"Beware the Ides of March," sayeth the soothsayer, predicting ominous happenings on this day in 44 B.C.
And, so it happened.
Julius Caesar died at the hands of his Senators as they gathered round and stabbed him multiple times.
Later, Marc Antony spoke:
Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred in their grave.
So, let it be with Caesar! . . . . How many ages hence Shall this our lofty scene be acted over In states unborn and accents yet unknown!
Well, that's a good question, which is probably impossible to answer, considering all the assassinations throughout history since the days of Caesar.
It would also be hard to calculate the double meaning of that question, when one considers how many classes over the years and throughout the world have required students to read Shakespeare's historical tragedy Julius Caesar.
Even if they don't remember more than a couple of lines from Antony's funeral oration, I'm guessing most students will at least remember "Beware the Ides of March" from their Shakespearean experiences.
And, so here we are one more year out from 44 B.C. once again remembering the famous line and maybe even wondering what there is to beware on these Ides in 2022.
I'm sure there is plenty to beware in our own lives and around the world, and, like most folks, I wish it weren't so.
We all know, however, that things to beware are always in our lives.
We just need to be wise enough and do our darndest to avoid them.
On this Ides of March, it's somber and ominous outside, but the rain is washing away the snow, and that is a good thing.
Lots of washing yet to do, but I felt a sense of liberation last night taking Bridie to places yet unknown to Bridie, once covered with snow but now bare but wet ground.
And, did she ever find new and legal treasures! In one case she performed her instant plop down to the wet grass to chew on a pine cone.
The nice part about that area last night was that tree limbs shielded us from the rain, so we could walk in the wet and not get wet.
Some of the baby steps of winter are starting to hasten up into bigger steps with increasing numbers of places not to slide on ice or sink into deep snow but still with a few areas to avoid because of mud or standing, icky water.
And, there is always on a farm in yards where canines roam, the need to exercise caution and avoid stepping splat right in the middle of a watered-down pile of doggie do.
On Facebook yesterday, someone was lamenting the doggie-do clean-up at her house. Being a smartie pants---knowing that our poop patroling is still yet to come in many places---I posted, "Coming soon to a yard near you, doggie do."
It doesn't take much to find humor in any subtle change during this transitional season.
Gotta let the humor offset the multitude of sheer ugh's that go along with our painfully slow journey toward spring.
It's still a ways off.
That said, there's some fun stuff in the items below.
My friend Connie provides a link to her friend Kristine's blog "Is There Any More Pie?"
Kristine, a published author, lives in Hope part of the year and on the East Coast during the other part.
Both Connie and Kristine provide some of their own history on conserving during tough times and some sensible ideas for saving money when money is tight and prices are high.
So, there's some great reading in both blog posts.
https://retiredmtnlady.blogspot.com/
And, by golly, if you're a ZAGS fan and you don't just love Jimmy Fallon after watching the video segment below, you're missing something.
Pretty priceless promotion of our ZAGS!
Two days until St. Paddy's Day, and I've included another stirring Irish favorite.
Enjoy, and Happy Tuesday.
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