Hey, Readers!

Today, we observe Veterans Day—a day to show our appreciation of those who served their country in the armed services. We call those people veterans and we, here at Everything Summer Camp, extend our immense gratitude to those who have fought fearlessly for our freedom. Thank you.

In a show of our appreciation—and to help you show YOUR appreciation—I’m continuing a list of great ways you can observe Veterans Day that I posted last year. You can check out the suggestions I gave last year right here, but today’s post is chock full of more ideas on how you can show your veteran appreciation!

Simply Show Up
It’s easy to find a Veterans Day event in your area that you can attend. Parades and services for veterans are being held all over the place today. Cowboy actor Roy Rogers once said, “We can’t all be heroes; someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” Veterans Day gives you the opportunity to wave to and cheer on the heroes in our world. All you have to do is show up!

Fly the Flag
A grand showing of respect, fly your American flag today if you have one. It’s a great way to honor Veterans in your neighborhood and (given the proper equipment), it’s a pretty easy thing to do. Be sure that you’re following the proper rules for display—you can look into proper flag-flying rules right here (https://www.military.com/flag-day/us-flag-code.html).

Spend Quality Time with a Vet
Simply showing an interest in spending some time with a Veteran will certainly mean a lot to any Veteran. Ask them about their service. Volunteer at a local VA Hospital. Or you can just spend some good outdoor time together fishing or doing something they enjoy.

You can do any of these things, the previously mentioned ideas from our post last year, or come up with your own way of honoring our veterans. Happy Veterans Day to everyone whether you’re a hero or an onlooker and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Hey, Summer Fans!

We’ve had a wonderful season this year and hope the summer fun was just as fantastic for you too. We say goodbye to the summer season today as its cycle has once again run its course for this year. We’ll miss you until next year, summer. But in the meantime, let’s get excited about the fall season. Summer may be old news now, but fall is as fresh as it can be today.

Today is the Autumnal Equinox.

What in the world is an equinox? you might be asking yourself. It’s a fair enough question. After all, we only hear mention of them a couple times a year. Well, that’s because they occur twice a year! Much like the more popularly known Summer and Winter Solstice, there is an equinox for both the spring and fall seasons.

Opposite to the solstices which mark the longest (in summer) and shortest (in winter) days of the year, the Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes hang in a fragile balance to mark equal day and night at 12 hours apiece all across the entire planet! The word ‘equinox’ is Latin in origin: ‘aequus’, which means ‘equal’ and ‘nox’, which means ‘night’.

It’s not an exact science. Due to refracted light coming through our atmosphere and because people have trouble settling on when sunrise and sunset really are, equinoxes almost never land on the actual day of observance, but always within a few days it.

People from all around the world celebrate with feasts and festivals, marking the arrival of the holiday. Dependent on your location on the globe, you may even be able to see the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. These are beautiful colors that always appear in the sky this time of year. The phenomenon is actually radiation from the sun interfering with the earth’s magnetic field!

The further north you are, the better chance you have of seeing the Auroras! Enjoy your observance and celebration of the Autumnal Equinox and keep your eyes on the skies! As always, thanks for reading.

- John

Happy Fathers’ Day!

Fathers across the world are honored on this day for their dedication, unconditional love, and undying support. We certainly love our fathers here at Everything Summer Camp and are eager for the plans we have prepared. Bound to be a good time, I surveyed the office asking about people’s fun Fathers’ Day plans to share on the Blog. Check out what Peggy, Anita, and Lydia are up to today.

Peggy—Call Center Representative
Peggy is hosting a get-together today, inviting fathers and family over for a backyard barbecue. Celebrating the day with a big family, Peggy’s three daughters will be in attendance to show their appreciation of their father and grandfather. With a dozen family members coming, get-togethers with Peggy’s family sound like a blast!

Anita—Call Center Supervisor
Anita is planning on grilling with her family as well, but it’ll be a little more intimate with a smaller family. Anita’s only brother will be there with his two sons and she was recently reunited with her daughter who’s been away with the Air Force Reserve until Friday night. Racheal wasn’t reunited with her father, John, until just last night when he got back home from a work trip in West Salem. Happy to rendezvous back home for Father’s Day weekend, Anita has been looking forward to this weekend for a while.

Lydia—Graphic Artist
I thought I’d introduce you all to our new Graphic Artist, Lydia. Leaving the homestead entirely, Lydia is spending her weekend with her family in Spooner, Wisconsin where they have been enjoying the laidback environment of their family cabin. The middle child between her older brother and younger sister, Lydia has a blast going kayaking and paddle boarding with her parents and siblings. Who could hope for more on Father’s Day than fun, quality time with your family?!

A Happy Father’s Day to the fathers in Peggy, Anita, and Lydia’s lives and fathers everywhere. Thank you for pouring your love and support into the people you’ve brought to the world! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John

Happy Memorial Day!

Today we observe the federal holiday of the United States in which we remember and honor the many soldiers who have died serving their country and protecting our freedom. Because of the observed day off from school or work along with the day’s proximity to the beginning of summer, it’s often celebrated as an unofficial first summer day.
Lots of folks pass the day away leisurely with the people they love enjoying the beautiful weather (so long as Mother Nature permits). Others with a closer connection to those who have served their country might visit cemeteries or memorials. There are volunteers across the whole country that offer to go around in national cemeteries to place small, United States flags on each grave.

Here’s a look at what some of us around the office at Everything Summer Camp are up to today:

Matt—Sales Director
Matt’s spending all day outside this year. He’s planting his garden all morning. In the afternoon, he’s off to watch his kids in a few sports events—he’s got a soccer game, softball game, and a T-ball game that his youngest is playing in. After all the sports, it’s back home with his family where they’re grilling out for the evening.

Keisha—Receptionist
Keisha, on the other hand, has a day indoors all planned out. With just a couple months to go until the arrival of her second kid, she plans on spending the vast majority of the day relaxing with her family, watching TV, and basking in the joys of air conditioning.

Art—Maintenance
A veteran himself, Art has a closer connection to Memorial Day than anyone else at Everything Summer Camp. He’s making visits to memorials around the area like The Highground in Neillsville, WI as well as the Cadott Veteran’s Tribute in Cadott, WI. Between these two sites, he’ll observe reenactments, ceremonies, museum exhibits, and more.
A happy Memorial Day to all. Remember those who fought to protect your freedom and, as always, thanks for reading.

- John

Happy Mother’s Day!

There’s nobody else in the whole world who lugged you around for nine months before you really entered into the world and that bond is unbreakable! What better day than today to show your mom how much you appreciate that bond?Just the same as you and everybody else, we all love our mothers here at Everything Summer Camp. So, I went around the office asking folks what fun plans they had in store for their mothers today.

Graphic Artist, Gunnar
Gunnar and his older brother are planning a fun game night for their Mother’s Day celebration tonight. Her favorite games, Scrabble and Cribbage, are on the docket for this evening. My advice to Gunnar and his brother: let Mom win tonight!

Lead Buyer, Tim
Tim’s Mother’s Day plans break away from the traditional celebrations. He’s not taking his mom out for a nice dining experience or getting together for a game night. Instead, he’ll be accompanying his mother for the recital she has that night for the guitar lessons she’s taking. But Tim isn’t just going to listen—he’s going up with her to play bass guitar while she picks her classical guitar and sings The Beatle’s ‘Come Together’. Break a l                                                                                          leg, you two!

Print Shop Supervisor, Mellina
Mellina, a dedicated mother herself, will be spending this beautiful day in the Family Farms Market in Eleva, WI where her mother, her grandmother, and the rest of her family are rendezvousing for a wonderful atmosphere and gourmet lunch. Three generations of mothers is a wonderful way to celebrate the day! Happy Mother’s Day to all three of you!

A Happy Mother’s Day to Tim and Gunnar’s mothers as well—not to mention mine, if she’s reading this Blog post!—and Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere. Thank you all for the graceful selflessness and undying love and support you bring into the world! And, as always, thanks for reading!

- John