So, what are you planning to do with your extra day this coming week? No, not an 8-day week, just an extra day tacked on to the end of the month. According to the records, this all started back on the Julian calendar before be the New Testament even existed, when the mathematical scholars of that period calculated exactly how long it took our third rock to circle the sun and realized that the arithmetic simply didn’t allow 365 trips to let the seasons line up the same year after year.
So, they declared that a “leap day” to be added every four years to let time catch up. At least theoretically. And it sorta worked for a while but, over the years (actually, over the centuries), things got out of whack again. So, in 1582 the Gregorian calendar tweaked things further by eliminating leap years in century years that weren’t evenly divisible by 400, 1900 being the most recent example. I know, that’s way too much information. So, rather than digging out your old slide rule to keep track, here’s a shortcut (that works most of the time). When the last two digits of the year are equally divisible by 4, it’s Leap Year. Don’t want to do the math? Then just remember that every year the Olympic Games take place, it’s Leap Year. And, when there’s a national election taking place here in the U S of A, it’s Leap Year. Speaking of which, those primary elections are taking place right now so, if you haven’t yet voted, better get a move on.
Your vote could be the difference maker. And, if you need some help sorting out the candidates most deserving of your vote, just meander over to the community park late afternoon on any day the sun is shining. There are typically a few dozen of your neighbors there. Some are pushing kids on swings while others might be throwing frisbees and tennis balls for the dogs. And, if you’ll ask, you’ll find no shortage of educated opinions about who should be representing us or protecting us or litigating for us. It is, after all, your community park and that’s what communities do. Share information.
And, while you’re there, you might take notice of the tall live oak trees recently planted around the playground area, courtesy of your Bentwater Civic Association. Then glance over the fence to the two dog parks, and you’ll see another dozen or so newly planted oaks thanks to private donations from others of your neighbors. Think about that for a moment. We’re talking about planting a live oak tree knowing full well it won’t offer its fullest shade for years, maybe decades. That’s a pretty powerful gesture of optimism, wouldn’t you agree?
Send Bentwater news and fun tidbits to Bruce@TheLakeConroeGroup.com
