Banter Bites

Spring Has Sprung. Spring Has Science?

The start of spring is more than a date on a calendar … it's like the start of a new year, except with Mother Nature joining the celebration.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Yes, today's the Spring Equinox and official beginning of spring – but how could we look at the start of longer days, warmer temperatures, trees budding, flowers blooming, and birds chirping so differently?!

"All of the above" is why Red likes having a specific date to mark the start of the season … and the feeling of starting fresh and new. And even when Black sent her an article about how spring cleaning became a tradition, that didn't change her good mood. Red, like most of us, isn't usually a fan of cleaning and can certainly think of better things to do with her time, but there's something about "spring cleaning" that's different. Maybe it's just a different mindset, but armed with just the right kind of cleaning tips and checklist (pretty pictures help, too), Red's definitely inspired.

Black, of course, has a very different perspective that doesn't include cleaning (although she can explain how vacuuming can be "therapeutic"). She finds the Spring Equinox to be, if not inspirational, at least scientifically satisfying,

What can I say? I like the preciseness of the Spring Equinox (equinox means "equal night") in that day and night are equal across the entire planet. Plus, there has been a great deal of research on how spring improves our mood and energy levels.

When the news is challenging or life’s stressful, there’s something comforting about Girl Scout cookies. Always has been, which is why we’re rerunning this post from several years ago.

Girl Scouts, though, are about so much more than cookies, as year-round girls learn important life skills, gain confidence, and discover leadership skills. But buying cookies is such a sweet way (sorry, we couldn’t resist) to support the organization. Red’s favorite is the classic shortbread (now known as Trefoils), and Black buys a large assortment and gives them all away.

But hurry! Cookie season ends on March 23.

P.S. - If S’mores and Toast-Yay! are your favorites … make sure you stock up as this is the last year they’ll be available.

Let's play word association. If we say, "Girl Scouts," what's the first word that comes to mind? Ok, what's the second word?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: When Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout meeting – hoping to create an organization that redefined what was possible for girls everywhere – there was no way for her to know the difference it would make in the lives of millions of girls and their communities.

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Today’s turbulent times for Jews may overshadow the celebration of the Jewish New Year, one of the holiest of the Jewish holidays. Yet, ironically, we feel it should strengthen its significance, as the holiday is a time for reflection on the past and hope for the future.

If you think today’s politics are ugly … let’s talk about a man who named himself “dictator for life” of the Roman empire, and is then assassinated by a group of senators, including his best friend. (However, there’s a “pretty” part – Cleopatra was his mistress.) Food trivia and leadership lessons aside, the fact July is named after him is the perfect excuse to rerun one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites

Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.

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