Beech Tree News Network

I checked the upcoming holiday or observance dates scheduled in the next few weeks and found the following dates:

•Inauguration Day, Friday, January 20

•Groundhog Day, Thursday, February 2

•Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14

•Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 20

These observances have little connection; they are simply observed between January 20 and February 20. Each observance is unique.

Inauguration Day is the day the Chief Justice administers the oath of office to the president. This ceremony marks the beginning of a new four-year term of the president of the United States. On January 20 before noon, Barack Obama will be the president, and after the oath of office at noon, Donald Trump will be the president. Of the many comments about Inauguration Day, I liked the two listed below:

•The president of the United States, on Inauguration Day, takes an oath to faithfully execute the laws. Those are the laws that are passed by Congress. --Jim Sensenbrenner

•Few expected very much of Franklin Roosevelt on Inauguration Day in 1933. Like Barack Obama seventy-six years later … Americans had voted for change. What that change might be Roosevelt never clearly said, probably because he himself didn't know. --Russell Baker

(https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/inauguration.html) 

Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. Folklore predicts that if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow that day, then the spring season will arrive early. However, if it is sunny, the groundhog will see its shadow, and winter weather will persist for six more weeks. Most of us regularly spend some time thinking about or checking on the weather.

•Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. --Kin Hubbard

•The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it. --Patrick Young (http://www.quotegarden.com/groundhog-day.html) 

Valentine’s Day has evolved to become a time for people to express their love for one another – especially romantic love – through gifts of flowers, candy, cards and other surprises. Much has been written about love, and a couple of those thoughts are listed below:

•The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. --Blaise Pascal

•All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. --Charles M. Schulz

(https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_valentinesday.html) 

Washington’s Birthday or Presidents’ Day has commonly become a day to remember all of our presidents. Previously, a February holiday celebrated only George Washington’s birthday (born on February 22, 1732) while some states also celebrated Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12, 1809). This current holiday has become well known for being a day when many stores have sales while many schools and government offices are closed. Some presidential words of wisdom include the following:

•It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing save by effort. --Theodore Roosevelt

•I not only use all the brains that I have but all that I can borrow. --Woodrow Wilson

(http://www.ibtimes.com/presidents-day-2014-quotes-14-inspirational-sayin...) 

The holiday or observance dates between January 20 and February 20 are certainly diverse. We will (1) watch a new president take the oath of office, (2) watch a rodent forecast the weather, (3) express love for others, and (4) remember our presidents. As Stephenie Meyer said, “Strange world isn’t it?” (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/strange).