Whenever I think of October I think of pumpkins. Ripe, round, orange globes lying around in fields of browning vines, waiting to be scooped up and scooped out into frightening faces and pies and African-inspired nut soups. I think of bright red apples in the autumn sun and dried cornstalks tied into bundles and gargantuan rolls of hay dotting pastures. I think of Halloween costumes and bobbing for apples and country fairs full of homemade crafts and fruit butters. And the leaves…the beautiful leaves. Have you ever laid down under a tree in full autumn color to look up at the blue sky? It is like looking at cabochon rubies, emeralds, citrines, and golden sapphires scattered across rich blue velvet. Sigh…

Well, bucolic scenery aside, October is a month chock full of reasons to celebrate. My dear friends, it is time to adopt a shelter dog, celebrate the bilingual child, go to a class reunion, go hog wild, plan strategically, read a book, eat a caramel after that bowl of chili, get your teeth cleaned, make popcorn for your roller skating reading group, hug a photographer, maintain a positive attitude, and have a Happy Halloween! Boo, y’all!

 Disclaimer: the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the opinions, ideas or musings of any other person, group, or entity. Just smile and enjoy yourself… (PS: thank you Johan for your submission!!!)

Flower:            Calendula or Cosmos
Birthstone: Opal or Tourmaline

Full Moon:      October 4^th @ 2:10am          
New Moon: October 18^th @ 1:33am

October is the month for…

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
Antidepressant Death Awareness Month that’s depressing
Apple Month
(World) Blindness Awareness Month
Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Celebrate the Bilingual Child Month sprechen zie Deutsch?
Children’s Magazine Month
Christmas Seal Campaign (through 12/31)
Church Library Month
Church Safety and Security Month
Class Reunion Month too late to call Weight Watchers now!
Co-op Awareness Month
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Dyslexia Awareness Month sufferers untie!
Eat Better, Eat Together Month
Emotional Intelligence Month
Emotional Wellness Month
Energy Management is a Family Affair-Improve Your Home Month (thru 3/31/10)
Gay & Lesbian History Month
German-American Heritage Month have a bock beer with sausage!
Global Awareness Heritage Month
Global Diversity Awareness Month
Go Hog Wild – Eat Country Ham moderation is key…
Halloween Safety Month we need a whole month to prepare?
Head Start Awareness Month
Health Literacy Month
International School Library Month
International Starman Month
International Strategic Planning Month
Long Term Care Planning Month these two go hand-in-hand, right?
Month of Free Thought
National Animal Safety and Protection Month
National Bake and Decorate Month make a gingerbread haunted house!
National Book Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Caramel Month it’s not just for breakfast anymore!
National Chili Month
National Chiropractic Month make an adjustment!
National Crime Prevention Month
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
National Dental Hygiene Month get those teeth cleaned!
National Depression Education & Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Down Syndrome Month
National Ergonomics Month little changes make big differences!
National Family Sexuality Education Month
National “Gain the Inside Advantage” Month
National Go On a Field Trip Month and who’s paying for it?
National Kitchen & Bath Month
National Liver Awareness Month food or organ?
National Medical Librarian Month
National Orthodontic Health Month
National Physical Therapy Month
National Popcorn Poppin’ Month my favorite snack!
National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
National Reading Group Month
National Roller Skating Month put down the books first…
National RSV Awareness Month
National Sarcastic Awareness Month yeah, right…
National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
National Window Covering Safety Month there are unsafe window coverings?
National Work and Family Month
National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
Organize Your Medical Information Month
Photographer Appreciation Month hug the guy with the camera!
Polish American Heritage Month
Positive Attitude Month should be every month…
Raptor Month
Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
Right Brainers Rule! Month left brainers rock!
Sausage Month
Self-Promotion Month not so shameless this time…
Spinach Lovers Month
Squirrel Awareness Month oh, nuts!
Stamp Collecting Month
Tackling Hunger Month
Talk About Prescriptions Month
Vegetarian Month already doing their part to stop world hunger…
Wishbones for Pets Month (10/15-11/30)
Women’s Small Business Month
Workplace Politics Awareness Month I’m sure we’re aware…

Special October weeks…

10/1-7              Universal Children’s Week
10/2-4              No Salt Week
                      Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend “thank you” is not enough…
10/4-10            National Newspaper Week
                        National Work from Home Week
                        World Space Week remember Space Food Sticks?
                        Fire Prevention Week
                        Mental Illness Awareness Week
                        Mystery Series Week
                        National Carry a Tune Week in a handbasket…
                       National Metric Week
10/5-10            Kids’ Goal Setting Week
10/5-11            Nuclear Medicine Week
                      Customer Service Week let’s make this a 24/7 observation…
                        Financial Planning Week
                        Spinning & Weaving Week spin a story, weave a tale…
10/6-12            Physicians Assistant Week
10/11-17          Build Your Business with Business Cards Week
                      Emergency Nurses Week
                        Getting the World to Beat a Path to your Door Week
                        Home-based Business Week
                        International Credit Union Week
                        National Chestnut Week roast some on an open fire…
                        National Food Bank Week
10/12-16          National School Lunch Week hug a lunch lady!
10/12-18          American Association of Medical Assistants
                        World Rainforest Week another 24/7 thing, y’all…
10/17-24        Food & Drug Interaction Education & Awareness Week
10/18-24        Freedom from Bullies Week we should ALWAYS be free of them…
                        Teen Read Week
                        National Chemistry Week
                        National Hospital & Health-System Pharmacy Week
                        YWCA Week Without Violence
                        National Infertility Awareness Week adoption is an option…
                        National Character Counts Week
                        National Forest Products Week
                        National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week
                        National School Bus Safety Week
10/19-25        Freedom of Speech Week
                        National Food Bank Week
                        National Massage Therapy Week I’ll take two!
                        National Businesswomen’s Week
10/24-30          Disarmament Week you can’t hug with nuclear arms…
10/25-31          Pastoral Care Week
                        International Magic Week rabbits & top hats anyone?
                        National Respiratory Care Week
                        Peace, Friendship and Good Will Week
10/26-11/1       Give Wildlife a Break Week give them a BRAKE, too!
10/27-11/3       World Hearing Aid Awareness Week

 October days to celebrate…

10/1     Fire Pup Day
            International Day of Older Persons
            World Vegetarian Day the animals thank you…
            Brazil: Festival of Penha
            South Korea: Armed Forces Day
            Hong Kong: National Day
10/2     Guardian Angels Day mine’s been busy lately…
            Lee’s National Denim Day wear your favorite pair!
            National Diversity Day
            Phileas Fogg’s Wager Day
            National Custodial Workers Day
            Techie’s Day
            World Farm Animals Day that should have been yesterday…
            World Smile Day
10/3     Alternative Fuel Day
            Change a Light Day with an eco-friendly bulb…
            World Card Making Day
            Inter-American Water Day
            Israel/Judaism: Sukkot (1^st Day) enjoy the Sukkah!
            South Korea: Tangun Day
10/4     Blessing of the Fishing Fleet
            Ten-Four Day we’re A-ok
            Intergeneration Day
            World Communion Day
            Hong Kong: Mid-Autumn Festival
10/5     Child Health Day
            Cowboy Hall of Fame Ceremony & Banquet
            Improve Your Office Day would someone clean mine for me?
            World Habitat Day
            World Teachers Day
            U.S. Supreme Court Term begins
            Portugal: Republic Day
10/6     Ecological Debt Day I’m afraid it’s bigger than the US debt…
            Jackie Mayer Rehab Day
            Mad Hatter Day can’t wait to see Johnny Depp do this one…
            National German-American Day guten tag!
            Egypt: Armed Forces Day
            Ireland: Ivy Day
            Syria: October War
10/7     Balloons Around the World love rainbow-colored balloons!
10/8     Alvin C. York Day
            National Depression Screening Day don’t fight it alone…
            World Sight Day
            Croatia: Statehood
            Peru: Battle of Angamos
10/9     Leif Erickson Day
            World Post Day send an email!
            Ecuador: Independence of Guayaquil
            Korea: Alphabet Day (Hangul)
10/10   International Newspaper Carrier Day how long will this job last…
            National Cake Decorating Day
            Naval Academy Day make a cake for a Navy service person!
            Universal Music Day sing when you deliver it!
            Japan: Taiiko-no-Hi
            Kenya: Moi Day
            Taiwan: Double Tenth Day
10/11   Clergy Appreciation Day
            General Pulaski Memorial Day
            International African Diaspora Day
            National Coming Out Day
            Simchat Torah
10/12   Columbus Day thank you, Chris…
            Free Thought Day
            International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
            National Kick Butt Day cigarettes or jerks?
            Native Americans’ Day
            National Salesperson Day
            Bahamas: Discovery Day
            Canada: Thanksgiving
            Mexico: Dia de la Raza
            Spain: National Holiday (Hispanity)
10/13   Emergency Nurses Day
                Navy Birthday
            National Face Your Fears Day do something every day that scares you…
            Hawaii: Discoverer’s Day
10/14   Be Bald and Be Free Day
            International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
            International Top Spinning Day fun!
            National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work & School Day
            Yemen: Revolution Day
10/15   Get to Know Your Customers Day it’s about time…
            Get Smart About Credit Day
            International Credit Union Day
            National Grouch Day hug Oscar!
            National Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Day
            White Cane Safety Day
            China: Birth of Confucius
            Iran: Martyrdom of Imam Jaffar Sadeq
            Japan: Newspaper Week
10/16   (National) Boss’s Day give ‘em the day off!
            Dictionary Day look it up!
            Mammography Day
            World Food Day it’s a distribution problem not a quantity problem
10/17   Bridge Day game or structure!
            Diwali
            Dussehra
            International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
            Mulligan Day stew or golf?
            Sweetest Day chocolate caramels on the menu!
            World Toy Camera Day
            Malaysia: Deepavali
10/18   National Chocolate Cupcake Day sweet!
            World Menopause Day that’s why we need the cupcakes…
10/19   Evaluate Your Life Day
            World Osteoporosis Day get your calcium, ladies!
10/20   Miss America Rose Day
            Birth of the Bab
            Kenya: Kenyatta Day
10/21   Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce
10/22   Caps Lock Day don’t shout!
            International Stuttering Awareness Day
10/23   iPod Day shoulda bought Apple stock in 1992…
            National Mole Day skin or rodent?
            Hungary: Revolution Day
            Thailand: Chulalongkom Day
10/24   United Nations Day
            World Development Information Day
            Make A Difference Day librarians do this EVERY day!
10/25   Lung Health Day don’t smoke…
            Mother-in-Law Day just smile
            Reformation Sunday
            Sourest Day
            XTERRA World Championships
10/26   Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night I’m there!
            Mule Day unsung heroes…
            Austria: National Day
            China: Chung Yeung
10/27   Cranky Co-Workers Day do we celebrate or kick their butts?
            Navy Day
10/28   Day of International Concern About Young People & Gun Violence
            National Chocolates Day hooray, more chocolate!
            St. Jude’s Day
            Czech Republic: Independence Day
            Greece: Ochi (Oxi) Day
10/29   Internet Day surf for fun and facts!
            World Psoriasis Day
            Turkey: Republic Day
10/30   Create a Great Funeral Day might as well…
            Devil’s Night
            Haunted Refrigerator Night creepy…
            International Bandanna Day
            National Candy Corn Day gross…
            Frankenstein Friday
10/31   Halloween my 2^nd favorite holiday! 
            National Caramel Apple Day I love caramel apples…
            National Knock-Knock Jokes Day who’s there?
            National Magic Day
            National UNICEF Day
            Reformation Day re-form with a great costume!
            Samhain hug a Wiccan!
            Germany: Day of Reformation

Selected Author/Illustrator Birthdays…

10/1     Julie (Andrews) Edwards, 1935; Paul Yee, 1956
10/2     Jeanne Betancourt, 1941; Bruce Balan, 1959
10/3     Thomas Wolfe, 1900; James Herriot, 1916; Marilyn Singer, 1948
10/4     Robert Lawson, 1892; Karen Cushman, 1941; Don Brown, 1949
10/5     David Shannon, 1959
10/6     Elizabeth Janet Gray, 1902
10/7     Alice Dalgliesh, 1893; Robert Westall, 1929
10/8     Barthe DeClements, 1920; Frank Herbert, 1920; R. L. Stine, 1943
10/9     Johanna Hurwitz, 1937
10/10   James Riordan, 1936; Robert D. San Souci, 1946
10/11   Russell Freedman, 1929; Susan Arnold, 1951
10/12   Alice Childress, 1920; Robert Coles, 1929
10/13   Eileen Dunlop, 1938; David Greenberg, 1954
10/14   Lois Lenski, 1893; ee cummings, 1894; Miriam Cohen, 1926
10/15   Barry Moser, 1940
10/16   Oscar Wilde, 1854; Joseph Bruchac, 1942
10/17   Naomi Karp, 1926; Judith Caseley, 1951
10/18   Esther Hautzig, 1930; Joyce Hansen, 1942
10/19   Ed Emberley, 1931; Philip Pullman, 1946; Dan Gutman, 1955
10/20   Crockett Johnson, 1975; Nikki Grimes, 1950
10/21   Ursula LeGuinn, 1929; Janet Ahlbert, 1944
10/22   N.C. Wyeth, 1882; Marjorie Flack, 1897        
10/23   J. Michael Crichton, 1942; Gordon Korman, 1963
10/24   Phyllis Fenner, 1899; Barbara Robinson, 1927
10/25   Stephanie Tolan, 1942
10/26   Steven Kellogg, 1941
10/27   Dylan Thomas, 1914; Sylvia Plath, 1932
10/28   Leonard Kessler, 1921; Judith Thurman, 1946
10/29   Valerie Worth, 1933; Rhonda Gowler Greene, 1955
10/30   Sydney Taylor, 1904; Eric Kimmel, 1946
10/31   Katherine Paterson, 1932; Tom Paxton, 1937

Some information obtained from School Library Monthly and http://www.brownielocks.com/october.html

2009 is winding down as we head into September, the ninth month of the ninth year of the new millenium. Bonza Bottler Day (9/9/09) is especially noteworthy this year – I’m sure some numerologist somewhere is working out the significance as I write. While I believe that every day is special, there are some particularly wonderful reasons to celebrate this month. So, my learned friends, check those backpacks and baby seats, put on a cool hat, play a board game with your family, check around for mold, clip a coupon, eat some fruits & veggies, and improve your Self. September is here!

Disclaimer: the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the thoughts, opinions, ideas, or musings of any other person, group or entity. There is never any intention of harm or disparagement.

September 4 – Full Moon                     September 18 – New Moon
Flower – Aster or Morning Glory         Birthstone – Sapphire

September is the month for…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Month Look! A puppy!
Apple Month
Atrial Fibrillation Month
Baby Safety Month
Backpack Safety America Month no babies in backpacks…
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Childrens’ Good Manners Month ha!
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
College Savings Month
Fall Hat Month have a “hat day!”
Go Wild During California Wild Rice Month
Great American Low-Cholesterol, Low-fat Pizza Bake Month
Gynecology Cancer Awareness Month
International People Skills Month those good manners would be a start…
International Self-Awareness Month
International Strategic Thinking Month
Library Card Sign-Up Month get one!
(World) Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness Month
National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month
Million Minute Family Challenge (through December)
Mold Awareness Month
National Chicken Month hopefully, not moldy chicken…
National Childhood Injury Prevention Month
National Coupon Month get ‘em organized and save!
National 5-A-Day Month
National Honey Month food or significant other?
National Mushroom Month
National Organic Harvest Month
National Osteopathic Medicine Month it’ll help you straighten up!
National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
National Prime Beef Month
National Sickle Cell Month
National Pediculosis Prevention Month
National Piano Month get it tuned…
National Potato Month
National Preparedness Month
National Rice Month chicken & rice, prime beef & potato…
National School Success Month ensured by reading!
National Skin Care Awareness Month
National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month
One-on-One Month
Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month
Pleasure Your Mate Month
Reunion Planning Month time to go on that diet….
Schoolhouse Triangle Project Month
Sea Cadet Month
Self Improvement Month to get ready for that reunion…
September is Healthy Aging Month
Shameless Promotion Month
Sports and Home Eye Health & Safety Month
Subliminal Communications Month
Update Your Resume Month you never know when you’re gonna need it…
World Animal Remembrance Month
National Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15)

Special September weeks…

8/22-9/20  Ramadan
9/1-7           Self-University Week
                   Brazil: Independence Week
                   International Enthusiasm Week  woo-hoo!
                   National Childhood Injury Prevention Week
9/6-12         National Waffle Week
9/7-11         National Payroll Week to go get more waffles!
9/7-12         Suicide Prevention Week
9/8-12         Play Days
9/13-19       Balance Awareness Week oh, you’re aware if you don’t have it!
                   Constitution Week
                   National Assisted Living Week
                   National Historically Black Colleges & Universities Week
9/14-19       Line Dance Week hug a cowboy!
                   Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week
9/14-20       National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness
9/15-21       National No Bully Week can’t this be all year?
9/17-23       National Constitution Center Constitution Week
9/20-26      Build a Better Image Week
                   Child Passenger Safety Week
                   Deaf Awareness Week learn how to sign!
                   National Adult Immunization Awareness Week
                   National Clean Hands Week
                   National Farm & Ranch Safety and Health Week
                   National Keep Kids Creative Week not easy in public school…
                   Prostate Cancer Awareness Week
                   National Rehabilitation Awareness Celebration
                   National Singles Week
                   Tolkien Week hug a Hobbit!
9/21-25       National Love Your Files Week
9/21-27       Pollution Prevention Week (3^rd full week in Sept)
9/21-28       International Women’s Ecommerce Days
9/23-26      American Massage Therapy Week boy, I could really use one!
9/26-10/3   Banned Books Week support the freedom to read!
9/27-10/3   National Chimney Safety Week
                   Remember to Register to Vote Week

Days to remember in September…

9/1    Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day
          Chicken Boy’s Day who the heck is Chicken boy?
          Emma M. Nutt Day
          Toy Tips Executive Toy Test Day
          Libya: Revolution Day
          Slovakia: Independence Day
9/2    V-J Day
           Bison-Ten-Yell Day
          Calendar Adjustment Day just in case…
          Vietnam: Independence Day
9/3    China: Festival of Hungry Ghosts
          Qatar: Independence Day
          San Marino: National Day
9/4    Newspaper Carrier Day
          Oatmeal Day (and 9/5)
          Curacao: Animals’ Day
          Taiwan: Cheng Cheng Kung Birth
9/5    Be Late for Something Day why not? it’s Saturday anyway…
9/6    Salami Day
          Bulgaria: Unification Day
          Swaziland: Independence Day
9/7    Google Commemoration Day
          Grandma Moses Day
          Labor Day
          “Neither Snow nor Rain” Day yet there’s no delivery today…
9/8    Another Look Unlimited Day
          International Literacy Day reading is freedom!
          World Physical Therapy Day
          Macedonia: Independence Day
9/9    Wonderful Weirdoes Day there are so many…
          Bonza Bottler Day
          Japan: Chrysanthemum Day
9/10  Swap Ideas Day make sure they’re good ones…
          Belize: St. George’s Caye Day
9/11   Libraries Remember Day
          Patriot Day
          Remembrance Day say a prayer for those who died…
          Ethiopia: New Year’s Day
9/12  Popcorn Day love that smell!
          (World) Suicide Prevention Day
          Video Games Day
          Mushroom Day (and 9/13)
9/13  International Chocolate Day yum!
          National Celiac Awareness Day
          National Grandparent’s Day
          National Urban Eden Day make your own little corner of heaven...
9/14  National Boss/Employee Exchange Day um, no thanks…
9/16  Anne Bradstreet Day
          International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
          Mayflower Day
          Stepfamily Day
          Trail of Tears Commemoration Day
          U.N. General Assembly: Opening Day
9/17  Citizenship Day
          Constitution Day
          VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day
9/18  Air Force Birthday
          Chiropractic Founders Day
          National Respect Day oh, if only this could be a daily thing…
          World Water Monitoring Day
9/19  Boys’ and Girls’ Club Day for Kids
          National POW/MIA Recognition Day
          Talk Like a Pirate Day yo-ho-ho, me hearties!
          Big Whopper Liar Day
          International Eat an Apple Day
          International Coastal Cleanup Day don’t toss your apple cores…
          National Seat Check Saturday
          Responsible Dog Ownership Day spay neuter spay neuter spay neuter
          Rosh Hashanah
          Wife Appreciation Day on Big Whopper Liar Day?
9/20  United nations International Day of Peace
9/21  Eid-Al-Fitr
          International Day of Peace
          National Women Road Warrior Day no rage allowed…
          World Alzheimer’s Day
9/22  American Business Women’s Day
          Autumn Equinox stand an egg on its end!
          Dear Diary Day
          Elephant Appreciation Day
          Hobbit Day take one for an elephant ride…
          International Day of Radian Peace
          Mabon
          National White Chocolate Day white, dark, it’s all good!
9/23  Innergize Day
          Earth Over Shoot Day
9/24  Beer Day(s) – through 9/26 yeah, we needed more than one day…
          Punctuation Day
          Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving
9/25  Hug A Vegetarian Day ’cause it’s chicken & prime beef month…
          (World) Ataxia Awareness Day
          National One-Hit Wonder Day Strawberry Alarm Clock anyone?
          Love Note Day
9/26  Fish Amnesty Day what did they do?
          Hunting and Fishing Day
          Shamu the Whale Day
          National Public Lands Day
          R.E.A.D. in America Day read in a public park!
          Family Health and Fitness Day USA
          National Hunting and Fishing Day
9/27  Ancestor Appreciation Day
          Gold Star Mother’s Day what’s a “gold star” mother?
          National Good Neighbor Day (always the 4^th Sunday)
          World Tourism Day
          World Heart Day
9/28  Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner With Your Kids
          Dussehra
          Fish Tank Floorshow Night just keep swimmin’!
          World Maritime Day
          Yom Kippur
9/29  VFW Day
9/30  National Women’s Health & Fitness Day

Selected author birthdays…

9/1    Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1875; Jim Arnosky, 1946; Patricia McMahon, 1959
9/2    Bernard Most, 1937; Demi, 1942; Penny Colman, 1944
9/3    Tom Glazer, 1914; Aliki (Liacouras Brandenberg), 1929
9/4    Richard Wright, 1908; Syd Hoff, 1912; Joan Aiken, 1924
9/5    Edith McCall, 1911; Gloria Jean Pinkney, 1941; Paul Fleischman, 1952
9/6    Howard Pease, 1894; Philip Yates, 1958
9/7    Taylor Caldwell, 1900; Jacob lawrence, 1917
9/8    Jack Prelutsky, 1940; Michael Hague, 1948; Jon Scieszka, 1954
9/9    Leo Tolstoy, 1828; Mildred Pitts Walter, 1922; Ian Graham, 1953
9/10  Robert McClung, 1916; Betty Levin, 1927; Babette Cole, 1949
9/11   O. Henry, 1862; Anthony Browne, 1946
9/12  Harold Faber, 1919; Valerie Tripp, 1951
9/13  Roald Dahl, 1916; Mildred D. Taylor, 1943
9/14  Dante Alighieri, 1265; William H. Armstrong, 1914; Diane Goode, 1949
9/15  James Fenimore Cooper, 1789; Robert McCloskey, 1914; Tomie de Paola, 1934
9/16  Anne Bradstreet, 1612; H. A. Rey, 1898
9/17  Elizabeth Enright, 1909; Paul Goble, 1933; Gail Carson Levine, 1947
9/18  Harold Courlander, 1908; Twig C. George, 1950
9/19  Rachel Field, 1894; William Golding, 1911; Vicki Cobb, 1938
9/20  Miska Petersham, 1888; Sue Ellen Bridgers, 1942
9/21  H. G. Wells, 1866; Anne E. Schraff, 1939; Hans Wilhelm, 1945
9/22  Charles Keeping, 1924; Stephen King, 1947
9/23  Bruce Brooks, 1950
9/24  F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896; Wilson Rawls, 1913; Jane Louise Curry, 1932
9/25  William Faulkner, 1897; Shel Silverstein, 1932; Jim Murphy, 1947
9/26  T. S. Eliot, 1888; Berthe Amoss, 1925
9/27  Thomas Nast, 1840; Bernard Waber, 1924
9/28  Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1856; Carol Lynch Williams, 1959
9/29  Stan Berenstain, 1923; Marissa Moss, 1959
9/30  Edgar Parin d’Aulaire, 1898; Alvin Tresselt, 1916; Elie Wiesel, 1928

It’s May? I think I just took down the snowman bulletin board and the snowflakes are still on my desk waiting to be put in their little envelope where they will patiently wait for next year’s display. Wasn’t it around 30 degrees last week? When did all those leaves shoot out of the trees? I know that time is relative and the older I get the faster it seems to slip through my fingers. The school year is almost over and the kids are looking at the last day of school with deep longing and uncontrolled anticipation. It is almost in their grasp and they are determined to take down a few teachers before it gets here…(grin) Well don’t despair my library friends…there is much to celebrate during the month of May. Why not get started?

Disclaimer: the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the ideas, opinions, or musings of any other person, group, or entity. If you don’t have a sense of humor, read someone else’s blog.

Flower: Lily of the Valley or Hawthorn     Birthstone: Emerald

Full Moon:        May 9                             New Moon: May 24

Monthly observances:

ALS Awareness Month (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

American Wetlands Month celebrate them before they’re gone…

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Awareness of Medical Orphans Month are doctors dying that often?

Better Hearing & Speech Month

Borderline Personality Disorder Month  this time of year we’re all a little borderline…

Brain Tumor Awareness Month

Clean Air Month just breathe…

Creative Beginnings Month

Family Wellness Month

Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month

Freedom Shrine Month

Get Caught Reading Month there are worse things you could get caught doing…

Gifts from the Garden Month oh! The pressure! I haven’t even planted everything yet!

Go Fetch! Food Drive for Homeless Animals Month can’t we just give it to them?

Haitian Heritage Month

Heal the Children Month

Healthy Vision Month visit your eye professional!

Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month

International Audit Month oh, boo hiss…

International Business Image Improvement Month

International Victorious Woman Month

Jewish-American Heritage Month oy to the world!

Latino Books Month

Motorcycle Safety Month wear your leathers and your helmets!

National Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month

National Arthritis Month

National Barbeque Month

National Bike Month the non-motorized kind…

National Egg Month

National Foster Care Month stop foreign adoption!

National Good Car Keeping Month

National Hamburger Month I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes (with apologies to J. Buffett)

National Hepatitis Awareness month

(World) Lyme Disease Awareness Month

National Meditation Month 15 minutes a day is all it takes…

National Mental Health Month

National Military Appreciation Month

National Moving Month if you’re military you’re probably moving…

National Osteoporosis prevention Month

National Photo Month

National Physical Fitness & Sports Month

National Physiotherapy Month

National Preservation Month what are we preserving?

National Salad Month

National Salsa Month put some on your salad!

National Smile Month (5/18-6/17)

National Stroke Awareness Month

National Revise Your Work Schedule Month

National Vinegar Month add a little oil and celebrate with salad!

Older Americans Month

Personal History Month

React Month why? What happened?

Strike Out Strokes Month

Sweet Vidalia Onions Month mmmm…sweet Georgia apples!

Teen Self-Esteem Month I think they have too much as it is…

Tennis Month

Tay-Sachs and Canavan Diseases Month

Ultra-violet Awareness Month wear sunscreen!

Women’s Health Care Month

Young Achievers of Tomorrow Month

National Family Month (5/10-6/21)

Weekly Celebrations in May…

5/1-7                Bread Pudding Recipe Exchange Week you can keep them, thank you

                        Pen Friends International Week

5/1-8                Tim & Tom Gullikson Week

5/3-9                Be Kind to Animals Week pet a friendly dog…

                        Children’s Mental Health Week

                        Flexible Work Arrangement Week

                        Goodwill Industries Week donate!

                        National Anxiety & Depression Awareness Week

                        National Family Week

                        National Hug Holiday Week

                        National Pet Week

                        North American Occupational Safety & Health Week

                        Teacher Appreciation Week there’s NOT enough of that these days…

                        Update Your References Week

5/3-10              Drinking Water Week

5/4-8                Intimate Apparel Market Week

5/4-9                National Wildflower Week pick some in your intimate apparel…

5/4-10              Dating and Life Coach Recognition Week

5/6-12              National Nurses Day and Week

5/8-14              Nat’l Alcohol & Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week

5/8-15              Jewish Heritage Week

5/9-17              National Tourism Week

5/10-16            National Nursing Home Week

                        National Police Week

                        National Return To Work Week I think I’ll stay home…

                        National Transportation Week

                        National Women’s Health Week

                        Reading is Fun Week it’s fun all year!

5/11-15            National Etiquette Week yes, please.

5/11-17            Salvation Army Week

                        Universal Family Week

                        Children’s Book Week read an old favorite!

                        National Stuttering Awareness Week

5/15-21            National Running & Fitness Week

5/16-22            National Safe Boating Week

5/17-23            National New Friends, Old Friends Week

                        World Trade Week what are we trading for?

5/17-25            National Dog Bite Prevention Week

5/18-24            Emergency Medical Services Week

                        National Medical Transcription Week

                        Work at Home Moms Week

5/18-25            National Effectiveness Week

                        National Backyards Games Week just go play!

5/23-30            Cover the Uninsured Week

5/25-31            Week of Solidarity with the People of Non-Self-Governing Territories

5/31-6/6           Black Single Parents Week

Special May Days…

5/1       Amtrak Day

            Beltaine get witch and famous!

            Emmet Kelly Clown Days

            Executive Coaching Day

            Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day

            Law Day

            Lei Day aloha nui loa!

            Loyalty Day

            May Day

            Mother Goose Day Jack Sprat could eat no fat…

            New Homeowner’s Day

            School Principal’s Day hug your principal day!

            Silver Star Day

            Stepmother’s Day not the evil ones…

            No Pants Day no! this is a school day, y’all!

            Space Day

            Tuba Day

5/2       Astronomy Day

            Join Hands Day

            Roberts Rule of Order Day

            Free Comic Book Day go get one!

            Kentucky Derby have a julep in a big hat!

            Join Hands Day

            National Homebrew Day bring one to the comic book store guy…

            National Scrapbooking Day

5/3       Garden Meditation Day

            Lumpy Rug Day rats…now I have to clean out the lumps…

            National Two Different Colored Shoes Day

            Paranormal Day watch an X-Files episode…

            World Press Freedom Day

            Motorcycle Mass & Blessing of the Bikes Day

            National Infertility Survival Day we want infertility to survive?

5/4       Melanoma Monday

            Respect for Chickens Day what will Chik-Fil-A do?

5/5       (World) Asthma Day

            Bonza Bottler Day

            Cartoonists Day

            Childhood Stroke Awareness Day

            Cinco de Mayo arriba!

            Totally Chipotle Day

            Childhood Depression Awareness Day

            Joseph Brackett Day

            National Teacher Day hug a teacher and say THANKS!

5/6       Great American Grump Out

            National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

            National School Nurse Day

            No Homework Day shouldn’t this be on the 5^th?

            Nurses Day

            Occupational Safety & Health Professional’s Day

5/7       Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

            National Day of Prayer pray every day…

            National Day of Reason

5/8       No Socks Day go commando!

            Time of Remembrance & Reconciliation for Those

              Who Lost their Lives During the Second World War (and 5/9)

            VE Day

            World Red Cross Day

            Child Care Provider Day

            Military Spouse Appreciation Day

5/9       Birthmother’s Day

            International Migratory Bird Day

            Letter Carrier’s Food Drive Day

            Mother Ocean Day to to the beach & clean up some trash…

            National Babysitter’s Day

            National Miniature Golf Day take your babysitter!

            National Train Day

            Stay Up All Night Day tonight or last night?

            World Fair Trade Day

            World Migratory Bird Day (and 5/10)

5/10     Armed Forces Day

            Lupus Day

            Mother’s Day thanks, Mom.

            Windmill Day read Don Quixote…

5/11     Eat What You Want Day hooray! But do I still have to count it?

            Fibromyalgia Awareness Day

            Denmark: Common Prayer Day

5/12     Library Legislative Day

            Limerick Day there once was a man from Nantucket…

            National Nutty Fudge Day

5/13     National Night (or Third) Shift Workers Day

            Receptionists Day can you hold please?

            Root Canal Appreciation Day oh, no way…

5/14     Norway: Midnight Sun

5/15     International Day of Families

            National Chocolate Chip Day why bother putting them in a cookie?

            National Safety Dose Day

            Nylon Stockings Day I hope I never have to wear them again…

            Peace Officer Memorial Day

            International Virtual Assistants Day

            National Bike to Work Day bring some deoderant…

            National Defense Transportation Day

            National Pizza Party Day have one with your bicycling friends!

            Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season Begins (thru 11/30)

5/16     Armed Forces Day

            Biographer’s Day

            National Sea Monkey Day mine didn’t turn out like the pictures…

            Preakness Stakes

5/17     Rogation Sunday

            Rural Life Sunday Day

            World Telecommunications Day

            World Information Society Day

            NASCAR Day talk about rural life…

5/18     International Museum Day

            Send an Electronic Greeting Card Day

            Visit Your Relatives Day don’t Christmas and Thanksgiving count?

            Victoria Day

            Haiti: Flag and University Day

5/19     Ascension Day

            Boys Club Day

            May Ray Day

            Turkey: Youth and Sports Day

5/20     Eliza Doolittle Day

            Weights & Measures Day measure the rain on the plains of Spain…

            National Employee Health & Fitness Day

            Turn Beauty Inside Out Day

            Cameroon: National Holiday

5/21     American Red Cross Founder’s Day

            I Need a Patch for That Day jeans or computers?

            National Wait Staff Day if you can’t pay the tip you can’t afford to eat out…

            World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development

            Belgium: Procession of the Holy Blood

5/22     International Day for Biological Diversity

            National Maritime Day

            National Wig Out Day just one day?

            Canada: Immigrant’s Day and Victoria Day

            Sri Lanka: National Heroes Day

            Yemen: National Day

5/23     Declaration of the Bab Day

            International Jazz Day listen to Miles and Dizzy…

            Julia Pierpont Day

            National Taffy Day pull, baby, pull!

            Tiara Day

            World Turtle Day help a turtle cross the road!

5/24     ARMAD – Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day

            Brother’s Day

            Neighbor Day

5/25     Cookie Monster’s Birthday I wonder how old he is?

            National Missing Children’s Day

            National Tap Dance Day

            Nerd Pride or Geek Pride Day maybe they should tap dance…

            Towel Day

            Memorial Day

            Prayer for Peace Memorial Day

5/27     National Senior Health & Fitness Day buy Granny a Wii fit!

            Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals (and 5/28)

5/28     Sierra Club Day

            Slugs Return from Capistrano Day how long is THAT gonna take?

            China: Dragon Boat Festival

5/30     Hug Your Cat Day yeah, right…

            Loomis Day

            Memorial Day (Actual)

5/31     Pentecost or WhitSunday

            World No-Tobacco Day

Select Author’s Birthdays:

5/1       Joseph Heller, 1923; Robert Bender, 1962

5/2       Susan Shreve, 1939; Mary Quattlebaum, 1958

5/3       Karen Heywood, 1946; Mavis Jukes, 1947

5/4       Don Wood, 1945; Doug Cushman, 1953

5/5       Leo Lionni, 1910; J. Patrick Lewis, 1942; Todd Strasser, 1950

5/6       Judy Delton, 1931; Ted Lewin, 1935; Barbara McClintock, 1955

5/7       Robert Browning, 1812; Nonny Hogrogrian, 1932

5/8       Milton Meltzer, 1915; Ellen Howard, 1945

5/9       Sir James M. Barrie, 1860; William Pene DuBois, 1916; Richard Adams, 1920

5/10     Caroline B. Cooney, 1947; Christopher Paul Curtis, 1954

5/11     Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 1927; Peter Sis, 1949

5/12     Edward Lear, 1812; Farley Mowat, 1921

5/13     Norma Klein, 1938; Jennifer Bryant, 1960

5/14     George Selden Thompson, 1929; Eoin Colfer, 1965

5/15     L. Frank Baum, 1856; Norma Fox Mazer, 1931; Paul Zindel, 1936

5/16     Margret Rey, 1906; Betty Miles, 1928; Bruce Coville, 1950

5/17     Eloise Greenfield, 1929; Gary Paulsen, 1939

5/18     Irene Hunt, 1907; Lillian Hoban, 1925; Diane Duane, 1952

5/19     Tom Feelings, 1933; Arthur Dorros, 1950

5/20     Don Lawson, 1917; Mary Pope Osborne, 1949

5/21     Virginia Haviland, 1911; Harold Robbins, 1916; Beverly Naidoo, 1943

5/22     Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859; Arnold Lobel, 1933

5/23     Scott O’Dell, 1898; Margaret Wise Brown, 1910; Susan Cooper, 1935

5/24     Elizabeth Lewis, 1892; Mary Stolz, 1920; Candace Fleming, 1962

5/25     Ivy Ruckman, 1931; Ann McGovern, 1931; Joyce Carol Thomas, 1938

5/26     Sheila Greenwald, 1934; Adrienne Kenneway, 1945

5/27     Rachel Carson, 1907; M.E. Kerr, 1927

5/28     Ian Fleming, 1909; Herman Wouk, 1915

5/29     T.H. White, 1906; Willo Davis Roberts, 1928; Andrew Clements, 1949

5/30     Cornelia Otis Skinner, 1901

5/31     Elizabeth Coatsworth, 1893; Harry Mazer, 1925; Will Hillenbrand, 1960

Thanks to the folks at School Library Media Activities Monthly and Brownielocks.com for providing some of the information above.

April…the word just oozes spring time, doesn’t it? Soft spring rain waking up the sleeping bulbs – they yawn and reach for the sun and invite us over for a swim in the deep end of color and fragrance…ahhh.

Well, wake up and smell the fresh Florida tomatoes, my holiday-loving friends! Anyone can stop and smell the hyacinths, you know. It takes one with a deeply curious and playful demeanor to observe alcohol and autism, appreciate couples, engage in some holy humor, listen to some Dixieland jazz, start a garden, fly a kite, eat pecans, and prevent animal cruelty all while dressed in a tweed tartan plaid Southern Belle costume visiting the School Library Media Center for a lesson on the Pony Express! Welcome to the month of April…it’s not just for fools anymore…

Disclaimer: The comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the opinions, thoughts, or musings of any other person, group or entity. There is no harm or disparagement intended.

April flower:     Daisy or Sweet Pea

Birthstone:        Diamond

Full Moon:        April 9 at 10:56am EST

New Moon:      April 24 at 11:23pm EST

April is the month for…

African American Women’s Fitness Month

Alcohol Awareness Month I’m aware that I don’t drink enough…

Amateur Radio Month

Autism Awareness Month

Cancer Control Month there’s cancer control?

Car Care Month

Celebrate Diversity Month

Child Abuse Prevention Month how about EVERY month, y’all…

(International) Cesarean Awareness Month

Couple Appreciation Month I appreciate restraint in public…

Emotional Overeating Month

Financial Literacy Month

Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month don’t emotionally overeat them

Global Child Nutrition Month

Grange Month

Holy Humor Month John, Paul, and Peter walk into a bar…

Home Improvement Time (through Sept. 30)

Informed Women Month

International Customer Loyalty Month

International Pet First Aid Awareness Month

International Twit Award Month all hail Monty Python!

IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) Month

Jazz Appreciation Month

Keep America Beautiful Month

Month of the Young Child gotta love ‘em!

Month of the Military Child

National Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Card and Letter Writing Month

National Decorating Month take down the snowman flag!

National DNA & Genomics & Stem Cell Education & Awareness Month

National Donate Life Month sign your donor card!

National Garden Month

National Humor Month

National Kite Month like Bert in Mary Poppins!

National Knuckles Down Month

National Landscape Architecture Month

National Occupational Therapy Month

National Parkinson’s Awareness Month

National Pecan Month plant a tree & have plenty of nuts!

National Poetry Month

National Sexual Assault Awareness Month

National Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Education & Awareness Month

National Youth Sports Safety Month

Pharmacists War on Diabetes Month

Physical Wellness Month

Prevent Lyme in Dogs Month check them for ticks!

Prevention of Animal Cruelty be kind when you check them for ticks!

Rosacea Awareness Month

School Library Media Month all hail School Librarians!

Straw Hat Month

Southern Belles Month frankly, my dear…

Women’s Eye Health & Safety Month

Workplace Conflict Awareness Month if you’ve got one you’re aware!

World Habitat Awareness Month

International School Spirit Season (4/30-12/26)

April’s special weeks…

4/1-7                International Pooper-Scooper Week hmmm

                        Laugh at Work Week

                        Golden Rule Week do unto others…

                        Medication Safety Week

                        Testicular Cancer Awareness Week

4/3-5                Alcohol-Free Weekend oh rats! it’s spring Break, too!

4/4-10              Hate Week who came up with this brilliant idea???

4/5-11              Holy Week odd coincidence…

                        National Blue Ribbon Week

                        National Week of the Ocean

                        National Women’s Nutrition Week

                        Explore Your Career Options especially if you’re a teacher…

4/6-12              National Networking Week explore those options…

4/7-11              National Public Health Week

                        National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week

4/9-16              Pesach or Passover

4/12-18            National Environmental Week

                        National Library Week hug a librarian!

                        National Personal Training Week

                        National Wildlife Week but not in the library…

                        Pan American Week

                        Young People’s Poetry Week

4/13-19            Egg Salad Week make sure they’ve been refrigerated!

                        National Crime Victims Rights Week

4/17-19            Trivia Days who wants to play a game of Jeopardy?!

4/14-18            National Occupational Health Nursing Week

4/18-26            National Wildlife Week I thought that was last week…

4/19-24            Customer Awareness Week

                        Police Officers Who Gave Their Lives in the Line of Duty Week there’s no way to properly thank them…

4/19-25            Administrative Professionals Week

                        Coin Week jingle, jingle, jingle

                        National Karaoke Week sing badly!

                        National Inspirational News Week

                        National Park Week do karaoke in the park!

                        National Playground Safety Week

                        National Volunteer Week

                        Sky Awareness Week why? is it falling?

                        Week of the Young Child

                        WOC Nurse Week

4/20-25            Fish Fry Week

4/20-26            Cowboy Poetry Week horse, coarse, force…

                        National Paperboard Packaging Week

                        National Window Safety Week

                        National Whistler’s Week watch the Andy Griffith show!

                        Turn Off TV Week okay, maybe not…

4/24-26            National Dream Hotline what’s the number?

4/24-30            National Scoop the Poop Week is this related to pooper-scooper week?

4/25-27            Starman Days

4/25-5/4           National Dance Week scoop the poop first!

4/27-5/3           Safe Kids Week

                        Astronomy Week

                        National Volunteer Week

Days to celebrate in April…

4/1       April Fools or All Fools Day

            Boomer Bonus Days

            Lupus Alert Day

            National Fun Day

            National Day of Hope I hope you have a fun day…

            National Fun at Work Day

            Paraprofessional Appreciation Day

            Poetry & the Creative Mind Day

            Sorry Charlie Day

            St. Stupid Day who canonized someone named Stupid?

            US Air Force Academy Day

            Bulgaria: St. Lazarus’ Day

            Iran: Islamic Republic Day

4/2       International Children’s Book Day READ!

            Reconciliation Day

4/3       Pony Express Day giddyap!

            Tweed Day

            Hospital Admitting Clerks Day

4/4       International Day for Mine Awareness & Assistance in Mine Action

            Victims of Violence Wholly Day

            World Rat Day ummm…why?

            National Love our Children Day

            Tangible Karma Day what is intangible karma?

4/5       Palm Sunday

4/6       Drowsy Drive Awareness Day wake up, people!

            Tartan Day

            Teflon Day does Teflon come in plaid?

4/7       Metric System Day

            No Housework Day hmpf! just one day?

            World Health Day

            Rwanda: Genocide Remembrance Day

4/8       Buddha Day smile serenely…

4/9       National Alcohol Screening Day

            National Cherish an Antique Day item not person…

            National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day

            Passover begins (through April 16^th)

            Philippines: Araw Ng Kagitingan

            Tunisia: Martyrs’ Day

            Winston Churchill Day

4/10     ASPCA Day spay, neuter, spay, neuter, spay, neuter

            Commodore Perry Day

            Good Friday

            National D.A.R.E. Day

            National Sibling Day so be good, y’all…

            Salvation Army Founder’s Day

4/11     Barbershop Quartet Day Sweet Adeleine…

            International “Louie Louie” Day how would a Barbershop Quartet do it?

            World Parkinson’s Disease Day

            Baby Massage Day awww…

4/12     Easter oh, happy day!

            Licorice Day

            Walk on Your Wild Side Day

4/13     Dyngus Day (First Monday after Easter)

            Thomas Jefferson Day

            White House Easter Egg Roll what’s in them this year?

            India: Vaisakhi

            South Africa: Family Day

            Sri Lanka: Sinhala and Tamil New Year

            Switzerland: Egg Races

            Thailand: Songkran Festival

4/14     Children with Alopecia Day

            National Be Kind to Lawyers Day okay, this was supposed to be on 4/1!

            Pan American Day

            Honduras: Dia Las Americas

4/15     Income Tax Pay Day boo hiss…hopefully you get a refund…

            McDonald’s Day cause that’s all you can afford to eat…

            Take a Wild Guess Day

            That Sucks Day is this about taxes again?

            Equal Pay Day

            Massachusetts & Maine: Patriot’s Day

            Rubber Eraser Day taxes again??

4/16     High Five Day

            International Moment of Laughter Day

            International Stress Awareness Day

            National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day not the silk teddies…

            Denmark: Queen Margaret’s Birthday

            Teen Literature Day read to a teenager!

4/17     Blah! Blah! Blah! Day this is what teens hear…

            Ellis Island Family History Day

            Ford Mustang Day is there a Thunderbird day?

            World Hemophilia Day

            Syrian Arab Republic: Independence Day

4/18     Adult Autism Day

            Pet Owners Independence Day

            Record Store Day spin some vinyl!

            Respect Your Mother Day

            Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day

            Third World Day

            World Amateur Radio Day ham it up with Mom!

            Husband Appreciation Day ummm…

            Auctioneers Day

4/19     National Hanging Out Day with who?

            Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

            Orthodox Easter Sunday

4/20     Boston Marathon

4/21     Kindergarten Day God bless the little children…

            National Chocolate-covered Cashews Day yum!

            National Teach your Children to Save Day

            Israel: Holocaust Day

            South Africa: Family Day

4/22     Chemists Celebrate the Earth Day with chemicals!

            Earth Day go green!

            National Jelly Bean Day eat green Jelly Bellies!

            Administrative Professionals Day (or Secretary’s Day)

4/23     World Book & Copyright Day don’t copy!

            St. George Feast Day

            Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day

            Turkey: National Sovereignty Day & Children’s Day

4/24     Arbor Day plant a tree

            National Hairball Awareness Day okay, ewwww!

4/25     Bob Willis Day who’s Bob Willis? Related to John Galt?

            Bulldogs are Beautiful Day

            California Poppy Day poppies…poppies…

            Global Youth Services Day

            Malaria Awareness Day

            National Rebuilding Day

            Red Hat Society Day you go, girls!

            World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

4/26     Hug an Australian Day g’day, mates!

            International Marconi Day

            Richter Scale Day shake it up!

            Mother, Father Deaf Day

4/27     Babe Ruth Day

Mantanzas Mule Day

            Morse Code Day dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit

            Togo: Independence Day

            Sierra Leone: Independence Day

            South Africa: Freedom Day

4/28     Workers Memorial Day ’cause some people do still have jobs…

            Egypt: Sham El-Nessim

4/29     Sense of Smell Day hope it’s pleasant…

            National Dance Day

            Israel: Independence Day

            Japan: Showa Day

            St. Catherine of Siena: Feast Day

            Taiwan: Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day

4/30     Beltane

            Hairstylists Appreciation Day tip well, my friends!

            National Honesty Day with your hairstylist?

            Spank Out Day – USA spare the rod…

            Sweden: Feast of Valborg

            Walpurgis Night

Selected Author’s April birthdays:

4/1       Anne McCaffrey, 1926; Edward Myers, 1950

4/2       Washington Irving, 1783; Hans Christian Andersen, 1805

4/3       Virginia Silverstein, 1937; Sandra Boynton, 1953

4/4       Maya Angelou, 1928; Elizabeth Levy, 1942

4/5       Richard Peck, 1934; Lurlene McDaniel, 1944; Todd Strasser, 1950

4/6       Jerdine Nolan, 1953; Graeme Base, 1958

4/7       Donald Carrick, 1929; Alice Schertle, 1941

4/8       Ruth Chew, 1920; Susan Bonners, 1947; Steven Schnur, 1952

4/9       Joseph Krumgold, 1908; Margaret Peterson Haddix, 1964

4/10     Harvey Weiss, 1922; Martin Waddell, 1941; David Adler, 1947

4/11     Graham Salisbury, 1944; April Pulley Sayre, 1966

4/12     C.W. Anderson, 1891; Beverly Cleary, 1916; Gary Soto, 1952

4/13     Marguerite Henry, 1902; Lee Bennett Hopkins, 1938

4/14     Robert Lopshire, 1927; Susan Saunders, 1945

4/15     Eleanor Schick, 1942; Jacqueline Briggs Martin, 1945

4/16     Gertrude Chandler Warner, 1890; John Christopher, 1922

4/17     Roy Gallant, 1924; Martyn Godfrey, 1947

4/18     Barbara Reid, 1922; Mitchell Sharmat, 1927

4/19     Jon Agee, 1960; Javaka Steptoe, 1971

4/20     Mary Hoffman, 1945

4/21     Charlotte Brontë, 1816; Jane Breskin Zalben, 1950

4/22     Kurt Wiese, 1887; Paula Fox, 1923; Eileen Christelow, 1943

4/23     William Shakespeare, 1564

4/24     Robert Penn Warren, 1905; Evaline Ness, 1911

4/25     Alvin Schwartz, 1927; George Ella Lyon, 1949

4/26     Patricia Reilly Giff, 1935; Marilyn Nelson, 1946

4/27     Coretta Scott King, 1927; Barbara Park, 1947

4/28     Harper Lee, 1927; Lois Duncan, 1934; Virginia Kroll, 1948

4/29     Jill Paton Walsh, 1937; Nichole Rubel, 1953

4/30     Barbara Corrigan, 1933; Kirkpatrick Hill, 1938

Wow! In like a lion this year, huh? Let’s pray for a lamb by the end of this month of changes… This is the month we celebrate our Irish heritage with the wearin’ o’ the green! This is the month we remember our friends and family members with disabilities. We honor women who influenced history and we honor music in our schools (which, IMHO, influences the future). So, my holiday fans, put on your glasses, pull out the recorder, cheer on your favorite athlete (or student), sing in school, check your ethics, cook up some frozen food, and steer a youth towards arts & crafts all while designing your own personal holiday! March is here!
Remember folks: the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not reflect the ideas, opinions, or musings of any other person, group, or entity. These are just the twisted paths upon which my thoughts travel…

Flower:         Jonquil or Daffodil
Birthstone:    Jasper, Bloodstone, or Aquamarine
Full Moon:     March 10 (10:38pm EST)
New Moon:    March 26 (12:06pm EST)
Daylight Savings Time Begins: March 8 (through Nov. 1)
Vernal Equinox or First Day of Spring: March 20 (through June 21)

Monthly observations:
Adopt a Rescued Guiniea Pig Month
American Red Cross Month
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Month
Deaf History Month (3/13 through 4/15) learn to sign!
Employee Spirit Month
Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science & Engineering Month
Honor Society Awareness Month
Humorists Are Artists Month always appreciate the art of laughter…
Internatnional Expect Success Month
International Ideas Month
International Listening Awareness Month
International Mirth Month
Irish-American Heritage Month erin go bragh!
Mental Retardation Awareness Month
Music in our Schools Month sing for your students!
National Caffeine Awareness Month
National Cheerleading Safety Month
National Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month
National Clean Up Your IRS Act Month couldn’t the IRS clean itself?
National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
National Craft Month make something from nothing…
National Ethics Awareness Month
National Eye Donor Month
National Frozen Food Month looking for the coupons…
National Kidney Month
National March Into Literacy Month
National Multiple Sclerosis Education & Awareness Month
National Nutrition Month
National On-Hold Month the whole month?
National Sleep Awareness Month
National Social Work Month there are some unsung heroes here…
National Talk with Your Teen About Sex Month
National Umbrella Month use a bright one on a gray, rainy day!
National Women’s History Month
Orlando Family Spring Break (3/1-4/30)
Optimism Month
Play the Recorder Month with optimism!
Poison Prevention Awareness Month
Red Cross Month
Save Your Vision Month wear your glasses!
Small Press Month
Spiritual Wellness Month don’t forget to refuel, my friends…
Supply Management Month
Women’s History Month women RULE!
Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month
Youth Art Month

Special Weeks in March
3/1-7         National Consumer Protection Week
                 National Ghostwriters Week but can we see them?
                 National Words Matter Week
                 National Write a Letter of Appreciation Week
                 Return the Borrowed Books Week amnesty on fines!
                 Universal Human Beings Week
                 World Folk Tales & Fables Week once upon a time…
                 Celebrate Your Name Week
                 National Professional Pet Sitters Week
                 Save Your Vision Week
                 Telecommuter Appreciation Week
3/1-8         National Sleep Awareness Week get some today!
3/2-6        Newspaper in Education Week
                National School Breakfast Week read the paper while you eat!
3/2-8         National Cheerleading Week rah, rah, rah!
                National Procrastination Week couldn’t I do this later?
3/2-4/18    Orthodox Lent
3/7-15       Iditarod Race
3/8-14       Read an E-Book Week
                Teen Tech Week perfect marriage, huh?
                Universal Women’s Week
3/13-15      National Money Week
                World’s Rattlesnake Roundup Week no thanks…I’ll pass
3/13-22      YoYo and Skill Toys Week
3/14-21      National Toad Hollow Week any rattlesnakes in Toad Hollow?
3/15-21      National Agriculture Week
                 National Animal Poison Prevention Week
                 Pediatric Nurse Practitioners Week
3/16-22      Act Happy Week remember, it could always be worse…
                 Campfire USA Birthday Week
                 International Brain Awareness Week so use it!
                 National Inhalant and Poisons Awareness Week
                 National Spring Fever Week I’ve got it all month!
                 Wellderly Week
3/17-22      American Chocolate Week YES!
3/20-26      National Bubble (blowers) Week
3/21-27      Week of Solidarity with People Struggling Against Racism & Discrimination
3/22-28      Doctor-Patient Trust Week
                 National Cleaning Week I’d rather blow bubbles, thank you…
3/23-28      National Protocol Officer’s Week
3/29-4/4    Consider Christianity Week
                 Passion Week
                 Root Canal Awareness Week I can already hear the calls to G*d!

March Daily Observances
3/1        Beer Day don’t mind if I do – but could be buy it on Sunday?
            Peace Corp Birthday
            Pig Day have a beer with a pig!
            Plan a Solo Vacation Day
            Refired, Not Retired Day
3/2       Fun Facts About Names Day
           Namesake Day find out who you’re named after!
           Orthodox Green Monday
           NEA’s Read Across America Day Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
           Orthodox Lent
           Ethiopia: Adwa Day
3/3       I Want You to be Happy Day and I do…
           National Anthem Day
           Peace Corps Day
           Unique Names Day
           What if Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs? Day
3/4       Benjamin Harrison Day
           Courageous Follower Day
           International Scrapbooking Industry Day
           March Forth – Do Something Day at least be a courageous follower…
           National Grammar Day to whom it may concern…
           Old Inauguration Day
           Learn What Your Name Means Day
3/5       Saint Piran’s Day
           Nametag Day
3/6       Daytona
           Middle Name Pride Day
           Sherlock Homes Day (through 3/8)
           World Day of Prayer
3/7       Genealogy Day
            National Be Heard Day say it loud, say it proud!
            U.S. Snowshoe Day
3/8       Check Your Batteries Day especially in your smoke alarm…
            Daylight Savings Time Begins (goes through Nov. 1st)
            Day for Women’s Rights & International Peace
            Girls Write Now Day
            Ground Water Awareness Day
            Private George Watson Day who is this person?
            International Working Women’s Day
3/9       Barbie Day how does Ken feel about this?
           Get Over It Day
           Joe Franklin Day a friend of Private Watson’s?
           Napping Day
           Panic Day don’t panic…take a nap!
           Ta’Anit Esther
           Belgium: Cat Festival
           Belize: Baron Bliss Day
           Canada: Commonwealth Day
           Luxembourg: Bretzelsonndeg
3/10     Mario Day what about Luigi?
           Purim
           Salvation Army Day
           Organize Your Home Office Day
3/11     Dream 2009 Day
           Johnny Appleseed Day
           Registered Dietician Day send one an apple!
3/12     Girl Scout Day
           Spain: Fiesta de las Fallas
           Lesotho: Moshoeshoe’s Day
           Mauritius: Independence Day
           World Kidney Day beans or organs?
3/13     Earmuffs Day
           Deaf History Month begins (through 4/15)
           Good Samaritan Involvement Day
           National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day live a little…
3/14     International Ask A Question Day
           International Day of the Seal animal or artwork?
           International Fanny Pack Day
           MOTH-ER Day
           Pi Day (as in 3.14159265 etc) if I only had a brain…
3/15     Brutus Day
           Buzzards Day
           Ides of March
           Peeps Day Westerfield fans, unite!
           True Confessions Day
           World Consumer Rights Day
3/16     Freedom of Information Day
           Curlew Day (Curlews return to Umatillo, Oregon)
           Lips Appreciation Day I do so appreciate my lips…
           St. Urho’s Day
           Well-Elderly or Wellderly Day
3/17     St. Patrick’s Day luck o’ the Irish to ya!
           Campfire Girls Day give a shamrock to a Campfire Girl!
           Ireland: National Day
           Massachussetts: Evacuation Day
3/18     Awkward Moments Day plenty of those after green beer…
           Forgive Mom and Dad Day
           National Biodiesel Day
           Aruba: Flag Day
3/19     National Chocolate Caramel Day bring it on!
           Operation Iraqi Freedom Day
           Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day
           Absolutely Incredible Kid Day you know you have one…
           Companies that Care Day
           Australia: Canberra Day
           Iran: National Oil Day kind of redundant, huh?
3/20     Great American Meat Out Day vegetarians RULE!
           Ostara
           Proposal Day business or personal?
           National Agriculture Day plant something!
           Shabbat Across America/Canada Day shabbat shalom, y’all!
           Vernal Equinox (Spring – through June 21)
           Tunisia: Independence Day
3/21     Corn Dog Day right after Meat Out Day?
           International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
           Maple Syrup Day it’s not just for pancakes anymore…
           Memory Day
           National Common Courtesy Day
           National Quilting Day be polite to a quilter!
           Naw-Ruz
           World Down Syndrome Day we’ve come a long way, baby…
3/22     As Young as you Feel Day
           International Day of The Seal 
           International Goof-off Day okay, I can handle this one!
           Spring Fairy Fun Day goof off with your Spring fairy!
           World Day for Water (World Water Day)
3/23     National Puppy Day just wish there weren’t so many unwanted…
           Near Miss Day
           World Meteorological Day
           Pakistan: Republic Day
3/24     National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day yes! more! more!
           American Diabetes Association Alert Day
3/25     Kick Butts Day that’s cigarettes, my friends…
           National Day of Celebration of Greek & American Democracy
           Old New Year’s Day
           Pecan Day could we cover them in chocolate?
           Feast of Annunciation
3/26     Legal Assistants Day
           Make Up Your Own Holiday Day Send Susan all the Love Day!
3/27     Celebrate Exchange Day
           Education and Sharing Day
           Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
           Viagra Day there’s gotta be a quirky title here…
           Myanmar: Resistance Day
3/28     Eggsibit (and 3/29)
3/29     Knights of Columbus Founders Day
           National Mom & Pop Business Owner’s Day
           Texas Loves the Children Day
3/30     Doctors Day thank one…
           Grass is Always Browner on the Other Side of the Fence Day
           Pencil Day
3/31     Bunsen Burner Day
           National “She’s Funny That Way” Day aww, thanks!

Selected Author Birthdays
3/1     Margaret Friskey, 1901; Barbara Helen Berger, 1945
3/2     Dr. Seuss, 1904
3/3     Patricia MacLachlan, 1938; Suse MacDonald, 1940
3/4     Meindert DeJong, 1906; Peggy Rathmann, 1953; Dav Pilkey, 1966
3/5     Howard Pyle, 1853; Mem Fox, 1946
3/6     Susan Jacobs, 1940; Kathleen Hague, 1949
3/7     Margaret Goff Clark, 1913; Joanne Rocklin, 1946
3/8      Kenneth Grahame, 1859; Robert Sabuda, 1965
3/9      Ellen Levine, 1939; Harry Bliss, 1964
3/10    Jack Kent, 1920; Ilene Cooper, 1948
3/11    Ezra Jack Keats, 1916; Avner Katz, 1939
3/12    Virginia Hamilton, 1936; Naomi Shihab Nye, 1952
3/13    Edna Barth, 1914; Ellen Raskin, 1928; Diane Dillon, 1933
3/14    Marguerite de Angeli, 1889; Hank Ketcham, 1920
3/15    Barbara Cohen, 1932; Ruth White, 1942
3/16    Sid Fleischman, 1920; Helen Caswell, 1923
3/17    Kate Greenaway, 1846; Lillian Moore, 1909
3/18    Douglas Florian, 1950; Kaethe Zemach, 1958
3/19    James Otis, 1848; Lucy Bate, 1939
3/20    Fred Rogers, 1928; Lois Lowry, 1937; Louis Sachar, 1954
3/21    David Wisniewski, 1953; Peter Catalanotto, 1959
3/22    Randolph Caldecott, 1846; Denys Cazet, 1939
3/23    Eleanor Cameron, 1912; Lynne Barasch, 1939
3/24    Mary Stolz, 1920; Bill Cleaver, 1920
3/25    Alan Arkin, 1934; Linda Sue Park, 1960
3/26    Robert Lee Frost, 1874; T.A. Barron, 1952
3/27    Dick King-Smith, 1922; Julia Alvarez, 1950; Patricia Wrede, 1953
3/28    Byrd Baylor, 1928; Steven Lindblom, 1946
3/29    Suçie Stevenson ?
3/30    Anna Sewell, 1820; Charles Keller, 1942
3/31    Jane Campbell Edwards, 1932; John Jakes, 1932

February is here in all it’s glory. Hearts and flowers and chocolates sit expectantly on the shelves waiting to be purchased for a special someone. Florists go on full alert. See’s candy makers will be working overtime. Diamond salespeople will be eagerly awaiting the next young man that walks in the door with that certain expression on his face… Oh, my learned friends, but February is so much more than the month of love and chocolate. So pull out your hula skirt, read up on African-American history, eat some cherries, manage your time, take your pet to the dentist (have it spayed/neutered while you’re there), lead some youth and bake a sweet potato! February is here!
Remember, the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the opinions, ideas, or musings of any other person, group, or entity. Look at life with a little humor…

Birthstone: Amethyst                          Flower: Violet or Primrose
Full Moon:  February 9*                      New Moon: February 24
*Penumbral Lunar eclipse Feb. 9 will be visible in Eastern Europe, Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean region and Western North America.

Monthly observances…
Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month just make sure you know what you’re doing first…
AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month
American Heart Month not the chocolate kind…
Bake for Family Fun Month
February is Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month
Festival of Camellias Month ahhh, beauty in the midst of winter!
From Africa to Virginia Month
International Boost Self-Esteem Month
International Expect Success Month that would boost MY self-esteem…
Library Lovers Month
Marfan Syndrome Awareness Month
National African American History Month (Black History Month)
National Bird Feeding Month get those squirrel-proof feeders!
National Care About Your Indoor Air Month
National Cherry Pie Month everybody loves pie!
National Condom Month
National Children’s Dental Health Month
National Get to Know an Independent Real Estate Broker Month
National Laugh-Friendly Month is there an unfriendly laugh month?
National Mend a Broken Heart Month
National Parent Leadership Month oh, if only more would observe this one…
National Pet Dental Month
National Senior Independence Month
National Time Management Month
National Weddings Month I thought this was in June…
Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month
Relationship Wellness Month
Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month
Spunky Old Broads Month just don’t take their shopping carts…
Sweet Potato Month be a Queen (or a wannabee)!
Wise Health Consumer Month
Worldwide Renaissance of the Heart Month
Youth Leadership Month

Special February Weeks…
2/1-7      Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week
             International Coaching Week
             National Patient Recognition Week with their clothes on….
             Publicity for Profit Week
             Solo Diners Eat Out Weekend
             Women’s Heart Week
2/2-6     International Networking Week
             Intimate Apparel Market Week will there be a V.S. runway show on TV?
2/3-9     Boy Scout Anniversary Week
             International Hoof Care Week hug a farrier!
2/4-8     International Snow Sculpting Week
2/6-8     New York Comic Con Week are they aware this is only 3 days?
2/6-13   World Special Olympics Winter Games go, kids!
2/7-10   American Council on Education
2/7-13    Dump Your Significant Jerk Week make him/her insignificant
2/7-14    Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week
             Rejection Risk Awareness Week organs or people?
2/8-14     Jell-O Week there’s ALWAYS room for Jell-O
             Love Makes the World Go Round; but, Laughter Keeps us from Getting Dizzy Week should we laugh at our love lives?
                World Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week
2/9-13         Just Say No to Powerpoints Week
2/9-15         International Flirting Week
2/10-12      World AG Expo
2/10-16      Celebration of Love Week
                  Children of Alcoholics Week this is a strange combo…
2/11-17       Random Acts of Kindness Week
2/13-16       Great Backyard Bird Count Week
2/14-20      Love a Mench Week
2/14-21       National Condom Week use it with your Mench!
                  National Nestbox Week
2/15-21       Build A Better Trade Show Image Week
                 National Engineers Week have one work on your trade show image…
2/17-23      International Friendship Week
2/22-28      National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
                 National Pancake Week yet another strange combo…
2/23-27      Read Me Week
2/24-3/1    Telecommuter Appreciation week I’m a little jealous of those who can do this…
2/27-3/1    American Crossword Puzzle Week
               Texas Cowboy Poetry Week there once was a horse from Nantucket…

Special February Days…
2/1          Freedom Day
               G. I. Joe Day free G.I. Joe!
               Give Kids a Smile Day
               Hula in the Coola Day you’re coola if you can hula…
               Robinson Crusoe Day
               Spunky Old Broads Day hula, baby!
               Super Bowl XLIII
2/2          Candlemas
               Bonza Bottler Day
               Groundhog Day please be cloudy…
               Groundhog Job Shadow Day
               Hedgehog Day
               Imbolic/Imbolg/Imbolc
               Sled Dog Day MUSH!
2/3           African-American Coaches Day
               Four Chaplains Memorial Day
               Halfway Point of Winter hallelujah! enough already…
               Japan: Setsubin (Bean-throwing festival) really?
               Mozambique: Heroes Day
2/4          Liberace Day kick up the bling, my friends!
               National Women & Girls in Sports Day
               USO Day may there always be one if you need one…
               Sri Lanka: Independence Day
2/5          Move Hollywood & Broadway to Lebanon, PA Day why?
               Weatherperson’s Day
2/6          Wear Red Day
               Bubble Gum Day chew red bubble gum!
               New Zealand: Waitangi Day
2/7          Ballet Day
               Dump Your Significant Jerk Day with a Post-it note…
               Chinese New Year’s Day
               MOBIUS Awards Day
               Wave All Your Fingers at your Neighbors Day unless they are significant jerks…
2/8           Boy Scout Anniversary
               Daytona Pole Day take a Boy Scout to the races!
               Laugh and Get Rich Day if it were THAT easy we’d all be rich!
               Grammy Awards Day
               Man Day how do you celebrate this one?
               World Marriage Day that’s not how…
2/9           Read in the Bathtub Day
               Tu B’Shvat
               Westminster Dog Show (and 2/10)
2/10        Plimsoll Day
2/11         Be Electrific Day better than a gasaholic, I guess…
               Japan: Founding Day
               Iran: National Day
               Pro Sports Wives’ Day
               National Shut-In Visitation Day
               Satisfied Staying Single Day do pro sports wives feel this way?
               White Shirt Day
2/12         Darwin Day who won the award this year?
               Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday
               Myanmar: Union Day
               Oglethorpe Day
               Safety Pup Day
2/13         Blame Someone Else Day it’s soooo easy…
               Friday the 13th
               Employee Legal Awareness Day
               Get a Different Name Day go by your Spongebob name!
2/14         Ferris Wheel Day
               National Have A Heart Day
               National Condom Day don’t try it on the Ferris Wheel, though…
               (World) Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day
               League of Women Voters Day
               National Women’s Heart Day
               National Call In Single Day how about calling in married?
               Race Relations Day
               Quirky Alone Day do something really weird…
               Valentines Day
2/15         Lupercalia
               Susan B. Anthony Day my hero! (heroine?)
               Daytona 500
               National Gum Drop Day what is in those things?
2/16         Presidents Day
               Lithuania: Independence Day
2/17         My Way Day for Frank Sinatra, wherever you are…
               National PTA Founders Day
               World Human Spirit Day
               Brazil: Carnival
2/18         Pluto (Planet) Day wait…is it a planet again?
               Gambia: National Holiday/Independence Day
               Nepal: National Democracy Day
2/19         Chocolate Mint Day will GSCookies be delivered by then?
               International Mother Language Day
               Iwo Jima Day (Landing)
2/20         Northern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day it’s my mother language…
                World Day for Social Justice
2/21          Clam Chowder Day
                Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day
                Single Tasking Day I’m not sure I can do this…
2/22          Academy Awards
                George Washington’s Birthday
                Shrovetide (through 2/24)
2/23          Curling is Cool Day hair or stones?
                Iwo Jima Day (flag raising)
                National Personal Chef’s Day
                Shrove Monday
                Iceland: Bun Day
2/24          Fastnachts Day (Pennsylvania Dutch Shrove Tuesday)
                International Pancake Day let’s go to IHOP!
                Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)
                Mardi Gras
                Paczki Day
                Spay Day USA please, please, please, please, please…
2/25          Ash Wednesday
                Inconvenience Yourself Day get your pet spayed!!!
2/26          For Pete’s Sake Day
                Levi Strauss Day
                National Chili Day make chili for Pete while wearing Levis!
2/27          Rabi’I
2/28           Floral Design Day
                International Sword Swallowers Day
                National Tooth Fairy Day leave THEM a quarter for a change!
                Open That Bottle Night

Selected Author and/or Illustrator Birthdays
2/1    Langston Hughes, 1902; Jerry Spinelli, 1941
2/2    James Joyce, 1882; Ayn Rand, 1905; Judith Viorst, 1931
2/3    Norman Rockwell, 1894; James Michener, 1907; Joan Lowery Nixon, 1927
2/4    Russell Hoban, 1925; Barbara Shook Hazen, 1930
2/5    Patricia Lauber, 1924; David Wiesner, 1957
2/6    Jerome Wexler, 1923; Betsy Duffey, 1953 (also listed as Feb. 2)
2/7    Charles Dickens, 1812; Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867
2/8    Jules Verne, 1828; Anne Rockwell, 1934
2/9    Dick Gackenbach, 1927; Alice Walker, 1944
2/10   E.L. Konigsburg, 1930; Stephen Gammell, 1943; Mark Teague, 1963
2/11  Toshi Maruki, 1912; Sidney Sheldon, 1917; Jane Yolen, 1939
2/12   Randolph Caldecott, 1846; Judy Blume, 1938; Jacqueline Woodson, 1964
2/13   Ouida Sebestyen, 1924; Simms Taback, 1932; William Sleator, 1945
2/14   Phyllis Root, 1949; George Shannon, 1952; Paul Zelinsky, 1953
2/15   Norman Bridwell, 1928; Elaine Landau, 1948
2/16   Elizabeth K. Cooper, 1908; Carol Gorman, 1952
2/17   Alice Mary (Andre) Norton, 1912; Robert Newton Peck, 1928
2/18   Toni Morrison, 1931; Barbara Joossee, 1949
2/19   Louis Slobodkin, 1903; Amy Tan, 1952
2/20   Rosemary Harris, 1923; Mary Blount Christian, 1933
2/21   Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, 1933; Jim Aylesworth, 1943
2/22   Edward Gorey, 1925; Harry Kullman, 1982
2/23   W.E.B. Du Bois, 1868; C.S. Adler, 1931; Walter Wick, 1953
2/24   Wilhelm Grimm, 1786; Uri Orlev, 1931
2/25   Frank Bonham, 1914; Cynthia Voigt, 1942; Iain Lawrence, 1955
2/26   Miriam Young, 1913; Judith St. George, 1931
2/27   Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807; Uri Shulevitz, 1935
2/28   John Tenniel, 1820; Donna Jo Napoli, 1948

Sources: School Library Media Activies Monthly Activities Almanac and www.brownielocks.com

Is it just me or does the Christmas season blow by like the Enterprise at Warp Factor 7? One minute you’re wrapping presents and the next you’re looking up the nearest Weight Watchers location to satisfy that New Year’s resolution! Wow!

As you well know, my learned friends, the holiday train never slows down around here. January is no red-headed stepchild to December’s seasonal splendor. Think of new beginnings. Think of fresh starts. Think of hopeful tomorrows. And while you’re doing that, watch the Citrus Bowl, the Rose Bowl, make a New Year’s resolution, celebrate Haiti’s independence, mentor a skater while feeding them oatmeal, be creative, appreciate a dragon, ask a DJ to play “Blue Suede Shoes” by Elvis, make an inane answering machine message, inspire your heart, celebrate life, pay someone a compliment, pop some bubble wrap and think freely. 2009 is here, y’all - get busy!

Remember: the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the thoughts, musings, or opinions of any person, group or entity other than myself. I just report this stuff…I don’t make it up.

Flower: Carnation or Snowdrop
Birthstone: Garnet
Full Moon: January 10 *         New Moon: January 26

  *Called the “Wolf Moon” by New England/Great Lakes Native Americans because at this time of year the wolves howl in hunger (brownielocks.com)

Monthly celebrations
Book Blitz Month
Birth Defects Month
California Dried Plum Digestive Month umm, they’re called prunes
Celebration of Life Month
Cervical Cancer Screening Month
Family Fit Lifestyle Month turn off the TV and go for a walk!
Financial Wellness Month
Get Organized Month
International Change Your Stars Month how do you change your stars?
International Creativity Month
International New Year’s Resolutions Month for Businesses
International Quality of Life Month
International Wayfinding Month what are we looking for?
International Wealth Mentality Month
National Be On-Purpose Month do I have to be on time, too?
National Clean Up Your Computer Month get the crumbs out of the keyboard!
National Get Organized Month
National Glaucoma Awareness Month
National Hobby Month dieting is not a hobby…
National Hot Tea Month
National Lose Weight, Feel Great Month
National Mail Order Gardening Monthget out the Burpee catalog!
National Mentoring Month
National Personal Self-Defense Awareness Month
National Poverty in America Awareness Month
National Radon Action Month
National Skating Month wear a helmet!
National Volunteer Blood Donor Month
Oatmeal Month try it with peanut butter!
Thyroid Awareness Month

Special January Weeks
1/1-7    Celebration of Life Week
            Diet Resolution Week I resolve not to diet…
            Silent Record Week
1/2-5     Someday We’ll Laugh About This Week yeah, sure…
1/3-18   Dakar Rally 2009
1/4-10   New Year’s Resolutions Week I see procrastination is already a problem here…
1/5-9      Home Office Safety and Security Week
1/5-11    Women’s Self-Empowerment Week
1/7-11    National Thank Your Customers Week
1/8-11    Elvis Presley Week have a butter-fried peanut butter sandwich!
             International Consumer Electronics Show
1/8-14    Universal Letter Writing Week email doesn’t count!
1/11-17  International Printing Week
             Cuckoo Dancing Week birds or people?
1/12-25  Kid Film Week they need 14 days to watch movies?
1/14-18  National Soccer Coaches Week
1/14-17  National No Tillage Week
1/15-28  Slam Dance Week do it with a cuckoo…
1/15-25  Sundance Film Festival
1/18-23  National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week
1/18-24  Healthy Weight Week
             Hunt for Happiness Week it’s not wrapped up in your weight…
1/19-23  National Medical Group Practice Week
1/20-25  National Activity Professional Week
1/21-25   No Name Calling Week this might be hard…
1/24-31   National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Week yee-haw! let’s rhyme, boys!
1/24-30  World Leprosy Week
1/25-31   National Nurse Anesthetists Week
             Catholic Schools Week
1/26-30  National Take Back Your Time Week where do I get it from?

January Days to Celebrate
1/1      New Year’s Day welcome 2009!
           New Year’s Dishonor List Day
           Mummer’s Parade
           Saint Basil’s Day is St. Basil a mummer?
           Tournament of Roses Parade Day
           Z Day cars or snoozing?
           Citrus Bowl, Rose Bowl, Outback Bowl
           Sudan: Independence Day
           Haiti: Independence Day
           Cuba: Liberation Day
1/2     Haiti: Ancestor’s Day
         National Geographic Bee where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?
         Japan: Kakizome
         Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl
         Happy Mew Year for Cats Day wonder how they’ll celebrate…
          55-MPH Speed Limit Day
1/3     Fruitcake Toss Day toss it from the car while going 55 mph!
          Momento Mori “Remember You Die” Day
          National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
1/4     Dimpled Chad Day they’re so cute when they have dimples!
          Earth at Perihelion
          Pop Music Chart Day
          Trivia Day what was Joe Friday’s badge number?
          World Braille Day
          World Hypnotism Day you are getting veerrry sleepy…
1/5     Fiesta Bowl
          Bird Day that would be avian, not hand gestures…
          Thank God It’s Monday Day
          Congress Assembles okay, now we’re talking hand gestures…
          Twelfth Night
1/6     Epiphany or Twelfth Day
          Asarah B’Tevet
          Three Kings Day aren’t they a little late?
          Armenian Christmas
          Italy: La Befana
1/7    Japan: Usokae
        Japan: Nanakusa hey! one holiday per day per nation, please…
        Ashura
        Harlem Globetrotter’s Day can’t you just hear their theme song?
1/8   Greece: Midwife’s or Women’s Day
        St. Gudala’s Feast Day
        National English Toffee Day love the stuff…
        National Joy Germ Day spread it!
        Show and Tell at Work Day don’t bring the holiday movies…
1/9    Panama: Martyrs Day
        Philippines: Feast of the Black Nazarene
1/10  National Cut Your Energy Costs Day wear a sweater in the house!
        Positively Penguins Day
        United Nations Day invite a positive penguin to the UN!
1/11   Perigean Spring Tides
         Stephen Foster Day oh, Susannah!
1/12   England: Plough Day
         National Clean Off Your Desk Day wait! I can’t find it!
         Organize Your Home Day desk or home, people – one or the other!
         Japan: Coming of Age Day
         Tanzania/Zanzibar: Revolution Day
1/13   Norway: Tyvendedagen
         Stephen Foster Memorial Day play the banjo!
         Switzerland: Meitlisunntig
         Togo: Liberation Day
1/14   Uzbekistan: Army Day
         Ratification Day
1/15   Humanitarian Day
         Get To Know Your Customers Day customers? what customers?
        Women in Blue Jeans Day (also 1/16)
1/16  Japan: Haru-No-Yabuiri
        Malawi: John Chilembwe Day
        Religious Freedom Day
        Appreciate a Dragon Day “for we are crunchy & taste good with ketchup!”
        Nothing Day
        Bald Eagle Appreciation Days (through 1/18)
1/17  Customer Service Day
        Hot Heads Chili Day (and 1/18)
        Kid Inventors’ Day
        Judgment Day watch out, chili hot heads!
1/18  Do Dah Parade Day
        Pooh (Winnie the) Day how about a Pooh Do Dah parade?
         World Religion Day
1/19   Confederate Heroes Day frankly, my dear…
         Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday
1/20   Azerbijan: Martyrs’ Day
         Camcorder Day post a movie on YouTube!
         Inauguration Day
         National Disc Jockey Day will there be a DJ at the inauguration?
          Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day
          Guinea-Bissau: National Heroes Day
          Brazil: San Sebastian’s Day
          Brazil: Noosso Senhor do Bonfim Festival
1/21   National Hugging Day well, now, isn’t that sweet?
1/22   St. Vincent’s Feast Day
         Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day all of them?
         Celebration of Life Day
         Roe v. Wade Day
         Women’s Healthy Weight Day
1/23   Bulgaria: Babin Den
         National Handwriting Day
         National Pie Day hand write a pie recipe!
         Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day
1/24   Belly Laugh Day
         National Compliment Day make it a funny one!
1/25   Macintosh Computer Day
         A Room of One’s Own Day how about a room for my Mac?
1/26   Australia: Australia Day
         Better Business Communication Day
         Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day stomp the yard!
         Dominican Republic: National Day
         Chinese New Year (Year of the Ox)
         Lotus 1-2-3 Day a little outdated…
         National Peanut Brittle Day
         Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement with a name like Toad Hollow i guess a little encouragement is necessary…
         Solar Eclipse (visible in southern Africa, SE Asia, & Australia)
1/27   National Speak Up and Succeed Day
         Holocaust Memorial Day
         Thomas Crapper Day now there’s an unfortunate coincidence…
         Viet Nam Peace Day
1/28   India: Republic Day
1/29   Free Thinker’s Day don’t pay! (when is free balloon day?)
         Thomas Paine Day
1/30   Inane Answering Machine Message Day
         Fun At Work Day put an inane message on your voicemail!
         Pakistan: Independence Day
1/31   Inspire Your Heart with Art Day
         National Seed Swap Day got any Cherokee Purple tomatoes?

Selected Author Birthdays
1/1   J.D. Salinger, 1919; Jean Ure, 1943
1/2   Isaac Asimov, 1920; Crosby Bonsall, 1921
1/3   J.R.R. Tolkien, 1892; Carolyn Haywood, 1898; Alma Flor Ada, 1938
1/4   Jacob Grimm, 1785; Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, 1933
1/5   Lynne Cherry, 1952
1/6   Carl Sandburg, 1878; E.L. Doctorow, 1931; Wendelin Van Draanen, 1965
1/7   Zora Neale Hurston, 1891; Eleanor Clymer, 1906; Minfong Ho, 1951
1/8   Lee Ames, 1921; Stephen Manes, 1949
1/9   Clyde Robert Bulla, 1914
1/10 Sook Nyul Choi, 1937; Christopher G. Knight, 1943
1/11 Robert C. O’Brien, 1918; Alice Mead, 1952
1/12 Charles Perrault, 1628; Jack London, 1876
1/13 David Wiseman, 1916; Kathleen Elgin, 1923
1/14 Hugh Lofting, 1886; Doris Lund, 1919
1/15 Robert Silverberg, 1935; Bijou Le Tord, 1945
1/16 Andrew Glass, 1935; Robert Lipsyte, 1938
1/17 Robert Cormier, 1925; Shari Lewis, 1934; Janet Stevens, 1953
1/18 A.A. Milne, 1882; Raymond Briggs, 1934
1/19 Edgar Allen Poe, 1809; Nina Bawden, 1925; Pat Mora, 1942
1/20 Tedd Arnold, 1949
1/21 Huck Scarry, 1953
1/22 Brian Wildsmith, 1930; Rafe Martin, 1946
1/23 Katharine Holabird, 1948
1/24 John Beatty, 1922
1/25 James Flora, 1914; Nicki Weiss, 1954
1/26 Mary Mapes Dodge, 1831; Maria von Trapp, 1905
1/27 Lewis Carroll, 1832; Julius Lester, 1939
1/28 Vera B. Williams, 1927
1/29 Bill Peet, 1915; Christopher Collier, 1930; Rosemary Wells, 1943
1/30 Lloyd Alexander, 1924; Tony Johnston, 1942
1/31 Gerald McDermott, 1941; Denise Fleming, 1950; Bryan Collier, 1967

Slap on those jingle bells, my friends, because December is here! In just a few short weeks 2008 will be history and 2009 will come knocking on your door. While it seems that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, take a moment to focus on the good things. The happy things. The reasons to get up every morning. Your ability to put one foot in front of the other and keep on walking when you really feel like pulling the covers over your head and sleeping in for a couple of years. No matter who you are or how much money you have (or haven’t) or where you live or where you shop (or don’t) – don’t forget to count your blessings (and yes, you have them).  And while you’re counting your blessings, sing a round of Bingo, write a business plan, learn to tie a tie, be tolerant, wash your hands, read up on Posadas and Kwanzaa, hug a special kid (and they’re all special), have a party in your bathtub, admire a poinsettia, and spend a minute or two in quiet contemplation. Happy holidays, everyone.
Remember, the comments in italics are mine and mine alone and do not represent the thoughts, ideas, or opinions of anyone other than myself. There is no intention of harm or disparagement so if something I wrote makes you mad you might want to engage in some introspection…

Birthstone: Turquoise or Zircon
Flower:       Holly or Narcissus

Moon: First quarter, 12/5; Full moon*, 12/12; Last quarter, 12/19; New moon, 12/27

*Called the “Cold Moon” by Native Americans of New England and the Great Lakes.

December celebrations…
Bingo’s Birthday Month there was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month
Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month
National Drunk & Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month
Choose a Summer Camp Month but who knows if it’ll still be open in June?
National Stress Free Family Holidays Month Hah! Right!
National Write a Business Plan Month
National Tie Month thank G*d that women don’t usually wear them…
Safe Toys and Gifts Month check those labels, folks…
Spiritual Literacy Month is your spirit literate?
Take a New Year’s Resolution to Stop Smoking (TANYRSS – through February 11)
Universal Human Rights Month this is a 24/7/365 thing IMHO

Weekly December celebrations…
12/1-7       National Aplastic Anemia Awareness Week
                   Tolerance Week I have no tolerance for intolerant people…
                   Cookie Cutter Week
12/1-8       Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week this should be when LM-NET does recipes!
12/1-22     Operation Santa Paws Week
12/7-13     National Handwashing Awareness Week especially after shaking Santa Paws…
12/7-15     Clerc-Gallaudet Week
12/10-17   Human Rights Week let’s all pray for a world where basic human rights is a given…
12/14-20   Gluten-free Baking Week
12/15-21   International Language Week Prego! Vundebar! Tres Bien! Nui nui! Nani desu ka?
12/15-29   Halcyon Days
12/16-24   Posadas
12/17-23   Saturnalia be the Lord of Misrule this year…
12/22-29   Hanukkah Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel….
12/25-31   It’s About Time Week
12/26-1/1 Kwanzaa 7 principals we should all live by…

December days to celebrate…
12/1      Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day if I take ‘em off I can’t read the monitor…
              Day With(out) Art Day is like a day without air…
              International Voluntary HIV Counseling & Testing Day
              United Nations World AIDS Day
              Portugal: Independence Day
12/2      International Day for the Abolition of Slavery yes, it still exists…
              Rockerfeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
              Special Education Day read a book to your special ed classes today!
              Laos: National Holiday
12/3      Special Kids Day wait! don’t they get that in a few weeks?
              United Nations International Day of Disabled Persons
12/4      Chase’s Calendar of Events Birthday who’s Chase and why would I care?
              Extraordinary Work Team Recognition Day
              National Dice Day ever played Farkle?
              Saint Barbara’s Day
              Belgium: Lover’s Fair they should coordinate with the Nuts Fair people…
12/5      AFL-CIO Day
              Bathtub Party Day splish, splash I was taking a bath…
              International Volunteer Day for Economic & Social Development
             Thailand: National Holiday for the King’s Birthday
12/6      Coats & Toys for Kids Day no kid should be without either…
             Miners’ Day
             National Pawnbrokers Day I bet they’ll be busy this year…
             Skywarn Recognition Day (First Saturday in December)
12/7     National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day never forget.
             International Civil Aviation Day
             National Cotton Candy Day don’t you love the way it smells?
12/8     Eid-ul-Adha
             Feast of the Immaculate Conception save some cotton candy for this one!
12/9     Weary Willie Day I’m with you, Willie…
             Tanzania: Independence and Republic Day
12/10   United Nations Human Rights Day
             Nobel Prize Awards Ceremony
             Thailand: Constitution Day
12/11    International Mountain Day play some banjo music!
             UNICEF Birthday
             Burkina Faso: National Day
12/12   Poinsettia Day love to see these during the holidays!
            Gingerbread House Day look up a new patter on the internet!
            Kenya: Jamhuri Day
            Mexico: Guadalupe Day
            Puerto Rico: Las Mananitas
            Russia: Constitution Day
            Turkmenistan: Neutrality Day
12/13   International Shareware Day share and share alike
            Day of the Horse I think I’ll go ride mine but I’ll give him some extra carrots…
12/14  National Childrens’ Memorial Day
12/15  Bill of Rights Day
            Cat Herders Day now these folks really need a day of their own…
            Belgium: Nuts Fair see Love Fair above…
            Curacao: Kingdom Day
            Puerto Rico: Navidades
12/16  Barbie and Barney Backlash Day let’s make a long-legged purple dinosaur chick!
            National Chocolate-covered Anything Day doesn’t work on brussel sprouts…
            Bahrain: Independence Day
            Bangladesh: Victory Day
            Kazakhstan: Independence Day
            Mexico: Posadas begins (through 12/24)
            Philippines: Simbang Gabi (through 12/25)
            South Africa: Reconciliation Day
12/17  Clean Air Day we need more than 1/365th of this one…
            Wright Brothers Day visit Kitty Hawk!
            Saturnalia begins (through 12/23)
12/18  International Migrants Day
            Belgium Nuts Fair oh, good grief! Belgians are just full of love and nuts this month…
            Mexico: Feast of Our Lady of Solitude
            Niger: Republic Day
12/19  Day for South-South Cooperation who’s cooperating with who?
            Underdog Day never fear…Underdog is here!
12/20  International Human Solidarity Day
            Sacagawea Day my personal hero
           Mudd Day
12/21  Forefathers Day
           Hanukkah begins at sundown (through 12/29) peace to all who observe it…
           Humbug Day don’t be a scrooge…
           Phileas Fogg Win A Wager Day
           National Haiku Poetry Day write one with the word “humbug” in it!
           World Peace Day
           Winter Solstice (Winter begins at 7:04am EST) stand an egg on its short end!
12/22  Mexico: Feast of Radishes who ever feasted on radishes?
            Japan: Birthday of Emperor
12/23  Festivus
12/24  Christmas Eve twas the night before Christmas and all through the house….
12/25  Christmas have a good one and remember it’s not what you give/get that counts…
           A’Phabet Day (or No “L” Day)
           Stock Exchange Holiday one way to keep it from dropping any more…
           Taiwan: Constitution Day
12/26 Boxing Day box it up and re-gift it…
           Kwanzaa begins (through 1/1)
           National Candy Cane Day my horse LOVES these things!
           National Whiner’s Day get over it
           St. Stephen’s Day
           Bahamas: Junkanoo sounds fun!
           Ireland: Day of the Wren
           Luxembourg: Blessing of the Wine
           South Africa: Day of Goodwill
12/28 National Chocolate Day (AND 12/29) right on! 2 days of chocolate celebrating!
12/29 Islamic New Year
           Tick Tock Day why do I have a sudden urge to read a Wizard of Oz book?
12/30 Falling Needles Family Fest Day
           Madagascar: National Holiday
           Philippines: Rizal Day
12/31 Leap Second Time Adjustment Day (not necessarily done every year but if it’s done then this
                is when it happens…)
          Make Up Your Mind Day why?
          New Year’s Eve please don’t drink and drive, y’all…
          No Interruptions Day yeah, I’m making coctails!
          Saint Sylvester’s Day
          Universal Hour of Peace Day which of the 24 should we set aside?
          World Peace Meditation Day
          Ghana: Revolution Day
          Japan: Namahage
          Samoa: Fire Dance
          Scotland: Hogmanay

Selected Author Birthdays:
12/1 Polly Berends, 1939; Jan Brett, 1949
12/2 William Wegman, 1943; David Macaulay, 1946
12/3 Joseph Conrad, 1857; Barbara Brooks Wallace, 1922
12/4 Munro Wilbur Leaf, 1905; Helen Cavanaugh, 1939
12/5 Ann Nolan Clark, 1896; James Arthur Kjelgaard, 1910
12/6 Cornelia Meigs, 1884; John Reynolds Gardiner, 1944
12/7 Willa Cather, 1873; John Tunis, 1889; Mary Lankford, 1932
12/8 James Thurber, 1894; Miriam Chaikin, 1928
12/9 Joel Chandler Harris, 1848; Jean DeBrunhoff, 1899; Eloise Jarvis McGraw, 1915
12/10 Emily Dickinson, 1830; Mary Norton, 1903; Mercer Mayer, 1943; Cornelia Funke, 1958
12/11 William Joyce, 1957
12/12 Barbara Emberley, 1932
12/13 Leonard Weisgard, 1916; Tamora Pierce, 1954
12/14 Rosemary Sutcliff, 1920; Lorna Balian, 1929
12/15 Henrik Drescher, 1955; Deborah Savage, 1955
12/16 Marie Hall Ets, 1895; Arthur C. Clarke, 1917; Peter Dickinson, 1927
12/17 David Kheridan
12/18 Marilyn Sachs, 1927; Catherine Gourley, 1950
12/19 Eve Bunting, 1928
12/20 Richard Atwater, 1892; Carol Farley, 1936; Dennis Brindell Fradin, 1945
12/21 Michael Berenstain, 1951
12/22 William O. Steele, 1917; Jerry Pinkney, 1939
12/23 Richard Kennedy, 1932; Avi, 1937; Keiko Kasza, 1951
12/24 Feodor Rojankovsky, 1891; Mary Higgins Clark, 1931; Gillian Cross, 1945
12/25 Eth Clifford, 1915; Pam Munoz Ryan, 1951
12/26 Jean Van Leeuwen, 1937
12/27 Ingri Parin d’Aulaire, 1904; Ted Rand, 1915; Diane Stanley, 1943
12/28 Carol Ryrie Brink, 1895; Cynthia DeFelice, 1951
12/29 E. W. Hildick, 1925; Molly Garrett Bang, 1943; Tracy Campbell Pearson, 1956
12/30 Rudyard Kipling, 1865; Mary Rayner, 1933; Tres Seymour, 1966
12/31 Margery Cuyler, 1948

Well, I don’t know about you but wasn’t the 4th of July just a few days ago? What happend to Fall? School is in full swing and Christmas is tailgating my Halloween hayride! We can’t let November become a mere sigh between these two holidays, right? Of course not, my learned friends! November can hold its head high in pride because it is the month for National Inspirational Role Models, Family Stories, National American Indian Heritage, and National Scholarship! November has weeks set aside for communication and animal shelters and readers and kindness and storytelling. November has days for planning your epitaph, visiting the Chicken Lady (whoever she is…), common sense, tongue twisters, and homemade bread. Ahh…I feel better now. And you thought I was going to wax poetic about Thanksgiving, didn’t you?

November Flower:  Chrysanthemum                Birthstone:  Topaz
Full Moon:  November 13th                             New Moon:  November 27th

Monthly celebrations
Adoption Awareness Month go ahead and tell the kids they’re adopted…
American Diabetes Month
Aviation History Month
Celebrate Empty Nester Month adopt an empty-nester!
Diabetic Eye Disease Month
Epilepsy Awareness Month
Family Stories Month do they have to be true?
Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month
I Am So Thankful Month
International Drum (Percussion Month)
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
MADD’s Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign (11/16-12/31)
Military Family Appreciation Month especially at this time of year…
Movember (Australia – Mustache Month)
National Adoption Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month don’t forget to honor this one!
National American Indian Heritage Month
National COPD Awareness Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Georgia Pecan Month make a pie, y’all!
National Home Care & Hospice Month
National Hospice Month there’s a special place in heaven for hospice workers…
National Impotency Month
National Inspirational Role Models Month write them a letter of thanks!
National Lifewriting Month
National Marrow Awareness Month
National Novel Writing Month it was a dark and stormy night…
National Pet Cancer Awareness Month
National Pomegranate Month
National Scholarship Month
NoSHAVEmber (US – Beard Month)
Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month I LOVE peanut butter!
Prematurity Awareness Month
Vegan Month peanut butter is a great protein choice, vegans!

Weekly November Celebrations…
National Patient Accessibility Week (Nov. 1-7)
World Communication Week (Nov. 1-7) make an overseas phone call…
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week (Nov. 2-8)
National Long-term Care AWareness Week (Nov. 2-8)
Intimate Apparel Market Week (Nov. 3-7 – also observed in Feb., May, & Aug.)
Pursuit of Happiness Week (Nov. 8-14) I’m working on life and liberty right now…
National Rad Tech Week (Nov. 9-15)
Perioperative Nurses Week (Nov. 9-15)
Fraud Awareness Week (Nov. 9-16) you’re usually not aware until it’s too late…
National Young Reader’s Week (Nov. 10-14) read to a youngster!
World Kindness Week (Nov. 10-17) practice random acts!
Green Ribbon Awareness Week (Nov. 13-19)
American Education Week (Nov. 16-22)
National Geography Awareness Week (Nov. 16-22)
Tellabration! Storytelling for Grownups Week (Nov. 20-23)
National Farm-City Week (Nov. 20-27) bring on that turkey!
National Family Week (Nov. 23-29)
National Game & Puzzle Week (Nov. 23-29)
National Bible Week (Nov. 23-30)
Better Conversation Week (Nov. 24-30) talk about the Bible…
Travelers with Disabilities Week (Nov. 30-Dec. 6)

November days to celebrate…
11/1    All Saints’ Day
            National Authors’ Day thank an author! (see below for ideas…)
            Sadie Hawkins Day
            National Family Literacy Day
11/2    Cookie Monster Day bake a batch and eat them all yourself!
            Daylight Savings Time Ends
            Plan Your Epitaph Day there once was a library lady…
            Zero Tasking Day
11/3    National Traffic Directors Day
            Cliché Day it was a dark and stormy night…
            Digital Scrapbooking Day
            Fala Day la la la la la la la!
            Sandwich Day Earl or bread?
11/4    Election Day
            Mischief Night (England, Australia, New Zealand)
            National Chicken Lady Day vote for the Chicken Lady!
            Flag Day (Panama)
            Use Your Common Sense Day especially in the voting booth…
            Victory Day (Italy)
            Will Rogers Day now there was someone with some common sense!
11/5     Recreation Day (Australia)
             Guy Fawkes Day (England)
11/6     Guinness World Record Day
             National Men Make Dinner Day oh pullease! really?
             International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War &Armed Conflict
             Saxophone Day play the sax while your man makes dinner!
             Gustavus Adolphus Day (Sweden)
11/7     National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
             Arbor Day (Samoa)
11/8     Abet and Aid Punsters Day
             Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day no “pun” intended…
             International Tongue Twister Day she sells seashells by the seashore…
             National Parents as Teachers Day okay…this is an EVERY day thing…
11/9     National Child Safety Council
11/9-10  Kristallnacht
11/10    Area Code Day
              Gingerbread House Day isn’t this a little early?
              Marine Corps Birthday
              World Orphans Day
11/11    Death/Duty Day
              Veterans Day (Armistice Day, Victory Day, World War I Memorial Day)
              National Young Reader’s Day read, read, read!
11/12    Birth of Baha’U'Llah
              Postman’s Day (Mexico)
11/13    World Kindness Day help make the world a kinder place…
11/14    Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day
              Children’s Day (India)
              National American Teddy Bear Day taking one to work was so last month…
              United Nations World Diabetes Day
11/14-16 National Donor Sabbath Days
11/15    America Recycles Day
              I Love to Write Day well, you know that applies to me…
              National Bundt (Pan) Day watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding & the bundt pan scene!
11/16    International Day for Tolerance
             Transgender Day of Remembrance
             World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
11/17    Homemade Bread Day make mine the whole wheat version from Laurel’s Kitchen…
11/18    Married to a Scorpio Support Day
              Mickey Mouse Day was Mickey a Scorpio?
              Push-Button Phone Day kids today don’t know there was ever anything else!
11/19    National Educational Support Professionals Day
              Have a Bad Day Day not a great phrase for customer service professionals…
              National Holiday (Monaco)
11/20    African Industrialization Day
              Great American Smokeout c’mon! you can do it!
              Name Your PC Day
              United Nations: Universal Children’s Day
11/21    World Hello Day wave to a stranger
              World Television Day
11/22    Alascattalo Day (About Alaska & Humor)
              Humane Society Anniversary Day formed before child protection services, you know…
              International Aura Awareness Day
              National Adoption Day
              National Family Volunteer Day I’d like to volunteer my family!
              National Survivors of Suicide Day
11/23    You’re Welcomegiving Day
11/24    Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day
              D.B. Cooper Day unique talent for disappearing…
11/25    International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
              Shopping Reminder Day we need a reminder??
11/26    Tie One On Day
11/27    Thanksgiving Day
11/28    Black Friday
              Buy Nothing Day what would the DOW do if everyone celebrated this one?
              Flossing Day
              Maize Day
              National Salesperson’s Day
              Sinkie Day as in eat that cold turkey over the sink…
11/29    Electronic Greetings Day could we do Xmas cards via email?
              International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
11/30    Computer Security Day
              National Meth Awareness Day
              Stay Home Because You’re Well Day and stay away from the meth…

Selected Author birthdays in November…
11/1 Stephen Crane (1871), Brian Heinz (1946)
11/2 Mildred Ames (1919), Alyssa Satin Capucilli (1957)
11/3 Betty Bao Lord (1938), Janell Cannon (1957)
11/4 Sterling North (1906)
11/5 Thomas Aylesworth (1927), Raymond Bial (1948)
11/6 Roger Carr (1937), Michelle Magorian (1947)
11/7 Armstrong Sperry (1897), Sneed B. Collard, III (1959)
11/8 Bram Stoker (1847), Margaret Mitchell (1900), Marianna Mayer (1945)
11/9 Lois Ehlert (1934), Pat Cummings (1950)
11/10 Kate Seredy (1899), W. E. Butterworth (1929)
11/11 Peg Kehret (1936), Diane Wolkstein (1942)
11/12 Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (1928), Neal Shusterman (1962)
11/13 Robert Louis Stevenson (1850), Nathaniel Benchley (1915)
11/14 Miska Miles (1899), William Steig (1907), Nancy Tafuri (1946)
11/15 Marianne Moore (1887), Daniel Pinkwater (1941)
11/16 Jean Fritz (1915), Carolyn Reeder (1937), Robin McKinley (1952)
11/17 Marilyn Sadler (1950), Alison Lester (1952)
11/18 Margaret Atwood (1939), Nancy Van Laan (1939)
11/19 Ann Herbert Scott (1926), Elizabeth Cleaver (1939)
11/20 William Cole (1919), Marion Dane Bauer (1938)
11/21 Elizabeth George Speare (1908), Leo Politi (1908), Megan Whalen Turner (1965)
11/22 George Eliot (1819), Samuel Epstein (1909), Jamie Lee Curtis (1958)
11/23 Marc Simont (1915), Lois Johnson (1936)
11/24 Carlo Collodi (1826), Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849), Yoshiko Uchida (1921)
11/25 P.D. Eastman (1909), Marc Brown (1946), Crescent Dragonwagon (1952)
11/26 Charles Schultz (1922)
11/27 James Agee (1909), Kevin Henkes (1960)
11/28 William Blake (1757), Ed Young (1931), Mary E. Lyons (1947)
11/29 Louisa May Alcott (1832), C.S. Lewis (1898), Madeleine L’Engle (1918)
11/30 Jonathan Swift (1667), Mark Twain (1835), Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874)