What to do in July

Hi neighbors. I hope you are eating well this month. Eating is a big part of July apparently.

On the calendar you might be surprised (or maybe not) to find out the July is National Baked Beans month.

Not into beans? Well, you could stick with fruit. July is also National Blueberry Month.

Pick about any type of food you might want to eat.

July is also National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month and Peach Month. There is some controversy on Peach Month though so if you want you can hold off on eating peaches until August, which is also Peach Month. Maybe it depends on what part of the country you live in and when your peaches get ripe.

There is also the Cherry Festival this month. I guess that means the cherries are ripe? Maybe they are blooming? The third week is hug week. In case you find people have trouble circling your girth don't despair --National Salad Week is the last week in July, probably so you can start August without too much guilt over all the hot dogs and beer.

Be careful where you set your paper plates though. Some old picnic furniture may have lead-based paint on it and that's not a good combination -- lead and food.

If you run into that problem, you can contact someone to help pretty readily since July contains Lead Poison Control Week.

If you get bored with it all you'll work up some interest by learning July is also Anti-boredom Month.

It's also Fireworks Safety Month and unfortunately combined with American Beer Month. Don't mix those two observances.

Tired of eating? Don't like beer? Hate the noise of firecrackers? You're in luck! July is also Read an Almanac Month.

But you can't just set around reading and eating all month because July also holds National Therapeutic Recreation Week.

Maybe you could just walk more around the town or county. Stick an almanac in your pocket to read when you set down to rest and munch your blueberries.

All that recreation might make you thirsty, but stick with water -- even if it is beer month. Beer might actually dehydrate you instead of satisfying your thirst. Save the beer, if you want it, for the air conditioning.

If you insist on the beer, be sure you remember to hike home instead of driving. Just think of it as therapeutic recreational walking.

Of course, there is lots more to do in July than eat, drink, and head to peach or cherry picking country. When it gets too hot to eat or walk, you can hit the water. We don't want to set around and suffer from left over problems of dog days which fall in the first two weeks of July.

There's the lake! Swimming pools, boats and water skiing, tubing, jet skiing -- all those nice water sports. Like all sports though, remember the safety rules.

There are rules for everything -- even sitting in a chair and catching some rays. Don't forget the sun block, sun glasses and maybe even a hat. I wonder why they don't call these things anti-sun lotion and anti-sun glasses? There are some rules about what to wear for all these water sports too. Remember when a one-piece bathing suit meant a single garment that covered both bottom and top? Not just one or the other? Some basic truths never change. One golden rule being the less material used in seasonal fashions -- the more it costs.

No matter how much you feed them, walk them, read to them or take them swimming to prevent boredom, your children are going to look at you and say, "I don't have anything to do!" When this happens, and it will, don't just slide out of your chair and onto the floor in an exhausted heap. Younger children will quickly find amusement in trying to talk you into being a horse. Older children will start building Lego houses on you or shove a game controller in your hands.

Until the next time friends remember; July will fly by quickly. Keep the children busy, drink lots of water, and school will be starting before you know it.