This Amazing Ocean Creature Loves To Help Humans! Welcome to April 14, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate cracking open the official nut of Texas and man’s best ocean friend. Today we’re talking pecans, the official state nut of Texas, the official Texas state tree and even the official pie of Texas; I think it’s safe to say that Texas likes pecans! Pecan wood is great for smoking meat, pecans aren’t technically nuts (they’re “drupes”, the fruit of a tree, similar to peaches and plums) and the word pecan comes from an Algonquin word meaning “a nut that requires a stone to crack”! But the oddest thing about pecans is the pronunciation! Peecahn, peeCAN, puhcahn, puhCAN, heck, we’ve even heard “pekin”. According to the Talk Like a Texan podcast, the debate over how to pronounce pecan has been raging since 1904! On National Pecan Day, pronounce it how you like, just as long as you invite us over for a pecan pie. Few things in the animal kingdom inspire the spirit of playfulness more than the dolphin.  These mammals display super intelligence and an affinity for their human counterparts.  Even more amazing, dolphins are now being used in therapy.  In Key Largo, Florida an organization known as Island Dolphin Care facilitates healing with the help of these animals.  The dolphins are trained to interact with people to increase the speech and motor skills in patients with Down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy.  This program benefits the overall health of young and old through its unique approach. It also teaches us to value and respect these marine mammals and their environment.  On National Dolphin Day, we celebrate these aquatic wonders that appear to be man’s best ocean friend.  I’m Anna Devere, and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.