February was gone before your humble Contributor fully realized that it was here. Then, he recalled that this forsaken and foreshortened month was named for Februus, the Roman god of death. This may explain some of your humble Contributor's more moribund posts, hereunder.
But, then again, Februus was also god of purification. Of course, this is yet another indication of the early Popish moving in on heathen turf, since Lent typically begins in February. But, some of our gentle visitors have reported experiencing a certain catharsis after viewing the relative tragedy and emptiness of these pages. A few report that it only made them shiver.
If only Augustus had left the month alone and not stolen a day to add another to his own month. To be sure, history has shown August to be august; but, how frustrating for the overwhelming majority of humanity never having whiled away the day on February 30th. One might daresy that most of us would leap at this opportunity -- but, ultimately, fall just short.
Nonetheless, we enter March with a kind of martial confidence. As it if were - as it once were -- the beginning of the year. Julius Caesar changed all of that, moving the new year back two months, deep into winter. And, look where that got him.
Just beware the Ides. It too brutal -- dude.
As February is the last full month of winter, following as it does January and the long and sustained bitter cold of those five weeks, it is comforting to me that it is but 28 days long. At the end of January I can say to myself, ah, just have to get through February, and that is a tiny little month. Then comes the promise of spring.
Posted by: Ned | Wednesday, March 02, 2005 at 07:42 PM