Just so you know why Easter was early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox (which is March). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22), but that is pretty rare.
Here’s the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives. And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier. Here are the facts:
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you are 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that).
2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will see it any earlier than this year.
So there you have it folks, but seeing as I enjoy toying with the alphabet, and still have a couple of yards of space left to fill up, and thanks to the magic of email, and the courtesy of my Guelph residing niece, here is something for you brainiacs to ponder over.
What nine letter word in the English language is still a word, when each of the nine letters is removed one by one?
Think about that for a moment, before you read further.
You are never going to figure it out in a month of Sundays on your own, so I’m going to tell you. So brace yourself and don’t you be startled when I tell you the word is STARTLING.
Take away the L and you have, what you are just now doing, you are STARTING.
Take away the second T and you have, what is known to most as that nuisance bird, the STARLING.
Take away the L and you have what you are now doing, you are STARING.
Take away the A and you have something to tie knots in, a STRING.
Take away the R and you have, what bees do when they are angry, they STING.
Take away the other T and you have what my canaries do when they are happy, they SING.
Take away the G and you have, what is known, when you do things that are naughty; it is known to most as SIN.
Take away the S and you have IN your grasp the paper in which you are reading.
Take away the N and you are left with one letter only, but it, and all preceding, are all words commonly used in the English language. And I’m sure that you are all aware that I sign off each week with: Take care, care, ’cause we care.
