It’s summer time and the living's easy so let’s have some fun.

Did you know?

August is National Catfish Month
Celebrating the work of U.S. catfish farmers.  Most U.S. farm-raised catfish are produced in pure freshwater ponds on family-owned farms in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana, where many of these growers are second- or third-generation farmers. I think most of these Catfishers (men and women who fish for catfish) are circling my favorite lakeside vacationing spot.  How do they get all those catfish from Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana to California?  I’d really like to know.

Lughnasadh is August 1
This is a Celtic harvest festival that takes its name from the Irish god Lugh.

National Psychic Week is August 1-5
Sooner or later somebody had to come up with this idea, so be sure to say hello to your local mind reader(s).  And be sure to take the time to thank your friendly neighborhood psychic, tarot card reader or palmist.

National Assistance Dog Week is August 7-13
This is a worthy gesture of recognition.  Assistance dogs have transformed the lives of their human partners by providing friendly companionship and unselfish aid.  National Assistance Dog Week recognizes and honors these hardworking animals and it seeks to raise awareness and educate the public about how these specially trained animals are aiding so many people in our communities.  I sure hope the dogs appreciate the recognition.

National Farmers Market Week August 7-13
(Poor dogs have to share their week with farmers markets.)  The number of farmers markets in the United States has grown from 1,755 in 1994 to 6,132 today, as reported by the USDA National Farmers Market Directory.  Get some fresh fruit and vegetables from your local farmers market this week and thank them for their hard work.

International Beer Day is August 5
Not to be confused with National Beer Day, which is April 7th.  This is an international celebration to enjoy a cold brew or raise a stein in the company of friends and express your appreciation for the brewers and bartenders who provide us with beer.  Why can't this be a week-long celebration?  We could fit it in the week of August 14 - 20.  All those in favor send us an email. 

Since we’re on a roll, how about some…Trivia?

Did You Know?
Icelandic phone books are in alphabetical order by first names.  The reason is that male surnames in Iceland are created by adding “sson” to the father’s first name and female surnames are created by adding “dottir” to the mother’s first name. This makes surnames somewhat redundant.

The first bar code scanner to be used commercially was installed in an Ohio supermarket, and the first product to be successfully scanned was a packet of Wrigley’s gum. 

There are two terms used for the fear of Friday the 13th.  The first is paraskevidekatriaphobia, which comes from the Greek words “paraskevi” meaning Friday, “dekatria” meaning “thirteen” and “phobia” from the Greek word “phobos” for fear.  The second is friggatriskaidekaphobia, which comes from the name of the Norse goddess Frigga for whom Friday is said to be named, “triskaideka,” which comes from the three Greek words “tris kai deka,” meaning literally “three and ten,” and again, the Greek word for fear.

Apparently, around 13 people are killed every year by vending machines (how embarrassing). Probably on Friday the 13th I suspect. 

Despite the fact that Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol, alludes to a law stating that no building in Washington, D.C., can exceed the height of the Washington Monument, this is apparently nothing more than a popular misconception aka BS.  Sure is a lot of that floating around D.C. these days.

The opposite sides of a die always add up to seven.  If you don’t know this, don't play craps.

Feel free to use any of this useless information.