a day of and about presidents
[a wee holiday reminder]
Today is, officially, Washington’s Birthday, though it is not Washington’s birthday and in fact never falls on Washington’s birthday, which is February 22 (February 11 via the Julian calendar in use at the time of GW’s birth).1
To be sure, it’s popularly known as Presidents Day (or Presidents’ Day, if you must, but must you?2); what it should not be called is President’s Day, which rather defeats the purpose altogether.
Today’s cover photograph depicts Horatio Greenough’s sculpture Enthroned Washington. (“Now a warning?”)
This fact exudes intense “I can’t operate on this child, he is my son!” energy. For the record, the third Monday of February, on which Washington’s Birthday has been enshrined (or, if you prefer, parked), never falls later than February 21.
A day of and about presidents, not belonging to them. See also Veterans Day (its official government name, by the bye) and, for my money, farmers market. As to Mother’s Day, well . . .
Or Presidents' Dei?
I have to look up whether or not to use that apostrophe every blasted year. In my defense, I'm Canadian, but I've lived here for, I think, 14 years, which is surely long enough to have learned whether or not to use an apostrophe in this instance. I can only hope that publicly humiliating myself with this confession will be enough to get it to stick. (It won't, will it?)