June 2009
Obscure Words
Did you know.
That the plastic things at the end of shoelaces are correctly referred to as aglets?
That there are no male ducks- the males of the species are called drakes.
That the thin line of cloud that forms behind an aircraft at high altitudes actually has a name- it is called a contrail.
That the back of the hand is actually called the opisthenar?
That the white part of your fingernail is called the lunula?
That people who study fish are called ichthyologists?
That a pintle is the pin that holds a hinge together?
That the small cup in which you are served espresso is called a demitasse?
That people who cannot smell suffer from anosmia?
That people who chase after rare birds are called twitchers?
May 2009
Did you know that Victoria Day is celebrated in Canada on the last Monday before or on May 24, not the Monday closest to that date? This means that Victoria Day 2009 will be celebrated as early in the year as possible- Monday May 18.
This holiday was created to celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday as well as the birthday of the current reigning Canadian sovereign. It also hails the beginning of summer- hurray! This three day weekend will see many of us planting our gardens, opening our cottages and pulling out the lawn furniture that we stuffed into the garage in the fall. It marks the first official weekend for camping- rain or shine. In Ontario we affectionately refer this holiday as the May two-four weekend- not because of the date but because we buy our beer in a case of 24! Regardless of how you will be spending the long weekend just enjoy the fact that the cold days of winter are behind us once again and the true heat of summer is still ahead of us! Happy May long weekend!
March 2009
Did you know.
That the first day of spring falls sometime between March 19th and 21st and that it is dependant on the Vernal Equinox, or the point in time when the centre of the Sun can be observed to be vertically above the Earth's equator. The first day of spring for 2009 will fall on March 20th and will be a very welcome event!
February 2009
Groundhog Day
Did you know...
that the oldest known reference to Groundhog Day- the celebrated day of weather prediction by a rodent- dates back to February 1841. In Canada, it was 1956 before Wiarton Willie became a household name for his early February forecasts.
Groundhog Dog superstition claims that if the groundhog emerges from its burrow and sees its shadow, it will be frightened back underground with the anticipated arrival of six more weeks of harsh winter weather. If the groundhog remains outside, however, it is assumed that the groundhog did not see a shadow and fair weather would arrive soon.
Unfortunately (or fortunately for those winter lovers), the ground hog has spoken for us.. We are in for another 6 weeks of this cold white stuff. Bundle up and stay warm!
