My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter.
-Thomas Helm
Welcome back to the Village Book Shop Glendora blog. Our blog will be taking on a new format in the coming weeks and months as will other aspects of our online existence.
We are beginning the process of building a new website and improving our social media presence. This will be a gradual process. We appreciate your patience and support and are open to suggestions and voluntary assistance.
To learn more about Groundhogs and Groundhog Day visit Scholastic’s website.
Today, February 2nd, is Ground Hog Day. The biggest Groundhog Day celebration is in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Crowds as large as forty thousand have gathered to celebrate the holiday and this celebration has been happening since at least 1841.
Groundhog Day organizers claim that the rodents’ forecasts are accurate as much as 90% of the time but independent studies have found that the actual accuracy is less than 40%.
The legend goes that if the groundhog sees his shadow, meaning it’s a sunny morning, then there will be six more weeks of winter and the groundhog returns to his den for more sleep. However, if he does not see his shadow, meaning it is a cloudy day, then he plays around outside because spring is just around the corner.
The tradition has German roots. Germans immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania brought it with them. It is based upon Candlemas, the day that is the midpoint between Winter and Spring.
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. “Big Bopper” Richardson and their pilot, Roger Peterson died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959
Tomorrow, Monday, February 3rd, is known as The Day the Music Died. On February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash at the height of their popularity.
The name of the day is from the Don McLean song “American Pie”.
The investigation later determined that a combination of poor weather and pilot error caused spatial disorientation that made the pilot Roger Peterson lose control of the plane soon after take-off.
Holly’s pregnant wife heard of her husband of six-months death on television. She miscarried the following day, which was attributed to “psychological trauma” which led to a policy by authorities against announcing the names of victims until after the families have been informed.
Take time this week to thank your mail carrier.
Thank a Mailman Day is this Tuesday, February 4th. This is your chance to thank the person who delivers your mail and remember how important mail carriers are to our everyday lives.
The Second Continental Congress established the Constitutional Post in 1775. This was the first organized mail service in America.
Benjamin Franklin was the nation’s first Postmaster General. Many of the conventions we are accustomed to today such as a standardized rate chart based on weight and distance were established by him.
Before 1847, when the stamp was invented, the sender could either pay the postage in advance or leave it for the recipient to pay upon delivery.
A popular film, The Postman, starring Kevin Costner trying to restore the postal service despite the apocalypse, was loosely based on David Brin’s book of the same name.
On Wednesday, February 5th, we celebrate Weatherperson’s Day, commemorating the birth of John Jeffries who was one of American’s first weathermen. He was born on February 5, 1744 and began keeping daily weather records in Boston in 1774 and continued to do so until 1816.
This day honors the people who work in the fields of meteorology, weather forecasting, broadcast meteorology and the volunteer storm spotters and observers.
The Polar Bear, the European Hare and the Amur Leopard were chosen as the games mascots.
The Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony will occur this Friday, February 7th. The 2014 Winter Olympics are officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games and are scheduled to take place from February 6th-23rd in Sochi, Russia.
There will be 98 events in 15 winter sport disciples.
The USSR was the host nation for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and this will be the first Olympics held in the Russian Federation since the breakup of the USSR.
Sochi will be the warmest city to have hosted a Winter Olympic Games. The average temperature is 42.8F with a humid subtropical climate.
On February 6, 1933, the 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, which addressed presidential succession. It reduced the amount of time between Election Day and the beginning of Presidential, Vice Presidential and Congressional terms.
Thursday, February 6th is Lame Duck Day. This is a day set aside to recognize people whose tenure in a position is running out.
The best example of a Lame Duck is an incumbent politician who lost in the November elections but then remain in office until January but can also apply to leaders who are retiring or whose term of office is ending. A Lame Duck is usually far less effective or even ineffective during the interim period.
Visit the official Boy Scouts of America Website
Saturday, February 8th is Boy Scouts Day, which celebrates the birthday of Scouting in America. William Dickson Boyce, a Chicago publisher, filed incorporation papers in the District of Columbia on February 8, 1910 which created the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scout motto is “Do a good turn daily.” The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth related organizations in America. Over 110 million Americans have been part of the Boy Scout Club since its inception in 1910. The main goal of the Boy Scouts of America is to train involved youth in self-reliance and to help them build their character.
February is National Weddings Month. Not a lot of weddings happen in February but it is prime time to get the last minute preparations done for the wedding season.
There are more than 2.5 million weddings celebrated in the United States each year.
Tidbitfun.com has a list of wedding trivia you may find interesting:
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- The average American engagement lasts 16 months.
- The average engagement ring costs $4,411.
- The most popular months for weddings are (in order): June, August, September, October and May.
- 80% of weddings are performed in churches or synagogues.
- 175 guests are invited to an average wedding.
- The top wedding destinations are Las Vegas (100,000 weddings/year) and Hawaii (25,000 weddings/year).
- The average age for a first-time bride is 27; for a groom it’s 29.
- The average wedding has 5 bridesmaids and 5 groomsmen.
- The average amount spent on a bridal gown is $800. • 99% of newlyweds take a honeymoon.
- The average honeymoon vacation lasts one week. • 69% of engaged couples have known each other longer than 3 years.
- 64% of couples live together before marriage.
- There is a 43% chance of a marriage ending in divorce.
- 60% of brides change their surnames.
- 67% of women continue to wear the same fragrance they wore on their wedding day.
A Google search found a blog that may be of interest to fans of creative romance.
February is also Creative Romance Month. This month encourages people to find creative ways to add romance to their lives. Check out our selection of romance novels on Amazon.
Check out brainz.org for a list of 75 Great Black History Month Quotes
February is Black History Month, which is also known as African-American History Month, honors the history and contributions of African Americans.
This year’s theme is “Civil Rights in America”.
This observance began in 1926 as part of an imitative by writer and educator Dr. Carter G. Woodson when he launched Negro History Week. He chose the second week of February, the time between the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Every American president has proclaimed February as Black History Month since 1976.
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