August 9, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Rice Pudding Day – In the old days, rice pudding was bland and tasteless and something you only ate if you had too. Now, there are different flavors and it is really, very delicious. Try some today.

International Day of The World's Indigenous People – This is a United Nations sponsored day for the purpose of promoting and protecting the rights of the world's indigenous population. The indigenous people of the world work hard to improve the world, particularly through environmental conservation and protection. Participate today by helping to spread the message about their contributions throughout the world.

Book Lovers Day – Today is a day for bibliophiles to enjoy diving into a great book. If you don't have a book handy, visit your local library. I can pretty much guarantee that they will have a good one for you.  And the Librarians would be happy to recommend one for you if you need some advice.

National Hand Holding Day - This is a day to hold the hands of the people you care about. Touching someone skin to skin is a powerful way of sending the message that you value that person, that they are important and worthy of love and respect.

Veep Day – On this day in 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned and Vice President Gerald Ford ascended to the Presidency. But this day is not just about them. It is about recognizing the value of the succession plan devised by our Founding Fathers. There’s a whole list of people who are in line for the position if everyone above them on the list kicks the bucket or gets sick or in some other manner becomes incapacitated.

National Polka Day - This is a day to dance, but not just any dance. People have been polkaing for a couple of hundred years now. Some sources believe that it began in 1834 with a girl named Anna Slezakova. I don’t know if that is true but I do know that if you can tolerate the music that goes with it, polka is an excellent form of exercise and a whole lot of fun once you learn how to do it. The Polish claim it began in Poland, and that could also be true. I wasn’t there so I don’t know for sure. I do know that Wisconsin has claimed it as the official state dance of Wisconsin. There are some basic directions here to help you learn how to do it.

National Women's Day – Celebrated as a public holiday in South Africa, this is a day to celebrate the women who worked so hard and risked so much to fight against Apartheid. It specifically commemorates the protest, on this day in 1956, against legislation that required black South Africans to carry a pass anytime they wanted to walk on the streets of their own country. This protest was led by Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Albertina Sisulu and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn. When this day falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the next day.

August 8, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Universal & International Infinity Day – Created by Jean-Pierre Ady Fenyo in 1987, a Philosopher and Science-Fiction author, also known as The Original New York City Free Advice Man. This day is to be celebrated with peaceful and non-violent demonstrations for freedom of expression, freedom of speech and ethics in society and philosophical inquiry. It is called Infinity Day because most philosophers agree that the idea of infinity is the ultimate idea that the human mind can conceive of.

World Cat Day - Begun in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare in conjunction with other animal rights groups, this is a day to honor cats of all sizes, shapes and colors. If anyone has any cute cat photos, please post them to either my Facebook page or my Twitter account. I love cute cat photos.

National Dollar Day - The Continental Congress created our monetary system on this day in 1786. We didn’t have dollar bills then because no one believed paper had any value. But we did have coins of various values and it quickly became part of our language.

National Frozen Custard Day – A little bit different from ice cream, but just as delicious in my opinion.

The Date to Create – This is a day to be creative. It seems to be celebrated on the eighth because “eight” rhymes with “create”. I couldn't find much more information about this day so I guess it means you can be creative in any manner you like whether it is in an artistic field or an inventive one or any other field you care to embark on.

Happiness Happens Day – This day was created by the Secret Society of Happy People. On this day in 1998, the Society signed up its’ first member who was not related to the founder so they chose this day for their first Happiness Happens Day in 1999. It doesn't really say how this day should be celebrated on the website, but I imagine the goal is to find happiness no matter what happens today.

Odie Day – Garfield fans will know right away that Odie is the dog that lives with Garfield. He's pretty goofy and is constantly slobbering all over everyone and everything. He first appeared in the comic on this day in 1978 and has been a fixture ever since.

National Zucchini Day – This is a day to cook with zucchini. If you have some growing in your garden, they are best when they are on the small side. But if they get away from you and get too big, you can always make delicious zucchini bread, which is my children’s preferred method of eating this particular vegetable.

August 7, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Beach Party Day - This is a great day to have a beach party, especially if you live near a beach. It doesn’t even have to be an ocean beach, if you live near a lake with a beach, have a party today. Beat the heat by taking a water break with your family and friends.

National Sea Serpent Day - On This day in 1848, the men on the ship HMS Daedalus saw a sea serpent. They were traveling to Saint Helena and saw a 60 foot long creature with a head that had a kind of mane. This is not the first time someone has claimed to see a sea serpent, and most of those sightings can be explained away by mistaken identity. It can be difficult to identify sea life, when most of it is underwater. But others cannot. Are there really sea serpents out there? Hard to know and especially these days with the photoshopping capabilities we all have readily available, hard to believe even with photographic evidence.

Raspberries 'n Cream Day – Raspberries mixed with cream. Light, summery and delicious.

National Lighthouse Day – On this day in 1789, Congress approved an Act that established lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers. Two hundred years later, Congress established National Lighthouse Day to celebrate these structures, many of which are still used today and allow our waters to be safely navigated.

Professional Speakers Day – This is a day to celebrate the professionals who use their public speaking skills to help people. Not everyone is comfortable talking in front of large groups of people. So those who are, and are very good at it, can accomplish a great deal for a good cause. My husband is one of those people who is very comfortable speaking to any size group. I, on the other hand, am only comfortable speaking in front of a large group of 1 to 3 people. Fortunately for me, my husband is a very accommodating person and he has agreed to deliver his own eulogy at his funeral when the time comes. I don’t know how he is going to do that, but he’s a smart man so I have faith that he will figure it out.

Purple Heart Appreciation Day – This is a day to celebrate the 233rd Anniversary of the Badge of Military Merit (which came into existence by order of General George Washington) which inspired the creation of the Purple Heart we use today.

Simcoe Day - This day honors John Graves Simcoe, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario) in the 1790s. Mr. Simcoe is credited with superb planning and design work in setting the layout of the Ontario area that works very well for them even to this day.  I believe this day is celebrated on the first Monday in August.

Assistance Dog Day - Celebrated on the Monday of Assistance Dog Week, this is a day to honor the dogs who assist us on a daily basis. Not everyone needs one, but if you do, you don’t need me to tell you how important they are to your ability to get through the day. Dogs are incredibly smart and can be trained to do amazing things to help people who are blind, deaf, suffer from maladies like PTSD and so much more.

August 6, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Corporate Baby Name Day - There are actually people in this world who will sell the right to name their baby to a corporation. I can’t quite imagine it. I wouldn’t do that, who knows what you might end up with. You might get a baby named Toyota or Pillsbury. Well, not in my family.

National Gossip Day - Louella Parsons was born on this day in 1881. You have probably never heard of her, although she lived until 1972, so I will enlighten you a bit. She was the first American movie columnist. She wrote columns that were essentially gossip columns which that were published in 400 newspapers all around the world and read by 20 million people. She was unofficially known as the Queen of Hollywood. I don’t normally encourage gossip of any kind. But today you have no choice. Share with a friend some juicy gossip about celebrities or people you actually know.

National Root Beer Float Day – This day is celebrated by A&W which is offering free root beer floats at your local A&W Restaurants from 2pm until closing. They will be collecting donations that will go to support Disabled American Veterans. So if you have an A&W Restaurant near you, stop in and enjoy.

Hiroshima Day – On this day in 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. It's hard for me to wrap my head around how devastating that was for Japan. We were at war with them at the time and although this event contributed to ending the war, the cost and the pain it inflicted is unimaginable for me.

Wiggle Your Toes Day – This is a day for feet. I don't know who created this day but it's a fun one. Kick off your shoes and wiggle your toes today. It's even better if you have something to wiggle them in like sand or jello.

National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day - How is the smell of your breath? Does it smell like you just woke up? Or does it smell like you just brushed your teeth? This is a day to educate the public on the importance of fresh breath. If you have bad breath, no one wants to talk to you or spend time with you. If you have chronic bad breath, check with your dentist because it can also correlate to other health problems you might be having and not even know about.

American Family Day - Devised by John Makkai, and created by proclamation by Arizona Governor Raul Hector Castro in 1977, then signed into law by Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt the next year, this is a day to celebrate families by spending time with them. You are not encouraged, and indeed are actively discouraged from spending money on gifts for your family members. This is not that kind of day. You are to show your family that you love them by doing things with them and showing your love through your actions, not your wallet. This day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August.

National Doll Day – Celebrated on the first Sunday in August, this is a day to play with your dolls. Have a tea party with them and whomever else you would like to invite, or you can throw a doll party. Have all of your friends come and bring their dolls.

Friendship Day - Another first Sunday in August celebration, this one has been around since 1935 and is all about honoring your friends. The day has gone international even though the name doesn’t say so. But as far as I can tell, people in all countries of the world  have friends and Heaven knows that our friends are very important to us so I can’t think of anyone who would complain about celebrating them today.

Sister's Day – Also on the first Sunday in August, this is a day to show your sister how much you love and appreciate her. This is more for non-adolescent siblings because I happen to know that if adolescents happen to have a sister, they are more likely to want to pull her hair and kick her in the face than they are to appreciate her. The older you get, the more family means to you. My sister and I have always loved each other, but we started being friends when we were teenagers and that love has only deepened with age. Not that there has been that much age, mind you. Not trying to say that we are old or anything, because we are definitely NOT.

National Kids Day - This day was created by KidsPeace in 1994 and has been recognized by the United States Congress. It is yet another day that is celebrated on the first Sunday in August and it is meant to “encourage adults to spend meaningful time with America’s children, and to celebrate their inherent worth and value.”

International Forgiveness Day – Created seventeen years ago by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance, an organization dedicated to spreading the “healing spirit of Forgiveness worldwide”, this is a day to forgive everyone you might be upset with in any way. It is a great way to reduce your stress and depression and make you a much happier person. It’s not about the person you are forgiving, it’s about you and the benefits you get from releasing your anger/upset/pain. This day is celebrated on the first Sunday in August along with all the others above.