Happy weekend everyone! I know that for most of us, yesterday was spent remembering and honoring those lost in the horrifying attack on the World Trade Towers in 2001. Everyone I know can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when it happened, as if it were yesterday. Sadly, I read that today’s college students can’t even accurately say why it happened, or who attacked us. I could go into a long rant here, but I won’t. Those who know me well can guess what I am thinking. Those who don’t, well, stick around. At some point I’ll break loose with an epic rant and you can choose for yourselves whether to stay or go. Up to you. Right now, I am so disgusted with the train wreck this nation is and how quickly we have forgotten how to be united as one people, that I find myself wondering what my grandchildren will be left with as they grow up. Looking at things right now, it isn’t going to be pretty or anything resembling the nation I grew up in, that’s for sure.
Moments With Moose –
Yesterday was Moose’s 9 month birthday. Obviously he doesn’t know it and we didn’t celebrate it. I track his age so I can track his growth and changes that happen along the way. I look at him and at pictures from when we first brought him home and wonder how on earth I thought he was so big? He’s a big, gangly, lumpy, frolicking 90 pound bundle of energy who turns into an effective road block the moment I want to make my way through the house, but he’s wiggled his way into my heart and I can’t imagine not having him as a part of our family. I’m sure sometimes Tibbi can, probably the cats too, but this furry boy is here to stay so they need to get used to that fact. J
Friday, September 11 –
Make Your Bed Day – I admit it. I don’t often make the bed. In the mornings there is a rush to get out the door to work, and honestly, but the time we get home it’s not that many hours until we get back into it, so why bother? It’s just never been one of those things that bothered me. I didn’t make my kids make their beds either. I made sure they knew how, just never really enforced it. There were too many other things to focus on – household chores that affected the entire family, their school work, etc. It turns out that I’m in good company! A LOT of people don’t bother making the bed, except when they change the sheets or when company is coming. For today though, make the bed when you get up – it is a pretty simple way to celebrate something and you’ll have a nice neat bed to get into tonight.
No News Is Good News – I can’t do it. I can manage to do without the news when we are camping or on a cruise – simply because it isn’t available – but to turn off the news, especially these days, just isn’t going to happen for me. I can see why someone would though. There are times when the news just puts us on emotional and mental overload! So much bad stuff going on all around the world can short us out to the point that we just need a break so we can focus on something good. I like to see what is happening in the world so I know how to plan my life – but maybe that is just me. Today though, if you find yourself becoming overwhelmed by current events, turn it off and just assume that No News Is Good News!
Saturday, September 12 –
Farmers-Consumer Awareness Day – We all need to be aware of, and appreciate, where our food comes from, and the hard work and dedication that goes into getting it from its source and onto our tables. You’d be SHOCKED and absolutely stupefied at how many people really say OUT LOUD that they don’t approve of hunting, or killing animals for food – that we should just go to the grocery store to get our meat. Huh? Seriously? Yup, I’ve read just such stupid comments. Wow – these people breed and they vote, and that does not bode well for the future of this country. It’s folks with THAT mentality who helped get us in our current dismal situation. But I digress . . .Today is Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day in Quincy, Washington. Now I looked and couldn’t find any indication that this is something that is celebrated anywhere else, but wherever there is a farming community I feel it should be observed. This celebration began in Quincy in 1981 when Dennis Higashiyama was listening to the radio and heard a story on the Paul Harvey show that illustrated how farmers and consumers had drifted apart, leaving people with little or no understanding of how food actually gets to the grocery store shelves. This is the opportunity for farmers to show off the fruits of their labors and demonstrate the tools and techniques that they use in their work. For the public, it’s a great way to learn about where our groceries come from, and to talk to the people who grown them for a living. Since the time of the first celebration, this event has grown to include tours of the areas processing plants and farms, displays of farm equipment, booths with information and commodities and a farmer’s market. It has even been expanded to include the Grand Parade, the Farm to Market Fun Run, live entertainment, cook-offs, arts and crafts, a car show and booths that have locally grown deliciousness. Plan a trip to Washington the 2nd Saturday in September next year and celebrate this one in person!
For your entertainment I’m including the link to a really great video. It’s fun! It’s called Farmer’s Style and is a parody done Gangnam Style. I really enjoyed it and hope you do too. While you are enjoying the fun parts, pay close attention to how hard these farmers are working so we have food on our tables.
International Drive Your Studebaker Day – Today is a day for people who have, and love, old cars, specifically the Studebaker. Keep your eyes open, you may see a few of these on the road today! The Studebaker Company was founded in 1852 in South Bend, Indiana. They originally manufactured and buggies for farmers, miners and the military. Their first steps into making cars was early in the 20th century, producing electric vehicles first, followed by vehicles powered by gasoline. During WWII they produced amphibious vehicles for the military. After the war was over, Studebaker came to be a leader in automotive style with a new look by designers Raymond Loewy and Virgil Exner. Their new ideas included the long flat back trunk, V-8 engine, “bullet nose” hood design and the wrap-around rear window. Financial problems prompted a merger with Packard in 1954, but in spite of coming out with new models, including the Avanti, the financial problems got worse over the next few years and they closed their South Bend plant in 1963. They continue production at their Hamilton, Ontario plant until the last car rolled off the assembly line in 1966. Even though it has been nearly 50 years since the last Studebaker was made, there is a loyal following among car enthusiasts. Take a look around and find out if there is a classic car Cruise In today – you may be able to see one of these rolling pieces of history and appreciate the creativity that went into them.
National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children (2nd Saturday) – This one is so meaningful and I hope that it is honored by more and more people each day. Citizens for a Pro-life Society, Priests for Life, and Pro-life Action League are set to host memorials in remembrance of children murdered by abortion. This was first celebrated in 2013, but this isn’t a new idea. Looking back to ancient Rome for inspiration behind this solemn national event brought some interesting history to light. Dug into the walls of the earliest Christian catacombs in the outskirts of Rome are countless small tombs that are only a foot or two across. These are the burial places of infants that were cast out of their pagan homes and left to die of starvation and exposure. Sadly, this was a common practice at that time. Members of the early church, who were taught by Christ to love their neighbors, offered these newborn sacrifices the only act of love they could. They buried their little bodies and mourned for them in prayer. This tradition of mercifully burying abandoned children continues in our own day with the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children. Mourners will visit the gravesides of aborted children, whose broken little bodies were recovered from trash dumpsters and pathology labs, and solemnly buried over the four decades of legal abortion in the United States. Memorial services will be held at more than 40 of these gravesites, as well as at many memorial markers that have been set up in memory of these aborted unborn at churches and cemeteries. It is so sad and sobering to realize that grave markers for the unborn victims of abortion only lists the date of the burial. There are no birthdays because they were never allowed to be born. There aren’t any listed dates of death because those who murdered them threw away their bodies like they were garbage. They are not garbage to any who mourn- they are our brothers and sisters. That is why they are buried, and why their graves are visited, so they can be mourned and their humanity celebrated. Since 1973, more than 55 million innocent unborn children have been killed with the law sanctioning it. A small fraction of these victims of this slaughter have actually been buried, and the graves are scattered across America. These are graves of sorrow, graves that cast a shadow of filth and evil over a nation that has permitted the killing of the innocent. Now that it has come to light that the butchers perpetrating these atrocities aren’t just murdering these children, they are picking and choosing their little body parts to sell for profit, it is up to all of us to stand up for the babies who cannot stand up for themselves, and put a stop to it. Today pray for an end to the injustice of abortion. May God have mercy on our souls if we do not stand up for them, if we do not put a stop to the murder of innocent lives.
Sunday, September 13 –
Defy Superstition Day – This one has MORE impact when the 13th lands on a Friday. Since this one is on a Saturday there will still be some superstitious folks having the twitches, but not as many. I’m sure we all know a few of the twitchy ones though – those people who wander around on the 13th with dread in their hearts. Today is the day to defy those superstitions and be free, perhaps it’s a day to help others break their superstitious beliefs too. So, what are some of the top superstitions? Well, there is, of course, the “unlucky” number 13. Black cats also put fear into people (though I have a black kitty who is VERY sweet!). Walking under a ladder has always been something to avoid (though there is logic to this that has nothing to do with superstition). There is actually a long list of superstitions that would boggle your mind. My ex-in-laws believed in some really oddball ones. Did you know that hotels do not have a 13th floor, a room #13 or rooms ENDING in 13? All because of silly superstitions. One way to celebrate this one would be took look up the most common ones and find out why they started and when! If I had more time and I’d do that now, but we have family day planned and need to hit the road!
Fortune Cookie Day – Today we celebrate the creation of the Fortune Cookie. I know we all look forward to getting one at the end of every Chinese food feast we enjoy. When we go out to dinner we take turns reading the slip of paper inside to each other, either laughing or groaning at the message it holds. It is supposed to foretell of good luck, have a whimsical saying, a philosophical thought, or even a lottery number. What some people may not know is that the Fortune Cookie did not originate in China. Nope, it was in California, though there is some uncertainty about who actually did invent it. Some historical references say it may have been Makoto Hagiwara who invented the fortune cookie at the Japanese Tea Garden San Francisco in 1914. Other people believe that it was David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in the 1920s. Whoever did it, I know we are all happy they came up with this fun idea. What’s also fun is you can special order fortune cookies with your own message in them – maybe for birthdays, anniversaries or weddings!
Grandparent’s Day (1st Sunday after Labor Day) – Today we honor our Grandparents, for their influential role in our families, for the love that they showed to us growing up. I would LOVE to be able to see my Grandma today, that just isn’t possible right now. I’d call her, but she wouldn’t be able to hear me screaming into the phone, which would just be frustrating for both of us. I was a bad Granddaughter and didn’t look ahead at the celebrations (I know, go figure!) to see what was coming up, or I would have sent a card. Of course she couldn’t READ it . . . but someone could read it to her. For anyone who still has Grandparents around, please give them a little extra love today. Give them a call, stop by for a visit of they are near. There is rarely a day that I don’t think of my Grandma who has already passed away, the rich memories and experiences I had with her flood over into my adult life and have given me a perspective I wouldn’t otherwise have had. As I smell breakfast cooking I recall the aromas in the kitchen at her house, the sounds of Grandpa puttering upstairs with his fishing stuff, Grandma’s laugh, the soothing sweetness of her voice . . . Gosh I miss them. So, when did this special day start? It was an initiative of Marian McQuade, a homemaker in Fayette County, WV. She started a campaign in 1973 to dedicate a special day for Grandparents, so people would spend time honoring them and promoting an intergenerational appreciation for them. Because of her efforts, in 1978 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed September 8 to be Grandparents day. Definitely a worthwhile day to celebrate! If you are fortunate enough to have Grandparents, give them some love today – after all, they’ve given their love to you all of your life. If you are fortunate enough to BE a Grandparent, bask in the glow of the loving the special littles who are in your life. I can honestly say it is the most beautiful feeling in the world to hug a Grandchild close and love them with everything in you. By the way, one of the calendars I go by said that Grandparent’s Day was last week, so we are going to get to celebrate it again!
International Chocolate Day – I don’t usually do the international celebrations, but it’s chocolate! It’s sort of a requirement to celebrate chocolate, right? After all, it is one of the world’s favorite flavors . . . possibly THE most loved across 7 continents! The cocoa bean has been eaten by people from as early as 1900 BC, and was an integral part of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations and culture. Europeans combined it with milk and sugar, and when the Industrial Revolution started and mass production was figured out, the fame and cravings spread throughout the world. Even though chocolate originated in the Americas, today the small African country of Cote D’Ivoire produces 30% of the world’s cocoa. I’ve met very few people who didn’t like chocolate (and am naturally suspicious of anyone who doesn’t). I know that most of us don’t need a special day to indulge in the wonders of chocolate, but it also doesn’t hurt to have an actual holiday to use an excuse, right? Now, if you are looking for justification for your indulgence, dark chocolate has many proven health benefits. It is full of antioxidants, which neutralize free radicals produced by metabolism of fat. This has all sorts of positive effects on the body which range from improving cardiovascular health, to preventing chronic disease. It has been shown to reduce blood pressure and oddly enough, to regulate blood sugar! Lastly, but certainly not least, it has been shown to encourage the release of endorphins – which is a feel-good hormone. This may be a good explanation for why it is so widely loved! Celebrate this delicious, decadent and sometimes healthy treat today by creating something wonderfully chocolate as your dessert tonight.
Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day – How fun is this? This celebration encourages kids and teens to get into the kitchen and learn to create healthy meals for themselves and their families! This is awesome! The idea came from wanting kids to take a more active interest in what they eat, and get them to do more than pack junk food into their faces. It also promotes family meal times, and family togetherness in the kitchen. This is one that I feel all families with kids need to celebrate with enthusiasm – not just one day a year, but all year long!
National Celiac Awareness Day – This one is so important and thanks to the Senate for passing a US Senate Resolution to benefit celiac awareness every year. This Resolution is the culmination of a lot of hard work for those who suffer with celiac disease. September 13th is National Celiac Disease Awareness Day Celiac Society, Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, the American Celiac Disease Alliance and the Celiac Support Association. This date was chosen because it honors the birthday of Samuel Gee, MD, a British doctor who published the first modern description of the clinical picture of celiac disease. He is also credited to be the first one to connect celiac disease and diet. Years ago I was friends with a lady who had celiac disease. I’d never heard of it up til then, and honestly many people hadn’t. It was just starting to creep into our awareness. There weren’t many gluten free foods on the market and honestly she had a heck of a time eating. Turns out that she was SO sensitive to gluten that she, like many, who suffer from celiac disease has to check even her beauty products – pretty much anything that will touch her skin – or she gets blisters and sores. How awful is that? This is a disease that is still largely misunderstood, no matter how many new products hit the market, one that is still very difficult to live with in our food focused society.
National Hug Your Hound Day – Well, for those of us who were affected by the thought of losing our dogs, we have probably already celebrated this one, but just in case you needed another excuse to hug your dog, this is it. The 2nd Sunday in September is National Hug Your Hound Day. This day serves as a reminder – as if the GOOD pet owners needed one – to keep our four-legged friends happy, healthy and safe. Another focus of this one is for the dogs who live in urban areas. Wide open spaces and outdoors areas aren’t always available for city-dwelling dogs, but if you live in the city you can still enjoy parks, lakes and other areas where dogs are allowed, whether on or off leash. Get them out into the fresh air and enjoying as much of nature as is available to you. They deserve it, and so do you.
National Pet Memorial Day – We love our pets. If we are decent, NORMAL people, we treat our pets as family. There are those individuals masquerading as human who treat pets badly, but for the most part I’d like to say that people treat their pets well, and love them. We grow attached to our pets and we dread the day we have to say good-bye to them. Even though we know when we get a new pet that someday we will have to let them go, since they have a much shorter lifespan, it still comes as a shock and fills us with sadness when get to that time. I know that when my Tibbi Dog has to go it is going to fill me with such sadness. I tear up just thinking about it. Reality is that she is nearly 17 years old, and a big dog. We have been truly blessed by her long life and good health. Her face is grey, her step is slower, she has old lady aches and pains. Every day I pray before I go to work that she is still with us when we get home, because I see the puppy still living inside of her . . . she still plays with her toys, just for not as long at a time. She still frolics, before she realizes that that kinda hurts! And she still puts her face into a semblance of a doggy smile when she’s getting attention. But that day is coming and though I’ve been through it before, I dread going through it again. I think we all probably feel the same. It isn’t just dogs that we love and miss when they are gone. Obviously there are cats too, but there are also rabbits, fish, turtles, ferrets, crabs, snakes, hamsters, gerbils, birds and a huge assortment of other animals. All have different life spans, and as their people we will have to deal with their losses as they reach their time to go. Today was intended to spend time cherishing the memory of our lost pets, and moving on. We gave them a happy, safe and comfortable life and should take peace from that. There are various ways to celebrate this one. Spend a few minutes thinking over good memories of your pet while looking at pictures of them; if your pet is buried somewhere, go visit their burial site; contribute to an animal protection group; volunteer at an animal shelter; create a small memorial in a flower garden in your yard; or plant a tree or shrub as a living memorial. No matter how you celebrate, or how much you miss them, know that their lives were blessed because you loved them, just as yours were blessed because they loved you.
Positive Thinking Day – Now here’s a day more of us should really celebrate. Today is all about having a positive attitude. It’s incredible how much power thinking positively holds. Medical research confirms that a positive attitude works wonders at fighting disease and sickness, from the common cold to cancer. People with an “I think I can” attitude are more likely to succeed at work, and in accomplishing goals that they set in life. Here’s an amazing quote that we should all write down and remember each day: “It takes just a moment to change your attitude. And, in that quick moment, you can change your entire day.” – – Author Unknown Here’s hoping you have a happy Positive Thinking Day. Have a happy Positive Thinking Day! We just know you’re going to have a spectacular day.
Uncle Sam Day – Pretty much everyone who was born and raised here knows who Uncle Sam is, right? He is one of America’s most recognized symbols that appears on everything from military posters to cartoon images to advertising media. There are two theories about how Uncle Sam came about, both date back to the early 1800’s. The theory most commonly recognized as true goes back to soldiers stationed near Troy, New York during the world of 1812. Barrels of meat that they received were stamped “U.S.”. The supplier was Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York. Soldiers referred to him as “Uncle Sam” as a joke. In 1813 the first image of “Uncle Sam” appeared. In 1961, the U.S. Congress issued a resolution that recognized “Uncle Sam” Wilson, authorizing a monument in his hometown in Troy, NY. The second, less popular theory of the creation of Uncle Sam started in the early 1800’s. Irish immigrants were coming to America, and some people believe that Uncle Sam emerged from these immigrants. In their Gaelic language, the United States of America was “Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá”, abbreviated “SAM”. This date was picked in 1989 when a joint resolution of Congress designated this day as “Uncle Sam’s Day”, and was chosen because “Uncle Sam” Wilson’s birthday was September 13, 1776.
This Day In History –
Sept. 11, 1962 – The Beatles recorded their 1st single “Love Me Do”.
Sept. 11, 2001 – Islamic Al-Qaeda militants flew planes into NYC’s twin World Trade Towers and the Pentagon.
Sept.12, 1953 – Future President John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier.
Sept. 13, 1788 – New York City becomes the capitol of the United States. I bet you didn’t know that!
Sept. 13, 1943 – Chiang Kai-Shek became the president of China.
Food Celebration of the Day –
Sept. 11 – National Hot Cross Buns Day – How a day celebrating an Easter treat landed in September is a mystery, but use this as an excuse to bake up one of your favorite holiday breads.
Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns & Roasted Strawberries
Easy No-Knead Challah Bread
Mexican Sweet-Topped Buns
Amis’ Christmas Stollen
Honey Gingerbread
Finnish Pulla Bread
Sept. 12 –National Chocolate Milkshake Day – Milkshakes didn’t start out as just milk and ice cream. When they were first invented in 1885, they also included whiskey. No wonder they became so popular!
Chocolate Milk Shake
Chocolate Mischief Milkshakes
Chocolate Coffee Shake
Copycat Arby’s Jamocha Shake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes
Choco-Monkey Protein Shake
Chocolate Espresso Mint Milkshake
Sept. 13-National Peanut Day – I love peanuts . . . they aren’t my FAVORITE nut, but I do like them. But wait . . . they aren’t a nut at all! They are technically a legume. So, maybe they are my favorite legume! There’s a place near here where they roast peanuts fresh every day. We bought a bucket – one of those cool metal buckets – for 7 bucks. We can go and refill it for free for a year! Nice, right? There’s something pretty fun about wrapping a bunch of peanuts in some foil and heating in the oven, then sitting and watching TV while shelling them and having a little feast. Yummy!
Street Vendor Honey-Roasted Peanuts
Microwave Peanut Brittle
Slow-Cooker Boiled Peanuts
Spiced Party Peanuts
Cajun Peanuts
Toffee-Coated Peanuts
Asian Chicken Salad
This is a LOT to celebrate, or to at least think about, with some of them. Combine that with what appears to be, at least in our area, one of the last dry, sunny weekends of the summer, it will be a busy weekend! Right now, I’m heading out to mow the lawn . . . and the thought of it being the last time of the season makes me smile. Of course, I’ve thought that before, and had to mow again anyway. One can dream, right? Have a good weekend – God Bless You and I’ll see you tomorrow!