the december magazine semi-quaternary edition – An Occasional Story or Magazine

December Magazine

Hail December! The Twelfth month!

Hail to the number twelve. Three cheers (four times) for the 12!!! !!! !!! !!!

The word twelve, whose early English-Germanic roots derive from “two left”- or two left over after counting to ten – completes a certain cycle for us. We count the hours by 12’s. After twelve o’clock we start counting again. Twice every day we count out twelve hours. And I hope you all know by now what time it is when your clock strikes thirteen. That’s right! Time to get your clock fixed!

The Sumerians, who bequeathed to us this lovely 12-based system of telling time, used a sexagonal number system, which means based on the 60. The Sumerian year was divided into twelve 30-day months, in accordance with the twelve signs of the zodiac. A Sumerian year thus had exactly 360 days. However, 5 days remained unaccounted for! The Sumerians solved this little problem by declaring five “free” holiday days at the end of each year. After five days of New Year’s partying, no one apparently cared that the math didn’t work out so perfect. Anyhow, we still divide our days and nights into 12 hour segments, each hour being further subdivided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Likewise, based on the Sumerian system, we use 360 degrees to measure a circle. Works out pretty well.

Twelve has a lot of factors: 2, 6, 3, and 4. There are twelve inches in a foot, twelve notes in the chromatic scale, twelve days of Christmas, and twelve tribes of Israel. Of course, there are 12 signs in the zodiac – which probably lies at the bottom of all this 12 business. We have twelve jurors, and twelve AA steps to sobriety. Also, there were twelve Olympians, twelve knights at the Round table, twelve pence to a shilling, and twelve eggs to the dozen.

Which all brings us back to twelve months in the year. Yes, at long last we are coming to the end of the year, thank goodness. May the next twelve months be healthy and safe ones. A Happy and Safe Holiday Season to all!

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Twelve Gates to the City

December Magazine

Hail December! The Twelfth month!

Hail to the number twelve. Three cheers (four times) for the ol’ 12, the number on the top of the clock!!

The word twelve, whose early English-Germanic roots derive from “two left”, or two left over after counting to ten, completes a certain cycle for us. After twelve o’clock we start to count the hours again. Twice every day we count out twelve hours. And I hope you know by now what time it is when your clock strikes thirteen. That’s right! Time to get your clock fixed!

The Sumerians, who bequeathed to us this lovely 12-based system of telling time, used a sexagonal number system, which means based on the 60. The Sumerian year was divided into twelve 30-day months, in accordance with the twelve signs of the zodiac. A Sumerian year thus had exactly 360 days. However, 5 days remained unaccounted for! The Sumerians solved this little problem by declaring five “free” holiday days at the end of each year. After five days of New Year’s partying, no one cared that the math didn’t work out so perfect. Anyhow, we still divide our days and nights into 12 hour segments, each hour further subdivided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Likewise, based on the Sumerian system, we use 360 degrees to measure a circle. Works out pretty well.

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Twelve Gates to the City

December Magazine

Hail December! The Twelfth month!

Hail to the number twelve. Three cheers (four times) for the ol’ 12, the number on the top of the clock!!

The Sumerians, who bequeathed to us this lovely 12-based system of telling time, used a sexagonal number system, which means based on the 60. The Sumerian year was divided into twelve 30-day months, in accordance with the twelve signs of the zodiac. A Sumerian year thus had exactly 360 days. However, 5 days remained unaccounted for! The Sumerians solved this little problem by declaring five “free” holiday days at the end of each year. After five days of New Year’s partying, no one cared that the math didn’t work out so perfect. Anyhow, we still divide our days and nights into 12 hour segments, each hour further subdivided into 60 minutes, and each minute into 60 seconds. Likewise, based on the Sumerian system, we use 360 degrees to measure a circle. Works out pretty well.

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Tri-Quaternary December Magazine

Contents: TWO POEMS, A SALUTE TO THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, A SALUTE TO THE NUMBER TWELVE including some Duogesimal Meanderings, plus another stirring rendition of my LOWDOWN BLUES,

A SCIENCE POEM

E=mc2

Nothing is faster than light

It’s true

They had a race

And Nothing won

Nothing is faster than light

E = mc2

Shucks

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ANOTHER POEM ABOUT A RACE

Fat and Skinny had a race

All around the pillow case

Fat fell down and broke his face

Skinny won the race

Now that’s a real poem! Better than that science one I just made up about Nothing. I remember the Fat and Skinny Had a Race poem from the distant depths of my childhood. Apparently, my brain – and I suppose everybody’s poor, old, brain – is sprinkled with these little electrical traces. Our spongy grey matter (don’t think about it too hard) is chock full of childhood songs, nursery rhymes and ditties. They’re nearly “cultural imprints” because they remain with us for life, just sitting there, hanging out inside our crania, all electrically coded into the grey and white matter of our poor, over-evolved brains. They occasionally rise to the surface (the ditties, not any of the grey matter, thank goodness) and we call that “remembering”. Anyhoo, the rhyme about Fat and Skinny is one I can clearly recall knowing and singing at a very early age. I recall that, as a toddler I pictured Laurel and Hardy running around a bed, racing in circles. I associate the song with my grandmother – I’m sure she recited it to me – which gives the silly poem a very warm glow for me – not to mention the Laurel and Hardy image.

Fat and Skinny had a race

images — I thought I said not to mention Laurel and Hardy image!

All around the pillow case

Fat fell down and broke his face

Skinny won the race

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Hail December! The Twelfth month!

Hail to the number twelve. Three cheers (four times) for the ol’ 12, the number with so many easy factors: 2,6, 3,4. Twelve is the number on the top of the clock! Hurray for the Twelve! Hurray for the end of the Julian year, and the beginning of a new one. Twelve more months! Twelve more reasons to celebrate. Hurray (12 hurrays) for Marina Kanavaki for creating such a beautiful calendar for us!

The word twelve, whose early English-Germanic roots derive from “two left”, or two left over after counting to ten, completes a certain cycle for us. After twelve o’clock we start counting the hours again. Every day (actually twice a day) we count twelve hours. And you know, of course, what time it is when your clock strikes thirteen? That’s right! Time to get your clock fixed!

Happy Holiday Season to all! Dozens of long-stemmed roses for the twelve days of Christmas. Twelve songs of praise from the Twelve chromatic notes, Twelve songs of praise from the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Hurray for the Twelve signs of the zodiac!

Hail the 12 and Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

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The Low Down Blues

Here’s a blues I’ve been working on for a while. I love to play it. It’s very simple, nay elegant. Anyway, I only used two chords (most if the song anyway). Low Down Blues in the key of D.

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And here’s another, more cheerful song to cheer you on your way, to sing along with perhaps. Not only did my grandmother sing me the song about Fat and Skinny, she also sung Irene Goodnight. It’s a beautiful song, credited to the great Hudie Ledbetter.