Letter Writing, No Rhyme or Reason, Emma Nutt, Burnt Ends, and Cherry Popovers’

September 1, 2021 at 12:01 am | Posted in Today's Reasons To Celebrate | Leave a comment

According to the National Day Calendar, there are more than 1500 national holidays every year – meaning that there is at least one holiday for every day in the calendar year. All you have to do is choose which holiday(s) you want to celebrate. With that said, today’s holidays are listed below — so let the festivities begin. 

Good morning “old school” communication aficionados. Today is Wednesday, September1, 2021. Today is the 244th day of the year, and 121 days remain.

World Letter Writing Day 

World Letter Writing Day is celebrated annually on September 1st. You needn’t be an author of renown to ascertain that this holiday urges us to celebrate and rediscover the wonders of the hand-written word.
For centuries before the computer age, people communicated in one of two ways. They either sat down with each other and had a conversation or they communicated by writing letters to each other. The nature of letters makes them incredibly intimate, as the individual style and personality of its author are conveyed in each one. Digital media just can’t compete on the same personal level as this age-old, time-tested method of communication.
Letter Writing Day was established by Australian author, artist, and photographer Richard Simpkin as a tribute to the joy and excitement he felt when a handwritten letter would arrive in his mailbox. His appreciation of the hand-written word came about as a result of a project he was working on called “Australian Legends”. He would send out letters to everyone he considered to be an Australian Legend in hope of of arranging a personal interview and photography session with them. There was just something amazing about receiving a letter with the legends own personal touch to it, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that while hand-written letters are collectible, digital communication certainly is not.
You can celebrate World Letter Writing Day simply by penning letters to your friends and family today. The recipients don’t have to be legends – although they might momentarily feel a bit legendary when they read your letter.

National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day

National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day is celebrated annually on September 1st. My first thought when I came across this holiday was that it pertained to doing something out of the ordinary for no particular reason at all – but that is not the case. This holiday celebrates the few unique words in the English language that do not have a rhyming partner.
Orange, silver, and purple are the most commonly known words without a rhyme, but listed below are some other words that burgeoning poets should avoid using:

• angst
• breadth
• bulb
• chimney
• cusp
• depth
• film
• glimpsed
• gulf
• kiln
• month
• oblige
• opus
• pint
• plankton
• rhythm
• spirit
• width
• woman

Can you think of any other words that can’t be rhymed? Can you think of a rhyme for any of these?
To celebrate National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day, spend some time today pondering these questions – for no rhyme (nor reason) whatsoever.

Emma M. Nutt Day 

Emma M. Nutt Day is celebrated annually on September 1st. As you might expect, it celebrates Emma M. Nutt. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking right now; “Who the heck is/was Emma M. Nutt, and why is she being honored today?” The answer to that question is that Emma M. Nutt was a telephone operator. She and every other telephone operator are being honored today because it was on this date in 1878 that Ms. Nutt became the first telephone operator in America. The company was the Telephone Dispatch Company of Boston. Ms. Nutt said that she liked the job, and held the position for 33 years.
The job of telephone operator was essential for decades, not only for the telephone company but also for businesses. Sadly, though, today the job of telephone operator has all but been replaced by those frustrating automated telephone answering systems. [Press “1” if you are frustrated by computer answering machines and agree that actual live telephone operators should become the norm again]. Even someone as annoying as Ernestine – the operator from Laugh In — “Hello, have I reached the party to whom I am speaking? [best Lilly Tomlin impression] would be preferable to these automated, drone-like, computer-generated messages.
To celebrate Emma M. Nutt Day, learn more about Emma, and the history of telephone operators in general. Harken back to the days of yore and reminisce about the days of “live” telephone operators.
Author’s Note:
It is rumored that Emma sometimes quipped that she was thankful that her given name wasn’t Imma. 

National Burnt Ends Day

National Burnt Ends Day is celebrated annually on September 1st. As you can easily infer from its name, this holiday celebrates burnt ends – the points of a brisket or roast that, due to their thinness, get a bit charred because the rest of the meat requires a longer cooking time in order to be tender. These thinner points, although a bit charred, are no less flavorful.
However, don’t let that description deter you, though. As a tradition in the Kansas City area, they’ve have mastered the art of making burnt ends palatable, and a taste for them has spread across the country. Once considered trimmings or left-overs, these days burnt ends are more and more to taking center stage in a BBQ basket because of their smoky flavor. Delicious on their own, burnt ends also taste amazing on sandwiches and in stews.
To celebrate National Burnt Ends Day, simply BBQ or bake a brisket or roast today – but this time, enjoy the burnt ends instead of tossing them or putting them aside. They are one of my favorite parts of a good brisket.

National Cherry Popover Day 

National Cherry Popover Day is celebrated annually on September 1st. You don’t need to be a pâtissier to deduce that this holiday celebrates the cherry popover – a renowned cherry-filled puff pastry.
A popover is a light, hollow roll made from an egg batter that is technically supposed to be baked in a specifically designed ‘popover tins’, but most often is baked muffin tins – especially by home cooks who don’t want to clutter their precious kitchen storage space with a single-purpose pan. Popovers are generally served as a sweet pastry, topped with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast or with afternoon tea. In some parts of the world, though, popovers are also served as savory pastries at lunch or dinner.
To celebrate National Cherry Popover Day, make a batch of cherry popovers at home. They are relatively easy to make – as this recipe will confirm.
Author’s Note:  
Cherries are a good source of melatonin, which can stimulate your brain and help you sleep better at night.

Listed below are some other holidays celebrated on this date that deserve mention. 

• American Chess Day 
• Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day  
• Chicken Boy’s Day  
• Ginger Cat Appreciation Day
• Global Talent Acquisition Day – Observed annually on the first Wednesday of September.
• National Acne Positivity Day
• Pink Cadillac Day