7/7/26 - Chocolate Day, Baseball Shenanigans, and The Picnic Makeover

Tuesday 7/7/26

Celebrate:

Chocolate Day

Father-Daughter Take a Walk Together Day

Global Forgiveness Day

National Dive Bar Day

National Macaroni Day

National Strawberry Sundae Day

Tell the Truth Day

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Happy Chocolate Day!

The ancient Aztecs valued cocoa beans so highly that they used them as cash. For example, a single avocado could be bought for three beans, while a turkey cost 100 beans. Source: History.com

Chocolate is technically a fruit: Cacao beans grow in pod-like fruits on the Theobroma cacao tree. The name Theobroma translates from Greek to mean "food of the gods."

Switzerland leads the world in chocolate consumption. The average Swiss citizen eats roughly 24 pounds of chocolate per year!

Germany  20.1 lb

Estonia 18.3 lb

Austria

United Kingdom

Sweden

Ireland

Finland

Belgium

Neterhlands

The US is down the list with 9.7lb.

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Details are emerging from what media outlets called "America's Royal Wedding" after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce tied the knot at Madison Square Garden. The lucky guest who caught the traditional bouquet toss has been revealed as Ashley Smith, the older sister of Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith. She shared snaps of the pink-and-sweet-pea arrangement alongside the official monogrammed wedding favors featuring the lyrics, "so it's gonna be forever."

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A massive debate is trending on social media mocking people who still use their phone's basic Notes app to run their entire lives—treating it as a chaotic digital junk drawer of grocery lists, deep secrets, and old passwords instead of using actual planner apps.

Sometimes, simpler is better! Make a note of THAT!

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How did this slip by us? Earlier this season, the world's most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, made a surprise public appearance at a Pittsburgh Pirates game to "throw out" the ceremonial first pitch, delighting fans who are celebrating the peak of spring. Well, sort of..he did it via a surrogate because, well......

In more current baseball news, 

Add this weekend’s matchup at Wrigley Field to the list of classically weird baseball delays. During a night game between the Cubs and the Cardinals, a sudden, dense fog bank billowed off Lake Michigan and settled directly inside the stadium, dropping visibility to zero. Because players could no longer see the ball leaving the bat, umpires completely paused the game. Rather than leaving their seats, the crowd of nearly 39,000 fans spontaneously broke out into a massive, stadium-wide singalong of John Denver’s "Take Me Home, Country Roads," creating an eerie, viral pop culture moment amidst the literal clouds.

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The classic summer outdoor picnic is officially getting an upscale, savory makeover. According to Pinterest's latest retail tracking metrics, everyday consumers are ditching heavy deli meats and generic grazing boards in favor of premium, gourmet tinned seafood. Searches are skyrocketing for aesthetic "apéro boards" styled with high-end canned sardines, spiced mackerel, and artisanal crackers. It has emerged as summer's ultimate low-stress, highly visual entertaining trend.

Don't invite me to this, I'll settle for sitting over here with my packet of tuna!

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