FEBRUARY 29TH!

Do you call this Leap Day? Some folks do.

This is the day added to the calendar to make up for the nearly 6 hours accumulated each year and in four years, that makes another (almost) full day; so that there are not 365 days, but 366. If you want a more in-depth discussion and explanation, google "leap year" and read all about it.

I always think of February 29th as an extra day, a special day, an unplanned day. It's a bonus we get for slogging through the previous three years of 365 days (plus those extra hours that make an extra day). It's actually much more complicated than that, so I recommend you do the above google search.

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So! What am I going to do with my bonus day? Wow, so many possibilities! Here are a few:

• I just checked out 2 new Anne Hillerman books from the library, #6 and #7 in the Leaphorn-Chee-Manuelito series of mysteries. Started Book #6 the day I got it from the library, so I could continue with that. Might even finish it during my bonus day.
• I'm publishing this post, since Feb. 29th is a Thursday this year. But I do that every Thursday, so even though it's a special event, it isn't really an extra-special event.
• There's always a creative project waiting to be finished:
• paintings planned or started
• quilt tops waiting for the batting and backing to make them into covers for somebody to snuggle under
• characters struggling to find their story (I've noticed they keep wandering around, like they're lost; but maybe they're just finding their places, and if they finally get settled, the rest of the story can take off. We'll see.)
• I'm behind in letter writing; and even when there's no birthday card to send, I like to put a few thoughts together in a blank card. Getting personal mail (ads and such things don't count, do they) has always been a big deal for me; I'm trusting it's the same for other folks.

What I'm NOT going to do:

• clean my house (there are 365 other days for that)
• go shopping (definitely not my thing, unless I'm looking for art supplies, and even then I shop online at a couple of vendors' sites I like)
• sort boxes of papers that have languished in the garage for more months than I like to think about--or even care about

One disadvantage for Leap Day--this time it's a week day. Nobody has lobbied for it to become one of the Monday-observance holidays. And the problem with a week day is, this is probably a work day. Even if you're retired, like some of us, it's still a week day and stores are open, the bank's open, the library, court house--if you're of a mind to do some errands, you'll have no problem.

I will close with this thought: I'm glad my birthday wasn't/isn't February 29th. I can't imagine--can you?--not having a birthday celebration every year? Having to wait three more years before the proper number of days have elapsed and those 23+ hours have accumulated to give us the 29th of February? What do those folks do--celebrate a day early? A day late? Not at all?

I won't even open the subject of those folks who opt to get married on Feb. 29th. I wish them well.

Next time we meet, it'll be March--Daylight Savings Time will be looming in our neck of the woods--and who knows? We may have 60-degree weather! Or snow!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child

Resurrection Lilies
Leaves already up!

 3 WEEKS + 5 DAYS

Think you can make it?  In 3 weeks plus 5 days we'll have the Vernal Equinox, March 19th--and that, folks, marks the beginning of SPRING!

Here's some intel from The Farmer's Almanac online:

• Equinoxes are the only two times yearly when the Sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth!

• Get outside! Look around. Are worms and grubs reappearing? (The March Full Moon is called the "Worm Moon" for this very reason!)

• Watch the arc of the Sun across the sky as it shifts toward the north. Birds are migrating northward, along with the path of the Sun.

• Are you noticing that the days are getting longer? Did you know that the increasing sunlight inspires birds to sing? Cool, eh?

• Are daffodils poking up their heads? Trees, shrubs, and flowers are sensitive to temperature and day length, too! Since ancient days, people have used natural events as indicators of when the weather is right for planting. For example: Blooming crocus are your cue to plant radishes, parsnips, and spinach.

• Can you feel the Sun getting stronger? The longer days bring high temperatures. Both we and the animals around us discard our warm clothes and heavy coats!

• Do you plan to garden? The first day of spring is a traditional day to start in the garden! There’s nothing more restorative! 

• Are you craving fresh foods after a long winter? A Spring Tonic, using the early greens of spring, may be just the thing you need! Also, find some new fresh vegetables using what’s fresh and seasonal!

Many thanks, Farmer's Almanac, for all the helpful and cheerful information!!

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We all know--from bitter experience, if we're over the age of ten--that the arrival of Spring doesn't mean there'll be no more snow/ice/fog/slippery roads and sidewalks. But we do know there'll be more color in the landscape, and occasional warm breezes, and if we look in a mirror now and then, we'll see our lips are curved up instead of down.

So let's hear it for Spring!

Remember, 3 weeks + 5 days . . . you can do this!

Blessings,

Thursday's Child

 MORE GLEANINGS....

In past years I've shared some of my "gleanings," those phrases and ideas and concepts that struck me as noteworthy and might appeal to others folks also.

Today, just past the middle of February, I'm in the crowd that's agitating for Spring! I do know that it'll come when it comes. But, really--isn't it nice to have something to cheer for?

I'm not a fan of any sport, though in my day I've held down the bleachers for my kids' events. But I do sense a need to have something to get excited about. (This may just be a fancy way of describing Hope, one of my favorite things.)

So today's gleanings are on the light side. You know, if you have a case of the grumps that you can't get rid of, somebody else's wit or humor might just shift your attitude a few millimeters.

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Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Mark Twain

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. Abraham Lincoln

Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. Mark Twain

I may be drunk, Miss, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly. Winston Churchill

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen. Albert Einstein

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. Jim Carrey

Always remember you are absolutely unique. Just like everybody else. Margaret Mead

People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do. Isaac Asimov

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. Groucho Marx

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Did you get a chuckle or two? Or maybe a little smile tugging at the corners of your mouth? Well, good! You're on your way to having a good day. Oh, you got a growl? All right! Go with that. And have a better day because you got it out of you early on.

Until next time, have a blessed week.

Thursday's Child

It's on the way!

 VALENTINE'S DAY - 2024 

[This post appeared five years ago--I can't think of one thing to add.]

VALENTINE’S DAY AND THOUGHTS ON LOVE

W

hether it was a little candy heart that said “I LUV U” or a big box of chocolates, Valentine’s Day comes with memories and smiles.

Here are some quotations I came across. Hope you find something to touch your heart on this day we celebrate Love.

Love is a friendship set to music.

Joseph Campbell

The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.

When mindfulness embraces those we love,

they will bloom like flowers.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without

and know we cannot live within.

James Baldwin

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply,

without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know

any other way of loving but this,

in which there is no I or you, so intimate that

your hand upon my chest is my hand,

so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.

Pablo Neruda

love is the voice under all silences,

the hope which has no opposite in fear,

the strength so strong mere force is feebleness:

the truth more first than sun,

more last than star . . .

e e cummings

You know you're in love when you don't want to fall asleep

because reality is finally better than

your dreams.

Dr. Seuss

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,

it is not proud.

It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts,

always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails.

..............

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:4-13

Happy Valentine's Day!



from Thursday's Child

  A NEW WORD FOR A NEW YEAR

[I realize we're now into the second month of 2024, but it's still a NEW year, right? So in case you got sidetracked in January and didn't have time to do a little personal work, here's your second chance.]

The tradition of choosing a personal Word to Live By has probably been around since Moses was a pup. But it got a new lease on life a few years back (I covered that a couple of years ago so I won't go into it again)--now it's by way of becoming a tradition as firmly established as New Year's Resolutions. I do hope choosing a word won't fall into disrepute, though; resolutions have gotten a bad rep and though people try to refurbish them, dust them down, and call them something else, like Intentions or Goals, they still have a little of the old taint about them.

So, forget Resolutions, Intentions, and Goals. Pick your Word.

Go ahead, pick one. If you don't think it'll work, put it back in the pile and select another one. There are no rules when you're playing this hand. 

Here are some to consider:

LOVE - as in, love God; love your neighbor; love yourself

ACCEPT - think St. Francis--accept the things you cannot change

PEACE - a longing many of us have--peace in the world, peace in our lives, peace in our souls

JOY - where has all the Joy gone? Let's do a treasure hunt and find it. Then we can embrace it and allow it to fill our lives, give it away, spread it around.

BELIEVE - this has come to be a biggie over the past few years--Believe is on every pillow, wall hanging, and tea towel, not to mention tee-shirts, doggie sweaters, and soap. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Also, believe in yourself--and in your family--and in your neighbors--and . . . .

THINK - thinking is a great DIY project to start at the new year--amazing what kind of thing you can make using your imagination and the brain cells you already have on hand.

CREATE - your choice--something physical (like a painting, a poem, a set of shelves), something intangible (like space for new ideas in your life, ways to keep in touch with others during difficult times); something for others, something for yourself

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There you have it--seven words. Feel free to take one, pass them along; or find your own. Mine isn't the only deck to work with.

I'll give the final word to Mother Theresa:

     "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."

Blessings for a new year!

Thursday's Child