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February 22, 2018

Today we celebrate:


European Day for Victims of Crime - This is a day to remind the European nations of the importance of supporting victims of crimes. Being a victim of violence can leave behind many physical, emotional, and psychological wounds. While prosecuting the criminals is extremely important, it is imperative that governments do not forget about providing helpful support to the victims as well.

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 tequila, triple sec and lime, they are tasty, but dangerous so please don't have too many.

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 also raised their prices at some point.

International 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.

National Wildlife Day - This is a day for raising awareness of the high number of endangered animals in this country and in the world. Zoos, in this country at least, tend to have a bad reputation because people don’t like to see the animals caged up all the time and they don’t think it’s a good situation for the animals. But the truth is that most zoos and animal sanctuaries work very hard to save the animals and educate people about conservation of our planet’s animals to try to influence children to become future animal caretakers and conservationists. Many, many zoos and animal sanctuaries care for animals who have been rescued from people who bought them as babies and didn’t know what to do when they grew up, or they suffered injuries, or were orphaned too young. When it is possible to release them into the wild, they do so. If it is not possible, they care for the animals for the rest of their lives. There are others who are just in it for the money, so you have to be careful if you choose to donate your money to this cause. This day used to be on September 4th but as of 2018, it was permanently changed to today in honor of Steve Irwin’s birthday. As you might remember, Mr. Irwin was a famous wildlife conservationist.

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.

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.

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.

Single Tasking Day – This is a day to focus on one thing at a time. Which makes it somewhat odd that I have seen internet references to celebrating this day anywhere from Feb. 17 to the 24th and every day in between. The powers that be obviously can’t make up their minds. I have trouble with making up my mind as well as I find my brain going in all different directions jumping from task to task and my body follows. While I make progress on many different things, it is difficult to force myself to complete something. Which is why I only wash half the dishes, put the laundry in the washing machine but not the dryer, vacuum one room and not the others....etc.

National Chili Day – Celebrated on the last Thursday in February, this is a day for chili. I don't think it matters if it's red chili or white chili. It's the perfect winter meal and can be made meatless, or beanless, spicy or not depending on your preferences. My husband makes a three bean venison chili that, in my personal opinion, is out of this world. Venison is not super popular so I’ll include a good recipe here but not a venison recipe. Although if you have some available, feel free to substitute.

Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day – Today, on the last Thursday of February, is a day to introduce the girls in your life to the field of Engineering. We need to teach our girls that men are not the only ones who can be engineers. Women can be just as successful and innovative. Here's some ideas on how to start.

The Great American Spit Out – This is a day to quit chewing tobacco. Some people think that as long as they don't smoke tobacco, they have less of a risk of cancer and emphysema. But the fact is that the risk of cancer is just as high with chewing tobacco and although you might not get emphysema, you are likely to get gum disease, cancer of the mouth or throat and heart disease among other things. Plus, it's just gross for those of us who happen to see you spit even if you try to do it discreetly into a cup. This day is celebrated on Thursday of the third full week in February. Even though February starts on a Monday this year, I guess that must still count as a full week.

Digital Learning Day - This is a day to highlight the benefits of using digital technology in classrooms all around America. Digital technology is a broad term for an amazing assortment of tools, applications, and styles, from the tools used for research or note taking, to the tools used to actually take a class from a location hundreds or thousands of miles away from the teacher, and pretty much anything you can dream of in between.

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