Time for a holiday

The month of March brings springtime, spring break, and baseball's spring training. It's a time to celebrate women's history, the Ides of March, and St. Patrick's Day. But did you know that March also plays host to some lesser-known, often less-serious holidays? Unfortunately, no one gets time off from school for any of these.

Friday is "What if Cats and Dogs had Opposable Thumbs" Day. Indeed, the thought of a cat or dog being able to open a can of food - or the refrigerator door - is fun to imagine.

Other March holidays are a little more practical. March 6 is National School Breakfast Day. This kicks off a week-long educational effort in schools to encourage eating a nutritious morning meal. (But this campaign will be over just in time for National Potato Chip Day on the 14th. Good thing for Ruffles lovers!)

You can kick up your heels on the 21st, which is National Dance Day. Go nutty on the 25th, National Pecan Day. The latter holiday commemorates George Washington's planting of pecan trees at his Mount Vernon, Va., home. Two days after pecans' big day is National Kite Flying Day. That's a natural since March is considered a windy month.

But the holidays in March aren't limited to single-day events. The month features National Girl Scout Week (March 12-18) and National Cleaning Week (March 26 to April 1). Will that spur you to pick up your room?

March is also National Optimism Month and National Umbrellas Month. But this raises the question: Would an optimist - someone who looks on the positive side of things - always carry an umbrella?

Of course, no month would be complete without a holiday devoted to the creative side in all of us. National "Make Up Your Own Holiday" Day falls on the 26th. What holiday would you like to create?