When asking someone “What’s new?” or “What’s happening?”, how often do you hear “Nothing really, same old stuff”? Well, today, is Old Stuff Day, in recognition of this all-too-common response. It is suggestive of a boring period, or a boring lifestyle…. how sad. So, this March 2 holiday was created to encourage you to get out of the dull old routine and do something uniquely different for you.

Old Stuff Day is not a day to do the same old routine you always do day after day. Rather, it’s a time to recognize the boring nature of your daily routine and make some exciting changes. Find new and different activities, projects, and hobbies. Attend an event. Do something, anything, different. You will be glad that you did!

We recently performed additional research on this day. We found some people have modified the intent of this day and now celebrate it as an opportunity to clean out the old and no longer used things in our homes and garages. That leaves room for new stuff.  Some people also suggest we find ways to reuse the old stuff we have stashed away, rather than committing it to the waste stream. Some of the old stuff in our closets make great material for art projects. We see no problem in widening the goals of this holiday. It makes Old Stuff Day more fun and meaningful.

Near Miss Day, a March 23 holiday, commemorates the day a huge Asteroid nearly missed hitting the Earth.

On March 23, 1989, an asteroid the size of a mountain came within 500,000 miles of a collision with Earth. In interstellar terms, it was a near miss. Had it collided with the Earth, it would have left a devastating crater the size of Washington, D.C. It’s affect on the planet would have been catastrophic. But, it’s not the only one. Since then, there have been other near misses.

…..Whew!!

 Near misses with large, potentially life-threatening galactic objects happen on an infrequent basis.  It is believed a large asteroid collided with the Earth and caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before another catastrophic collision with Earth. However, don’t worry. The odds are it will not happen for a long, long time.   

Today is National Anthem Day, a March 3 holiday. Our National Anthem is The Star Spangled Banner. It was written by Francis Scott Key. He wrote the lyrics on September 14, 1814, during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. It was originally called “Defence of Fort McHenry”. There were many patriotic songs, and The Star Spangled Banner became another one of them, one that struck at the heart of Americans, and gained popularity over the years. But, for a long time, America did not have an official national anthem.

It wasn’t until over 100 years later, that The Star Spangled Banner became our national anthem. On March 3, 1931, President Herbert Hoover signed a congressional resolution officially making “The Star Spangled Banner” the national anthem of the United States of America.

On this special day, proudly fly the USA flag at your home and place of business. Take this as an opportunity to sing the National Anthem, or listen to it being sung. And, look for chances to show your patriotism.

National Spinach Day is today. This March 26 holiday celebrates healthy and nutritious spinach greens. Popeye the Sailor touted the value of spinach. Nutritionists agree that Popeye is 100% correct! Spinach is one of the healthiest, most nutritious foods you can eat. You should eat it on a regular basis.

 For some odd reason, spinach gets a bad reputation. Many people shy away from spinach. Some people will not even try it, no matter how it’s prepared. There are so many ways to eat spinach, you’ve just gotta give it a try.  We suggest you sneak some spinach greens into your usual salads, just a little. Chop a little up and put it into soups, stews, or casseroles. You can do the same when making cooked vegetables. Anyway, you can introduce spinach to your favorite recipes, which will help you and your family to lead a healthier, more nutritious life.   

Gardeners know the value of spinach. And, they know it is very fast and easy to grow. Spinach is also hardy.  A light frost will not harm the plant and it enhances the flavor. You can plant it as soon as the ground can be worked in the spring. Why that’s today in many parts of the country! More on Growing Spinach.

Make Popeye happy and eat some spinach today.

National Puppy Day, also called International Puppy Day, celebrates puppies! This March 23 holiday is a special day to recognize the unconditional love puppies give us, and the joy they bring into our lives. It should come as no surprise, that one of the goals of National Puppy Day, is to encourage us to adopt orphaned puppies. Also, we might add that adopting an adult dog is a good way to celebrate today.  They need good homes, too.

Bringing a new dog into your home is a mixture of pure joy and trouble at the same time. Who can resist adopting these adorable, playful little guys!? A dog is truly a man’s, and woman’s best friend. They anxiously await your return from work or shopping. Dogs are always at your side, especially if they know you have a treat in your hand or pocket. And, puppies are especially playful, jumping all over you and your furniture, nipping, and eating any shoes you’ve carelessly left out. Slippers are fair game for them, too. You never know what mischief they will get into until you find the toilet paper roll is unraveled and destroyed, or the garbage can is tipped over with refuse all over the kitchen.

As you consider taking a dog into your family, remember that little puppies grow up to be big puppies. Keep in mind the potential size of the puppy you are thinking of getting. Otherwise, he will take (drag) you for walks when he is mature.

Today is a grammatically correct day. It’s National Proofreading Day, a March 8 holiday. Whether you are sending a note at work, an email or text to a friend, or writing a document to publish, proofreading is an essential task. Even the best of us makes mistakes in writing. Our busy lives cause us to rush as we write, inevitably resulting in errors. If we’re not good at grammar or spelling, proofreading is even more important. The first step to better writing is to take advantage of the spell checker and grammar checker tools built into computers and cell phones. This author’s mom was a proofreader. As a result, while I remain human and make my share of mistakes, I am much more conscientious of my writing.

It’s very important to proofread a document before you send or publish them. If not, your sentence might look like this:

Its veri imPorant, tO, prufreeD documans bfoRe yu send ore pUblish Dem; 🙂

Take time to proofread everything you write, even when filling out forms or texting. It makes your written word look professional, caring, and intelligent. Today’s spell checker, grammar checker, and other computer writing tools help us to identify and correct some of our errors. But, they go only so far. Proofreading checks much more than what computer tools have to offer. Proofreading includes grammar, sentence structure, typos, punctuation, verb tense, incomplete or run-on sentences, and more. When writing important documents, a second pair of eyes offers the proofreading assistance we need. In this case, a proofreader is your best friend.

Oreo cookies are one of America’s favorite cookies. However, it doesn’t stop there. These cookies are one of the most popular cookies in the world. Therefore, it is only fitting that one day – –  today – – is designated as National Oreo Cookie Day. On this March 6 holiday, we celebrate the creation of the Oreo cookie and take a few minutes to savor this event. As you continue to read about this day, we encourage you to pour a glass of milk, grab a handful of cookies, and chow down. 

For over a century, Oreos have been a favorite cookie of children around the world. The same goes for men and women. In 1912, Sam J. Porcello invented the Oreo cookie while working as a scientist at the National Biscuit Company. You’ve probably already guessed that this company would go on to become Nabisco Company. In 1912, it was originally called the “Oreo Biscuit”. It was sold in a tin for 25 cents per pound. Over the decades, its name was progressively changed from “Oreo Biscuit” to “Oreo Sandwich”, to “Oreo Creme Sandwich”, and finally to “Oreo Cookie”. To most of us, it is simply and lovingly called “Oreo”.

Now, if you haven’t done so already, get with the spirit of this day. Pour a glass of milk. Open up that bag of these fabulous cookies. Ahhh, enjoy!

Today is a colorful day, one truly worth celebrating. Today we celebrate National Crayon Day. This March 31 holiday celebrates the creation of crayons and the joy of coloring. While we generally associate drawing with crayons as a childhood activity, there are adult coloring books so everyone can draw fabulous works of refrigerator art.

The origin of crayons dates back to the 17th century. In those days, the original crayons were not made of wax. The colors in those early days were more limited, and not as long-lasting or durable. Wax crayons arrived at the beginning of the 1900s.

In 1902, the Crayola brand arrived on the scene and the world of crayons has never been the same since. Between 1902 and today, Crayola has come out with 120 colors. This day can be a little bittersweet, as Crayola has retired 50 colors, most often on this very day.

Are you hungry? We certainly hope so, as celebrating this day is a real pleasure. Meal planning for the day is all set. As today is National Cheesesteak Day is today, a March 24 holiday.  This sandwich is best known as the “Philadelphia Cheesesteak” or “Philly Cheesesteak”.

Hot dog vendors and brothers Pat and Harry Olivieri from Philadelphia, PA are credited with creating the Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich in the 1930s. They created a grilled beef and onion sandwich on a long, soft hoagie roll. It became an immediate hit. It wasn’t long before a taxi cab driver suggested to Pat Olivier that he quit the hot dog vending business and open a store to sell his popular sandwich. That’s exactly what he did, opening “Pat’s King of Steaks” restaurant. The original sandwich did not have cheese. Cocky Joe, an employee of the restaurant added melted provolone cheese. Grilled peppers also came later.

Celebrate today with a delicious and classical American sandwich for lunch, dinner, or both of these meals!

Today is National Cereal Day, a March 7 holiday. Did you have your bowl of Wheaties today? Perhaps it was Cheerios, Captain Crunch, Alphabets, or one of the dozens of different varieties to choose from. Maybe you had a bowl of bran cereal, to really get you going. Whatever cereal you chose, you are in good company. About one-half of Americans enjoy a healthy start to the day, with a bowl of their favorite breakfast cereal.

Cereal arrived at the breakfast table in America in the mid-1800s. You might say cereal was the very first health craze. At the time, the American diet was unhealthy, consisting of way too much protein, alcohol, and caffeine. It was believed that this combination was unhealthy, leading to illness, poor overall health, lust, and sloth. It was also believed to cause constipation and gastrointestinal illnesses. And they were correct!

Some of the pioneers of cereal were alive at the time and developed the first cereals, promoting them to improve diets and health. Americans bought into the concept and discovered that not only was it good for their health, but cereal tasted good, too. It was also a quick breakfast with little clean-up, allowing them to quickly get on with their morning chores and work. A bowl of healthy cereal soon became the go-to for breakfast. In 1939, cereal became just a little less healthy, as sugars were added to many varieties. Many saw the added sugars as a boost to their morning energy levels.

Did You Know? Cheerios were originally called “CheeriOats”.

On National Cereal Day, you can begin celebrating bright and early with a morning bowl of cereal. But, don’t stop there. Cereal can be consumed at any time of the day or night.