National Beach Day (August 30)

A review of an awareness holiday for everyone who has ever enjoyed a day at the beach. 

National Beach Day

Having spent a great number of years living near beaches of many kinds, from ponds to lakes to oceans, National Beach Day ‘speaks’ to my soul. 

I spent some of my growing up years in ‘beach’ communities, from my birthplace of Canandaigua, NY (one of the Finger Lakes) to Rochester, NY situated on Lake Ontario (one of the Great Lakes). My adult married life brought me to communities on the Gulf of Mexico, the California Central Coast and the Southeastern Shores of South Carolina and Georgia. So beaches have been an integral part of my life. 

Between beach community times, I  have also lived as a ‘landlubber’ in the Midwest, but this quote keeps me going away from the beaches:

"The beach is not a place, it's a feeling"

So I can truly say: The beach is my ‘happy’ place. 

Origin of this Holiday

Begun by animal activist, Colleen Paige, in 2014, National Beach Day is designated as a day to clean up the natural resources of the beach. Keeping beaches beautiful and sustainable allows everyone to enjoy them for a long time into the future. 

Summary

So if you enjoy lying around soaking up the sunshine on your favorite beach, with access to salt-water oceans or fresh-water lakes, and love outdoor activities such as swimming, walking on the beach and building sandcastles, use National Beach Day on August 30 to participate in a ‘beach clean-up’ to keep your favorite places enjoyable for all. Then reward yourself with a 'fun-in-the-sun beach day’. 

My favorite beach picture, taken (at the request of our daughter) at dawn on the first day of the new millenium (January 1, 2001) on Tybee Island, Georgia.

Related Reviews:

• Moonstone Beach in Cambria: A Review in Photos written by BarbRad
• A Review of Jupiter Beach Park written by mbgPhoto
• South Carolina Historic Vacation Reviewed written by Sam Monaco
• Mid-Atlantic Beaches written by Dawn Rae

Happy National Beach Day

August 30

*National Beach Day holiday review written by Wednesday Elf

+All images in this post are personal photos taken by (c) Wednesday Elf

For More Holiday Reviews

Click on ReviewThisReviews: Holidays

Beach Gear:

 

HAUSHOF High Back Beach Chair, Mesh Back Folding Chair, Lightweight Low Seat Camping Chairs with Cup Holder, Carry Bag, Padded Armrest for Outdoor Beach Lawn Camping Picnic Festival

Genovega 2 Packs Oversized Beach Towel Set 36 x 72 in Large Big Pool Camping Swim Clearance Soft Towels Travel Essentials Accessories Must Haves Vacation Necessities Adult Gifts Shark Turtle

Beach Umbrella - Beach Umbrella for Sand Wind Portable with Tilt Pole, 6.56 FT Arc Length 5.9 FT Diameter, Heavy Duty Wind Resistant Striped Large Umbrellas, UV 50+ Parasol with Anchor Screw Adjustable Height

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Hand Ice Pack Glove for Swelling and Pain Relief Reviewed

I purchased this ice pack glove for my mother this summer when she showed me her swollen hand after she had been pulling weeds from her flower bed.  I was not sure if the swelling was heat related or from arthritis, as she suspected, but I knew she couldn't close her hand to make a fist.  We needed to do something to get the swelling down.  Her Sunday School teacher is a physical therapist and he recommended cold treatment.  

My mother is a real trooper.  She will minimize anything that is hurting and there have been times in our lives when I was shocked to find out she was in real pain because she just kept going without complaint.  For her to show me her hand, I knew it had to be really bothering her.  Most likely because she couldn't play the piano due to the swelling.  Thus, the search began!

I knew I wanted a glove, not just an ice pack that would lay on her hand.  Mom isn't going to sit still long enough for the cold to help the swelling.  I bought the glove with the assurance of next day delivery.  The afternoon the ice pack glove arrived, I put it in my refrigerator overnight.  I was at her home bright and early the next morning to see if she could tolerate wearing the glove.  If this glove didn't work, I would be back at my computer seeking out something else to try.  

The ice glove immediately soothed the pain in her hand, or so she said.  She could have just been trying to make me feel better, but after 30 minutes, I could see it was reducing the swelling.  We put it in the freezer for 20 minutes then and put it back on her hand.  After another 30 minutes, she was able to close her hand.  I suspect with some pain she closed her hand, but there was clear improvement.  After that, I went home, but she told me that she wore it most of the day and her hand was much better.

She is now keeping the ice pack glove in her refrigerator and using it when needed.  She isn't going to stop working or playing the piano.  The arthritis could flare up again at any time, especially during the summer heat.  Having the ice glove on hand and ready to use is simply smart.

 

Hand Ice Pack Glove   

 Finger Arthritis Compression Hand Ice Pack Gloves for Pain Relief, Adjustable Wrist Ice Pack for Hot & Cold Therapies, Reusable Gel Finger Ice Pack Sleeve for Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Ice GloveCheck Price

I have already purchased an ice pack glove to keep in my refrigerator at all times.  You never know when it will be needed.

I prefer the glove style to the mitt so you can still use your fingers when wearing the glove.   

The cold only lasts about 30 minutes at a time.  Having two gloves might be preferred so you can alternate them.  Wear one while the other is cooling back down.

• Made of Lycra fabric and thick solid gel
• Velcro fastening wrist strap attached
• Freeze for cold therapy
• Microwave for heat therapy
• Reusable  

 

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Hand Ice Pack Glove for Swelling and Pain Relief Reviewed  written by:

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Cozy Mystery Review-Murder on Cape Cod

 

                                       Cape Cod Lighthouse Photo by Mary Beth Granger       

I love a good cozy mystery and the latest one I have read was delightful.  It is part of the "Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery" and was written by Maddie Day.  The author has a wonderful way of bringing the characters to life on the pages of the book.  This book was book one of the series and in it we are introduced to Mackenzie Almelda (Mac to her friends).   Mac had spent time after college traveling the world and has decided to come back to her home town, a small village on Cape Cod, to settle in and make a life for herself.  She opens a bicycle repair and rental shop, which is popular with all the tourists that visit the area.  In this first book we meet some of the other shop owners who are also members of her cozy mystery book club.

Book Summary

In  this charming town on Cape Cod, Mackenzie "Mac" Almeida stumbles upon a dead body while walking home from a book club meeting in the dense fog.  The victim is a local character, Jake who has been stabbed and the police investigation begins.

Despite warning from the police to stay out of it, Mac and her book club friends decide that the police need help determining the suspect and they start snooping around for clues.  As Mac digs deeper she fears that her brother Derrick will become a suspect.  She does more snooping and one evening comes home to a note in her door threatning her to stay out of it.

With the help of her quirky friends and loved ones, Mac navigates the web of complex relationships and secrets in the small town to uncover the truth behind Jake's murder.

The Book on Amazon

Here is a link to the book on Amazon  Murder on Cape Cod

More Cozy Mystery Reviews on Review This

Here are some other cozy mysteries reviewed by the Review This Staff.

Fear in First Gear

Tea by Sea

Irish Village Mystery Series

Mrs Fix it Mystery Series

Review of Cozy Mystery Genre

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The Best Tube Squeezer AKA Tube Wringer for Everyday Use

Products in tubes are a part of our everyday lives, from toothpaste and tomato paste to first-aid ointments and paints. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to squeeze the last drops of product from tubes, and I hate being wasteful (especially when I'm trying to wring every last drop from an expensive skincare product, for example).

I have tried several styles and brands of tube squeezers, also called tube wringers. I started with smaller, more compact styles for things like small lip balm tubes, and also tried medium-sized models for toothpaste, ointments, etc. Unfortunately, most have been unsatisfactory. That's why I'm so anxious to share my review of the large, metal tube squeezer AKA tube wringer I purchased that works on all my tubes, small or large, metal or plastic.

After experimenting with different brands and types, the heavy-duty XYKEEY Metal Tube Squeezer has become my clear favorite. It’s sturdy, effective, and easy to use. I’ve also tried the smaller roller-style XYKEEY tube squeezers (like the black one shown in the photo above), and honestly, they’re just not in the same league.

Effective and Easy to Use

The heavy-duty XYKEEY squeezer is well made from a rust-resistant aluminum alloy. It feels substantial in your hand. You simply pull the ends apart slightly, insert the end of your tube between the corrugated jaws, close the ends of the wringer firmly on the end of the tube, then twist the handle. The tube squeezer effortlessly crimps the lower part of your tube while pushing every last bit of the contents toward the top of the tube.

It works equally well for tubes of toothpaste, lip balm, hand cream, skincare, tomato paste, paint, glue, and more.

It’s also easy on the hands, which I really appreciate, since my grip strength isn't what it used to be. The smooth turning mechanism, with its large handle, requires very little effort.

While the crimping action works best on metal tubes, I was delighted that it also works on my plastic tubes, which is not true of all models I've tried.

It can stand upright on the countertop or lay flat in a drawer for storage to keep things neat and tidy.

How the Smaller XYKEEY Tube Squeezer Rollers Compare

The XYKEEY roller squeezers may seem like a better value at first glance, since you can get a set of three for a little more than the cost of one of the larger XYKEEY tube wringers. Unfortunately, while they are more compact and attractive, I have found them far less effective, even for small tubes of lip balm or gloss and the like. 

Here are a few key differences:

Less effective: I have found that it can be difficult to get the ends of small tubes, especially, to "catch" and stay put in the slot. More importantly, they don't crimp the tubes or squeeze them as tightly, so more product is left inaccessible inside the tube.

More fiddly: You have to line up the slot of the inner portion with the opening of the base in order to slide the end of the tube into the squeezer.

More effort required: The rolling mechanism is smaller and doesn't work as smoothly as the larger model, making it less comfortable to use, especially with thicker creams or heavier-duty tubes.

The Best Choice for Everyday Use

If you want to get every last drop out of your toothpaste, hand creams, skincare, first aid creams and ointments, and other products that come in tubes, the XYKEEY Heavy-Duty Metal Tube Squeezer is absolutely worth it. It’s solid, effective, and makes daily life just a little more organized and satisfying. And, at less than $10 on Amazon at the time of this review's publication, it's a bargain that will quickly pay for itself many times over by minimizing product waste.

Toothpaste Squeezer, Metal Toothpaste Tube Squeezer Paint Tube Wringer for Artist, Hair Salon, Painter…

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Spiced Tea and Honey Nut Bread - The Perfect Snack

If you read the post I made on March 25, 2025, for Old Fashioned Rice Pudding, I explained about a very old recipe book that I had found in my mother's things after she passed.  To call it a book, is being kind, as it was just a collection of hand typed (on a manual typewriter!) recipes folded in the middle and stapled together.  No front or back cover, no information of where it came from.  The pages are so ancient they are dark tan in color.  

Anyway, the recipes in this old gem are from a time before I was cooking.  Some of them are recipes for foods I have never heard of like Strawberry Fool or Fruitinays.  I love reading through the pages and some times I find a recipe that I want to try.  This is how I came across the recipes for the perfect afternoon snack:  Spiced Tea and Honey Nut Bread.

This first time I made the bread, I found it delicious, but it seemed to be lacking something to go with it.  I tried coffee, but it didn't fit, I tried iced tea and it was completely not a match.  I was stumped.  So I went back to the recipe book and looked under "Drinks."  When I saw the spiced tea recipe, I knew I had hit the jackpot.  Cinnamon and fruit juices sounded like a great combination!  I got up and made some right then and there.  It was exquisite!  The flavors blended together perfectly and they were just right with the honey nut bread.  It really is the perfect snack!

Spiced Tea

Ingredients

Juice of one lemon

Juice of two oranges

2 Plain teabags (more if you like it stronger)

1 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon cloves (optional, if you like clove flavor)

1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

6 cups water

Instructions

1. Put spices in a small bag
2. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the bag of spices.
3. Boil for 10 minutes and remove the spice bag and turn off the stove.
4. Add teabags to the spiced water and steep for 10 minutes.  Remove teabags.
5. Boil the remaining 2 cups of water and add sugar. Stir until sugar melts.
6. Pour the sweetened water into the tea and stir until mixed.
7. Add the fruit juices and mix well.

If you want it drink your tea cold, chill the mixture in the refrigerator and serve over ice.  If you are like me and prefer it hot, place it back on the stove and boil.  I put mine in a carafe so it stays hot to enjoy with our next recipe:  Honey Nut Bread.

Honey Nut Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (whichever type you like)

1 cup flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/2 cup of honey

1/2 cup of milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift dry ingredients and stir in nuts.
3. In a bowl beat the egg and add honey, milk and melted butter and mix.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are  moistened and mixed.
5. Grease a bread pan and pour in the mixture.
6. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Honey nut bread is also great with toppings like:

Apple Butter

Fruit Jam

Honey Butter 

Flavored Cream Cheese (like strawberry)

Lemon Sauce

I have even made French Toast with honey nut bread.  I trade in the syrup for some hot honey and it is really delicious.

I really love this old cookbook, it has so many unusual recipes in it and it also has a 'Hints and Tips' section that is pretty funny.  Maybe I will share some tips in my next post, I think you all would find it pretty entertaining!

Enjoy your snack!

  

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