odditudes-and-weirdities

Raising awareness of global population issues, attempting to cheer up someone lonely, taking pictures of your pet(s), attempting to fix the writing of Shakespeare, swimming pools, obtaining a free Slurpee from 7-Eleven, Rainier cherries, blueberry muffins, Mojito cocktails, and barns are topics covered by today's observances: All American Pet Photo Day Barn Day Bowdler's Day Cheer Up the Lonely Day Free Slurpee Day National Blueberry Muffin Day National Mojito Day National Rainier Cherry Day National Swimming Pool Day World Population Day There are rumors that the Mojito cocktail was a favorite of the writer Ernest Hemmingway. Thomas Bowdler, a rewriter of the works of William Shakespeare, was born on this date in 1754. On 7/11 (today), 7-Eleven offers a free Slurpee to celebrate their franchise. You probably don't have enough pictures of your pet(s); taking more pet photographs could correct this deficiency.  Photo by Alvan Nee on Unsplash

Barn Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of July, is a holiday that you can find listed on various webpages, though there isn't much documentation concerning it. Why we celebrate barns when we do is unknown to me, though barns probably do deserve some recognition and respect. Certainly they've been useful structures for centuries. The modern barn is believed to have evolved from the tithe barn  of the Middle Ages, where farm goods were paid as tithes or taxes to the authorities. If you live someplace sufficiently rural, perhaps you could visit a barn today. Photo by Cameron Venti on Unsplash