Today is National Paste Up Day. Sometimes called International Paste-Up Day, this holiday is always celebrated on May 7. Before the advent of computers and software programs, paste-up artists, also called layout artists, performed the task of preparing copy for printing presses. 

Like any other industry, technology evolves, changing work processes and tasks. As computers and software programs evolved, the paste-up task in printed media disappeared. One might think that glue, paste, and other similar items like correction tape and white-out would also disappear. However, there still are uses for all of these items. Some are readily available in stores. 

Clearly, this holiday was originally intended to recognize and celebrate the importance of paste-up artists or layout artists. And the importance of their role in published media should never be forgotten. However as previously stated, this position was eliminated with the arrival of computer software programs and technology. So, we suggest this holiday be extended to include school art projects where students still glue cutouts images, and even text onto construction paper for art projects. As the children work on their project, teachers can educate them about the role of paste-up artists and the history of preparing media for printing.

Today is going to be a fun day. This holiday is not about promoting a cause. It’s not a commemoration of an event, good or bad. Rather, National Paper Airplane Day is a day to play with a child’s toy and just have fun. On this May 26 holiday, people of all ages celebrate by making, decorating, and playing with paper airplanes. This holiday is Wendell and Oliver Wright approved. And, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they flew them at Kitty Hawk before they made their infamous flight.

It’s child’s play. Let’s all be kids again and make a plane out of paper. If you’re an adult, you’d probably admit to flying them around the home or in the office. Need to send a message to the boss? Forget sending it via email or in a text today. Instead, write it on a sheet of paper. Then fold it into an airplane and send the message to him via airmail straight into his office. It just might get his attention faster than sending the message in a text. In any case, it’s bound to get some kind of reaction from him.

People have been making and flying these aeronautical gliders for hundreds of years. Kids love them, and adults love them, too. But, it’s not all for play. Flying paper airplanes is a competitive activity with competitions held around the world to see who has the best design to fly them faster, higher, and longer. So, grab a few sheets of paper, and let’s go flying!

 Are you looking for an excuse to drink before noon? Have a Mimosa. Here’s a great way to start the day. A little orange juice mixed with some bubbly wakes you up in a pleasant way. Now, don’t you think every day should be National Mimosa Day? Are you going to a brunch on this May 16 holiday? Mimosas are certain to be on the menu. Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s compete for the title of the official brunch drink.

People commonly associate Mimosas with brunch. Yes, it is almost always available at a brunch. However, you can enjoy it at any meal and any time of the day or night. As for events, it is popular at many parties and celebrations, especially bridal showers. You can enjoy Mimosas at spas and some nail salons, too.

There is speculation that the drink got its name from the Mimosa plant in Australia. While this can easily be the case, there is no known direct link between the plant and the drink.

Did You Know? Orange juice is the most popular fruit juice in the world.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day. You don’t have any idea what to get mom. We’ve got your solution. Get her some hanging flower baskets. This is exactly why today is Hanging Flower Baskets Day. On this day, you and many others are thronging to local garden stores. Those stores know you’re coming so they have hanging flower baskets of all shapes, sizes, and colors. There’s a planter filled with beautiful blooming flowers that Mom is certain to love. If you know Mom’s favorite plants, you’re in luck. If not, how do you select the perfect planter? Here’s a suggestion: select the ones that are her favorite color. 

Hanging Flower Baskets Day is perfectly placed the day before Mother’s Day. But, mid-Spring is also the peak time for planting outdoors. And the risk of frost is over in most areas of the country. So, millions of homeowners are decorating their homes with breathtaking displays of hanging flower baskets. And garden stores know this, too. When you arrive, you will have your choice of planters. The stores are fully stocked, making selection easy.

Did You Know? Hanging planters are used for other types of plants, too. Non-blooming, shade-loving ferns are perfect for shady areas. Hanging planters can also be used for some herbs and vegetables.

There’s a delicious fascination with apples. We’ve been talking about them and enjoying them since the Garden of Eden. So, it only makes sense that we celebrate them with this special day. Without a doubt, National Apple Pie Day is as American as apple pie! On this May 13 holiday, we celebrate America’s favorite flavor of pie. So, pull out your cookbook and choose among a wide range of apple pie recipes. Or, be daring and find a new recipe to try out. Then, start baking.

We’ve been enjoying apple pie for hundreds of years. The pilgrims brought apple pie to the New World when they arrived in Jamestown. In 1902, the New York Times proclaimed apple pie the “American symbol for prosperity”. It is the favorite pie of one in five Americans. It is a dessert for all meals and nighttime snacks. 35% of us admit to eating apple pie for breakfast.

Like any other food holiday, is it fun and easy to enjoy this day. Simply have a slice or two of apple pie.

HOLD THE PRESSES!!! Today is World Press Freedom Day. This May 3 holiday promotes and celebrates all forms of freedom of speech, including freedom of the press. In democracies enjoy it is enjoyed as a basic human right. However, people in communist countries and those living under dictators do not have this freedom. Rather, the media is suppressed and can report only news favorable to those in power.  

This holiday recognizes the value of freedom of expression, and the sacrifices journalist have made to attain this freedom. It was created and is sponsored, by the United Nations. While we enjoy this freedom in the United States, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression, is not a given right in many countries.  

Each year, UNESCO awards the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to someone who has made a major contribution towards journalistic freedom.

World Turtle Day is an international holiday that was created for two reasons. First, this May 23 holiday is to celebrate and enjoy both turtles and tortoises. Secondly, this day is to educate people about turtles, how to protect them, and how to save their disappearing natural habitat. There is a difference between a turtle versus a tortoise. We will distinguish this difference for you. Read on.

Turtles and tortoises have a long life span. Many species live 35 to 50 years. Some species have been known to live 150-200 years. Some species are carnivores, while others are herbivores. Their populations are decreasing rapidly. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 129 of 300 species of turtles and tortoises are on the endangered species list.   

Turtle Trivia: You can tell the gender of a turtle by the noise it makes. Male turtles grunt while females hiss.

Did You Know? There actually are Turtle Festivals! We hope you plan on attending them.

Famous Turtles

The most famous turtles are:

• The four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello
• Squirt and Crush from Finding Nemo

As the old saying goes….. “Give a man some vegetables, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to grow a vegetable garden, and you feed his whole family for life!” On World Plant a Vegetable Garden Day, a May 19 holiday, you can begin a hobby that feeds your whole family for a lifetime.

It’s a hungry world. Famine affects millions upon millions of people. If everyone had even a small garden, there would be far fewer people suffering from starvation. For the average person, having a vegetable garden helps to ease the family’s food budget, too. In addition, people who grow some or all of their own vegetables often do so organically, or at least with less of those harmful chemical insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. Hmmm? Healthier food for my children? Now, this alone is a great reason to start a vegetable garden today.

It’s a fact! Gardening is rewarding and good for your health. Just plant a garden and see. It is calming, relaxing, and therapeutic. Growing plants is peaceful, too. It is rewarding in many ways. First, it provides food for your table. And, that food is usually done, with less or no harmful chemicals. Ask any gardener and they will tell you the great feeling of accomplishment when the crop ripens, or the flower blooms. Successfully growing something you never tried to grow before, brings another sense of accomplishment.

World Otter Day celebrates cute and playful aquatic mammals. This day is intended to raise awareness of the importance of otters to the environment and to make people aware of their declining populations and the reasons why. There are thirteen species of otters. All thirteen species are on the Red List of Endangered species. It is important to know why their numbers are declining, and do what you can to help to stabilize and increase their populations.

Otters are aquatic mammals with webbed feet, making them excellent swimmers. If you’ve ever seen them live in the wild, at a zoo, or on an animal nature show, I’m sure you’ll agree that otters are cute and lovable creatures. Otters are members of the weasel family, and dwell on every continent, except Antarctica and Australia. They can be found in a wide variety of waters, including lakes, ponds, rivers streams, estuaries, as well as marshlands, and wetlands.

Otters spend most of their time in the water. Otters live up to 16 years. They are carnivores. Their diet consists of fish, crawfish, mollusks, frogs, small reptiles, and mammals. A hungry otter will also eat birds, small beavers, and even muskrats. Otters are smart animals. For example, they use small rocks as “tools”, to break open hard shells of clams and other mollusks. Otters make their home by digging holes along riverbanks. They have also been known to make their den under porches and decks, making themselves a nuisance to homeowners.  

Did You Know? An otter’s den is called a “Holt” or a “Couch”.

Have a Happy World Otter Day! 

This is a great day! It’s World Goth Day, A May 22 holiday. Perhaps black isn’t your color!? Well, you will be happy to know that being “Goth” isn’t just about wearing only black clothing. It’s a whole sub-culture. So, if black isn’t your color, perhaps you shud look for another lifestyle.

As it should be, everyone who is into the Goth sub-culture now has a day to celebrate who they are. Go out and embrace your inner and your outer Goth today. Today, you should celebrate who you are and your uniqueness. Find a Goth band and enjoy the music.

It’s not just wearing black that makes you Goth. The Goth culture is expressed in fashion, music art, and to some degree, behaviors.

Song of the Day: Paint it Black, by the Rolling Stones

Did You Know? The original Goths were a Germanic tribe. Between the 3rd and 5th centuries, these tribes invaded the Roman Empire from the east. There were two main tribes. The Ostrogoths established a kingdom in Italy. The Visigoths settled in Spain and formed a kingdom. The current Goth culture is in no way related to these earl Goths.