Boise, Celebrate April 16 As...

BOISE, ID — As Boise prepares for the weekend, here is some celebrations for Friday, April 16.

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National Bean Counter Day- National Bean Counter Day on April 16th is every accountant’s favorite day of the year. After the flutter and the flurry of preparing taxes right up until the stroke of midnight, these diligent number crunchers are well past due for a day off.

The term “bean counter” hasn’t always referred to our reliable accountants. Like many phrases, it was much more literal before it morphed into the idiom we use today. Not unlike, meeting a customer at the deli counter or fabric counter to complete their order, clerks met consumers at the bean counter. However, over time, the phrase became attributed to accountants who watched each and every penny (or bean) that went in and out of the business.

National Eggs Benedict Day - On April 16th, National Eggs Benedict Day celebrates a long favored breakfast or brunch dish. Eggs Benedict consists of poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce and Canadian bacon or ham on English muffin halves.

There are two different stories as to how Eggs Benedict came to be.

• In 1894 stockbroker Lemuel Benedict ordered “buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a side of Hollandaise” at the Waldorf Hotel. They were so impressed with the dish that they put it on the menu, substituting ham and English muffins in place of the bacon and toast.
• In the early 18th century, Pope Benedict XIII liked an egg dish so much that he requested it time and time again. Many believe that Pope Benedict XIII had an illness that added to his desire for this particular egg dish, hence the name Eggs Benedict.

National Healthcare Decisions Day - In the absence of an advanced directive, medical personnel rely on family members to determine what a patient’s wishes might be. Family members also often struggle to make these difficult decisions. However, many of these difficult decisions can be avoided with advanced planning.

The observance emphasizes the importance of advance directives, and national, state and community organizations come together in a collaborative effort to promote the day. These entities are working together to ensure the availability of the information, opportunity, and access needed to document health care decisions.

While advance care planning seems like a difficult discussion, the alternative leaves family members struggling to make the decision for you. Completing an advanced directive removes the burden from our loved ones. It also frees us to have more pleasant conversations in the future.

Plan ahead for your important healthcare decisions. Find the documents you need now, complete them, and put them where they are easily accessible. Discuss your decisions with your loved ones. Let them know where your documents are in the event you have a healthcare event, too. Encourage other family members to complete an advance directive, too. Don’t place the burden of these decisions on your loved ones.

National Orchid Day - Each year on April 16th, National Orchid Day recognizes one of the world’s diverse and widespread flowering plant families. The orchids’ often colorful and fragrant blooms grow in abundance around the world. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species. Not only are they prolific, but they range in size from the 2.1 mm wide Platystele jungermannioides to broad-bloomed Grammatophyllum speciosum.

National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day - Each year on April 16th, National Wear Your Pajamas To Work Day allows us a reprieve after meeting a late-night deadline shuffling receipts, and adding columns to file our taxes.

While some people call this day “the best holiday of the year,” it was created for fun. Wearing pajamas to work creates a laid-back and relaxed atmosphere especially for those accountants, tax preparers, and last-minute filers. Wearing pajamas offers a little relief from the nailbiting and stress that often comes with filing taxes. The day helps to let go of the anxiety and offers a few more minutes of sleep for those who pushed the deadline to the limit.

Appropriate styles of pajamas would include tops and bottoms, of course. Wear the cozy flannel or snazzy silk. Cotton always breathes so well, too. Cartoon characters are always fun. But, be sure to cover your feet, too. Slippers or other footwear are required.

National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day - National Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day occurs annually on the third Friday in April. The day aims to raise awareness and effectively rid homes of unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications sitting in medicine cabinets, nightstands, or kitchen cabinets that have the potential for misuse or abuse by family members, friends or visitors.

How you dispose of your expired or unused medications is just as important as why. Environmental studies show that flushed medications flow into our water supply. They negatively impact the fish we eat and the water we drink. When discarded in the trash, medications leach into and contaminate the soil.

At-home drug disposal solutions offer a simple, convenient and effective way of disposing of unwanted medications. If you have large quantities of leftover medications or as a supplement to at-home drug disposal, you may also consider participating in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA’s) National Drug Takeback Day generally held in the spring and fall of each year.

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