What to Celebrate March 11 to 17, 2019
Celebration Ideas for March 11 – 17, 2019
Many of us will be starting next week an hour short on sleep, since Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday. But let’s not let that stop us from making the most of every hour we do have!
And there’s plenty to squeeze into those hours, too …
Adopting guinea pigs & reading to shelter animals.
Learning about wildlife and celebrating the return of turkey vultures. Also learning about the brain, organizing our home offices, and asking questions. (Those turkey vultures bring up lots of questions …).
There’s also a nice mix of deliciousness & seriousness to keep you busy all week.
So don’t delay! Go on & take a peek and plan your week. And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All March Long
We’ve got an eclectic mix of celebrations to highlight this week. Caffeine may give you the boost you need to enjoy the rest of the celebrations this week. Just don’t overdo it!
Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month: Did you know guinea pigs end up at shelters & rescue groups just like dogs, cats, & other pets? They do! There are even rescue groups that specialize in guinea pigs. If you’ve ever considered a guinea pig as a pet, March is the time! Really any time you’re willing & able is the time. But for March we remind you to adopt, not shop. No matter what kind of pet you’re looking for!
Caffeine Awareness Month: Most of us are quite aware of caffeine. We get our daily doses from coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and the like. And there’s evidence that moderate caffeine intake is harmless or even beneficial. But too much can be bad for you. And how much is “too much” can be different for different people. This month asks you to be more aware of your caffeine consumption and how it affects you.
Brain Injury Awareness Month: This month is about understanding brain injuries and how to prevent & treat them. Also understanding what people with brain injuries and their families actually need. There are different kinds of brain injuries & many different causes. And even when people have similar injuries they may not have the same prognosis or treatment needs.
Paws to Read Month: Yes, we highlighted this celebration last week, but we just love the idea! Kids reading to shelter animals benefits both the kids and the animals. What’s not to love? See if a shelter near you has a program for getting kids & animals together. And then keep this month going all year long.
Weekly Celebrations for March 11 to 17
This week we celebrate wildlife (including turkey vultures!) and learn about the brain.
Turkey Vultures Return to the Living Sign (March 11 – 17, 2019): Every year in mid-March turkey vultures come back to Canisteo, NY to roost. The “living sign” part of this celebration refers to more than 250 scotch pine trees arranged to spell out the name of the town. The turkey vultures roost in and around these trees!
National Wildlife Week (March 12 – 16, 2019): This week is all about protecting our wildlife. So learn about the country’s or your state’s threatened & endangered species. Volunteer to help cleanup waterways or forest preserves. The Wildlife Week page offers more suggestions. They’re geared toward students, but most are things anyone can do.
Brain Awareness Week (March 11 – 17, 2019): Did you know you have a brain? We sure hope so! We all do. But there’s still tons we don’t know about our brains & how they work. And that’s what this week is about. Helping the public understand what scientists are doing to learn more about the brain and why they do it. And how that research helps us all. Lots of schools & other organizations hold events around this week. You can search for events near you here. This week focuses on the brain in general, but it also fits in well with one of March’s themes: Brain Injury Awareness Month.
Celebration Days coming up for Mar. 11 thru Mar. 17
This week the days are filled with deliciousness, seriousness, and silliness. Between eating baked scallops, learning about freedom of information, and worshiping tools there’s sure to be something for everyone.
So let’s make it another fun-tastic week.
March 11:
World Plumbing Day: Most of us take indoor plumbing for granted. But that wasn’t always the case. Take some time today to learn a bit about plumbing and give thanks for this marvel that helps keep our lives cleaner and healthier. And remember there are still people who live without it.
Fill Our Staplers Day: So 2x per year we fill our staplers so we don’t have to be annoyed by trying to staple something & finding the stapler empty. And we do it on the day after each time change. Although we’ve never been too sure if handling sharp pointy things is a good idea after we’ve been deprived of an hour of sleep …
National Worship of Tools Day: For this day you must worship your tools! So clean ‘em, re-organize ‘em, fix ‘em, use ‘em (use one or more to fix others!), or even take selfies with ‘em! Is there a tool you’ve been wanting/needing but haven’t yet bought? Go get it!
National Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day: Mmmmm … waffles. But not just any waffles. Healthy waffles! Filled with the goodness of oatmeal & nuts. Try this recipe to celebrate right.
March 12:
Organize Your Home Office Day: Clear your schedule & spend the day clearing the clutter, tossing outdated files, and getting your home office back under control. Now you’re ready to make the most of each day going forward!
National Baked Scallops Day: Scallops make a delightful meal any day. Fried, baked, or grilled, they’re just divine. But for this day you must bake them to celebrate properly. Never tried baking them? This simple recipe will have your seafood dinner on the table in no time!
National Plant a Flower Day: Gardeners rejoice! It’s time to get the garden started. And we’ll start with a flower (or even 2 or three!). But depending on the zone you live in you may need to celebrate this day by planting your flower in a pot & keeping it inside for a bit longer. That’s what we’ll be doing … the forecast lows are still around (and even below) freezing for a bit longer.
March 13:
K-9 Veterans Day: Honor service dogs for this day. Although we celebrate on the anniversary of the formation of the US K9 Corp it’s not just for military dogs. All working dogs deserve recognition for this day. Some states even recognize it as an official day!
National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day: Huh? Open an umbrella indoors?! Isn’t that bad luck? Nope. At least … we think not. It’s probably just an old wives tale. And this is the day to disprove that silly superstition. If you dare …
National Earmuff Day: Now it might seem odd to be celebrating earmuffs as winter’s ending. And it is. But at the same time it isn’t. Because March 13 is the anniversary of the date when Chester Greenwood got his patent on earmuffs! He was just 15 when he came up with the idea.
National Coconut Torte Day: This day is for coconut lovers. Indulge in a heavenly slice (or 2) of coconut torte. If you have time to make it yourself, give this recipe a try. It uses a cake mix for the cake portion, so it’s quite simple & shouldn’t take much time at all.
March 14
International Ask a Question Day: Ask your questions all day! No question is too small or too silly. So if there’s something you want/need to know, ask someone who might know. And just to be fair, if someone asks you about things you know, answer their questions too.
World Kidney Day: Celebrate all that your kidneys do for you and learn how to help keep them healthy. One way to protect your kidneys is to drink plenty of water.
Save a Spider Day: Do you love spiders or hate them? There really doesn’t seem to be much middle ground when it comes to these fascinating but kinda’ creepy critters. But no matter how you feel about them, this is the day to not squish them. Good luck!
National Learn About Butterflies Day: Do you enjoy seeing butterflies visit your yard each year? If you do, learn some more about the butterflies native to your area to celebrate this day. Maybe even plan to make your garden more butterfly friendly so you’ll get even more visitors!
National Potato Chip Day: Enjoy a handful … a bowlful … a whole bag of potato chips in honor of this day! Whether baked or fried, flavored or just salted, potato chips are a perfect snack. Buy a bag of your favorite chip or try this recipe to make your own. Or make these baked chips instead.
March 15:
National Day of Action for the Seals: This is the day to raise your voice against commercial seal hunts. The market for sea skin keeps getting smaller, but the hunt continues. Let’s stop the madness.
World Sleep Day: Sleep is important for both physical and mental health. Use this day to learn more about the importance of sleep and how you can get more and better sleep.
National Pears Hélène Day: For this day enjoy warm poached pears with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. If you can find crystallized violets, they’ll complete the dessert. If not, sliced almonds will do (or skip these garnishes completely). And if you don’t have time to poach pears you can substitute canned pears, but be warned it won’t be the same. The Foodie Patootie has a simple recipe you may like. Or try this recipe from Nigella Lawson; it’s a bit more complicated, but still pretty easy.
March 16:
National Freedom of Information Day: Every American is entitled to know what the federal government does. And we’re entitled to see most of the documents it produces. All we need to do is ask! And sometimes pay a fee. Many states have similar rules. So if there’s something you’ve been wanting to know about our government’s activities, why not exercise your right & file a Freedom of Information Request in honor of the day?
National Panda Day: It’s a day of Panda-monium! If you can make it to the zoo to see pandas, do it! But don’t just admire these adorable, gigantic balls of fluff. Learn about them too. Because the pandas’ homes & food source (bamboo) are disappearing, putting the pandas in danger of disappearing too. Can’t make it to the zoo? Spend some time watching the National Zoo’s Panda Cams! (This day is different from Red Panda Day in September).
National Everything You Do is Right Day: Now some of you may celebrate this every day, but March 16 is the only true, unofficially official celebration. So go out and be right all day! Just keep in mind that even on this day breaking the law or being deliberately mean will never be right … but you’d never do that. Right?
National Artichoke Hearts Day: Artichokes are good for you! They have lots of vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, protein, & more. They’re delicious too. And March 16 is the day add them to everything. They make great snacks & dips, taste fantastic baked, boiled, or sauteed, and they’re great for stuffing too! So prepare ‘em your favorite way to celebrate this day. Or try this oven roasted artichokes recipe.
March 17:
Submarine Day: Celebrate the anniversary of the demonstration of a submarine for the US Navy in 1898. A few weeks later the Navy bought that submarine.
National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day: It probably comes as no surprise that St. Patrick’s Day is also National Corned Beef and Cabbage Day. And if it does then you should probably get out more … At any rate it’s a delicious day and the only appropriate way to celebrate is with … (come on, you got this!)
