Days & Ways to Celebrate - April 16-22, 2020
/This is week 3 of Nevada’s ‘shelter in place’ order. We even have a state slogan ‘Stay Home for Nevada’… very catchy… just like the coronavirus. We’re staying at home and hopefully, like the rest of you, toughing it out. Here’s this week’s Days & Ways to Celebrate in hopes that you’ll find some humor or some fun or some food for thought midst all that’s going on.
April 16th
Day of the Mushroom
Pretty, but deadly. Unless you know your mushrooms, best to forage at the grocery store!
Ah, yes, a day to celebrate an exemplary fungus. I’ve even written a blog on ‘shrooms… mostly the inedible variety. However, there are lots to be found that are delicious. I usually forage for mine at Trader Joe’s. Whether it’s shitaki or buttons, enoki or portabellos, these little rascals deserve a day of celebration. Try this quick and easy stuffed portabellos recipe for dinner tonight. Yum!
April 17th
Bat Appreciation Day
Staying at home driving you batty? Well, this is the day to celebrate it!
Did you know that over 1200 species of bats have been identified worldwide? That accounts for 20% of all the classified mammal species in the world. Learn more about bats here. You can celebrate these chiropetrans by watching Batman or maybe an old vampire movie.
April 18th
Animal Crackers Day
Barnum’s animals through the years. I’m not sure how ‘sheep’ fits in with ‘wild’ animals. Go figure!
Don’t animal crackers conjure up great childhood memories? They were originally imported from England in the late 19th century and became so popular in the USA that local bakeries capitalized on their popularity and started baking them here. According to the National Day calendar, ‘In 1902 animal crackers officially became known [in the USA] as “Barnum’s Animals” and evoked the familiar circus theme of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Later that year, the now-familiar box with a string was designed for the Christmas season made to hang from the Christmas tree.’
You can celebrate by watching the classic 1930s Marx Brothers film, Animal Crackers, or how about singing a rousing rendition of ‘Animal Crackers in My Soup’ by Shirley Temple? Then again, you could just eat a box of animal crackers and call it good.
A day to remember: the Great San Francisco Earthquake occurred at 5:12 am on the morning of April 18th, 1906. Read all about it here.
April 19th
National Garlic Day
It’s used as an herb, a vegetable, a medicine and don’t forget, it also wards off evil spirits and vampires, if you’re worried about that sort of thing. Use some garlic in your dinner tonight and make sure everyone has some because although it’s a pretty versatile vegetable, it can also put a damper on romance and we can use all the romance we can get these days.
A day to remember… This is Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day, sadly remembering this event which occurred in 1995, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more. We visited this national memorial back in 2016 and its impact was profound.
April 20th
Patriot’s Day commemoration
It’s Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts (always the 3rd Monday in April) when traditionally the Boston Marathon is run. Like so many other events, due to the coronavirus, the 124th running of the marathon has been rescheduled to September 14th. Since the day is meant to celebrate the American Revolution (not the New England Patriots football team), perhaps reading up on the war that was responsible for the creation of the USA is appropriate. Watching Patriot’s Day, the story of the Boston Marathon bombing or Mel Gibson in The Patriot might also be options.
It’s also National Lima Bean Respect Day, but sufferin’ succotash, let’s not go there.
April 21st
Kindergarten Day
This was a German idea adopted, hence the name. Educationalist, Friedrich Froebel, started the first kindergarten in Germany back in 1837 as a way of acclimating young children into the educational system and strengthening social interaction skills. In the United States, Margarethe Schurz opened the first kindergarten in Watertown, Wisconsin, in 1856 for her immigrant German community. This kindergarten caught the attention of Elizabeth Peabody, who started the first American English-language kindergarten in Boston in 1860.
You can celebrate by watching Kindergarten Cop maybe? Or just remembering what it was like to be a kid again. Go ahead, drag out all those K-8 pictures of yourself and your family and reminisce a little. Arnold can wait.
April 22nd
Earth Day
Love your Mother!
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is climate change. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Earth Day recognizes that ‘Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.’
Though we might be limited in our ability to celebrate due to social distancing, there’s lots you can do to participate in helping to support our beautiful planet and you can do much of it from home. Check out these Earth Day Tips.
Well, there you have it. Another whole week of reasons to celebrate this wonderful life of ours, despite these current times. Keep your chins up, your resolve strong and your heart open. See you next week!