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Happiness Happens Month
Written By: William McReynolds - Highlands Plateau Audubon Society | Issue: August - 2022
August is the prime time to recharge your batteries and your Joy. Plus, there’s plenty of Good Eating!
August is the “Happiness Happens Month.” By declara-tion, we shall be happy this month. How hard is that?Augustus was, in Roman times, a lofty title conveyingmagnificence, reserved for the emperor. Being august doesnot, however, redeem the month of August for being the hottestmonth of the year.Hot weather is, we must remember, just what we wished for inthe blue cold of last winter.It’s August…suddenly. Bask. Recharge your solar cells. Get outin it but protect your skin.Go visit one of our many waterfalls featured in these pages byEd Boos, or hike to a summit. The Dog Days of Summer appearin August, referencing not hang-dog high temperatures but theappearance of Sirius, the “Dog Star,” on the horizon at sunrise.Don’t tell your cat.Gladiola and Poppy are August’s flowers, gladiola from theLatin meaning spear. Peridot and Sardonyx are the birthstones.Martha Stewart was born in August. Do we need to knowthese things?What we should know is that August contains National SmileWeek, August 5-11. Start practicing now.August has been officially declared the Happiness HappensMonth. I’m not making this up. The Secret Society of HappyPeople (don’t ask, just Google it) declared August to beHappiness Happens Month, in 1998. How good is that?!If that doesn’t ring your bell, August is also National CatfishMonth, National Peach Month, and National Sandwich Month.Making peach cobbler this month is patriotic.A fried catfish sandwich? Sounds good to me. Toasted ciabattawith plenty of tartar sauce.One must relish one’s celebratory compliances!What is it about August that makes you think about homemadeice cream on hot peach cobbler, sliced tomato steaks andcantaloupe boats, grilled chicken and potato salad? Maybe it’sall the food days in August.In staccato form: August 1 is National Milkshake Day.• August 3 is National Watermelon Day.• August 10 is National S’mores Day.• August 13 is National Filet Mignon Day. The day explicitlycalls for filet mignon tonight. Grilled until black streaked onthe outside and pink on the inside. Yum.• August 14 is National Creamsicle Day,• August 15 is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day.• August 17 is Vanilla Custard Day.• The 19th is National Potato Day.There is summer harvest aplenty this month. Relish ourpeaches and tomatoes. Our bright skies. Heart-warmingsummer evenings with family and friends.So, it’s Happiness Happens Month: Time to glory in the giftsof August. As if that weren’t enough, more happy days arecoming with fall. Ha!
by William McReynolds
