Today, we not only celebrate the first president of the United States, George Washington’s birthday, we also celebrate National Margarita Day. Although the margarita drink was created in the early 1930s, according to Checkiday, National Margarita Day came about in the late 2000s when Todd McCalla proposed the national day of celebration in February because February is a “sad, gray time of year for people and it’d be worth brightening it up with a margarita.” And he wanted to spread the love for margaritas around the world.

Loved and consumed by millions, friends and families around the world now honor this drink every year on Feb. 22. There has been much debate as to the exact individual responsible for inventing the classic margarita. Was it a bartender in Tijuana, Mexico, or a bartender in Los Angeles, or was it named for “Margarita” Sames, a woman from San Antonio, Texas, who made it for her houseguests while she was living in Acapulco? We may never know.

What we do know is this: Margaritas are made from tequila, triple sec and lime juice, and commonly served in margarita glasses. The rims of the glasses are dipped in lime juice, and then coarse salt. They can be served straight up, on the rocks or blended. There are many different varieties and fruit flavors, differing somewhat by region. The frozen margarita was invented later in the 1970s when an inventive bartender converted a soft-serve ice cream unit into a frozen margarita machine.

Whether you prefer a classic margarita on the rocks or frozen, it is the most common tequila-based cocktail in the United States today. Hence, happy Margarita Day! I must say, on a hot day a classic frozen margarita is very refreshing with a bowl of tortilla chips and salsa, or maybe nachos. OK, maybe I won’t wait for a hot day; maybe I will celebrate the day with one today, and chips and salsa, of course.

Can you believe we are a week away from March? Have you had time to prepare your flower and garden areas? Or chicken coop? Yes, chicken coop. With the price of eggs doubling, tripling and quadrupling, I think a few of us are considering adding a few chickens to our eclectic animal collections. I understand that each household in Galt may have up to four hens. No noisy roosters are allowed in the Galt city limits. However, in the country we can have those roosters with the hens. Those roosters may be a good idea with the hawks and owls eyeballing their next lunch.

But seriously, if you are considering adding chickens to your household, be sure you have a secure coop, so they have a safe place to escape from the predators. Not only hawks and owls, but even your faithful dog and fluffy cat may look at your chickens like they are a new chew toy or dinner.

As for the garden and flower area, with all the rain and wet, it is easy to pull the weeds. Just hold onto those seedlings a little longer before planting them in the ground in case “Jack Frost” decides to make one last appearance. Nothing’s worse than walking out to your garden and seeing your little seedlings frozen stiff. So follow a tried-and-true rule: If the lowest night temperature and the highest day temperature add up to 100 degrees or more, it is warm enough for the plants to grow.

Flower of the day — Pansies

Recipe of the day — Chili Cheese Dogs

Dates to remember:

March 6-10 — Quarter break for the Galt high school district — no school

March 12 — Daylight saving time begins — again.

March 17 — St. Patrick’s Day

March 20 — First day of spring

Until next week — be strong, be courageous and make a memory.