April 1, 2013

Today we celebrate:

National Sourdough Bread Day – This is a very old bread. Recipes have been around for centuries, and why not? If it's good, you're going to tell your children about it so they can make it for you when you're old.

April Fools' Day – A day for practical jokes all over the world. In France, Italy and Belgium, people apparently tack paper fishes to each other's backs and yell “April Fish!” There are several attempts to explain the origin of this day out there on the web, but no one seems sure if any of them are accurate because of the world wide spread of the holiday. I say it spread because everyone likes a designated “fun” day.

National Fun Day – This goes hand in hand with April Fool's Day because today is a day to reminisce about past fun had with April Fool's jokes.

International Fun At Work Day – Back in January we had National Fun at Work Day, well today we get to do it again but this time we can share it with the rest of the world.

International Tatting Day – For those of you who are like me, and do not know, tatting is the making of intricate lace for doilies or trim using needles or a special shuttle. If you want to learn how to do this and you have the patience, I recommend taking a class so you have someone to help you get started with this complicated craft.

Atheist Day – I don't think this is a real day. It seems to have started as a joke – something like an atheist sued someone to get a special day and the judge told him he had a special day, April Fool's Day because anyone who doesn't believe in God is a fool. From there, it spread that Atheist Day is on this day.

Dyngus Day – This is the Polish term for Easter Monday. Each country has a different way of celebrating. I was surprised to read that traditionally boys wake girls up by pouring water on their heads and hitting them on the legs with long, thin twigs or switches made from willow or birch tree branches. The website I reference here says the water is “sprinkled” and the legs are “tapped” but I think we all know what would really happen if you're talking about brothers and sisters. It also said that traditionally girls would then return the favor on Tuesday but in modern times they don't bother to wait a whole day. Probably because they are jumping out of bed and chasing their siblings around the house with a bucket of water in retaliation. http://www.dyngusdaybuffalo.com/whatisdyngusday.html

Library Snapshot Day – This is a day for Libraries of all kinds in all areas of the country to take pictures of whatever is going on so they can show everyone what a single day is like in their Library.

Poetry & The Creative Mind Day – Writing poetry requires a creative mind. There are many different forms of poetry and many different rules for writing poems, but beyond that, you need to be able to come up with just the right words to say what you want to say.

Sorry Charlie Day – Charlie the Tuna keeps getting rejected no matter what he does. But he survives and rebounds and comes back and tries again. Take that message and use it in your life.

St. Stupid Day – This day was founded by Ed Holmes in the 1970's. It is celebrated in San Francisco by a parade. It's a celebration of stupidity and anyone can join in dressed in whatever silly costume they wish.

Tater Day – This is a day begun in 1843 in Kentucky when townspeople would gather to trade with sweet potato slips which are used to grow sweet potatoes. Nowadays it involves carnivals and games and rides and sweet potato related contests.

White House Easter Egg Roll – This has been going on for 135 years and this year is no exception, at least so far. There's no telling what else they'll cut at the last minute.

To celebrate today have the men in your house wake up the women with some water and birch tree branches. Then, head down to Washington D.C. For the Easter Egg Roll, I'm pretty sure they do that early in the day so make sure you get up early enough to get there before the best eggs are rolled. Then, while the kids are busy with that, use the monument filled environment to inspire you to create your best poetry which you can share with the kids on the way home. Make sure you wish Congress a happy St. Stupid Day on the way past Capitol Hill. When the kids reject your best poetry offerings, rebound like Charlie does and try again. Maybe the kids can help inspire you. When you get back to work this afternoon, make sure you spend the rest of the work day having fun and playing jokes on your coworkers and boss. Have some sourdough bread and sweet potatoes for dinner while you search the internet for pictures of Libraries in remote parts of the country. Finally, when the kids are in bed, relax with some tatting work.

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