Fight the Amoral Fight
Maia
Posted by: sp34n119w, 9:04 PM GMT on May 01, 2012 +2
The Merry Month of May!

What makes May a month so merry? Well, probably the whole fertility thing. I mean, who isn't merry about activities surrounding fertility? Oh, Santorum, I guess, but, for most folks, it's all very merry!

Not surprisingly, the month of May may have been named for a Greek goddess of fertility, Maia. Or, not. She is worth reading about, in any case, as her name (and that of her son) has several important etymological descendants in modern English and European languages.

While the pfft of all knowledge is less than confident on the etymology, it does have a long list of May events and remembrances, including Mother's Day, Labor Day (in some places), VE day and, lest we forget, Towel Day.

Bogon has an entry with his thoughts on May Day and Beltane and I link those two wiki articles for WU's edification (also, sadly, in consideration of my own time limits). It really does have a lot of history and a broad significance in so many cultures. Follow the wiki links to learn all about it!

Inevitably …



…..

LowerCal's excellent list of the season's SoCal weather terms:

May Gray, June Gloom, No-sky July, Fogust and Summer Bummer.

…..

Sensuous Swirls:



For the bigger picture, have a look at the NE Pac WVloop.

Copious Clouds :



Recrudescent Rain:



Make May Merry!!!
Updated: 9:05 PM GMT on May 01, 2012   Permalink | A A A
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Aprilis
Posted by: sp34n119w, 8:37 PM GMT on April 02, 2012 +3
According to the font of all knowledge, April is one of those few months that has little history in terms of the origins of the name. It may be related to Latin and Greek words that mean “to open” or “opening” and thus relate to Spring and the opening of flowers. Sounds good.Or, it may have to do with the goddess Venus (Aphrodite), since her festival was held this time of year.Many people know that the word “Easter” is from Germanic words for this month ...
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Martius
Posted by: sp34n119w, 9:35 PM GMT on March 01, 2012 +1
What can one say about March in Southern California? There will be flowers. There will be sun. There will be wind. There may be rain. There may be snow in the high places. It's pretty much like early Spring anywhere else, but, milder. Except when it isn't. Spring, and March in particular, is notoriously unpredictable.March brings the Spring equinox, falling this year on March 20th, at 5:14 UTC. That should be, um, March 19th, at 10:14 pm PST, I think. Unless the tim...
Updated: 7:26 PM GMT on March 08, 2012   Permalink | A A A
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Februum
Posted by: sp34n119w, 5:14 AM GMT on February 03, 2012 +3
I think I've written about February before. That's okay – it's a good month!There are sweet oranges on my tree, the tangerines are almost ready, and a friend gave me a bag of guavas from the first harvest of his backyard tree. Awesome.Usually, February is a green month. By now we should have had enough rain interspersed with enough sun to waken the natives. There is some green on the hills this year.Of course, it's also a great month for overnight freezes and floo...
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Janus
Posted by: sp34n119w, 10:40 PM GMT on January 05, 2012 +4
When I was in High School I was required to read short passages from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. I don't remember much discussion about those passages, or even which bits we were to read, but I do remember being disappointed with the teacher's brief treatment. I read the Iliad and Odyssey in their entirety for my own sake, because I enjoyed myths and legends, and was glad I did. What I remember from those stories is the action scenes - monsters and gods and heroes ...
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