Bunsen Burner Day, National Clam on a Half Shell Day, Terri's Day: March 31

Bunsen burners do more than make high-school chemistry class fun. The Bunsen burner combines "flammable gas with controlled amounts of air before ignition; it produces a hotter flame than would be possible using the ambient air and gas alone" according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

March 31 honors the birthday of inventor and chemistry professor Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen (b. 1811), who invented the Bunsen burner. The science behind the Bunsen burner is also used in two common items in the home: the gas stove and gas furnaces.

Clam on a Half Shell Day

Move over, oysters. March 31 gives clams their rightful place. Small-necked clams are a staple of summer holidays in New England, when steamed with water, beer and onions, rinsed and dipped in melted butter.

Native Americans used quahoags not only for food but as a way to seal friendship, according to Andrew F. Smith in the "Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink" (2007). Eating clams dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries when Native Americans living near the Atlantic coast ate large quantities of clams and oysters.

You could eat some clams with a friend on March 31, with Linguine with clam sauce, sans shells, or warm up with a bowl of creamy New England clam chowder with oyster crackers. Or grill clams with three sauces.

Terri's Day

On March 31, 2005, Terri Schiavo died of "marked dehydration after almost 14 days of being denied food and water based on Judge Greer's decision that it was Terri's wish to die" although she was not terminally ill, according to TerriFight.org. The 26-year-old woman mysteriously collapsed and was hospitalized. She had hypoxic encephalopathy, which is a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen.

Her husband, Michael, claimed Terri had a verbal living will. Because she had no written advanced living directive, Terry's actual wishes were not outlined in any legal documents. March 31 honors Terry as well as the struggles of anyone who is medically vulnerable. Make your own wishes known with an advanced directive.

* Discuss the "what ifs" with your adult children, spouse or parents.

* Prepare your own advance directive (living will).

* State rules differ. You can find an explanation of the current laws with a free form to fill out on Caringinfo.org.