June 23, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Let It Go Day - I know that you instantly thought of the animated movie Frozen just now, but this is not a day for movies. As the name implies, this is a day to let go of whatever it is that is bothering you. If you’re feeling guilty about something, let it go. If you have a To Do list that is weighing you down, let it go. If you feel anger toward someone, let it go. If you follow this advice, you will feel so much better very soon.

Pink Flamingo Day – This day was declared by Dean Mazzaralla in 2007. Mr. Mazzaralla was the Mayor of Leominster, MA. He apparently really liked pink flamingos and felt that enough other people did as well. If you're a fan of pink flamingos, decorate your yard today with a flock of them. It is my understanding that less than 4 flamingos does not constitute a flock.

National Kissing Day - This began as a United Kingdom holiday, but we have joined in on the fun. It has been celebrated in the United Kingdom for about the last eleven years, according to the website. It is a day for kissing so pucker up and get the lip balm ready because you’ll need it.

Typewriter Day - On this day in 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his typewriter. It’s hard to find a real typewriter these days. I remember when I was in high school, typing classes were given on real typewriters and there were stores all over the place where you could buy ribbons for them. Now I know there are some young people reading this wondering why you need a ribbon for a typewriter. That just makes me feel old. Anyway, this particular invention made secretary’s lives all over the world a hundred times easier and faster.

National Pecan Sandies Day – A special kind of cookie that may have originated in the medieval Arab world.

National Pink Day – This is a day for people who love the color pink. I can't figure out why pink deserves a special day. I haven't yet seen any other color get it's own day, so go figure. But today you are urged to buy things that are pink, wear things that are pink and decorate things with pink.

SAT Math Day – This is a day to share your favorite SAT math problems. It is celebrated today because today is Alan Turing's birthday. Alan Turing, as I'm sure you already know, was a British mathematician, computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and logician who was born in 1912. That's a lot of responsibilities for one man but he was brilliant at what he did. He also had a very large role in ending World War II. Sadly, he committed suicide just before he turned 42 because of governmental persecution over issues in his private life.

United Nations Public Service Day – On this day the UN Public Service Awards are given out to worthy public servants. This is a very prestigious event that celebrates the value of public service to communities around the world.

Runner’s Selfie Day - These people have a facebook page and I’m hoping they will post more of an explanation about this day than I saw when I wrote this post. All I can really make out is that it’s a day for runners to take a selfie.

International Widows’ Day - A United Nations day which acknowledges that widows can be found in every country, culture, race, and age bracket. Millions of these women suffer from poverty, discrimination, violence and more. This is a day to recognize their hardships and work to help the ones who need it.

Take Your Dog To Work Day – This is a day to celebrate dogs and encourage people to adopt them. There are so many wonderful dogs out there that would make perfect pets for you. We adopted our dog from a rescue organization and I cannot now imagine how we got along without him. He even melted my not-a-dog-person husband's heart. This day began to be celebrated in 1999 and was created by Pet Sitters International. It is always on the Friday after Father’s Day.

June 22, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Stupid Guy Thing Day - This is all about celebrating the thing that guys do that women don’t understand. Women generally consider these things to be “stupid”, but I think that depends on what it is. Sometimes guys mean well, but just don’t understand what women really want so they give us what they think we want, which are sometimes worlds apart. So they end up doing things that women think are stupid. But I think that most times guys deserve the benefit of the doubt.

National Onion Rings Day - While I don’t understand the joy some people have in eating these, since I’m not that fond of onions, I do realize that I am in the minority in that regard in my household and probably the entire country. So if you enjoy this particular fried food, feel free to indulge today.

National Chocolate Eclair Day – This delicious treat has everything going for it, a sweet cream filling, a melt in your mouth pastry, and a heavenly chocolate topping. I'll have to get some for the family tonight.

June 21, 2017

Today we celebrate:

International Day of Yoga - This is a day for yoga around the world. If you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it. There are lots of health benefits associated with it such as reducing stress, increasing muscle tone, flexibility and pain tolerance...and that is only in my personal experience.

National Selfie Day - I’ve taken exactly one selfie in my whole life, I think. But there are quite a number of selfie fanatics out there. You might be one of them. If so, this is a day for you. Take and post as many selfies as you like today. If you are like me and don’t take many, this is a day to update your profile picture. I recommend that you take some practice shots first.

National Seashell Day - Celebrated on the first day of summer, this is a day to hit the beach and find some seashells, or take some shells you already have and make a lovely table arrangement or use them to decorate something.

World Giraffe Day - On this day we celebrate the creatures with the longest neck on our planet. Hence the reason we celebrate on the longest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere anyway). The founders are hoping that you will celebrate by donating money to save giraffes in Africa since there are only 100,000 left in the wild.

Cuckoo Warning Day - This is an old wives tale kind of day today, I think. Apparently if you hear a cuckoo on this day,  your summer will be a wet one. Does anyone have a cuckoo clock? This is celebrated on the first day of summer.

World Peace and Prayer Day - Created by Nac’a Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Sioux Nations (the Buffalo People), this is a day to gather at places that are sacred to you, and pray for the healing of Mother Earth, (who they call Ina Maka). We need to do something to stop the destruction of our only home. Learn more at this facebook page, where he has posted a letter to the People of the Earth about prophesies that were made 19 generations ago which seem to be coming true.  

National Cherry Tart Day - A delicious dish, perfect for summer with fresh cherries, although canned cherries would be good too.

National Peaches & Cream Day – Fresh, ripe, juicy peaches, covered with thick, rich cream. Dessert doesn't get any better than that. I've probably said that before, but I really mean it this time.

Atheists Solidarity Day – This is a day for Atheists to wear a red and black ribbon to show their support to other non-religious people in their community. Some atheists do not feel they can be open about their beliefs because they fear persecution. While I am not an Atheist, we do live in a country where we have the freedom to believe or not believe in whatever we want, and I support the right of every adult to decide for themselves what they chose to believe. Not all countries have that freedom and some people are right to be afraid of persecution or even death if it were to become known that they disagree with the beliefs of those around them.

Go Skateboarding Day – Created by the International Association of Skateboarding Companies, the purpose of today is to dust off the old skateboard, put aside normal responsibilities and just skateboard all day. Many major cities are holding skateboarding events today, see if you can find one that you can join.

World Handshake Day – Created by Ivan Zupa, this is a day to unite the world. He says to “place your hand in the sea and shake hands with the whole world.” It began as a vision for Mr. Zupa after the tsunami disaster (I'm not sure which tsunami disaster he is referring to since there have been a few in my lifetime alone) and he hopes to make this idea spread to the rest of the world.

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day – This is a day to celebrate the baby boomers and their contributions to society. Many of them became very successful in a wide variety of fields, and our medicines and technology wouldn't be where they are today without this talented group of people.

World Music Day or Fete de la Musique - This day began with an American musician, Joel Cohen, in France working for the French National Radio. It was turned into an official national celebration which spread around the world. It is now celebrated in about 120 countries. The idea for the day is to encourage all musicians, amateur and professional, to take to the streets to perform their music for all to hear. Alternatively, many cities organize free concerts so that all types of music are available to everyone. The concerts must be free to the public and the performers must donate their time for free as well.

International Surfing Day - Celebrated on or near the Summer Solstice, this is a day that focuses on surfing, and anything related to surfing. So even I, a definite non-surfer, can celebrate by dressing as a surfer, carrying a surfboard around, or simply floating on the ocean with a surfboard or other surfing related items like wetsuits.

World Humanist Day – This is a day for Humanist people to share their values with the world. It is a “freethought” holiday that is supported by the International Humanist and Ethical Union, which is a global federation for atheist, rationalist, ethical culture and secularist groups. There will be conferences and proclamations and other activities going on today to spread awareness of their free thoughts.

Anne & Samantha Day – This day is celebrated on the solstice each June and December. You are meant to reflect on Anne Frank's and Samantha Smith's contributions to our world before their premature demise. The creators of this day are campaigning to have postage stamps in their honor before the first half of our century is over on Dec. 31st, 2050.

National Daylight Appreciation Day – This is a day to celebrate the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Today will be great for your energy bills (as long as it's not too hot and you're running the air conditioning all day) and for your energy levels as it has been proven that lots of sunlight can increase your mental and physical health and your energy levels. Try to get out and enjoy the daylight today.

The First Day of Summer - The first day of summer is the Summer Solstice when the northern hemisphere of the earth is tipped toward the sun and has the longest day of the year. It should be noted that it is also the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere and the real start to their winter.

The Longest Day - At first I figured this day would be another one about summer. But I was very wrong. This is a day about fighting Alzheimer’s disease. It is held on the longest day of the year and the theme for this year is: “Fulfill a Personal Goal”. Today we are going to work to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease and money for research to find a cure or at least a way to halt the disease and stop it from robbing us of our loved ones.

June 20, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Plain Yogurt Day - I didn’t find out much about this one. But it’s pretty clear that it’s a day for eating plain yogurt. Plain yogurt goes well in smoothies with fruit or simply mixed in a bowl with fresh fruit to give it a delicious fresh flavor.

World Productivity Day - This is a day for businesses to celebrate and promote what they do to help you be more productive. Whether it’s tricks, tips or caffeine I’m sure you can find someone who is willing to step in and lend you their expertise. In the past, some companies offered sales to encourage you to want to accept their help.

National Vanilla Milkshake Day - Milkshakes have been around since 1885. Originally they were alcoholic beverages that were much like the eggnog we enjoy today with eggs, whiskey and milk. Over the years the recipe changed until there were no eggs or whiskey and instead, beginning in 1922, ice cream was added to malted milk.

Toad Hollow Day of Thank You - Toad Hollow was the name of a school more than 100 years ago. Ralph C. Morrison heard about it and used the name in his stories. He made the name come to life when he was given land in Kalamazoo County to make a Toad Hollow park. It was a success, but the county later took the land back for other purposes. However, the sentiment has lived on, spread by the Voluntoads (volunteers who worked at Toad Hollow) who have carried on in other locations the activities they performed at the park. They created this day to encourage us to take time to thank anyone who has helped us or has given anything to us.

American Eagle Day – Approved by the U.S. Congress in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011 and by 40 Governors as of 2012, this is a day to focus on what this majestic bird needs in order to survive. It has been removed from the endangered list, but that doesn't mean that we don't have to worry about it anymore. It still faces a loss of nesting areas and habitat from which it finds food, as well as diseases.

Ice Cream Soda Day – Invented in 1874 by Robert McCay Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this quickly became a popular beverage particularly among teenagers. There are others who claim to have invented this sweet drink around this time period, but Mr. Green is the one who generally gets credit for it.

World Refugee Day – Established by the United Nations, this is a day to honor the men, women and children who are forced to abandon their homes to avoid violence and persecution. Right now there are 43.7 million refugees in the world. That's a lot of people and the United Nations Refugee Agency provides assistance and protection for 34 million of them. I’m not sure what the other 9.7 million do to survive.

National Cherry Tart Day – If you can find a cherry tree, all the better to get fresh cherries. If not, the canned variety will do just fine. Hopefully it’s not too hot to run the oven where you are. This day is celebrated on the third Tuesday of June.