Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
Feb. 29, a date that plays hide and seek with everyone and appears only once every four years, was just celebrated. With that there are historical twists and cultural oddities.
A dark chapter in history, the Salem witch trials kicked off the accusations of witchcraft which led to tragic ends for Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne.
The Honor Society of Leap Year Day Babies is a global community for leaplings, advocating the recognition of their unique birth date.
In some cultures, this day is considered unlucky for weddings, with a belief that marriages on this day are doomed. In Scotland, there is a saying that goes, “Leap year was never a good sheep year,” hinting that conditions for livestock and possibly wool production were less favorable, with farmers seeing the day predicting bad for crops. In Germany, “Leap year will be a cold year” casts a chilly prediction for the entire year, warning of harsher weather which could impact agriculture. For many cultures, folklore suggests the weather always changes on a Friday. Leap years bring the quirky tradition of women proposing to men.
Anthony (which straddles the Texas-New Mexico border) earns its title as the Leap Year Capital with a festival celebrating the day.
There have been significant moments in history. Christopher Columbus first set eyes on the Americans on Feb. 29, 1493. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel broke barriers by becoming the first African American to win an Oscar for her role in “Gone with the Wind.” In 1944, the island of Eniwetok was captured by American forces during World War II, playing a crucial role in the Pacific theatre.
The year that entertains Leap Day also includes the Summer Olympics, and the presidential election. So, the 2024 year proves to be quite a conversation piece.
Life’s little instructions may prove to be in one’s favor this week if heeded.
- Marry only for love.
- Call one’s mother.
- Stay humble
- Take responsibility for every area of one’s life.
- Sing in a choir.
A duke’s mixture of weather has been had in this neck of the woods. There has been thunder, sleet, snow, sunshine, and snow — all needed, especially for conversation!
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble.” — Rudyard Kipling
“Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.” — Zelda Fitzgerald
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln.
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and to discover the prisoner was you.” — Corrie Ten Boom
“They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.” — Indian saying
Sitting in a recliner to hear the “Talk of the Grove” would be most helpful.
On Saturday, Charles and “Pidge” Anderson enjoyed their first mess of dandelion.
Marion Wiliams was attending the Science and Engineering Fair at the Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston. She represented Franklin Elementary with her project, “Taste the Rainbow: Can we taste it?” Mario is the daughter of Martha Williams and Jason Smith.
Ava Bowers, daughter of Leslie and Shaun Bowers, was the February Student of the Month at the Pendleton County Middle High School. Congratulations, Ava!
The youngsters in this community have been busy with the various basketball tournaments.
Emma Puffenbarger, daughter of Becky and Wesley Puffenbarger, and her team members were 2024 Potomac Valley Conference Cheerleading Champions. Congratulations, Emma!
Rose Brackman is a proud grandmother to Demi Arbaugh who competed in the Miss Moorefield pageant.
This week’s clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Large doses of coffee can be lethal.
- Roy C. Sullivan of Virginia was struck by lightning seven times in his life.
- In Milan, Italy, there is a law on the books that requires a smile on the face of all citizens at all times.
- The first country to abolish capital punishment was Austria in 1787.
- Napolean’s hemorrhoids contributed to his defeat in Waterloo.
Concerns for this week are many. They are as follows: Bob Adamson, Rick Adkins, John Ashley, Roger and Joan Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, Lynn Beatty, “Bo” Boggs, Jane Conrad, Marie Cole, Norma Propst Cunningham, Christian Dasher, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, Neal Eye, Loralee Gordon, Lola Graham, Jordan Greathouse, Patsy Green, Rosalee Grogg, JC Hammer, Marlene Harman, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Grace Hedrick, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Adelbert Hoover, Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, Lisa and Mike Jamison, Jessica Janney, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Marsha Keller, Kim Kline, Tracie Knight, Melissa Lambert, Robert Lambert, Ronnie Lambert, Rex Landis, Roger and Skip Mallow, Yvonne Marsh, Ed May, Gary McDonald, Neil McLaughlin, Rose Miller, Bruce Minor, Tom Mitchell, Barbara Moats, Richard Morrison, Aaron Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Wanda Pitsenbarger, Alda Propst, John O. Propst, Kathy Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Charles Rexrode, Jason Rexrode, Jerold “Jerry” Rexrode, Pam Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Donna Ruddle, Annie Simmons, Phyllis Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Kent Simmons, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Donnie Smith, the Sarah Smith family, Stanna Smith, Steve Stump, Rosa Tichenor, Sandra Vandevander, Evelyn Varner, Raymond Varner, Amy Vaus, Judy Williams, Ann Wimer and Margaret Wimer.
