A New Holiday Proposal: Armadillo Day

I'm petitioning for a new holiday. At least a new Texas holiday. I am a Texan after all. I have a Texas address, a Texas library card, Texas license plates on our van, as of last week a Texas driver's license, and I own a pair of cowboy boots. (The lady at the DPS told me I wouldn't officially be Texan until I owned a pair of cowboy boots. When I told my family they reminded me that I do own a pair that I got at Sierra Trading Post a couple years ago in the Bargain Barn. So I guess I am a Texan and the rest of my family is not. Yet.)

Sorry about that rant... Now on to the real reason for this post. This has been the first Texas summer for a most of us (Glenn has had one before when he spent a summer in Houston on a mission trip). It it hot in Texas in the summer. I know that this has been a mild summer as far as Texas is concerned with only 12 days reaching 100 degrees in July but it has still been hot.

In New York around late October/ early November you need to start psyching yourself up for winter. "It's going to be long and it's going to be cold. There may be days when 3 feet of snow fall and there may be months when the temperature never rises above 20. Stack the wood. Find your shovel. Get out the blankets, long underwear, hats, gloves, scarves, snow pants and warm socks. Make sure your heater works. Adjust your budget for winter utility bills. We can do this!"

I think we'll have to do the same here in Texas in late April/ early May: "It's going to be long and it's going to be hot. There may be nights the temperature never dips below 90 and months when it's over 100 every day. Drag out your fans (probably only people from NY do that). Make sure your a/c is working. Put up the darkening curtains. Locate the nearest places to go swimming and to buy ice cream. Put away your blankets and sweaters. Shave your head or buy a lot of hair ties. Adjust your budget for summer utility bills. We can do this!"

In the north there is a holiday to celebrate "This will not last forever! The end is in sight! Only 6 more weeks!" called Groundhog Day. It doesn't really matter if that little rodent sees his shadow or not. Either way it's 6 more weeks of winter or 6 weeks until spring. Hope glows for a day in February when all hope of seeing grass ever again is fading. There is a holiday that gives hope and proclaims "The end is near. You can make it." Rarely does the end actually happen on March 16, six weeks later. There are often deep snows and freezing weather for another 4-6 weeks beyond that but... the end is coming. Hope.

I propose that in the south we should have a comparable holiday. Why should northerners have all the fun? A day to give hope. "This will not last forever. You will be able to once again step outside without sweating. The end is in sight." I think it should be named after another obscure, illusive animal that exists in the area. A quick google search told me that some in Texas already celebrate Armadillo Day on February second but I propose that Armadillo Day be August 2: a day to bring hope to those of us unable to breathe, sweating it out in the south that there will be an (admittedly temporary as I've been warned by those who've lived here longer) end to the 100+ degree days and water restrictions. Just like in the north I know there will be nights when it doesn't dip below 90 and long stretches with highs over 100 after September 13th but it will a day to breathe hope into heat weary souls. "The end is coming. You can make it."

So tomorrow we will be celebrating Armadillo Day as a family. If you'd like to join us here is a link to some fun facts about armadillos, an armadillo recipe, an armadillo crochet project, an armadillo paper craft and some armadillo coloring pages. NOTE: not much research has gone into finding these links. My apologies if there is anything inappropriate on them.

Happy Armadillo Day!
Hope.