The Day of the Horse ~~ Celebrate! ~~ Dec 14

Happy weekend people! How is your weekend been so far?

Mine started out crappy. Can I hear an ‘awwww’? No really it started out strange. I was woken up this morning to what sounded like a train whistle in my bedroom. It was barely light out for crying out loud!

Every time I would start to nod off again the train whistle sound did it again. It was loud! So I finally thought I might as well get up and see what the hell it was. Found out quick enough when I went to let Sam out to do his morning business. I had a hard time opening the front storm door!

The wind was so fierce and in just the right direction that it pushed against the door. And that whistling sound? Well it was the wind whipping between mine and the neighbor’s place! I kid you not! It acted like a damn wind tunnel. It was bizarre and kind of cool at the same time. And standing in the doorway, wow, was that loud! The wind had to have been at least 70 – 80 mph gusts through the yard. It was wicked! By the time I thought about the possibility of capturing the sound with my camera the wind died just enough that it didn’t make that sound anymore. Course it was a few hours after I got up. I’m kind of slow. But I swear if or when it happens again I’m recording it!

Now let’s get going on those celebrations for today!

 

The Day of the Horse ~~The horse is a living link to the heritage and history of our nation and represents a common bond among all peoples who led the way in building our country. Today, the horse industry contributes more than $112 billion annually to the American economy. Therefore, the US Senate (in 2004)  has declared the second Saturday of December to be the Day of the Horse in honor of these magnificent creatures. I’ve always loved horses and vowed to one day own one of my own. Unfortunately I never could afford one, but I still love them. Celebrate by donating to a wild horse charity, visit a horse show, or just admire them. Celebrate!

International Shareware Day ~~ This day is celebrated every second Saturday in December. A day to take time to reward the efforts of thousands of computer programmers who trust that if we try their programs and like them, we will pay for them. Unfortunately, very few payments are received, thus stifling the programmers’ efforts. This observance is meant to prompt each of us to inventory our PCs and Macs, see if we are using any shareware and then take the time in the holiday spirit to write payment checks to the authors. Hopefully this will keep the shareware coming. Celebrate!

Monkey Day ~~ Yes today is the day we celebrate the monkey. (Via Wikipedia) The holiday was started in 2000 when artist Casey Sorrow, then an art student at Michigan State University, jokingly scribbled Monkey Day on a friend’s calendar, and then first celebrated the holiday with other MSU art students.  It gained notoriety when Sorrow and fellow MSU art student Eric Millikin began including Monkey Day in their artwork and Fetus-X comic strips, and began promoting it online along with other artists.  Since then, Monkey Day has been celebrated internationally, across countries like the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Monkey Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated internationally on December 14. While the holiday is mainly about the monkeys, it also celebrates other non-human primates such as apes, tarsiers, and lemurs. Sorrow also maintains a comprehensive “Monkeys in the News” blog with stories on topics like monkey attacks, monkey smuggling, and monkey science.  Every Monkey Day, Sorrow’s “Monkeys in the News” blog counts down the previous year’s “top 10 Monkey and Primate News highlights”.

Go visit a zoo and say hi to the Monkeys! Celebrate!

National Bouillabaisse Day ~~ Today celebrates this Mediterranean dish which is a kind of seafood stew/soup. It originated in Marseilles, France the French and Mediterranean people have been eating it since 600 B.C. The fishermen would make it when they pulled into port. Ideally it should be made with a few different kinds of white fillets like cod, flounder, sea bass or snapper and includes various herbs and vegetables like garlic, fennel, saffron, bay leaf, orange peel, leeks, onions, potatoes, or celery. Since this holiday falls in the middle of December it’s a perfect time to warm your body inside and out with a bowl of Bouillabaisse. To celebrate today, try your hand at making your own bouillabaisse stew for your family to enjoy! Celebrate!

That’s all for today folks. I’ll be back tomorrow with more! Celebrate!