A Year of Blogging: February 1, 2011

Today is Freedom Day. According to holidayinsights.com today is Freedom day because on February 1, 1865 Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery. National Freedom Day was established in 1948. The day is supposed to remind us of freedom for all Americans. I have always thought the day to celebrate our freedom was July 4. That is Independence Day. Although, now that I think about it, we are celebrating our Independence from England. We celebrate the country. So I guess today is to celebrate the freedoms we have as individuals in this country that is free from England. Unlike some days, like Chocolate Cake Day, which can be celebrated worldwide; freedom day is a very US holiday. Other countries and democracies around the world may have freedoms, but it seems National Freedom Day was directly tied to a major event in US History. So I wondered what is today in other parts of the world? I could only find information for one other country. In Malaysia, February 1 is Federal Territory Day. It is a state holiday commemorating the formation of the Federal Territory in 1974. Today is also Clark Gable's Birthday. Gone With The Wind is my favorite movie. He is so sexy, so charming. With a hint of danger. Which is exactly what Rhett should be. I have tried to watch other Clark Gable movies, but I am never able to get past him as Rhett Butler, and therefore have difficulty putting him into other stories. No doubt, if I had been a teenager 60 years earlier, it would have been Clark Gable I was swooning over, not Neil Patrick Harris or River Phoenix! February is National Cherry Month. I wonder if that is a tribute to George Washington. This is the only time of year I can get Cherry Cobbler at Bob Evans'. The cherry cobbler is warm, and sweet, topped with vanilla ice cream- it is one of the few times I'll pass up chocolate! It also brings back memories of spending Winter Break in Florida with my Grandparents. We went to Florida each February. Dad had tickets to the Daytona 500 and Grandma and Grandpa lived about 30 minutes from Daytona. We stayed with them, which worked out perfectly. We did not have Bob Evans' in New York, so it was a special treat in Florida. It wasn't until I moved to the Midwest that I discovered the cherry cobbler is only available in February. Mmmm. I can almost taste the cobbler now. Too bad it's an ice storm outside; even though today is Freedom day, I'm being held captive inside my house by mother nature!