The Dog Days of Summer are the hot & humid months of summer - July & August in the Northern Hemisphere; January & February in the Southern Hemisphere.

It was once believed to be a time of bad luck, unrest, drought, and heat so extreme that men and dogs would go mad. Now, they're thought of fondly as the lazy days of summer.  This period of summer's hottest days coincides with the sunrise rising of Sirius, the Dog Star, an occurrence that ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians thought contributed to the heat when combined with the sun.

DOG DAYS DOG TIP:  Before you take your pooch out for a walk or to the beach, be sure to test the sidewalk or sand first.   Place your bare foot on the surface - if it's too hot for you, it is definitely too hot for you pup's paw pads (they can severely burn).    

Also, keep your pets hydrated, and never leave them unattended in a vehicle.  Even with the windows open, the heat rises rapidly.  If there is a chance you'll leave them in the car, leave them at home instead.

Pace yourself and have fun!

- The Holiday Chicks

Happy National Wine and Cheese Day from the Holiday Chicks!

Today is an easy celebration. If you like wine and you like cheese. Wine and cheese are perfect paired together. Add some nuts, chocolate, fruit and some bread or crackers. That’s a party waiting to happen.

Since we are still social distancing bring your little soirée outside. Invite your lover, your friends or family. How about the neighbors? They might be looking for a fun celebration too. Grab a blanket and meet everyone at the beach or have a wine and cheese party on your front porch.

Grab a Shiraz, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and a variety of wine glasses. There are so many varieties to choose from. Let your guests bring the cheese, crackers, olives and interesting spreads. Have someone bring a book about different wine pairings. Read out loud the history of the particular grape that you are trying.   

However you celebrate will be a fun experience. So grab a glass and a hunk of cheese and get celebrating.

Cheers!

- Monika

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Happy Cousins Day from the HolidayChicks.com.  National Cousins day happens every year on July 24th.  It’s a great day to celebrate your extended family.    I love my cousins- they were the sisters I never had.  I came from a small family, just me and my brother. My cousins are awesome and we spent so much time together as children. My mom was close with her siblings, so we spent holidays, birthdays, vacations and many weekends just hanging out- all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents together.  
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My cousins were my first best-friends and best-enemies.  We fought and made up, hugged, cried and loved each other so much.  Still do!!!!
 
My teenage cousins didn’t want to have too much to do with us younger kids.  Sometimes they would hang out in MY bedroom when visiting.  When we tried to barge in, we got the door slammed in our faces.  MY DOOR-MY BEDROOM!  How dare they!!! But we slunk away with our tails between our legs.  There was no tangling with a couple of pubescent teenagers talking about boys and important teenage things.  I think we were wise to scram. 

​I learned so much from them.  Madeline, Sharon, Patricia, Katie and later, Maureen.  All girls!  That was very exciting for me, not so much for my brother.  But we included him anyway.
Our favorite things to do were swimming, Barbie Dolls, making puppet shows, dancing and singing along to records.  We played “Que Sera, Sera” by Doris Day a lot. We loved “The Sound Of Music” and Dark Shadows.  We loved setting the basement up as a restaurant with little card tables.  I was the waitress and Patricia was the manager.  We would make my brother Gene and Katie the customers. We called it Candlestick Diner. It was a magical time and a delightful way to grow up.   Then on Fri the 13th, 1972, my little baby cousin Maureen was born. It was sooooooo exciting.  A baby, a new cousin.   I was enthralled- plus my baby doll would get all Maureen’s hand me downs.  
 Cousin relationships are special- treasure them!

Simple ways to Celebrate…
Call your cousins on the phone or chat on social media.  Plan a Zoom call and get the gang involved. I recently started a private FB page for my cousins- I’m going to share this with a bunch of pictures to tell them how much I love and appreciate them.
 
Watch some quirky cousin movies or old tv shows.
The Patty Duke Show
Fresh Prince of Belaire
My Cousin Vinny
 
Some famous Cousins…
Singers, Whitney Huston and Dionne Warwick
Singers, Snoop Dogg and Brandy
Actors Sissy Spacek and Rip Torn
Actress Lauren Bacall and Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres
 
So Happy Cousins Day from the HolidayChicks.com! Get in touch with your cousins and ask those important family questions while you can. You will be so glad you did.

 Umi no Hi, also known as Marine Day, Ocean Day, or Sea Day is a national holiday in Japan celebrated to give thanks to the ocean and recognize its importance.    

Originally called Marine Memorial Day, it was first celebrated on July 20, 1941 to commemorate the anniversary of the return of the Meiji Emperor to Yokohama after a long voyage at sea in 1876.  His ship, the Meiji-Maru (built in Scotland) is now the oldest iron ship in Japan, and is open to the public for tours.  The day was also designated to celebrate the ocean and her bountiful gifts to the country.  

In 1996 Umi no Hi became an official national holiday of Japan.  In 2003, it became a floating Monday holiday celebrated the third Monday in July.  In order to be in sync with the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, this year's celebratory date for Marine Day was changed from Monday, July 20th to July 23rd.  However, the Summer Olympics were postponed until July 2021 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but Marine Day is still being observed on this day this year. 

Celebrate Marine Day by going to the beach, lake, river, or any body of water to explore and appreciate what the sea and our waters do for us.  Bring a trash bag to pick up any garbage you find.  Also,  learn about marine life and how ocean pollution affects the sea and the world. 

Happy Uni no Hi to the people of Japan - and the rest of the world!

- Barbara

Let's face it, chances are good that we've all succumbed to the siren song of junk food at some point, but does it deserve its own celebratory day?

Apparently so, although who chose junk food to celebrate and why on this date remains a mystery.

But what is considered junk food - and is it really  bad for you?
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Defined as being food high in calories and low in nutritional content.  Junk food is has been around for centuries, although its evolution in America started on a rising track in the 1800s.  

​Two things have been credited with helping junk food's early advance: the industrialization of the flour mills in the 1820s, which brought cheap, white flour to the masses - and - the American Civil War.  Soldiers ate mass-produced rations of foods prepared with higher fat and sugar and craved the same taste and convenience when they returned home.

In the 1950s, the Drive-thru was born as a result of more people owning cars and moving to the suburbs.  It began as a convenience for busy people on the go, and skyrocketed in popularity and growth as the fad caught on.  Today, you can find just about any type of fast food offered from a Drive-thru, food truck, or street vendor.

By the 1970s, junk food morphed into an obsession.  The phrase "junk food" has been used since the early 1950s, but is credited to Michael Jacobson, director of the American Center for Science and Public Interest, (a consumer group that focused on health and nutrition) who wrote about it in 1972.

Fun Facts:  
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Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola were created in pharmacies in the 1880s as elixirs to help with digestion.  Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John S. Pemberton in 1886, besting Pepsi by a few years.   Inspired by the success of Coca-Cola, pharmacist Caleb D. Bradham created Pepsi-Cola in his New Bern, North Carolina shop.

Cracker Jack debuted at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.  People loved the sweet-salty mix of popcorn, peanuts, and molasses, but the topper was that each box contained a prize.  Cracker Jack eventually became the best selling snack in the world by 1916.

​Junk food is typically loaded with carbohydrates, fats, salt, sugar, and calories.  It also lacks vitamins, minerals, and fiber. So why eat it?  Because sweet or savory, it's fast and satisfyingly delicious. 
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An occasional indulgence is okay, but eating too much is bad for your brain and body - and can be addictive.

That doesn't mean you should never give in to a crave, just be sure to eat consciously when it comes to junk food.  Take your time and savor every bite rather than wolf it down.  

​Also, order a healthier version - if you love chicken sandwiches, try having the chicken grilled rather than breaded and fried.  The switch may not sit well in your head initially, but once you take that first bite, you'll forget the swap (and really, grilled tastes so much better).

Food vendors are stepping up their game by offering healthier options of junk food and the way it's prepared.  Many fast food restaurants list the nutritional information of their products on their websites (sometimes you have to really search, but it's there). Look up your favorite craves and see how you can modify them to be healthier next time.  Tip - do not do this when you're hungry!  

Allow yourself a splurge today.  Make it a bit easier by knowing what you're going to order - and do a little research before to see if you can make it healthier in some way.   

Make your own healthy junk food.  Try some of these healthy alternative but satisfying versions of junk food favorites from Eating Well.

Smile!  Listen to Junk Food Junkie by Larry Groce (1976).  This silly song will put you in a good mood.

Whatever you decide, celebrate the day guilt free.

Cheers!

- Barbara 

National Moon Day celebrates man's first walk on the moon on July 20, 1969.  Six hours after Apollo 11 landed on the lunar surface, astronaut Neil Armstrong took his first steps outside.  The world watched as astronaut Buzz Aldrin went out to join his colleague a short time later. Command Module Pilot Michael Collins remained inside the ship, ensuring all was well for their mission. 

It was a major accomplishment for the United States that put our country in first place for the space race and set the pace for other nations to move forward.

Armstrong has said that his first words on the moon were "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind" but was quoted without the word "a" -  modified to "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."  There has been debate on which way he said it, although either way has a huge impact.  For the record, Armstrong thought the former, but admitted he didn't hear it that way in the recording. 

The success of the Apollo 11 mission strengthened America's space program and paved the way for future expansion and exploration.

Fun Fact:  Between 1959 and 1975, every astronaut participating in the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz programs learned celestial navigation at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC.

Technically, there isn't an official National Moon Day - yet.  On July 20, 1971, President Richard Nixon commemorated America's moon landing by declaring it "National Moon Landing Day."   Bills have been written, but it still isn't official in the books. However, that doesn't stop people from remembering and celebrating this monumental moment, called "...the single greatest technological achievement of all time." by NASA (and others). 

Go out and look at the moon! Imagine what it would be like to go there - or remember what it was like to watch any of the actual voyages.  Where were you?  What did you think?  Feel?  Wish?  Would you have ever believed that there would be an International Space Station orbiting our earth?  Ironically, the moon will be new - dark - on this date in 2020, but you can use it as a starting point to watch it grow (wax) to full in the coming days. Snap a photo each night to document its progress. Check the Moon Phases calendar for info.  You can also get a Moon Phase app - do a search for your  device.  There are many to choose from.  

Learn about our travels to space. The moon has always been, and continues to be, a fascination for people.  Watch a Live Stream of the International Space Station on UStream, and check out The NASA Missions A-Z on NASA's website.  
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Watch a film about travel to the moon.  Check out this list of films on IMDb (some are stretching that theme, but there are plenty of good films on the list).

Eat!  I wouldn't be a true foodie if I didn't offer up a recipe or two - or, in this case, a link to a website that has some fun ideas for moon-themed dishes  Check out 15 Magical Moon Inspired Recipes.  Not into cooking?  Then order some real Astronaut Ice Cream - and munch out just like the astronauts do in space.  

Enjoy!

 - Barbara 🙃🌕

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