February 22, 2014

Today we celebrate:

National Margarita Day – I'm not sure who invented these drinks or when, but I know they've been around for a while. Made from mixing tequilla, triple sec and lime, they are tasty, but dangerous so please don't have too many. http://nationalmargaritaday.com/about/

Woolworth's Day – On this day in 1878, Frank Winfield Woolworth opened the first Woolworth's store in Utica, NY, pledging to sell nothing that cost more than a nickel. That first store failed so he closed it and looked for another location. In July of 1879, they opened a store in Lancaster. That one took off and eventually they expanded to 1000 stores in their peak but, sadly, finally closed their doors for good in 1997. I'm also pretty sure they raised their prices at some point.

World Thinking Day – This is a Girl Scout celebration where girls all over the world honor their 'sisters' and strive to make life better for the poorest people in the world. Did you know that in some countries there are 90 students for every one teacher and globally, there are 33 million fewer girls in primary school than there are boys. The Girl Scouts are a global organization so this is a day for them to focus on their international counterparts.

George Washington's Birthday – This is the actual birthday of our first President of the United States. He was born in 1732 and died on December 14, 1799. Have a piece of cake for George today.

World Sword Swallowers Day – This day is the 7^th annual World Sword Swallower's Day begun by the Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI) and co-sponsored by Ripley's Entertainment. Celebrations will take place at 2:22 this afternoon and will consist of sword swallowing as I'm sure you were able to guess. Last year they had 43 sword swallowers who swallowed 76 swords at 18 Ripley's Believe It or Not locations. Sword Swallowing has been practiced for more than 4,000 years, according to SSAI President Dan Meyer.

Walking The Dog Day – Well, if you own a dog, every day is walking the dog day, but make sure you give him an extra long one today. After all this winter weather, I'm sure he/she needs it. Just make sure that you cover any short haired dogs with a coat. And maybe some booties because those are really cute.

Open That Bottle Night – This day was created by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in the year 2000. It acknowledges that all wine drinkers save a special, favorite or very expensive wine, for a very special occasion but few people ever find an occasion special enough to warrant opening that bottle. So give it up and open it today. Get some friends together to enjoy it or save it all for yourselves. http://www.openthatbottlenight.com/

National Cook A Sweet Potato Day – Sweet potatoes are better than regular potatoes because they have so many more nutrients and vitamins than white potatoes. So cook a few of them with your dinner this evening and if you can't think of a recipe other than candied yams with marshmallows, try looking here for some delicious ideas: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/articles/view/477/1/National-Cook-A-Sweet-Potato-Day.html

Be Humble Day – There is some dispute over when this day should be celebrated so you may hear about it on another day. The idea today is to be humble about your accomplishments, do not brag, make sure credit is passed to other deserving people, if necessary.

To celebrate today, take your dog for a walk to the nearest Ripley's Believe it or Not museum and watch the sword swallowing festivities. Then, have a margarita and a sweet potato for dinner while you think about how you can humbly help the girls in far off countries improve their educational chances. After dinner, open that special bottle of wine and have a toast to George Washington. Finally, scour your memory for times you spent at Woolworth's and tell your kids/grandkids all about it.