February is the month for…

February is here in all it’s glory. Hearts and flowers and chocolates sit expectantly on the shelves waiting to be purchased for a special someone. Florists go on full alert. See’s candy makers will be working overtime. Diamond salespeople will be eagerly awaiting the next young man that walks in the door with that certain expression on his face… Oh, my learned friends, but February is so much more than the month of love and chocolate. So pull out your hula skirt, read up on African-American history, eat some cherries, manage your time, take your pet to the dentist (have it spayed/neutered while you’re there), lead some youth and bake a sweet potato! February is here!
Remember, the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the opinions, ideas, or musings of any other person, group, or entity. Look at life with a little humor…

Birthstone: Amethyst                          Flower: Violet or Primrose
Full Moon:  February 9*                      New Moon: February 24
*Penumbral Lunar eclipse Feb. 9 will be visible in Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean region and Western North America.

Monthly observances…
Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month just make sure you know what you’re doing first…
AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
American Heart Month not the chocolate kind…
Bake for Family Fun Month
February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
Festival of Camellias Month ahhh, beauty in the midst of winter!
From Africa to Virginia Month
International Boost Self-Esteem Month
International Expect Success Month that would boost MY self-esteem…
Library Lovers Month
Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month
National African American History Month (Black History Month)
National Bird Feeding Month get those squirrel-proof feeders!
National Care About Your Indoor Air Month
National Cherry Pie Month everybody loves pie!
National Condom Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month
National Get to Know an Independent Real Estate Broker Month
National Laugh-Friendly Month is there an unfriendly laugh month?
National Mend a Broken Heart Month
National Parent Leadership Month oh, if only more would observe this one…
National Pet Dental Month
National Senior Independence Month
National Time Management Month
National Weddings Month I thought this was in June…
Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month
Relationship Wellness Month
Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Spunky Old Broads Month just don’t take their shopping carts…
Sweet Potato Month be a Queen (or a wannabee)!
Wise Health Consumer Month
Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
Youth Leadership Month

Special February Weeks…
2/1-7      Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week
             International Coaching Week
             National Patient Recognition Week with their clothes on….
             Publicity for Profit Week
             Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend
             Women’s Heart Week
2/2-6     International Networking Week
             Intimate Apparel Market Week will there be a V.S. runway show on TV?
2/3-9     Boy Scout Anniversary Week
             International Hoof Care Week hug a farrier!
2/4-8     International Snow Sculpting Week
2/6-8     New York Comic Con Week are they aware this is only 3 days?
2/6-13   World Special Olympics Winter Games go, kids!
2/7-10   American Council on Education
2/7-13    Dump Your Significant Jerk Week make him/her insignificant
2/7-14    Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week
             Rejection Risk Awareness Week organs or people?
2/8-14     Jell-O Week there’s ALWAYS room for Jell-O
             Love Makes the World Go Round; but, Laughter Keeps us from Getting Dizzy Week should we laugh at our love lives?
                World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week
2/9-13         Just Say No to Powerpoints Week
2/9-15         International Flirting Week
2/10-12      World AG Expo
2/10-16      Celebration of Love Week
                  Children of Alcoholics Week this is a strange combo…
2/11-17       Random Acts of Kindness Week
2/13-16       Great Backyard Bird Count Week
2/14-20      Love a Mench Week
2/14-21       National Condom Week use it with your Mench!
                  National Nestbox Week
2/15-21       Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
                 National Engineers Week have one work on your trade show image…
2/17-23      International Friendship Week
2/22-28      National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
                 National Pancake Week yet another strange combo…
2/23-27      Read Me Week
2/24-3/1    Telecommuter Appreciation week I’m a little jealous of those who can do this…
2/27-3/1    American Crossword Puzzle Week
               Texas Cowboy Poetry Week there once was a horse from Nantucket…

Special February Days…
2/1          Freedom Day
               G. I. Joe Day free G.I. Joe!
               Give Kids a Smile Day
               Hula in the Coola Day you’re coola if you can hula…
               Robinson Crusoe Day
               Spunky Old Broads Day hula, baby!
               Super Bowl XLIII
2/2          Candlemas
               Bonza Bottler Day
               Groundhog Day please be cloudy…
               Groundhog Job Shadow Day
               Hedgehog Day
               Imbolic/Imbolg/Imbolc
               Sled Dog Day MUSH!
2/3           African-American Coaches Day
               Four Chaplains Memorial Day
               Halfway Point of Winter hallelujah! enough already…
               Japan: Setsubin (Bean-throwing festival) really?
               Mozambique: Heroes Day
2/4          Liberace Day kick up the bling, my friends!
               National Women & Girls in Sports Day
               USO Day may there always be one if you need one…
               Sri Lanka: Independence Day
2/5          Move Hollywood & Broadway to Lebanon, PA Day why?
               Weatherperson’s Day
2/6          Wear Red Day
               Bubble Gum Day chew red bubble gum!
               New Zealand: Waitangi Day
2/7          Ballet Day
               Dump Your Significant Jerk Day with a Post-it note…
               Chinese New Year’s Day
               MOBIUS Awards Day
               Wave All Your Fingers at your Neighbors Day unless they are significant jerks…
2/8           Boy Scout Anniversary
               Daytona Pole Day take a Boy Scout to the races!
               Laugh and Get Rich Day if it were THAT easy we’d all be rich!
               Grammy Awards Day
               Man Day how do you celebrate this one?
               World Marriage Day that’s not how…
2/9           Read in the Bathtub Day
               Tu B’Shvat
               Westminster Dog Show (and 2/10)
2/10        Plimsoll Day
2/11         Be Electrific Day better than a gasaholic, I guess…
               Japan: Founding Day
               Iran: National Day
               Pro Sports Wives’ Day
               National Shut-In Visitation Day
               Satisfied Staying Single Day do pro sports wives feel this way?
               White Shirt Day
2/12         Darwin Day who won the award this year?
               Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
               Myanmar: Union Day
               Oglethorpe Day
               Safety Pup Day
2/13         Blame Someone Else Day it’s soooo easy…
               Friday the 13th
               Employee Legal Awareness Day
               Get a Different Name Day go by your Spongebob name!
2/14         Ferris Wheel Day
               National Have A Heart Day
               National Condom Day don’t try it on the Ferris Wheel, though…
               (World) Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day
               League of Women Voters Day
               National Women’s Heart Day
               National Call In Single Day how about calling in married?
               Race Relations Day
               Quirky Alone Day do something really weird…
               Valentines Day
2/15         Lupercalia
               Susan B. Anthony Day my hero! (heroine?)
               Daytona 500
               National Gum Drop Day what is in those things?
2/16         Presidents Day
               Lithuania: Independence Day
2/17         My Way Day for Frank Sinatra, wherever you are…
               National PTA Founders Day
               World Human Spirit Day
               Brazil: Carnival
2/18         Pluto (Planet) Day wait…is it a planet again?
               Gambia: National Holiday/Independence Day
               Nepal: National Democracy Day
2/19         Chocolate Mint Day will GSCookies be delivered by then?
               International Mother Language Day
               Iwo Jima Day (Landing)
2/20         Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day it’s my mother language…
                World Day for Social Justice
2/21          Clam Chowder Day
                Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
                Single Tasking Day I’m not sure I can do this…
2/22          Academy Awards
                George Washington’s Birthday
                Shrovetide (through 2/24)
2/23          Curling is Cool Day hair or stones?
                Iwo Jima Day (flag raising)
                National Personal Chef’s Day
                Shrove Monday
                Iceland: Bun Day
2/24          Fastnachts Day (Pennsylvania Dutch Shrove Tuesday)
                International Pancake Day let’s go to IHOP!
                Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)
                Mardi Gras
                Paczki Day
                Spay Day USA please, please, please, please, please…
2/25          Ash Wednesday
                Inconvenience Yourself Day get your pet spayed!!!
2/26          For Pete’s Sake Day
                Levi Strauss Day
                National Chili Day make chili for Pete while wearing Levis!
2/27          Rabi’I
2/28           Floral Design Day
                International Sword Swallowers Day
                National Tooth Fairy Day leave THEM a quarter for a change!
                Open That Bottle Night

Selected Author and/or Illustrator Birthdays
2/1    Langston Hughes, 1902; Jerry Spinelli, 1941
2/2    James Joyce, 1882; Ayn Rand, 1905; Judith Viorst, 1931
2/3    Norman Rockwell, 1894; James Michener, 1907; Joan Lowery Nixon, 1927
2/4    Russell Hoban, 1925; Barbara Shook Hazen, 1930
2/5    Patricia Lauber, 1924; David Wiesner, 1957
2/6    Jerome Wexler, 1923; Betsy Duffey, 1953 (also listed as Feb. 2)
2/7    Charles Dickens, 1812; Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867
2/8    Jules Verne, 1828; Anne Rockwell, 1934
2/9    Dick Gackenbach, 1927; Alice Walker, 1944
2/10   E.L. Konigsburg, 1930; Stephen Gammell, 1943; Mark Teague, 1963
2/11  Toshi Maruki, 1912; Sidney Sheldon, 1917; Jane Yolen, 1939
2/12   Randolph Caldecott, 1846; Judy Blume, 1938; Jacqueline Woodson, 1964
2/13   Ouida Sebestyen, 1924; Simms Taback, 1932; William Sleator, 1945
2/14   Phyllis Root, 1949; George Shannon, 1952; Paul Zelinsky, 1953
2/15   Norman Bridwell, 1928; Elaine Landau, 1948
2/16   Elizabeth K. Cooper, 1908; Carol Gorman, 1952
2/17   Alice Mary (Andre) Norton, 1912; Robert Newton Peck, 1928
2/18   Toni Morrison, 1931; Barbara Joossee, 1949
2/19   Louis Slobodkin, 1903; Amy Tan, 1952
2/20   Rosemary Harris, 1923; Mary Blount Christian, 1933
2/21   Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, 1933; Jim Aylesworth, 1943
2/22   Edward Gorey, 1925; Harry Kullman, 1982
2/23   W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868; C.S. Adler, 1931; Walter Wick, 1953
2/24   Wilhelm Grimm, 1786; Uri Orlev, 1931
2/25   Frank Bonham, 1914; Cynthia Voigt, 1942; Iain Lawrence, 1955
2/26   Miriam Young, 1913; Judith St. George, 1931
2/27   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807; Uri Shulevitz, 1935
2/28   John Tenniel, 1820; Donna Jo Napoli, 1948

Sources: School Library Media Activies Monthly Activities Almanac and www.brownielocks.com