August 27, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Burger Day - This is a day for burgers of all kinds. Whatever you like. The ground beef burger on a bun is an American creation but there is much debate over here they were invented, and why they are called hamburgers when they contain beef. Fun fact, the largest hamburger ever created was in Wisconsin for a burger festival and it weighed over 8,000 pounds. I’m not sure whether to be happy about that or outraged. I guess it would depend on what they did with the meat afterward, I would hate to think that God knows how many cows died just to make a giant burger that was then thrown away.

Pony Express Day - Celebrated on the last Sunday in August for the purpose of honoring the men who were part of the mail service delivering mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California by horseback. It was a 2,000 mile stretch that they traveled in 10 days. It only lasted 18 months but it employed 120 riders, and nearly 400 support personnel and was a very demanding and dangerous job. Some celebrate this on the last Saturday in August.

Tarzan Day - On this day in 1912, Tarzan made his debut in a magazine, or so I am led to understand. I haven’t found proof of that and I have seen some evidence that it may have been an October issue of the magazine. I am certain, however, that Tarzan was the creation of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and two years later Mr. Burroughs published the first of a series of novels based on this amazing character.

Kiss Me Day - Not ME specifically, I’m sure you understand. My husband would object. However, it was on this day in 1929, that the first on-screen kiss between Popeye and his lady love, Olive Oyl, occurred. I’m sure there were many raised eyebrows in the audience as well as hands placed over the kids eyes. Henceforth, this has become a day to kiss the one you love.

Just Because Day - This is a day to do something….well, just because. Is there something you would like to do but don’t really have a good reason to do it? Well, now is your chance. Do it today...just because.

National Petroleum Day - This is a day to think about petroleum. We use it every day, whether you have a car or take public transportation and there is a lot of buzz about how we should conserve our fossil fuels and use alternative energy, which is a great idea. But like all great ideas, it takes time for them to become mainstream. So until that happens, we must be grateful for the petroleum fuel we use right now.

National Pots de Creme Day – Pots de Creme (pronounced poh-deh-krem) is French for “pot of cream.” It is a custard that is heavier than you are probably used to and is baked in a small, single serving pot or ramekin. They can be vanilla or chocolate and they look delicious.

Banana Lover's Day – I love bananas and have one nearly every day in my cereal in the morning. How do you feel about them? They are not just delicious fruits that have only been readily available in this country for about a hundred years, but they are also very healthy and full of potassium which is very useful for preventing muscle cramps, something that I used to suffer from on a daily basis. But not since I started eating bananas everyday.

Lyndon Baines Johnson Day – This is a state holiday in Texas to honor President Lyndon Baines Johnson who was born on this day in 1908.

The Duchess Who Wasn't Day – You have probably heard the quote, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Who hasn't? But you may not know who said it. It comes from a novel I had never heard of, Molly Bawn, which was written by Margaret Wolfe Hungerford who used a pseudonym, “The Duchess”, which was also the title of her most popular book. She was born in Ireland on this day in 1850 and died in 1897.

Go Topless Day – This is a day that is celebrated on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, which is on August 26th. It is all about the “if men can do it, women can too” premise. I believe that to a certain degree, but I have no desire to prove it by going topless. I don't particularly care that men can go topless, I just think that means they have more surface area to put sunscreen on and frankly, I don't have that kind of time. If you do, there are many cities throughout the nation that will be having Go Topless Day protests, feel free to join in. http://gotopless.org/gotopless-day

August 26, 2017

Today we celebrate:

Make Your Own Luck Day - This is a day to take your fate into your own hands. Don’t trust to chance or just expect good things to happen to you. Make your own luck by seeking out new experiences and being open to new opportunities.

Musical Yoga Day - On this day in 1967, the Beatles, Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithful met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was instrumental in spreading Yoga throughout the Western world. In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, we are encouraged to practice yoga while listening to rock music today. That is not generally the kind of music you think of when you think of yoga, but give it a try. You just might like it.

National Toilet Paper Day - While there is evidence that some form of toilet paper has been used for more than a thousand years in some countries, the TP that we have come to know and love was likely created by Joseph Gayetty in 1857. It has evolved over the years because humans can’t resist taking a perfectly good item and changing every nuance to make it better so we can call it “New and Improved” and sell it for more money. But the basic principle is unchanged and the importance it has in our lives is really pretty impossible to measure. I don’t know about you but I have no desire to go out in the yard and gather leaves or rocks to use as a replacement. So make sure you use your TP today. And then wash your hands.

National Cherry Popsicle Day – Not any old popsicles mind you. Just the cherry ones. No other flavor will suffice for this particular day. Since children can be rather particular about which flavor they will or will not eat, I suggest you remove all other flavors from the box before you show it to the kids.

National Dog Day – Established in 2004 by Colleen Paige, this is a day to recognize the fact that incredible numbers of dogs need to be rescued either from a bad living environment or from being on the streets trying to scrounge for food. Beyond that, there are all of the working dogs that make people's lives easier or safer as well as the ones who simply make us feel better. Today is also known as International Dog Day, World Dog Day and National Dog Appreciation Day and truly is simply a day to love dogs.

Women's Equality Day – On this day in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed and women were granted the right to vote. In 1971, Bella Abzug introduced legislation to Congress for Women's Equality Day. Since then, every year each president has proclaimed this celebration day. It is a day to recognize that women have been treated as second class citizens in the past but with the passage of the 19th Amendment, that began to change as we work toward the goal of complete equality.

International Bat Night – Created by an organization called EUROBATS, this is a two day event that usually takes place on the last weekend in August and is celebrated by more than 30 countries with bat walks, presentations, exhibitions and generally a lot of love for bats.

August 25, 2017

Today we celebrate:

National Banana Split Day – According to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the banana split was invented in 1904 by David Evans Strickler, an apprentice Pharmacist at Tassel Pharmacy. Wilmington, Ohio disagrees as you read right here on June 13th. You might be wondering why a pharmacist was messing around in the kitchen. The answer would be that this particular pharmacy, as was common at that time, had a soda fountain in it. Soda fountains served lots of ice cream, snacks and sodas. It is also important to note that bananas were a new food at the time since they had just begun to be imported to this country. That would be why this was a very innovative idea at the time.

Founders Day – On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act which was basically a mission statement for the National Park Service that had also just been created. There are probably some celebratory activities going on in the National Park near you especially since it is the 100th anniversary this year. People like to do it up big on anniversaries like that.

Kiss and Make Up Day – On this day, give up all your grudges and arguments and squabbles. It is time to kiss and make up with whomever you are upset with, whether it's your spouse or your sibling or a friend or that person who is driving so darn slow in front of you and making you late for work.

National Second-hand Wardrobe Day – This is a day for recycling clothes. Clothes do not have to be purchased brand new in order to be worn by you or your kids. You can get some great deals at thrift shops, consignment shops and second-hand stores. You can also hand clothes down from kid to kid and even give them to friends for their kids. Use them until they cannot be used anymore before you throw them away.

National Whiskey Sour Day – Celebrated by most on this day, but some celebrate on the 29th of August. There is recipe here at the Cocktail Enthusiast if you are interested in trying it.

August 24, 2017

Today we celebrate:

International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence Based on Musical Preferences, Lifestyle and Dress Code - Long name, even longer explanation. On this day in 2007, Sophie Lancaster died because she was a goth. That is not something that normally should lead to a death sentence, but the people who attacked her and her boyfriend and beat them both, apparently thought differently. Sophie died from her injuries at the very young age of 20. We need to lighten up a bit people. Fashion, and other personal preferences, changes over time for society and for individuals it changes as you age. You don’t see too many 80 year old goths or hippies which was the fashion when I was a child. If there is really something that you can’t stand badly enough that you feel you need to strike out against others, just take a breath and have some patience. It will change, and you will change, and they will change. We are all people and none of us have the right to take the life of people who make choices we disagree with. Agree to disagree, it can work. I do it every day with my kids and my husband and I haven’t killed any of them yet, even though my husband is convinced that I keep trying.

International Strange Music Day - Begun by Patrick Grant, a professional musician who founded Strange Music Inc, this is a day to “listen to a CD you never heard before, just for the hell of it.” You never know when you are going to hear something that you absolutely love, and while I’m not suggesting you abandon the big artists that you love and hear all the time, it’s a good thing to support the struggling artists who are doing what they love and hoping to make a living.

Weather Complaint Day - People LOVE to complain about the weather, hot or cold with those words meaning different things to different people. For example, people in southern California will complain if it’s 50 degrees F, but in February, that temperature is shorts & t-shirt weather for people living in Michigan. People can even break the ice and start a conversation with a complete stranger by using weather because it’s something to which everyone can relate.

National Knife Day - I could not find out who created this day or why. It seems to be a day to appreciate and utilize knives because without them, life would be pretty difficult. There was a time when a person needed a knife in order to survive. They were used for almost everything people had to do in pioneer days and before. Nowadays, we could probably get along pretty well with other tools for most things, but cooking would definitely be a challenge. That’s what I use my knives for most often.

National Peach Pie Day – A couple of days ago we had National Eat A Peach Day and could eat peaches in any form we wished. Well, today is also for peaches, but today you must eat them in a pie. I mean, the peaches have to be in the pie, not you. Although if you are ambitious enough to make a person sized pie, I say have at it and make sure you send me a picture.

Pluto Demoted Day – On this day in 2006, Pluto was demoted. It is no longer considered a planet and instead is considered by scientists to be a “dwarf planet”. It was a sad, sad day for all of us. That same year, NASA sent a spacecraft to Pluto to take some pictures and send them back to us.  It took a few years for the spacecraft to get there but it finally did just a few months ago and that was pretty exciting for all the space enthusiasts out there. That was a big, expensive project and demotion or not, NASA was committed to see it through. However, if Pluto was demoted sooner, I wonder if NASA would have bothered to go look at it.

Vesuvius Day – On this day in 79A.D., Mount Vesuvius, in Southern Italy, awoke from its’ centuries long sleep and erupted causing the devastation of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killed thousands of people. The ones who evacuated immediately survived, but approximately 2,000 people hid in cellars and buildings hoping the volcano would stop and leave them be. They died in the toxic cloud that descended upon them and were buried when the flow of rock and ash followed. Today some 700,000 people live around Mt. Vesuvius which hasn't had a major eruption in about 400 years. I'm not sure that location would be my choice for a retirement home.

William Wilberforce Day – Born on this day in 1759, William Wilberforce was a politician, philanthropist and one of the leaders of the abolitionist movement who worked tirelessly to put an end to the British slave trade for twenty six years. When the Slave Trade Act of 1807 was passed, abolishing the slave trade, he began working to abolish slavery completely in the British Empire. He died three days after he was sure the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 was going to pass.

National Waffle Day – Back in March, we had International Waffle Day, but this day is just for the United States of America because we love our waffles so much that we really don't want to share them this time.

Microsoft Windows 95 Anniversary - On this day in 1995, Windows 95 debuted. It was revolutionary at the time with a graphic interface never seen before on a non-Apple computer which included a taskbar and start menu that have stood the test of time….at least up until I have written this paragraph. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.