February: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

T.S. Eliot was wrong. April is not the cruelest month. February gets that honor in my book. Here in Ohio, February is usually when real winter usually sets in, with all the snow, ice, wind and grey skies typically associated with "winter". Except for a couple of days where the clouds part and temperatures can soar into the upper sixties just long enough to seduce trees into bud, forsythia into bloom and delicate little crocuses and grape hyacinths to peek through the earth. Of course, the temperature then takes a nose dive and all but the hardiest green living things survive. Now THAT is cruel.

February also has Valentine's Day. Now, I was never a popular child in school and most of my adult life has been spent as a solo act, so Valentine's Day has no special meaning for me. My dad still sends me a card, though, which I do appreciate. I know it is something I will miss when he is gone because even after nearly 10 years I still miss getting a card or some small gift from my mom. I've gotten over resenting Mother's Day (not being a mother myself, once my mom died, I felt excluded and resentful of all those Mother's Day cards for several years), but I still hold a grudge on Valentine's Day because it's one of those days when I just miss my mommy. Childish, I know, but it is what it is. I do know that lots of people love me, and I usually try to do something special for myself that day.

People tend to be a bit more impatient and cranky this time of year. After all, the holidays are over, the bills are due, and most of us don't have much time off to look forward to until about Memorial Day, unless you work in government and get MLK Day and President's Day off. And everyone is ready to put away the winter coats, hats, glove, snow shovels and ice scrapers.

President's Day is not as much fun as in my grade school days, when you got to devote TWO days to presidents. You spent part of George Washington's birthday making a black construction paper silhouette out of him and eating cherry pie and then you got to make a silhouette of Abraham Lincoln and listen to The Gettysburg Address. Nobody else mattered. Not even FDR, Ike or JFK. Certainly not LBJ or Tricky Dick.

February DOES have some fine things, though. I love Groundhog Day. It is my February holiday of choice, and I usually make a big deal out of it. I know what Punxsutawney Phil predicts (and I consider him the most official groundhog out there; Buckeye Chuck is just a pretender to the crown. Or would that be "stump"???) and have been known to make "Groundhog Pudding" (it's the Oreo flowerpot pudding recipe, but I put little dragee "eyes" and a cinnamon redhot "nose" on coconut haystack "groundhogs" and have the groundhogs coming up out the Oreo "dirt"). I usually like to wear something brown, too. Groundhog color, you know?

In addition to being a mercifully SHORT month, February is also the month that they hold the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. This year, the finals will be held on Valentine's Day, which makes it okay in my book. I have to work on the 13th, so I won't see the show that night, but as long as they don't judge the hounds (I have to see both sizes of those cute beagles, even if I *do* think that Dogzilla in his prime had them all beat for sheer handsomeness!), I'm planning to enjoy the second night. I'm getting some champagne, I think, this year to make it special. I do love watching all those dogs. I am not so crazy about the plethora of poodles (although I've seen standards minus the show cut, and they are quite agreeable dogs) and most of the toy breeds (aka "slippers with attitude"), but I always enjoy watching to see who winds up best in show. February is also the month when spring training begins!!! Pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 16, and opening day is my Tribe vs. the ChiSox on April 2 in Chicago.

They run the Daytona 500 on Feb 19, to. I'm going to have to open that day, so I won't be able to go to my brother's annual Daytona party (besides, it is the day after his birthday this year, and I am not sure how my baby brother got to be 46 years old!!!), but I am going to watch anyhow, so I'll be with everyone at Mark's in spirit. I'll have to call to be sure they pull a driver's name for me to be in the pool, too! I hope it's someone I at least like. I'll miss watching Mark's Parade o'Shirts, though. Usually starts out with one of his Bobby Labonte shirts, and goes through Junior, Dale, Sr. and finally, depending on how things are going, winds up wearing "Anybody but Jeff Gordon".

The ugly about February? Well, the weather. The collective case of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) that affects most people. Even the groundhog is not what you'd call a handsome beastie. Stubborn they are, but handsome? Nah.

So that is the good, the bad and the ugly about February. I think I will get some kiddie Valentines, just to give everyone a giggle. We could all use it, eh???