January 3, 2024
Did you notice we’re late with the newsletter? (Oops!) So much for New Year’s resolutions . . . In case you didn’t realize it, ancient Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions about 4000 years ago in the form of reaffirming allegiance to their king and making promises to their pagan gods to both repay their debts and return items they’d borrowed. However, they celebrated the new year at planting time, roughly mid-March, with a 12-day religious festival of Akitu. Fast forward to Roman times when Julius Ceasar established January 1st as the start of the new year around 46 B.C. with the month named after the two-faced god Janus, who symbolized new beginnings. Romans sacrificed to Janus and made promises of good behavior. Early Christians used the start of a new year to reflect on past mistakes and resolving to do better in the future. This tradition evolved into Watch Night services typically held on New Year’s Eve beginning in the 18th century in Moravian churches; this was adopted by John Wesley, the British theologian who founded Methodism, in about 1740 after he worshipped with Moravians during a trip to Savannah. Later, beginning on January 1st 1863 with the publication of the Emancipation Proclamation, Watch Night services became popular in African-American churches. Who knew?
If you’ve resolved to get fit in 2024, Bluemont’s Dirt Farm Brewing is opening up their driveway to walkers on Saturdays and Sundays in January from 10 AM to 11 AM. Walking up a driveway may not sound like exercise, but even though Bob and I hiked across the Pyrenees in August, going up (and down!) Dirt Farm’s driveway would still be a workout! And if walking it isn’t enough work, try running it. That should prepare you for the 2024 Snowball Dash 5K and 10K in Berryville’s Chet Herbert Park on January 21st; register at https://bishopsevents.com/event/2024-snowball-dash-5k-10k/ for this new race by the 10th to be guaranteed a t-shirt.
One of Bob’s resolutions for the year is to come home earlier. The fact that it gets dark so early—particularly in the tiny town of Bluemont—is also a motivator. So, for the next few months, the store will be on “winter hours” closing at 5:30 PM. Please call to make separate arrangements if you can’t get to the store during regular hours.
Finally, if you haven’t done so already, please “like” our Facebook page. We post “before” and “after” photos there pretty regularly, as well as info on local events.
Bob & Lynne McCann