In the Cold

It's cold. I mean really cold. Siberia weather type of cold. It's 8 degrees outside this morning! And that doesn't include any windchill! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Pat got me a remote starter for the Tahoe for Christmas. Of course we haven't had it installed yet. . .

Anyway, it's so cold that both Pat and I pulled out our "Russia" coats. And I stuck my hand in the pocket and what did I find???

Toothpicks from Il Patio in Krasnoyarsk! Guess when I wore that coat last. . .

Martin Luther King day is on this upcoming Monday. Are you off? Pat is but I am not. I had planned to take the day to be with him and Aidan, but my sitter told me yesterday that her step mom is in the final stages of Ovarian Cancer and she is going to go say her good byes next weekend. So, I moved my day off to Friday and Pat will take the following Monday to be with the kiddo. I feel bad for my sitter. She's so awesome and I think she is stressed about what we think! Well, life happens and sometimes we have to deal with unpleasant things. I pray her trip is safe and that she can be there for her dad.

So, back to MLK. . .do you know how this started? It was actually signed into law, somewhat reluctantly, by President Reagan in 1983 but was not observed until 1986. Virginia is interesting, though. Some place observe it and some don't. And some actually observe more on that day, although that has recently changed, too. Let me explain.

Virginia is technically in the South. Richmond, our State Capital, was also the Capital of the Confederacy. So, it stands to reason that we Virginians would hold on to some, um 'heros'. Our local 'heros' would be, of course, Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall). Virginia has observed Lee's birthday (1/19) since 1869 and Jackson's birthday (1/21) since 1889. In fact, for many years, Monday would have been Lee-Jackson day here in Virginia.

After the law was passed for Martin Luther King, Virginia began observing Lee-Jackson-King day. Seriously. For many years it was this way. Until, that is, someone pointed out the strange incongruity of that and so the days were separated in 2000. Lee-Jackson day is now today, the Firday before and MLK day is now the Monday that everyone observes it. Weird, right?? But, truthfully, I would bet you couldn't find a government office open in the Richmond area. . .