Author: Lisa Mungovan

San Juan Capistrano, in California, has a huge population of cliff swallows. Every year, the birds leave around the same time, to migrate south. 6000 swallows leaving at once, is quite a spectacle, so the town celebrates Swallows Depart From San Juan Capistrano Day. After they winter over in Goya Argentina, the swallows will return.

Today is Mole Day. It’s not about animals that tunnel underground, or skin growths, or the sauce made from chilies and chocolate. It refers to the unit of measurement for a substance. At 6:02 on October 23rd, Avogadro’s Number is represented. 6.02 x 10^23 is roughly the number of particles per mole.

Did you ever have an operation or an accident, that left a scar? Show it off, for Scar Appreciation Day. Your body did an amazing job, of healing after a traumatic event. Be proud of the mark it left behind. Every scar tells an interesting story, from your personal autobiography.

What’s your dog’s favorite thing to do? It’s Make A Dog’s Day, so take your doggo on a nice long walk, play fetch with the neighbor’s dog, or make a dog’s whole life, by adopting one from a shelter! Don’t forget to pick up the poop. Nobody wants to step in that stuff.

Today is Color Day! Wear your most colorful clothes, use your red pen, and eat colorful fruits and vegetables! It’s also Nut Day, so grab a handful of almonds or walnuts to much on. Then celebrate CAPS LOCK DAY, by using all uppercase letters while typing, for TODAY ONLY. It looks like you’re yelling.

Today is International Stuttering Awareness Day. The speech disorder makes it difficult, to speak the words you want to say. Many famous people have overcome stuttering, like President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Emperor Claudius, Marilyn Monroe, and James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader! It’s hard work, but you’ll succeed!

Today is World Wombat Day, celebrating one of Australia’s wonderful animals. Wombats are marsupials that look kind of like groundhogs. They’re about 3 1/2 feet long, and have a backwards-facing pouch, so it doesn’t fill with dirt as they dig underground. The coolest thing is, wombats have square poop! The cubes stack up nicely.

The Jay Peak ski resort in Vermont, got a head start preparing their slopes for the winter. They hired a Chew Crew from Cloud Brook Grazing, to manage the vegetation all summer. A flock of 150 goats and sheep, are continuing to eat weeds, brush, and grasses, while their shepherd dog, Helios, keeps watch.

Don’t forget, the Orionids meteor shower will be at its peak tonight, around 2:00 in the morning. They’ll continue through October. The meteors are created by debris left by Halley’s Comet. Set your alarm and hope for clear skies, and you might get to wish on 20 shooting stars per hour!

Halloween is coming, and people are carving Jack o’lanterns, decorating with spider webs, and creating costumes. You can get in the spirit, by celebrating Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. Save some for me! It’s also Witch Hazel Day. People use leaves and bark from the witch hazel plant, to treat insect bites and other skin irritations.