Hey, Writers!

Happy Handwriting Day! Did you know that the way we write can reveal a lot about your personality? Things about your handwriting such as how large or small you write, how much space you leave between words, the general shapes of your letters, and more. Small handwriting, for instance, tends to come from someone who tends to be quiet, studious, and on the shy side whereas larger handwriting is a sign of a more outgoing person who loves the company of others.

Dotting All Your I’s

How do you dot your ‘i’s? It can say a lot about you.

• A dot that’s hovering high above the body means there’s a good chance that you have a powerful imagination.
• A slash above your ‘i’s means that you might be overly critical of yourself. You probably don’t have much tolerance for shortcomings
• If you put your dot right over the ‘I’, then you’re likely detail-oriented, organized, and resolved in the things you say and do.
• A circle over your ‘i’s may be a sign that you’re a child-like visionary or a dreamer.
  

Crossing Every T

• If you put your cross at the very top of the ‘T’, it means you’re ambitious and positive with good self-esteem.
• A cross in the middle of your ‘t’ means you’re likely confident and comfortable in any situation.
• If you give your ‘T’s long crosses, it could mean that you’re determined and enthusiastic. It could also mean that you’re stubborn and have a hard time letting things go.
• Short crosses, on the other hand, mean you may portray slothfulness and give up on projects or tasks prematurely.
  

Writing Pressure

• If you write with heavy pressure, it could mean that you take things seriously. Excessive pressure could mean that you have a tendency to get stressed out.
• Light Pressure, however, points to a more sensitive and empathetic personality.

So, did you know our handwriting could say so much about us? Did today’s Blog post teach you anything about yourself by the way you write? Investigate what other things about your handwriting might indicate about your personality by clicking here. And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Uncanny Kids!

While we tend to deal in steel here at Everything Summer Camp, today we’re talking about tin—CANS to be specific. Happy Tin Can Day! Did you know that the invention of the Tin Can dates all the way back to 1810? This is a day reserved for the one and only Tin Can which brought about a revolution in the way food was able to be stored and preserved.

Likely found in any household, tin cans may not be so much a summer camp thing (though I’m sure there are plenty of canned items in your camp’s kitchen), but in the general world of camping, canned food provides a quick, easy meal that’s incredibly convenient. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated. It’s lightweight for easy portability. And it’s shelf-life that goes on and on!

But before it became a camping convenience, it was a major relief to those who didn’t have access to or were unable to afford fresh fruits and vegetables. Back when it was first invented, food wasn’t nearly as centralized as it is now. This invention meant that foods which were harvested according to their natural peak times could be eaten no matter the season.

On top of bringing relief to those in areas with limited access to food, the Tin Can gave people the opportunity to taste foods they never were able to before. Foods could be shipped from far away so somebody from a place with a cold climate could try pineapple and peaches.

Despite its creation in 1810, it was a half a century later that the can opener was invented. Up until 1858, people had to hack, chop, or chisel their cans open! Can you imagine?!

Enjoy the convenience of the Tin Can today. Thanks for reading. And, as always, Happy Camping!

- John

Hey, Scaredy-Cats!

It’s Friday. And, while I’d typically be a little more excited about that fact, I’m not so sure today is really the typical, TGIF-type of Friday. After all, not only is this Friday the 13th, but it’s the first one of 2023. Of course, a highly educated member of society—such as myself—doesn’t really believe in the superstition that Friday the 13th brings bad luck.

…But even so, I’ll definitely be avoiding black cats and broken mirrors today. Better safe than sorry, right?

But why? Why is everyone so afraid of this particular date landing on this particular day? Though the reason is mysterious and debatable, people have associated Friday with a day of bad luck for centuries. And, for about as long as Friday has been thought to bring bad luck, 13 has been a decidedly UNlucky number as well.

It was in the late 1800’s when it was first documented that putting this day together with this date formed a superpower of one, unrivaled day of BAD luck. Some will put off grocery shopping till the next day, others won’t go outside at all, and SOME people refuse to even get out of bed.

My rationale is that bad luck will track you down one way or another if today is fated to be unlucky. However, if you are the type to hang out in your bedroom, hiding from the day, you certainly aren’t alone in your concerns—an estimated 19 million people (in the U.S. alone) admittedly dread the date of Friday the 13th.

And it’s not just the U.S. either. Friday the 13th (more-or-less) exists all throughout the world. In Spanish-speaking countries, it’s actually Tuesday the 13th—not Friday. In Italy, however, it’s Friday the 17th. Superstition over these unlucky days is so widespread that there’s been a scientific name designated for the fear of Friday the 13th. It’s called ‘friggatriskaidekaphobia’. Betcha can’t say that five times fast! I can't even say it once.

Make sure to steer clear of walking underneath ladders or stepping on cracks in the sidewalk. And, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Bittersweet Lovers!

Today is Bittersweet Chocolate Day! This is a day we haven’t featured on our Blog until now. I have, however, written about Milk Chocolate Day, Hot Cocoa Day, Chocolate Ice Cream Day, Chocolate Cake Day, and a number of other chocolatey posts in the past. We’ve previously covered that it was the Mayans who were the first people to try eating the pulp and spitting the bitter beans out as they watched the monkeys do.

Now let’s go more into where the bean comes from and how bittersweet chocolate is created.

The Chocolate Tree
Growing in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America is the tropical Theobroma Cacao Tree which creates the seed from which we get chocolate. People have sampled cacao seeds for the last 3000 years. The cacao tree seed has an intensely bitter taste but, over time, people came to realize that the seeds that’d been lying in the sun had lost some of its bitterness. That’s because they’d been fermented.

A Bittersweet Process
After fermentation, the seeds are dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shells are removed then leaving just the cacao nibs from within. These nibs are ground up to make a hunk of cocoa—pure chocolate in its roughest form. This hunk of chocolate usually goes on to be liquefied and then molded to make what’s called chocolate liquor. To make Bittersweet chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla is added to a chocolate liquor. It may have sugar added to it, but it’s hardly a sweet treat.

So what’s it good for? Bittersweet chocolate is often used for baking in which more sugar gets added to it. But I thought it’d be interesting to better understand the source of chocolate and the process by which it becomes a chocolate product you can recognize in a grocery store. It’s quite a process! Enjoy Bittersweet Chocolate Day! Happy baking and, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Hey, Syrup Connoisseurs!

Today we’re celebrating syrup (Maple Syrup to be specific) because today just so happens to be National Maple Syrup Day! If you’re wondering why the rest of the world doesn’t celebrate National Maple Syrup Day, it’s because maple syrup is a treat exclusive to the North American continent. Canada is North America’s largest maple syrup supplier. Every year, Canada produces more than five million gallons! They celebrate Maple Syrup Day too.

Sap from maple trees was first harvested and boiled into syrup by the Native Americans. When settlers first came to America in the early 1600s, they were shown the process of making maple syrup.

The process is actually rather simple and doesn’t do any permanent damage to the tree. Also, only one-tenth of sap that a Maple tree produces in a year actually ends up harvested. In fact, there are a good amount of maple trees that have been tapped repeatedly for the last 150 years. It’s a good thing that tapping trees does no long term damage to them; it takes 30 to 50 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup.

What’s truly amazing about this particular syrup is that it contains surprising health benefits. It may be loaded with sugar (natural sugar which your body needs), but it’s also loaded with antioxidants. In a single quarter-cup of maple syrup is the same amount of antioxidants as a raw tomato or broccoli bunch. A cup of maple syrup contains just as much calcium as a cup of milk and even more potassium than what’s found in a banana!

The trick nowadays is to find real maple syrup as opposed to Mrs. Buttersworth or some other brand-name syrups that can be found in any grocery store. As, always thanks for reading, Folks!