HOROSCOPES

MARS SQUARE HAPPENING

The Mars positioning is a push to sing that song in your heart. If you don’t, it becomes like a pile of sheet music -- heavy. Not music exactly, just a blueprint for music. People cannot respond to the blueprint of an expression. They need you to embody it, then they will groove to your melody.

ARIES (March 21-April 19). “It’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then,” said Alice in Wonderland. Today offers you a redo of sorts, though there’s a counteroffer from beckoning new horizons.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You fulfill needs uniquely. You care for people like only you can -- sometimes needs that people didn’t even realize they had until you came along.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Maybe you’re not where you fantasize about being, but you’re not where you were, either. So stop for a moment and take in the view from this height. If you let it, your ambition could run rampant. So don’t let it!

CANCER (June 22-July 22). Solicit cooperation, delegate, enlist. Everyone wins. You get the thing finished by the deadline, and they pick up some skills, a new experience and the pleasure of your company.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Competition doesn’t have to be nasty to be fierce. You’ll embody the spirit of sportsmanship even as you give your all to defeat the opposition. Perhaps it’s a little easier to be generous because you believe you’re going to win.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Unusual circumstances trigger you to behave uncharacteristically. Because of this, you’ll witness a side of the situation you wouldn’t normally see and be most enlightened by the experience.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). A strong woman will be important to the action today. She’ll encourage you and give you a gentle structure of accountability for what you want to accomplish.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ve a gift for hosting. You’re like a song that brings everyone together in perfect harmony. To the amateur, the details of gatherings seem important, but you’re a pro. The only detail you need is the warmth of your smile.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). There are things you would change about a relationship if you could. It turns out, you can. You don’t even need the other person to do it, either. When you’re different, everything is different.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). There’s nothing like the exuberant fun you have with your favorite person. When you can’t be together, the next best thing will be planning for the next time you can.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Tiny troubles are like tiny bubbles in a fizzy drink. One by one they rise to the surface and pop. Enjoy it if you can. Without them, things would get a little flat.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Share your story. Your experience will translate well to others. You can really make a difference in someone’s life just by talking about what you’ve done and learned.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Feb. 6). Feeling confident in your work will translate to social mastery. Because you refuse to underestimate people, your relationships blossom in novel directions. A treasure of your year: The companion with whom you can discuss emotional and aesthetic aspects of life will love you with a reciprocity you can feel. Taurus and Cancer adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 10, 31, 17, 28 and 14.

FORECAST FOR THE WEEK AHEAD: Every exit is an entrance to another place. Remembering this might help during this situation of Mars and Uranus. Transitions can be hard. If you have the feeling that you don’t want to leave, you’re not alone in this. Those who appear to be coolly regarding the door may internally be kicking and screaming, clinging to any reason not to cross that threshold. It’s fear. But can you imagine the adventures awaiting on the other side?

• Looking for some artistic inspiration? Join the Northern RI Art Group at Cumberland Public Library on Wednesday, February 16th at 1:00 pm. Artists of any medium are welcome to join this group! Share your work with other members and be inspired! Each month the group will choose a theme for the next month. Create a new piece based on the prompt or revisit an old favorite. New members are always welcome. For information: www. cumberlandlibrary.org or (401) 333-2552 ext. 2

• Join the Museum of Work & Culture, a division of the RIHS, on Saturday, February 19 at 1pm as they commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Day of Remembrance with a virtual conversation on the legacies of Japanese internment. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized removal of people of Japanese ancestry from the west coast of the United States. Since that time, February 19 has been recognized every year by the Japanese community throughout the U.S. as a Day

of Remembrance. In honor of the 80th anniversary, the Museum will welcome Ken Nomiyama, who was born in an incarceration camp in Northern California, and Jim McIlwain, a student of Japanese American history, to discuss EO 9066 and its consequences during World War II and today. Individuals can register for the program by visiting: https://bit.ly/3HBNUGo

• Valley Talks, a series of biweekly historical lectures by the Museum of Work & Culture, a division of the Rhode Island Historical Society, continues Sunday, February 6 at 1pm on Zoom. In this talk, retired National Park Ranger Chuck Arning and member of the Nipmuc community Bruce Curliss discuss the Blackstone Valley, and New England as a whole, from the standpoint of how native communities and English settlers used and viewed the landscape. At the time of English arrival, the New England landscape was not a wilderness; native peoples had been manipulating the landscape for over 1500 years. However, the English saw the landscape as a frightening and mystifying wilderness, while for the Native peoples it was home, and not a wilderness at all. “Entangled Landscape” will also delve deeply into the complexities of language with regard to indigenous communities. Individuals can register for the talk by visiting: https://bit.ly/327C9bC Other Valley Talks will include: February 20: In anticipation of the Museum of Work & Culture’s 25th anniversary exhibition “Hollywood Comes to Woonsocket,” researcher Kathryn Sos-Hayda and Woonsocket Historical Society President Irene Blais share their research on the city’s heyday as a performing arts destination and home of artistic talent. March 6: Scholar Patrick Lacroix discusses the history of pre-1860s Quebecois immigration to the United States, revealing the complex tapestry of kinship and infrastructure that led to large-scale French-Canadian mobility before the U.S. Civil War.

• The Museum of Work & Culture, a division of the Rhode Island Historical Society, will offer its annual Children’s Baking Workshop with Gingersnaps Bakery on Saturday, February 12 at 1pm. This year’s event will have a Valentine’s Day theme and will feature a cookie decorating demonstration with a member of the Gingersnaps Bakery staff, an interactive French Language matching game, baking bingo, and a brief presentation on the history of Valentine’s Day. Baking kits will be available for pickup at the Museum prior to the event and will include: a chef’s hat, apron, recipe card, game printouts, heart-shaped sugar cookies, frosting, and sprinkles so children can follow along and decorate their own cookies. Tickets are $20 per participant. Space is limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged. Tickets are available for purchase at shopmowc.com.

• At 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 13th, Historian Jim Bailey will offer a presentation on the voyage and great escape of Pirate Captain Henry Every, at the Blackstone Valley Historical Society, North Gate – 1873 Old Louisquisset Pike. An avid detectorist for over 35 years, Bailey’s recovery of a late 17th century Arabian coin in Middletown, led to years of research that ultimately connected the coin to plunder taken by Every and his men of the pirate ship Fancy. Publication of his work in a research journal of the American Numismatic Society in 2017 shed new light on the first worldwide manhunt in history for one of the most notorious criminals of the 17tth century. Henry Every captured one of the richest ships in the history of piracy – a large Mughal vessel off the coast of India in 1695. He later returned to England and vanished from the pages of history, eventually earning titles befitting his infamy – The Pirate King, The Successful Pirate, and The Arch-Pirate. Bailey’s research into the recovery of his coin and other 17th century Arabian coins in southern New England was covered by the Associated Press in April of 2021 and made worldwide headlines as an opening of the world’s oldest cold case. From the recovery of an obscure silver coin no bigger than a thumbnail, a secret from well over three centuries ago was finally revealed: Before returning to England, Every traveled to the American Colonies in the guise of a slave trader and spent time hiding out in Newport, RI. When he sailed for England, he left behind nearly 40 of his men seeking new lives of comfortable obscurity in the American Colonies.

• The North Smithfield Heritage Association (NSHA) kicked off its monthly “Nature and History Walk” series earlier this month at the Booth Pond Conservation Area and nearby Pine Hill. You can find the trailhead at 2 Booth Pond Way at the entrance to The Club at Dowling Village, just between Lowe’s and Aldi in the Dowling Village shopping area in North Smithfield. The NSHA plans to hike every second Saturday of the month at 9:30 a.m. On February 12, Richard Keene will lead a hike to Wunnashowatuckqut Conservation Area (junction of the Blackstone and Branch Rivers). Meet at Forestdale School, 190 School Street, North Smithfield, RI). Follow their Facebook page for more information. Stay tuned for additional hikes throughout the Blackstone Valley offered by volunteers of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Trail Ambassadors.

• The Cumberland Library takes a deep dive into the latest DNA science when professional Genealogist Marian Pierre Louis joins us on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 6:30 pm on Zoom. She will discuss not only the latest information on personal DNA testing as a tool for exploring your genealogy, but she will also provide insights into the ways in which DNA testing is currently transforming the field. Marian will discuss the various tests now being offered help you determine which test might be right for you and outline the best ways to get the most out of the tests you’ve already taken, and the ones you may take in the future. Marian Pierre-Louis is a genealogy professional whose areas of expertise include: house history research, southern New England research, DNA, and social media.