By Mary TuckerIt’s Spring. It’s May, although Mother Nature does not know what weather to bring. Daylight Savings Time is here; the sun rises earlier and sets later, giving us more time to be outside enjoying the greening of the earth. With fishing and turkey seasons open, outdoor sports teams in action, spring cleaning being done on homes and lawns, and gardens being planned, there’s so much to be done. We all know how May’s major holidays, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, are celebrated; I thought it would be interesting to research and learn about some of the lesser known holidays that are observed in May. Would you believe there’s a holiday listed for each day of the month? Below are a few I found on the Internet and decided it would be fun to know about.

“ May 6 – International No Diet Day–Established in Britain to promote health, this is a one-day moratorium on dieting and obsession with weight. The focus is on weight loss through healthy eating and exercise.

“ May 8 – No Socks Day–Give up wearing socks for one day making less laundry; one small step to help the environment.

“ May 10 – Clean Up Your Room Day — especially for kids. Parents like this day. Maybe they should check their own rooms!

“ May 13 – Tulip Day–Buy a pot of tulips. After blooms fade, let foliage dry out, then save bulbs in your refrigerator and plant in the fall.

“ May 15 – National Chocolate Chip Day–Make a batch of guilt-free chocolate chip using dark, bittersweet chocolate, which has been declared the new health food.

“ May 18 – Visit Your Relations Day–“Nuff said”.

“ May 23 – Penny Day—Since the US Mint has decided to keep making pennies, collect pennies lying around the house and in pockets. Put them back in circulation by spending them on something frivolous.

“ May 25 – National Tap Dance Day—A bill introduced to celebrate the art of tap dancing, signed into law by Congress on November 7, 1989. This date was chosen out of respect for Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, an extraordinary tap dancer (May 25, 1878 – November 25, 1949).

“ May 26 – Blueberry Cheesecake Day–Blueberries are good to eat raw or cooked and are good for you. Try this recipe out.

BLUEBERRY ‘N CREAM CHEESE CAKE

Cake Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cubed

Topping Ingredients
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375º. Cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; mix well. Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Toss blueberries in remaining 1/4 cup flour and then fold into batter with cream cheese. Pour into greased and floured 9x13inch pan. Topping–Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter.
Bake for 1 hour.

Enjoy every day in May!! ~