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| LIFE IN SOLERA | APRIL 2023 | 15 Why we play April fools jokes on people on April 1… Until the middle of the 16th century, the European new year began on March 25, the day that marked the beginning of spring. To celebrate the new year, festivities involving much gift-giving and partygoing were held for seven days, culminating on April 1st. Around 1564 King Charles IX of France changed the calendar, moving the beginning of the new year to January 1. Many people who either didn't get the word or simply refused to honor the change continued to exchange gifts and hold parties on April 1. Because of this, they were called April fools and were mocked by others, who sent them frivolous presents, invited them to nonexistent parties, and played other pranks on them. Eventually, people just pretended to go through the rituals and the day became just a day for pranks. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end. "A penny for your thoughts" was first used by Sir Thomas More in 1522. The simplest meaning is, "What's on your mind?" At the time of Sir More, if a wise man suddenly became silent during a conversation, in order to have him tell what was on his mind, they would offer him money. A study by the University of Westminster in the UK determined that watching horror movies can burn up to almost 200 calories, the same as a half hour walk. AND… walking can help improve your mood, improve muscle tone, lower blood pressure, fight glaucoma, your weight, lung health, battle diabetes. In other words, go for a WALK! Jackie Chan… his mother was a drug smuggler while his father was a spy. This is in fact how they met, when his father arrested his mother for smuggling opium. When I was a child, I thought nap time was punishment, now it's like a mini-vacation. I talk to myself, because sometimes I need expert advice. The speed in which a woman says "nothing" when asked "what's wrong" is inversely proportional to the severity of the storm that's coming. Why paratroopers yell "Geronimo" … It seems that in the early days of the 82nd Airborne Division, paratroopers from Fort Benning, went to a movie about the heroic exploits of the Apache Indian Chief Geronimo. During their own exploits in the practice field, they began calling each other Geronimo and then shouting the name when they jumped from the plane. This & That ~ Submitted by The Solera Ghostwriters

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