Leap Day, Celebrating Quirks

Thirty days have September, April, June, and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except February, which has twenty-eight or twenty-nine. So goes the days-of-the-month memory jingle. I could never understand why the ancient Gregorians didn't just take the surplus days from January and March and give them to February. Even things out. I guess they were too busy gazing at the moon.

February is a quirk of the calendar, not only missing days other months have, but materializing an extra day every four years. Greeks believe it is bad luck to marry in a leap year. And a tradition that dates back to 5th century Ireland says that women may propose marriage to men on February 29th.

On this odd day, I thought it might be fun to share our quirks. Here's mine: When I'm home, I always keep my Bible within reach. Why? Because of all the earthquakes here. I figured the Bible would sustain me if I ever got trapped under rubble. Another quirk of mine is that I always have to get a drink of water and go to the toilet right before I leave the house. I believe my mother ingrained this in me from earliest childhood. My actions are almost robotic. Oh, and keeping yourself properly hydrated comes in handy in case of an earthquake too. Trapped earthquake victims, who survive the falling debris, often die of dehydration.

Okay, on that cheerful note, let's hear about your quirks.

photo by L. Trecroce