Category: Today Is

For when those niche holidays strike a chord.

This Month Is…

Honey Month!

Now I absolutely love honey.

I love the bees. I love the hives. I love the combs…I just love it all, really. So when I found out we not only had a month dedicated to honey, BUT we were IN that month…I immediately started click clacking on the internet.

While looking into bees I was reminded of three prominent causes for their distress: habitat loss, pesticides, and the dreaded Varroa mite. Keeping this in mind I took myself on a refresher of things the average person (with or without a yard) can do to help give a boost and keep the honey flowing!

Here are some things I learned:

i. plant a bee friendly garden with a) plants native to your area, b) single flower crops, & c) variation so something is flowering all year

ii. use natural pesticides and fertilizers

iii. let some dandelions, clovers, and wildflowers (yes, I mean the weeds) grow free

iv. leave out consistent water sources

v. plant a flowering tree(s) for bees

vi. buy local honey

If you’re like me you’re probably thinking: most of this is definitely geared towards people with yards/plant space… In my current place I definitely can’t just go out and plant a tree or really decide on landscaping at all, but I can decide on my potted plants (all of which are kept outside for the sake of my partner). When it came to finding local honey; however, I was able to find one about twenty miles away which was awesome!

SIDE NOTE: I personally didn’t find my local honey on the search engine linked above. I found mine using google and my location, so don’t feel discouraged if it seems like there’s nothing near you because there probably is. It just might be a smaller operation.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

September

Today Is…

International Cat Day!

Woo! And before anyone asks; the feline pictured above is not mine, BUT I do have a ginger cat snoozing somewhere- I just don’t have the photography skills to do him justice.

Speaking of my little furry friend, he’s been on a bit of patchy ride lately with over-grooming. Our first trip to the vet ended in his anal glands getting expressed (meaning ‘squeezed’ in case you’re like me who had no clue). Second trip we narrowed it down to allergies meaning he now gets all new food and starts daily medication for about two months. So far he’s on board with his food, so I’m just waiting to see how he takes to the medicine which is still preparing for shipment.

SIDE NOTE: For anyone worried about the little guy; I assure you he’s doing fine. Even as I type this his top half is draped over my lap, a paw resting on my left hand while he purrs away.

Input from my Partner

So when I asked my partner what first came to mind when I said International Cat Day, I was given the following response: you get your cat, put a little beret on him, and have him say “baguette”, “croissant” or “omelette du fromage”.

Why? To make it international.

Artist: oshtu

8 August

Today Is…

Oyster Day!

Okay, so right off the bat a single question came to mind when I saw this on the calendar: do most people consider oysters an aphrodisiac or…?

Now you may be wondering why this was the first place my mind went and to be honest- we’ll never truly know. I suspect it’s because that’s the only trivia I knew, hence why I went on a deep dive because I had some questions!

My first question: Where did this originate? The answer: No one knows.

My second question: What’s some cool trivia on oysters?

~ they have gills and hemolymph (colorless blood)

~ location determines their flavor

~ they contain all of the essential amino acids (there are nine)

~ they are rich in minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and protein

My final takeaway from everything is simple: I now have a hankering for oysters AND I really want to know public opinion on the aphrodisiac angle…

Photo by Aime Cox-Tennant on Unsplash

5 August