NOW WE ARE TWO

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR BLO-OG!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

The Sibley Blog - weighing in at just a little over 700 posts - is two years old today! This occasion provides an opportunity for the entire editorial team (!) to express its gratitude to everyone who's contributed to keeping this blog going with ideas, photos, jokes, and oddities -- and, of course, all those of you who've regularly (or even occasionally) left comments.

Many Happy Returns to Us All!

Now, as it happens it's not just my blog's birthday, it's also my un-birthday, so I thought I'd give everyone a small un-birthday present...

The term un-birthday was first coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There, the 1872 sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

It is Humpty Dumpty who explains to Alice the concept of the un-birthday present as being a "present given when it isn't your birthday..."

Alice considered a little. "I like birthday presents best," she said at last.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" cried Humpty Dumpty. "How many days are there in a year?"

"Three hundred and sixty-five," said Alice.

"And how many birthdays have you?"

"One."

"And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five what remains?"

"Three hundred and sixty-four, of course."

"And that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents---"

"Certainly," said Alice.

"And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!"

When, in 1951, Walt Disney made his animated film of Alice in Wonderland, Humpty Dumpty didn't make it into the movie; but, instead, the Mad Tea Party became a Mad Un-birthday Party complete with a special song for the occasion.

Whether today is your birthday or your un-birthday, have fun!