Today is Sunday, April 1.  Happy Easter!  There are only 213 days until Halloween.  The candy should be on sale once Easter has passed.  Today we remember the birthdays of Frank Josef Haydn, Lon Chaney and Ali MacGraw.  On this day in 1748 the ruins of Pompeii were found, in 1826 Samuel Mory patented the internal combustion engine and in 1982 the US formally transferred the Canal Zone to Panama.  In Burma it is Bank Holiday, in San Marino it is National Day and in the US it is Easter, National Sourdough Bread Day and April Fools Day.

Since this is now the month of April, let me give you your breakdown of the month’s information.  April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar.  It’s name is derived from the Latin word aperitif, which means to open.  It is considered that April is the month of the growing season and when trees and flowers begin to “open.”  This month plays host to April Fools Day.  On this day practical jokes are played on the unwary.  This tradition seems to have originated in France where New Years Day was celebrated during Medieval times on the first of April.  It was changed back to January 1 in 1582.  Many people in rural areas did not make the change for several years.  The city dwellers thought them fools and it became the fashion to take advantage of the provincials on this date.

April has been designated National Poetry Month, Jazz Appreciation Month and Be Vigilant Against Child Abuse Month.  It is also Teacher Appreciation Month and Cancer Control Month.  People who are born in this month have the birthstone of diamond.  The birth flower is the daisy or the sweet pea.  That should take care of your trivia folder for the month.

As I said earlier, today is Easter, the commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Many of the rituals surrounding its celebration have pagan origin including hiding Easter eggs.  Eggs are a symbol of fertility and new life.  Up to this point I am with you regarding the eggs and Easter.  Where I have the problem is how do the eggs connect to rabbits, specifically the Easter Bunny.  Further, why does the Easter Bunny have to be dressed up in a vest and hop around distributing colored eggs.  Other questions I have are why are the eggs colored and why do they have to be hidden?

There have been a number of people who have tried to give a rational explanation to this whole thing, but generally, no one has given me an explanation that I can truly buy into.  I will not bore you with the explanations since I don’t find them credible.  Frankly, I am sure that chocolate manufacturers and the makers of diabetes medications had something to do with it.  In any event, I will wish you a Happy Easter and hope that you have a great day.

I have been noticing the outfits that people are wearing nowadays and I cannot help but wonder where their heads are when they get dressed.  I saw one girl who was dressed all in camouflage clothing.  She was not in the military, at least I don’t think so because they normally don’t wear heels with camo in the military.  I was tempted to tell her that I could still see her, but I wasn’t sure she would see or get the humor.  I look at people who walk around wearing skinny jeans and wonder what made them think they looked good.  If you are already skinny, you need to wear a nice tapered pair of jeans.  Skinny ones make you look like a pair of sticks in denim.  If you are normal build or heavier, skinny jeans look like you grabbed someone else’s pants by mistake.

I also wonder about the new look in women’s clothing with the shoulders missing.  I cannot help but wonder why you would want to have your shoulders exposed like that.  I would love for someone to explain to me what the purpose of that design is.  Was it created to allow women to show off their tattoos?  It seems like every style of blouse, sweater, and dress has that cut out done on the sleeves.  While I really do not understand the fashion, I suppose it is okay for kids and young women.  It becomes an issue for me when I see it on women in their 70’s and 80’s.  I suppose there is no reason why they can’t wear the blouses, but there is nothing really attractive about bony shoulders, wrinkly skin and brown age spots.  I am sorry ladies, but really, that style is not for you.  Please put on a sweater.

The only other thing I wonder about is some of the people I see wearing jeans.  I have always thought that jeans were casual wear.  You wear them when you are trying to relax.  I recently saw a guy wearing jeans and a starched dress shirt, buttoned all the way up to the top.  He was not relaxed.  The other thing I have a problem with is guys who wear jeans and dress shoes.  Buy a pair of sneakers or casual shoes.  Wingtips do not go with jeans!

This week our fact tells us that gin is a mild diuretic which helps the body get rid of excessive fluid.  I intend to get rid of a lot of excessive fluid this summer, with the help of some ice and tonic water.