WW* Celebrate National Take the Stairs Day! (*Wednesday's Wisdom)

It has come to my attention (from Holiday Insights AKA HI) as well as from a good number of organizations that relate to keeping healthy (including The American Lung Association) the Second Wednesday of January (which is today) is National Take The Stairs Day.

It's Ditch New Years Resolutions Day + MORE!

According to a web- page on Holiday Insights (HI) "If there's a day to celebrate New Years and to make resolutions for the upcoming year, then there should be a day to ditch those resolutions. That's the reason for today [January 17th]."

HI goes on to proclaim "If you haven't broken or given up all of those New Year's resolutions, you're doing better than most of us. Maybe, you're well along the way to accomplishing them. Maybe, a few are already checked off on your list. Good for you! For many of us, New Years resolutions are hanging heavily over our heads. They have become a burden, and perhaps were not such a good idea after all. Then...... of course, there's the New Years resolutions that have already been broken. If you haven't accomplished, broken, or given up your New Year's resolutions, today is your chance to get out from under them."

So in honor of this holiday, I've posted a comic strip of Dilbert as well as a cartoon by Bill Whitehead atop this entry as they "address" the making of New Years resolutions.

I guess ditching New Years resolutions won't be on my to-do list today because I didn't make any, which has been my standard for a number of years now. I confessed this in a 2011 blog post, where I stated, "It's not that I don't have resolutions to make: I have bills to pay, a temper to monitor, faith that feels watered down and it needs building up, and the habit of swearing that needs to be stopped immediately.

How does your indoor garden grow?

On this last Friday in the month of September, I would be remiss to not mention that last week (the third week in September) was National Indoor Plant Week.

According to Holiday Insights (HI),"this particular "celebration" was created to promote and increase awareness of the importance of live plants in internal spaces. Those spaces can be your home, an office where you work, a hospital, or even an indoor shopping mall." 

Furthermore, HI proclaims, "Indoor plants are widely popular in American homes. Yet, with their passive nature blending into the decorum of the home, they are seldom thought of, and sometimes ignored."

I confess that recently I've been guilty of not giving my indoor garden (which can seen in the image atop this entry featuring fall-themed figurines who have stopped by to visit it) the same attention and care that I give to my rooftop garden.

Tuesday's Truths WK 79: It's N'tl Siblings Day!

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

Welcome to my seventy-ninth "segment" of my Tuesday's Truths series. According to Holiday Insights, today is National Siblings Day, and they state: "National Sibling Day is a day to appreciate and cherish your brothers and sisters. Siblings are truly a special blessing that we probably all too often take for granted. They are often our best friends and supporters through life. Another reason to celebrate is that not everyone is lucky enough to have siblings. Their lives are significantly different growing up, and throughout  life."

But I confess that I think this holiday is for the birds, so I'm featuring them in this entry. Peanut, a young cardinal pictured above has three siblings named Frannie, Vincenzo, and Pica-John.

You might recognize Peanut because I have featured her in a prior entries here on Blogger, including one that was published two weeks ago.

Frannie and her brother, Vincenzo can be seen in the next set of images (respectively).

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

CARDINALS ARE FEATURED IN MY BOOKS

There are no photos of Pica-John because she hates to have her picture taken and since I feel the same way about having someone take my photo, I never push her to be in a photo.

WW*: How Birds Lost Their Teeth (*Wednesdays Wisdom)

It's March 1st and I want to remind readers of this blog that rather the month comes in quietly like a lamb, or comes raging in like a lion, today is also #NationalPigDay. I've discussed the origins of this holiday in prior entries here on Blogger.

On another note, something else is also occurring on this day, and that is the fact that today is #WorldBookDay and info about this event is trending on Twitter. It is a nice change between the usual ranting and raving (in tweets) re topics related to politics as well as celebrities.

Nothing Lame about NYC Ducks!

There are a number of warnings signs (such as the one featured in the image directly above) posted near bodies of water in Central Park, including the lake, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, as well as Turtle Pond. In spite of these signs, there are those who do not heed the warning and walk on the "thin ice."

Honoring Saint Apollonia

It's Toothache Day (according to Holiday Insights). And I most certainly wish a toothache only lasted one day, as I've had many, and have had to put my money where my mouth is when it comes to dental fees! However, I should not despair, for today is also the Feast Day of Saint Apollonia.

According to a number of sources, including an article published in The Catholic Herald UK, she is hailed as the patron saint of dentistry.

The aforementioned article includes the image that is posted atop this blog entry and author of the takes issue with the image and states, "my difficulty with such art is that Apollonia has a vacant, wan and almost insipid facial expression. I don’t think this captures her feisty spirit: she was a deaconess in a time of great persecution and a defiant rebel."

I confess that I've only recently learned of this saint (who I've now called upon to intercede on my behalf re the horrendous (painful and costly) dental procedures which I've been enduring for months), so I can't comment on the author's remark that Saint Apollonia is portrayed with an "almost insipid facial expression which the author feels doesn't do justice to Apollonia's "feisty spirit."

Perhaps my figurine rendered in the likeness of a tooth fairy (as seen in the picture directly below) is one who more accurately represents Apollonia's personality?

However Apollonia may or may not be represented in a painting is not of much importance to me, what matters is her powerful intercession, which I hope she continues to do on my behalf, as I have more dental procedures to endure in the coming days.

Monday's Memo: The Last Monday in January (Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day)

Once upon a time, on the day of January the thirty-first, in the year of 2012, absolutely everyone who was anyone, was talking about Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, which was occurring at the time!

This truism is evidenced in the video posted atop this entry. It was initially produced and released by yours truly back in 2012, and is included within my Vimeo channel. In any event, now, six years later, everyone who is anyone is STILL talking about how they celebrated Bubble Wrap Appreciation day! 2018's Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day falls on January the twenty-ninth (today), as it's the last Monday of the month.

No one appreciates bubble wrap more than the flora that grows in my rooftop garden in NYC, which is maintained by yours truly, Patricia Youngquist, The Last Leaf Gardener (with the incredible help of my comrade Juan V).



You see, for a number of winters now, I have used this currently being celebrated "poppin' wrap" to protect the eighty plus flora types that I grow in my garden from winter's normally cold temperatures!

That's this Monday's memo to you, dear reader, should you need an idea for any garden winterizing methods (although in most places in the hemisphere where I live, it's now a little late to do this for 2018; but make a memo of it to consider using Bubble Wrap when you winterize your garden in the coming years).

It's the day of Festivus!

Today is the holiday known as Festivus. According to Holiday Insights this day "came to recognition as the direct result of a Jerry Seinfeld television show episode. It first aired on December 18, 1997."

I haven't had a television since the 1970's, so I've only seen Seinfeld a handful of times when visiting friends, and I do remember Festivus being introduced on an episode of that show. It can be seen in the You Tube Video atop today's blog entry. Additionally, in bygone years, I've written about Festivus, here on Blogger, which you may reference my entries on the subject by clicking here.

In Honor of Dunce Day + Wednesday's Wisdom, The Meaning of The "Dunce Cap"!

The You Tube posted above this blog post is honor of Dunce Day, which according to a web-page on Holiday Insights, is always celebrated on November 8th, and that is today's date. I'm posting it on my Wednesday's Wisdom series because you never know when this topic may come up in conversation, and now you'll be prepared to discuss it — if need be, dear reader.

A Bit More Info Re #NationalPigDay!

Earlier today (here on Blogger), in honor of this March 1st holiday of #NationalPigDay, I posted an excerpt from E.B. White's, Charlotte's Web. I specifically referred to the passage where Charlotte advcated for a pig that her father was about to kill. (If you'd like to refer to that Blogger entry, please click here.)

Meanwhile, Charlotte can be seen in the first image accompanying this entry. She is holding the pig she saved. She ultimately named him Wilbur. However, Charlotte is not the only one who appreciates this animal, which may be fairly obvious, given there is at least one holiday dedicated to honoring this creature.

According to Holiday Insights, "Ellen Stanley, a Texas art teacher created National Pig Day in 1972. Her intent was to to recognize and be thankful for pigs as intelligent domestic animals." Holiday Insights goes on to say that "there is no evidence to suggest that this is truly a 'National' day, which requires an act of congress." BUT thankfully, lovers of this animal are not waiting for an act of congress to make this holiday official, for we all know congress can't agree on anything!