it today. Do you want to. Should we do that before we start? Just try a bit more. No, I can't. Okay. No. Let's start then. Sorry, it's a bit quick. I might not manage this. Maybe we shouldn't do the recording today. Oh, dear. Oh, dear. Okay.

[Parker]

That story is from Talia Ugastedis. She's the creator of the podcast Unreality. She first produced this story for Shortcuts, a falling tree production for BBC Radio 4. Act 3 Raiders of the Lost Charred. Sometimes the repeating situation that you find yourself stuck in every day is something you do not like and you want it to end. And I guess like Bill Murray, who is caught on repeat in that old movie, you have to strategize and figure out how to minimize the unpleasantness. David Kestenbaum has this story about that.

[Ira Glass]

The garden was a thing of beauty. Jeff had just moved into a new house in Middletown, Delaware, kind of a rural area. The house did not have a garden, so he built one. Jeff is a do it yourself kind of guy, handy with stuff, fixing cars, things around the house. The garden he makes is pretty big. He turns over all the soil, plants, rows of seeds. Takes a long time.

[Phil]

It's really pristine. You know, everything's labeled, backs up to a field. So it's pretty good scenery. Sometimes I'll just sit out there and just relax, look around, look at the different plants growing. You know, it's really peaceful.

[Ira Glass]

But gardening, as the writer Margaret Atwood has noted, is not a rational act in nature. Plants do not grow in tidy, pristine, labeled rows. In fact, nature does not care at all about your little setup. Jeff was on vacation when it happened. A friend was watering his garden for.

[Phil]

Him, and he had called me and he said, hey, man, something's like eating all these plants. And he showed me a picture and I was like, oh, man, that's horrible. So when I came back, I had noticed that my sweet potato plants were pretty much gone.

[Ira Glass]

Not just the sweet potatoes.

[Phil]

Like, you know, there was stuff, chunks off the plants, off the fruits. You know, the vegetables. The tomatoes had chunks in them. Cucumbers had chunks in them.

[Ira Glass]

Chunks eaten out of them.

[Phil]

Yeah, just chunks missing randomly throughout the whole garden. It was like a selective process.

[Ira Glass]

Jeff is really upset. He has no idea what he's eating, his vegetables. So he sets out a trap, one of those cage things that closes when an animal goes inside. And how did that work?

[Phil]

A complete failure.

[Ira Glass]

Goes out to check on the trap, empty Food in it untouched. What is eating the garden? Jeff runs through a list of possibilities.

[Phil]

Thought it would be a deer, maybe birds, rabbits, squirrels. Or, like, even a neighbor or human.

[Ira Glass]

Oh, a neighbor.

[Phil]

You never know, right? I mean, it could be anybody.

[Ira Glass]

Yeah, but one bite, one bite out of a tomato.

[Phil]

I wouldn't put it past him.

[Ira Glass]

Okay. I never lived where you live in Delaware, so I'll trust you. Jeff thinks, enough with this. It really is driving him kind of mad. So he gets a motion detector camera. He borrows it from his brother, uses electrical tape to tape it to this old bucket he has and sticks it in the garden. It's one of those cameras that sends videos to your phone. So Jeff waits. He does not have to wait long.

[Phil]

I'm at work, actually. It was, like, right at lunchtime, and I looked right at my phone because I got the notification, and I was, like, really eager. Like, surprise, like, went and I checked it.

[Ira Glass]

And I just want to pause here to describe the cinematic perfection of this next moment. What Jeff sees at first in the video is nothing. Like the camera's triggered off something blowing in the breeze. You see a log in the background and the garden fence. And then a groundhog pops up with what appears to be a cucumber in its paws, rapidly chewing. It is staring right into the camera head on. Takes up the whole frame so close you can hear it chewing.

[Phil]

Really funny to see. He's just got this look on his face. It was almost as if he was saying, yeah, it's me. I'm the one eating your garden up. What are you gonna do about it?

[Ira Glass]

What are you gonna do about it?

[Phil]

So at first, when I saw it was a groundhog, I was like, oh, they dig. So I was like, I'll put the. You know, the logs around.

[Ira Glass]

Like, around the base of the fencing, around the base.

[Phil]

Maybe that'll help. And, no, it didn't. Then I was like, well, let me try to get a little bit more slick. And I would put, like. Like garden boundary, like, landscape boundary. I would put it under the ground about, like, maybe like a foot. So it'd be like a wall almost underground. And so if even if they did dig, they'd hit the wall, right? And you'd think they would stop, right?

[Parker]

Right.

[Phil]

No, they just keep digging down until they got under it and then came back out the other side like it wasn't even there. These are the kind of things I was dealing with along with seeing him in the camera every day.

[Ira Glass]

Every day. It was get up, drive to work, alert on phone Groundhog, get up. Drive to work. Alert on phone. Groundhog. The only thing that changed was the image. Groundhog with one of Jeff's tomatoes. Groundhog with zucchini. Groundhog with corn. Never peppers. Somehow apparently didn't like peppers. He is in a Groundhog Day situation with an actual groundhog, who, if he has to admit, is kind of cute.

[Phil]

So I said, you know what? I'm gonna name you Chunk. It seemed very fitting because he was taking chunks out of the vegetables.

[Ira Glass]

I feel like once you name the groundhog, you're crossing some kind of line, you know, I think you lost in.

[Phil]

That moment, probably in some senses.

[Ira Glass]

At some point, a female groundhog turns up. Presumably, she was Chunk's partner. Jeff names her nibbles. But now he has two groundhogs. Weirdly, both of them would pop up on camera together, facing the same direction, each eating something of his. Jeff, desperate, now has one last idea for how to get out of this endless loop. And when I heard it, it seemed both adorable and completely unlikely to work. The following year, when it's time to plant the garden again, he goes out with his shovel, turns over more earth.

[Phil]

And I gave them, like, their very own garden.

[Parker]

Oh, my God.

[Phil]

Yeah, I literally planted on their own garden.

[Ira Glass]

A reporter for the website the Dodo heard about the story. The resulting video is titled Guy Builds Veggie Garden for Family of Ground Dogs, which I saw and had questions about. That's why I called Jeff in the first place. I did not see how that was going to work. Sure, now the groundhogs have their own garden that does not have some big fence around it. But wouldn't they eat their vegetables and then still break through the fencing into his like before? What's to stop them? Did the plan actually work? The goal is to get them to stay out of your garden. Do they stay out of your garden?

[Phil]

Yeah, for the most part. Because, like, you give them, like, the. Their own plants around that are easier for them to get to, and then you kind of secure yours up more to where it's more effort. And it's just like anyone. They're going to go for the easiest thing, right? The lowest hanging fruit.

[Ira Glass]

That's kind of genius, I have to say.

[Phil]

It works.

[Ira Glass]

You said for the most part.

[Phil]

Well, I mean, yeah, there are times when they will still eat my vegetables, right. But it's not as bad, right, because it's. They got other options. But if they somehow happen to get into my garden, which they have, especially the babies, because the babies are real small. Wait, so they can get in.

[Ira Glass]

Wait, babies?

[Phil]

Oh, yeah, yeah, we have babies.

[Ira Glass]

How many groundhogs do you have now?

[Phil]

7.

[Ira Glass]

I feel like you started out one place and you ended up in a very different one.

[Phil]

Barry I embraced it, you know, especially with seeing him in the camera was like it made it easy to give up, you know, seeing him in the camera every day, it eventually won my heart over.

[Ira Glass]

Junk is still there. Jeff last saw him in the fall. He's probably hibernating under the shed. It's been seven years with this point, which is old for a groundhog, though they can live longer. It helps to have a reliable food source.

[Parker]

David Kestenbaum is our show's senior editor. Coming up, one man combats the chaos of the world on a narrow block in Brooklyn week after week, every Tuesday and Thursday. That's in a minute. Chicago Public Radio when our program continues. This message comes from Spectrum Business. Small business owners put in unlimited hours, unlimited effort and unlimited passion. Why? Because only you know that your business has unlimited potential. That's why Spectrum Business provides fast, reliable Internet, advanced WI fi with security shield and an unlimited mobile line, all for one low price. Built to work for a small business budget. Connect your business to unlimited possibilities. Learn [e-mail] business this message comes from Charles Schwab. When it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices like full service, wealth management and advice when you need it. You can also invest on your own and trade on Think or swim. Visit schwab.com to learn more. This message comes from Discover. Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the last 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn [e-mail] credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report CIS American Life from Ira Glass Today's program, Groundhog Day. Have you ever had a day that just seems to repeat again and again? It's CIS American Life from Ira Glass. Each week on our program, of course we choose the theme, bring you different kinds of stories on that theme. It's this American Life. Amira Glass each week on our show, of course you choose a theme, bring you different kinds of stories on that theme. What's this American Life? Am Ira Glass each week on our program, we choose a theme, bring you a variety of different kinds of stories on that theme. Today's SHOW fiasco Today on our program, 24 hours at the Golden Apple. Today on our program, a story of race and politics in America, the story of Harold Washington. Why is this American Life? I'm Ira Glass. Today's show, a special co production with NPR News, A step by step look at what exactly happened during the subprime mortgage crisis. I'm Eric Glass. This is American Life, the radio program that dares to ask the question this American Life. Welcome to Iraq, Glass. Today's program the Long Fuse. I had forgotten about that one. The Long Fuse. Doing this theme this week, I have to admit, made me really think about what it feels like to do our program week after week, 853 times. This is our 853rd episode, and it does feel very different making the show for the 853rd time than it did at the very beginning. Definitely. There is a sameness to doing things again and again every week that is not entirely pleasant. But of course, while the process of making a show is always the same, the content of the show changes so much. And there's just something about, I don't know how to put this, creating the little dream that radio can be. I don't know, it just gets to me when the music enters. Thank you for that. Everything you say just sounds smarter when you're saying it over music and just making all the little parts of the show perfect, you know, like, or at least as obsessively perfect as you can make it. It's just so easy to get lost in that, even on the 853rd time. Act 4 Heart of Parkness People who own cars in certain cities really are just asking for pain. Certain cities are not set up for them and deliver regular, repeated punishment to car owners. Valerie Kipnis hometown definitely does that on a schedule that's literally posted on signs.

[Bryn]

Growing up in New York, you sort of get used to the fact that for a few days every week, your street becomes total chaos. That's because the street cleaning truck is scheduled to come through the first day. You can't park on the left hand side so the sweeper can drive down that way. The second day, you can't park on the right. And it's not like there are empty spaces on other blocks you can move your car to. So all over New York, what people do on street cleaning day is double park. They move their car so it's sitting next to the row of parked cars on the other side and then they just leave their Cars there double parked unattended in the middle of the street for one and a half hours, making room for the street cleaner to sweep next to the curb where their car had just sat.8 million people, and this is the system we use. A few years ago, I moved to a new neighborhood where the situation is even more intense. The street I live on now is incredibly narrow, just under 25ft across. I know because I measured, which means that if you don't double park perfectly, very close to the row of already parked cars, you end up blocking all traffic. No cars, no street cleaner can get through. And if one neighbor doesn't come out and move their car, that can block all traffic, too. But this new street I live on also came with something I'd never seen before. A guy who twice a week has made it his job to try to make this all run smoothly. His persistence, his dedication to this thankless job has always sort of puzzled me. So I went out with him on a Thursday this fall. His name is David, in his 50s, a former Marine, and, as it happens, my landlord. It's a few minutes before 11:30 when the whole thing begins on our street. David's wearing his usual uniform of a crisp gray cotton T shirt and basketball shorts.

[David]

11:30, just get in your cars, double park them, and everything works like a charm. Brandon, how are you? They're going to be moving their cars now. You hear me? Like, like I'm becoming, like.

[Bryn]

A blabbermouth. David always worries he's coming on too strong.

[David]

Yeah. So he's moving now. The guy in the white car's moving, Bob's moving. You'll all be able to put your cars right down there.

[Bryn]

His goal this morning is to get everyone on the left side neatly double parking down the middle of our street. To do this, he tries to know everyone on the block, which cars belong to who, who tends to run late, who runs early, who's new around here, who needs a reminder, like, let me read you some of our most recent texts. Hey, Valerie, it's time for the car. Hey, Valerie, is that your car across the street? Hey, Valerie, don't forget about the car today. I'm on time.

[David]

You know what? You should go right between there.

[Bryn]

Well, this guy's gonna leave right now? I think so, yeah.

[David]

He's waiting for his wife. But you go right behind James.

[Bryn]

Where are you gonna pull up?

[David]

I'm gonna see what I gotta do.

[Bryn]

David's got a black Grand Cherokee Jeep. It's about midway up the block, because.

[David]

I'm gonna either pull up on the sidewalk right here. Tell him to move in or whatever it is.

[Bryn]

Oh no, the honking starting.

[David]

Yeah, you're gonna have to.

[Bryn]

All right, I'm moving my car. He spots James, our neighbor who just walked out of his house, Hawaii.

[David]

James, are we supposed to move the car? Yeah, we went. So we're trying to make a plan. Okay, she's gonna move her car now too. So you might as well if you want to pull right here for now. And she's gonna move and then you could follow suit.

[Bryn]

David nods his head in the direction of my car. Like, come on, enough with the interview, all right? I'm moving, I'm moving. It's a really tight parking job. You have to get so close to the car on the other side of the street that your side view mirrors touch.

[David]

Now we're back up. Just back up about another. I'll tell you when to stop. Just watch his side. Don't get. Yeah, you're good, you're good.

[Bryn]

Sometimes when I don't do a good job, David will offer to help grab my keys and repark the car for me. Today I do okay. He lets it be. It's a couple minutes past 11:30 when all the cars are supposed to have been moved, but only a few have. A few other neighbors, one holding a toddler, the other clearly on a work call, have started coming out of their houses. David waves at them and signals for them to move their cars. We've still got time before the street sweeper comes. What are you gonna do?

[David]

I gotta sit in the car.

[Bryn]

Okay, I'm sit with you. Then we climb in. He double parks. Before David started doing this job, when he was still just a kid growing up on the block, someone else did it. He was kind of a local legend.

[David]

A guy named Eddie, like years ago, Eddie Demayo was. We called him Demayer. You know, we were kids and we used to sit there and just watch him like, you know, like. Like he's out of his mind.

[Bryn]

One old timer on the block told me, hey, don't make a hero out of Eddie. Apparently he was a complicated guy. Would sit in a lawn chair in the street so that cars couldn't get through. Once laid down in the road to save a parking spot for his daughter in law. But still he kept things in order.

[David]

Like, you know, like the Chessman said, you go there, you go here. When you go in there, you're going to make it easier for him to pull over there. He's going to come out now, he's going to Pull behind you and everything works.

[Bryn]

Oh, I know someone who does something just like that. David.

[David]

Yeah, I know. I became that person.

[Bryn]

Actually, it wasn't like David just became that person. When Eddie got old, he actually passed the mantle to David years ago.

[David]

He goes, dave, you took the helm.

[Bryn]

But it's gotten harder. When Eddie was the street parking conductor, most houses had one car and the neighbors all knew each other well. We're all kind of on board with this parking system. They'd grab the keys and move the car for one another. But recently, this block has really changed. Something like a quarter of the houses have been sold to new folks. Used to be a blue collar Italian neighborhood. Now it's got people with enough money to throw millions of dollars into buying and gut renovating entire brownstones. On street cleaning day, the new people seem happy to leave their cars and get a ticket. And also because of their renovations, there are constantly trucks parked on the street, which take up space in this game of parking. Tetris. Michelle, one of our neighbors, walks past us looking frustrated. David points to her and shakes his head.

[David]

Michelle, she's looking for a double park spot now, and she lives on the block. It's ridiculous.

[Bryn]

Michelle can't double park her car because there's a Tesla in front of her that hasn't moved in a couple weeks and there's a construction dumpster behind her. If she pulls into the spot in the middle lane that's across from where she is right now, she'll block the entire street. This kind of stuff happens all the time. And David knows how he sounds, saying this like some old guy at the park feeding the pigeons and complaining. His words, not mine. But it really didn't used to be this way.

[David]

Paul, can. We grew up a certain way. We learned a certain way to how to handle yourself and to be, you know, courteous, look out for your family, your neighbors, or what. Everybody on your block was like, family.

[Bryn]

Okay, and now what is it?

[David]

What is it now? I'm trying to think of a word. It's empty.

[Bryn]

Empty.

[David]

God forbid there's an ambulance that's coming up, a fire truck. If there's a fire, you just causing like such like, you know, you never know who's has someone sick, who has an infant in their car that has to get home, who has appointments. Serious stuff, you know, you never know who's having a bad day.

[Bryn]

In the last two years, David's had five family members die. Three of them lived here with David in this house on this block. He took care of them and it was a lot.

[David]

You know, whether it's a nursing home, whether it's hospice, whether it's changing bandages or the oxygen machine, the condenser, you know, changing the war, making sure there's water in the cup, bedsores, doctors back and forth to the hospital, watching somebody die.

[Bryn]

I just think that there's, like, you are taking care of so much. Yes, you are, David. You're taking care of. Okay, you were taking care of Joan. You had your dad.

[David]

Yeah.

[Bryn]

Now you got your mom. You're taking care of the house.

[David]

My Aunt Phil.

[Bryn]

Yeah, your Aunt Phil.

[David]

It's just. Listen, wait.

[Bryn]

But wait, let me finish. I think there's so much things that are happening in the house. Like, I feel like I live in it, so I kind of see it. Like a lot of stuff's out of your control. But this parking thing, you're like, can we just get this right?

[David]

Can you just notice? It's just something. It's something that's not hard. It's a neighborhood thing. It's a block thing. Just do the right thing and everything falls into place.

[Bryn]

11:45, we get out of the car to check on how the parking is going down the block, and immediately it's clear there's a problem. There's a truck that can't get through with a growing line of cars behind it. No way the street cleaner is going to make it through here.

[David]

It's going. It's three quarters of a block long.

[Bryn]

It's actually chaos. Like, I'm looking right now, the parking. Now everyone's going to start honking.

[David]

Yeah, there's cars backed up around the corner. You have, let's see, you have about 30 cars.

[Bryn]

The problem on our block, a construction crew has left a barricade of giant plastic orange traffic barriers in the street to hold space for their dump truck. The barriers are on the street cleaning side, by the sidewalk. And near them, in the middle of the street, someone has parked their car. No name, no number on the dashboard. There's no room for anyone to squeeze through.

[David]

You know, this is crazy. It's crazy. Now it's taking up three spots. Now it's taking up three spots.

[Bryn]

For a split moment, David isn't sure what to do. Then a couple other old timers, our neighbor Bob and this guy Kenny approach him, and they huddle off to the side. I look at them and back to the street. Any minute now, and the honking will start. The chaos will ensue. It's tense. The three of them consider their options.

[Phil]

Yeah, those things are Usually filled up with water.

[David]

Yeah, I know, right? Well, there's some water in it because.

[Parker]

They'Re not light and if they were.

[David]

Totally fill with water, it would weigh.

[Bryn]

A ton, meaning the barriers are going to be super heavy, like hundreds of pounds. But they got to try to do something anyway. So the three of them go over to the barriers, which are too heavy to lift, and try to drag them off the road.

[Phil]

They're locked into each other.

[Parker]

I put them in all as one.

[Susan Hogg Kaplowitz]

Baby.

[Bryn]

David, that looks pretty heavy.

[David]

It's got weight.

[Bryn]

This is constructive vandalism.

[Parker]

We're helping each other like local heroes, eh?

[Bryn]

It takes a while, but they make managed to drag the barriers next to the lawn of the house undergoing construction.

[Bridie]

Now we have enough space, we have.

[Parker]

Enough street there for one car.

[Bryn]

The truck is able to get through. The line of cars finally starts to move. And then after them comes a street sweeper. Sweet, sweet victory. It swerves around the unmoved Tesla and the three other cars that no one cared to move, but makes it through nonetheless. There's no celebration, no moment of victory. David heads out to pick up his mom's meds. Then he comes back to feed the birds because he actually does that in a bit. David gets in his car and moves it back to the left side of the road. Checks to make sure Ivory parked mine correctly, that the others have too. The barriers will reappear overnight, except this time they'll take up more space. David, Bob and Kenny will push them to the sidewalk again. And then again, the Tesla won't move. The neighbors will be late. Every week, the cycle will repeat itself. This little universe will break apart and David will put it back together.

[Parker]

Valerie Kipnes is the producer on Our Show Act 5. It's been a hard year's night and I've been working like a hog. So Bungsitawney Phil is not the only groundhog who gets drafted into annual Groundhog Day ceremonies around the country. There's actually a website, groundhogday.com that lists over three dozen of these poor critters around the United States and Canada. There's French Creek Freddy in West Virginia. Woody the Woodchuck in Michigan. There's a groundhog in New York City at the Staten Island Zoo in New York. In the past, the city's mayor used to be part of the groundhog ceremony till 2015 after Bill de Blasio dropped a groundhog and died later that same week. The current mayor, Eric Adams, is a well known rodent hater who launched a war on the city's rats. And he has never shown up in person to the ceremony. And as the man who runs the city, he could use his powers to try to shut down the Groundhog Day ceremony on Staten island once and for all. And there's somebody out there who liked that very much. We are pleased to bring her to you now. This is a this American Life exclusive. She's a resident of New York. Specifically, Staten Island. More specifically, Zoo.

[Susan Hogg Kaplowitz]

Dear Mayor Adams, I'm the groundhog. My name is Susan. I'm nine years old. I have 48 children. None of them are potty trained. All of them need braces. Their fathers are always digging and never helping. All eight of my nipples are unrecognizable. I haven't ever taken a shower, and I'm at the end of my goddamn rope. You call it Groundhog Day, but have you ever considered what I, the groundhog, actually want? Do you even know who I am? Besides some nameless creature you can foist in the air for a photo op? Do you have any idea what I sacrifice for you all? Because when I think about it, from the time I turned 2 and started having litters of tiny hairless babies, I have been expected every year to decide the fate of the northern hemisphere of the planet. And not that you have time to even look it up between all your various staged perp walks, but I'm supposed to hibernate from October to April. From October to April. That's when the rest of my family sleeps. And it's supposed to be when I am finally able to get get some rest. Those months I'm supposed to be out cold like you. One Valium deep in a lay flat business class seat on Turkish Airlines. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to be me? 48 children and they all co sleep, judge me. So I'm kicked by 192 tiny feet all night, every night. And yet, the first week of February, you and your mayor friends are going to yank me out of my burrow. Because, surprise. Nobody knows how to do anything for five goddamn months without waking up mom. So will there be six more weeks of winter? Did you see your shadow? Yeah, I see my shadow every time I look in a mirror. Because I am a shadow of my four former self. They never even ask me if I saw it. They just kind of presume whether or not I saw my shadow based on whether I wrinkle my snout at the ground. This whole holiday, which is supposed to be about me, is predicated on a group of mouth Breathing men in top hats deciding whether or not I was capable of seeing my own shadow. And then they hold me up and shout in my face and then blind me with flashbulbs. But I don't feel seen at all. And I never get an apology and I never get a thank you. And by the way, I want everyone to stop calling me a groundhog. A ground hog. That's not even a single species. It's an insult. It's calling me dirt pig. Did you know in Canada I'm called a marmot? That's dignified. That's chic. That's apres ski. Okay, I hear myself. I know how I sound. I sound exactly like my mother and her mother before her. I come from a proud line of groundhogs who have done this job year after year. And I'm not here to complain. No. Whatever I say, I know it's not going to make a difference. It doesn't matter. I can play my role. I can smile and go through the motions. And for one February morning, that you have a moment of pure escapism, however dumb and degrading and exhausting as it is for me. So go ahead, play the trombones, unfurl your little scroll and have your weird rodent fortune telling pageant, because you need it. So send in the clown. And when you lift me, your groundhog, high into the air, I will look into the crowd and see your vulnerable, yearning human faces staring back at me, standing out in the cold, just desperate to see something that breaks up the gray monotony of your repetitive lives. Trudging in your little puffer jackets, staring at your phones to go sit at a desk and eat a salad every day. And then you look up and there I am, the groundhog. When you cheer for me, you are cheering for your own hope. That if this ridiculous tradition can endure, maybe you can, too. May it be a happy Groundhog Day for us all. Sincerely, Susan Hogg Kaplowitz.

[Parker]

Susan Hogg Kaplowitz's letter to Mayor Adams was written and read by Bess Kalb. She writes books and other funny stuff. Her newsletter, which you can find on substack, is the Grudge Report. Bills come in Round and round we go again I come close but I never win. I'm stuck on the treadmill Another day I'm punching steel til miles Too numb to feel like a hamster on a wheel I'm stuck on a treadmill.

[Ira Glass]

Our.

[Parker]

Program is produced Today by Aviva DeKornfeld. The people who put together today's program include Bim out of Wumi and Diabons, Dan It Chivas, Michael Kamde, Angelo, Gervasi Khan and Jaffe Walt. Tobin Lowe, Mickey Meek, Catherine Raymondo, Stone Nelson, Nadia Raymond, Ryan Rummery, Lily Sullivan, Francis Swanson, Christopher Swatala, Julie Whitaker and Diane Wu. Managing editor Sara Abderrahman. Our senior editor is David Kestenbaum. Our executive editor is Emmanuel Berry. Special thanks today to Kerry Rose Thiessen, Ethan Brooks, Eddie Wong, Lindy Wade Dlamini, Saudi Tucada, Avery Trufelman and Ned Ryerson. This American Life is global to public radio stations by prx. The public radio exchange to become a this American Life partner gets you bonus episodes. It gets you ad free listening. It gets you hundreds of greatest hits episodes that show up right in your podcast feed. Go to thisamericanlife.org LifePartners Also very important, signing up this way also helps keep our program going. Thanks as always to our programs co founder, Mr. Tory Malatea. You know he is not a very good dance teacher.

[David]

You go there, you go here. With you going there, you're going to make it easier for him to pull over there. He's going to come out now, he's going to pull behind you and everything works.

[Parker]

I'm Ara Glass. Back next week with more stories of this American Life. This message comes from Spectrum Business who provides fast, reliable Internet, phone, TV and mobile services to help unlock the unlimited potential of your small business. Learn [e-mail] business.