March has become a busy month, at least for me. Used to be, the major holiday was March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, when almost everyone dons green. March 15th is the Ides of March, but I don’ t know anyone who honors that. Wikipedia tells us that in modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was assassinated, in 44 BCE, and has come to be used as a metaphor for impending doom. No need to celebrate that idea!

However, March has two other events that I think are worth mentioning. One is personal: With this month’s posting I will be starting the third year of my blog-turned-website. (See an update in the Welcome Page.) The other is universal: March 8th is International Women’s Day, an important day for women that we don’t seem to acknowledge in the U.S.A. as much as I would like.

Here’s what comes up when you Google this day:International Women’s Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

What follows in the article is a brief history of this day, starting at the turn of the 20th century. Currently IWD has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences. So on March 8th, we can reflect on the progress made in the past and also celebrate the courage and determination by women who have played an extraordinary role in women’s rights.

On Saturday, March 8th I urge you to find a way to celebrate ourselves and the progress we have made in women’s rights the last 100 years and to continue in working towards a better world for all women, including women of color, women who have been raped, women who have been abused, single mothers, as well as working women who still may not be receiving equal pay for equal work.

You may want to look at these websites:
amnestyusa.org/women, Amnesty International’s STOP Violence Against Women Campaign
www.villagebanking.org - FINCA International (Foundation for International Community Assistance)-Small loans-Big Changes
www.vday.org/main.html - Author/Activist Eve Ensler’s V-Day campaign, also to stop violence against women
www.womenforwomen.org- THe Women for Women International organization which helps impoverished women everywhere

While contemplating how you want to celebrate International Women’s Day, you can look at the chlorophyll recipes in Profiles, and most importantly, please read the article on Menopause by my friend and colleague Barb Jarmoska, owner of Freshlife Foods (website: www.freshlife.com). Im also posted a short list of books on midlife and menopause under reviews of book, film, and website reviews. Feel free to check out the other categories for anything you missed last month, and in case I did not highlight it here, such as Peak to Pique, P.I.C. in Products & Services, and This ‘n That.

Finally, the plant photos today are all from a winter garden of decorative kale, also known as flowering cabbage. Since kale is one of the most nutritious of green veggies, I thought the decorative kale I see all around buildings and cemeteries might be a nice nod to this wondrous food. I am not sure if the decorative kale is ever used for eating, but I love the fact that a vegetable can be used as a flower! While Spring officially begins on March 20th, we can still enjoy the hardy kale “flowers” until our trees blossom and our flowers bloom with bright colors of the season.

P.S. My new background features radishes, one of the first garden vegetables of the Spring. Hope you like it!

(Tree right outside the front door of where I live. The lights are part of the parking lot. I hope it will stay as brilliant until Thanksgiving.)

Have you noticed that Christmas decorations are on display barely a day after Halloween? Whatever happened to promoting Thanksgiving, my favorite all-American holiday that everyone can celebrate? I was thinking of combining November with December, because I am leaving for a family visit to California soon, but I would only be adding to the passing over of Thanksgiving. So while this is a shorter posting, I don’t want to ignore this wonderful family holiday.

My son-by-marriage, Jay, is in charge of dinner and I am just the helper. So I have only one of my own holiday recipes to offer in Kitchen Nutrition with Recipes. The others are from Jay, my brother, and my walking buddy, Marilyn. But I have made all of them and they are tasty additions to your turkey or ham or tofurky. (Tofu made to look like a turkey.)

Hope Woodring, naturopath and neuro-muscular therapist is featured in the Profiles category. She has been in my life for 25 years. Our birthdays are one day apart; hers is December 3rd and mine is December 2nd. So we are Sagittarian sisters!

The book I have chosen to review is one suggested by my friend Barb Jarmoska of FreshLife Foods. (In October, Barb was wined and dined by Lifetime TV in Hollywood for her active participation in raising awareness about breast cancer. I profiled the Breast Cancer Action group last month, the organization she supports.) She emailed everyone when she was going with the name “Hollywood Barbie.” The book Barb recommended is called Feelings… Buried Alive, Never Die. So check out Reviews to see if you identify with the author’s concepts. (No photo at this time. When I return from my trip, I hope to add it.) Also, check out This ‘n That for my “Fallosophy” with more brilliant tree colors. Finally, look at Health Flashes for a blurb on National Caregivers Month.

I was able to take some additional photos of fall trees and plants because of the warm weather. Right in the area surrounding the parking lot around our apartment building are some lovely trees and also some roses, still blooming. So here is a photo and a poem to celebrate these late blooming flowers and still brilliant trees. Maybe Thanksgiving will still give us some colorful surroundings, while we are being thankful for the bounty of Mother Nature.

Happy Thanksgiving!