It’s National Sea Monkey Day. This amazing May 16 holiday celebrates an amazing, novelty aquatic pet that comes alive when placed in water. Children and adults are fascinated by these creatures, that almost instantly are born when placed in water. Sea monkeys have fascinated children and adults for decades. Ask any adult if they ever had one as a child. They will almost definitely tell you they received a sea monkey kit for Christmas or their birthday.

The creation and marketing of sea monkeys is nothing short of marketing genius. They created a must-have sea monkey kit that includes a small tank, a packet containing the eggs of soon-to-be sea monkeys, and food for them. The most amazing marketing genius was in selecting the name.  The marketers called them “Sea Monkeys”. However, they are not monkeys at all. Rather, they are brine shrimp, a not-so-attractive name. The sea monkey kits are a long-term product success, as parents and grandparents can’t resist giving the kits to children as gifts.

If you have never had a sea monkey pet as a child, what are you waiting for? It’s National Sea Monkey Day, so go out and buy a kit for yourself!

Save Your Hearing Day reminds us that our hearing is vital and needs to be protected. Hearing loss accumulates over our lives, as high decibel levels slowly damage our ears. With effort, hearing loss can be minimized and delayed by what we do now and every day. This May 31 holiday encourages us to reduce the noise levels that reach our ears.

Many hearing loss problems are avoidable. Hearing loss can result from a variety of reasons, including health, genetic and environmental causes. On the environmental side, repeated long-term exposure to loud, high-decibel noises can over time cause hearing loss. This cause, in particular, is often avoidable.

Follow the 60:60 Rule: So many people, especially younger people, spend countless hours listening to their electronic devices. To save your hearing, turn the music to 60 percent of its total volume level and listen to it for no more than 60 minutes per day.

Heard at a nursing home: It’s hard to be nostalgic when you can’t remember anything.

Save the Rhino Day is today, a May 1 holiday. This day encourages us to be aware of, and support efforts to save the Rhinoceros from extinction. Rhinos have roamed the earth for over a million years. In the early 20th century, there were over 500, 000of these one-horned beats. Now, they number between 27,000 – 30,000. Some species are now extinct. Hunting and destruction of their habitat are the key reasons for their plunging population.

The Rhinoceros is a fascinating creature. Native to Africa and Asia, this leftover from the age of Dinosaurs was hunted to near extinction. Hunters on safaris killed Rhinos just for sport. Poachers hunt them for their horns. The horn is used as medicine, and for making knife handles, carved statues, and other objects. Animal rights groups have helped to save this animal from extinction, and their numbers have rebounded somewhat.

Did you know? The horn of the Rhinoceros is composed of the same material as your fingernail.

Sally Ride Day is today, a May 26 holiday. Today, we honor the first American woman astronaut to go into space. Dr. Ride accomplished this feat as a mission specialist aboard STS-7, the second flight of the Space Shuttle “Challenger”. STS-7 was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 18, 1983.

If any of you young ladies (and young gentlemen) have thought about becoming an astronaut, we encourage you to follow your dream of going into space. Exploration and taming of America’s western frontier made America what it is today. As a famous Trekkie once said. “Space is the final frontier”.  

Today’s Top Song: Mustang Sally

As spring brings a rejuvenation of nature, so too does Renewal Day for many facets of your life. It’s a day of new and old beginnings. This May 4 holiday is a time of rebirth and regeneration, and to mend and renew relationships with family and friends. It is a re-start, an opportunity to rejuvenate and restore things. Today can be a positive force in making your life better and more complete.

Things get old and out of sorts. We lose touch with friends, loved ones, and relationships. For whatever reason, we “let “it” go. Well, whatever “it” is, today is the day to renew it, rejuvenate it, and bring the spark back into it.

When we think of “renewal”, we often think of relationships. We vow our marriage will never get old. But, it does. We swear we will remain close to our parents and siblings. But over the years, we don’t. With a hug and a tear, we tell our college roommate we will call and write. All too quickly, the demands of everyday life keep us from calling or writing.  …get the picture?

Renewal Day is not limited to renewing relationships and social issues. You can also renew:

• Your nails
• Hair color and/or style.
• Your figure
• Hardwood floors
• The shine on your car
• Your driver’s license
• A favorite magazine subscription

Get the picture? Good. Now, get into Renewal Day! 

World Red Cross Day is today, a May 8 holiday. This holiday gives appreciation and recognition for the efforts of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide. The Red Crescent is the equivalent of the Red Cross for Muslim countries. Both of these humanitarian organizations help the victims of natural and man-made disasters.

According to the Red Cross website, this day recognizes:

“Worldwide efforts to advocate for the relief of human suffering, whether from disease, famine, disaster, or war. On May 8, the American Red Cross puts a special focus on our programs that keep children healthy and safe around the globe.”

The Red Cross provides humanitarian efforts and disaster relief around the world, wherever it is needed. There are millions of Red Cross volunteers.

Peace Officer Memorial Day honors and remembers police officers who gave their lives while on duty.  This May 15 holiday is also called Police Officer Memorial Day.

Police officers protect us 24/7 every day of the year. It’s a dangerous job. Police officers never know what they are walking into when they respond to a call. They know they are putting their lives at risk to make and keep us safe. Police officers know the risks and accept them. Sometimes, they pay the ultimate price.

Please show our respect and appreciation for police officers everywhere…today….and everyday.

Pick Strawberries Day, a May 20 holiday, is a sweet, tasty way to enjoy a late spring day. If your mom or dad ever took you to pick fresh strawberries, you have a wonderful childhood memory. That memory is what will encourage you to enjoy today pick strawberries with your own kids or grandkids! If you’ve never picked fresh strawberries, you’ve missed out on the fun. Many of those tasty berries never make it out of the field…… they go straight to your mouth.

For those who have picked strawberries before, get out today and pick some. The warm sunshine and ripe berries are just waiting for you. You’d better hurry before someone beats you to the biggest and sweetest strawberries you’ve ever seen. For those who have never picked them in the field, start a new tradition today! What are you waiting for? Go now!

 For strawberry fun, and information on how to grow strawberries, see More on Strawberries

It’s Lucky Penny Day. Perhaps this May 23 holiday will be lucky for you. Look for pennies lying on the ground. They are lucky. Everyone finds a lucky penny or two. If you find enough of them, they can add up to a cup of coffee, or a candy bar.

Taken at face value, a penny doesn’t buy you much, if anything. It used to. During your parents and grandparents’ days, a penny bought a lot of things. Most notably, “Penny Candy” got its name because a piece of candy cost a penny. Inflation year after year after year, eroded the penny’s value. There has even been some discussion as to whether to discontinue the penny…Heaven forbid!

The penny still serves a very useful purpose…  at least some of them are lucky pennies.  Lucky pennies are found on the ground. Not all of the pennies you find will be lucky. But, it will only take one lucky penny used to scratch off the mega winner on a scratch-off ticket.

Are you superstitious? Superstition has it that you should only pick up a penny that is lying face up.

Here are some other uses for pennies:

• A penny for your thoughts.
• To put your “two cents” in.
• A necessity for penny pinchers.

Song of the Day: Penny Lane by the Beatles (1967)

• A handy screwdriver when nothing else is available.

Calling all hoarders. This day was created expressly for you. It’s Pack Rat Day, a May 17 holiday. Come out from hiding under your piles of precious belongings, and take a minute to celebrate and be recognized. But, hold on a minute. What is wrong with being a pack rat? Ask any hoarder, and they will tell you there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them or their collection of valuable stuff. Further, they are proud of the fact that they are helping the ecology by keeping things out of the waste stream.

Today is Pack Rat Day. C’mon, admit it… .. you’re a Pack Rat. a hoarder like the rest of us. If you are a Pack Rat, you’re in good company. Many of us are hoarders, and some of us don’t even realize it. We hoard our belongings, well past their useful life, for any one (or two)of several reasons. It’s that favorite sweater, that has seen too many winters or is lost in the back of the closet. It’s that second toaster oven… ‘ya never know when the new one might break. What about the old vinyl record collection? You know, someday have antique value. You can’t get rid of them!  

It’s really easy to let things pile up. After all, each item you acquire along the road of life may have value or serve some meaningful purpose. ‘Ya just never know. Deciding to discard something of even remotely questionable value, is difficult, if not impossible to do. We understand you perfectly. Why? Because most of us are pack rats.

Take the Pack Rat Challenge: Check your closets and find room for more “stuff”. We know you can add more.

Our Favorite Television Show: A&E’s Hoarders