HOLIDAYS - Not just for the birds

  Great weather for the first time in a long while leads to an opportunity to celebrate more holidays of the outdoor variety this week.

The cardinal is the state bird and can be seen in most backyards during the Great Backyard Bird Count.

You may have missed the full (Snow) moon, at its apex around 3:36 a.m. You can take another gander at it this evening if the clouds allow.

Also, today is Pluto Day, in honor of the date of its discovery in 1930. Currently Pluto's status is downgraded from planetary. To me that still seems kind of harsh.

A four-day weekend, Feb. 18-21,  is dedicated as the Great Backyard Bird Count. Take the kids outside, sit and relax, and keep track of what you see. It's family time, it's educational, it's relaxing, it's a can't-lose celebration, unless you just washed your car.

Maybe you can make a birdhouse with the kids. February is Bird Feeding Month and Youth Leadership Month, and this weekend kicks off National Engineering week. It's birdhouses now, but it could be an Ohio River bridge in the future.

Any excuse to make kids more intelligent is a good thing. Besides promoting the zoological and mathematical parts of the brain, how about the arts: Feb. 21-25 is Read Me Week. Get the kids some great books and give them some time to dive into them.

I like to lean toward history books, and Monday would be a great day to read one in honor of Presidents' Day.

For the sports nuts out there, there's always something, and this weekend is a double whammy, including the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star game.

There are a lot of healthy designations in February, many surrounding the heart in conjunction with Valentine's Day. Please keep in mind that Thursday (Feb. 24) is Bullitt County's 4th annual Healthy Hearts Wear Red Luncheon sponsored by the Health Department at Paroquet Springs Conference Centre.

The Health Board is discussing a smoking ban, more for the health risks involved than any other reason. A national designation ties in with this, as Feb. 20-26 is Through with Chew Week, highlighted on the 24th with the Great American Spit Out.

Don't forget to check out the entire list of February holidays in the Features area of www.pioneernews.net.