02.29.2024 | Thursday in Lent

Happy Leap Day everyone!  It's a chilly start to the day here in the Carondelet Garden on this last day of February.  But the sun is shining, and we should reach the 50s by this afternoon.  Overall, not a bad day at all.

Good old Roman General Julius Caesar gave us this wonderful Leap Day way back in 45 BCE.  Of course, back then leap day was February 24th, and February was the last month of the year.  However, adding a leap day every four years was too often and eventually, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. This calendar, which we still use today, has a more precise formula for calculation of leap years, also known as bissextile years.

I love old traditions and leap day is still associated with age-old customs, folklore, and superstition. One of the most well-known traditions is that women propose to their boyfriends, instead of the other way around.  I don't think that's such a bad way of doing things anyway.  

It's a good day for a good day on this Leap Day 2024.  Enjoy this extra day in February and get out and soak up a bit of that sunshine.  That's all the news from here in the Carondelet Garden.