What’s the matter, George? You don’t look too happy for some reason…
Happy birthday to the father of our country, George Washington, who if he were still alive would have turned….
Wait, you might be saying… Washington’s birthday is the 22nd! It’s only on most American calendars, you know! Well, that’s true, by our modern way of reckoning dates. But George’s birthdate is one of the more interesting examples of the disparity between the calendar of old and the Gregorian calendar that we consider to be the only way to mark time these days…
The American colonies, under British rule, didn’t adopt the Gregorian calendar until 1752, 20 years after Washington was born. That calendar stripped (at the time) eleven days off of the Julian calendar. Had there been a calendar on the wall at George’s parents house when he was born, it would have read February 11th rather than the February 22nd we recognize now.
But wait……. THERE’S MORE!!!
Along with the February 22nd observation, we also recognize Washington’s birth year as 1732. However, before the Gregorian calendar standardized January 1 as the start of the new year, many Christian countries still on Julian used March 25th (Feast of the Annunciation) as the first day of each year! So that imaginary calendar on the wall when baby George was born…. yep, it would have read February 11, 1731 rather than the February 22, 1732 we know and love!
That was, like, so interesting…. ZZZZZZZZZZ
I hope it was, because this week’s Share Your World questions are about love and romance, two things The Nest knows absolutely nothing about! But we’re gonna give it a go, anyway. SYW questions, as always, hosted by the esteemed Melanie….
Look! The earth grew a pair of boobs!
In your opinion, do May/December (older partner with much younger partner) romances ever work?
I don’t know anybody in relationships like this. Three of my sisters have been with guys six or seven years older/younger than they are (Yes, I have a couple cougar sisters)… but that’s really not much.
Uncle Snuggie approves of May/December relationships. The kind that can get you time behind bars…
What physical action or gesture do you find romantic?
That depends on who you’re asking…
What is your idea of a romantic dinner?
Mitzi finds dinners high in protein to be very romantic…
Is ‘love’ a real ‘thing’ or merely a physical chemical response and brain activity pulling our emotional strings?
SHADOW: Of course it’s merely a chemical reaction that serves as a weakness of many underdeveloped creatures. Thankfully, as a genetically superior umbreon, I am can not possibly fall victim to this thing you silly humans call…. “love.”
SAGE: I wonder what will happen if a wily female such as myself were to start seductively stroking your tail like this?
SHADOW: It wouldn’t do a…… thing to me…… ma’am. I……… I am sure there is a very natural explanation for why I…… feel such a strange sensation inside my Pokeballs right now. My……. b-brain has… er…. found a need to….. erp…. redirect the blood flow inside my body…. to………… other certain…….. organs for……… reasons!
MITZI: Omgs! Like, Mitzi’s a totally certified organ inspector, and Mitzi should check and see if you totally have any love making chemicals leaking from your test tube with an oral examination!
SHADOW: Urp! I……. may be aroused by the female form….. but I’m…….. not in love!
MITZI: Mitzi, like, totally doesn’t care! Mitzi just wants to be filled up by your chemicals!
SNUGGLE: I always knew that stuck up prick was really a horny bastard!
CHIP: Ummmm, better living through chemistry, I guess?
FUZZYWIG: Ehhhhh, I prefer making my own chemicals in a laboratory setting.
SNUGGLE: You mean your bong!
FUZZYWIG: It’s a beaker, not a bong, Mr. Wizard!
Thank goodness I have the shelf critters to bail me out of tough questions like these….
How do you show your loved ones that you love them?
Who says I love them? Isn’t loving your loved ones optional?
Nothing says I love you like a big stuffed unicorn…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
To heck with love and Valentine’s Day – that George really knew how to wear make-up didn’t he? Love the shade of blush on his cheeks although the lipstick is a little lackluster…..touch of shadow on the eyelids and VOILA…..George pops to life! A red wig would have been nice but they weren’t in fashion……..yet.
Pam
I’ll bet George would be run through the wringer today for that makeup choice! But at least he only had wooden teeth and not a wooden head…
Yikes…all that math on the calendar has my brain aching so no time for diving into the love pool. Safer too I suspect. It looks deep but probably is only an inch deep and I’d bash my noodle diving in. Besides I have dogs…the best excuse to avoid the whole V-Day nonsense. Cynical much…nah…just realistic!
Outside of Mitzi, whose real purpose was a Valentines plush, all of the V-Day stuff really is nonsense. And all the guys who are in the store early on the morning of the 14th to pick up stuff at the last minute….. maybe they won’t show up this year since it will be BELOW ZERO by then…
Hope springs eternal.
Bwa ha ha – pokeballs! I didn’t know any of that fascinating stuff about our calendar and George Washington’s birthday. Watching the impeachment today, I thought about old George turning in his grave…
You never know what you might learn here…
😁
I definitely find that fangs sinking into my eye sockets is a very romantic gesture…
I think poor Snuggle might prefer to have it that way, or he’ll never unsee what happens to him…
the mama got a flower thingy… da dad made a big fuss and gave it to her like a box from louboutin… there was a price tag 1 euro from Lidl’s bargain bin… howly god… we decided to skip that day before she gets the main role in snapped…
LOL, I like you dad’s way of shopping, even if mama doesn’t appreciate it!
Er, where to begin? Well thank you most sincerely E.S. for Sharing Your World and the history/math lesson. I admit I dozed off there, but certainly paid full attention when Mitzi and Co. got uherm koff koff koff Busy! Someone finally uncorked Shadow huh? I wonder how fine the ‘wine’ really was, having aged all those years and so forth.
Now I have a C.O.W. related question for YOU (which has nothing to do with Presidents who have their portrait painted and the painter takes vast liberties with rouge and lipstick
(OMG!! ). Would it be seemly to borrow some of your shelf critters for my story via the C.O.W.? I’m working on it, and truly I don’t know if it’s suitable for um, most modest audiences. Your cast would be a welcome addition though, with one or two in starring roles..
Absolutely! Use and abuse them! And don’t worry if they start whining, they really like the abuse. Especially Snuggle….
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A diet high in protein. I laughed on the inside, thank you!
Eh, romantic love is overrated…