It’s been said that without Valentine’s Day, February would look well, just like January. Yes, Valentine’s is a unique and amorous day when more flowers, cards and gems are bought, sent and delivered than any other day of the year.
Before we get our fill of assorted chocolates and those little candy hearts with the catchy sayings on them, let’s look at a day deserving of real celebration. The second day of the second month of every year a cute and furry little creature named Punxsutawney Phil crawls out of his burrow where dignitaries, meteorologists, and actually the whole world await to learn if he sees his shadow. Officially known as Groundhog Day, it began back on Feb. 2, 1887, in a German community in Pennsylvania. Lore has it that animals could predict the weather. If the groundhog sees his shadow, he becomes scared and retreats back into his comfy den for what is sure to be another six weeks of winter. This is somewhat similar to the same method my grain and livestock market adviser uses.
Groundhog Day is not a public holiday but perhaps it should be. It carries no political baggage, no controversy, no tax burden. Celebrating the day may need to only include a sausage and pancake feed down at the community center while listening or dancing to polka music, quite possibly the Pennsylvania Polka.
February also honors the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, as well as the remembrance of all the American presidents. Although February is the shortest month of the year, it contains three days on the calendar for fun, love and reverence. Three days and three ingredients for living life to the utmost for mind, body and soul. In these times of social change and restrictions, taking advantage of what life has to offer seems to just make good sense.
This month I would like to acknowledge and congratulate 12 electric cooperatives for their combined efforts in developing a new solar farm project. These cooperatives are: 4 Rivers, Ark Valley, Bluestem, Butler, CMS, DSO, FreeState, Heartland, Ninnescah, Sedgwick, Sumner-Cowley and Twin Valley. This is definitely an outstanding example of rural electric cooperatives working together to provide energy and service to their consumer-members.
Happy February Kansas Country Living followers!
Terry Hobbs is the board president for Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. He is also a member of Western Cooperative Electric’s Board of Trustees in WaKeeney.