By Stuart Green

Welcome to the Dog Days of summer. The period got its name from the Ancients, who lived in ancient times. As they peered into the sky, contemplating the wonders of the universe, they saw in the stars a figure that touched their inner beings and spoke to them - the mystical Scooby-Doo. Others say Snoopy. A rebellious branch said Lassie, but what do you expect from a Neanderthal?

Days are as important today as they were yesterday – or even last Tuesday. Norwood has a day all its own called, as crazy as it seems, Norwood Day, not to be confused with the Day House.

Every month has its own very special day. In January, you may recall, we start the new year with a little something we like to call New Year’s Day in the business. All day long we celebrate the joyous first day of the year by trying to sleep off and forget the last night of the year.  We make our annual New Year’s resolutions – like never again to have another New Year’s Eve like we just had.

The next couple of holidays are what we call honorary holidays – Martin Luther King Day in the middle of January, and Presidents’ Day near the end of February, or whenever the auto dealers need to clear their lot and start selling the new models.

For those of us who did not meet Washington or Lincoln, there’s a day for those we did meet – like our sweethearts. Valentine’s Day is a romantic little time when husbands and boyfriends buy candy and flowers for their romantic partners because, as it says in the instructions for the holiday, “She told me to.” Over the years, that has been softened to, “I’d better.”

March, needless to say, is chockful of holidays, including National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on March 2, and National Tater Day on March 31. The original Bill of Rights, in fact, was thought to have pushed for freedom of chunky over smooth, but the language was hopelessly smeared during a late-night snack session.

April Fool’s Day has an interesting history. It started off as a joke, and ended up as, well a joke. It just kinda stayed a joke, and there you have it.

Mother’s Day in May is a lovely time to honor the woman who brought you into this world, clothed you, fed you, and got you to pick up your socks when the rest of the world wouldn’t, because, y’know, they don’t live with you or anything. And Father’s Day in June was added because, oh, why not.

The Fourth of July is called Independence Day by some who need to keep that whole “Day” thing going. It’s a distinctly American holiday, celebrated in our glorious tradition of breaking the law, smuggling back firecrackers from New Hampshire.

After the Dog Days of August meander around, the four-month holiday season begins in September, with Labor Day, followed by either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples Day, Veterans Day. And we end off the year with a season simply called the holidays, so called because people know what they are already and let’s get on with the shoveling.

So, whenever life gets you down a bit, just remember the refrain of that old song that so succinctly sums it up: “Oh, why can’t every day be National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day?”