April Fools Day

April Fools Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I can act like myself and nobody seems to notice! One of my favorite jokes is when I place a small piece, about 1/4 of a dollar bill, taped to somebodies desk under their calendar. They see it and pull and pull, but it just won't come out. When they lift the calendar, I usually have a note taped to the dollar bill proclaiming April Fools. I also have a slight modification to this. Everything as above but put a bunch of those tiny plastic bugs under there too....especially ants. I usually get some pretty good screams from that.
One problem with April Fools Day history, nobody knows its origins. Some theorize that it was Europe's switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian in the 1500s, which changed New Years Day from late March to January 1st, creating an easy opportunity to play a prank on the forgetful. The major problem with this is, April Fools was mentioned back in the 14th Century in Canterbury Tales.
Even though nobody knows the origin of the jokes, they are widely played all over the world.
Here are some examples:
In Scotland, for instance, April Fool's Day is devoted to spoofs involving the buttocks and as such is called Taily Day. The origins of the "Kick Me" sign can be traced back to the Scottish observance.
In England, jokes are played only in the morning. Fools are called gobs or gobby and the victim of a joke is called a noodle. It was considered bad luck to play a practical joke on someone after noon.
In Portugal, April Fool's Day falls on the Sunday and Monday before lent. In this celebration, many people throw flour at their friends. I bet this one gets messy.
There are some jokes that are as old as time itself.....Your shoe is untied or setting your roommates clock back an hour are good ones. One of the funniest I have ever read about pertained to a British short film once shown on April Fool's Day that was a fairly detailed documentary about "spaghetti farmers" and how they harvest their crop from the spaghetti trees. I would be scared to meet the people that believed that one.
Then there is always this one I found online. Find a scrap of cloth. Place a dollar on the floor and stay nearby. When the victim comes by and bends down to pick up the dollar, rip the cloth loudly. Most people will reach back to see if they ripped their pants.
April Fools Day is an "Only for fun" observance. Nobody has to buy gifts or take anybody out to eat in a fancy restaurant. Nobody gets off from work or school. It's simply a fun little holiday, but a holiday which you better watch your back so you don't become an April Fool! I hope none of you fell for one today.
Being that this had NOTHING to do with gardening, I guess I could say April Fools??
Happy Growing!
Darren