Hello, March

 Symbols of March

Birthstone: aquamarine and bloodstone

Flower: daffodil

Zodiac signs: Pisces and Aries

 

March 18^th Full Moon

 

The evening sky in March is free of planets so any viewing you might want to do has to be during the predawn hours in the eastern sky. 

National Nutrition Month

American Red Cross Month

Fire Prevention Month

Fun Facts about March

It is the first month of Spring which begins between March 19-21.

In the Southern Hemisphere, March is the same as September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Each year March and June end on the same day of the week.

It is the time of year when animals start to wake up from hibernation.

March Madness is a basketball tournament played by the NCAA.

Easter is sometimes celebrated in March.

 

·  March 1 is Mardi Gras (aka “Fat Tuesday” or Shrove Tuesday), which is the final feasting day before the Christian tradition of Lent begins on the following day, Ash Wednesday (March 2, 2022).

·  March 7 is Clean Monday. Also called Pure Monday, this day marks the beginning of Great Lent for followers of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. This day is similar to Ash Wednesday of the Western Church.

·  March 8 is International Women’s Day, which is a day that not only celebrates the achievements of women and the progress made toward women’s rights, but also brings attention to ongoing struggles for equality around the world.

·  March 13 is the start of Daylight Saving Time, which begins at 2:00 A.M. that day. If your area observes it, don’t forget to “spring forward” and set the clocks one hour ahead, or you may find yourself an hour late to everything! 

·  March 15 is the Ides of March! Legend surrounds this ill-fated day. Beware the Ides of March!

·  March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. According to folklore, folks wear a shamrock on St. Patrick’s Day because the saint used its three leaves to explain the Trinity. 
·  March 20 brings about the March equinox—also called the vernal or spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere—marking the beginning of spring. In the Southern Hemisphere, this date marks the autumnal equinox and the beginning of fall. On this day, the Sun stands directly over Earth’s equator.

·  March 29-31 are known as the Borrowing Days. According to lore, the last three days of March have a reputation for being stormy.

 

Another trip around the sun

Well, that makes 79.  Seventy nine trips around the sun, that is.  My last year in the 70s.  The only member of my family who has made it this far is my paternal grandmother who lasted to 91.  All things considered I'd say I had a fair shot at that. It all depends on how the kidneys hold out!

The logical question at this point is: what have I learned in 79 years?  Well, the logical answer is no more than I knew when I sat down to do this last year.  I guess the only thing you can do is what ever it takes to  keep going.  At this point I take nothing for granted.  Within the past year alone I've lost several friends so I'm acutely aware of the fact that only the rocks live forever.  

So the goal for the next year is to be able to sit down a year from now and pretty much repeat what I'm saying here.  Fortunately I have a network of friends and an awesome family to help with that so we're good to go.  See you in a  year!

My Kids, My Decision

 This is a really good moral dilemma problem to present to high school/college kids. 

1. I have the right as a parent to decide whether or not my children should wear masks.
2. The public good supersedes your right to make what might be a negligent decision regarding your children. 

What's prompted this is the growing wave of rebellion among parents who are insisting they and they alone have the right to decide if their children should or should not wear masks in the midst of a pandemic.

On the other side are state & local governments and school systems who are insisting that children wear masks for their own good.  

However, many states and schools are folding to parent demands.  The questions is, is this a good thing or not?  Is the health and welfare of the public more important than a parent's rights or not?  Thus the dilemma. 

If you thought you were going to get the answer here, you were mistaken.  But I can tell you this. I am leaning toward the "public welfare" side-for now anyway.

A Sad Commentary

 The Republican National Committee (RNC) recently held their national convention and they managed to accomplish two things:

1. They rebuked efforts to investigate the January 6th insurrection.

2. They renewed their support for Donald Trump.

This to me is the official end of any sense of decency the RNC ever had.  There was a time when republicans were able to hold to a conservative philosophy but at the same time maintain a civil, cooperative approach to governing. 

No longer.  Those days are over.  Now the question is will the nation respond with the same level of disgust I have or is it OK with republicans?  We'll see this November when  the midterm elections are held.