Thread:61Storm/@comment-29709319-20190621035327/@comment-29709319-20190627022145

National Themes For June 27: National Onion Day, National Ice Cream Cake Day, National Sunglasses Day, National Orange Blossom Day, National PTSD Awareness Day, National Bomb Pop Day, and National Handshake Day.

🍴National Onion Day recognizes the flavor and aroma the bulb of the allium family brings to numerous recipes. Whether we choose a sweet, white, red, or the ever-favorite yellow, we count on the onion to enhance the flavor of our savory recipes. They pair well with meats and salads, making the ever-versatile onion a cooking powerhouse. Added to eggs or pickled, it’s the required seasoning next to our salt and pepper. While the onion packs in the flavor with very few calories, it’s also rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Add onions to every meal to increase your dietary fiber and vitamin B6. As a bonus, you won’t be adding any cholesterol. With so many varieties to choose from, onions provide plenty of opportunities for us to relish the benefits. As an industry, onions add $6 billion to U.S. markets. From farm to distribution to grocers and restaurants, onions generate economic growth throughout the year.

🍦🍰National Ice Cream Cake Day! An ice cream cake consists of any flavor of ice cream in the shape of a cake. It can include many different ingredients such as cake, cookie crumbs, sponge cake, fudge, fruit or caramel between the layers of ice cream. It is then frosted with either whipped cream or a similar icing. Ice cream cakes are kept frozen until served. They are typically decorated and served at a wide variety of parties. Although the origin of the ice cream cake remains somewhat of a mystery, this popular dessert combines the classic summer treat, ice cream, with the time-honored celebratory cake, which makes it one of the best culinary inventions to date.

🕶National Sunglasses Day is an annual commemorative campaign brought to you by The Vision Council celebrating sunnies and sharing the importance of UVeyeprotection. National Sunglasses Day reminds everyone that wearing sunglasses is not only fashionable and fun, but also a health necessity to protect the eyes from the sun’s UV rays. During National Sunglasses Day and throughout the year, about the potentially harmful effects of unprotected UVeye exposure. The Vision Council offers vital information including the latest facts, studies, and tips to help protect one’s eyes without sacrificing style, and how to incorporate popular fashion trends into one’s eyewear wardrobe!

🍊🌸National Orange Blossom Day is set aside to enjoy Orange Blossoms for their aesthetic beauty. Orange blossoms have been used in culinary dishes, desserts, and teas worldwide. They add a slight citrus flavor to any dish! Fragrant orange blossoms offer multiple health benefits when prepared correctly to make a tea or orange blossom water. Some of the advantages may include improved sleep, reduced anxiety and improved circulation. The orange blossom is Florida’s state flower. Not only do the flowers result in the sweet as sunshine orange fruit, but thanks to the pollinating bees, we also get to enjoy a unique honey with a faintly orange flavor as a delightful treat. The blossom’s scent goes into making perfumes and other fragrances for the home.

🎗National PTSD Awareness Day is a day to recognize the effects post-traumatic stress has on the lives of those affected by it. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has a profound effect on the lives of those who suffer from it. The statistics alone are staggering, but can only tell a portion of the story. The trauma and anxiety associated with PTSD is a constant burden, inseparable from the sufferer. It was once a condition that was attributed only to returning combat veterans, but more and more the condition is diagnosed in those who have experienced violent crime or lived through catastrophic events. According to PTSD United, 20% of adults in the United States who have experienced a traumatic event suffer from PTSD. The United States Senate established PTSD Awareness Day in 2010 following then-Sen. Kent Conrad’s efforts to designate a day of awareness as a tribute to Army Staff Sgt. Joe Biel of the North Dakota National Guard, Davison said. Biel suffered from PTSD and took his life in April 2007 after returning to North Dakota following his second tour of duty in the Iraq War. Biel’s birthday was chosen to mark PTSD Awareness Day and honor his memory.

🍡National Bomb Pop Day! Invented in 1955 in Kansas City, Missouri, Bomb Pops are also known as the red, white and blue Popsicle. Having one of these frozen treats is a terrific way to kick off the upcoming 4th of July celebrations in your community!

🤝National Handshake Day! Of all the various forms of greeting, the handshake is perhaps one of the most ancient. The origin of the handshake is hard to pinpoint. As it is a non-verbal mode of communication, it may have existed before written records. Theories suggest it was a way for medieval knights, Roman soldiers and other weapon carrying men to check for hidden daggers by grasping each other’s forearms in greeting. Archaeological ruins in ancient Greece support this theory. The funerary stele depicts two soldiers shaking hands and dates back to 5th century BC. An even older record in Egypt suggests the handshake held a different sort of power, the power of giving. According to Babylonian custom, kings would grasp the hand of the statue of the god Marduk before taking the throne. This act was repeated annually during the festival of Zagmuk to carry his power over into the next year. Even conquering Assyria continued the tradition. As during ancient times, modern-day handshakes have different customs around the world. Women usually didn’t carry weapons, and therefore didn’t shake hands as a form of greeting. In the United States, Russia, Australia, Brazil, and the United Kingdom handshakes tend to be firm, but even those with firm greetings have lingering differences. However, in most Asian countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea, the grip is light, and there should be no direct eye contact. However, in the Philippines make the eye contact while keeping the hold light. Then there are the secret handshakes, those elaborate greetings signaling membership in a group, club or society. One of the more famous societies known to use secret handshakes is Freemasons.

The onion at my house gets used for a variety of cooking recipes, including a raw slice on a cheeseburger. Ice cream cake, yummy! Sunglasses sure do help on those bright sun shiny days. I never heard of cooking with orange blossoms. My panic attacks are bad enough, I can't imagine what those diagnosed with PTSD go through day after day. I'll pass on the bomb pops. I learned about the handshake in school, about how important it is in making a good first impression with it.

Tomorrow is a state day. No summer clothes for this day. Better find a winter coat to pack.

Warm hugs!💕🐶🐶⛅️⛈