P Stands for Presidents’ Day and Podcasts
Today’s Topic is brought to you by the letter “P” as in Presidents’ Day and Podcasts.
Barb Here. Well, hmm, Presidents’ Day. In our day (yeah, I said it) we celebrated Lincoln’s Birthday in school and made stove pipe hats or learned the Gettysburg Address; and we celebrated Washington’s Birthday with a holiday—after making posters about the whole (fictitious) Cherry Tree Incident (I can still see the artwork in my head: child, downed tree, little hatchet), or—as we got older—discussing the Crossing of the Delaware or the horrible winter at Valley Forge. NOTE: If you have not spent time at Valley Forge, add it to your list. Bring tissues. This was a horrible winter, Washington was criticized and offered to resign. Revolutions are not pretty.
A Very Brief History of the Presidents’ Day Holiday
Washington’s Birthday became a federal holiday in the late 1870s joining Christmas, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving. In 1971 (when many of us were in Jr. High or High School) it was moved from George’s birthday on the 22nd to the third Monday. Now called Presidents’ Day by most people, it never falls on the actual birthday of any former president. (Go figure.) I’m not sure what goes on in schools prior to the break but I certainly hope they are sticking more to the truth now and not lying to the little children. As for the actual holiday, for over 60 years, it’s given those who attend the Daytona 500 a travel home day; most schools have the week off so families head to Florida to visit the grands, and every car dealership and home goods store have major sales.
On Facebook, folks ask, “Who were the top five presidents?” As you can imagine, the answer to that question varies. According to 100 historians contacted by the Business Insider in 2017, the top five are Lincoln, Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, and Eisenhower.
The Divas and Presidents’ Day
Note, we at Heels and Tevas are working, but both of us will have a bit of time off this week due to family obligations. (Visitors for one and a trip for the other.
What are our takeaways for Presidents’ Day?
- Some of what we learned in school was a lie. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could believe that all science and history books were vetted for verifiable, age-appropriate truth? Probably won’t happen in our lifetime.
- Do NOT be taken in by the so-called sales. This is the month to reduce items in your home. If you do find something you need at a great price, pledge to get rid of a corresponding item.
- No matter what our political beliefs may be, let’s not forget that every generation has endured, struggled, and triumphed in some way during the past 240+ years. Don’t give up. Listen. Read. Question. Verify. Learn. Love one another. Be kind.
- When all else fails, eat chocolate. (But not if you are once again pledging to cut out sugar, like the Teva Diva.)
The Divas and Podcasts
Speaking of learning, that brings us to the P-Stands-for-Podcast discussion. Turns out making good podcasts—and getting them heard—is not quite as easy as we expected. After all, we both like to talk (well one of us more than the other), and we both have something to say (well, one of us more than the other), and we both have a point of view (here, we are equal), and together we can be pretty funny—but not always when trying to record 20-30 minutes of interesting, thought-provoking, and smile-inducing podcasts.
Plus, our wonderful Podcast Guru, Green Up Girl C S Wurzberger has suggested we take our time, practice (another P) and build an audience first. That audience part could be a bit of a challenge since it appears that many of our Tribe have not discovered podcasts. But you have discovered YouTube and we have discovered the ability to chat about fun topics for 5-10 minutes—not long enough for a podcast, but great for a quick break. So, watch for our unedited videos. We’ll let you know when they’re up. We’re having a heck of a fun time chatting on Skype, and are delighted to share pretty much anything. In fact, submit a topic, if you dare.
The first video will discuss hair—cutting, styling, coloring. And yes, you will see this. 