July 28, 2016

Today we celebrate:

National Chili Dog Day – Celebrated on the last Thursday in July, this is a day to celebrate chili dogs. I don’t know about this one….chili dogs do not quite qualify as food in my house, although my children disagree. If you agree with them, celebrate by eating one today. If you look around, you may find some restaurants that will give you one for free if you purchase something else.

National Hamburger Day - The quintessential summertime food. We grill these probably once a week at least during the summer months, although we use our grill year round as long as it isn’t covered in a pile of snow, but since most normal people probably don’t do that, enjoy some grilled hamburgers while you can.

World Nature Conservation Day - This is a day to focus on and hopefully spread the idea that we need to do all we can to protect our world by conserving our natural resources and learning how to manage them in such a way that we will be able to avoid running out of what we need to survive. Right now we are depleting the resources we depend upon much faster than they are able to renew themselves. We are destroying the world that we cannot live without.

National Milk Chocolate Day – People have been making and eating some form of chocolate since around 1000 B.C. So it's no wonder so many of us love it. It's a part of our history. Milk chocolate is one of the sweeter varieties since it's just chock full of sugar, milk, cocoa butter and cocoa liquor.

Buffalo Soldiers Day – Started in 1992 by the United States Congress, this is a day to commemorate the first regular Army regiment of African-American soldiers formed on this day in 1866. Now in case you are confused by this, because I'm sure you know that African-American regiments fought in the Civil War several years prior to 1866, the difference is that they were not permanent regiments. This day is typically celebrated with reenactments, and museum programs, prayer services and other assorted memorials.

World Hepatitis Day – Celebrated for the last 6 years, this is a day to understand this disease and spread awareness of it around the world as well as how to avoid becoming infected and what to do if you already have it. Hepatitis B and C are considered “silent” viruses because they do not present obvious symptoms, but if you do not get the proper treatment, they can lead to life threatening complications with your liver. Both of these viruses are spread through blood to blood contact although Hepatitis B can also be spread through other body fluids.