I saw groundhogs in Texas, but that was a while ago.None here today (apart from the usual film on the telly), and there was more snow overnight. The snowploughs came through again at breakfast time during a discussion about resurrecting the moonshine still hanging from the ceiling of the diner.

The reason for no booze here is that when the last bar closed because the owner died, the son sold the liquor licence out of the county and the law is that it can't be bought back into the county. So amidst the decisions on which chickens to buy mail order, someone is being dispatched to the nearest Wally World (50 miles away in Arizona) to buy cases of peaches with which to concoct something. I doubt Jimmy the Sheriff will argue.

In Texas, any given parking area contains at least 90% pickups, the rest being ordinary cars and RVs towing cars or 4x4s. Here, the proportion of pickups is about the same, the remaining 10% being largely tractors. The ATM is broken and awaiting parts, but plastic is accepted (of course) and there doesn't seem to be a problem with adding breakfast and dinner to the motel bill. Just as well, as I'm here for another night.

It's Groundhog Day.