World Rainforest Day is a recently new holiday. This June 22 holiday was created in 2017 to raise awareness of the importance of rainforests around the world for the health of the Earth, and ultimately for your health, too.  Rainforests are just 6% of the land mass of our planet. And they are decreasing at an alarming rate. It is time to pay attention to this vital asset and reverse the trend of shrinking rainforest areas.

Tropical rainforests do many good things for the Earth and its inhabitants. 20% of the oxygen we breathe, comes from rainforests. They offer many other benefits, including the absorption of harmful carbon dioxide, and stabilizing climates. About half the plant and animal species on the planet call rainforests their home. The diversity, and potential of these areas is nothing short of astonishing.

Tropical rainforests exist all over the world. We all know the biggest, the Amazon located in South America. Most of us know of the tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia, too. However, there are many rainforests around the world. Some of them are in places you would never think of. There are rainforests in the United States, including Hawaii, the Appalachians, and even Alaska. There is a rainforest on Vancouver Island in Canada, too.  

Did you know? While we think of rainforests in tropical areas, not all rainforests are in the tropics. 

Oceans are immensely important and vital to humans. It feeds us, producing vast amounts of fish and seafood. We sail it, to bring people and cargo to and from places around the world. There’s recreational boating, too. We swim in it. Oceans are so important to us, that it is only fitting that a day… today… is World Ocean Day.  On this global June 8 holiday, we celebrate our oceans and work towards maintaining and improving their health and cleanliness. As the health of our oceans goes, so goes the health of the entire planet.

Oceans comprise about 71% of the surface of the earth. With their immense size, you would think it is very hard to pollute our oceans. Well, we happen to be doing a pretty good job polluting them.

As if global warming (man-made) was damaging our oceans enough, we humans are exacting a terrible toll on the health of oceans, adding immeasurable amounts of pollutants each and every year.

Use this special day, to become more knowledgeable about how we are polluting the oceans with litter of all kinds, from just about any source you can imagine. Tsunamis devastate coastal areas and drag pollutants into the sea. A Tsunami in Japan resulted in tons of trash washing up on U.S. west coast beaches. Oil is leaked from oil rigs, ships, and boats. Plastics, which take many years to break down, of all kinds, find their way into our seas. Plastics, in particular, can have a devastating effect on marine life.

A clean and healthy ocean translates to healthy marine life. This results in safe and healthy seafood that you and I consume.

What can you do on World Ocean Day, to improve the health of our oceans?

Waffle Iron Day, a June 29 holiday, celebrates this great kitchen gadget that makes tasty waffles. Waffles are cooked between two metal plates. A waffle iron is powered by electricity to heat the plates and create light waffles ready for you to top with syrup, and/or your favorite fruits.

By all means, waffles are not just for breakfast. They are good for lunch or dinner, too.  Belgian waffles are popular for dinner. You can load them up with lots of fruits, whipped cream, nuts, and syrups. 

The origin of the waffle:  The waffle dates back to the 1300s in Greece. Greeks cooked flat cakes between two metal pans. At the time, they topped it with cheeses and herbs. Sorry, pancake syrup wasn’t around back then.

You do know how to celebrate this day…….don’t you!? If you don’t have a waffle iron, today is a good day to go out and buy one. There are also waffle and mini-waffle makers to choose from. If you are too busy to make waffles yourself, buy some frozen in your grocery store, or order them out at a restaurant.

Back in the 1980s and 1990’s, video cassette recorders were “the” home recording and playback format. The VCR cassette contained magnetic tape, which you could record on and erase over and over again. Just about everyone had a VCR player. You could tape TV shows and movies for playback later. The marketplace offered VCR cassettes with recent movies. VCR Day, a June 7 holiday, celebrates the VCR tape cassette players.

While VCR usage peaked in the 1980s and 1990s, the very first VCR available for commercial sale was released in 1956, by Ampex Corporation in the United States. It did not come into widespread use until the late 1970s. For a short period, the VCR format competed against the Betamax (Beta) tape format. Near the turn of the century, compact discs and DVDs arrived with better quality and longer storage. They quickly replaced VCRs in the marketplace.

During its heyday, VCR cassettes also were used in recording movies in home video cameras. They largely replaced long popular 8mm and Super 8mm movie films, for the average amateur user.

If you are a younger reader, ask Mom and Dad, or Grandpa and Grandma about VCRs. Chances are they have a VCR recorder, and some cassette tapes buried somewhere in their basement. You may even find that you are on some of those cassettes, recording a childhood birthday, dance recital, or graduation.

Like so many other formats, it became outdated as new, better formats are invented. As time goes by, fewer and fewer people are celebrating Video Cassette Day, as this outdated technology fades from memory. Kids growing up today, have no idea what it is. For at least a few more years, those of us old enough to remember the popular VCR will continue to celebrate this day.

Today is Take a Road Trip Day. There isn’t a better time to get away from it all. Summer is here. The weather is sunny and warm. The kids are out of school. The summer vacation season has arrived. It’s time for you to hit the road. So, gather the family, hop in the car, and go!! Where to? Your destination is unknown, as it should be.

The road awaits you. Today is the perfect day to declare yourself a day off and just get away. This special event is on a Friday, so you can call in to work to use a vacation day and make a long weekend of it. While you can plan this day in advance, today will be the most fun by making it an unplanned trip. Be adventuresome. Go with the flow. Some of the best vacation memories come from a spur-of-the-moment trip, with no prior planning or thought.

You can take a simple day trip, or you can pack an overnight bag and extend the road trip into the weekend ..my favorite choice. If you opt for the overnighter, remember this is an unplanned trip, so pack your bag at the last minute.

For those of you who can’t hit the open road without a planned route and destination, it’s okay. Just keep in the spirit of an unplanned rise as best you can.

Swim a Lap Day is good for your health. And, This June 24 holiday is a fun day, too! All ‘ya gotta do today, is take a dip in the swimming pool and cool off. And, invite some friends to join you. It’s much more fun when other people are in the pool.

Summer has arrived. It’s time to enjoy all that it has to offer, including plenty of time in and around the pool or beach. What better way to enjoy the early days of summer, than by taking a lap or two (or three) around the pool? In addition to the fun, it’s a great exercise to help keep you fit.

It’s likely to be sunny and hot today. Find a few friends and swim a couple of obligatory laps in the pool. Then, let the pool party begin! Soak up some rays. Spend the entire day in and around the pool. Have your meals and drinks around or in the pool, too.

.Ps Don’t forget the sunscreen.

Sunglasses Day is a shady day for your eyes. This June 27 holiday reminds us to put on our sunglasses as we walk out the door. Summer is in full swing. The sun is high in the sky. It’s blindingly bright. Your sunglasses filter out the rays of the sun so you can see better. A pair of sunglasses with 100% UV protection is definitely in order.  Styles change quickly. Today is also a good time to buy a new pair of shades.

Why do people wear sunglasses? There are lots of reasons, including:

• You want to be a movie star and movie stars all wear sunglasses.
• You’re looking to hide behind a big, dark pair of sunglasses, and travel unseen through the streets.
• A little espionage, eh!?
• You want to make a fashion statement.
• You’re hiding a black eye.
• And, Oh yes… A few of us wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from the harmful rays of the sun.

Did you know? Sunglasses protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. Your Optician will tell you that sunglasses with 100% UV protection helps to avoid cataracts. opticians also say that UV rays can be stronger in the winter, as the sun’s rays hit you on the way down….and as it is reflected up from the snow.

Enjoy Sunglasses Day with a shady, mysterious, and fashionable pair of shades.

Smile Power Day is today. On this June 15 holiday, feel the power. Give everyone you see a big, friendly, “I like you” smile. They make you happy. You never know, you’re warm smile just might turn someone’s day right around…for the good! They are uplifting for those giving them, as well as those seeing them. If you see one, you will find it hard not to smile back.

Love may make the world go round. But, a smile makes the world a happy place. A smile is a powerful thing. Best of all, it’s contagious. However, we do note that to be effective, a smile must be sincere. People can see right through phony or forced smiles.

A smile is so powerful, that it can:

• Add years to your life
• Make you a happier person
• Make someone else a happier person
• It’s a mood change for the giver and the receiver
• Improves relationships
• In business, it sends a great customer service message.

Did you know? It’s easier to smile than to frown. A smile uses fewer muscles.

Sewing Machine Day celebrates a very important invention —– the sewing machine. But, we’ve found two dates to celebrate sewing machines. You can celebrate it as a June 13 holiday. Or, celebrate it as a September 10 holiday. So, why not celebrate it on both dates!? The first sewing machines were made in France in the 1830s. It wasn’t until 1846, that they were patented in the U.S. What a great invention. Before its creation, clothes items were sewn together by hand…stitch by stitch. On this holiday we celebrate a great invention that allowed people to make better quality clothes faster and more efficiently.

People who know how to use these machines are dwindling in number. Our mothers and grandmothers had a sewing machine in the house. They used it all of the time. But, look around your house. Do you have one? Does anyone in your house even know how to sew by hand? Chances are, the answer is no.

If you have a sewing machine, enjoy today making things with it. If not, consider picking up this great hobby. 

Today’s Saying: “A stitch in time saves nine.”  Interpretation: Saves nine what, you ask. Well, stitches of course. One stitch made right away, prevents further breakage and will not require nine more stitches later.

World Sauntering Day is a day to saunter here and there, wherever you go. On this June 19 holiday practice your sauntering technique.

You can spend your life walking through life, jogging through life, or being dragged through life. But, life is far more enjoyable, if you saunter through it. It’s doubly true if you saunter with a friend or loved one.

Sauntering is not an ordinary walk, jog, trot, or run. Rather, it is a form of strolling at a leisurely pace.  Sauntering is a very casual, yet stylish, form of movement from point A to Point B. The dictionary defines sauntering as walking along slowly, happily, and aimlessly. Now, doesn’t this sound like a grand way to get around on this sunny and warm June 19 holiday?