“Winter lingered so long in the lap of Spring that it occasioned a great deal of talk.”
~ BILL NYE

MONTHLY SIGNS & SYMBOLS

FULL MOON:

“Hunger Moon” & “Snow Moon”

FLOWER:

Violet & Primrose

TREE:

Cedar, Pine, Poplar, Ash, Rowan

COLOR:

Violet Purple

BIRTHSTONE:

Amethyst

ANIMAL TOTEMS:

Otter, Wolf & Cat, Snake

ASTROLOGICAL ZODIAC SIGNS:

AQUARIUS: (January 20 – February 18)
PISCES: (February 19 – March 20)

PLANETS:

Uranus (Aquarius)
Neptune (Pisces)

NATURE HOLIDAYS & OBSERVANCE

FEBRUARY 2: World Wetlands Day
FEBRUARY 2: Groundhog Day
FEBRUARY 3: Feed the Birds Day
FEBRUARY 14: Valentine’s Day

THIS DAY in HISTORY

FEBRUARY 1, 1905: “THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE” IS FORMED.
FEBRUARY 1837 – APRIL 1839: ”OLIVER TWIST” IS 1ST PUBLISHED IN “BENTLEY’S MISCELLANY” AS A MONTHLY SERIAL.
FEBRUARY 3, 1870: “THE 15TH AMENDMENT”, PROHIBITING THE DENIAL OF A CITIZEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE BASED ON “RACE, COLOR, OR PREVIOUS CONDITION OF SERVITUDE” IS RATIFIED.
FEBRUARY 3, 1959: BUDDY HOLLY, RITCHIE VALENS, J.P. “BIG BOPPER” RICHARDSON & PILOT ROGER PETERSON, DIE IN A PLANE CRASH OUTSIDE CLEAR LAKE, IOWA.
FEBRUARY 3, 1961: LENNY BRUCE GIVES HIS FAMOUS PERFORMANCE AT “CARNEGIE HALL”, DURING A SEVERE BLIZZARD.
FEBRUARY 7, 1894: “THE CRIPPLE CREEK MINERS STRIKE OF 1894” BEGINS ITS 5 MONTH STRIKE BY THE “WESTERN FEDERATION OF MINERS”.
FEBRUARY 12,1909: “THE N.A.A.C.P.” IS FORMED ON THIS DAY.
FEBRUARY 16, 1968: THE NATION’S FIRST “911 EMERGENCY” SYSTEM MAKES IT’S DEBUT.
FEBRUARY 19, 1968 – AUGUST 31, 2001: “MR. ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD” FIRST AIRS ON “NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION”
FEBRUARY 19, 1942: “JAPANESE-AMERICAN INTERNMENT” IS IMPLEMENTED ON THIS DAY.
FEBRUARY 20, 1792: “THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE” IS ESTABLISHED
FEBRUARY 20, 1960: JIMI HENDRIX PLAYS HIS FIRST GIG.
FEBRUARY 21, 1965: MALCOLM X IS ASSASSINATED AT MANHATTAN’S “AUDUBON BALLROOM”.
FEBRUARY 24, 1803: U.S. SUPREME COURT AWARDS ITSELF THE POWER OF “JUDICIAL REVIEW” IN, THE “FEDERALIST PARTY” SPONSORED, “MARBURY vs. MADISON” CASE.
FEBRUARY 25, 1964: MUHAMMAD ALI DEFEATS SONNY LISTON FOR THE “WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP”.
FEBRUARY 26, 1993: A BOMB EXPLODES IN THE GARAGE OF THE “WORLD TRADE CENTER”, KILLING SIX & WOUNDING A 1,000.
FEBRUARY 27 – MAY 5, 1973: THE OGLALA LAKOTA OCCUPY WOUNDED KNEE, S. DAKOTA ON THE PINE RIDGE INDIAN RESERVATION FOR 71 DAYS.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS

*LANGSTON HUGHES (FEBRUARY 1, 1902 – MAY 22, 1967)
—-POET, PLAYWRIGHT, NOVELIST, ACTIVIST
*ROSA PARKS (FEBRUARY 4, 1913 – OCTOBER 24, 2005)
—-ACTIVIST, “1st LADY OF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT”
*”BIG BILL” HAYWOOD (FEBRUARY 4, 1869 – MAY 18, 1928)
—-LABOR MOVEMENT LEADER
*ALICE COOPER (BORN FEBRUARY 4, 1948)
—-ROCK SINGER / SONGWRITER
*CHARLES DICKENS (FEBRUARY 7, 1812 – JUNE 9, 1870)
—-WRITER, SOCIAL CRITIC
*JAMES DEAN (FEBRUARY 8, 1931 – SEPTEMBER 30, 1955)
—-FILM ACTOR
*FREDERICK DOUGLAS (FEBRUARY 1818 – FEBRUARY 20, 1895)
—-ABOLITIONIST, AUTHOR, EDITOR, DIPLOMAT
*THOMAS EDISON (FEBRUARY 11, 1847 – OCTOBER 18, 1931)
—-AMERICAN INVENTOR
*CHARLES DARWIN (FEBRUARY 12, 1809 – APRIL 19, 1882)
—-BIOLOGIST, WROTE “ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES”
*SUSAN B. ANTHONY (FEBRUARY 15, 1820 – MARCH 13, 1906)
—-WOMENS & CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
*JACK PALANCE (FEBRUARY 18, 1919 – NOVEMBER 10, 2006)
—-FILM / STAGE / TV ACTOR
*REVEREND LIZ THEOHARIS (BORN FEBRUARY 18, 1976)
—-MINISTER, ACTIVIST, CO-CHAIR of “POOR PEOPLES CAMPAIGN”
*SIDNEY POITIER (BORN FEBRUARY 20, 1924)
—-FILM ACTOR
*BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE (BORN FEBRUARY 20, 1941)
—-SINGER, SONGWRITER, ACTIVIST
*NINA SIMONE (FEBRUARY 21, 1933 – APRIL 21, 2003)
—-SINGER, SONGWRITER, PIANIST, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
*JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL (FEBRUARY 22, 1819 – AUGUST 12, 1891)
—-POET, ABOLITIONIST, NEWSPAPER EDITOR
*W.E.B. DU BOIS (FEBRUARY 23, 1868 – AUGUST 27, 1963)
—-SOCIOLOGIST, HISTORIAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
*PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (FEBRUARY 25, 1841 – DEC. 3, 1919)
—-FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER
*SISTER WENDY BECKETT ( BORN FEBRUARY 25, 1930)
—-NUN, ART HISTORIAN
*MITCH RYDER (BORN FEBRUARY 26, 1945)
—-SINGER / SONGWRITER
*JOHNNY CASH (FEBRUARY 26, 1932 – SEPTEMBER 12, 2003)
—-COUNTRY SINGER, SONGWRITER
*RALPH NADER (BORN FEBRUARY 27, 1934)
—-ATTORNEY, CONSUMER ADVOCATE, ACTIVIST, AUTHOR
*HARRIET TUBMAN (FEBRUARY 1822 – MARCH 10, 1913)
—-ABOLITIONIST, CIVIL WAR NURSE, SUFFRAGIST
*JOHN STEINBECK (FEBRUARY 27, 1902 – DECEMBER 20, 1968)
—-AMERICAN AUTHOR
*JOHN FAHEY (FEBRUARY 28, 1939 – FEBRUARY 22, 2001)
—-GUITARIST, COMPOSER, ”FATHER of AMERICAN PRIMITIVE GUITAR”

FACTS & TRIVIA

FEBRUARY GETS IT’S NAME FROM “FEBRUUM”, THE LATIN WORD FOR “PURIFICATION” & “FEBRUA”, THE ROMAN FESTIVAL OF RITUAL PURIFICATION, HELD ON FEBRUARY 15th.
FEBRUARY IS “BLACK HISTORY MONTH”.

HOME & GARDEN

Add a 3 -4 inch layer of COMPOST to trees and garden beds.
Check your lawn for bare spots and “potholes” collecting water, and fill with MULCH.
Best time to prune most DECIDUOUS TREES and SHRUBS, FRUIT TREES (apple, pear, cherry, peach, plum), FLOWERING TREES (ornamental plum, cherry blossom, crabapple), butterfly bush, witch-hazel, hydrangeas, hibiscus, viburnum, redbud, mimosa (silk tree), strawberry tree, willow, holly, smokebush, crape myrtle, nine-bark, burning bush, cotoneaster, barberry, abelia, photinia, fuchsia, hawthorn.
Also good time to prune FLOWERING VINES jasmine, clematis.
Add organic fertilizers to SHRUBS, EVERGREENS and ROSES.
Good time to PLANT (or transplant) TREES, SHRUBS, PERENNIALS, etc.
BERRIES (grapes, raspberry, blueberry, etc.) can be PLANTED this month.
Sow INDOOR SEED STARTS for tomatoes, peas, onions, cabbage, etc., herbs, annuals.
Tune up and service lawn mowers, line-trimmers, leaf blowers, pressure washers, etc.
Control pests & disease on FRUIT TREES with Garlic Spray *(see recipe below).

*DIY “GARLIC SPRAY” RECIPE: