There are certain days this month that call out to be
celebrated, beginning with today:  January 3^rd is Fruitcake
Toss Day.  That is, today is the day
designated by tradition and past performance to get rid of any holiday
fruitcakes given to you by thoughtless neighbors.  Be careful where you toss them, however,
especially if you might have family felines patrolling the premises.

January 4^th celebrates two momentous
occasions:  one is National Trivia Day.  So
tomorrow you should dust off that old Trivial Pursuit board game and have at it
with your family and friends.  It is also
World Brail Day in honor of the
birthday of Frenchman William Braille who invented the system of raised-point
reading.  He was himself blind from the
age of three.  I have a neighbor who is
almost blind, yet he can see just enough to ride his ATV to the post office for
his mail every day.  If I’m out and about,
I get the hell out of the way. 

January 8^th is Bubble Bath Day.  I can’t
imagine a more useless special day, but I suppose it might impress little kids.

January 18^th is Thesaurus Day.  British
lexicographer Peter M. Roget was born on this day in 1779.  For the wordsmith, this is a day to
celebrate, praise, acclaim, applaud, and generally rejoice. 

January 22^nd is the too little known National Answer Your Cat’s Questions
Day.  I know my cats have lots of
questions, starting with … When do we eat? 

January 24^th celebrates Beer Can Appreciation Day.  I
guess beer was first sold in cans starting on this day 78 years ago.  I’ve noticed, over the years, that when I see
discarded beer cans on the roadside, they almost always are Bud &
Busch.  People who are smart enough to
drink decent brands such as Coors or Millers also know enough to not litter the
world with their empties. 

I’ll bet you didn’t realize that January 28^th will be National Kazoo Day.  Promoted by an organization known as Kazoo
America, these people need to get a life.  Gimme a break!

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, January 29^th is Thomas Paine Day. Born on this
day 276 years ago, this great American patriot authored the pamphlet “Common
Sense,” something we could use today.  Here’s two Paine quotes:  “These
are times that try men’s souls.”  “Character
is much easier kept than recovered.”