2024 · National Day Calendar

National Wine Day 2024

Wine has been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years. The natural likeness for this drink is not only because it tastes wonderful, but also because of its nutritional value and psychotropic effects. 

Wine has also had a significant impact on the economy and the shaping of societies. Out of all the alcoholic beverages, it is the trade of wine that allowed exploration of different cultures and paved the way for philosophical and religious ideas to spread. Wine is cited frequently in the “Bible,” from the time of Noah to Jesus, indicating its integral role. Wine-making was also seen as a sign of a provident economy, as only provident societies could accommodate a well-established wine industry. In fact, it is often debated that the foundations of Western Society were built on wine.  

The wine enjoyed in the olden days is a distant relative to the wine enjoyed today. Red, pink, green, white, and blue grapes were used by the Egyptians to prepare the drink. Palm dates, figs, and pomegranates were often added to the mix too. So the taste was completely different from what we know. Using different fruits to make wine is similar to how it is prepared using grapes, except that sugar is also added to aid the fermentation process.  

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/national-wine-day/

2024 · National Day Calendar

Africa Day 2024 🌍

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on May 25, 1963, the leaders of 30 of Africa’s 32 sovereign republics signed a founding charter. The O.A.U. was established to assist numerous African countries in achieving transformation, freedom, and independence. The African Economic Community was founded by the O.A.U. in 1991, and the African Union was established by the O.A.U. in 2002. A total of 21 countries have joined the O.A.U. since its inception.

On May 23, 1994, South Africa joined as the 53rd member. African Liberation Day or African Freedom Day was observed in Ethiopia, South Africa, and Ghana on April 15, 1958, following the first Conference of Independent African States. In Ghana, African Unity Day replaced this holiday in 1963. Despite being renamed the African Union, the name and date of Africa Day have been preserved, and Africa Day serves as an opportunity to honor Africa’s people and governments. Africa has a wide range of languages. Except for Ethiopia, every African country has one of the following official languages — English, Portuguese, French, or Arabic.

Apart from Ethiopia and Liberia, Europe colonized every country in Africa. After the colonized obtained independence, one of their official languages remained the colonizers. Liberia had previously adopted English as its official language after being founded by African-American settlers in 1847. Ethiopia was never colonized, despite being briefly occupied by Italy before WWII.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/global-africa-day/

2024 · 🌸🌷 Spring 🌷🌸 · My Texas Garden Journal

A New Fence Pole & An Old Dismantled Shed ~ 2013

One of our fence poles didn’t have a cap to cover it. When it rained the pole collected water. Over time the metal started to rust through and didn’t hold up the fence. It also didn’t help, that Ranger always peed on it. So, one Saturday afternoon Kevin got the materials to fix the fence. He dug the concrete block up, which was huge. It took us both to lift it out of the ground. Once the new pole was in place, Kevin poured the new concrete to keep the pole in place.

While the concrete was set, Kevin dismantled the old rusty shed which was here, before we moved into the house. All it did was attract rats. We had to get rid of it sooner or later. We had that extra space and enough room to trim the trumpet vines. In the meantime, Katelynn and Sara collected the rest of the twigs from the Mimosa, which was cut down three days prior. Our cats made sure, we all did our chores.