Hello, August

About the Month of August

 

The Month of August

August was named to honor the first Roman emperor (and grandnephew of Julius Caesar), Augustus Caesar (63 B.C..–A.D. 14). 

 

August Calendar

“After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day.”

Friendship Day

Raksha Bandhan

Women's Equality Day

National Catfish Month
Harvest Month

National Water Quality Month

Peach Month

National Immunization Awareness Month

Get Ready for Kindergarten Month

Symbols of August

Birthstone: Agate or onyx

Flower: Gladiolus or poppy

Zodiac signs: Leo and Virgo

History: In the original Roman calendar the month of August was called Sextilis. This was because it was the sixth month of the year. Later, after January and February were added to the calendar, it became the eighth month of the year. At the time the month had 29 days. When Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar in 45 BC, two days were added giving the month 31 days. The month was later renamed Augustus in honor of the first emperor of Rome, Caesar Augustus.

Fun Facts about August

It is the last of the summer months. The Islamic holiday of Ramadan runs from July 19 to August 18 in 2012. August in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to February in the Southern Hemisphere. Augustus renamed the month of Sextilis because many of his greatest triumphs occurred during this month. August is a month of summer vacation and holiday for many children around the world. Many cultures call this month the harvest month or the time of harvest.

“Just for Fun” Days

Have fun with these strange celebrations!

• Aug. 1–7: International Clown Week
• Aug. 3: National Watermelon Day
• Aug. 8: “National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbors’ Porch Day” (Or, use up that bounty with our best zucchini recipes.)
• Aug. 10: National S’mores Day
• Aug 12: Vinyl Record Day
• Aug. 13: International Left-Handers Day
• Aug. 17: International Geocaching Day
• Aug. 17: World Honeybee Day
• Aug. 25: Kiss-and-Make-Up Day

• August 1, traditionally known as Lammas Day, was a festival to mark the annual wheat and corn harvest. Lammas also marked the mid-point between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, and was a cross-quarter day. See more about Lammas Day.
• August 5 is a Civic Holiday in parts of Canada.
• August 9 starts the Islamic New Year, or the First of Muharram, beginning at sundown. Traditionally, it begins at the first sighting of the lunar crescent after the new Moon.
• August 10 is St. Lawrence’s Day. “Fair weather on St. Lawrence’s Day presages a fair autumn.” 
• August 11 marks the end of the Dog Days of Summer, which began on July 3.
• August 17 is when the Cat Nights begin, harking back to a rather obscure Irish legend concerning witches; this bit of folklore also led to the idea that a cat has nine lives.
• August 19 brings National Aviation Day, chosen for the birthday of Orville Wright who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
• August 24 is St. Bartholomew Day. “At St. Bartholomew, there comes cold dew.”
• August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and, with it, women’s right to vote in the United States.

 

Back Problems

 Not much work is getting done around here lately.  I did something to my back some weeks ago and it's just getting worse.  

I finally decided it's time to do something about it so I went to a Chiropractor.  Her treatments helped a little but I had a long way to go so I got my primary care doc involved.  He ordered xrays and  prescribed a muscle relaxing drug.  No help.  The xrays showed degenerative disc disease and arthritis. 

From there we went to frequent icing, prednisone and rest.  That helped a lot but I can't be on prednisone the rest of my life so this Friday I'm getting an MRI to see more clearly what else might be  going on. 

In the meantime at least I'm able to function.  Back to mowing.  Stay tuned.

Progress Report

 A short time ago I reported on the problem I was having with our cable company.  Among other things I mentioned that I would be actively seeking alternatives to cable TV, i.e. a streaming service of some kind.

Thus far I've determined that the best service for us is YouTubeTV.  The problem is I need the app on all three of our TVs (I know, I know. It's ridiculous that two people have to have 3 TVs but what are you going to do?).  We only have one TV that has it and I have yet to figure out how to load it on the other two.  

I think what I'm going to have to do is buy something like an Amazon Fire Stick to do it even though the two TVs in question are so-called 'smart' TVs.  

I haven't bought it yet because there are several kinds and I have to figure out which one we need.  

I hope to get this done within the next few days so stay tuned. 

Hello, July!

About the Month of July

On July 2nd the year 2021 will be half over! Where does the time go?  Here are some interesting things about July.

 

Holidays

Canada Day

Independence Day

Bastille Day

Parent's Day

National Ice Cream Month

National Blueberry Month

National Hot Dog Month

National Picnic Month

National Pickle Month

 

Symbols of July

Birthstone: Ruby

Flower: Larkspur or Water Lily

Zodiac signs: Cancer and Leo

 

History:

July was originally the month of Quintilis in the Roman calendar. It was the fifth month of the year until January and February were added in 450 BC. It got its original name from the Latin word for fifth. Later the name was changed to Julius in honor of Julius Caesar who was born on July 12. This text is

Fun Facts about July

It is the second summer month after June.

There are many countries which have their Independence Day during the month of July. These include the United States, Belarus, Venezuela, Argentina, Belgium, the Bahamas, and the Maldives.

The national days for France and Canada occur in July as well.

 July is the warmest month in the Northern Hemisphere on average.

It is similar to January in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sometimes the hot, long days of July are called the "dog days of summer".

It is sometimes called the Hay month because the grass dries out due to a lack of rain and can be made into hay.
July's birthstone, the ruby, is often associated with contentment, love, passion, and integrity.

July’s Moon Phases

Last Quarter: July 1, 5:12 P.M. EDT
New Moon: July 9, 9:17 P.M. EDT
First Quarter: July 17, 6:11 A.M. EDT
Full Buck Moon: July 23, 10:37 P.M. EDT
Last Quarter: July 31, 9:18 A.M. EDT

Other Astronomy Highlights
July 5 is the time of aphelion, when Earth is the farthest it will get from the Sun for the entire year—specifically, we’ll be 94,510,886 miles away from our bright star!

Another highlight of the July sky is the “Summer Triangle.” See our free, printable Star Chart for July to learn about the three “stars of summer.”

 

 

 

The end of my rope.

 Well, that's it!  I've had it.  I'm at the end of my rope.  My Spectrum bill just went up-AGAIN!

Not too long ago it went up  to $237 a month.  Then shortly after that it rose to $250.  I just got my latest bill and it's $270!  WTF!  Almost $300 a month for cable?  Insane.  My daughter and son-in-law have been urging me to switching to an all streaming service but I kept stalling because I don't want to lose local news.  Well, guess what?  I'm thinking I can do with out local news.  

I already have Netflix and Amazon Prime and I have access to YouTube TV so I'm practically covered for everything except a few incidentals.  I'm going to research it and then bye bye cable.  

Of course I'm still going to have to pay for Internet service and our land line telephone but that's relatively cheap.  

Keep checking back here to find out how it works out.

Update to my blogspot profile

 I was looking over my blogspot recently and discovered the information I had provided for my profile was badly dated.  For example it listed interests as baby sitting for grand kids and substitute teaching.  I haven't subbed in years and although I still see my grand kids frequently, they are no longer of the age where they need to be baby sat.  

So if you look on the right side of your screen you'll see an update to the previous post.  

Also be sure to check out my website for recent posts.  http://georgeswebpage.com

Hello, JUNE!

 

About the Month of June

 

Meteorologically speaking:

Full Moon June 24^th

Length of Day June 1 15 hrs. 5 min.

Summer Solstice June 20^th Length of Day 15 hrs. 18 min.

Length of Day June 30^th 15 hrs. 14 min.

 

Holidays

Flag Day

Fathers Day

Juneteenth (The day's name is a combination of "June" and "nineteenth" in honor of the date of Granger's announcement and first appeared around 1903. It is also known as African American Freedom Day or Emancipation Day.)

Paul Bunyan Day

National Rose Month
National Dairy Month

African-American Music Month

National Ice Tea Month

National Candy Month

Fun Facts about June

It is the first month of the summer season.

June in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to the month of December in the Southern Hemisphere.

June is known as a great month to get married.

The famous English tennis tournament Wimbledon is played during the month of June.

The longest day of the year-summer solstice- occurs on either June 21st or 22nd.

Several countries celebrate their flag days during this month including the United States, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, and Argentina.

June 21st is Go Skateboarding Day.

1. Julius Caesar changed the Roman Calendar and added two months to the calendar shifting June from the fourth to sixth month of the year. 

2. The word June is believed to originate from the goddess and wife of Jupiter, Juno. 

3. The birth flowers of June are Honeysuckle and Rose which symbolize love, devotion and generosity.

4. The birthstones for June are Alexandrite, Moonstone and Pearl. 

5. June Beetles are only seen during the month of May and June in the United States.

6. June is sweet! This month is National Candy Month along with National Dairy Month, National Seafood Month and National Ice Tea Month.

7. Worldwide celebrations that take place in June are World Environment Day on June 5 and World Father's Day on June 20.

8. The longest day of the year  - the Summer Solstice - is in June.

9. Gemini and Cancer are two Zodiac signs that fall in the month of June.

 

 

 

Odds & Ends

1.  The world of national politics has been very dull the past few months, hasn't it?  Nice!

2. Spring chores are shaping up nicely.  The garden is mulched, I'm keeping up with the mowing, the rest of the wood is split and stacked leaving me with about 3.25 cords for the coming season.  Left to do is to get my tiller running.  I may have to bring it in somewhere.  Finally,  I  have to build shelving in our new shed.  

3.  This has been a busy period for traveling, too.  Spent most of April either in Aruba or FL at our condo.  There's probably another trip to FL coming up this summer and the last week in July we're in Ocean City with our daughter's family.

4.  Another mass shooting today.  This one in California.  When will our political leaders act?

5. Back to inside visits to the nursing home where I've been volunteering for the past dozen years or so.  During the pandemic I Zoomed my sessions which worked out very well.

6. Back to playing golf once a week with my 3 golfing partners.  My game stinks but we have a good time. 

That's it for now.  

 

Odds & Ends

1. With the ouster of Liz Cheney from the number 2 GOP position in the House the republican party is officially insane-as if we didn't know that to begin with!

2. Watch for tons of pictures here, on Facebook and on my website (http://georgeswebpage.com) of various flowers and shrubs as they blossom this spring.  Our yard is becoming very colorful.

3. Yet another visit from our daily visitors taken with my trail cam.  They're looking for a hole in our flower garden fence. 

 

Welcome MAY

About the Month of May

May is the 5th month of the year and has 31 days.

Season (Northern Hemisphere): Spring

 

Holidays

May Day

Cinco de Mayo

Armed Forces Day

National Teacher Day

Mothers Day

Victoria Day

Memorial Day

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month

Asian American Heritage Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

Skin Cancer Awareness Month

National Bike Month

 

Symbols of May

Birthstone: Emerald

Flower: Lily of the Valley

Zodiac signs: Taurus and Gemini

 

History:

The month of May was named for the Greek goddess Maia. She was the goddess of fertility.

The Romans had a similar goddess named Bona Dea. They held the festival for Bona Dea during the month of May.

The Romans called the month Maius. The name changed over the years.

It was first called May in the 1400s near the end of the Middle Ages.

Fun Facts about May

It is the third and last month of the season of spring.

The birthstone of May, the emerald, symbolizes success and love.

May in the Northern Hemisphere is similar to November in the Southern Hemisphere.

May was once considered a bad luck month to get married.

There is a poem that says "Marry in May and you'll rue the day".

In Old English May is called the "month of three milkings" referring to a time when the cows could be milked three times a day.

The Indianapolis 500 car race is held each year during this month.

The Kentucky Derby, the world's most famous horse race, is also held on the second Saturday of this month.

The month of May is devoted to the Virgin Mary in the Catholic Church.

The United Kingdom celebrates May as the National Smile Month.

The last week of May is Library and Information Week.

Here are some more fun things to celebrate this May:

• May 1: School Principals’ Day
• May 2: World Tuna Day
• May 4–11: Root Canal Awareness Week
• May 8: No Socks Day
• May 14: Dance Like a Chicken Day
• May 28: Slugs Return from Capistrano Day

 

 

A couple of fast observations

 Well, we're home again after a week in Aruba and then in three days it's off to Florida to check on our condo.  Then it's home again until July at which time we're headed to Ocean City with our daughter and her family.

A word about our trip to Aruba-Aruba is probably the best Caribbean island we've ever visited but international travel during these times of a pandemic is a royal pain in the rump.  We needed COVID tests to get there and more tests to get back.  Customs lines were very long and undermanned.  All in all you're looking at a 10 hr day of travel-much of it waiting in a line somewhere and the other 4.5 hours in the air.  Then once you're there, there are restrictions of one kind or another on the  island itself.  Nevertheless we managed to have a good time with friends and family.

The second observation I wish to note is upon our return I learned of the passing of a very good friend of mine.  We hadn't seen each other in a while due to the pandemic but were planning to meet up at our 60th class reunion in September.  Well, now that's not to be.  This will mark the last of many losses of friends for me in recent years.  Last July I lost a very close boyhood friend and previous to that several others.  It's a reminder that we are all getting older and no one lives forever.  The only thing you can do is enjoy those who are left and move on.  That's life. 

I'll post again from Florida.

No Blogs for a while

 The rest of the month of April is going to be a heavy travel month so there won't be any blogs for a while.  I expect to post again around the third week of April.    

See you soon.

Hello APRIL!

About the month of April

Holidays

April Fools' Day

Autism Awareness Day

Easter

Earth Day

Arbor Day

National Poetry Month
National Arab American Heritage Month

Teacher Appreciation Week

Jazz Appreciation Month

Alcohol Awareness Month

Cancer Control Month

 

Symbols of April

Birthstone:Diamond

Flower: Daisy and the sweet pea

Zodiac signs: Aries and Taurus

In the initial Roman calendar April was the second month of the year until January and February were added in 700 BC. It is thought that the name April comes from the Latin word "to open" and describes the trees opening at springtime. It could also be that the name comes from the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

 

Fun Facts about April

It is the second month of spring.

It is a time of planting and spring cleaning.

In the Southern Hemisphere, April is the same as October in the Northern Hemisphere.

The diamond of April symbolizes innocence. The Boston Marathon is held during April.

In Ancient Rome the month of April was sacred to the goddess Venus.

The Japanese fiscal year for most businesses starts on April 1st.

In England there are many cuckoo festivals.

The arrival of the cuckoo bird in April is a signal that spring has arrived.

April is the month when the professional baseball season begins in the United States.

“Just for Fun” Days

• Apr. 1: Sweet Potato Day
• Apr. 6: International Pillow Fight Day
• Apr. 7: National No Housework Day
• Apr. 17: Blah, Blah, Blah Day
• Apr. 21: Go Fly a Kite Day
• Apr. 26: National Richter Scale Day
• Apr. 27: National Sense of Smell Day

April Astronomy

The Full Pink Moon

April’s full Pink Moon will rise on the night of Monday, April 26, reaching peak illumination at 11:33 P.M. ET. This full Moon is one of two supermoons this year.

 

A Problem That Just Won't Go Away

President Biden got off to a strong start with the passage of his COVID relief plan-no thanks to the republicans.  Now, however,  he's up against the wall (no pun intended) with another sticky issue-the massive influx of undocumented people over the Mexican border-many of whom are children.

So...what should he be doing?  Here are his choices: 

Turn everyone away. No exceptions. Adults & children
Let everyone in.  Review the reasons for wanting to be here. Act accordingly.
Do what he's doing now.  Only let in unaccompanied children.  Care for them as well as possible until they can be returned to their parents.

Many republicans are calling for a return to Trump era strategies, i.e. separate children from their families and deport the adults while housing the children in detention camps.

Personally I don't see that he has a choice but to do what he's doing now.  It's the humane thing to do.  The question is what should be next.  What is the long term solution? I'm guessing it will end up being something like allowing essential workers through, reviewing cases where people are seeking refuge from oppressive regimes or drug gangs  and insisting children be accompanied.  Couple that with cooperation from Mexico and other countries south of Mexico and maybe the situation will improve.  Maybe.  

It's a very tough problem.  Cruel, inhumane solutions should not be part of the discussion. Period.  People are people.  It doesn't matter the color of their skin. 

Good luck with this one, Joe.  It could be your undoing next time around.  It is after all the main reason why Trump was elected to begin with.

Spring is here!

Here we are, approaching the end of March and the temperature today approached 60.  Same yesterday and it's going to be that way throughout the rest of the week.  When it's this warm, I do not use the wood stove.  It heats the house too much so instead I'll turn the central heat up for a short time in the morning to take the chill off.  That usually takes care of it for the rest of the day.

Later in the week and next week it's supposed to cool off a little and there are a few days of rain and temps in the low 50s.  Those kinds of days are perfect for a nice little fire going but for all practical purposes I'm pretty much done with using the wood stove for the rest of this year.  This is especially true considering we're going to be either in Aruba or at our condo in FL for most of April.

With this in mind I took inventory of our wood situation.  I started the season back in September 2020 with 6.75 cords of wood on hand.  I now have about 3.5 cords on hand.  So for the season we used a solid 3 cords of wood.  About normal.  We have the same amount on hand for the coming winter but I need to get busy for future winters. 

The thing is since I turned 78 about a month ago the question is how much longer do I want to keep doing this?  We've talked about the possibility of converting our fireplace to a propane powered insert.  This wouldn't be difficult to do since we installed a 500 gallon propane tank for our generator.  We could use it also for the fireplace.  The downside is propane is not free-nor is it  particularly cheap but my wife is pushing hard for it.  

For myself I still love wood heat.  Especially in view of the fact that the fuel is free since there's so much around.  I just have to cut, split, haul and stack it!  That's a lot of work and I'm not sure I'm still up to it.  So this is an issue that needs to be resolved soon.  We'll probably decide this summer.  We'll see.

ZOOOOOOOM!

 Ah, the world of technology.  Virtual classrooms, Face time, conference videos.  It's the second best thing to actually being with someone or a group of people.  

My grand children have been using two particular platforms to do their distance learning.  One is called Google Classroom and the other is one I recently discovered.  It's called Zoom.  You can video chat with one or more people, together or separately.  They're both amazing.

I've been using Zoom to do my weekly discussion groups with a group of seniors in an assisted living home.  It can be done from anywhere with any computer, iPad or notebook that has an internet connection. 

The other thing I use Zoom for is to video chat with a group of former colleagues who are spread all over the country.  Six or seven of us got together recently and reconnected from the comfort of our homes.  

The part of  Zoom that I especially like beside the technical features is it's free for a 40 minute meeting.  More than that and you have to pay a monthly fee.  I find 40 minutes to be quite sufficient.

Can you imagine the fix we'd be in were it not for these technologies?  Schools and businesses would be completely shut down.  Some companies are thinking of continuing with this format even after the pandemic.  

Not so the schools.   Distance learning is no where near as effective as being in a classroom but it's definitely better than nothing.

Who knows what the future has in store for these kinds of technologies?  That's the challenge for our children and grand children.  For now I find Zoom  plenty challenging-and fun!

About those masks-part two

 Just recently Texas and Mississippi announced the removal of all restrictions previously in place during the pandemic.  Since then numerous other states have followed.

The most notable of the dispensed rules is the one requiring masks in spite of CDC and other health officials' recommendations.  The point is that just because we now have vaccines it is way too early to be letting down our guard.

My wife's niece who we are very fond of  lives in Texas and she recently shared an article on Facebook supporting the governor's decision.  I replied to the post that it was a mistake and the governor was very foolish to encourage irresponsible behavior.

Someone picked up on my comment and said he  didn't need government telling him what to do and because he got his vaccinations he has to reason to wear a mask.

Against my better judgement I  pointed out that he can still be a carrier and that a mask isn't to protect himself.  It's to protect others.  He responded that that was unproven and that there was no science behind it.  Others (all Texans) jumped on his bandwagon.

I went on to point out I can no longer have a reasonable conversation with someone who has chosen ignorance over knowledge and signed off.

And therein is the problem.  I don't like government telling me what to do any more than anyone else but when we have a country full of so many incredibly irresponsible and stupid people it's necessary to take extreme measures.  

I'm going to be watching the situation in those states that have opened up.  I'm willing to bet their positivity rates are going to increase a great deal. 

Hello, March!

 

About the Month of March

 

March is the 3rd month of the year and has 31 days.

Season (Northern Hemisphere): Spring

 

Holidays

Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Birthday)

Saint Patrick's Day

Pi Day

Daylight Saving Day

Women's History Month

National Nutrition Month

American Red Cross Month

Fire Prevention Month

 

Symbols of March

Birthstone: aquamarine and bloodstone

Flower: daffodil

Zodiac signs: Pisces and Aries

 

History: The name March comes from the Roman god of war, Mars. For many years, March, being the start of spring, was also the start of the New Year. Much of Europe used March as the start of the year.

Britain used March 25th as the beginning of the New Year until 1752. 

 

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.

Presenting Another Edition of ODDS & ENDS

 It's been a cold, snowy February so there are no major events to report but there are a few odds and ends that I've been kicking around.  Here they are:'

1. Socialism revisited.  Remember my post back on Dec. 10?  I straightened out the morons who don't understand the concept of socialism.  They are often the ones (read republicans) who say they wouldn't vote for a democrat because they hate socialism.  Anyway, it popped up on the news again the other day when a reporter was talking to some folks from Texas who were suffering from loss of electricity, heat and water.  They were mumbling something like where's the government when they need it.  Wait! Isn't that socialism?

As comedian Ron White says "Ya' can't fix stupid."

2. On a related note, those same people mentioned above are always grumbling about democrats and abortion.  Then they go on to suggest we're baby killers.  They miss the point completely.  For example I'm a democrat but I hate abortion.  Having said that I realize it's a woman's choice to decided what to do with her body-not my choice-or anyone else's.  That's the point-choice.  But again, you can't fix stupid.

3.  Continuing with the Texas disaster-this morning a woman was interviewed and sobbing that she just couldn't understand how we could do something so remarkable as put a rover on Mars yet not provide the state of Texas with electricity.  The journalist missed an opportunity to educate the woman.  The answer to her question is that the Mars mission was a scientific achievement.  The Texas disaster is the result of political (read republican) incompetence and greed.  Take a look at your corrupt U.S. Senator Ted Cruz!  Thank God he wasn't running the Mars mission.  The rover would have ended up in Aruba!

The dirtbag dodged another bullet!

 Two impeachments.  Two acquittals.  All thanks to a bunch of spineless cowards in the Senate.  Is Trump's base that strong that those morons in the house and senate  ignore the millions of republicans across the country who think Trump is a corrupt coward?

Apparently it is.  Polls show that Trump still enjoys the support of 80% of the republican party.  That's how far it has deteriorated.   

There was once a time when a republican congressman while having fundamental differences with democrats was still able to work effectively across the aisle.  Not any more.  Now they're not willing to do anything that is not in their own personal best interests.  The hell with the country.  

It's unfortunate but I suspect it will come back to bite them at some point.  For the time being the dems have control so all is well. 

The snow is pretty but.....

I shouldn't complain because this is winter in Connecticut so you get what you get-snow, ice, cold.  Normally I can handle all of them.  Between the snow blower, calcium chloride and salt and my wood stove I usually have everything covered.  It's when things go wrong that things can get ugly-fast.

For example this last snow storm was big enough for me to hire a snow plow to do the bulk of our driveway.  The problem is it doesn't usually get it wide enough and it usually leaves clumps of snow in all the wrong places.  I then go out with the blower and clean up.  

It doesn't end with the driveway though.  There's shoveling in front of the garage doors, in front of the mailbox, the sidewalk, clean up around the bird feeder, shovel around the generator, shovel a path to the propane tank and finally shovel a path to the woodpile and cleanup around it.  A lot of shoveling. 

While trying to snow blow a path to the wood pile after our last storm I pick up a chunk of wood and broke two shear pins on the blower.  OK, so now I have to fix them (which I did) so now I'm ready for today's storm.  

These are all little aggravations I could happily do without but it's winter so it is what it is.  And on a positive note-the days are definitely getting longer so spring is on its way!

Hello, February!

About the Month of February

Full Moon the 27^th

Symbols of February: Birthstone: Amethyst Flower: Primrose

February was added to the Roman calendar in 713 BC. The length of the month changed over time and, at one time, it had as few as 23 days. When Julius Caesar remade the Roman calendar, the month was assigned 28 days during normal years and 29 days during leap years which occurs every four years.

 

Chinese New Year

National Freedom Day

Groundhog Day

Valentine's Day

President's Day

Mardi Gras

Ash Wednesday

Black History Month

American Heart Month
Chocolate Lover's Month

National Bird Feeding Month

National Dental Month

 

Fun Facts about February

It is the shortest month of the year.

The Welsh call February "y mis bach" which means "little month".

It is the third month of winter. In the Southern Hemisphere

February is a summer month the equivalent of August.

The month is named for the Latin word februum which means purification.

Together with January, it was the last of the months added to the Roman calendar.

The largest American sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl, is held in February.

The Saxon term for the month, Sol-monath, means "cake month".

This is because they offered cakes to the gods during this month.

No News Is Good News

Isn't it nice to be able to get up in the morning and not be bombarded with a bunch of crude, misspelled tweets?  Things are actually, well, dull!  Biden has been busy undoing 4 years of damage while actually showing some leadership where the pandemic is concerned.  I think we're in for a pretty good ride.

Even the weather here in Connecticut has been relatively pleasant.  Oh, it's still winter. Don't worry about that but no big, crushing ice or snow storms and with the exception of today (Friday the 29th) the temps have been manageable.  Today it is in the teens and very windy so wind chill makes it below zero.  Plus February is apparently coming in right on cue-A nor'easter possible for Monday into Tuesday so we have a long way to go but I'll take what I can get.

I had my first COVID shot last week and am due for my second one Feb. 11th.  The side effects were minimal and it was with a minimum of hassle getting the shot at the local hospital.  Things are definitely looking up.

Be on the look out for my February calendar and almanac and don't forget to check out http://georgeswebpage.com.  Lots of good pictures which I plan to update soon.

Better Days Ahead! A Few Unrelated Observations.

1.  He's gone! Imagine my joy, sitting there watching Marine One fading off into the distance, never to carry the likes of that fat load on board again.  What a four years this has been! But it's over.  Now on to better things.

2.  I rec'd my first COVID vaccine shot yesterday.  I'm scheduled for my second shot on February 11th.  After that I can breathe a little easier.  Now it's just a matter of getting Sandi vaccinated.

3.  Here we are with 10 days left in January and Old Man Winter has been pretty kind to us so far.  Hope I haven't jinxed us.  As anyone who lives in New England knows, February can be a brutal month so we'll see.

4.  Wear a mask-whether or not you've been vaccinated. You could still be a carrier.

Enough Is Enough!

 Recent events should leave no doubt whatever in anyone's mind.  Donald Trump is an unhinged, deranged lunatic unfit to govern.  He needs to be removed now-not in 8 days-but now.  Impeach him.  

What good will that do, you ask?  It will prevent him from ever running for office again.  That's the goal.  He may even end up in jail given his level of corruption but that's a long shot.  For now, I'll settle for his being barred from ever holding a political office. 

It's Over.

 

Thirteen Traitors Come Forward

Tomorrow is January 6th.  It is among other things a day when there is to occur a very routine procedure in the Congress of the United States.  The Senate formally counts and accepts the Electoral College's votes.  It's been this way since 1790 when the United States adopted the constitution.

Not this year.  This year 12 republican senators and the sitting Vice President plan to challenge the results of the Electoral College.  The challenge will only result in some confusion and a slight delay in the inevitable, i.e. Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris will be officially president and vice president elects to be sworn in in two weeks.

It is my considered opinion that the actions of those 12 senators and the Vice president are tantamount to treason.  It is a concerted effort to undermine the Constitution and as a result nullify a legal and legitimate election.  

All of this is being done out of self interest.  Those 12 senators have their eyes on 2024 and they're betting Donald Trump will still be a powerful influence in the republican party.  They don't care one wit about their country or the democratic process.

The hell of it is there are a significant number of ordinary Americans who not only don't care, they applaud their efforts.  

How low we've become as a nation.  God help Biden and Harris.  They have an enormous job ahead of them.  Let's help them pull it off.

The following post was taken from Facebook.  I couldn't have said it better myself so I'm posting it here. I don't know who authored it so unfortunately I can't credit the person.