Umbrella Day

Today is Umbrella Day, celebrated internationally on February 10 each year. With all the rain my area has had this fall and winter, I can appreciate this day. I've certainly been using my umbrellas enough. I like bright-colored umbrellas on a dark, dreary day. It's uplifting to see the colorful circles cutting through the gloom.

The collapsible umbrella originated in China in 21 A.D. Chinese tradition says that the idea came from banners waving in the air on a rainy day. Evidence of parasols or umbrellas have been found in ancient Nineveh, Persia, Egypt, India, Greece, and Rome. Even Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire used a type of umbrella made from feathers.

There may have been allusions to umbrellas in Medieval Europe, but they weren't used widely then. They became more common in the 17th century, as this portrait by van Dyck (1623) shows. The European lightweight, folding umbrella was introduced in 1710 by a Paris merchant. These became popular and spread. Today, umbrellas are as common as the rain.

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National Bagel Day

February 9 is National Bagel Day. It's hard to pinpoint the bagel's origin, but the first mention of one came in 1610 in the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland. The word comes from a Yiddish word, "beygal," spelled "beigel" in Poland. 

The same design of the large round roll with a hole in the middle has been around for several hundred years. The plain bagel has remained a favorite, but there's many different flavors, such as cinnamon raisin, onion, garlic, poppy or sesame seed, chocolate, and blueberry. Toppings are also popular, such as cream cheese or jelly. Of course, different cultures have their favorites, and bagels can be used like sandwich rolls.

Bagels became popular in North America, first in cities with large Jewish populations, like New York, and then spreading. Today bagels are big business. In 2014, sales for fresh bagels amounted to around 125 billion dollars in the United States. Then, there's also refrigerated and frozen bagels. So, let's celebrate National Bagel Day with a favorite bagel for breakfast or a snack. 

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National Kite Flying Day

February 8 is National Kite Flying Day. One would think that would come in March, due to the "March winds." I remember trying to fly kites. It was never as easy to get them off the ground as it looked. I wasn't successful but about half the time. I also remember when I taught school, we'd read a story about kites and I'd let the students make their own kites. A few of them flew well.

Kites were invented in China, probably around the 5th century. In 549, a Chinese kite was used to deliver a message in a rescue mission. Soon they were also used for things like measuring distances, testing the wind, communications for the military, and even lifting men. As the idea spread, other counties made their own designs.

There are all kinds of contests for kites, and they're particularly popular in beach areas. The highest recorded altitude for a single kite is 16,009 feet above ground level. Could you even see one flying that high? I like to see kites flying in the breezes and think they're beautiful. Just thinking about National Kite Flying Day makes me want to go out and fly a kite.

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The Church's Relevance

Webster defines "relevance" as 1-a: relation to the matter at hand; b: practical and especially social applicability or 2: the ability to retrieve material that satisfies the needs of the user. Today, I'm hearing more and more about relevancy as it relates to the Church and Church change.

And He [Christ] is before all things and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body of the church (Colossians 1:17-18a)

I have a problem with this. It seems to me that more and more, church leaders have changed the Church to make it appeal to more people, when I think they should work to change people so they will recognize the Church's appeal. Otherwise, there's a real danger of offering a diluted Christianity that draws lukewarm Christians.

Now I beseech you, brethern, make them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

Too many times I see churches trying to become "socially acceptable." If we're trying to please man instead of God, we're in real trouble. God's truths don't change. They're the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Woe unto us if we try to interpret them to make certain sins acceptable.

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God. which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth ( 1 Timothy 3:15).

Likewise, I think the Church, God's body of believers, the bride of Christ, is relevant without major surgery or having to undergo drastic change. Instead of changing the Church to make it relevant in today's world, perhaps we need to change the world to see the relevancy of the Church and how much they need God.

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When Winter Is Past Cover Reveal

Full cover for the print version

Finally, I have the cover design for When Winter Is Past ready. I designed the cover, but I also enlisted help to put it into a format for the print book. Mine would have been fine for the ebook, but I wanted to also offer it in print form, because most of my readers still prefer print. That was more complicated, since it involves also having the spine and back cover.

I liked the script but went with a bolder title

The designer who helped me, experimented with different fonts. I really liked one of the scripts, but, after much deliberation, I went back to my original, because I wanted the title to stand out and felt the bold font was better. I wish she could have made the script bolder, but she couldn't. I also wanted the title to be very easy-to-read.  I hope I made the right decision,

When Winter Is Past is set in Pennsylvania in 1737 in the fictitious village of Middleville, west of Philidelphia. See my blog on January 23, 2016, for an excerpt from the opening of the novel. The blog on January 9 also tells more about the book. This is the stand-alone novel I'm publishing as an experiment on self-publishing. I want to see how it goes, because this would enable me to publish my written manuscripts faster. Right now, I'm still planning to stay with traditional publishers as well.

Ebook cover

I actually thought I might have the ebook version out by now, but it's taking longer than I anticipated. Most things do, don't they? Hopefully, the next time I blog about it, I'll be announcing its publication. Regardless, I'll share some more excerpts with you soon.

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National Wear Red Day

Who knew there was such a day? But, in a way, it suits me. About one-half of my wardrobe seems to be made up of red or black clothing. Red is also a popular color for holidays, especially Christmas and Valentine's Day. As a primary color, it's widely used on flags, in art, on signs, in ceremonies and events, and in nature. It's also been a source of movie titles and songs. Remember the song, "Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh?

Red is seen as a strong color. It symbolizes things like courage, strength, love, passion, power, and excitement. Historically, in some locations it's been seen as a rich color, usually reserved for nobles. Red can draw attention. Statistics say that a flashy, red car is more often pulled over for speeding than any other color.

Scientifically, red is the longest wave in the light spectrum. It's also the highest arc in the rainbow, where it might appear more pink. Bees aren't able to see the color red, and red flowers are usually pollinated by sources other than bees.

We use many terms and phrases with the word "red," where they take on different meanings:

The red carpet treatment
Caught red-handed
Red in the face
Seeing red
A red flag
Not worth a red cent
A red-letter day
Red tape
Etc.

Now, you may know more about red than you ever wanted to know. However, you can still join me in celebrating National Wear Red Day by choosing to wear red today.

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Homemade Soup 

February 4th is National Homemade Soup Day, and I'm ready to celebrate. I love a good, hot bowl of soup on a cold, wintry day. My favorite kinds to make are vegetable, chicken noodle, and black bean. Soup is usually a safe choice in an unknown restaurant when I'm traveling, too. I've never forgotten the delicious bowl of minestrone I had for lunch in a quaint village inn in Ireland
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Soups and stews were also common in earlier times. When cooking in fireplaces, these were more manageable than most other menu choices and allowed the homemaker to complete other tasks while the meal cooked. I use them often in writing my historical novels, whether they're set in the South, the Appalachian Mountains, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, or some other location. 

Interestingly, soups are thought to date back to at least 20,000 BC. They came as soon as man had waterproof containers, which were likely clay pots at first. Since that beginning, however, soups have become more varied and diverse. There are so many varieties of soup today, it would be difficult to list them all. Nearly every culture has favorites. So, for National Homemade Soup Day today, why don't you pull out your favorite soup recipe and celebrate?

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