Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20190621035327/@comment-29709319-20191016013849

National Themes For October 16 National Liqueur Day, National Dictionary Day, Global Cat Day, and National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day.

🍷National Liqueur Day celebrates the myriad classes and flavors of liqueur. The word liqueur comes from the Latin liquifacere, which means to liquefy. A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit. Distillers flavor the spirit with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers, or nuts. Next, they bottle it with added sugar or other sweeteners. While liqueurs are typically considerably sweet, distillers do not usually age their product long. They do, however, allow a resting period during production, which allows the flavors to marry. With the broad selection of spirits available in seasonal, fragrant, and often curious flavors (vodkas and rums in particular), there is often confusion of liqueurs and liquors. In the United States and Canada, spirits are frequently called liquor. The most reliable rule of thumb to follow suggests that liqueurs comprise a sweeter, syrupy consistency, while liquors do not. Most of the liqueurs have a lower alcohol content than spirits. However, some do contain as much as 55% ABV. In parts of the United States, liqueurs may also be called cordials or schnapps. Historically, liqueurs descend from herbal medicines prepared by monks in Italy as early as the 13th century. These often bitter herbs were steeped and sweetened with sugar to make them more palatable to the monks’ ailing patients.

📔National Dictionary Day commemorates the birthday of Noah Webster. In 1806, American Noah Webster published his first dictionary, A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language. In 1807 Webster began compiling an expanded and fully comprehensive dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language; it took twenty-seven years to complete. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-six languages. Webster completed his dictionary during his year abroad in Paris, France, at the University of Cambridge. His book contained seventy thousand words, of which twelve thousand had never appeared in a published dictionary before. As a spelling reformer, he believed that the English spelling rules were unnecessarily complicated, so in his dictionary, he introduced American English spellings. Some of his changes didn’t catch on, however. Dropping the silent “e” at the end of some words like in the word imagine. Webster took a more phonetic approach to the development of his dictionary. Interestingly, the word didn’t appear when Webster published his dictionary in 1828 at the age of seventy. However, of the 70,000 entries, the word phonics is one. The dictionary sold 2500 copies. In 1840, the second edition published in two volumes. Additionally, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary is available online. By entering the modern-day spelling, the website generates Webster’s 1828 version. National Dictionary Day was created in honor of Noah Webster’s birthday (October 16, 1758). The observance emphasizes the importance of learning while using dictionary skills and increasing one’s vocabulary. Webster is considered the Father of the American Dictionary.

🐱Global Cat Day recognizes the need to adopt and foster cats. Perhaps you’re only able to volunteer or make a donation. Sadly, over 70 million homeless animals fill shelters in the United States. While kittens are adorable, many older felines make great pets. They cuddle their way into our hearts or aloofly play until they have our attention. One of the many goals of awareness campaigns like this one is to encourage adoptions. Instead of purchasing a cat from a pet store, adopt from a shelter. Keep these tips in mind when adopting: There’s an application process. Read through it and understand it. The guidelines are the safety of the animals, the employees, and you.Ask questions. It’s important there’s an understanding between you and the shelter. Most shelters have volunteers and paid employees. However, they work on a very tight budget. Please don’t expect any special accommodations. A good shelter will place the interests of the animal first. They want the cat to have a successful placement. Some animals have anxiety while others get along with anyone and every type of animal. Consider the size of your home and where you live. How much time do you have for a pet? So you’ve spotted the kitten for you. Be sure to make several visits to the shelter. Play with the kitten. Spend time grooming them. See how the kitten reacts to other cats. Learn the kitten’s behavior. Maybe Fuzzy Bear has health issues or doesn’t get along with children. Perhaps another kitten gets along better with dogs. All these factors will be considered on your application. While spaying and neutering lower the numbers of unwanted strays, Trap-Neuter-Return programs take the approach even further. Take time to visit your local shelter. Global Cat Day (2017) takes the place of National Feral Cat Day which was initiated by Alley Cat Allies in 2001.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day! During this event, parents will visit their children’s school and have a meal with them in the school cafeteria. The goal of the day is to learn more about what goes into putting together a healthy lunch. Parents and school officials have an opportunity to open the lines of communication so they can work together to provide kids with the healthiest meals possible. It’s also a terrific day to find out what your child enjoys about school lunches. When adults show an interest in the daily life of their children, they have the opportunity to learn their routine. They also see first hand the potential for growth and keeping your child’s brain fed for learning. Giving children the opportunity to show adults the ropes in the lunchroom will also cue you into where they may struggle. What’s working for them? Which foods should your child try more of? Providing follow up with and networking with the school becomes a powerful way to help students stay healthy and fueled all day long.

Warm hugs!🐶💕🌥🌻