Days & Ways to Celebrate – June 4 –10, 2020
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So, how long can we continue to celebrate? Forever and a day! I’ll keep up the Days & Ways till we leave on our road trip. Yup, it’s official… we’ll be heading out on or about June 17th for parts unknown, and, hence, that will be the last week of Days & Ways for awhile at least. The destination is not firm, but the journey is. Let’s celebrate together till then and then hit the road. You’re coming along… right?
June 4th
National Cheese Day
Cheese and crackers and wine and fruit and… Photo credit: Derek Cooper Photography
We lived in Wisconsin for five years and Wisconsiners know their cheese. Swiss, American, gouda, brie, bleu, cheddar, parmesan, camembert, mozarella, feta, provalone, Stilton, limburger (pee-yew) and don’t forget squeaky cheese curds. Today’s the day to celebrate all things cheese... with crackers, with wine, with burgers… any way you like. Ever wonder just how many cheeses there are in the world? Probably not, but here’s a Wiki list any way.
June 5th
Howl at the Moon
This month’s full moon is known as the Strawberry Moon because, duh, it’s strawberry season. Head out tonight to gaze at the moon, howl a little and savor a strawberry or two.
Coincidentally, it’s also National Moonshine Day which has nothing to do with the full moon. Illegally distilled spirits were especially a hit during the USA’s 13 years of Prohibition (one of the country’s less popular ideas). No need to drink the rough stuff any more though… try a small batch distillery for the good stuff. Or maybe just read about Prohibition, the 18th Amendment and the 21st that repealed the 18th.
June 6th
D-Day
“The eyes of the world are upon you.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower, June 6, 1944
On June 6, 1944 aka D-Day, British, Canadian and American Allied forces landed on a 50-mile stretch of beach in Normandy, France and fought one of the most decisive battles of WWII against the Germans. When David and I walked through Normandy last year on the Via Francigena, we were awed by the number of cemeteries, memorials and museums honoring the men and women who fought and died on this day. Some kick-ass facts about D-Day? Ever wonder what the ‘D’ in D-Day stands for?
June 7th
Eeensie Weensie Spider Day
On this day in 1946, "Eensie Weensie Spider" by Yola De Meglio was copyright registered. Actually, I don’t like spiders… not even eensie weensie ones.. BTW, I always thought it was just itsy bitsy spider, but there are actually different titles and different lyrics depending on where you live. Originally it was an old children’s nursery rhyme. Do you remember all the words? Is this tune going to haunt you for the rest of the day?
June 8th
National Best Friends Day
Do you have a best friend? Or maybe several? Best friends are there through thick and thin… good times and bad times. They can withstand distances and long absences and arguments and still be there for you. I have lots of friends and many good friends, but I only have two best friends… David and Lin... and today I salute them both. Life with best friends is awesome and when they happen to be your husband and your sister… well, it doesn’t get much better.
June 9th
National Donald Duck Day
Yes, it’s that famous duck’s birthday today. He made his first screen debut on June 9, 1934, in The Wise Little Hen. Can you talk like Donald Duck? It’s ‘formally called buccal speech, an alaryngeal form of vocalization which uses the inner cheek to produce sound rather than the larynx.’ Today’s the day to quack yourself up and watch the duck in action.
June 10th
Ballpoint Pen Day
According to Wiki, ‘Laszlo Biro, an Hungarian newspaper editor, frustrated by the amount of time that he wasted filling up fountain pens and cleaning up smudged pages, noticed that inks used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge free. He decided to create a pen using the same type of ink. [Enlisting] the help of his brother György, ...they successfully coupled ink-viscosity with a ball-socket mechanism which acted compatibly to prevent ink from drying inside the reservoir while allowing controlled flow. In 1941, the Bíró brothers and a friend, Juan Jorge Meyne, … moved to Argentina, where they formed "Bíró Pens of Argentina" and filed a patent on June 10, 1943. Their pen was sold in Argentina as the "Birome" (combo of the names Bíró and Meyne), which is how ballpoint pens are still known in that country.' So grab your Birome or your Bic or your Papermate or even your Mont Blanc, forget your word processor and do it the old-fashioned way.