It is well-recognized that there are givers in the world. And then there are takers. Be a Giver! Generosity is rewarding. Today is National Give Something Away Day. This July 15 holiday is definitely not a day for Pack Rats. It is a selfless day. We are encouraged to help others and brighten up their day through the simple act of giving.

It’s far better to give than to receive. You can consider this to be the theme for this very kind and giving day. On National Give Something Away Day, let’s all take the time to take a look at the many things we have, with an eye towards giving things away to family, friends, or those in need.

Today is the perfect day to de-clutter. Clean out a closet, or drawer. Look around your attic, basement, garage, and shed for things you just don’t use or need anymore. If you haven’t seen or used an item in over a year, chances are you’ll never need it again and certainly won’t miss it. Now, think about who could use the things you plan on giving away…. please, no junk. It’s important that the items are in good condition and will be appreciated by the recipient.  

In addition to giving away things you no longer want or need, you can also participate in this day by volunteering your time to an important cause. In this case, you’re giving away your precious, invaluable time.

Today we celebrate and enjoy a very special holiday. It is National Drive Thru Day, a July 24 holiday. The American lifestyle is fast-paced and demanding. We don’t have the time to get out of our car and enter a store to place a hopefully quick order. And, we don’t have to leave our warm and dry vehicles during inclement weather. Since its inception, drive-thru venues have offered Americans the speed and convenient service we need as we go through our busy day. 

People around the world enjoy the ease, speed, and convenience of using the drive thru windows. They are customer focused and very friendly. It is certainly nice to remain in your car to pick up a wide variety of items, or to do your banking. You don’t have to get out of your car in cold and blustery winter weather, or on a scorching hot summer day. They are efficient for the restaurant, too. As you know, it allows us to shop for a wide range of goods and services without leaving our car. The most popular venues are coffee and donut shops, fast food restaurants of all kinds, drug stores, and even liquor stores in some states. 

The typical restaurant drive thru has two or three windows. The first has a screen with the menu and a microphone to place your order. Over the years the quality, or lack thereof, of the microphone has been the source of many jokes. Touch screens are replacing the microphones. It is labor-saving and customers like this feature. The second window is where you pay for your order. At the third pick-up window, your order is handed to you. Merchants like banks and drug stores may have only one window to take care of your order quickly and efficiently.   

It’s the middle of the Dog Days of Summer. The weather is hot and sultry.  It’s time for a cold and refreshing drink. Enjoying a daiquiri on National Daiquiri Day sounds great to me. This July 19 holiday is the perfect solution, to ease the effects of the heat and humidity. 

The original Daiquiri consists of rum, lime juice, and sugar, with plenty of ice added to the glass. The Daiquiri was first created in 1898 by Jennings Stockton Cox, an American mining engineer. The Daiquiri was named after the local mining village of Daiquiri, Cuba, at the Venus Bar. Needless to say, the local miners loved the sweet summer cooler, and its popularity quickly spread. As its popularity grew, so did the number of varieties. The original lime-based recipe remains the most popular, along with strawberry. The number of different Daiquiri flavors is only limited by the number of berries and other fruit.

In the 1940s Ernest Hemming way conceived the frozen Daiquiri at El Floridita in Havana, Cuba, when he had bartender Constantino Ribalaigua run the drink filled with ice through a blender.

Lift your daiquiri glass in celebration of National Daiquiri Day!

Yes, you can have your hot dog and your chili and eat it, too….. together, as today is National Chili Dog Day. We don’t know who first came up with the idea to put hot dogs and chili together. But, we’re sure glad they did, as they make an awesome combination.

Hot dogs are actually a sausage of German origin. It has evolved over many decades. There are many types of hot dogs, including ballpark, pop-open, skinless, and “white” hots. White hots are very popular in the northeast, but little known in many other parts of the country. 

Chili is very popular in colder months of the year. It warms you up. The big exception is when it is used as a condiment, or topper, on hot dogs in a bun. The resulting chili dog is popular in the summer months.

If you’ve never tried the delicious summer sausage sandwich, National Chili Dog Day is the perfect day to give it a try. We believe you won’t be disappointed!

 Did You Know? Chili Con Carne first appeared on restaurant menus in the 1880s.

Happy National Chili Dog Day!!!

Today is all about making a difference in the life of a vulnerable child. Today is National Be Someone Day, a July 21 special day. This day is all about protecting children.

 According to Project Harmony, the organization that created this day, the goal is to end child abuse and neglect. The organization poses a challenge to each and every one of us. It’s the ten-second challenge. You are challenged to take 10 seconds out of your day, today and every day, to make a difference in the life of a child. Use those ten seconds to heighten awareness of potential child abuse and neglect. And, if you see abuse or neglect, do something about it. Report what you see and know to authorities who can help the child. Unfortunately, child abuse and neglect is so common, that you very well could find it during those ten seconds. 

It is not recommended that you directly confront the abuser. Rather, contact the police or a child advocacy organization. They will take it from there.

There are five steps to identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect:

• Learn the facts.
• Minimize potential opportunity for it to occur.
• Talk about it.
• Know the signs.
• React responsibly.

We encourage you to be someone today. Be a lifesaver to a child.

Bring out the avocado dip recipes. It’s National Avocado Day. The objective of this July 31 holiday is to celebrate and enjoy avocados, and to understand their rich history. Model Meals, the organization that created this special holiday, did so to “advocate the infinite health benefits of the avocado berry”. Yes, they are a fruit, considered a berry, and a pretty big one at that. Celebrating National Avocado Day is a healthy decision. Avocados are healthy, as they are rich in vitamins, are high in fiber, and help to lower blood cholesterol.

This fruit goes way back in time. They are native to south and central Mexico. Avocados were first harvested 8,000 – 10,000 B.C. Avocados can be eaten raw or cooked. They are an ingredient in a wide variety of recipes. They are most popular used in dips and guacamole. Avocados are also used in recipes for salads, smoothies, salsa, hummus, and even cheesecake.

Are you a gardener or like indoor houseplants? Many people take the pit and grow avocado plants indoors as a houseplant….. until they get too tall. How to grow avocado from the pit (the seed).

Did You Know? On Superbowl Sunday, fans consume over 53 million pounds of avocados. They are consumed primarily in dips and hummus.

Today’s the day after the Fourth of July. Chances are yesterday you ate your fill of hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and potato salad. National Apple Turnover Day has arrived just in time to put a little sweetness into your diet. On this July 5 holiday, we enjoy apple turnovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Served as a dessert or as a snack, apple turnovers are the most popular of turnovers and are enjoyed by millions of people. Research suggests this puffy fruit-filled pastry was first served in the 19th century. But ancient cultures called them portable pies. Easily portable, they fit in your hand. Today, they are also sometimes called “hand-held pies”.

Apple turnovers are commonly baked. They can also be fried. In addition to fruit, turnovers can also be filled with meats, potatoes, and just about any food you can imagine.

Did You Know? Apple and Cherry turnovers are the most popular, followed by Blueberry.

It’s National Mutts Day. It’s also called National Mixed Breed Dog Day. When you think about it, the majority of Americans have a lot in common with mixed-breed dogs. Many of us are mixed breeds ourselves. Call me a mutt if you will, but I am proud of being a “Heinz 57”. And I cherish my mixed roots. So, mixed-breed dogs very special. We are certain both human and canine mutts are going to love everyminute of this July 31 holiday.

Mutts deserve their day in the spotlight, as much as a pure breed. And, mixed breed dogs are just as special as pure breeds. If you own a mutt, or you are a mutt (reading this), then you know this day is for you.

By definition, a mutt, sometimes called a “half-breed”, is a dog that is of mixed breed.  They come from two to several breeds. Purebred owners, and sometimes the public in general, view them as lesser in many ways. Mutt owners know better. They value the diversity and uniqueness of their mutts. A mutt doesn’t carry an expensive price tag. A purebred with papers will cost you a pretty penny. To a mutt owner, however, their mutt is invaluable. In addition, mutts don’t walk around needing to prove anything. You won’t see them strutting around any dog shows trying to prove they are the best. They know their worth. They’re priceless.

Did You Know? 8 out of 10 dogs are mixed breed?

To all mutts and mutt owners, we hope you thoroughly enjoy National Mutt’s Day. Spend the day relaxing and doing all the things you and your dog like to do. Do so with both of your chins held high. For your mutt is worth a million bucks!

On September 12, 1962, then President John F. Kennedy gave his “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech at Rice University. He called space the “new frontier”. His speech jump-started America’s initial efforts at space exploration. On Space Exploration Day, a July 20 holiday, we celebrate the day man first stepped on another celestial body, the moon.

July 20, 1969, was truly a momentous day for mankind. U.S. Astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first human to set foot on the moon. It was indeed a day for Americans and the world to be proud. In recognition of this accomplishment, Space Exploration Day was declared. In Proclamation #5224, then-President Ronald Reagan correctly stated that space exploration is part of the human adventure. So, it is only fitting that on this day, we celebrate this momentous accomplishment. And, we look forward to continued exploration of the final frontier. 

Currently, there are many projects directly involved with space exploration. Today, the goal of America’s Artemis project is to return to the moon. We also see efforts to prepare to ultimately send astronauts to the planet Mars. And, the James Webb telescope has replaced the highly successful Hubble telescope. This new and improved telescope orbits the Earth, sending back spectacular images of space, galaxies, black holes, and far-distant planets. It gives us remarkable new information about the universe.

Sometimes called National Moon Day, this July 20 holiday commemorates the day man first walked on the lunar surface in 1969. On this day, we look up at our lunar neighbor and dream. Planetariums often hold shows featuring the moon today.

The Apollo Space program, begun by President John F. Kennedy, was created to put the first man on the moon. Apollo 11 fulfilled that dream, carrying astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin Aldrin, Jr. What an amazing and historic event it was!

On July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 was launched from Cape Kennedy Space Center atop a huge Saturn V rocket. On July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module, nicknamed the “Eagle”, touched down on the surface of the moon at Tranquility Base. Upon landing, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong reported “The Eagle Has Landed”. A few hours later, Neil Armstrong, stepped off of the Eagle’s ladder, placed one foot upon the moon’s surface, and proclaimed: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

Amazingly and sadly, after the Apollo program ended in the 1970s man has not yet returned to the moon. When will man walk on the moon again? The Artemis space program will bring man back to the moon. It will include the first woman to step foot on our lunar neighbor.

Movie of the Day: Apollo 13 (1995)

Today’s Song: Moon River, first sung by Audrey Hepburn in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).