Month: August 2020

August 31st National Trail Mix Day

August Holidays

Cereal, nuts, m&ms, raisins, dried fruit, pretzels, dried vegetables… in fact nearly anything you can think of can be included in your own personal trail mix! The idea behind trail mix is pretty obvious, to provide you with energy as you walk along the great trails of the world. We need to replace some of the calories we burn when we do extended exercise. Since the idea of being on the trail is longer than say even a football game, we need something to sustain us and it has to be easy to carry, easy to eat and quick reacting. It helps if it tastes good too! And to be honest, you don’t have to be on a trail to eat… though that’s good for you too! (Though it might be tough to eat your trail mix through a mask.)

How to celebrate – Buy some trail mix. Make your own trail mix. Go for a walk.

August 30th Frankenstein Day

August Holidays

Today would be Mary W. Shelley’s birthday, August 30th, 1797. THE Mary Shelley who wrote Frankenstein in 1818. Some say it was all in her imagination but others say that there is some real life situations involved. (which is perhaps scarier than the story itself.) You think about the monster walking around the towns and villages in the story but then you realize it was walking around inside her head long before that. It makes you realize that in society, most of us are walking around with things we struggle with inside us. Some are able to get them out by writing about them, while others fight them daily in other ways. Still, it makes for a good story!

How to celebrate – Read Shelley’s “Frankenstein” (it’s a lot different than the films). Identify the monsters in your head. Read “Frank Einstein”, a play our blog writer wrote, available at Playscripts.com.

August 29th More Herbs, Less Salt Day

August Holidays

Finally an actual day we can use from the good people at Wellcat.com… More Herbs, Less Salt Day. Most of us add salt, and then more salt, to bring out the flavor of our food. That is not very good for us in so many ways. If we could, and would, learn to use other herbs and spices to bring out that flavor we would all be healthier. I think we learned salt because it was used to keep meat eatable when stored for later use. The meat was very salty but preserved so we learned, as people, to eat that and found anything not served with salt lacking. That was okay for the 1700’s but not so much today. Learn to use other spices and herbs to perk up your food and make eating a healthier choice for you.

how to celebrate – Learn what herbs help spice things up! Plant an herb garden. Use less salt in your diet.

August 28th Race Your Mouse around the Icons Day

August Holidays

This is another of those “Why?????” days. It was created and copyrighted by Wellcat.com. So get to racing that mouse at your computer. And what do you get if you win? Satisfaction? Maybe it involves matching mazes, a pet mouse racing in a small maze while you race in a matching larger one. At least maybe you could put cheese at the end for both of you. Just don’t draw a maze on your computer screen – I am sure the boss would not like it.

How to celebrate – Start an office olympics. If you can’t do it in person, do it virtually! Figure out what you will win if you do win!

August 27th Just Because Day

August Holidays

Have you ever done anything just because you were allowed to (or maybe not even allowed to but because you could)? There always seems to be something satisfying about doing something that maybe you shouldn’t be doing. Now that doesn’t mean illegal or dangerous, just something different from the norm. It could be as simple as taking a train ride just to go or as complex as visiting every tall building in your town. And it’s all “Just Because”. It is believed that Joseph J. Goodwin created today somewhere back in the late 1950’s or early 60’s. This may or may not be accurate but then, who cares, let’s believe that… Just Because.

How to celebrate – Do something you normally would not do. Take a safe risk today. Start a “Just Because” club.

August 26th National Dog Day

August Holidays

Created by the National Dog Day Foundation whose motto is “Saving 10,000 Dogs – One Day at a Time.” Anybody who reads the blogs I do on a regular basis knows I love dogs. I truly believe they are man’s best friend. They are able to serve us in so many ways but I think the main purpose they serve is just to love us humans. Save a dog if you are able, you won’t regret it. They will be your friend forever. It may take a little effort, particularly if it’s a rescue dog because you don’t know what they have been through or how they have been treated. Give them a chance and they will reward you beyond what you can ever imagine.

How to celebrate – Rescue a dog. Give your dog a special treat today. Take your best friend for a special outing today. Take plenty of pictures.

August 25th National Banana Split Day

August Holidays

This must have really been a major event when it happened, the first Banana Split. It was created in 1904 in Latrobe, PA by David Strickler, a 23 year old soda jerk at Tassel Pharmacy at 805 Ligonier St (I am sort of surprised they did not include the hour, minute and second it was created). Still, I guess it was sort of a big deal… after all, who doesn’t know what a banana split is!?! The average banana split has between 850 – 1500 calories, although I am sure you can increase those numbers if you choose. But who cares… once you have decided to have a banana split there’s no stopping you from getting it!

How to celebrate – Have a banana split. Try to invent your own ice cream dish. Visit Latrobe, PA.

August 25th National Park Service Birthday

August Holidays

Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service in 1918 for the Department of the Interior. The first park actually was created though in 1872 – Yellowstone, and it resided under a different service until 1933 an Executive Order established acquiring parks and military sites from the Forest Service and the War Department. Today the service now comprises over 400 locations. Happy Birthday!

How to celebrate – Visit a National Park. List as many National Parks as you can without looking them up. Read about the history of the National Parks.

August 24th International Strange Music Day

July Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

What really constitutes as strange music anyway? This can be very subjective. However there are some strange ways of making music. There are famous sculptures that create music. Common household items can be used to create a symphony – hence the musical, Stomp. And then there is just weird music itself. But I believe the strangest music probably comes from instruments that are not common today…. There is a bubble organ (which is relatively new on the scene), a clackamore…and a laser harp (wonder if it’s dangerous). Who knows?????

How to celebrate: Look up some of the forgotten, and newest, instruments used to make music. Try to obtain one of these instruments and learn how to play it. Amaze your friends with a concert on your newly acquired musical instrument.

August 24th Vesuvius Day

August Holidays

Today, in 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted destroying Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae in Italy. Some 3,360 people died, caught in the ash and lava that followed. What amazes me is that they could see the smoke coming from the volcano weeks before the eruption and apparently thought nothing of it. As the years passed, people rebuilt on the same general spot only to have another tragedy in 1631 where 3,500 people died. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. And you know what… they are still building there today. When are we gonna learn!

How to celebrate – Read about Mount Vesuvius. Visit Italy. Create your own mini volcano and see how the lava flows for yourself.