National Months - July

 Time for another edition of, "What crazy holiday is being celebrated all month long?"

Let's just dive right in.

National Anti-Boredom Month 

Set aside to find out why we are bored and to find ways to fight it.  Sometimes we say we are bored, but that isn't always the case.  Sometimes we have a lot to do, but the task doesn't stimulate our brain or is repetitive.  In order to not form bad habits, we need to find creative ways to beat our boredom.  Some suggestions:  Play board or card games, get some exercise, clean, cook or bake, or socialize.  If you need some more suggestions, check out the I'm Bored List on the blog.

National Peach Month

I picked this one so I could tell you about the peach tree that I have in our yard.  We planted it a few years ago and it finally has some peaches growing on it!  I have no idea what kind of peach tree it is, but I do hope the peaches are delicious!  I'll let you know when and if they ripen.

National Ice Cream Month

I SCREAM!  YOU SCREAM!  WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!   With all of the heat, this is a perfect month to celebrate this holiday!   Apparently, ice cream dates back to 54-68 AD, with people harvesting ice and flavoring it for Emperor Nero to enjoy.  Ice cream first appeared in the states in 1744.  And in the summer of 1790, George Washington spent over $200 on ice cream (I wonder if it was cherry flavored?).  The first hand crank ice cream maker was in 1843.  And in 1851, the first ice cream factory was built.  Some fun facts:  Vanilla is the most popular flavor (I guess my grandparents were right), the ice cream soda was invented in 1874, it takes about 50 licks to finish an ice cream cone (someone had too much time on his hands to figure that one out) and California produces the most ice cream in the US.  You can double celebrate on July 19, since it is National Ice Cream Day.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

National Blueberry Month 

I plan on going blueberry picking this month in Michigan just so I can celebrate this great national month long holiday.

National Hemp Month

This month gives us the chance to discover the usefulness of hemp for us and our environment.  Hemp provides an all natural, eco friendly fiber with many applications: paper, clothing and hempcrete.  As a crop it cleans pollutants from the soil.  And also provides a rich source of CBD.  Apparently, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp.  It was a crop Britain required the colonists to grow.  This is a great time to check out the growing list of hemp products out there (clothing, hempcrete, hemp seed oil, hemp rope and hemp extracts.

Looks like it's going to be a fun month!