Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap Day :)

Well, today is the last day of February and the day is creating a quite a stir because it is Leap Day, the 29th.  This day only occurs in years divisible by the number 4 and makes our year have 366 days instead of 365.  So if you are hoping 2012 is better than 2011, you have one more day in which to enjoy the year.


And trivia abounds...an old Irish legend says that St. Bridget struck a deal with St. Patrick (who gave the saints this authority, I want to know) and women were allowed to propose to men on this day, and only on this day.  An old tradition held that if the man refused, he was to pay the woman money or buy her a gown.  In mainland Europe's upper class society, if the man refused, he was to pay the woman twelve pairs of gloves!  Okay....I'm sure there is a reason for this, although who even goes through that many pairs in a lifetime!  The reason being...the gloves were to hide the embarrassment of not wearing an engagement ring.  I guess you could wear a different pair each day.  Hopefully, though you would not wear the gloves out and certainly become engaged before that happened!!  (Might not be so bad if you were given a variety...leather, cashmere, sheepskin....)


Well, ladies, if you do risk it and follow the legend....and ask that special guy to marry you...and he refuses (and gives you a reeeeeeally goooood reason), you could ask for a pair of nice leather gloves to compensate for the embarrassment and then wait until 2016 and try again :)


Sorry, I have been a bit lax lately in writing on my blog.  I let details rule my life sometimes and don't sit down and write.  I plan to...I will....I promise....I am actually taking a 12-week online instructional course on improving your blogging (whoever thought that would be a course....and the verb blogging....hmmm); and I have been reading some great books on writing.  So if I can pull away from the reading and my photography class (which by the way is in it's final week)....you will hear from me more often, I assure you!  


Well, as we say good-bye to February and hello to March, may your days be filled with joy, peace and weather which doesn't require the wearing of gloves!




(photo courtesy Bryant Arnold/cartoonist)

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