February means love with Valentine's Day and patriotic fidelity with the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington.
March winds breeze in with the wearin' of the green on St. Patrick's Day, zeppoles on St. Joseph's Day and the first day of spring.
April usually brings us Easter, Passover and Arbor Day with its faithful tree planting.
May means Mother's Day and the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day as we remember those who gave it all so that we might be free.
June has Father's Day, Flag Day, the end of the school year, graduations and the honest-to-goodness start of summer.
July is America's month and that means Independence Day.
September is Labor Day and back-to-school. October is Halloween. November is Thanksgiving and December is Christmas.
And August?
Well, August is sort of the forgotten month.
Stuck somewhere between the 4th of July (everyone's favorite summer holiday) and the nondescript Labor Day, August often gets lost in the shuffle.
It's the month that the year barely recognizes -- the month that time forgot.
If you haven't taken your vacation by the middle of August you may be out of luck since many people have already booked the last two weeks of August in the hopes of squeezing all they can out of summer's last full month. If you're working every day in August, (especially in the city) things may seem quite lonely and even barren
And August is also a long month with some of the hottest weather imaginable (like right now) which can make August afternoons seem interminably long, even while summer appears to fly by in a wink. And don't forget those wild August thunderstorms.
Poor August.
But August is a wonderful month -- a month that simply does not get enough attention and is wrongly unheralded.
1) It's actually a relief that the month has no holidays -- no special days that you need worry about. So, in August every day is special and every day belongs to you.
2) Lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. August invites you to linger. Indeed, the summer heat of August compels you to linger. Stretch out, gaze, daydream - do whatever you want!
3) Fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and peaches. All are at their peak in August and all are wonderful -- especially here in Joizee!
4) Julius Caesar. The great Roman emperor extended our summer by adding two days to August in 753 BC. Now, August has 31 wonderful days!
5) The Perseids, a spectacular meteor shower which will light up the August sky this year on August 12 and 13. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky in the northern hemisphere.
6) The ocean water temperature which warms in August and becomes about as inviting as it's gonna be all summer. Wonderful!
7) Go Topless Day on August 23. What? You didn't know about this? It's about as frivolous a commemoration as you can imagine.
8) The fearless lion and the sun. Most August birthdays are blessed to be part of the most regal sign of the zodiac, Leo. Those born under Leo take the Lion as their mascot and rule as natural born leaders. Their planet is the sun.
9) Red, yellow and orange. The incandescent colors of August. Check out all the fresh produce!
10) Augustus, the founder of the Roman empire who ruled from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. The reign of Augustus initiated an era of peace known as Pax Romana. Were it not for Augustus, August would still be known as Sextilis, it's original name. Hey, we told you this was a sexy month. Enjoy!
