Let's Say It Again

February has a special meaning to us around here being at the same time the anniversary of Brigitte’s birth (1st), our marriage (3rd), and my “coming to adulthood”—that day, for me, being marked by entering the U.S. Army on February 21. My second day in the Army was a day off—so that I could laze around and get used to my shaven head. Back in those days February 22nd was a National Holiday, Washington’s Birthday. Year after year, thereafter, a holiday reminded me of that anniversary—until, in 1971, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act created Presidents’ Day and moved it to the third Monday of February. Pragmatism triumphs over history.

Not Until Friday

George Washington was born on February 22. It was the second national holiday I myself noted consciously, after July 4. I’d entered the Army on February 21, and my second day was already a day off!! That sticks in the mind. Congress established Washington’s Birthday as a national holiday in 1879, celebrated on the day. In 1971 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act and moved this day to the third Monday in February. I entered the Army in 1956 and thus escaped this revision. Lincoln having been born in February as well (the 12th), calendar makers call this Presidents’ Day. But the official name remains Washington’s Birthday, which it isn’t really. All these Monday holidays (Washington’s, Memorial, Columbus’, Veterans, and later Martin Luther King’s) might be uniformly named Three-Day-Weekend days. The public likes it—so do the banks. The last time Washington’s actual birthday fell on a Monday was in 2010; alas it was the fourth Monday, not the third.

Month of Beginnings

For us here “locally” February is the month of beginnings. Brigitte was born this day. On Friday we celebrate the anniversary of our marriage. My genuine entrance into adulthood began when I entered the U.S. Army and left home, which happened on February 21. Back in those days the nation still celebrated Washington’s birthday on the actual date of his birth, February 22. Thus I got my uniforms, had my head shaved, and polished my new boots on my first day, and the second was already a day off. I thought: This is starting out Ok. Then I went to look at myself in the mirror again; I had to get used to my new look. This blog also began in February—and sure enough its first post is titled “Orienting Ourselves in Time.”