Happy Leap Day

Happy Leap Day!

Today is NOT Sadie Hawkins Day; I always thought it was. Sadie Hawkins Day is some day in November. The 19th, maybe? From what I've read, I think the two days are confused because Sadie Hawkins Day is a day when a woman can ask a man out to a dance or a date, and Leap Day is a day that a woman can ask a man to marry her (and the man can't say no without paying a fine.)

Sadie Hawkins Day originated in the 1930's; Leap Day has been around since at least 40 BC, but the tradition about asking for marriage may have started somewhere in Europe in a bit more modern times. Lesson of the day, whatever. All I know is that it makes February a day longer, which I don't care for. But March is coming and that means spring, even if the forecast is eight inches of snow...

In other news, I picked five lemons today, off of my little Meyer lemon tree. Now it looks so naked, poor little thing. And now I'm expected to make lemonade out of the tiny little lemons; I imagine I'll only be able to make a jiggerful and everyone will get one sip.

I definitely did not understand the life/fruit cycle of the lemon tree. We had flowers in the spring, green lemons in the summer, and the lemons just started turning yellow about a month and a half ago. I suppose that makes sense, but being a gardener in zone 6, I am used to a much shorter growing cycle--fruits and vegetables blossoming and maturing in a few months.

Enjoy the extra day!

PS: Sorry about the creepy ghost in the corner of the picture. I don't know what that is. Ick.