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!

Air Quality - Chicago

 The Canadian wildfires have taken over the news....... and the air.  Nothing like waking up and reading that Chicago has the worst air quality in the world.  You read that right.  

Not in the state.

Not in the country.  

Not in the continent or northern hemisphere.  

IN THE WORLD.

The last couple of days the air quality has been "very unhealthy."  Today we have a tiny bit of relief, telling us that it is just, "unhealthy."  

Drink lots of water and make sure to limit your outdoor activities. 

Here's to hoping we get those fires under control.  

And, a little breath of fresh air.

If you want to take a look at the air quality in your area, visit AirNow.gov. 

National Take Your Dog To Work Day

Today is National Take Your Dog To Work Day! 

It's so hard to leave our furry, four-legged family members when we go to work.  Studies show that pets in the workplace reduce stress and anxiety and have a positive effect on productivity.  Dogs can brighten your day and can definitely up the fun factor at work.  It can also be a fun way to relax and interact with your coworkers.  Oh, and show off Fido, too.  

This holiday was started to help with pet adoptions.  This holiday is a way for non-pet owners to see the special bond their coworkers have with their dog and hopefully want to adopt a dog of their own.

Unfortunately I am going to have to break the news to Pippen because my place of work does not allow us to bring our pets.  I will just have to give him extra attention (and cookies) before and after my shift today.

If you bring your dog to work today, don't forget to post to social media #NationalTakeYourDogToWorkDay 

Have a great day!

My Weird Dog

 I could probably write "weird dog" posts daily.  There is always something weird strange new going on with my child Pippen. 

We had some people over recently.  One of the families left a bottle of bubbles.  B thought it would be fun to hang outside with Pippen and the bubbles.  It didn't take long to realize that Pippen wanted no part of the bubble situation.  He went in the house and hid.  We aren't sure if it's the bubbles or the actual blowing.  He doesn't like any blowing air on him.  And now, when he sees the bubble bottle, his ears go down and he walks away.

My fearless protector.

Fun Words to Say

 Do you ever look at a word and think, "that's a fun word to say/use!"?  

I thought I would list some fun words for you to use during every day conversations.  

Here we go:

bamboozled

flabbergasted

discombobulated

shenanigans 

lollygag

malarkey

kerfuffle

brouhaha

nincompoop

skidaddle

flatulent

poppycock

whippersnapper

gobbledygook

Believe it or not, I use a few of those words (and find them quite fun).

Here are a few words I found that I'm going to add to my vocabulary:

pooter - special jar for collecting small insects

snollygoster -politician guided by personal advantage

hornswoggle - to trick

barbigerous - bearded

  

That last one is great since I have a barbigerous son.

How many of these words are already in your vocabulary?

Can you think of any more fun words to add to the list?

Retail Problems

 I keep thinking that I am going to run out of stories and then I go to work.

This day I was working as a cashier.  It was crazy.  Long lines.  No bagger to help me.  I had this one customer come through my line.  I rang up her stuff and bagged the items.  I even walked around and put them in her cart.  The customer leaves.  I continue with my line for the next twenty minutes.  All of a sudden, she comes up to my register (the opposite way, not as a customer) and starts accusing me of stealing her groceries.  I must have had a look of shock on my face.  The woman went a little crazy, telling me that I stole all of her groceries.  When I realized that she was serious, I said, "I don't have your groceries.  I bagged them and put them into your cart.  There's nothing at my register and nothing in my apron.  I wouldn't steal someone's groceries."  She huffed and went back into the store to shop.

I made sure I let the store manager know what happened, in case they have to check the security tapes.

In case you are wondering, this is a regular customer.  You might remember my story about her showing me her phone as her ID card.  She now makes sure to come to my line when I am ringing (oh, lucky me).  The other cashiers call her my friend.

Vegan Diaries - Kale Salad with Quinoa

 RT and I celebrated our anniversary last month at a restaurant in the city.  They didn't have much for vegans (or vegetarians), of course.  Quite surprising since the place was in a young, hip area of the city.  I did settle for their Quinoa and Kale salad.  Sadly, it was just mediocre.  I knew I could do better.

We have kale growing in our garden.  A leftover from last year's garden.  I thought I would try my hand at making this salad.  

Here is the delicious result:

Kale and Quinoa Salad

ingredients:

4 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped

1/2 TBSP olive oil

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 cup quinoa, cooked 

1 med. red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup feta cheese *

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP vinegar**

Juice of 1 lemon

salt/pepper to taste

directions:

Add kale to large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and gently massage until leaves have softened.

Add remaining ingredients (minus the sunflower seeds).

For the dressing, mix ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well.  Pour over salad mixture.  You might not need the entire dressing depending on the size of the salad and taste preference.

Serve topped with sunflower seeds.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

* I used Violife vegan feta for this recipe.

** I used balsamic vinegar.  Feel free to use red wine vinegar, if that is what you have on hand.

If you make this kale salad, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Enjoy!