Category Archives: humor

April Fools!

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Balboa did this all on his own. It really is my life

April Fools!

🌼 April Fool’s Day: A Little History… and a Lot of Eye‑Rolling

April Fool’s Day is one of those holidays that refuses to explain itself. Historians have theories — calendar changes, spring festivals, general human mischief — but no one can point to a single moment when someone declared, “Let’s dedicate a whole day to tricking each other.”

Honestly, that feels about right.
Humans didn’t invent pranks on April 1.
April 1 simply became the day we admit we enjoy them.

🎭 The Calendar Confusion Theory

In the 1500s, France switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, moving New Year’s Day from late March to January 1. People who didn’t get the memo (or ignored it out of sheer stubbornness) were teased as “April fools.”

Imagine missing a calendar update and suddenly everyone’s taping paper fish to your back. Tough break.

🌱 The Spring Mischief Theory

Across cultures, spring festivals often included jokes, role reversals, and general silliness. After months of winter gloom, people were ready to laugh again. Hard to blame them.

🤷‍♀️ The “We Honestly Don’t Know” Theory

This is the historian’s shrug.
April Fool’s Day may simply be the result of centuries of people deciding that life is more fun when you keep everyone on their toes.

👀 My Role in All This? The Quiet Observer

Some people plan elaborate pranks.
Some people fall for them.
And then there are people like me — perched safely on the sidelines, watching the chaos unfold like it’s a nature documentary.

I don’t set traps.
>I don’t spring surprises.
>I just sip my coffee, keep a straight face, and enjoy the show.

It’s peaceful up here above the fray. No whoopee cushions, no fake spiders, no “your shoelace is untied.” Just calm observation and the occasional raised eyebrow.

🎣 But This Year… I’m Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone

In honor of April Fool’s Day, I decided to contribute one tiny prank of my own — something gentle, something silly, something very me.

Here it is:

**“Happy April Fool’s Day!

In true New England fashion, today’s forecast calls for sun, snow, rain, hail, and a light chance of frogs.

Or as we call it here: Wednesday.”**

A harmless little wink to the weather gods — and to anyone who’s ever lived through a New England spring.

🐾 Banner & Balboa’s Official Statement

Of course, Banner and Balboa fully support April Fool’s Day.

  • Banner believes every day is a good day to knock something off a counter.
  • Balboa has been practicing stealth ankle attacks since February.
  • Together, they consider themselves pioneers of the holiday — true innovators in the field of household mischief.

Frankly, I’m just grateful they haven’t learned how to order prank supplies online.

🌸 And Now… the Required Dad Jokes

Because April Fool’s Day practically demands them.

  • Why are trees so excited in spring?
    They’re releafed winter is over.
  • What do you call a bear with no teeth?
    A gummy bear.

  • Why did the scarecrow win an award?
    He was outstanding in his field.
  • And the classic:
    I told my dog it was April Fool’s Day. He said he didn’t believe me. I told him I wasn’t kitten.

(Groans are optional but encouraged.)

🌼 Final Thought

Whether you’re the prankster, the prankee, or the quiet observer like me, April Fool’s Day is a reminder not to take life too seriously. Spring is here, the days are brighter, and a little silliness never hurt anyone.

 

Banner, Balboa, and the Curse of the 13th

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Friday the 13th Musings — February & March Edition

It’s the first Friday the 13th of 2026. The month is February. So far it’s been quiet and no major issues. This is the first of three Friday the 13ths this year, which makes it a very special year — or at least a very interesting one.

Peace reign in the home as Banner and Balboa cat nap

February

The universe behaved.
The cats behaved.
Even the weather behaved.

Suspicious, in hindsight.

And then, on February 23rd, Mother Nature apparently remembered she had a reputation to uphold. She dumped a heavy, wet, back‑breaking load of snow on New England and buried us all. A Friday‑the‑13th vibe… just arriving fashionably late.

The dig out begins following the blizzard of 26

March

March didn’t bother with subtlety. It wasn’t even Friday the 13th yet when I woke up to no service on my cell phone. I’d been hacked. Again. These things happen — I shared the whole sad tale in my March 11 post — but apparently March was just laying the groundwork.

Then came Thursday, March 12, when the cats decided to contribute their own brand of “help.”

Banner makes his get away

First, Banner strolled over and hit the delete key at the exact, precise, worst possible moment of a data transfer. I took that as a sign to step away and wait for a quieter, cat‑free moment.

He claims he was framed.

But Balboa had other plans. He emerged from his afternoon nap full of energy and mischief, and in short order he destroyed four — or was it five — mice.
Not the fuzzy, long‑tailed kind.
The kind I actually need to use with my computer.

By the time he was done, I had a small graveyard of plastic mouse parts and one very proud panther‑cat.

Friday the 13th

And then came the big day.

Friday the 13th started quietly enough. We even managed to wrestle Instagram into submission — successfully, I might add — which should have been my first clue that the universe was saving its energy for something else.

Feeling productive, I decided to make a quick grocery run. Lasagna was on the menu for Saturday, and I needed ricotta cheese. While I was there, I grabbed a couple of small extras. Total bill: $19.00.

Until my card was declined.

I had checked my balance before leaving the house. Plenty of money. No reason for drama. Yet there I was, standing at the Hannaford checkout with a perfectly good grocery order and a very uncooperative debit card.

Since I had to drive right past the bank on my way home, I stopped in. And that’s where the real Friday‑the‑13th twist revealed itself:
the bank had accidentally printed — or attempted to print — two replacement cards when mine was hacked. So they canceled the one I was using. The one in my wallet. The one I had just tried to use to buy ricotta.

Which means, of course, that I now get to go through all my auto‑payments and update the card number… again.

Two Down, One to Go

So that’s February and March. A quiet start, a snow ambush, a hacked phone, feline sabotage, and a bank‑card fiasco — all before we even reach the halfway point of this “special” year.

We’ll see what November brings.
Stay tuned… the calendar isn’t done with us yet.

 

March in New England

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The Month New Englanders break from Winter into Spring Chaos

March Madness, Spring Fever, and the Cats Who Run This House

March in New England is a strange, wonderful, chaotic time. One minute we’re shoveling snow, the next minute we’re celebrating the first day of spring, and somewhere in between, the entire region collectively loses its mind over March Madness.

Yes, I knew it was a big deal.
Yes, I knew it involved basketball.
But I didn’t realize just how seriously New Englanders take it until I saw a news story about companies setting up break‑room watch parties on company time.

Excuse me… what
People get paid to watch college basketball at work
Only in New England.

So What Is March Madness

For anyone else who’s been living under a cozy blanket with a box of tissues (hi, it’s me), here’s the quick version:

  • It’s the NCAA Division I men’s college basketball tournament
  • 68 college teams from all across the United States
  • Single elimination — lose once and you’re out
  • It runs from mid‑March to early April
  • It’s one of the biggest sporting events in the country

It’s not a New England invention, but you wouldn’t know that from the way we treat it. Between UConn fans, bracket pools, and the general “we survived winter, let’s celebrate something” energy, March Madness might as well be our unofficial regional holiday.

Meanwhile, Spring Sneaks In Early

I always think of spring arriving on March 21, but this year the equinox showed up on March 20, probably because even the universe is tired of winter and wants to get things moving.

New England, of course, will respond by giving us:

  • one warm day
  • one cold day
  • one rainstorm
  • and a surprise snow squall just to keep us humble

Yes it's March in New England if its not mud its still snow.

But on the calendar at least, spring is here.

Balboa: The Fastest Paw in the East

While all this seasonal excitement is happening, Balboa has declared war on my last surviving computer mouse. He’s the Fastest Paw in the East, and he takes that title seriously.

Today’s crime
I dared to vacuum during his nap.

He stomped out of the room like a tiny, offended emperor, tail flicking dramatically. I had to issue a formal apology in the form of treats. He accepted, but only after giving me the look — the one that says:

“You may continue living here, hooman, but your behavior will be monitored.”

Now he’s back on the desk, supervising this post and occasionally taking swipes at the mouse like he’s auditioning for a martial arts film.

Banner and the Case of the Missing Hair Band

While Balboa is busy waging war on technology, Banner has discovered a new hobby: elastic hair bands.

During a recent bathroom decluttering session, I found an old stash of them.
Banner thought he had won the lottery.

He carried one around the apartment, talking to it like it was his long‑lost friend. Then he took it into the bathtub — his personal gladiator arena — and tossed it around like he was training for the Hair Band Olympics.

And then… it vanished.

I looked everywhere.
Under furniture.
Behind furniture.
Inside the furniture.
Nothing.

The only conclusion I can come to is that once he finished playing with it, he ate it like a tasty little spaghetti noodle.

So that’s it.
No more hair elastics for Banner.
He cannot be trusted with them.
He has lost his hair‑band privileges indefinitely.

March in New England: A Summary

  • Basketball fans are losing their minds
  • Companies are letting employees watch games at work
  • Spring is arriving early
  • My nose is running a marathon
  • Balboa is plotting the downfall of all computer mice
  • Banner is eating hair accessories like snacks

Honestly, it feels about right.

Brought to You by Banner & Balboa: Two Professional Nappers

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cat curled up napping after losing an hour to Daylight Saving Time

National Napping Day: The Holiday We Actually Need After the Time Change

If you’ve been following along here on Around Dusty Roads, you know I’ve spent the past week or so grumbling, musing, and generally side‑eyeing Daylight Saving Time. And now that we’ve all “sprung forward” and lost an hour of sleep we never agreed to give up, it’s only fair that today brings us a little mercy.

Enter National Napping Day — the unofficial, absolutely essential holiday that arrives the Monday after the time change. In 2026, that’s today, March 9.

Honestly? This might be the most sensible holiday on the calendar.

Why Today Exists (And Why We Deserve It)

National Napping Day was created back in 1999 by a Boston University professor and his wife — which feels very on‑brand for New England. Only here would someone look at a population of overtired, cranky, sleep‑deprived people and say, “You know what? Let’s make this official.”

The idea was simple:
We lose an hour.
We feel awful.
We should nap.

Science backs them up. Even a short 20‑minute nap can boost alertness, improve mood, and help counteract the grogginess that hits hard after the clocks jump ahead.

And here’s a little personal observation: since retiring, I nap almost every day. It’s become one of the unexpected perks of this new chapter. And no — it doesn’t mess with my nighttime sleep. My bladder and the cats take care of that all on their own. If anything, the nap is the most predictable part of my sleep schedule.

Honestly, if humans took their cues from cats, we’d all be better rested. Banner and Balboa nap with the confidence of creatures who know they’re right.

 

 

A Few Fun Napping Facts

  • A quick nap can improve reaction time and reduce fatigue‑related accidents.
  • Napping helps regulate emotions (which explains why I’m less likely to yell at the microwave afterward).
  • Some cultures have been napping for centuries — the siesta is practically an art form.
  • Even Charlemagne was a napper. If it’s good enough for an emperor…
  • And of course, cats nap up to 16 hours a day. Banner and Balboa would like it noted that they are professionals and we should follow their lead.

How to Celebrate (Spoiler: The Cats Already Know)

  • Find a quiet spot between 1–3 p.m.
  • Set a timer for 10–20 minutes so you don’t wake up wondering what century it is.
  • Dark room, cozy blanket, maybe a weighted eye mask if you’re feeling fancy.
  • If you can’t nap, even closing your eyes for a few minutes helps reset your brain.
  • Or — and hear me out — take a page from the cats. Banner warms his butt on the stove when the oven’s on, Balboa curls up in a glass bowl like he’s auditioning for “Cat Tetris,” and both of them nap anywhere, anytime, without apology. They give National Napping Day their full stamp of approval.

Bonus tip: Try a “coffee nap” — drink a little caffeine right before your nap. By the time you wake up, the caffeine kicks in. It’s like a cheat code for adulthood.

Banner’s got the mug. He’s just waiting for the nap to kick in.

Cat‑Approved Napping

I have plenty of photographic proof that naps are not only acceptable but strongly encouraged in this household. Banner and Balboa are champion nappers — bed, couch, sunny patch on the floor, glass bowl, you name it. If there’s a soft surface (or even a hard one), they’re on it, asleep, living their best lives.

So if you need permission to take a nap today, just look at these two. They’ve given National Napping Day their official stamp of approval — and they take their roles very seriously.

 

Bottom Line

If Daylight Saving Time took something from you, National Napping Day is here to give a little back. So whether you curl up with a cat, stretch out on the couch, or sneak a quick snooze in your favorite chair, consider it your civic duty.

Just ask Banner and Balboa — champions of the mid‑morning, mid‑afternoon, and “just because” nap. They’ve been training for this holiday their whole lives.

Endorsed by the Feline Nap Authority

 

Bald is Beautiful

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“Be Bald and Be Free Day” is a celebration of confidence, authenticity, and the beauty of a bare scalp—whether by choice, genetics, or circumstance. Observed annually on October 14, it’s a day to toss the toupees, ditch the hats, and let your head shine.

🌟 What Is Be Bald and Be Free Day?

Be Bald and Be Free Day was founded by Thomas and Ruth Roy of Wellcat Herbs to honor the freedom and boldness of baldness. It’s not just about hair—or the lack of it—but about liberation from societal expectations. Whether someone is bald by choice, due to aging, or as a result of medical treatment, this day encourages them to embrace their look with pride.

💪 A Symbol of Strength and Style

Baldness has long been associated with power and confidence. Think of iconic figures like Bruce Willis, Mahatma Gandhi, or Sinead O’Connor—each used their baldness as a statement. For some, it’s a minimalist aesthetic; for others, it’s a badge of survival. Cancer patients and those with alopecia often face emotional hurdles tied to hair loss, and this day offers a moment to celebrate their resilience.

🎉 How to Celebrate

Avery Brooks

  • Shave It Off: If you’ve been considering going bald, today’s the day to take the plunge.
  • Shine with Pride: Already bald? Post a selfie with the hashtag #BeBaldAndBeFreeDay.
  • Support Others: Compliment a bald friend or donate to cancer-related charities.
  • Host a Bald Bash: Organize a gathering or virtual event to celebrate bald beauty.
  • Raise Awareness: Share stories of bald icons or your own journey to inspire others.

🌬️ The Perks of a Bare Head

Let’s not forget the practical joys: no bad hair days, no expensive salon visits, and the simple pleasure of feeling the breeze on your scalp. Baldness can be freeing in every sense—financially, emotionally, and stylistically.

 

Whether you’re bald by nature or nurture, Be Bald and Be Free Day is your moment to shine—literally and figuratively.

Sinead O’Connor

As a woman watching time gently waltz through my once-thick locks, I’m not quite ready to bare it all. But perhaps, one day, I’ll greet that moment with grace and a gleaming crown.