Dear George,
Most years March is my
seventh or eighth favorite month. This year, though, it’s already moved
up to number one. That’s because March is such an abrupt transition from
our dismally harsh winter. In just a few days subzero temperatures have
been replaced to highs in the 60s. The thick layer of ice which covered
our sidewalks and made dogwalking a hazard has completely evaporated.
Best of all Daylight Savings Time has arrived, providing daylight up till
almost eight o’clock. Now we actually can see ourselves surviving through
2015. Here are some things about
the month of March that are particularly noteworthy.
March’s name: March, of course, is named after Mars, the Roman god
of war. Martius (in Latin) was the first month of the early Roman
calendar, and it was the beginning of the season for both farming and
warfare. Many societies still celebrate the beginning of the New Year in
March. (12) (note: numbers in parentheses refer to sources at end)
The Vernal
Equinox: This year the Vernal
Equinox will occur on March 20 in the Northern hemisphere. This is the
date upon which the day and the night are the same 12-hour length. It also happens in some years on March
19 or March 21. (6)
March quotes:
- “Our life is March weather, savage and serene in
one hour.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
- “The stormy March has come at last, With wind,
and cloud, and changing skies; I heard the rushing of the blast, That
through the snowy valley flies.”
(William Cullen Bryant)
- “It was one of those March days when the sun
shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and
winter in the shade.” (Charles Dickens)
- “One swallow does not make a summer, but one
skein of geese, cleaving the murk of March thaw, is the Spring.” (Aldo Leopold)
- “Beware the ides of March.” (William Shakespeare "Julius Caesar") (2) (5) (10)
March Calamities:
- Mar. 6, 1836: Fort Alamo fell to the
Mexican troops.
- Mar. 12, 1928: The Nazis invaded Austria.
- Mar. 15, 44 B.C.: Julius Caesar was
assassinated in the Senate chamber in Rome by Brutus and fellow
conspirators.
- Mar. 16, 1968: The My Lai Massacre occurred
in Vietnam.
- Mar. 24, 1989: The Exxon Valdez oil spill
occurred off the coast of Alaska.
- Mar. 25, 1911: The Triangle Shirtwaist Co.
fire on Manhattan’s Lower East Side killed 123 young women and 23 men.
- Mar. 27, 1964: The biggest earthquake in
recorded history (8.3 on the Richter scale) hit Anchorage, Alaska.
- Mar. 28, 1979: The Three Mile Island nuclear power plant accident occurred in Middletown, PA. (7, 8)
March could be called
“Katja’s month”: I never
realized it before doing this research, but March has special significance for
Katja. This is because she has been a social worker who specialized in
visual impairments, a former French teacher, a 1960’s (and beyond) feminist, a
music lover, an aspiring poetess, and the daughter of a dietician. Thus,
it’s no surprise that March observances and holidays include:
- National Professional Social Work Month
- Workplace Eye Wellness Month
- National Eye Donor Month
- International Francophone Month
- UN French Language Day (Mar. 20)
- Women’s History Month
- International Women’s Day (Mar. 8)
- Music in our Schools Month
- World Poetry Day (Mar. 21)
- National Nutrition Month (3, 12)
Saints Days in March:
- Saint David’s Day in Wales (Mar. 1): Saint David,
a 6th century teacher and ascetic who founded a Celtic monastic community
in Wales, was recognized as a national patron saint during Welsh
resistance to the Normans. Every March 1 Welsh people make
gingerbread figures of a Welshman riding a goat.
- Saint Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17): Saint Patrick, the
patron saint of Ireland, is credited with converting the pagan Irish to
Christianity in the 5th century. (12)
Pi
Day, March 14: Pi, as we remember from high school
geometry, is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter
(3.141592653...). Pi Day is
celebrated on March 14 (since 3-14 are the first 3 digits of Pi). This year is special because 3-14-15
are the first five digits of Pi.
If you happened to remember to celebrate at 9:26 and 53 seconds (AM or
PM) on 3-14-15, those were supercalifragilistic Pi moments since they covered
the 10 first digits of Pi (3141592653).
That won't happen again for 100 years. (12)
Stupidest March
Political Moment in Recorded History: U.S. Senators who wrote Ayatollah
Khomeini and other Iranian leaders on March 9, 2015, warning against
negotiating with President Obama.
Signers included Tom Cotton (R, AK), Mitch McConnell (R, KY), John
McCain (R, AZ), John Cornyn (R, TX), Marco Rubio (R, FL), Rand Paul (R, KY),
Lindsey Graham (R, SC), Ted Cruz (R, TX), Rob Portman (R, OH), and 38 lesser
known R’s.
"March
Madness" Men's Div. 1 Basketball Champions:
- 2014: Connecticut
def. Kentucky, 60-54
- 2013: Louisville def. Michigan, 82-76
- 2012: Kentucky def. Kansas, 67-59
- 2011: Connecticut def. Butler, 53-41
- 2010: Duke def. Butler, 61-59
- 2009: North Carolina def. Michigan State, 89-72
- 2008: Kansas def. Memphis, 75-68
- 2007: Florida def. Ohio State, 84-75 (12)
The Original March
Madness: Long before the NCAA
basketball tournament, “March madness” referred to crazy behavior during the
breeding season of the European hare. While hares are generally nocturnal
animals, in the springtime they chase one another in broad daylight in a frenzy
around fields and meadows. Females can be seen striking males with their
paws as they show that they’re not ready to mate or are testing the male’s
persistence When the female finally does get ready, she races around the
countryside until only the fittest and most dominant male is left to trip the
light fantastic. Virtually all female hares become pregnant in March and
April, giving birth to three or more infants after six weeks. (12)
Wildflowers that bloom in
March in Southwest Ohio: Crocus,
Pepper and Salt, Snow Drops, Spring Cress, White Trout Lily, Bloodroot,
Marigold, Hairy Bittercress, Common Chickweed, String Beauty, Cut Leafed
Toothwort, Rue Anemone, Ground Ivy, Purple Dead Nettle, Kidney-leafed Buttercup,
Bird's-Eye Speedwell, Sessile Trillium, Sharp-Lobed Hepatica, Coltsfoot, Common
Blue Violet. (1, 11)
Menominee Michigan
Weather in March: Menominee
typically gets about 10 inches of snow in March (the third snowiest month of
the year); is sunny on 52% of its days; gets about 2.5 inches of rain (sixth
rainiest month; June is highest); and has an average temperature of 30 degrees,
an average high of 39, and an average low of 21. (4)
Cincinnati Weather in
March: Cincinnati typically
gets about 4.5 inches of snow in March (the fourth snowiest month of the year),
has an average temperature of 42 degrees.
(4)
March in my childhood
(1946-49): The ice on the Menominee
River melts and breaks up in late March or early April. My parents named
it "Chinese Bells Day" because of the wonderful tinkling
sounds. We made our last snowmen of the year in March, and we started
winding down on indoor fireplace fires.
I had to spend less time shoveling our 100-yard driveway. Before the county blacktopped Riverside
Boulevard, the melting ice and snow in March created deep muddy ruts on the
road to our house, and we'd usually get several days off from school because
the road was impassable.
March 2015 at our house
on Ludlow Ave.: Because of warmer temperatures and
Daylight Savings Time, I walk the dogs a lot more. Katja and Donna are talking about a trip abroad. I was thrilled to return to line
dancing and fitness center workouts after five weeks off for fractured ribs. We
registered for spring quarter OLLI courses, including poetry writing and Life
in Ancient Greece and Rome. We
cried at Cinderella. The senior
citizen sheepdogs, with a little help, are hanging in there. All in all, life is good.
Love,
Dave
SOURCES:
(3) www.brownielocks.com, “March”; (4) www.city-data.com, "Menominee, Michigan"; “Cincinnati, Ohio”; (5) www.corsinet.com, “Brain Candy Quotations: Months”; 2015”; (6) www.thefreeresource.com, “March Fun Facts”; (7) www.historyuplace.com, “This Month in History: March”; (8) www.holidayinsightsd.com, “This Month in History – March”; (9) www.infoplease.com,
"March 2015 Current Events"; (10) www.thinkexist.com, “March quotes”; (11) www.trekohio.com,
“Common Spring Wildflowers in Ohio”; (12) www.wikipedia.org
G-mail Comments
-Donna D
(3-16): Fantastic!
No comments:
Post a Comment