Draw a Picture of a Bird Day is a special day for budding artists and young bird lovers. On this April 8 holiday, we are encouraged to put our artistic talents to work. And, on this day everyone, talented or not, are encouraged to participate. If you’re like me with little or no artistic talent, a stick picture of a bird is perfectly okay. It doesn’t matter whether you are young, or not so young. If you like to draw, then today is a day to draw pictures of a bird or two, or three, or…….

Ready boys and girls? Grab some crayons. Now, open up your window curtains and look for some birds. Once you spot a nice one, start drawing. Make sure to autograph your picture. You never know, your work may one day become famous!

According to the Draw a Picture of a Bird Day website, this day was created as a way to express joy in the very simplest of things in life and as a way to help soldiers everywhere forget war and suffering even if only for a short time.

Pet Owners Independence Day is indeed a time to celebrate. First of all, if you have a pet, that is a reason in itself to celebrate. For, this April 18 holiday is truly great to own a pet.

So just what is the reason for this holiday event? According to the great folks at Wellcat.com who created this day: “Dog and cat owners take off from work and their pets go to work in their place, since most pets are jobless, sleep all day and do not even take out the trash. Owners get to stay home all day and lie around on the sofa. ” It’s a double pleasure, a day off from work and quality time with your pet.

If you don’t have a pet, you don’t get to enjoy this holiday…. how sad.

You may not have known it when you awoke this morning, but today is National Peach Cobbler Day. How sweet this April 13 holiday is!  Peaches are one of America’s favorite fruits. When you put it into a cobbler recipe, you’ve got a real treat. Undoubtedly, people will be asking for seconds.

Peach Cobbler is a deep-dish fruit pie, made with peaches and biscuits (or its equivalent). While it is best to be served hot, it is still delicious when consumed cold, too.

Back in the 1800s, American settlers traveling to the west did not have the ingredients to make a then-popular suet pudding. They used peaches and dough to cobble together this tasty fruit pie. We are sure glad they did!

For the record! The largest Peach Cobbler ever made was baked at the Georgia Peach Festival in 2007. It measured 11′ X 5′ and 8″ deep.

Today is New Beer’s Eve, an April 6 holiday. Sit back and enjoy a bottle or two of suds. Or, visit your favorite bar or brewery. The 21st Amendment, repealing the prohibition of beer and alcohol went into effect at 2:01 a.m. on April 7, 1933. On the evening of April 6, 1933, anxious Americans heralded the repeal of this law and were ready to celebrate.  On this night many people jumped the gun and quaffed a little suds before the turn of the calendar. To commemorate, this event, fill up your beer stein and bottoms up!

For over a decade (1920-1933), beer and alcohol were banned in the United States. This ban was set in place by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The 18th Amendment failed miserably. It was largely ignored. Millions of people turned to making their own bathtub beer and made alcohol in homemade stills. Bootleg beer and alcohol, much of which was smuggled in from Canada, caused the loss of millions of dollars in potential tax revenues.

Do you know what day tomorrow is? It’s National Beer Day. Unlike New Year where people drink on the night before and feel the effects on the first day of the new year, people drink their share of beer on both New Beer’s Eve and National Beer Day.

We hope you thoroughly enjoy New Beers’ Eve. Please do so responsibly. If you drink, don’t drive.

National Pretzel Day, an April 26 holiday, celebrates pretzels of all shapes and sizes. People all over the world enjoy them. They are a perfect snack for parties, events, at the bar, or just an evening snack. One thing is certain, you can’t eat just one. We grab them by the handful, often returning for a handful or two more.

How do you like your pretzel? Thick or thin? Straight or twisted? Crisp and crunchy, or soft? Salted, unsalted, mustard flavored, perhaps? There’s no shortage of types of pretzels. If you are having trouble deciding which ones, we suggest you mix a bunch of different types of pretzels in a big bowl, and grab a handful, or two, or three, or…..

Did you know? Pretzels are believed to be the world’s oldest snack. Pretzels date back to 610AD in Southern France. Catholic Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child’s arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! …the pretzel industry was born. 

While pretzels were first baked in France, pretzels have been popular in German bakeries for hundreds of years. In the U.S., the first pretzel was baked in 1850 in Lititz, Pa., by Julius Sturgis. In the early days before machines made them, the traditional pretzels were individually shaped by hand. Experienced pretzel shapers shaped one every 8-10 seconds! 

Do you know how to celebrate National Pretzel Day? We thought so!

National Jelly Bean Day, an April 22 holiday, is a time to enjoy gobs and gobs of jelly beans. Anyone who loves jelly beans, knows they are not just for Easter. Sure, they are very popular at Easter. The Easter Bunny knows to put them into Easter baskets. But, they are also enjoyed year-round. The flavors are limited only by the imagination of candy makers. If you’ve never enjoyed the multitude of flavors in a box of gourmet jelly beans, we suggest you head right out to the store and buy some.

Jelly beans date back to at least the 1860s. Advertisements promoted sending jelly beans to Union troops fighting in the Civil War. The original candy maker is unknown.

Do you know how to celebrate National Jelly Bean Day? We thought so!

National Garlic Day, an April 19 holiday, promotes the many uses of Garlic. And, there certainly are many uses. It’s a vegetable. It’s an herb. It is used in recipes around the world. Native to Asia, garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years. And, Garlic is believed to ward off evil spirits. What’s Halloween without a strand of garlic around your neck, to keep the vampires away?

About the only negative thing you can say about garlic is that it can negatively affect an otherwise romantic evening. And, that’s not a problem, if the both of you eat garlic. To counter the effects of garlic breath, make sure to have plenty of breath mints handy.

Zip it or unzip it, for today is National Zipper Day, an April 29 holiday. Zippety Doo Dah, ain’t that great!

Did you ever stop to think about where we’d be without the zipper? We’d be wasting countless minutes every day, using buttons, hooks, clasps, and string ties to open and close our clothing, luggage, and a variety of other items. With the advent of the zipper, one quick zip and your clothes are quickly and comfortably opened or closed.

Thankfully, the zipper was invented in 1851 by Elias Howe. On April 29, 1851, Howe applied for a patent for the “Continuous Clothing Closure”.  Strangely, Howe never marketed it. In 1893, Whitcomb Judson started the Universal Fastener Company and began selling the “Clasp Locker”. It debuted at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and initially received only moderate success. In 1913, Gideon Sundback, a Swedish electrical engineer and scientist invented and marketed the modern zipper, only it had not yet begun to be called the zipper. It wasn’t until 1923 that B.F. Goodrich coined the term “zipper”.

 To this day, metal zippers are by far the most popular fastener. The strength and durability of the metal zipper far surpasses that of plastic zippers. That’s not to say plastic zippers are a little used. For example, plastic zip-lock food bags are extremely popular.

 Velcro versus the Zipper   Velcro, the “hook and loop” fastener, was invented in the 1940s. It is very popular for a wide variety of uses. Some thought that velcro would make the zipper obsolete. This wasn’t to be. Zippers are stronger and more durable. While velcro is a great fastener, it is noisy and can get clogged with dirt, dust, and hair. Hence the military is not overly fond of it in combat situations.

Spring is in the air. It’s time to go outside for some fresh air and a little exercise. Most Americans do not get enough exercise. That makes today the perfect day to get outside and take a walk or a hike on National Walking Day.

National Walking Day was created by the American Heart Association to remind people about the health benefits of walking. The goal of this special day is also used to encourage us to begin, maintain, or expand the healthy habit of regular walks.

We think National Walking Day is a very special event. We hope you get hooked on walking regularly. It can launch you into a new and healthier lifestyle.

We only wonder why this special event was set up in mid-week when most people have work, school, and extracurricular activities pulling them away from taking a walk. But, when you think of it, if you can begin the habit of walking during your busy week, then walking on the weekend, when there are countless walkathons will be a cinch.

The American Heart Association encourages everyone to walk for at least 30 minutes a day. If you are new at it or in poor health, start with just a short walk. For the average person, set your sites on a 30-minute walk today. For the very experienced walkers or runners, make it a goal to walk 10% over your normal walk.

Today’s Motto: Walk as if your health depends upon it… it does.”

Tip: You will find that walking with another person or in groups, will make for a pleasurable walk, and the time will fly by.

National Tartan Day celebrates Scottish heritage and the distinct “tartan” pattern, which is commonly seen in clothing and many other items. When we see this tartan pattern, we think of Scotland, bagpipes, kilts, and other things “Scottish”. On this day in day in 1320, the Scottish Declaration of Independence was signed. You can see people in this attire playing the bagpipes at parades, funerals and many other celebrations.

Let’s Celebrate! You can do so, by watching or participating in a parade. New York City and many other cities hold Tartan Day parades. You can also listen to Scottish bagpipes. Perhaps the most fun of all is dressing in a Kilt. (Is it true what they don’t wear under there!?)

Did You Know? The United States Declaration of Independence was modeled after the Scottish Declaration of Independence.