 Today is set aside to celebrate nice weather and the holiday weekend—and to get off of electronic devices—by enjoying public parks, green spaces, and the outdoors. We loved going to parks when the kids were little, from the state park up in the mountains where we could day-camp, cooking around a camp fire then hiking up on the ledge to see nearly 360 degrees of the rugged peaks of the Rockies, to local parks around our neighborhood. We named the parks based on something in their description, rather than by their proper names, mostly because it was easier to identify and remember, but also fun. We had the Wolf Park, because it had giant paintings of wolves on cinder block walls around the playground. We had the Hidden Park, because it was hard to find. There was the Duck Park, because we went there to see the ducks, and Sledding Park, because we rode our bikes there. Ha! Just kidding. We went sledding there.
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 How aware are you of accordions? Can you even spell "accordion" without looking? I must admit, they are pretty low on my radar. (And I had to find out how to spell it.) But just this week we happened to see a scene in an episode of “Mad Men” (our newest show obsession) with Joanie playing her accordion. In 1963 (when the episode was set), they were all the rage. Some say Elvis and John Lennon played accordion before beginning the guitar. Nowadays, Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters and Men incorporate them into their acts. I guess it is a good thing they have this month of June set aside for the rest of us to be aware of them so they don’t go unnoticed for too long. Apparently, there is a resurgence under way. There is even a Wikipedia entry called, “List of popular music acts that incorporate the accordion.”
When I was in elementary school, my dad—a professional violinist—gigged all over the state, and sometimes out of state, to make ends meet. One of his reoccurring jobs was in Central City playing for the summer opera season. Central City is in a beautiful mountain area where the streams are cold, fast, and full of Rainbow Trout. When we were lucky, my mom and siblings and I got to stay up in Central City with my dad in a cabin so our family wasn’t apart so much. And some of those times, when there wasn’t a matinée performance of Puccini or Mozart or Gounod, we got to go fishing together.
 As we took our annual summer trips to Minnesota each year to visit Jason’s side of the family, we tried to change it up some and visit different amazing sites along the way. Many times we stopped by the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker City, Kansas and got a yearly picture of us standing in front of it, chronicling in photos how the kids were growing—and the ball was shrinking as the local pigeons picked it apart to make their nests. On another trip, we visited Mount Rushmore, for which we prepared by watching “North by Northwest” with Cary Grant. (We wanted to make sure the kids had the historical perspective of course.) Also, Wall Drug had to be a part of the experience. What’s a road trip anyway without French Toast dripping in butter and syrup at Wall Drug? One amazing place we saw, which I say, must score in the Top Ten Wonders, was Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. An entire building decorated with corn cobs. They boast up to half a million visitors each year. (No kidding.) Apparently in the 1800s it was really cool for a town to have a corn palace. It’s a way to show off the abundance of the land. They use corn cobs and other grains to make incredible murals and ornamental artwork over the entire outside and inside. And of course there is a museum and gift shop inside. You can’t leave without getting your commemorative Corn Palace t-shirt, shot glass, or refrigerator magnet. So next time you’re wheeling through the Midwest and have an afternoon on your hands, be sure to swing by the Corn Palace. There’s a Corn Palace coffee mug with your name on it waiting for you!
 Today is national cheese day. Who doesn’t love cheese? It’s on or in everything. What would Olive Garden or Pizza Hut be without cheese? Or Salsa Brava or Chipotle? Or a visit to France? Or Switzerland? Wisconsin? Or your favorite cheese burger place? From the finest Neuchateloise Fondue to Cheez-Whiz, the stuff is everywhere. The only food without cheese that I can think of is from Asia, or India (though Amy’s meals has those really yummy Indian meals with chunks of some cheese in with the spinach). Around the Western side of the world, cheese is ubiquitous.
 International Hamburger Day
By its name, “hamburger” would suggest that it is a burger made of ham. But as we all know, though generally made of beef or bison, burgers can be made of many, many things, which generally speaking doesn’t even include ham in its long list. (Unless, of course, you want to include “Spamburgers,” which boasts “…two prime cuts of pork shoulder and ham, perfectly tender, spices, and water, packed in tasty goodness…” or something like that. I know. I’ve been to the SpamFest and the Spam Museum, in Austin, Minnesota. Spam helped win World War II you know. I saw their war dioramas and watched the museum movie. And have you ever had the Spam-kabob? Or Spam pizza? Spam fries? Spam bake? But I digress….)  Last weekend at my son’s graduation, we had the privilege of sharing the event with my husband’s brother’s family. They’re like the coolest people you’d ever want to be related to. Really. A year ago, all of them flew or drove out from three different cities, two states (Missouri and Arizona), and four households, to celebrate with us the graduation of the first two sons to graduate university. This year—wash, rinse, repeat. (Except the ones in the car, sadly sadly, hit a deer right before coming so with their car totaled, they had to cancel.)
 As a mother of four children whom I love deeply, and who love me, and with whom I’m in wonderful, healthy, honest relationships, one might think I’d adore Mother's Day and plaster sappy posts all over my Facebook wall about these “best kids in the world” who “make it an honor to be a mother.” But I won’t ever do that. Here’s why.
 That’s a funny title for a “National Day,” isn’t it? At first I thought of Queen Elizabeth and wondered if people were going to try extra hard to get a glimpse of her today. Then I did a little more research. Now I get it. Butterflies. They are a wonder to see. When I was a young teenager, one day I noticed through a window some kind of cloud descending onto our back acreage. I went out with my sibs to investigate what we were seeing. Bazillions of Monarchs had come to rest on the top of the grasses of our field. I didn’t know then that Monarchs migrated, or that they were even considered extra special. But I was incredibly impacted by the sight. I remember it vividly. I’ve since learned that tens of thousands can roost on a single tree. Though each only weighs less than a gram, together that many can break a branch off a tree! (See? I DID see a bazillion!)
 Teachers are SO important. Or should I say GOOD teachers are SO important. And there are a lot of them. My hat off to all the GOOD TEACHERS out there. hang in there! You make a difference! Teachers can change the course of a person’s life. It happened to me.
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