National Limerick Day

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who went down a well in a bucket

The last words he spoke

before the rope broke 

were, "Arsehole, you bugger and suck it."

You guessed it!  Today is National Limerick Day!

This day celebrates the birthday of Edward Lear, an artist, illustrator, author and poet.  Limerick poems became popular after Lear's book, Book of Nonsense, was published in 1846. A limerick is a very short, humorous, nonsense poem.  It contains five lines with an AABBA rhyming pattern.

How to observe #NationalLimerickDay

Write your own limerick poem.

Share on social media.

Enter a limerick contest.

Read some funny limericks.

I thought I would participate by sharing my limerick.

There once was a woman who lived by the lake

who wanted to mix together a sourdough to bake

   She noticed the hooch was green

    tossed it in the trash so as not to make a scene

and decided to do a sourdough starter remake. 

I would love to hear some of your limericks! Drop them in the comments below! (and try to keep them clean!).

World Naked Gardening Day

 If there is a traffic jam on the Avenue (my street), then you know today must be World Naked Gardening Day. 

World Naked Gardening Day is celebrated the first Saturday of May. Gardeners all over the world tend to their plants and flowers wearing no clothes or shoes. This is so they can connect to the origins of gardening and a natural relationship with Mother Nature. It also promotes the benefits of gardening and the acceptance of the human body. Oh, and think of all of that Vitamin D you can soak up!  

Why do we like it:

It's good for your health. Gardening helps your body stay healthy and reduces dementia by 30%.

It supports sustainability.

It supports freedom. I mean, it's not every day you get to walk around naked.

How to get celebrate:

Well, get naked!  Take those clothes off!

Buy some new seeds or plants.

Spread the word! Promote on social media the benefits of gardening. #worldnakedgardeningday

I would love to stay and chit chat, but I have a vegetable garden to plant!

National Tea Day

 Today is National Tea Day in the United Kingdom.  A day for Britain to celebrate it's love for this hot, steeped beverage. It's so loved that they consume over 60 billion cups of tea a year!  That's a lot of tea!

Every year, the Britains host a "Fes-Tea-Val" where they showcase new teas, bringing together tea drinkers, servers and the entire tea industry.  Their slogan is, "Brew more. Do more" is to inspire special moments with tea and bring together tea drinkers, servers and the whole tea industry.

This is a great day for me to celebrate since I am working as a tearista in a local tea shop!

Here is a list on how my fellow tea infusiasts can celebrate #NationalTeaDay: 

Host an afternoon tea (it is National Afternoon Tea month, after all)

Visit the festival.

Learn proper tea decorum (in case you get invited to afternoon tea with King Charles)

Here are some tea etiquette tips, in case you find yourself with tea royalty.

Dispensing the tea:

The host should pour the tea for every guest.  Make sure to leave the teapot on the table with the spout facing the host.

Dunking:

Dunking a biscuit in your tea is not appropriate.

Food:

A tiered cake stand is the appropriate serving piece.  The upper tier is filled with scones, the middle has sandwiches and the bottom has treats and pastries.  Food must be eaten in this order: sandwiches, scones and then desserts.

Too bad I'm not in Boston to celebrate this holiday.  

Luckily, B just got home from school so we will definitely be celebrating today with some tea, and maybe even spilling a little.

How will you celebrate today?

Sourdough Starter Restart

 Went out of town for a few weeks and did not drop my starter off at a daycare facility.  When I returned home it looked a little frightening. The liquid "hooch" was green. I looked up green hooch and I guess there is a fix. After a little further research I decided that it was easier to just start over. 

If you take a look at the starter recipe that I use, you will see that it makes a large amount. This large amount does not fit into a mason jar. So, I spent my morning making a loaf of bread and some cheeze it crackers. 

Χριστός Ανέστη

Happy Easter!  Καλό Πάσχα!

We are celebrating Greek Orthodox Easter at our house.   

Xristos anesti

ek nekron,

thanato thanaton patisas,

ke tis en tis mnimasin zoin xarisamenos

Christ is risen

from the dead,

having beaten Death by [his own] death

and having given the gift of life to those in the graves.

Christos Anesti. (Χριστός Ανέστη)  (Christ has Risen)

Alithos Anesti.  ( Aληθώς ανέστη!)  (He has risen indeed)

National Card and Letter Writing Month

April is National Card and Letter Writing Month.

I mean, who doesn't love getting a handwritten letter in the mail?  I know that's the first piece of mail I open.  A handwritten letter is a lot better than opening up a bill.

It's time for you to get out all of that pretty paper and cards that you are saving for a special occasion.  Now is the time to use it!  And don't worry if you don't have pretty paper.  Grab some paint, stickers, washi tape, crayons, or markers and create your own artistic paper.

Letter writing is also a great way to practice your penmanship (I think we all need the extra practice). Don't worry about bad handwriting.  Loved ones know you and your bad  handwriting and they still love hearing from you.

Don't know what to say?  How about starting off with "Hi" or "Hello"?    Maybe tell them what you have been doing with your time.  Instead of wishing a friend or family a happy birthday on social media, how about sending them a physical card?  You can write a few lines in the card wishing them a happy birthday or just to let them know that you are thinking about them.   You can even send a "just because" note or card letting them know that you appreciate them.

By the way, this would be an excellent idea for a Girl Scout Troop!  Have the girls write letters to some of the seniors at a retirement home.  This gives the girls practice at their writing and communicating skills and also brings a smile to the recipients.  Who knows?  Maybe they will write back!

I have been making cards once a month with some ladies and recently started watercolor painting, turning my creations into cards. It's time for me to send some love off to some friends and family.

 
What are you waiting for???   Grab your pens and paper and start writing!

National Play the Recorder Day

Happy National Play the Recorder Day!  That strange instrument that became a requirement to every 5th grade student and annoyed their parents with their practice homework.  I think we can all say that the "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder still annoyingly plays in our heads.

Some Fun Facts:

The recorder dates back to the Middle Ages

King Henry VIII collected recorders

In the original performances of "Hamlet" Shakespeare used recorders.

There are more amateur recorder players than professional recorder players.*

Playing the recorder is good for brain development.

Playing the recorder helps with attention spans.

Playing also helps with motor skills.

How can you celebrate the day today?

Listen to some recorder music.  Might be painful for some of us.  If you want to give it a go, click here to watch my kids recorder concert. 

Play the recorder.  I'm sure you can still buy them. If not, I believe I still have a couple. I'm sure you can learn "Hot Cross Buns" pretty quick!

Use #PlayTheRecorderDay on social media.

How will you celebrate today?