Today is National Pasta Day, an October 17 holiday. Choose your favorite shape, there are over 600 of them. Then, add your favorite sauce, and chow down! For many of us, the first sauce that comes to mind is red tomato spaghetti sauce. There are plenty of other sauces and toppings to choose from, including alfredo sauce, clam sauce, and cheese sauce, to name a few. To celebrate this special day, it doesn’t matter what sauce you use. All that is important is that you use pasta noodles. … sorry, no spaghetti squash today. 

When we think of pasta, Italy and Italian cuisine come to mind. Pasta has a long, long history, and it did not originate in Italy. The noodles are made from dough consisting of water, flour, and sometimes other spices and ingredients. Ancient cultures were making and cooking noodles long before they were introduced to Italy and other parts of Europe. Marco Polo has been erroneously credited with bringing spaghetti and pasta to Europe. Historical records show Europeans cooking it well before Marco Polo began his travels. Historical records also show that Arab cultures were selling dried spaghetti-like noodles in open markets in the early 1200s. The Chinese were the first to make pasta, cooking pasta noodles as far back as 5,000 B.C.

While ancient cultures were making and eating spaghetti and other pasta well before it came to Europe, it’s the Italians who popularized it in the cuisines of Europe and America. It was introduced to the United States through the travels of Thomas Jefferson, who brought it back from Naples, Italy in 1789. Italian immigrants also brought it over with them to the U.S., where its popularity quickly spread. 

Pasta is the Italian word for dough.

All summer long, you’ve been on the road with your motorcycle, enjoying the road in the warm summer air. But, now it’s mid-October, and the air is crisp and chilly. It might be just a bit too cold to head out on your motorcycle before mid-morning when the low-hanging sun warms up the air enough for a comfortable ride. While motorcyclists never need any incentive to jump on their “Hog” and feel the freedom of the road, there’s some added incentive: Today is National Motorcycle Ride Day. The open road beckons for one last ride before the long winter season. So, grab a couple of buddies and take off for parts unknown.

Here’s wishing you a very Happy National Motorcycle Ride Day.

Now, get off the internet and hit the road!

National Kale Day is today. Aren’t you glad that this exciting holiday has come along? Kale greens are the latest Superfood. It earned this title because it has all sorts of healthy minerals and vitamins. As a result, the list of health benefits of eating Kale is a long one.  

This special holiday exists to recognize and appreciate the health benefit.

Celebrating this special day is simple…. eat some Kale today. But, don’t eat it just today. Rather, make eating these greens a regular and important part of your diet.

Get healthy and stay healthy, by eating lots of Kale!

Did You Know? There is a variety grown as a flower or ornamental. It’s aptly called “Flowering Kale”. And it’s edible, too.

 There are a lot of food-eating contests at fairs and festivals. There’s pie eating, hot dog eating, and endless other contests to see who can eat the most in a given amount of time. So, it only stands to reason that there are Kale Eating Contests, too.

Leave the Oreos and other store-bought cookies on the pantry shelf. Instead, let’s bake a lot of homemade cookies today, as it is National Homemade Cookies Day. Bake any type of cookies that you’d like on this October 1 holiday. Put on your apron and let’s get baking. The more cookies you make, the better. You get extra points if you are a mom. That’s because everybody knows that mom makes the best cookies!

What qualifies as “Homemade”: Making cookies from scratch is certainly homemade. And, it’s the best way to celebrate this holiday. If you use a box mix, it still qualifies as homemade. There is some disagreement, as to whether using pre-packaged store-bought cookie dough, where you slice the cookies and then bake them, is considered homemade. We will let you make that call.

It is okay to bake the cookies the night before this holiday….only if you bring them to work or a party on this holiday.

Many of the October holidays center around Halloween and pumpkin themes. However, there’s ample room on the October calendar for plenty of holidays and observances celebrating or commemorating other subjects and topics. There’s certainly room in October for an event that involves both golf and charitable causes. National Golf Day, an October 4 holiday, is a major charitable event, sponsored annually since 1952 by the PGA.

On National Golf Day, all of the over 4,300 professional members of the PGA are encouraged to play golf with contributors. The entry fees of contributors goes towards a wide range of charitable causes. Each year, a top ranked golfer is made chairman of this event. This is a truly admirable and worthy event. Many golf course hold their own events, with the proceeds going to charities.

National Gumbo Day, an October 12 holiday, is today. It’s a great opportunity, to enjoy a little Louisiana Cajun cooking. For those of us in the south, that is easy, as Gumbo is on almost all restaurant menus. You can’t walk into a restaurant in New Orleans, that does not offer it. On the other hand, Northerners, it may take a little research, to find restaurants in your area that serve Gumbo. Or, you may want to look for a Gumbo recipe online and make it yourself.

Gumbo is a thick stew, with chicken, beef, or seafood. It is heavily seasoned with Cajun spices. And, it absolutely must contain Okra.

Did You Know? Gumbo is the African word for Okra

 To celebrate National Gumbo Day, just have a dish of it. The day is extra special if you make it yourself.

Have a Happy National Gumbo Day.

National Fossil Day comes during Earth Sciences Week. This holiday is a very special day. It is not a day for us old fossils among the general population. Rather, it is a day to learn about and preserve rocks containing the remains of ancient life on earth. Comprised of animals and plants, they are a record of what life existed on the planet. Carbon dating identifies when these animals and plants lived. Fossilized rocks are found all over the planet. Perhaps fossilized are buried in your backyard, or a creek bed near your home. Paleontology is the study of fossilized rocks. If you choose paleontology as a career, you are a Paleontologist. 

In 2010, the U.S. National Park Service created the first National Fossil Day. According to their website, this day is “a celebration organized by the National Park Service to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils, as well as to foster a greater appreciation of their scientific and educational values.”

Did You Know? The oldest fossils are bacteria.

We hope you shake your bones and have a happy and educational National Fossil Day

They say “every dog has his day”. So, it’s only fitting that every cat has her day, too. You’d better treat your feline like a queen today. She deserves it, as today is National Cat Day, an October 29 holiday. We got the feeling that today is going to be an absolutely purr-fect day.

National Cat Day was created for several reasons. First, it is a day to celebrate and enjoy some quality time with your feline friend. Treat her royally. Feed her special treats, give her some catnip, and buy her some new toys. Don’t have a cat? Another objective of this day is to encourage people to adopt a cat. When you do so, you’re in for a rewarding experience. There are many animals out there who need your love and care.  Another reason for this day is to bring awareness and encourage action for the better welfare of cats. Donate or give your time to a cat or pet rescue organization. 

Ladies, make this day all about your guy, as today is National Boyfriends Day, an October 3 holiday. It is a day to really let your guy know how much you care for him and appreciate all that he does. Pamper him, spoil him and give him a little recognition for all those things that you love him for.

Why do you need a special day to recognize your boyfriend? There are at least two reasons. First of all, there are special days for mothers fathers, sisters, brothers, kids, and so on. So, why not have a special day for your boyfriend? Second, your guy is pretty special to you. While you may already show him how special he is every day, you can use today to really do it up in a big way.

Wives…. If you’ve already married your boyfriend, remember that he still IS your boyfriend. Fully celebrate this day. Your happiness and marriage will be all the better for it.  

Guys, you will get the opportunity to show appreciation to her when National Girlfriends Day comes along. Mark your calendars now, and don’t miss it.

Name Your Car Day is today, an October 2 holiday. Does your automobile have a name? Lots of people name their cars. People with big boats, name their boats, and we think nothing of it. So, why not name your car or truck!? Speaking of trucks, there are so many of these vehicles on the road today, that a truck owner might call this Name Your Truck Day. We’re okay with that, too.

Every vehicle has character and personality. We spend a lot of time in our automobiles and caring for them. So, it’s only fitting that we give them a name.

Selecting a name should be made with care and consideration. Give it one that properly reflects its character. What you name it should be a proper reflection of its character and performance, and your desires for your car. In general, guys’ names are used for guys’ cars, and girl names are given to the cars that you ladies drive. Aside from that, the selection of a name is wide open. But, be careful, a vehicle has feelings, too.