Celebrate International Women's Day

In recognition of International Women's Day held annually on March 8, this page honors the remarkable women who have influenced us personally. Its nostalgic, humorous, sentimental and thought provoking.

International Women's Day occurs yearly. It's purpose, according to the organization's web site, is "to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future."

Countries such as China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria have made the event a national holiday.

Here, you will find a number of resources relating to International Women's Day. I'm not making this page overly political because there are many other sites and blogs that do the serious explaining. I will link to some of them.

This article is intended to be nostalgic, sentimental, and perhaps humorous. I will share some of my favorite things about women, and I invite you to do the same.

By the way, the picture above depicts my late mother and her grand-nieces. I am not sure when the picture was taken, but I would guess it would be in the 1930s. It was prior to the event of colored film, in any case.

A Modest Farm Wife with an Indomitable Spirit

There are many remarkable women who have impacted my life or inspired me -- some deceased, some still alive, and many are worthy of mention. However,after considerable thought, I have chosen my cousin Ruby as the person I most want to honor.

At the time of this writing, Ruby has recently turned 98 years old. She has survived two husbands and one son. She has three daughters living. Ruby was born on raised on a farm in the Canadian prairies. Her wonderful stories include describing how, as a young farm wife, she planted 500 trees on the property. At that time, the Canadian government was encouraging farmers to plant trees and they were selling saplings to farmers for pennies each. Imagine that young woman planting 500 trees, along with attending to her multiple domestic chores and raising four children.

At 98, and with impaired vision, Ruby is still bright minded and alert. The last time I spoke to her, I complained about financial matters. Ruby said, 'There are many ways to make money." She then went on to talk about how she had crocheted doilies and sold them to neighbors, and how she had grown African Violets and sold the young plants to a local florist shop.

Although no celebrity and certain not a famous person, Ruby is a woman that I greatly admire. She lived her live to the best of her abilities and will leave behind many friends and few enemies. We should all be so blessed.

Update Ruby passed away in January of 2012. She was just short of her 100th birthday. She requested that a tree be planted in her memory in lieu of flowers.

In the text above, I described the woman I want to honor for International Women's Day. Who do you want to honour? Any woman -- deceased or alive -- celebrity or next door neighbor..... Tell us who inspires you and why.

What's your take on International Women's Day? Is it nonsense and self indulgent prattle organized by a group of women who do not represent the values and beliefs of the mainstream? Or is it a significant and important way to recognize women's role in the world and bring attention to the plight of women in countries where they are denied even the most basic of human rights?

Is Intnernational Women's Day a Worthwhile Event?

Photos of women around the world working towards equality -- set to music.

1. What would men be without women? Scarce sir, mighty scarce. ..... Mark Twain
2. I don't hate women - they just sometimes make me mad. ..... Eminem
3. Women are made to be loved, not understood. ..... Oscar Wild
4. The two women exchanged the kind of glance women use when no knife is handy. ..... Ellery Queen
5. Women are like elephants to me. I like to look at them, but I wouldn't want to own one. . ..... W.C. Fields
6. If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. . ..... Aristotle Onassis

1. Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult. ..... Charlotte Whitton
2. The rarest thing in the world is a woman who is pleased with photographs of herself. ..... Elizabeth Metcalf
3. There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women. ..... Madeleine K. Albright
4. The torment that so many young women know, bound hand and foot by love and motherhood, without having forgotten their former dreams. ..... Simone de Beauvoir
5. Women dress alike all over the world: they dress to be annoying to other women. ..... Elsa Schiaparelli
6. The people I'm furious with are the women's liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket. ..... Anita Loos