Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil ignores the experts
Groundhogs have been said to predict spring weather for hundreds of years, but Punxsutawney Phil (and his predecessors) has been doing it professionally…
Category: Seasonal
Presidents’ Day is Feb. 20: George Washington: A leader and more
On Feb. 20, Presidents’ Day, we mark the 292nd birthday of George Washington, the first president of the United States. No American has been more…
On Valentine’s Day, beware of lovers bearing potions
In the “be careful what you ask for” category, consider the love-lorn Welsh maiden, Dwyn. Dwyn was a fifth century teenager inclined to romance. She was…
Who sent the first Valentine?
The first Valentine card that was decorated and poetic is attributed to the imprisoned Charles, Duke of Orleans, in 1415. He eased the pain of…
Bad ideas for Valentine’s Day
* Don’t give the same Valentine you gave last year. * Don’t buy a size too big. When in doubt, buy smaller. * Don’t forget your wallet for that romantic…
Love in bloom
When we give flowers on Valentine’s Day, we follow a tradition that dates back thousands of years. Folklore tells us, for example, that when Cleopatra…
Cupid and Valentine’s Day
How did Cupid come to be associated with Valentine’s Day and cards? Cupid, represented by a cherub armed with arrows dipped in a love potion, is a figure…
Why X stands for a kiss and why it is disappearing
During the Middle Ages, few people could read and even fewer coul write. On occasion, however, they had to sign an important paper. In this case they…
The power of visualization
In Creating a Champion, Vol. 12, No. 2, Jackie Joyner-Kersee says: I visualize myself being successful. I see it and it’s up to me to perform it. Once I’m…
Ranch dogs show their courage and energy
This month, one dog will win the $5,000 prize in one of the dog world’s more obscure contests (certainly not the glamorous Westminster) — the Farm Dog of…