National Siblings Day

National Safety Pin Day

National Farm Animals Day

Golfer’s Day

Maybe it’s just me, but safety pins is the only one on this list that seems out of place since it is neither animal, or human. Oh well, Time to roll.

Golfer’s Day

Some avid golfers might suggest any and every day is Golfer's Day. But on this day, it's official. The only question is, does this day honor the golfer, the sport, or the weather? Well, it's a little of each. Golfer's Day is an opportunity to be thankful that someone invented this addicting, yet relaxing hobby.

Also referred to as "Golf Day", there is only one proper way to enjoy this day. And, that's out on the golf course.

When Golfer's Day falls on a week day, it is even more special. That means you now have an excuse to take a day off of work and go play a round ...or two. Regardless of your score today, you know that even a bad day on the greens, is better than a good day at work.

On April 10, 1916, the Professional Golf Association (PGA) was founded on this day, and first professional golf tournament was held.

"If you think golf is relaxing, you're not playing it right."—Bob Hope

National Farm Animals Day

According to Colleen Paige, the creator of this day in 2005, National Farm Animals Day was created to "raise awareness about the plight of slaughtered animals, as well as to find homes for abandoned and abused farm animals.” The day promotes the welfare of American livestock.

Old McDonald has a farm. On Old McDonald's farm, and many other farms, you will see a wide variety of domesticated animals. Some of the common farm animals include cows, chickens, horses, pigs, sheep, turkey, ducks, rabbits, and goats. But that isn’t the whole list. There are many other animals that are sometimes raised on farms. Other less common farm animals are: Llamas, ostriches, buffalo, oxen, and more.

When we think of farm animals, We think of these many lovable side of them. We don't think of their treatment and living conditions. It's not always ideal. In addition to many forms of abuse, they are often treated with excessive hormones and antibiotics.

Visit a working farm today. It's a great way to gain appreciation for the treatment and living condition of farm animals.

A little word play: Dogs can't operate MRI machines. But catscan.

National Siblings Day

Today is a day to appreciate and cherish your brothers and sisters. Siblings are truly a special blessing that we probably all too often take for granted. They are often our best friends and supporters through life. Another reason to celebrate is that not everyone is lucky enough to have siblings. Their lives are significantly different growing up, and throughout life.

Celebrate National Sibling Day in a variety of ways. It's a great time to be thankful for your sibling. But most importantly, get in touch with your siblings. Visit them if they live nearby. Call them if they live far away. Send them a card, a letter, gifts, or flower. And if you still live at home with your brother or sister, take a few seconds to tell them how much they mean to you.

Claudia A. Evart, President and Founder of this day, initiated National Sibling Day after the tragic deaths of her brother and sister. If you have lost a brother or a sister, you know just how important it is to cherish them, and be thankful for them every single day.

Since 1998, forty nine state governors have issued proclamations making April 10 Siblings Day. President Bill Clinton and Obama has supported it, but did not issue a proclamation. There is hope that Biden will.

California is the only state still sitting on the fence.

Siblings Days are celebrated also in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India.. The Hindu holiday of Raksha Bandhan also celebrates the bond of brothers and sisters.

I can't believe I got fired from the calendar factory. All I did was take a day off.

National Safety Pin Day

The versatile and invaluable safety pin was patented on April 10, 1849. Patent #6,281. On Safety Pin Day, we celebrate this invention and its inventor.

The year was 1849. Inventor Walter Hunt was in debt. He owed $15 to a friend. Hunt decided the way to get out of debt, was to invent something that he could sell. What was that great idea, that profitable invention? It was the safety pin. He wisely applied for, and received a patent for this invention. The safety pin is much safer than a straight pin, and quickly became popular. He sold the safety pins for a profit. Later, he sold the patent and received $400 for it. He paid his friend back and pocketed the remaining $385, which was a handsome amount at the time.

Note: A similar invention was made in England. It was called the "English Pin".

Safety Pin World Records:

The world's largest safety pin was created by the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco, CA. It is on display in the museum, and measures 21 feet tall. The museum invites visitors to stand under the point of the pin for a great photo op.

The world record for the longest safety pin chain was set on September 6, 2019. It belongs to Partha Chandra Deb of Bangladesh. It measures 7,880 feet long.

My question is why?

"Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh

uncontrollably. And. never regret ANYTHING that makes you smile."—Mark Twain

More Strange Holidays Coming!

Nearing midnight,

surrounded by quiet,

and above me

the blackness

spackled with starlight,

and a full-moon

encased in an aura,

It is here ...

I wish,

I hope,

I dream,

for better days.

Songs ring in my head,

songs from days past,

they tell me

love is such an easy game,

you win, you lose.

When daylight rises,

night dreams will fade,

the day will begin,

but the songs play on.

Every spring brings

A new greengold day,

Dappled by past autumns

And draped on winter bones

Like a shroud. The corpse beneath it

Cannot dim the brilliance

Of a fragile shoot bursting from

The womb of the earth.

Lick your lips and remember me as burning

Remember me as tongue on thighs

As keratin-ripped hips

As teeth against clavicle

As venom

As dripping

As sacre bleu, spilt

Remember me as screaming

As yawps

As oxygen-lacking

Keep me in your mind as tempest-settled

Prostrated defeat

Forget my deluge

My downpour

My cataract-rushing rhetoric

You as finale

Gasoline, match to my flits and titters

Tidal wave to my inhale

Gravity against wingless flight

Anaphora ending

Anaphora splayed

Anaphora halting

Faltered

Faulted

Frenzied

Frenzied

Lick your lips and remember me as

Frenzied

Frantic

Fanatic

As frenzied, frantic

As gravity against flightless finale

As flightless

As frantic

Remember me as faulted

As finale

As burning

My mind lies somewhere at the bottom,

A jumble of disconnected pieces

The edges, slivers of jagged silver,

Too misshapen to form back together

There, the fragments rest,

Glimpses of more cheerful times,

Memories long since laid to rest

A swirling pit of despair,

A vortex brewed from fear,

A cage to warp all the sanity left

My mind lies somewhere at the bottom,

A jumble of disconnected pieces

That can never be put back together

Together we ran on the playground.

My pigtails flew in the air.

‘Chase the boys’ girls happily cheered -

Felt like you were the only one there.

I called you names at lunchtime.

Over apples and sticks of cheese.

I didn’t mean a word I said -

Just wanted you to look at me.

Too worried that words would lead nowhere.

I kept chasing you around.

Until we became ‘too old’ for it -

Silence raiding the playground.

It got harder for you to notice me.

Without words, under braces and tears.

I noticed you lost your own voice too -

Victims of social-driven fears.

Until you dropped a pencil in September.

We reached for it, touched hands.

And as our eyes met - green and hazel -

I knew the Universe had a plan.

And you noticed me - so sweetly

And loved me like never before

And held me like I knew you would

And I couldn’t have asked for more.

In waves of scrapbooks and cheesy memories,

You still hold my hand so tight.

Wrinkles tell our stories now -

Muffled visions of a wonderful life.

With you, I found my voice again.

My words flow freely - fast.

I daydream of our future -

As I reminisce our perfect past.

And with you, I return to the playground.

A worry-free paradise of joy.

Where I can be that little girl -

Who fell in love with a boy.

And though we’re old and wrinkled

I wouldn’t trade it for anything - never.

I’d rather spend the rest of my days with you,

And be on our playground forever.

Overwhelmingly,

The darkness descends upon me

With no warning

And no control

I am swallowed up into its grasp

It chews me up

And spits me out

Leaving me hopeless

Broken and a mess

Lost and lonely

Bitter and depressed

When it goes

I am alone in its aftermath

Left to pick up the pieces

Of my shattered soul

©HeatherAnn

What silenced the world?

What evil quieted humanity?

What terror obliterated the sun

and muffled the melody of life?

What did that social media-obsessed

wealthy businessman-turned-politician

say or do to that dangerous commander

of a nuclear weapon-riddled nation?

Something he did cost humanity dearly,

sacrificed so many, initiated an attack

and caused the nuclear chemicals to

destroy our vibrant, beautiful blue planet.

The sky and earth became and remain

a dark tomb of ash like some

old abandoned house’s chimney,

where the crows slowly circle above,

barely flying, with wings bloodied

and eye sockets empty.

They and other birds like them

have been hushed; no longer do they

coo or caw; no cries escape their beaks.

And nothing else living above our

hidden underground shelter

makes any sound at all now.

There’s only four of us down here.

Only four souls wrapped in human tissue,

made up of skin, bones, and internal organs.

But without ears because ... what

is there to listen to now?

The universe is a silent ghost that

can’t even whisper in the dead of night.

And it’s frightening–

this graveyard of soundlessness.

There’s no person above ground to hear

the proverbial tree fall in the forest.

There are no living trees anymore either.

No leaves to rustle and murmur

in the blustery autumn wind.

Only dead air suspended, hanging.

No wild noises of nature,

twittering, howling, or barking.

There is only emptiness and sorrow

to listen to now.

Nothing other than our voices

and the grumbling of our

empty and sore stomachs.

Only the soot and smoke from

firestorms around the cities of this

changed world blankets the

scorched, blackened and muted earth.

The world has gone too quiet and

our muzzled lives are nothing but

a screaming agony of sad silence.