Happy Chinese New Year!

Sunday was the spring festival, first day of the lunar new year. It's now the Year of the Pig. Many people are saying it's not only the Year of the Pig, but the Year of the Golden Pig. According to my wife, though, this is not true. She read in the China Daily that it's actually the year of the Earth Pig. The Golden Pig comes around every sixty years -- the last one was in 1971, and the next one's in 2031. The animals of the Chinese zodiac have to pass through all five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal (gold) and water.

Well, that's OK. Whether golden or earthy, pigs can be considered auspicious.

Milestone

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. He is already 70 years old -- how strange. I feel as though only recently I was a young person, rebelling against my parents. Where did the time go? How did we suddenly become older?

For awhile, my dad has been preparing himself for this milestone. Last fall he decided to build a fish pond in the backyard. He finished it and stocked it with fish. When the weather permits, he plans to build a gazebo.

Summer in winter

A friend who lives in Florida has decided to move back to Pennsylvania. Among other reasons, she mentioned the weather.

She doesn't like Florida's climate. "Summer in January screws me up," she says.

Where I live, it's extremely cold at the moment -- almost unbearable. So it was a little strange to hear my friend's complaint. Still, I can understand where she's coming from.

When you're used to the cycle of four seasons, it doesn't feel right for one to be missing. Even though winter may suck, we still want the opportunity to curse it.