When Christmas and New Years has passed us by we have now moved into the depths of hard winter. January to me has always been the month when a person hunkers down and does all possible to stay warm and keep from freezing. I’m certain that by now you all have decided you are tired of hearing me say how much I hate winter. As a matter of fact I guess I don’t really have to say it as all of you probably feel the same. When the holidays all end we hit January and the last time I looked at the calendar I didn’t see but one holiday in this month. No but you all will see just how harsh Mother Nature can be.
I know as a young man just keeping our livestock protected, fed and an ample supply of water would consume most of the day light hours which were not too many getting this done. So you might be thinking now just where is he heading? Sure we change the calendars to February. You might even be asking so you turn a page on the calendar. What does that prove? First look at the month of February. It begins on the second day with Ground Hog Day. To me this is about the lamest holiday there is. I mean we all wait to see if a member of the rodent family sees his shadow to predict our weather. Seriously?
Truth be told the answer is no. But for a day we all have a topic to cover that doesn’t include the low temperatures or how much snow is coming our way. As a matter of fact the topic of just how terribly high our electric bill was for January becomes the front topic.To get our minds thinking outside of the survival box the two best Presidents this country has ever had celebrate their birthdays in February. Abraham Lincoln on February 12th and George Washington (the first and the father of our country) is on the 22nd. It is pretty hard to put together a one two punch in the same month as those two men. When I was a boy their birthdays were celebrated separately and I recall us in school decorating the classrooms for each one
Right between the presidents the most excited and anticipated holiday appears. Valentine’s Day! Yup on February 14th cupid makes his grand entrance and hearts and sweets take over. I know things are some different these days but in my time in school so many years ago (cupid and I were about the same age then.) the classroom once again was decorated with valentine shaped hearts. Each student made a decorated box or paper bag with our names on them. We each would buy a bag of a variety of valentines and we would select just who would get the best valentine and on down the list of popularity until the bag was almost empty. (I would always save one to give to my brother Ben. It would be one that was anything but flattering. Of course he would take some offense and then we would have a good laugh over it.)
With Valentine’s Day came a party! The room mothers would visit us and bring cup cakes with pink icing and pink food coloring in the cake part for the occasion. Along with that would come way too much candy but never more than we would object to? Of course the day wasn’t complete without those conversation hearts. You know. The ones that on each little candy heart was a printed expression the dealt with Valentine’s Day. (“Be Mine” is always the first one to pop into my mind.)
February is the shortest month in the entire year with only 28 days. (I didn’t forget Leap Year at 29.) Here is the shortest measurement that makes up our entire year and we go from a long cold and harsh January where being bored becomes the main activity to February. Just think. In the span of ten days we celebrate the two best known presidents in our history and Valentine’s Day. Yes in less than two weeks the classroom was decorated three times. Do you all know how much coloring and cutting and taping to the wall we all had to do? (Your hand could cramp from all the work.)
Yes February is a month that does a 180 degree turn from January into a month that delivers fun almost nonstop. Over the years I have noticed that while all the partying was going on there was something else. For the most part this month begins to deliver weather that is a little warmer and even though it happens sometimes big snows begin to become scarcer. On top of all that take a look at the clocks. The sun is appearing a little earlier by the day and we maintain daylight later in the evenings also. Yes there is promise in the air and with promise comes an encouragement that hey, we just might survive another winter in southern Ohio one more time.
Over the years I must admit I have seen many winters and I look back on my days in school fondly to recall how I saw it. However I was married to a room mother. From all reports from my children and their friends she was a very good room mother. I recall that when February arrived she remained super busy for the entire month.
I have helped load the car with cup cakes and cookies and Ice Cream cups. I never did get to go to one of these but I will bet anyone a quarter that not a child went without a cup cake or even a valentine. My wife never went to something like this without her emergency kit. I can’t tell you what was in that kit but I am going to say I feel there was everything as whatever the need she delivered the cure. Our children are all grown and we now have grandchildren. I will say it here and now that my wife should be enshrined in the room mothers hall of fame.
It is also the time of year to begin to become restless and get the itch to work outside. It is too early but as to making all of the needed plans we can do those now. I know it is time to decide the size of the garden and what we are going to attempt to grow. I will have to make a trip over to Kiblers’ and get some fertilizer and lime. Then I can once more open up my Burpee’s catalog and this time begin filling out the order form. Most important of all is to get Billy to tune up my roto tiler and lawn mowers. No it is not time to get outside but it is February and time to begin to make those plans that were so frozen in January. If you become too bored still there is always your hoe that could use being sharpened.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.