Several atrocities occurred during the spring of 2020, so I chose to enrich my blog with a picture of a downy woodpecker in its nest. The picture was taken by my husband in our backyard during the spring season which will end June 20. Although many events occur in June, the most salient ones took place on June 19.

1.Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19^th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on the Texans due to the minimal number of Union troops to enforce the new Executive Order. However, with the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger’s regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance. (This information was obtained at https://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm.)

Here are other events that occurred on June 19:

2. My favorite cartoon character, Garfield, was born on  June 19, 1978, the day the first Garfield strip was published. Here is a copy of my favorite strip:

3. International Box Day. If you have cats, this is the time to watch them jump in and out of a cardboard box, or hide in one.

4.National Martini Day. I don’t drink. But in case you do, June 19 is the perfect time to relax with a martini and forget the turmoil caused by the invisible enemy, COVID-19.

Have a nice day!