altivo

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On W-day? Yes, because Friday is a holiday and tomorrow I work only four hours. I'd forgotten this until late last night so it's a pleasant surprise.

Weather continues obnoxiously unseasonable, though at least we aren't having floods or tornados so far. Gray and overcast most of today, cold as a well-digger's ankle, but no rain.

Gary got back from his funeral mission in time to take Red to dog class, where this week they started on "free style dancing" which is something new to us. The dog learns cues for moves like spin left, spin right, go between your legs, and so on. I guess this is done competitively now but watching confused dogs and owners try to learn it must be pretty amusing.

No black woodpeckers today, but there were lots of mourning doves. And I think I may have heard a kinglet, though I didn't see it. They are very tiny birds, almost as small as hummingbirds, so not really easy to spot. They don't come to feeders either, which doesn't help.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Home in the oak grove

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

avon_deer

I am really looking forward to Easter this year. IT's been a long time coming. I am surprised that people in the US get Good Friday off, though. I'd have thought you just had the Easter Monday or something.

From:

altivo

It's all erratic. I've never worked anywhere that got the Monday off, and about half the places I've been didn't get Friday either. When I was at the Catholic university, though, they got some other church holidays off. Oddly, given the strong supporters of separation of church and state, Good Friday and Christmas are pretty widely observed even by secular government bodies and schools.

From:

avon_deer

Most people here get both Good Friday AND Easter Monday off work. People in 24/7 operations, such as the NHS have to work, but they are entitled to the time back to take at another part of the year.

I also have May Day to look forward to on May 2nd. And of course there is the one off of the royal wedding on the 29th. I was considering attending the "Republic" Anti-Street Party in London on that date, but I have other plans instead.

Edited Date: 2011-04-21 12:09 pm (UTC)

From:

altivo

Hee! May Day was noted when I was a kid, but never an actual holiday. These days it isn't even mentioned. I believe the Puritans suppressed it as a "pagan" festival when they came to New England. It became even less popular after the Russian communists made a big deal of it as a labor holiday. Anything the communists do must be utterly suppressed here lest it contaminate us. ;p

Memorial Day, in honor of dead and veterans of all wars, is the next civil holiday. It used to be May 30, but now it's one of those movable ones that always falls on a Monday to make a long weekend. Thus it has lost much of its original significance. After that will come Independence Day, always on July 4. And the "American" Labor Day, which was always a Monday holiday, at the beginning of September.