27-28 July 26

The French Republican Calendar honored the watering can (Arrosoir) on 10 Thermidor, which corresponds with our 28 July. My special tie was a gift in 2012 from my then-EKU comrade Charles Woolum, who worried that I did not have enough ties for all the possible occasions.

28 July 25

Almost every year I celebrate Watering Can Day by wearing this awesome tie. This time it was especially appropriate because our cherry tomato plants really needed water in 96-100 degree weather! The designers of the French Republican Calendar designated each day of the year to honor a crop, a farm animal or a farm tool. July 28 became 10 Thermidor (the hot month!) and was named Arrosoir for the watering can.

28 July 22

 The French Republican Calendar designated 10 Thermidor (corresponding to 28 July) to celebrate "Arrosoir," the watering can. This is year 230 of the French Republic!

29 July 21

Yesterday was Watering Can Day! I had the day off for blueberry picking, so this special tie shows up today. Just after the French Revolution, the new government instituted a calendar where the days were associated with elements from agrarian life, such as a crop, a farm animal or a farm tool. The tenth day of the month named Thermidor was designated Arrosoir, the watering can. On our calendar the corresponding day is 28 July. The French Republican Calendar was one part of the "decimalization" of life, working with 10-day periods instead of 7-day weeks, etc. It was used for about 12 years, 1793-1805 (counted as Years after the Revolution, with Year I being either 1789 or 1792 on our calendar).

21-22 May 20

Happy Birthday (tomorrow), Aimee Moiso! Aimee is my niece-in-law, spouse of C. Nolan Huizenga. (They will celebrate their fourth anniversary in two weeks!) Last week she was officially invested/hooded/conferred with the Ph.D. in Religion (with all of the rights and privileges pertaining thereto) from Vanderbilt University. Her dissertation, successfully defended in December 2019, is "Standing in the Breach: A Relational Homiletic for Conflicted Times." Aimee chose my watering can tie for today, because she said "I'm spending so much time in my garden (with my three watering cans) these days."

28 July 19

This is Watering Can Day on the French Republican Calendar . . .
The date is Arrosoir, 10 Thermidor . . . and the year would be CCXXVIII.

26 July 18

We've (almost) arrived at Watering Can Day again! This Saturday, which is 10 Thermidor on the French Republican Calendar, carries the designation Arrosoir to help us meditate on the wonderful construction and features of this garden irrigation-delivery tool. Mine is made of plastic, but the one featured on this tie's design is clearly copper or brass.

31 May 17

This year, Watering Can Day (from the French Republican Calendar) falls on a Friday (28 July). So I'm glad to have a different occasion to wear this tie -- honoring the birthday (today) of my former comrade Charles Woolum, who gave me the tie several years ago! Happy Birthday, Charles!

28 July 16

It's Watering Can Day! The designers of the French Republican Calendar chose today, which they counted as the tenth day in the month named Thermidor (for "heat"), to honor the humble watering can. By the way it's also Jim Davis' birthday (1945) -- chronicler of Garfield's life.

28 July 15

July 28 is Watering Can Day! In the early years of the French Republic, a new decimal-based calendar was devised -- to remove attachments to religions and ancient myths -- using "decades" instead of weeks, etc. To celebrate the virtues of simple agrarian life, each calendar day was associated with a farm tool, a farm animal, or a plant/crop (replacing "saints' days"). Our July 28 corresponds with 10 Thermidor, honoring the watering can (in French, arrosoir). My tie, covered with watering cans, was a gift from a great EKU coworker.

28 July 14

In the early French Republic (1790s), the leaders devised a brand-new annual calendar, associating days with agricultural items like crops, animals and farm implements. The tenth day of Thermidor (which is July 28 on our calendar) honored the WATERING CAN (Arrosoir). I don't know if our beautiful sunflowers will be around for Sunflower Day on 19 Vendémiaire (our October 10).

 

28 July 13

Today is WATERING CAN DAY on the French Republican Calendar (associating every day of the year with a crop, animal or farm tool).

27 January 13

To celebrate her birthday today, my wife Beth chose to have me wear my watering can tie! She says it helps her think about planting seeds for sprouting soon.

26 July 12

After the French Revolution, the victors created a new calendar, matching a crop, animal or farm tool with each day of the year. 10 Thermidor, which is July 28 on our calendar, celebrated the Watering Can. This fabulous tie was presented to me for this occasion by my friend and coworker Charles Woolum.