Apple Day

October 21st is APPLE DAY

 Apple Day is an annual celebration of apples and orchards, held in October. It is celebrated mainly in the United Kingdom. It traditionally falls on October 21, the date of the first such event in 1990, but events are held throughout the month.^[1] It is commonly a weekend event, usually taking place on the Saturday and Sunday closest to 30 October.^{[citation needed]}

Apple Day events can be large or small, from apple games in a garden to large village fairs with cookery demonstrations, games, apple identification, juice and cider, gardening advice, and the sale of many hundreds of apple varieties.

Baby Day May 2

Smiley, squishy, faces are perfect reasons to put Baby Day on the map. 

Although it’s difficult to pinpoint why, or where this day originated, we can easily speculate! Anyone who has ever yearned for, had, or known a baby, could list dozens of reasons why babies are special. Babies are not just cute, but they are innocent in a way that helps you to see goodness in the world. They give you hope, happiness, and make you strive to become a better person. What more could you ask for?

Tonka

I found an interesting article written by  By AARON MILLER Published On 09/03/2015 @aaron_m_miller

on  ThrillestTonka trucks have been the undisputed kings of the sandbox for decades. Built on the notion that “a toy shouldn’t break just because a child plays with it,” they’re sturdy and heavy enough to be used as legitimate weapons if you swing one at someone’s head. Back in the '70s, Tonka even had an elephant stand on one, just to prove their point. But if you've ever held one, you already know how indestructible they were -- learn twelve more things on the Thrillest  site

World Parkinson's Disease Day

My Grandfather, Daddy, and now my Uncle have suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

April 11 is  World Parkinson’s Disease Day and marks the birthday of Dr. J Parkinson. On this day there are efforts made to increase the public awareness of this terrible disease, as well as all the good works put forth by the worlds organizations dedicated to eradicating this disease. There are activities to promote this the entire world over, and the opportunity to participate is open to any and all who want to help in this effort.

Siblings Day

April 10 is Siblings Day

All of us who have been lucky enough to have siblings know that sometimes they can be annoying and a pain to be around, but this should not stop you from celebrating what will possibly be the longest relationship in your life.

The unofficial day was created by New Yorker Claudia Evart in memory of her brother and sister, whom she lost early in her life.

Since 1998, US President Bill Clinton and governors of 39 states in the U.S. have officially recognized Siblings Day as an observance.

The holiday is also known as National Siblings Day in the United States.

Pedal Cars

Pedal Car History

When the automobile made its appearance, the pedal car soon followed. Pedal car history goes back to the 1890's when most were modeled from the real cars on the road at the time.  Since their conception, pedal cars were all kids wished for.  But at the turn of the century, their cost meant they were playthings for only wealthy families. With many families reeling from the financial devastation of The Great Depression, pedal cars were often toys for upper class children.  Those not so fortunate played with basic homemade ride-on toys.  In the 1920's and 1930's the wealthy were catered to when it came to buying pedal cars since they were the primary buyers.  No pedal cars were produced in the mid-1940's when all metal production was directed to the World War II effort.

Reaching the peak of popularity in the late 1920's and early 1930's, pedal cars experienced a resurgence in the 1950's to 1960's with chain-driven models.  With postwar prosperity in the 1950's, pedal cars grew more popular and were available in all major stores.  From the early 1920's through the late 1960's, pedal cars, like automobiles, were produced in many different models and colors.  Designed to incorporate the most current trends of the automotive world, pedal cars featured working lights and horns, movable windshields and rag tops, chrome detailing and hood ornaments, and white wall tires and custom paint jobs.

To find out more about pedal cars, visit Pedal Car Planet

What is Purple Day all about?

Did you know that  50 million people in the world have epilepsy?

Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26th annually, people in countries around the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of epilepsy awareness.

Last year, people in dozens of countries on all continents including Antarctica participated in Purple Day!

Find out more about Epilepsy at the Epilepsy Foundation website.

Nap time

History of Napping Day 

Napping Day’s history is simply the history of napping, and it used to be something we all did in the middle of the afternoon. In fact, the siesta is still a time-honored tradition in Spain that happens right after the afternoon meal, and has been a practice since time out of mind. In fact, if you’re in the Mediterranean, it’s pretty much standard everywhere you go. In Italy they call it the riposo, pisolini, and even old Charlamagne (yes that Charlamagne) has been recorded as having taken 2-3 hour naps in the middle of the afternoon. source - http://ow.ly/guVi307azJY

Skirt day??

A bit of history on the skirt, it’s far older than you might imagine! The oldest known skirt was woven from straw, and was discovered in Armenia, and was known to have been worn by men and women alike. This was just the beginning of a long and storied history of a garment to shock and amaze people throughout the world. 

So what’s a skirt you ask? Why, it’s a garment that hangs from the waist down, and can most often be identified by the fashionably challenged as “That bit of cloth what hangs from the waist down on a dress, if there were no ‘top-part’ to the dress.” source - http://ow.ly/eJEa307azeE

Dress in Blue

The idea for  Dress in Blue Day’ was originally come up with by Anita Mitchell, a stage IV colon cancer survivor who had lost a close friend and her own father to the disease. Greatly saddened by the fact that both of those tragedies could have been prevented, Ms. Mitchell saw a need to bring greater awareness to a cancer not many people wanted to discuss. So, in 2006, she worked with her children’s school to coordinate a recognition day. 

That very year in March, students who normally had to wear uniforms to class were allowed to wear a blue outfit of their choice, if only they made a $1 donation to colon cancer awareness. source - http://ow.ly/TOvW307avIZ

Tell A Fairy Tale Day

Gather round the fire, and make yourselves comfortable…According to Days of the Year website....

 Tell A Fairy Tale Day is all about exploring myths and stories, old and new. From grim(m) tales to urban legends, tap the dark corners of your subconscious and see what you find…http://ow.ly/CqhA307

Feeling GROUCHY??????

Have you done a grouch a favor today? According to the Days of the Year website, find a grouch!

If not then it’s likely that no one told you it was Do a Grouch a Favor Day, as doing a grouch a favor is what the day is all about. We all know a grouch at some point in our lives, and it is very likely that we’ve had phases of being grouchy ourselves. Sometimes another person doing us a favor is the last time, but other days a favor from someone, be they a close friend or a random stranger, is exactly what we need to break us out of our slump.

http://ow.ly/NIb2307ahGl

National Umbrella Day February 10

According to National Day Calendar

National Umbrella Day is celebrated across the nation each year on February 10th.

On this day, we honor one of the world’s most convenient inventions, the umbrella!  Not only does the umbrella help keep us dry from the rain, it also protects us from the heat of the sun.  Umbrellas can also be used as a fashion accessory.

Umbrellas have been featured in many motion pictures, most notably:

* Singing in the Rain – 1952           * Mary Poppins – 1964

Interesting Umbrella TidBits:

The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow.  Brolly is a slang word for umbrella, used often in Britain, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.  Bumbershoot is a fanciful Americanism, for umbrella, from the late 19th century.

The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago.  There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt  Assyria, Greece and China.

It was the Chinese that first waterproofed umbrellas for use in the rain.  They waxed and lacquered their paper parasols in order to use them for rain.

The first of all umbrella shops were called “James Smith and Sons”.  The shop opened in 1830 and is still located at 53 New Oxford Street, London, England.

In 1928, Hans Haupt’s pocket umbrellas appeared.  In 1969, Bradford E. Phillips, the owner of Totes Incorporated of Loveland, Ohio, obtained a patent for the first “working folding umbrella”.

Umbrellas have also been fashioned into hats as early as 1880 and as recently as 1987.

Umbrellas are used in photography.  Umbrellas with a reflective inside are used by photographers as a diffusion device when employing artificial lighting and as a glare shield and shade, most often in portrait situations.

National Boy Scouts Day February 8

NATIONAL BOY SCOUTS DAY

Since 1910 boys across America have been doing good deeds, learning survival skills and developing a moral foundations through the Boy Scout of America.  February 8th annually recognizes National Boys Scouts Day.  Boy Scouts have had a profound impact on the United States.  Many presidents and other dignitaries have been Boy Scouts.  A total of 181 Astronauts have also been part of the Boy Scout program.

Key Dates

• Boy Scouts of America incorporated  1910
• First Boy Scout Handbook published  1911
• Boys’ Life premiered  1911
• First Eagle Scout, Arthur R. Eldred  1912
• Scouting magazine premiered  1913
• Registration of Scouts began, 25¢ annual fee  1913
• Order of the Arrow began  1915
• Federal charter granted by Congress  1916
• First season at what would become Northern Tier High Adventure Base  1923
• Boy Scout membership tops 1 million  1925
• Cub Scout program began  1930
• Philmont donated to the BSA  1938
• First BSA Wood Badge course taught  1948
• First Pinewood Derby® held  1953
• Webelos program added to Cub Scouting  1954
• Exploring program began  1959
• Florida National High Adventure Sea Base officially opened  1980
• Tiger Cubs program added to Cub Scouting  1982
• 1 millionth Eagle Scout, Alexander M. Holsinger  1982
• Learning for Life program began  1991
• Venturing program began  1998
• 100 millionth member registered  2000
• 2 millionth Eagle Scout, Anthony Thomas  2009

Ballet Day

History of Ballet Day

 Ballet found its origins during the Renaissance throughout Italy and France, though it had yet to evolve into the form we know it today. There were no tutus, no ballet slippers, and the iconic pointe work of ballet were all things to come in the future. It found its roots in court dances, and thus incorporated the proper dance dress of women at the time, formal gowns that descended to the ankle. Unlike modern performances, the audience would join the dance as it came to a close.http://ow.ly/sjff307agtv

National Wear Red Day

National Wear Red Day is observed annually on the first Friday in February.

Heart disease and stroke kill one in three women. These diseases are 80 percent preventable according to Go Red for Women’s official website.

Go to www.goredforwomen.org for more information

HOW TO OBSERVE

The National Wear Red Day  campaign asks people to do three things:

My mommy -

• Wear red to show your support for saving women’s lives
• Show us how you Go Red on your social media profiles using #GoRed
• Donate to help raise funds for awareness and research
• 
  

Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

According to National Day Calendar...

Always observed on January 31st, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day is a day to ponder how art effects your heart. Art is valued and appreciated for all sorts of reasons. 

Of the broad spectrum of art created in the world, the pieces that move us to tears or cause us to burst out in joyous laughter remain with us for a life time. Whether we are touched through music or see into an artist soul through their work, art has the power to change us, to inspire our hearts.

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day encourages us to explore the many genres of art and let it inspire us.

Not My Business - Niyi Osundari

I don't have any muslim friends. I don't even personally know anyone from the countries the ban has affected. I am in the middle - white middle class middle aged American woman. I have a white daughter, who it never occurred to me to teach what to do if stopped by the police. I never worry about her not being able to get back into the US. I have never said to her that she needs to carry her passport and papers with her at all times.

I did not march in either of the past two Saturday marches. I actually agree with some of the long term goals of the new administration. I completely agree that our representatives should seriously listen to their constituents and not just vote down party lines. "Draining the swamp" of those that don't is fine by me.

Today this ban or future bans from certain countries should not even affect me.  But you see, I am also a mom to a Guatemalan girl that we love as our own. Who is here legally on a student visa. Who I am ready to buy plane tickets for her to visit her Guatemalan sisters in  May... but now hesitate...Will one swoop of a pen prevent her from returning in time to start classes? Will her visa be revoked without any warning?   The visa that she had to interview for and provide our financial information and information from ATU, the visa we filled out papers about her family there, and her desire to return to her country. Will I have to go back on my promise I wrote in the letter to the Embassy to make sure she gets to go home once a year and keep her family relations strong, to keep her in school?

So many will read this and think I am crazy because Guatemala is not Iran...and most will not even know where Guatemala is. It is a country just south of Mexico - you know, the country that we are building a "beautiful" wall to keep them out. The one that  has been the target of hateful speeches and knee-jerk reactions lately. Well my daughter is beautiful with dark complexion, dark hair, and dark eyes - just like my Mexican friends and my other Central American friends. It is not a far jump to think the same ban will be implemented on our southern neighbors.

I came across this poem today by Niyi Osundari

They picked Akanni up one morning

Beat him soft like clay

And stuffed him down the belly

Of a waiting jeep.

What business of mine is it

So long they don’t take the yam

From my savouring mouth?

They came one night

Booted the whole house awake

And dragged Danladi out,

Then off to a lengthy absence.

What business of mine is it

So long they don’t take the yam

From my savouring mouth?

Chinwe went to work one day

Only to find her job was gone:

No query, no warning, no probe –

Just one neat sack for a stainless record.

What business of mine is it

So long they don’t take the yam

From my savouring mouth?

And then one evening

As I sat down to eat my yam

A knock on the door froze my hungry hand.

The jeep was waiting on my bewildered lawn

Waiting, waiting in its usual silence.