Respect The February!

In my wise and well-researched opinion, February is the month with the most haters.

Because: 1. Valentine's Day. There's a lot of pressure on men and women alike. What if you really hate the color red? Or are allergic to chocolate? Or just don't enjoy the contrivedness of fresh flowers? Or you treat your man/woman special EVERY day of the year? February is the month those people just wish would go to a galaxy far, far away. And, 2. Weather. Here in the temperate Midwest US where I live, February is the grayest, coldest, gloomiest month of the year. January is great...we're all still riding that Christmas high. We have something to live for - paying our Christmas credit card bills, usually. But, with February, the harsh, cold, bitter truth slaps us many times across the face: Winter has just truly began. Your suffering has just began. It is the month of dirty, slushy roads, bitter subtundra-like winds, and SAND-BUT-NOT-BEACH EVERYWHERE! Finally, 3: Post-Holiday Letdown. Ever since Halloween of last year, we've been on this wave of holiday hedonism. Food, drink, family, and good times become the normal as we all slide along rivers of fudge, cranberry sauce, and wine through Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's. And then February is like, Hey, Fatty, are you going to do something significant with your life or what? Hence, we diet, we exercise, we lament our bad choices from the past two months.

We curse, shake our fist, and totally disrespect the month of February. But not me, not anymore! Because it doesn't deserve it!

'Cause why? Because I've just realized that three people I love very much were born in February...within two weeks of each other! Plus also, there's about four more people close to me who are Aquarians as well. I, for one, am very lucky to be related to some phenomenally far-sighted people who sometime in April said to their significant other...hey, know what would be fun? Let's make a February baby! It'll give us something to look forward to during that crummy month.

And that's what happened yesterday! (Erm...the looking-forward to something...not the baby-making bit, that is. I'm afraid that ship has sailed.) We gathered, we ate, we celebrated life. Nothing says We Love You, February more than: Fried Dill Pickles, Pork Roast & Sauerkraut, Roasted Potatoes, and Apple and Chocolate Pies.

All of which I have NO pictures of. Instead, I have this. Family.

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To Thine Own Self, Be Food

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