You Don't Know What The Vernal Equinox Is?

What DO they teach you in school today ...


Seriously, other than knowing today is the longest day of the year (read: the day with most daylight) I think you will survive without knowing today is also known as the spring equinox -- in fact, vernal is from the Latin word for spring -- and that an equinox occurs when the sun shines directly on the equator. Unless you've been sick, and ANY day can feel like the longest day of the year! But that was me and Martha a few days last week, that was Sarah and Jeffrey for the three days they were out of school and two days in with colds and fever going round, and this is now. The First Day of Spring.


We're back!


A high school prank gone really bad forces Michael Flynn to do community service at his school over the summer in Laura Moe's debut novel Breakfast With Neruda (ISBN 9781440592195). The character in the title refers to Chilean poet and Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda, whose poetry gets reintroduced to him by Shelly working the summer at school as well. And they meet over breakfast in some very unusual circumstances; let's put it this way, everybody has secrets to hide about their family ... and themselves. You'd think this is something we grow out of.


I DARE YOU!


Five years before the 1936 publication of How to Win Friends and Influence People, this book (ISBN 0960241604, 33rd edition) by William H. Danforth, the founder of the Ralston Purina Company emphasizes not only the importance of continuing to do greater things every day to improve yourself but also to keep one's life in balance, what Danforth calls four-square. Each equal side of the square is intended to represent your physical, mental, social, and religious aspects and it's important to keep them all in balance on your "checker".


I can't see that without thinking of General Rieekan from The Empire Strikes Back.


This weekend outside of getting to church Sunday morning (would you be surprised to find out there are times I really don't want to go? That's when I need to the most.) we tried to stay in as much as possible. Oh, I went for a walk Saturday afternoon in Town and Country Mall while the kids waited around when they couldn't keep up, and I've been using the exercise bike we got for $20 a few weeks ago -- it was a demo model, hence the low price! -- to build up endurance, and we got invited to Oak Park Theater's Sunday afternoon showing of Moana by Mary and Josceline.


The day is long, and I am short of words right now.


David