June 5, 2017

Today we celebrate:

“Thank God It’s Monday” Day - On the first Monday of June, we celebrate Monday. This is not a day that is usually looked upon with favor. It has a pretty poor reputation, in fact. But there are lots of great things that can happen on a Monday and this is a day to look forward to those things with excitement, enthusiasm and a positive attitude. I can name a few things that will happen on a Monday, can you add to the list? I come up with birthdays, holidays, vacations, sending the kids off to school after a weekend with them fighting at home, and possibly starting a new job.

Festival of Popular Delusions Day -  This day began in 1945 in Germany, exactly one year after D-Day and it represents the last day that the Nazi’s were able to delude themselves that they were a superior race and would rule the world. At least that is how it started. Now it is a day for everyone to think about what we might be deluding ourselves about and bring a little reality to our own lives.

National Attitude Day - I usually have a pretty positive attitude. I don’t get down very often and when I do, I don’t stay down very long. I find that life is a lot more pleasant for myself and the people around me when I stay cheerful and positive even when unpleasant things happen. You can choose your attitude, believe it or not. I have friends who don’t believe it, but I am proof that it can be done. I often “put on” my positive attitude even when I am not feeling it, but it doesn’t take long before it becomes real and not an act.

World Environment Day – The theme for this year’s celebration is “Connecting People To Nature.” This day is about getting outside and into nature, appreciating all that nature has to offer us in terms of beauty, and the necessities of life like food, air and water, and stepping up to do what you can to protect the earth that we depend upon.

Hot Air Balloon Day – On this day in 1783, (although some websites claim it happened on June 4th so I’m not sure which is correct) Joseph & Etienne Montgolfier conducted the first unmanned hot air balloon flight in France. According to this web site, the first passengers on this flight were a pig, duck and rooster. That must have been something to see.

National Gingerbread Day – Everything you cook today should involve gingerbread in some way. Gingerbread pancakes, gingerbread sandwiches, gingerbread meatloaf, maybe even gingerbread ice cream? Be creative, it might actually taste good. Then again, it might not.

Apple II Day – On this day in 1977, the first Apple II (one of the first personal computers created), went on sale. It was created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak and operated on BASIC programming, which I still remember a little of. Now I feel old.

June 4, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Hug Your Cat Day - This is a day for cat lovers. Dog lovers, you’re out of luck. If you have a cat or know someone who does, give that cat a great big, but gentle, hug. If you have a cat that doesn’t appreciate hugs, you should probably steer clear of them and find one that does because you don’t want the consequences of hugging a cat that doesn’t want to be hugged.

Shopping Cart Day - On this day in 1937, Sylvan Goldman invented shopping carts. I never gave a single thought to the fact that there was a time when shopping carts didn’t exist. What did people use to hold their groceries before there were shopping carts? Anyway, Mr. Goldman had a store and wanted something that would help his customers hold merchandise while they were shopping in his store, so he came up with a basket on wheels. Pretty ingenious and probably encouraged his customers to buy more items since they didn’t have to worry about only getting what they could carry.

Mike, The Headless Chicken Day – Celebrated on the first weekend in June, this is a day to learn the story of Mike. Mike was a chicken who was supposed to be dinner back in 1945, but when his owner, Lloyd Olson, chopped off his head (Mike's head, not Lloyd's), Mike just refused to die and carried on his chickenly duties such as attempting to peck for food and preen his feathers. He lived without his head for another 18 months because Lloyd was so amazed, he worked to keep the bird alive by feeding it with an eye dropper. Impossible, you say? Well, apparently Lloyd botched the chop job and left behind the lower portion of his brain that was attached to his spinal column. This is apparently a true story that was documented by scientists and you can read all about it and see pictures here.

National Cheese Day - We had a Cheese Lover’s Day on January 20th, but this is not about the lovers of cheese, it is all about the cheese. Cheese comes in all kinds of different textures and flavors. Some have holes, some do not. Cheese can be made with milk from cows, sheep, goats, and even buffalo. Some cheese even comes with mold on or in it, which I find incomprehensible, but I am not an expert by any means.

Old Maid Day - I don’t like the terms “Old Maid” and “Spinster”. They imply that life is only complete if a woman has a mate to share it with. I don’t think that’s true. I think it is perfectly possible and acceptable to live a happy and fulfilled life without one. But regardless of the name issue, this is a day for unmarried women around the world to revel in their carefree, unencumbered, independent status.

National Cognac Day - This is a famous variety of brandy. This beverage is named after Cognac, France and has traditionally been reserved for rich people because it is expensive.  

Audacity To Hope Day – This is a symbolic day. A salute, if you will, to all Americans who have (or had, if they are no longer with us) a dream. Almost all dreams are achievable if you have enough audacity to hope.

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression – Created in 1982, this is a day that was created by the United Nations and is dedicated to protecting all children, regardless of their nationality. It acknowledges the pain of children all over the world who are victims of physical, mental or emotional abuse whether that abuse is created by wartime activities or not.

Pentecost – This is Greek for Feast of Weeks.  For Christians, this is a feast celebrating the time that the Holy Spirit descended upon the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. This day is sometimes known as Whitsunday because of the white clothing that was worn on this day by those who were baptized during the period of time between Easter and Pentecost.

Children’s Awareness Memorial Day - Today we remember all of the children who have died because of violence. If you know of any personally, visit their graves today. If you don’t or can’t do that, say a prayer for them and for their parents. This is celebrated on the first Sunday of June.

International Frozen Yogurt Day - Frozen yogurt started in the United States, as far as I can tell and please correct me if that is wrong, but it has spread beyond our borders to many other countries. This day may also be celebrated on February 6th or the first Sunday in June.

National Child’s Day - Proclaimed  by President George W. Bush in 2001, and celebrated on the first Sunday in June, this is all about reflecting on our own childhood experiences and doing whatever we can to ensure that the kids around us grow up in safe, happy, and healthy environments.

National Cancer Survivors Day – Celebrated on the first Sunday in June, this is a day to show everyone that cancer is survivable. It was begun in 1988 by Merril Hastings at the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. For those who have been diagnosed with cancer, it seems all consuming and it is difficult to look forward to a time when cancer is no longer the center of everything. But there is life after cancer for more and more people every year. Many places in the country will have events today to celebrate the day. Check with your local hospital, or town clerk to find out more.

June 3, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Love Conquers All Day - This is one of those mushy, romantic holidays that could be influenced by the greeting card industry. But there is no reason why you can’t celebrate the challenges you have overcome with the love of your life on your own terms.

Impersonate Authority Day - On this day, you should probably be a little careful. It is a day to pretend to be someone in a position of authority that you do not possess. I will warn you that the people who possess that authority, may not take kindly to your efforts. But if you are careful, and make sure you don’t break any laws, maybe you’ll get away with it. I have no idea who created this day.

National Egg Day - Eggs are a very healthy food, as long as you are not allergic to them like I am. They have protein and vitamins and are very versatile. You can eat them by themselves in all kinds of ways, and you can mix them with other things and make delicious things like brownies and cake and cookies.

National Itch Day - We always have some sort of itch somewhere on our bodies. So this is a day to take care of it either by itching it, or by putting lotion on it or taking some sort of medication. What you do all depends on what is causing your itch. It is also a good day to prevent itches that are avoidable like using bug spray to avoid mosquito bites.

National Chocolate Macaroon Day – Light and chocolatey, this is the dessert to try tonight.

Repeat Day – Today is your opportunity to repeat whatever you want to do over again today. Wear the same clothes you wore yesterday, repeat a favorite activity as many times as you want, repeat someone's words back to them. Whatever you desire to do again, do it today no matter how much it annoys everyone else.  

National Trails Day – On the first Saturday in June, the American Hiking Society organizes “the country’s largest celebration of trails”. There are thousands of events celebrating this day occurring all over the country. See this web site for information on how to find an event in your local area.

Chimborazo Day – This is a day to focus on the shape of the earth. It turns out that, surprisingly, the world is not completely round. There are mountains and valleys and such that make it more of a lumpy ball than a round one. One lump in particular is bigger than the others. That would be Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador which has the distinction of poking out into space farther than any other mountain on Earth, including Mount Everest which is the tallest mountain. The reason for this is that the distance from sea level to the center of Earth is 13 miles greater at the Equator than it is at the North Pole which means that Mount Chimborazo has an advantage over Mount Everest which may be a bigger mountain, but is still closer to the center of the Earth because it is farther from the equator.

Drawing Day or Pencil Day – Celebrated on the first Saturday in June, this is a day to drop everything, except babies, pick up a pencil and draw a picture. That's the easy part. The hard part, for some, is that when you are finished with your picture, you need to share your art with others. This is a day to encourage the love of art and drawing and to share art amongst ourselves.

National Cheer Coach Day - This is a day for cheering! Even better if you do your cheering with a team that has a cheer coach. Coaches are essential for any team sport. They give guidance, enthusiasm, experience, and essential expertise. Apparently the first group of official cheerleaders began in 1897 at Princeton. I wonder if they had a coach. Or maybe the first coaches came from the first group of cheerleaders. This day is celebrated on the first Saturday of June.

Turtle Races Day - Celebrated on the first Saturday in June, this is a day that is apparently all about repeating the story of the turtle and the hare. At least that is what I found on every website that talked about this day. I also found reference to children cheering on turtles that were apparently racing. I couldn’t tell for sure because normally pictures of anything racing involve a little blurriness because of rapidly moving body parts. There was no blurriness in these pictures. So I’m not sure if they were racing or posing.

National Family Recreation Day - All too often we get caught up in the things we have to do and forget about having fun. So find something fun the whole family can do today that doesn’t involve staring at phones. How about a water gun fight or a rousing game of volleyball, basketball, or bocce ball. If there are enough of you, arrange a game of tag football. If the kids are really young, have a great game of hide and seek. What you do doesn’t matter as much as making sure you have fun together. This is another day celebrated on the first Saturday of June.

June 2, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Gun Violence Awareness Day - On this day we are to wear orange to spread awareness of the problem of gun violence. People kill other people with guns every day and injure even more. So the #WearOrange movement wants you to help send a message to the powers that be that something needs to be done about it. I think that almost everyone is on board with the idea that something needs to be done, it’s the potential solutions that cause so much debate and disagreement.

American Indian Citizenship Day - On this day in 1924, all Native Americans were finally granted United States citizenship. Before that day, even though Native Americans were here long before there was a United States, the only way for them to become a citizen was to marry a citizen or to fight for the United States in World War I.

I Love My Dentist Day - Dentists get a very bad rap because for some reason, people don’t like to go see their dentist. I am not one of those people. When a couple of years go between checkups it’s not because I don’t like my dentist (He’s been my dentist since I was 5, I love him!), it’s just because I’m too busy taking care of my children to take care of myself. But your dentist is very important. Make scheduling a visit a priority. When things go wrong with your teeth, they can affect the health of the rest of your body.

National Rocky Road Day – Chocolate, marshmallows and nuts all mixed up in a bar or a cookie or ice cream. I'm not a fan because I have never liked nuts in my desserts, but I can see the appeal to other dessert fans.

National Rotisserie Chicken Day - I think that almost every grocery store in America sells cooked rotisserie chickens. They are always good for that “what am I making for dinner” panic that sets in on the drive home from work. A quick stop into the grocery store and just like that, dinner dilemma is solved. If you don’t want to take it home, you go out and get some at a restaurant. Unless you have your own countertop rotisserie, that is pretty much it for your options.

National Bubba Day – I couldn't find a really reliable source for this day. What I did find tells me that this is a day to salute all those who are known by the name (or nickname) “Bubba”. For example, Forrest Gump's friend, Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue.  If  you know several Bubbas, throw a party for them and call everyone “Bubba” for a day.

National Leave the Office Early Day – This is a day to combat workaholism. Today you are going to leave work early and actually enjoy the rest of your day. Do not spend all of your time and energies at work. There is life outside the office and you need to explore it today. Although some people claim this day is celebrated on June 3rd, it seems to me that the majority place it today.

National Moonshine Day - Celebrated on the first Thursday in June, today we honor the colorful and very interesting history of Moonshine and the men and women who made it in secret in old bathtubs and backyard stills.

Hug An Atheist Day - This is still a country that professes to have freedom of religion. It seems as if one religion after another comes under attack by someone who believes differently every other day. We need to respect each other’s beliefs, and understand that they might be different than yours. It’s ok, and it makes this country a diverse and interesting place. You can be firm in your convictions and still defend someone who believes the polar opposite because they have the right to believe what they want. This is a day that assumes that atheists are discriminated against more than others. I’m not sure that is true, but if giving an atheist a hug helps them out a bit today, by all means do so. This is a day that is celebrated on the first Friday of June.

National Doughnut Day – Celebrated on the first Friday of June, this day was created by the Salvation Army in 1938 to honor women who served doughnuts to our soldiers during World War I. This day started as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army as they worked to help the large numbers of needy people during the Great Depression.