February 5, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Shower With a Friend Day - I have heard that February in the northern hemisphere is not a good month for a lot of people. It’s cold, it’s dark, and it has Valentine’s Day in it which is tough if you’re not in a relationship so it’s also lonely. Well, here is apparently a solution for helping you get through and make it to March. Take a shower with a friend. Make it a warm shower and make it a really good friend, otherwise it could go badly.

Super Bowl 51 – For all the football fans out there, this is the biggest day of the year.  For a while now, the NFL people have been attempting to make this a national holiday and turn it into a three day weekend. No success so far with that. I hope that whichever team you are rooting for, wins. This day should be called Super Bowl LI because L is the Roman Numeral for 50 and I is the Roman Numeral for 1 and that is traditionally how the Super Bowls are numbered. But two years the powers that be decided that they wouldn’t use Roman Numerals anymore.

National Weatherperson's Day – This day recognizes the contributions of meteorologists all over the country, along with volunteer storm spotters and observers, who work hard to make sure we are not caught unawares when bad weather strikes. My favorite weatherpeople for the Hudson Valley in New York are Alex and Bill at http://www.hudsonvalleyweather.com/ . I don't know how they do it but they are more accurate than any weatherpeople on the news that I've ever seen.

Western Monarch Day – Established by the California state legislature in 2004, this day celebrates the return of the Monarch butterfly to the central coast of California where they spend the winter.

World Nutella Day – This is a day to have some of this delicious chocolate and hazelnut spread, you can put this stuff on almost anything and it will taste good.

National Chocolate Fondue Day – Almost everyone loves chocolate covered food of all kinds. I know this because I conducted a poll in my house. Get out that fondue pot you know you've got stashed somewhere and make some fondue to dip your food in today.

Dump Your Significant Jerk Day – This day is traditionally the first day of Dump Your Significant Jerk Week which is always the week before Valentine's Day. So if you have a jerk of a girlfriend or boyfriend, this is your chance to get rid of them, end that stressful, unhappy relationship and save yourself some money since you now won't have to buy them a gift for Valentine's Day. If you're a little wishy-washy about it, you do have a whole week to use if you need it. But I think you'd be better off getting it over with today and spending that week finding someone else who will appreciate you.

February 4, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Rosa Parks Day - Rosa Parks, born on this day in 1913, was a civil rights leader who was thrust into the spotlight when she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in 1955. She was a courageous woman who was willing to stand against the injustice that she experienced every day.

Liberace Day – On this day in 1987, Wladziu Valentino Liberace died at the age of 67. He lived a very flamboyant lifestyle that was not an onstage act. That was really the way he was. He also worked very hard on the career that he loved.

Quacker Day – This is a QVC holiday to celebrate the Quacker Factory line of clothing and accessories. I've never watched QVC so I don't know what this clothing looks like but it seems to be pretty popular among the 2 million Quackers who wear it.

World Cancer Day – For 2016-2018, the World Cancer Day theme is going to be “We Can. I Can.” The idea is for everyone by working together and on their own to do whatever they can “to reduce the global burden of cancer.”http://www.worldcancerday.org/

National Create A Vacuum Day – When my husband heard about this day, his eyes lit up. I think he is under the impression that I don't clean enough when I am home. I don't know where that came from, but he was so happy that I didn't bother correcting him. He'll find out soon enough that this is not a cleaning holiday. This is a day for science. A vacuum is an area of space that is as empty of matter as it is possible to be. Why are we celebrating it? I'm glad you asked because I want to ask the same thing. I have no idea.

Facebook's Birthday – On this day in 2004, Facebook was launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his fellow college students. Today, just ten years later, they have more than a billion users and Facebook is worth many billions of dollars.

National Stuffed Mushroom Day – I'm not a fan of mushrooms generally, but if you stuff them, I'm all over it. Stuffed mushrooms have been around since the early 1900's and they have been served in restaurants since the 1940s.

Thank A Mailman Day – Mailmen and women have a tough job delivering our mail in all kinds of weather, although if there is a State of Emergency, all bets are off. Even the post office has to close if the Governor says they can’t be on the roads. I know because this just happened in my area recently. Make sure you take the time to thank them for their hard work today.

National Homemade Soup Day – The ability to make homemade soup is a gift that I did not receive. Mostly because apparently you can’t make soup by baking it. Fortunately for me, my husband did receive the gift and makes delicious homemade soups. They are especially good at this time of year.

Ice Cream For Breakfast Day – Celebrated on the first Saturday in February, today is a day to throw nutrition rules out the window and go ahead and have ice cream for breakfast! It was created by Florence Rappaport from Rochester, NY sometime in the 1960’s, in order to give her sons something to look forward to besides endless days of snow and freezing cold. The children took this celebration with them when they grew up and passed it to their friends and children who spread it as well so that now it is celebrated all over the world.

USO Day – The United Service Organization Inc. is a non-profit organization that provides programs, services and entertainment to U.S. servicemen and women and their families. It has been in operation, with brief breaks between wars, since 1941 with dedicated people doing everything they can do to support and encourage our troops.

Take Your Child To The Library Day – Also celebrated on the first Saturday in February, this day was created by Nadine Lipman, a retired librarian in Connecticut, to promote the multitude of services your library can provide for you. Although this is just the fifth year of celebration, it has caught on quickly so check with your local library, they probably have some special events planned.

International Pisco Sour Day - And for another first Saturday celebration in February, this is a day to share the national drink of Peru. The basic recipe involves pisco, which is a grape brandy, sugar, lemon or lime juice, and an egg white. There are probably numerous variations that can be created.

February 3, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Wear Red Day – This is a day to raise awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of women and many times can be prevented if you know the signs. But educate yourselves because the signs of heart disease in women and men are different. This day is celebrated on the first Friday in February.

Give Kids A Smile Day – Dental organizations all over the country have designated this to be a day to focus on teeth. Many dentists will give free examinations to kids today so call up your dentist to see if he/she is participating. This day is also celebrated on the first Friday in February.

National Wedding Ring Day - This is a day to think about wedding rings. If you have one, show it off and think about what it means to you. If you don’t have one yet, think about getting one for the significant other in your life. Is it time?

National Patient Recognition Day - This is a day for everyone in the health care industry to “seriously reflect on their stewardship of patient care and their dedication to patient satisfaction.” Basically, think about what you can do to improve the experience that patients have at your office. How can you make them leave happier and more satisfied than when they came in?

Elmo’s Birthday - I have no idea how old Elmo is. Before he was Elmo, he was just one of the background puppets in the early Sesame Street episodes. In 1984, one of the puppeteers, Kevin Clash, created his personality and Elmo was born. This is his birthday, according to Sesame Street. According to Elmo, he is 3 ½ years old. So I’m not sure if this is his 28th third birthday, or his 27th 4th birthday.

Four Chaplains Memorial Day – This day was declared by the United States Congress to be a holiday honoring the 70th Anniversary of the sinking of the United States Army Transport Dorchester. Four Army Chaplains from three different religions went down with the ship that day when they gave their life jackets to other passengers. They sacrificed their lives for men of all faiths.

The Day The Music Died – A line from Don McLean's song “American Pie” used to describe how the music world felt after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and their pilot, Roger Peterson on this day in 1959.

National Cordova Ice Worm Day – Cordova is a city in Alaska which explains a lot about this holiday. The winter is so dark and cold and difficult to endure that the people decided to have a celebration to lighten their spirits. They have an ice worm parade (the ice worm, by the way, is a real worm that lives in Alaskan glaciers.) with an ice worm King and Queen and a whole winter carnival.

National Carrot Cake Day – This is one of my favorite cakes since it carries with it the illusion of healthiness in the form of vegetables. You can sneak some pureed zucchini into it too and no one would ever know the difference. It was created hundreds of years ago when sugar was hard to come by so people learned to use sweet vegetables to sweeten their baked goods. It became useful again during World War II when the British government had to ration lots of things including sugar. Housewives around the world shared lots of different recipes like this cake that used carrots as sweeteners.

Bubble Gum Day – As far as my children are concerned, every day should be bubble gum day. However, today is actually all about using bubble gum as a fun fundraiser. It was begun in 2006 by Ruth Spiro and the basic idea is that children who pay 50 cents or more are allowed to chew gum at school or at a library or some other business. The money goes to whatever non-profit association the business/school/library has chosen to give it to. I haven’t seen an official designation but it seems to me that for the last couple of years it fell on the first Friday in February if that changes I’ll let you know.

February 2, 2017

Today we celebrate:

California Kiwifruit Day - Two Kiwifruits have the about the same amount of Vitamin C as one medium orange. I didn’t know that. They are green with little seeds inside. In my experience, you will have either a love or hate relationship with them.

Self Renewal Day - Today is a day to focus on  yourself. Do some activities that help lower your stress levels and bring yourself back to….yourself. You can add some time for deep breathing exercises where you focus only on your breath for a few minutes. Spend some time outside in a peaceful area breathing the cool air and listening to the quiet around you. Just a couple of suggestions, I’m sure you can come up with more if you think about it.

Candelmas – a Christian holiday that celebrates three events: the presentation of the child Jesus, Jesus' first entry into the temple, and the purification of the Virgin Mary.

Crepe Day or La Chandeleur – In France, crepes are traditionally served on Candelmas. While the French are making the crepes, they tell fortunes. You are supposed to hold a coin in your writing hand and the crepe pan in your other hand, flip the crepe into the air and catch it back in the pan. If you can do this, your family will prosper for the rest of that year. I'm not sure how many tries you get. I would probably need a lot.

Groundhog Day – On this day, the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, is woken up from his hibernation and forced to come outside into the cold. If it is cloudy and the groundhog cannot see its' shadow, then spring will come early this year. If it is sunny, the groundhog will see its' shadow and go back to bed and winter will continue for six more frigid weeks. In certain areas, like Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the day is celebrated with food, speeches and possibly some plays.

Marmot Day – Alaska doesn't have many groundhogs so in 2009, the 26th Alaska State Legislature voted to have Marmot Day replace Groundhog Day. Marmot, in case you don't know, is the name of the larger family group that groundhogs are part of. There are actually 14 or 15 species of animals that fall into this family all over the world, so all of them are a part of this celebration. The one most commonly found in Alaska is the Alaska Marmot also known as Brower's Marmot or Brooks Range Marmot.

Groundhog Job Shadow Day – This is the 10th Annual day for young people to get an up close and personal look at various jobs so that they can see which ones would suit them better. So they shadow various professionals who sign up for the honor of being a mentor. I'm not sure why the word Groundhog is part of the name, but I am certain that shadowing groundhogs is not one of the options today.

Hedgehog Day – According to legend, hedgehogs were the original groundhogs. The Romans would watch the hedgehogs on February 2nd at night. If a hedgehog came out and saw his shadow in the moonlight, he would go back in and hibernate some more and winter was not easing up anytime soon. When people came to America, they switched to the groundhog because hedgehogs were hard to find in this country.

Imbolc – This is a Pagan holiday, which celebrates the first signs of spring. I don't see any first signs of spring yet, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough. It is the day when they celebrate the passing of winter and make way for the arrival of spring. The Fire Festival that usually occurs in Marsden has been cancelled and is going to be an every other year event because of the huge expense. So you can look forward to that happening next year.

Sled Dog Day – Sled dogs have been used in the upper regions of North America since the 10th century. This day is particularly important because it was on this day in 1925 that Gunnar Kaasen and his sled dog team led by Balto, arrived in Nome, Alaska with the medicine to save the town from the Diptheria epidemic. Of course, we all know about Balto, but it should be noted that Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog, Togo, had the longest and most dangerous leg of the relay. Balto just had the last leg, which does not in any way diminish his accomplishment but it should remind us that there were 20 men and about 150 sled dogs involved in that 674 mile relay to save a city and they all deserve to be celebrated.

World Play Your Ukulele Day – I'm not sure if this is today or May 2nd. I've seen both days talked about on the web. But if you know how to play one, go ahead and celebrate twice.

World Wetlands Day – On this day in 1971, the Ramsar Convention was signed. This raised public awareness of wetland values and benefits. The theme for this year's celebration is “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction” since the wetlands are very important to reducing the impact of natural disasters such as floods and droughts on the environment. Well managed wetlands absorb water in times of excess rainfall and release it in times of drought.

Heavenly Hash Day – This is a day to have some Heavenly Hash for dessert. Ingredients for this heavenly dish vary widely from region to region. It could have ice cream, brownies, cookies, rice, marshmallows, fruit or whipped cream or any combination of those items and others. Make your own favorite recipe and enjoy.

Ayn Rand Day – Born on this day in 1905, Ms. Rand was an American novelist, philosopher, playwright and screenwriter. Her most famous novels were, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. She came to America from her homeland of Russia when she was 21 years old. She was a big influence among Libertarians.