Thanksgiving is just around the corner, encouraging us to gather with friends and family, enjoy a festive banquet, and reflect upon the Pilgrims and this quintessentially American holiday. As any school kid knows, the Pilgrims made landfall in 1620 at Plymouth Rock, near what is now Boston. It’s said that they fled Europe because of religious persecution. That’s true in part, but that’s not the only reason this hardy band of adventurers made that arduous journey. Just as important was their desire to acquire their own…real estate. That’s right....
ReadThe holiday season finally wrapped, with traditional gift giving, partying and good will to all. And, it leads up to the event we all just celebrated together, the New Year. Hats, horns, champagne and Auld Lang Syne marked New Year’s Eve throughout America, while elsewhere, different cultures added their own customs to the end of the old year and the start of the new....
ReadDid you know? What can you say about a month that begins with a burrowing rodent delivering a weather forecast, moves on to a sentimental holiday featuring hearts and flowers, then just surrenders and ends days short of any other month?...
ReadIn case you recently returned from a space flight to Alpha Centauri, please note that March Madness is once again fast approaching. This madness has nothing to do with cows, although it does appear to be contagious. In fact, between March 18 and April 7 you will have a hard time avoiding it, particularly if you watch TV or glance at the sports page of the newspaper....
ReadOgden Nash, the bard of light verse, once wrote: Indoors or out, no one relaxes In March, that month of wind and taxes, The wind will presently disappear, The taxes last us all the year....
ReadWhen I was thinking about a message for this month, I was somewhat troubled. Some months have strong identities. For example, who doesn't think of June moons and June brides? But, what the heck does May have going for it? As I contemplated this quandary, I remembered that that, in Southern California at least, May 5th – Cinco de Mayo – is a pretty big deal. Even people named O’Leary and Johansson celebrate it. ...
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