April 23rd Lost Dog Awareness Day

April23rd Lost Dog Awareness Day.

For most of us, a dog is like having another child… one that actually listens to us! My best friend is a dog. She listens to me, never judges me and normally wants to be with me. The few times she has gone missing terrify me. I wonder if I will ever see her again, if she’s been hurt… in short, everything you would be fearful with a missing child.

LDOA, Lost Dogs of America, founded the cause in 2011 and created the day in 2013.

How to celebrate – Please get your dog microchipped. Look for ways your dog can get out or away. Keep up with your shots for your dog.

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April 22nd National Jelly Bean Day

Who doesn’t enjoy a good jelly bean!?! I mean, can you pass by a bowl of jelly beans without taking a handful? Not me! No one knows exactly when the jelly bean came into existence but they were advertised as far back as the Civil War as the ideal treat to send to the Union soldiers in the field.

Somehow they also became an Easter favorite. I remember being told they were rabbit droppings… as a kid, I thought that was cool but as an adult it’s a little disgusting. I still eat them though so I guess I got over the idea pretty quick!

And naturally, the jelly bean has progressed over the years, the flavors have grown and even, in some cases, the shapes. I am still trying to deal with jelly beans that taste like popcorn or cheese steak.. not my favorite but some really like them. And then there are those that no one likes that taste awful… dish soap, axle grease or toenails. What really bothers me is that someone had create those tastes by actually knowing what the substance taste like!

There are fine works of art created out of jelly beans. Here again, I don’t know if I can appreciate the art but I guess that all depends on your taste. (Get it! Taste!) So when asking what your art form is does the artist respond, ” jelly bean”?

I don’t think I have ever met anyone who does not like a jelly bean, I mean, they may have other favorites and the jelly bean may not be on the top of the list but if offered, they general take at least one.. or two… or twenty.

How to celebrate – Have some jelly beans today, after all if you have children you probably have some left over from Easter.  Try and create your ow new flavor of jelly bean. Make certain that what you believe is a jelly bean is indeed a jelly bean before eating.

April 21st Husband Appreciation Day

Okay, so I know there may not always be a lot to appreciate when a man is involved but give him today, the one and only Husband Appreciation Day. Look past all his faults, things he does wrong and dates he forgets and appreciate him for who he is… an imperfect, flawed human being.

Let him have a day where he can watch his sports and not be interrupted by those annoying little things like, the roof is falling in, it’s your anniversary or the lawn needs to be mowed. They are trivial today.

Get him some beer to enjoy while he is watching his sports on television. Don;t make him get up and go get it for himself, he might miss something important like a really cool fight or an interception during a baseball game.

Feed him his favorite meal, even if you have to bar-b-que it yourself. Just think of the fun you can have watching him chow down, drink a beer, dressed in his underwear while watching sports on television!

And when the game is over and he’s eaten his fill and drank more than a months worth of beer, offer him the one thing he really wants. Yourself! Show just how much you appreciate him! And remember, tomorrow can always be pay back day!

How to celebrate – Appreciate your husband for all he does, or doesn’t, do the 364 other days of the year. Forgive him all his faults for one day.  Go on vacation so you can forget about today!

April 20th Volunteer Recognition Day

Today is the day we officially recognize those that volunteer for the benefit of others. You might be surprised just how many volunteers there are. We are surrounded by them, people who give out of the goodness of their hearts, the need to give back or the desire to pay it forward. Doesn’t really matter, they willingly seek to help other people, animals and the environment.

There are volunteers in the medical field, military, schools, police… even in grocery stores. People willing to help others without asking anything in return. In a world where so many are out for themselves, it’s nice to know there are still those who put others above themselves.

In the past, there were volunteer armies that protected the borders and if need be, fought for a way of life and to defend their friends, families and neighbors. Those volunteers required other volunteers to feed them, look after their health and supply them with the goods needed to fight.

Many of our fire departments are made up of volunteers. Firemen started out in America as citizens band together to protect each others property. They grew from protecting the block they lived on to the neighborhoods, cities and counties that surrounded them. Today they travel to different states to help protect people they don’t even know.

The world would be a lot more complicated and stressful if not for these volunteers, no matter what cause they serve. You should take the time to thank them and recognize all they do, which is probably a lot more than you realize.

How to celebrate – Find an organization near you where you can volunteer. Throw a volunteers party. Start your own volunteer organization.

April 19th National High-Five Day

Load them up! It’s the day to give everyone you come on contact with a “High-Five”! It may be followed by a low five after the proper application of a high five first. Though the date does very, it always falls on the 3rd Saturday of April.

It is said the first high five came on the basketball court during a game in 1977. Personally I think it may have been an attempted block of a shot after it had already left the hand of the shooter. None the less, once started it quickly went nation wide to both athletes as well as the common person on the street. The day became unofficially official in 2002 when students at the University of Virginia proclaimed the day.

Conor Lastowka, Sam Miotke and Wynn Walent are responsible for creating the day, probably by celebrating with high-fives themselves! It seems to have become very common place these days, sometimes celebrating winning or making a good attempt while losing.

Of course you can pout your own creative addition to the traditional high-five. Finger waves, dances and words of encouragement add to the celebration but let us not forget what it is truly about, skin on skin. The fist bump is slowly over taking the high-five but I don’t think it will ever totally take over because it hurts!

Even animals are getting into the act. I doubt they know why but they are cute doing it anyway, naturally extended claws take away from the over all joy of the celebration.

How to celebrate – High-five everyone you see today! (Unless one of them happened to be Captain Hook) Create your own unique high-five celebration. Try and get your pet fish to give you a fin-five!

April 18th National Columnists Day

This is National Columnists Day. It’s all about those people who write columns in newspapers, magazines and other publications.

Believe it or not, sometimes it can be a dangerous job. April 18th was picked by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in 1977 to honor reporter Ernie Pyle, who died on April 18th, 1945 while on the front lines in World War 2.  He was loved by the troops, the Generals and the American public.  His reports were not given from what he had heard someone else say but what he had seen for himself.

How to celebrate – Honor those columnists that you know put their lives on the line to report from the frontlines. Read a newspaper! (a lost art these days!) Check out the reporters that have been honored for their work for years.

April 17th National Cheeseball Day

If you are lactose intolerant you may want to leave this blog here and now. We are talking cheese here. Swiss, Gouda, Cheddar, Munster, Havarti, Provolone… you name it, cheese! You can put it on sandwiches, in pasta or just eat it as a snack right out of the package. So why not roll it all up into a big ball that no one can miss!

The Cheeseball is always a hit at a party, in fact it sometimes causes a party to happen. You can mix nearly anything with cheese and serve it up, the cheese only making the dish better. You can use chips, crackers, pretzels, bread or even vegetables to dip into the ball of cheese and you rarely have to worry about finding a way to store after the party is over… there normally won;t be much left!

If you aren’t sure how to make a cheeseball, here’s a recipe for you. The only for sure ingredient you need is… cheese. And it can normally be any kind of cheese you choose. No one seems to know who invented the cheeseball. It may have even been made by mistake! I can’t imagine it not having been around for as long as cheese has been around.

You can even decorate it to make it look like something else but people will soon see through the disguise and attack it with all their might. So don’t expect your clever attempt to save some for yourself to work for very long. You might want to make two and keep the second from view so you are sure to get some yourself.

How to celebrate – Have a cheeseball party! Upgrade your cheese and wine party by making a cheeseball. Get inventive and create your own special cheeseball.