October 24, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Shemini Atzeret - Celebrated on the 22nd day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei in Israel, and on the 22nd and 23rd outside of Israel, it follows Sukkot which began on October 16th this year. This day is both connected to Sukkot and separate. In English it means, the “Eighth Day of Assembly.”

World Polio Day - This is a day to continue the fight against Polio in this world. Polio has been mostly eradicated in this country but it still runs rampant in other countries where vaccines can be few and far between if they are accessible at all. See what you can do to help.

40 Hour Work Week Day - On this day in 1938, the fair Labor Standards Act went into effect making the 40 hour work week standard for a full time employed person. This act meant that people who were asked to work longer hours had to be paid more for the work so that no wage earning person could be forced to work crazy long hours without extra compensation.

National Crazy Day - This is a day to just let loose and be a little crazy. Do something you wouldn’t normally do, don’t be afraid if people think you’ve lost your mind for the day. You’ll be back to normal tomorrow and you can tell them you don’t know what they are talking about when they ask you what was wrong with you.

Take Back Your Time Day - This is a day to halt the habit that many of us have of working overtime all the time, over scheduling our lives and not having the time to make and keep meaningful relationships in our lives. Work and activities do not have to dominate our lives to the exclusion of all else. There is a happy medium and you owe it to yourselves and your families to find it.

National Bologna Day – Celebrate today with a variety of bologna recipes. By the way, I still remember the Oscar Mayer bologna song. “My bologna has a first name...it's O S C A R, my bologna has a second name it's M A Y E R. I love to eat it every day and if you ask me why I'll saaaaayyyy...cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B O L O G N A.” Yes, I'm that old.

United Nations Day – On this day in 1945, the United Nations came to be. The UN Charter was ratified by a majority of the founding members and the rest is history. This day has been celebrated every year since 1948.

World Development Information Day – Celebrated along with United Nations Day, this day has the purpose of drawing the attention of the public of the world to country development problems and the need to cooperate internationally in order to solve them.

Black Thursday - I know this isn’t Thursday, but this is the day in 1929 (which was a Thursday)  when the stock market crashed and investors lost $5 billion dollars in one day. It was the beginning of the Great Depression which lasted many years.

Food Day - This is a nationwide celebration of…..you guessed it! Food! Actually, not just any food but natural, sustainable, affordable and healthy food. Not that processed stuff in boxes that you find on most of the grocery store shelves.

Good and Plenty Day – This candy has been around since it's beginning way back in 1893. It is marketed as America's oldest brand of candy. Some of you might remember its’ mascot from back in the 1950s, Choo Choo Charlie, the train engineer. It was originally made by the Quaker City Confectionary Company but now belongs to Hershey's.

October 23, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Mother-in-Law Day – Celebrated on the fourth Sunday in October, this is a day to celebrate your Mother-in-Law. Mother-in-Law's are the ones who raised your spouse, the one special person in your life that you choose to be a part of your family. Honor the one who raised that special person by taking her out to dinner or giving her some flowers.

National Slap Your Irritating Co-Worker Day - I would like to stress that this is a tongue in cheek kind of day. The rules are on the website and you are not allowed to blame me if you get fired or arrested if you choose to follow through on celebrating this day. I do not plan to do so. But then, I love my co-workers.

National Boston Cream Pie Day – I'm not sure why it's called pie when it is really much more like a cake with cream filling. It is one of my all time favorite cakes. Now I'm drooling...very undignified of me, sorry.

iPod Day – On this day in 2001, the first iPod was introduced to the world. A pivotal moment in the technological and musical world.

National Mole Day – This day is celebrated every year on this day between 6:02am and 6:02pm. If you are not a math or science maniac, then you might not know that a mole is a basic measuring unit in chemistry, 6.02 x 1023, also known as Avogadro's Number. This day is an attempt to spread interest in chemistry throughout the world. If you're interested, a mole is equal to the atomic mass of a molecule. There is more to that explanation here.

Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano Day – On this day, according to the mental calendar that all swallows have in their heads, the swallows will circle the Mission San Juan Capistrano in California and fly off to wherever they go for the winter. They will return in March.

TV Talk Show Host Day – This day, which just happens to be Johnny Carson's birthday, is a day to celebrate all talk show hosts. Johnny Carson is the most beloved of them all, followed closely by Oprah Winfrey, but there have been many and will be many more since I don't think talk shows are going away anytime soon. People do love to talk, after all.

National Canning Day – This is a day to can all the harvest from your gardens. I don't have very much left from my garden but my husband has already canned many jars of pickles, zucchini relish and chili sauce. So if you have the skills and the equipment and the vegetables, have at it today.

October 22, 2016

Today we celebrate:

Make A Difference Day – This is a day that is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of October, and is a day to make a difference in someone's life.....in a good way. I figured that I probably better throw that last part in there just in case there was a question in your mind. Think about what you can do to make someone’s life better today.

National Pit Bull Awareness Day – This is a day to promote the truth about pit bulls. Pit bulls have a very bad image these days but the truth is that not all pit bulls are as vicious as the ones you hear about on the news. Most of them are wonderful family dogs who would never hurt anyone. Do your research and find out the truth before you make any decisions about them.

Eat A Pretzel Day - I’m not sure where this day came from but it seems easy enough to celebrate. Just eat a pretzel. If you are gluten free, you can still celebrate. There are some really delicious gluten free pretzels in most grocery stores.

Clean Up The Earth Day - This day falls six months after Earth Day and is a day to clean up the earth.  So take a walk and take a bag with you to pick up garbage on the way. Even a few minutes will help.

Smart is Cool Day - This is a day to celebrate intelligence by teaching your children that it is cool to be smart. There are lots of kids books out there about this subject so read one to your kids today. You could also point out to them some really cool people that they look up to that are also very smart.

National Color Day - Colors can have an amazing effect on our moods and attitude. Research which colors would suit the mood you would like to have at home and at work and get busy painting or picking out what you are going to wear with those colors.

Wombat Day - First celebrated in 2005, this day was created to honor the amazing and intelligent wombat. We celebrate by eating lots and lots of chocolate and Wine Gums. I have no idea what Wine Gums are but on this website, it says that they can be found in shops that sell British or imported foods. If you do not have easy access to such a place, you may substitute gummy candies or Swedish fish. I’m not sure why these are good wombat celebrating foods, perhaps they are part of the wombat diet?  

National Nut Day – This says it's a National day, but it should be an International day because there are many countries that celebrate this day by exchanging an unhealthy protein like burgers with the more healthy protein in nuts. If you are allergic, you should absolutely give this day a pass.

Knee Day - I couldn’t find out much about this day but it looks like a day to be aware of how easy it is to injure your knees. Without our knees in good working order, moving around is pretty difficult so take care to exercise the muscles that hold them in place to keep them strong, and walk carefully. If your knees are bothering you, see a doctor who specializes in knees to see what can be done to fix them. Technology and medicine have come a long way and sometimes it is possible to fix you right up so the pain stops.

International Caps Lock Day – THIS IS A DAY TO KEEP YOUR CAPS LOCK ON. IT IS MOSTLY CELEBRATED BY CRAZY GEEKY PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY HAVE SPECIAL DAYS FOR EVERY KEY ON THE KEYBOARD.

International Stuttering Awareness Day – Today we raise awareness of the speech disorder known as stuttering or stammering. Approximately 1% of the world's population struggles with this disorder. The most important thing to be aware of is that it is not something that stutterers can control and it is NOT funny. Just be patient people, everyone deserves the time to express their thoughts any way they can.

October 21, 2016

Today we celebrate:

National Pharmacy Buyer Day - This day is celebrated on the Friday of National Hospital & Health System Pharmacy Week which is the last full week in October….usually. They say that this year is an exception to that rule, but last year was also so I don’t know what is up with that. It is a day that was created in 2005 by Beth Meese in Illinois and the National Pharmacy Purchasing Association liked it and went with it in 2007. If you are not aware, as I was not until last year, a Pharmacy Buyer is responsible for making sure a pharmacy has the medicines it needs at any given moment. They take delivery of medicines, make sure it is correct, everything is there and checked in, and make sure everything is put where it belongs so it can be easily and quickly found and utilized. Then there are the invoices that need to be checked for accuracy and processed. There is a lot more to it, too much for me to go into here, so you will have to trust me that it’s an important job and not one that any pharmacy should do without.

National Mammography Day - Celebrated on the third Friday in October, this is a day for women to realize how important a mammogram is to their health. I just had mine not too long ago, if you are due for a mammogram, make sure you schedule it today.

World Student Day - Created by the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, this is a day for everyone to pray for students all over the world, particularly ones that are facing difficult circumstances. We celebrate this day on the third Friday of October.

Apple Day - Created by Common Ground in 1990, this is a day to celebrate the apple and everything that goes with them. Apples are a fruit that can be used in a multitude of ways, even for things that don’t involve food. My kids used apples in art projects, they can be dried and used as decorations, they can be cooked in a variety of ways that are all delicious. There are so many varieties of apples that it is a pretty sure bet that most of you have never heard of most of the different kinds.  

Garbanzo Bean Day - Garbanzo beans, also known as Chickpeas, are a very healthy addition to any diet. They have fiber, potassium, protein, calcium, iron, Vitamin B-6 and magnesium that is all part of the package providing you with heart benefits and reduced risk of diabetes, dementia and stomach cancer. There are thousands of recipes you can find online to utilize this superfood, so I’m sure you’ll find a good one today.

Babbling Day - We all know someone who babbles constantly. I’m sure it’s not you, but you know someone who just can’t stop talking even if they run out of things to say. Well, today is a day just for them so tell everyone you know about it. Even if it means babbling. I have a tendency to babble a bit when I feel sick, and my youngest daughter takes after me that way.

International Day of the Nacho - At this website referenced in the name of the day, there is a story about the possible beginnings of nachos. I don’t know if it is true, but whether it is or not is less important than whether or not you are going to make some and bring them to my house.

Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder (IDD) Prevention Day – We get iodine in our salt generally, but there are quite a few countries that do not. So UNICEF has been working to solve that problem by working with salt producers and governments to promote universal salt iodization. Iodine Deficiency Disorders include brain damage, deaf mutism, dwarfism, and more.

Count Your Buttons Day - I have found no guidance on who created this day or why or what it is for. So I suggest you do exactly what the name says. Round up all of your buttons and count them. This is best performed by those who have a lot of time on their hands.

Celebration of the Mind Day – Born on this day 101 years ago, Martin Gardner, who died in 2010, dedicated his life to pursuing playful and fun ways of doing Math, Science, Art, Magic, and Puzzles. Exercise your brain cells with a puzzle today. http://www.celebrationofmind.org/wordpress_site/

Reptile Awareness Day – This is a day to focus on reptiles of all shapes, sizes and colors. Some of you have some reptiles living in your house in the form of cute little lizards. Others have bigger and uglier (my opinion) reptiles living with you. My daughter has been after me to let her have a snake. Not going to happen in my house! But whether you love them or hate them, they are important to our ecosystem and just like so many other animals, except maybe mosquitoes, they are dealing with pollution, loss of habitat, climate change and other devastating issues. Be nice to your neighborhood reptiles today.

National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day – I love cheesecake and I love pumpkin. Two great tastes that in all likelihood, taste great together. I cannot wait to try a pumpkin cheesecake today.

Wonder Woman Day - This is a brand new United Nations sponsored holiday designed to promote the empowerment of women. There are a lot of women who are protesting that a skimpily dressed fictional character is not an appropriate ambassador for women's rights.