It’s Wear Purple for Peace Day. You’d think that this May 16 holiday originated from a protest of a particular war or conflict. Or, perhaps it was conceived by the UN, or another peacemaking or peacekeeping group. Our extensive research found no evidence supporting the origin of this holiday stemming from these sources. What we found, was that this day was created to promote a peaceful world in the hopes aliens from other worlds would visit us. Doesn’t that sound grand!?

Wear Purple for Peace Day is a stellar event. It seems some of you out there fear that aliens from outer space consider earthlings to be too hostile (you’ve got that right). As a result, they have yet to visit or make contact with us. So, some of you (originators unknown) decided to promote world peace by establishing Wear Purple for Peace Day.

The goal of Wear Purple for Peace Day is to make the world a peaceful place and, of course, encourage alien species to make contact with us.   

Do you want to meet aliens from another planet? Me, too! So, let’s all wear purple for peace today.

Song of the Day: One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eaters. (1968)

Favorite Science Fiction Movies: ET (1982), War of the Worlds (2005)

Don’t you just love May? The weather has turned ideal for growing just about anything outdoors. Flowers are blooming everywhere you look. The month is filled with garden-related holidays. Today is another great one. It’s Water a Flower Day, a May 30 holiday. This special day exists to remind you to water your flowers…all of them.

Sure, we know that this day reads Water “a” Flower (singular) Day. It clearly indicates that a flower should be watered. But, in today’s world of equal rights and non-discrimination rules and regulations, how can you single out one particular flower to water and ignore the rest? Even if you can decide upon a certain flower, wouldn’t the rest of your flowers get upset and file a class action lawsuit? 

So please, for your own sake, water all of your flowers today. It will make them all equally happy. As a gardener, this author suggests you make your flowers very happy with you, by adding liquid fertilizer to the water. They will reward you with faster growth, and bigger blooms! I’m all for that!

Have a Happy Water a Flower Day! 

Learn about your favorite flower: How to Grow flowers

National Waiters and Waitresses Day, a May 21 holiday, recognizes the value and importance of a good waiter or waitress. It is sometimes called National Waitstaff Day. We speculate that this was done by some to shorten the title and make it gender-neutral. When you go out to eat, the waitstaff is the face of the restaurant. They are all the difference, between a good or a bad experience.

You already recognize your waiters and waitresses every time you go to a restaurant. That recognition comes in the form of a tip. The tip should be commensurate with the quality of the service. In addition to a tip, an appropriate compliment is well-received.

The original National Waiters and Waitresses Day was started to bring attention to and improve pay for the waitstaff. The total pay consists of the tips you give them, and a minimum wage. The minimum wage is lower than the general minimum wage, as it is intended to recognize tips as a portion of the overall compensation.

Visit Your Relatives Day encourages us to visit our family and loved ones. This May 18 holiday encourages us to get closer to our family members and to build (or re-build) family ties and relationships.

It’s easy to get out of touch with loved ones.  Sometimes, we argue and fight. A little spat can blossom into a major issue. Other times, distance keeps us from seeing our parents or siblings more frequently. And, we lead busy lives. A visit with your family is sometimes limited to Christmas and a few other choice major holidays.  

If you cannot visit your relatives today, we suggest you call them and/or send them a card. Both snail mail and online cards will do.

Important Note: If you don’t get to visit your mother-in-law today, you will have another chance on Mother-In-Law Day.

Twilight Zone Day is mysterious, weird, surreal, and perhaps a little scary. We can think of many other adjectives, but I think you get the picture. Every once in a while, you have a day like this. And, this May 11 holiday is designed to be that day. Classified as horror science fiction, it certainly delivered. This holiday was created to celebrate the television show of the same name. 

The television show The Twilight Zone was created, written, and narrated by Rod Serling. Each week, Serling took us into a new dimension of horror. He was a master of the eerie, bizarre, and macabre.  It premiered on October 1, 1959. The episodes were wildly popular, stretched the imagination, and captivated viewers. The show aired from 1959-1964. A remake of the Twilight Show aired in 2019 – 2020. It did not fully capture the horror and excitement of the original series. 

International Tuba Day recognizes musicians around the world who struggle with the weight and size of their big musical instruments. It’s truly an important musical instrument, that no concert or symphonic bandleader would want to be without. Its big, deep sounds provide lots of character and “Oomph” to concert music. Can you imagine a Tuba-less marching band!?

The tuba player has a big job. He lugs this heavy instrument around. He provides the big wind that makes a huge impact in the musical world. If you see a Tuba player today, give them some well-deserved recognition. If you are a Tuba player, then toot your horn (errr Tuba). We love ‘ya!

Here are a few hefty Tuba factoids:

• Tubas come in varying sizes, weighing from a dozen pounds to 50 pounds!
• The Tuba was patented in 1835 by Wiebrecht and Moritz in Germany
• The number of valves on a Tuba is not standardized. A Tuba can have 3,4,5 or six valves.

Trains are a mode of transportation that changed the world. That’s why we celebrate them on National Train Day. Trains have historic importance in the United States, changing the face of the nation. Trains connected the east and west coasts, making travel much easier. Powerful locomotives traversed the sparsely settled frontier of America in a fraction of the time that wagon trains required. They are vital to transporting people and goods quickly and efficiently over long distances. 

The year 1869 was a really exciting time in America. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads were speeding across the wild, American frontier, laying tracks for what would soon become the first Transcontinental rail line. Construction occurred at great peril, as vast areas of the west were truly wild and unsettled. Once completed, train service connected the country from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, making the world a whole lot smaller. It would also change the face of America.

On May 9, 1869, the tracks of the two railroad companies met up at Promontory Summit, Utah. A golden spike was driven into the final connection of the two tracks. The first Continental rail line was 1,776 miles long. Towns, big and small, would soon sprout up along the route.

Favorite Television Cartoon Show: Thomas the Train

National Towel Day is a tribute to British author Douglas Adams (1952-2011). Adams was a well-known author, scriptwriter, essayist, humorist, satirist, and dramatist. This special May 25 holiday was established by his very loyal fans and is popular in The United Kingdom. National Towel Day was created to honor Adams, and as a celebration of his many works.

To understand the meaning of Towel Day, one must know The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, an original radio series comedy aired in England. The towel was introduced in the radio series in 1978. A follow-up book explained the importance and usefulness of towels to hitchhikers.

Today is National Tourist Appreciation Day. on this May 6 holiday, you the tourist or potential tourist can expect to be pampered. But, wait a minute. As a tourist, you should be pampered every day, period.

Vacations are too infrequent, and too far in between. When you go away on vacation and spend good, hard-earned money, you expect and deserve to be treated well. You have earned (and are paying for) the right to be coddled, pampered, and attended to.

You can and should expect hotels, restaurants, attractions, and other tourist venues to do this day up in a big way. If these tourist spots don’t know about the holiday, let them know about it in advance. Then, plan your vacation to coincide with today’s holiday.  When you book your reservations, say something like “I’d like to make a reservation on National Tourist Appreciation Day, for……..”. Hopefully, they will quickly get the picture.

If you are a tourist who just can’t get enough appreciation, National Tourism Day is just a couple tomorrow. Hopefully, there will be deals galore.

 Are you a Travelin’ man (or woman)? Today is a great day to be a tourist. Go see the world. Or, just check out what to do in your state.  There are endless possibilities. It’s National Tourism Day! On this May 7 holiday, municipalities and tourism sites around the country promote their area or region. This holiday is for the tourism industry to strut its “Things to do”. Municipalities and entertainment venues big and small, use today to let people know about activities and events in their areas. They will often do so in a big way.

A great way to promote your area is to hold activities and events on this day. Ideally, make it a weekend, or a week-long celebration. Along with advertisements, offering discounts and other promotions will work well. If you are a tourist, use the information the tourism industry provides today to plan your next trip. Withs all of the effort you expend today, prepare yourself for a huge influx of tourists.

If you are a tourist venue, use this day to spread the word on what you are all about. As a tourist, use today in search of a new, exciting, and interesting place to go. And, look for deals that may be offered today. Don’t just browse and dream. Book your travel plans today!

Today’s Top Song: Travelin’ Man by Ricky Nelson (1961)

Today’s Top Movie: Around the World in 80 Days (1956)