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La la la...

illustration copyright Jeff Ebbeler 2005

So, there I was, tootling along, minding my own business, driving to my author visit yesterday and humming my homemade Phyllis song in a most tuneful hummy kind of way when

BAM!

I suddenly realized two things:

1.  Groundhog Day is a mere 11 days away!

2.  THIS YEAR IS PHYLLIS'S 10th ANNIVERSARY!!!

WHAT???!!!

TEN YEARS???!!!

My little furry friend is going to be in double digits! *sentimental sniff*

AND I HAVE NOT MADE A PLAN OF A SUITABLE CELEBRATORY NATURE!!!

What kind of mother am I???!!!  *gnashing of teeth and extended period of self-recrimination*

Instant panic set in.

Not good whilst you are driving and unable to do anything but drive.  A spoonful of panic makes the accelerator go down VRRROOOOOOM!

"Where!" (I fumed) "is my talented and versatile personal assistant who appears like magic at my beck and call to take down notes and implement my thoughts whilst I drive???!!!"

Darn it all.

I don't have one.

But luckily I have a mind that is prone to hare-brained schemes. . .

And so.

I made a plan!

And you are all welcome to join me, and I truly, deeply hope you do, because it will not be any fun at ALL if it's just me and that will make Phyllis sad! (And Sad Phyllis is not fun to hang out with!)

Here's the deal.

We shall have Phyllis's Birthday Bonanza!  (That has a nice ring to it, don't you think?)

And for it, we shall all write a poem in honor of Phyllis!

I'm thinking maybe An Ode To Phyllis... or a limerick :)  or if you're really ambitious, a combination of the two :)  A sonnet would be nice, if you're feeling Shakespearean.  Or perhaps a haiku or two about the Natural Wonder that is Phyllis the Groundhog.  Really, Phyllis is not picky, as long as it's a poem... about her... :)

I feel certain that this will result is some poetry the likes of which the world has never experienced.  *snort*

Ah, but the fun shall not end there!

I mean, it CAN end there.  If you are inspired to write a poem for Phyllis, post it on your blog or in the comments on the Birthday Bonanza post, and leave it at that, that will be lovely and Phyllis will send you warm furry brown hugs.

BUT.

For those of us who wish to take it to a further level... (Erik... who has been asking to make a video for like a year now... :))

Download, print out, cut out, and color Phyllis from HERE (or dig the one you made for Phyllis's Fun Fashion Show or weather predicting Phyllis out of mothballs.)  (Teeny hint - a popsicle stick stuck to her back works great for puppeteering and/or propping up purposes!)

Then.

Video your Phyllis doing a dramatic reading of your special poem!

We will be especially appreciative of creative backdrops, clever costumes, or singing :)

Unless you're channeling Samuel Taylor Coleridge and writing the Rime of Phyllis The Ancient Mariner (or something equally appallingly long) your dramatic poetry reading should probably fit into a video of a minute or two or so (or less - we're going for entertainment value, not length :)) so it doesn't have to be a huge production.  And you can hopefully do it pretty easily with your computer or your phone - nothing too film-industry-specific required.

Then on Monday, February 2nd, Groundhog Day 2015, in celebration of Phyllis's 10th Anniversary, I shall put up the official Phyllis's Birthday Bonanza post (yes, of course there will be cake! I can't believe you even asked that!) and you can all put your post-specific links on the link list (or post in the comments, or email your entry to me and I'll post it for you if you can't post in the comments - susanna[a]susannahill[dot]com or handy email me button in the sidebar) and we can all visit each other and party in honor of Phyllis, loveliest of lovelies, marmot extraordinaire!

And there will be presents!  For you!  Which I am still working on thinking up because, like I said, I just thought of this and I wanted to give you as much time as possible to prepare your Phyllis Poem & Video.  There might be some kind of voting process... or there might not.  Like I said... still thinking :)

So I am sincerely hoping that this sounds like the kind of hare-brained scheme you can get on board with!  Teachers and classes are welcome to join the fun too!  Anyone who loves Phyllis :)

Phyllis is wild with excitement  and says she will make strawberry pie for everyone while she's waiting!

Looking forward hopefully to the fruits of your creative talents!

Let the wild poetry writing start!!!!!

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