August is 3rd from the bottom of least favourite months. Can you imagine not liking a month that can have extra weekends? August 2014 had 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. The Chinese call it 'Silver pockets full'. The myth goes that this only happens every 823 years, but it is closer to every 11 years. Chinese and many Asian cultures believe that this is the month to be grateful and appreciate the abundance you have while sharing what you have with others. this opens your pockets to receive more - thus the idea of pockets full of silver.
At the other end of the spectrum, this comes from funny-jokes.com:
This month's winner of loser of the month has to go to Mr Trevor Doyle who apparently fell asleep on the bus that was returning him to his open prison near Arklow, in the south of Ireland. He became concerned that the bus would get him to the prison too late and he would miss the deadline for the end of his weekend release. What did he do - he stole a car to get him back in time reports Jon Henley in the Guardian Diary.
I think these two retrievals highlight August's reputation. These are the results of a search for "august jokes."
Here's Lilium Lancifolium. It isn't native to North America, but is long-lived and enduring. Like peonies and lilacs, these were planted in farm garden and remained for decades. These are the ones with the little black bulbils up the stems.
