messymimi's meanderings

"Hey, mom, did you see Young Jacob's new wheels?" #2 Son asked.

Knowing that Young Jacob currently has a Tacoma truck and a Subaru of some sort, both not running, i wondered what in the world he was doing with new wheels. He's supposed to be fixing the old ones.

No, i simply answered, i have not.

"Come see! He got a sweet deal on a moped!"

Walking outside, i was greeted with this:

Not my idea of a moped.

That, i said, looks more like a motorcycle.

"No, it's just a moped," #2 Son said. "And he got a deal on it, only $1,200!"

And he bought this while he's trying to save up and fix two vehicles because? i asked.

"Because he needed something he could use now!" #2 Son answered.

Logic only a wheel loving boy could use.

It worries me enough that Young Jacob drives at all, ever since he had a seizure behind the wheel two years ago. It worries me more that he's now on a bike, which has no protection at all. Yes, he always wears a helmet, i saw it sitting on the dining room table when he came over. To me, that hardly makes up for the danger, but i guess that's why they like it.

Sometimes i wonder what these boys are thinking, but i have to admit, it's cool looking, motorcycle or moped or whatever it is.

Today is

Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day (Buy your cheese that will be sacrificed on Cheese Sacrifice Day, and no, I never have found out why there is a Cheese Sacrifice Day anyway or to whom you are supposed to sacrifice it.)*

Chicken Wings Day -- Buffalo, NY, US (they want it to be a national day, and maybe someday it will be)

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 11th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

Feast of St. Martha, Virgin, Dragon Charmer, Sister of Lazarus (Patron of butlers, cooks, dieticians, domestic servants, homemakers, hotel keepers, housemaids, housewives, inkeepers, laundry workers, maids, manservants, servants, servers, single laywomen, travellers; Villajoyosa, Spain, which village she saved on her feast day by sending a flash flood to wash away the Moorish invaders in 1538)

Fiesta de Santa Maria Ribarteme (a/k/a Festival of Near Death Experiences) -- As Neves, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain (festival of Mary in which those who have come back from near death are carried to the shrine in open coffins, or walk there clad in shrouds)

International Tiger Day

NASA Day -- marking the day President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, creating NASA

National Anthem Day -- Romania

National Lasagna Day

National Thai Language Day -- Thailand (Wan Phasa Thai Haeng Chat)

Photograph Your Children When They're Not Looking Day -- get a good, candid shot to enjoy

Rain Day Festival -- Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (yes, it has rained at 113 out of the 140 observances of this festival on this date)

Runic Half-Month Thorn begins (defense)

St. Lazarus' Day -- date given in the Martyrologium Romanum; celebrated on Lazarus Saturday by most Eastern Churches and on Dec. 17 in most Western Churches

St. Olaf's (Olav) Day (Norway's Viking king; pPtron of carvers, difficult marriages, kings; Norway)related observances
     Olavsokadagur -- Faroe Islands (opening of Logting, or Parliament; a National Day, on the Feast Day of St. Olav)
     Oslok Eve -- Norway (celebrating the valiant death of their hero on this evening at the battle at Stiklestadt in 1030)
     sometimes associated with Thor's Day among the Norse and Thunor of the Anglo-Saxons

Territory Day -- Wallis and Futuna

*"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk's leap toward immortality." Clifton Fadiman

Anniversaries Today

Andy Taylor marries Tracey Wilson, 1982
Charles, Prince of Wales, marries Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
Mary, Queen of Scots, marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, 1565

Birthdays Today

Danger Mouse, 1977
Josh Radnor, 1974
Wanya Morris, 1973
Wil Wheaton, 1972
Julian McMahon, 1968
Martina McBride, 1966
Alexandra Paul, 1963
Patty Scialfa, 1956
Ken Burns, 1953
Tim Gunn, 1953
Marilyn Quayle, 1949
David Warner, 1941
Peter Jennings, 1938
Elizabeth Dole, 1936
Paul Taylor, 1930
Chester Bomar Himes, 1909
Melvin Belli, 1907
Clara Bow, 1905
Dag Hammarskjold, 1905
Stanley Kunitz, 1905
Benito Mussolini, 1883
Newton Booth Tarkington, 1869
Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, 1861
Alexis de Tocqueville, 1805

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Friday Night Videos"(TV), 1983
Help(Film), 1965
"Steamboat Willie"(Animated short, first appearance of Mickey Mouse), 1928

Today in History

King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes, 1030
James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling, 1567
English naval forces under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France, 1588
John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there, 1793
Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, 1836
In Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police, 1848
The First Hague Convention is signed, 1899
Sir Robert Baden Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England; this is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement, 1907
The International Atomic Energy Agency is established, 1957
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel, 1987
The film Cry Freedom is seized by South African authorities, 1988
Astronomers announce the discovery of Eris, the largest dwarf planet in the solar system, 2005
South Sudan becomes the 54th member of the African Union, 2011
Scientists reveal new research identifying a mechanism by which Earth-warming carbon is pulled deep into the Southern Ocean, and locked away, and scientists claim this process may be threatened by climate change, 2012

Now, i've seen some crazy signs in south Louisiana, but even i had to stop and look twice at this one.

Right on a highway, there it was. Yes, i know they are trying to get people thinking about their health. But really, this?

Trying to get people to get colon cancer screening.

There has to be a better way to word this.

Today is:

Chincoteague Pony Round Up / Pony Swim -- Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, VA, US (through tomorrow)

Dia del Amigo -- Paraguay

Father-in-Law Day -- unsponsored and unclaimed, but fathers-in-law deserve respect, too

Feast of the Throne -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Festival of Fortuna Huiusque Diei -- Ancient Roman Calendar ("Fortune of the Present Day")

Friendship Day/International Day of Friendship -- UN

Halifax International Busker Festival -- Halifax, NS, Canada (with action packed, mind blowing shows from around the globe; through August 4)

Herbal Ballooning -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Vanuatu(1980)

Kronia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Kronos as god of the harvest; date approximate)

Maine Lobster Festival -- Rockland, ME, US (more fun than a lobster can shake a tail at; through Sunday)

Martyr's Day -- South Sudan

National Cheesecake Day

National Support Public Education Day -- Change.org wants this to be an official day for support of US public education systems

Paperback Day -- anniversary of the 1935 publication of Penguin #1, Arial, A Life of Shelley, by Andre Maurois in London, the first successful series of paperback books

Sumiyoshi Matsuri -- Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Osaka, Japan (Osaka's last major summer festival, through Aug. 1)

Sts. Abdon and Sennen's Day (Patrons of barrel makers and coopers; the ashes of ferns cut and burned on this day will keep away insects and unwanted guests)

Teej Festival -- HR, India (a woman's festival, celebrating marriage and the uniting of Shiva and Parvati; through tomorrow)

Anniversaries Today:

Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, marries Michael Tindall, 2011

Birthdays Today:

Hope Solo, 1981
Jaime Pressly, 1977
Misty May-Treanor, 1977
Hilary Swank, 1974
Tom Green, 1971
Simon Baker, 1969
Vivica A. Fox, 1964
Lisa Kudrow, 1963
Alton Brown, 1962
Laurence Fishburne, 1961
Kate Bush, 1958
Delta Burke, 1956
Ken Olin, 1954
Jean Reno, 1948
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1947
William Atherton, 1947
David Sanborn, 1945
Paul Anka, 1941
Peter Bogdanovich, 1939
Buddy Guy, 1936
Allan Huber “Bud” Selig, 1934
Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, 1933
Thomas Sowell, 1930
Sid Krofft, 1929
Christine McGuire, 1926
Henry W. Bloch, 1922
Henry Spencer Moore, 1898
Casey Stengel, 1891
Henry Ford, 1863
Thorstein Bunde Veblen, 1857
Georg Wilhelm von Siemens, 1855
Emily Bronte, 1818

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Santa Barbara"(TV), 1984
"Flowers and Trees"(Disney short, first in Technicolor), 1932"Death Valley Days"(Radio), 1930

Today in History

City of Baghdad is founded, 762
The First Defenestration of Prague, 1419
Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage, 1502
At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs, which set the tone for French-Iroquois relations for the next one hundred years, 1608
In Jamestown, Virginia, the first European style representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time, 1619
An earthquake in Naples, Italy kills 10,000 people, 1629
Baltimore, Maryland is founded, 1729
Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly-built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers, 1756
First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps,1859
Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, agreeing to stop the harassment of emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah, 1863
In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first Football World Cup, 1930
Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short, 1932
A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto, 1956
US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid, 1965
David Scott and James Irwin on Apollo Lunar Module module, Falcon, land with first Lunar Rover on the moon, 1971
Six Royal Canadian Army Cadets are killed and fifty-four injured in an accidental grenade blast at CFB Valcartier Cadet Camp, 1974
Jimmy Hoffa disappears, 1975
In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line, 2003
Israel and Palestinian officials agree to resume negotiations for a peace agreement, 2013

"Hi, mom!" Bigger Girl has been mostly absent, between work and school, but her finals are over and she's actually coming home occasionally.

It's good to see you! i said.

"Guess what! Vera helped me order a new computer, and for our $400 budget she got me a rebuilt Lenovo with a spare battery and a warranty! And Miss Lizzie and I are going to take PepperJack to get his heartworm preventive shot on Saturday, and my friends are making a movie and because my summer semester is over I have time to help them!"

That's great, i said. What's this movie about?

"It's going to be a horror flick, about a guy who is psychologically tormented by a monster that appears to him as dozens and dozens of women's hands reaching for him. You know what that means, right?"

What? i asked.

"It means I need to get all of my female friends together so that we can film the scenes where he sees the hands! They need all my friends, as many as we can get together."

That ought to be interesting, will you bribe them all to come? i asked.

"Yes, I'll feed them, and that will get them! It's an advantage to have starving college students as friends!"

Not all of them are students, though, i noted.

"No, but close enough, all in that age. Oh, and Miss Lizzie has loaned Vera an air mattress so she won't have to sleep on the hard cot that hurts her back so much! She says that as soon as her veterans disability comes through, she wants to buy a bed. She is only 24 and walks with a cane, she really needs a good bed. And rehab for her knee so she can get trained as a mechanic. She doesn't want to stay on disability long, just long enough to recover and get training so she can work."

That's the best way, i noted, then added, So, now that your summer class is over, what are your plans?

"Well, work each day for a couple of more weeks, but other than that, I'm free! I have hours and hours each day to just do what I want! Oh, and I want to spend some of those hours doing the chores I haven't been getting to while i've been working and studying."

Sounds great, i said.

"Hours and hours!" she was gloating as she wandered upstairs.

She's going to enjoy them.

Today is

Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day

Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival -- Davenport, IA, US (fifteen bands at 3 venues and a great time for all; through Sunday)

Blessing of the Waters -- Whitstable, Kent, England (ceremony dating back to 1657, this event is held to appease the cruel seas and give thanks for its bounty; held during the community's annual Oyster Festival)

Brat Days -- Sheboygan, WI, US (celebrating bratwurst and more; through Sunday)

Cotton Candy Day

Emancipation Day -- Bermuda (first day of the Cup Match)

Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola -- (Founder of the Jesuits, especially revered in Spain; Patron of retreats, soldiers, and the Society of Jesus which he founded; Basque country; Bilbao, Spain; Bizkaia, Spain; Gipuzkoa, Spain; Guipuscoa, Spain; Guipúzcoa, Spain; Spiritual Exercises (by Pope Pius XI); Vizcaya, Spain)

First Sermon of Lord Buddha -- Bhutan

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai -- Hachinohe City, Japan (one of the most elaborate neputa festivals, through Aug. 4)

International Ranger Day -- the International Ranger Federation wants us to honor wildlife rangers around the world, and remember those killed in the line of duty

Jump for Jellybeans Day

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day -- Hawai'i (State Flag Day)

Lammas Eve / Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot -- Norse harvest festival with a "blot", or offering, to the gods, celebrated through tomorrow

Loki and Sigyn's Day - Asatru / Norse Pagan (aka Devoted Couples Day)

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day -- summer's almost over, make the most of the days we have left!

Moby Dick Marathon -- aboard the last US wooden whaler, the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (through tomorrow, from noon to noon, a marathon reading of Moby Dick in honor of Melville's birthday)

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival -- Asheville, NC, US (celebrating the cultural heritage of the southern Appalachian Mountains; through Saturday)

Mutts' Day -- because mutts deserve a day as much as purebreds do!

National Chili Dog Day

National Raspberry Cake Day

Rockhound Gemboree -- Bancroft, ON, Canada (expeditions to prime mineral locations as well as dealers, demonstrations, swapping, and the chance for rockhounds to have a great time; through Sunday)

Satchmo Summerfest -- New Orleans, LA, US (because one jazz festival in this city is never enough; through Sunday)

St. Germanus' Day (Patron of Auxerre, France)

St. Joseph of Arimathea's Day -- Eastern Orthodox Church (Patron of funeral directors)

Uncommon Instruments Day -- go find a few new musical instruments you didn't know about, you might become a fan

Birthdays Today

Eric Lively, 1981
Dean Cain, 1966
J.K. Rowling, 1965
Jim Corr, 1964
Wesley Snipes, 1962
Bill Berry, 1958
Michael Biehn, 1956
Barry Van Dyke, 1951
Evonne Goolagong, 1951
Gary Lewis, 1946
Geraldine Chaplin, 1944
Susan Flannery, 1943
France Nuyen, 1939
Ted Cassidy, 1932
Don Murray, 1929
Curt Gowdy, 1919
Milton Friedman, 1912

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Living Daylights(Film), 1987
"The Shadow"(Radio), 1930

Today in History

Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide, BC30
The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji, 781
Thessalonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city, 904
The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect, 1492
On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus
becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad, 1498
Aurangzeb is proclaimed Moghul emperor of India, 1658
The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1667
Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers, 1703
The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Marquis de Lafayette "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States," 1777
First U.S. patent is issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process, 1790
Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city, 1856
The first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Australia, 1865
The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time, 1930
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius in Persepolis, 1938
First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, 1954
At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning because of rain, 1961
The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, 1970
Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover, 1971
NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, 1976
A rare, class F4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage, 1987
Georgia joins the United Nations, 1992
Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro, 2006
Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end, 2007
U.S. Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps wins a record 19th Olympic medal, with gold in the 4x200metres freestyle relay, 2012

The pin care kit, home made. The peroxide bottle sits on top.

#2 Son got his surgical dressing removed. His first response upon seeing pins sticking out of his hand was, "That's not cool!"

The therapist showed me the drill of changing the bandaging around the pins, most of which i remembered from when i had to do it for Little Girl four years ago.

He then showed #2 Son how to do the exercises to make sure he doesn't lose strength or use of his fingers. Only two sessions of therapy, and the therapist told him to just do the exercises, he doesn't need to come back unless the doctor says to.

Meanwhile, i clean the pins each day and change the bandages around them, keeping everything for it together in one plastic container so i don't have to hunt for everything.

Photo-Finish Friday is the brainchild of Leah, of The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Today is

AgriFair -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("the best little country fair" and a rodeo; through Monday)

Air Force Day -- US (declared by President Truman in 1947)

Anniversary of the Founding of Scouting -- first day of Brownsea Island Camp in 1907, where Robert Baden-Powell began Scouting

Armed Forces Day -- Lebanon

"Arms & Artillery" Theme Month -- Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, VA, US & Yorktown Victory Center, Yorktown, VA, US (Games and other diversions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are shown through hands-on activities and interpretive programs, play a variety of games, including whirligigs, corncob darts, ninepins, quoits, mancala and nine-men's morris all through the month of August)

Blueberry Arts Festival -- Ketchikan, AK, US (with a pet and doll parade, slug race, the Gigglefeet Dance Festival, and more; through Sunday)

Boom Days -- Leadville, CO, US (celebrate the mining heritage of the Rockies with a parade and even a celebrity pack burro race; through Sunday)

Braham Pie Day -- Braham, MN, US (a home-made pie festival)

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival -- Dauphin, MB, Canada (experience the richness of Ukrainian culture; through Sunday)

Cuti Bersama 2014 -- Indonesia

Czech Festival -- Wilber, NE, US (to promote the preservation of Czech culture, sponsored by the Nebraska Czechs of Wilber; through Sunday)

Edinburgh Festival Fringe -- Edinburgh, Scotland (the largest art gathering in the world; through the 25th)

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru (The National Eisteddfod of Wales) -- Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales (preserving the Welsh language and heritage, with music, drama, literature, arts and crafts ;through Aug. 9)

Emancipation Day -- Barbados; Guyana; Jamaica; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and Grendines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands

Esala Perahera (Festival of Buddha's Tooth) -- Sri Lanka (two week festival honoring a relic held in one temple that is supposed to have a tooth of Buddha brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd Century; one of Sri Lanka's most elaborate festivals)

Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Jesus / Procession of the Cross and Dormition Fast -- Orthodox Christian

Feast of Kamal (Perfection) -- Baha'i

Fiesta de Santo Domingo -- Managua, Nicaragua (patron saint; through the 10th)
Girlfriends' Day -- a day to celebrate the women who enrich your life

Harriet Quimby Day -- first woman to earn a pilot's license, this date in 1911

Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri -- Hirosaki, Japan (through the 7th, parade and purification ritual to rid the the town of future illness and bad fortune)

Homowo -- Ghana (a festival of thanksgiving and remembrance, among various groups of Ga peoples, all through August and September.)

Imps Charity Scramble -- Fairy calendar (Do they scramble the imps, or do the imps scramble for something?)

Independence Day / National Day -- Benin(1960)

International Beer Day -- Uniting The World Through Beer

Kalends of August -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances
Feast of Spes (personification of hope)
Festival for Victoria (goddess of victory)

Lammas Day / Lammac Tide -- Christian, a Cross Quarter Day (called the Gule of August in Wales, and known as August Eve and Lady Day Eve)

Liberation of Haile Selassie -- Rastafari

Lollapalooza -- Grant Park, Chicago, IL, US (through Sunday)

Lughnassad / Imbolc -- Wicca and Pagan (based in the Northern Hemisphere on the Celtic Feast of Bread, beginning of the harvest season)

Minden Day -- British Armed Forces

Musikfest -- Bethlehem, PA, US (10 days, 15 stages, over 500 musical performances, so there is something here for everyone!)

Nagaoka Festival -- Nagaoka, Japan (through the 3rd, samuri procession, traditional music and dances, fireworks)

National Day -- Switzerland (where it is also called Swiss Confederation Day, when Switzerland became a single unit in 1291)

National Minority Donor Awareness Day -- US (bringing awareness to the fact that there are fewer minorities who are organ donors)

National Non-Parent Day -- sponsored by The National Organization for Non-Parents and No Kidding!

National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Onekama Days -- Onekama, MI, US (family fun, through Sunday)

Parents' Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo

Quilt Exhibition -- Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT, US (a juried show, demonstrations and other activities; through Sept. 21)

Respect For Parents Day -- with information here

Rounds Resounding Day -- sponsored by Rounds Resounding Society (Grab your friends and sing a few songs that go in rounds, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Frere Jacques".)

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo -- Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland (display of military color an pageantry; through the 23rd)

Sinjska Alka -- Sinj, Croatia (knight tournament in which the whole district takes pride in keeping the tradition by making and restoring all the equipment used, with accompanying festivals and fun at home, in church, and in public; through Sunday)

Sioux Empire Fair -- Sioux Falls, SD, US (entertainment, concerts, livestock exhibits, farm exhibits, and tons of fun; through next Sunday)

Social Resistance Day -- North Cyprus

Somers Day -- Bermuda (Second Day of Cup Match)

Spiderman Day -- he first appeared today in Amazing Fantasy #15, released Aug. 1, 1963

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori's Day (Founder of the Redemptorists, a/k/a Ligourians; Patron of confessors, final perseverence, moralists, scrupulous people, theologians, vocations; Pagani, Italy; Sant'Agata de' Goti, Italy; against arthritis, scrupulosity disorder)

Tall Timber Days -- Grand Rapids, MN, US (lumberjack shows, chainsaw carvers, and lots of fun; through Sunday)

Twins Day Festival -- Twinsburg, OH, US (no, you aren't seeing double, it's a celebration of multiples; through Sunday)

White Oak Rendezvous -- Deer River, MN, US (reliving the history of a North West Company Fur Post from 1798 and an accompanying Ojibwe Native Village from the same time period; through Sunday)

World Breastfeeding Day -- International

World Lung Cancer Day -- this one has a Facebook page

World Scout Scarf Day -- wear your Scout Scarf in public today

World Wide Web Day -- what would become our current ability to waste time reading blogs and doing other fun stuff was begun as an idea at CERN during August back in 1990

Yorkshire Day -- Yorkshire, England

Anniversaries Today:

Colorado becomes the 38th US State, 1876

Birthdays Today:

Tempestt Bledsoe, 1973
Robert Cray, 1953
Giancarlo Giannini, 1942
Jerry Garcia, 1942
Yves Saint Laurent, 1942
Ronald Harmon "Ron" Brown, 1941
Dom DeLuise, 1933
Tom Wilson, 1931
James Hill, 1916
Herman Melville, 1819
Maria Mitchell, 1818
Francis Scott Key, 1779
William Clark, 1770

Debuting/Premiering Today:

M2(TV Network), 1996
"The Rush Limbaugh Show"(Radio), 1988
MTV(TV Network), 1981

Today in History:

The future Caesar Augustus, Octavian, enters Alexandria, Egypt, and brings it under the control of Rome, BC30
Japan sends Ono no Imoko to the Sui court in China as envoy, 607
The Swiss Confederation is formed with the signature of the Federal Charter, 1291
Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile drive the Jews out of Spain, 1492
Henry Tudor, soon to be Henry VII, sails with his army to England, 1495
The first black Americans arrive in Jamestown, Virginia, 1619
Oxygen is "discovered" for the 3rd time, by Priestly, 1774
The Act of Union is passed in which merges the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1800
Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire, 1834
First coast to coast automobile trip, from San Francisco to New York, is completed, 1903
The first Jeep is produced, 1941
Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary, 1944
The United States and Canada form the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), 1957
Israel annexes East Jerusalem, 1967
Peat cutters discover Lindow Man, Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England, 1984
CERN physicists begin discussing building what would eventually become the World Wide Web, 1990
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia join the European Environment Agency, 2001
King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies and is succeeded by Prince Abdullah, 2005
Buddhist treasures buried during the Mongolian Communist Purge in the 1930's are rediscovered in the Gobi Desert, 2009
Russia grants NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden one year of temporary political asylum; Snowden leaves Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, 2013

Because i write my posts a day ahead (or more), this one will be short and sweet.

A few days ago, i was badly bitten by some wasps, and have had a bit of trouble walking as my feet were swollen around the bitten areas, and the bites near my knees had red streaks running from them.

As those subsided, i got a nasty headache that leveled me on Friday, the day i'm writing this.

The shelter is fine this week, almost everything back to normal, we only had one kitten to medicate. The place has had that ozone treatment and any and all infected cats/kittens are isolated to one area of the building and being treated with everything under the sun. They will be brought back in among the general population only when it's clear that they are completely over the infection, and once all of them are, the whole isolation area will be bleached within an inch of its existence.

And as i still have that headache, i'm going to stop now, i hope everyone has a great Saturday.

Today is

Andorra La Vella Festival -- Andorra (through Monday)

Battle of Bushy Run Reenactment -- Harrison City, PA, US (commemorates the decisive battle of Pontiac's War in 1763; through tomorrow)

Canmore Folk Music Festival -- Canmore, AB, Canada (bringing beautiful folk music and more to the area; through Monday)

Cowes Week begins -- Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK (the largest, longest-running and most prestigious international sailing regatta in the world; through the 9th)

Day of the Airborne Forces -- Russia; Ukraine

Day of Azerbaijani Cinema -- Azerbaijan (anniversary of the 1898 showing of the first motion pictures taken in Azerbaijan)

Distribution of Charity Monies -- Fairy Calendar (Imps only)

Fancy Farm Picnic -- Fancy Farm, KY, US (what a name for a town, and what a good time they have, Southern hospitality at its best!)

Ferry Fair Festival -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (centuries old fair, around the time of the Burry Man Parade, originally for farmers to find labour for harvest, now for fun; this year's big Ferry Fair Day is Aug. 9)

Festival of Amen and Hapi -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (offerings to the god of transcendent powers and the god of the Nile to assure the flooding of the Nile; date approximate)

International Hangover Day -- always the day after International Beer Day, which should tell you something, and sponsored by the same group that does International Beer Day, which should tell you something more!

International Tree Climbing Championships and Arbor Fair -- Milwaukee, WI, US (sponsored by the International Society of Arboriculture, and designed to simulate working conditions of professional arborists, with five different qualifying events; through the 7th)

League of N.H. Craftsmen Annual Craftsmen's Fair -- Newbury, NH, US ("America's oldest crafts fair," through next Sunday)

Lincoln Penny Day -- US (the Lincoln Cent entered circulation on this day in 1909, and is one of the longest running coins in continual production in history)
     Take a Penny/Leave a Penny Day -- if the US is really determined to keep this smallest denomination coin, the least we can do is pool them together in the trays so conveniently found in stores and restaurants
Make Some Old Fashioned Lemonade Day

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

National Mustard Day -- US, sponsored by the National Mustard Museum

Nuestra Senora de los Angeles -- Costa Rica (Feast of Our Lady of the Angels)

Olathe Sweet Corn Festival -- Olathe, CO, US (lots of fun and all the "Olathe Sweet" corn you can eat)

Qi Xi -- China (Double Seven or Chinese Valentine's Day, the 7th day of the 7th moon, the day all the magpies in the world form a bridge so the cowherd and the weaver can meet across the Milky Way, which separates them.)

Sagbraw: Schramm's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin -- Wisconsin's oldest cross-state bicycle tour; through the 8th

Shimizu Minato Matsuri -- Shimizu City, Japan (through the 4th, commemorates the reopening of Shimizu Port to international trade)

St. Elias' Day (Elijah the Prophet) related observance
     Iliden -- Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ukraine; other Slavic countries where he is titled St. Ilia
     Republic Day -- Macedonia

St. Eusebius of Vercelli's Day (Patron of Vercelli, Italy)

Anniversary Today:

The first US Census is recorded, 1790

Birthdays Today:

Edward Furlong, 1977
Michael Weiss, 1976
Sam Worthington, 1976
Mary-Louise Parker, 1964
Victoria Jackson, 1959
Butch Patrick, 1953
Kathryn Harrold, 1950
James Fallows, 1949
Joanna Cassidy, 1944
Wes Craven, 1939
Lamar Hunt, 1932
Peter O'Toole, 1932
James Baldwin, 1924
Carroll O'Connor, 1924
Myrna Loy, 1905
Jack L. Warner, 1892
Elisha Gray, 1835
Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant, 1754

Today in History:

Philip II of Macedon leads his army to defeat the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, which secured Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean, BC338
Hannibal leads his Corinthian army to defeat the superior forces of Rome, BC216
Henry Hudson sails into what it is now known as Hudson Bay, thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage and reached the Pacific Ocean, 1610
First United States Census, 1790
First parachute jump in the US, 1819
Japan's samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms, 1869
Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, 1870
Andrew Hallidie tests the first cable car system in San Francisco, 1873
Wild Bill Hickok meets his death; shot in the back while playing poker, his hand, a pair of Aces and a pair of eights, is now called "Dead Man's Hand", 1876
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary) dies, 1903
Typhoon in China kills about 60,000, 1922
The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson, 1932
Pakistan is re-admitted back into the Commonwealth of Nations, 1989
Iraq invades Kuwait, setting the stage for the Gulf War, 1990
Two previously unknown works by Mozart - a concerto movement and a prelude, are performed in Salzburg, Austria, 2009
The U.S. Government estimates the Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, 2010

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's the place to come for weekly laughs, so Laugh and Link Up!

#2 Son came in with a bag from his favorite fast food place just as i was setting dinner out for everyone to serve themselves.

Son, i said, please come have something healthy to eat! Come get a good serving of salad.

"Mom, I don't need to!" he answered with a grin. Holding up a burger, he added, "This has lettuce and pickle and onion on it. That's plenty healthy!"

As he grabbed a salad bowl, it reminded me of a joke.

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux be walkin' to work when Thibodeaux ax Boudreaux, "Mais, I done seen dat you done had some odd stuff in you lunch pail dese las' few days, Boudreaux! What you be bringin' today?"

"Oh, I done got me a veggie burger on one o' dem gluten free rolls, an' I got me a salad, wit' plenny broccoli an' cucumber, and some o' dat dere 'kumbacha' to drink!" Boudreaux answer.

"Boudreaux, what in de worl' you be t'inkin', bringin' dat kinna stuff? Did you convert into one o' dem dere vegabletarians or summat?" Thibodeaux ax.

"Non, not at all! I don' like dis stuff," Boudreaux say.

"Den why you bringin' it? Why not some jambalaya or etouffee?"

An' Boudreaux say, "I be bringin' dis stuff because it's de only stuff de guys at work don' steal out de office refrigerator!"

Today is

Armed Forces Day -- Equatorial Guinea

Carnaval del Pueblo -- London Pleasure Gardens Royal Victoria Docks, London, England (promoting and preserving world heritage in London)

Dia de la Bandera -- Venezuela (Flag Day)

Fairy Washing Festival -- Fairy Calendar (do the fairies wash themselves, or is everyone supposed to wash his/her fairy?)

Feast of Caligo, the mother of Chaos -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate, and this is as good a day to celebrate chaos as any other)

Fete National de l'Arbre -- Niger (Independence Day, 1960)

Fiesta de San Salvador -- San Salvador, El Salvador

Friendship Day -- begun in the US back in 1935, but now celebrated around the world

Golpe de la Libertad -- Equatorial Guinea (Freedom Day)

Grab Some Nuts Day -- almonds and walnuts are especially good for you

International Friendship Day

Ishitori Festival -- Kasuga Shrine, Kuwana City, Japan (through tomorrow, called the loudest festival in Japan)

Joust of the Quintana -- Asciku Piceno, Italy (reenactment of a medieval jousting tournament)

Kanto Matsuri -- Akita, Japan (a four day festival, praying for good harvest, purification ceremonies, and feats of skill)

Loch-mo-Naire Pilgrimage -- Loch mo Naire, Scotland (tonight from midnight to 1am tomorrow is the magical hour, complete the ritual there to be healed by the waters because of magic stones in the water that a Celtic priestess put there)

National Doll Day -- US (another with its own Facebook page)

National Friendship Day -- US (designated by Congress in 1935)

National KidsDay -- US (sponsored by KidsPeace)

National Watermelon Day

Palio Del Golfo -- La Speza, Italy (a special, traditional rowing contest over a 2,000m course)

Pidjiguiti Day -- Guinea-Bissau (Colonization Martyr's Day; Anniversary of the Killing of Pidjiguiti)

Sisters' Day® -- celebrating the bond between sisters, as begun by Tricia Eleogram; a wiki page on how to celebrate this day

St. Lydia Purpuraria's Day (Lydia the "seller of purple" who was Paul's first convert in Philippi; Patron of dyers)

St. Nicodemus' Day (member of the Sanhedrin and secret disciple who helped bury Jesus)

Swiss Volksfest -- New Glarus, WI, US (celebration of Swiss Independence Day)

Worldwide Forgiveness Day -- sponsored by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance

Birthdays Today:

Evangeline Lilly, 1979
Blaine Wilson, 1974
Isaiah Washington, 1963
John McGinley, 1959
Jay North, 1951
John Landis, 1950
Martha Stewart, 1941
Martin Sheen, 1940
Steve Berkoff, 1937
Tony Bennett, 1926
Leon Uris, 1924
P.D. James, 1920
Margaret "Maggie" Kuhn, 1905
John T. Scopes, 1900
Ernest Taylor "Ernie" Pyle, 1900
Elisha Graves Otis, 1811

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Primetime Live"(TV), 1989
"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)"(Single release), 1963
"William Tell"(Opera), 1829

Today in History:

Tiberius, Roman Empire general, defeats the Dalmatians at the river Bathinus, 8
Columbus sets Sail for the "Indes",departing from Palos, Spain, 1492
John Rut, at St. John's, Newfoundland, sends the first known letter from North America, 1527
Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes, 1678
First ascent of Jungfrau, third highest summit in the Bernese Alps, 1811
Harvard defeats Yale in the first intercollegiate rowing race, 1852*
Second Maori War begins in New Zealand, 1860
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company is founded, 1900
The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus travels beneath the Arctic ice cap, 1958
President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya of Mauritania is overthrown in a military coup while attending the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia, 2005
After last months extensive flooding, North Korea finally asks the United Nations for food aid, 2012

*In fact, it was the first American intercollegiate athletic event ever.

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. All of us could use a little cute to start the work week, so post a picture that makes people say, "Awww!" and link up!

Little Girl's cat, Link, also known as Linker Stinker, is about 2 years old, but he still plays the same way he did when he was a kitten.

He even likes to play peek-a-boo, and jump out at other cats and people.

Hiding in the recycling bin is fun!

He's a far cry from the tiny thing we brought home and bottle fed, but he's really still just a big baby!

Today is:

August Bank Holiday -- Australia; Ireland; UK

August Monday/Culturama -- Saint Kitts ande Nevis

British Columbia Day -- British Columbia, Canada

Carnival Monday -- Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; British Virgin Islands

Champagne Day -- internet generated holiday, probably created by someone who wanted an excuse to celebrate

Coast Guard Day -- US (anniversary of founding in 1790)

Constitution Day -- Cook Islands

Civic Holiday -- AB, BC, SK, ON, & NU, Canada

Emancipation Day -- Bahamas; Dominica; Granada; Montserrat; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Turks and Caicos Islands

Fairy Drying-Out Day -- Fairy Calendar (makes sense, as we washed them yesterday. Now it begs the question, how does one dry a fairy?)

Farmer's Day -- Zambia

Festival Monday -- British Virgin Islands

Festival of the Dead; Sunset Ceremony -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fiestas de la Virgen Blanca -- Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, Basque Country, Spain; through the 9th

Fiestas Patronales -- El Salvador (through the 6th)

Frídagur verslunarmanna -- Iceland (Commerce Day)

Kadooment Day -- Barbados (huge carnival celebration of the end of the Crop Over festival, celebrating the end of the sugar cane harvest)

Matica Slovenska Day -- Slovakia (main Slovak cultural institution, established 1863)

National Children's Day -- Tuvalu

National Lasagna Day

New Brunswick Day -- New Brunswick, Canada

Nicole Robin Day -- St. John, USVI(unofficial celebration her safe return, with the crew, to the Virgin Islands after being held by Cuba.)

Old Fiddler's Convention -- Galax, VA, US (fun and fiddles, dulcimers, banjos, autoharps, and more; through Saturday)

Picnic Day -- NT, Australia

Single Working Women's Day

St. John Baptist Mary Vianney's Day (Cure of Ars; Patron of confessors, parish priests; Dubuque, Iowa; Kamloops, BC; Kansas City, KS; Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN)

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally -- Sturgis, SD, US (the grand-daddy of all motorcycle rallies and races; through Sunday)

Tampere Theatre Festival -- Tampere, Finland (largest such festival in the Nordic countries; through Sunday)

Tisha B'Av -- Judaism (begins at sundown, through tomorrow; fast in remembrance of the destruction of the First Temple in 586BCE and the Second Temple in 79AD)

Vigil of St. Oswald -- Anglo-Saxon holy day, commemorates the day before King Oswald's death in 642

Youth Day -- Kiribati

Zuni Corn Dance -- the Zuni Native Americans give thanks to Mother Earth, the Kokos (Nature Spirits), and the Corn Maidens for the maize harvest; through the 7th

Birthdays Today:

Cole and Dylan Sprouse, 1992
Daniel Dae Kim, 1968
Roger Clemens, 1962
Barack H. Obama, 1961
Billy Bob Thornton, 1955
Kristoffer Tabori, 1952
Richard Belzer, 1944
Maurice "Rocket" Richard, 1921
Helen Thomas, 1920
William Howard Schuman, 1910
Glenn Verniss Cunningham, 1909
Louis Armstrong, 1901*
Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 1900
Louis Vuitton, 1821
Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Saturday Evening Post"(Magazine, first issue), 1821

Today in History

The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans, 70
A supernova is observed in constellation Cassiopeia, 1181
The first printing of Zohar (Jewish Kabbalah), 1558
A hurricane in the Carribean kills thousands in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Christopher, 1666
Dom Perignon invents champagne (traditional date), 1693
First edition of the Saturday Evening Post, which was published until 1969, 1821
The family of Lizzie Borden is found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home, 1892
The Greenwich foot tunnel under the River Thames opens, 1902
The Supreme Court of Japan is established, 1947
The Billboard Hot 100 is founded, 1958
American civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21, 1964
The African republic Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso, 1984
Operation Storm begins in Croatia, 1995
Prime Minister Paul Martin announces that Michaëlle Jean will be Canada's 27th Governor General, 2005
California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative prohibiting same-sex marriage passed by the state's voters in 2008, is overturned by Judge Vaughn Walker in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger, 2010
Britain has their greatest success in one day at an Olympics since 1908, winning six gold medals and a silver on Day Eight of the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012
South Africa's Oscar Pistorius becomes the first amputee to compete at the Olympic Games in the 400 meters, 2012
Actor Peter Capaldi, of Scotland, lands the role of the Doctor in the twelfth incarnation of the 'Doctor Who' British science fiction show, 2013

*In several interviews, Satchmo claimed to have been born on July 4, 1900. Historians always disputed that claim, saying it was too neat and tidy, and his baptismal records, found in a church basement, proved otherwise. Some biographies still give the July 4, 1900 date in error.

...just as i did this past weekend.

Come downstairs with a list of things to so just in time to hear #2 Son, the one with two broken hands, yell, "Mom, can you bring me a bucket? I think I'm going to be sick!"

Bring him the bucket, just in time.

While cleaning up the results of the need for the use of the bucket, have #1 Son come in saying, "Mom, I feel really weird, dizzy and light headed. And my heart is pounding, and I'm sweating, and my extremities keep going numb."

As you turn to assess the situation, have a cat start gacking up and making really strange noises, as if she is choking.

When the cat doesn't stop making those noises, grab your phone, call the vet, get them to agree to see the cat if you can come in right away. Decide to call Sweetie to ask if he can come bring the cat so you can call the doctor about #1 Son's weird symptoms. Get no answer, because he went to get himself some breakfast and forgot his phone.

Run the cat to the vet as fast as you can, agreeing to pick it up in an hour, and rush back.

Call the doctor and let #1 Son describe his symptoms.

Find out he is going to be fine, it's just a virus, listen as #2 Son says he is feeling better now that he's gotten it all out of his system, and get cat back to find that she just has a bad virus, and the choking sound is just her weird way of trying to clear the mucus.

Decide you've had enough excitement for the whole day, and when Sweetie comes in and asks how was your morning, tell him he missed all the fun. As usual.

And no, i don't recommend this form of excitement!

Today is:

August Tuesday / Culturama -- St. Kitts and Nevis

Barsi Bhagat Puran Singh -- Sikhism

Bogota Carnival -- Bogota, Colombia (celebrating the city's Hispanic founding; through tomorrow)

Carnival Tuesday -- Antigua and Barbuda (Last Lap Jump Up)

Celtic Tree Month Coll (Hazel) commences

Festival Tuesday -- British Virgin Islands

Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead Day -- uttered this day by Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864

Hanakasa Matsuri -- Yamagata City, Japan (10,000 costumed dancers perform; through the 7th)

Independence Day / Republic Day -- Burkina Faso (former Upper Volta)(1960)

International Beer Day

National Blackmail Day -- according to mostly ecard sites, with suggestions to send a card to the friend who has told you his/her secrets, with the notice that you plan on celebrating this date!

National Night Out -- US (sponsored by National Association of Town Watch, to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness)

National Underwear Day -- sponsored by www.freshpair.com, which encourages people to rethink their underwear style, make sure they have the right fit, and which gives away free underwear

National Waffle Day

Nuestra Senora de Africa -- CE, Spain (Day of Our Lady of Africa, also called Fiestas Patronales)

Oyster Day

Pixie of the Year Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Sacrifice to Salus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of health, associated with Greek Hygeia)

St. Afra of Augsburg's Day (Patron of converts, martyrs, penitent women; Augsburg, Germany)

St. Oswald of Northumbria's Day (Patron of Zug, Switzerland)

Tish'a B'Av -- Judaism (began sunset yesterday, through sunset today)

Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian defenders -- Croatia

Work Like a Dog Day -- different from work-a-holics, people who work like a dog work hard while they are at it, and rest when they aren't

World's Fair of Money -- Chicago, IL, US (the greatest money show on Earth, including dealers, exhibits from around the world, family activities and educational programs; through Saturday)

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Silverman, 1966
Patrick Aloysius Ewing, 1962
Maureen McCormick, 1956
Erika Slezak, 1946
Loni Anderson, 1946
Ja’net DuBois, 1938
John Saxon, 1936
Neil Armstrong, 1930
Sydney Omarr, 1926
Raoul Wallenberg, 1912
John Huston, 1906
Conrad Potter Aiken, 1889
Joseph Merrick, 1862
Guy de Maupassant, 1850
Thomas Lynch, Jr., 1749
John Eliot, 1604
Joseph Justus Scaliger, 1540

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Revolver"(Beatles Album, release date), 1966
"Eleanor Rigby"& "Yellow Submarine"(Beatles singles, A & B side respectively, release date), 1966
"American Bandstand"(TV, national premiere), 1957
"Andy Capp"(Comic strip), 1957
"Little Orphan Annie"(Comic strip), 1924

Today in History

The last outpost of Bar Kockba, Betar, falls to Rome, 135
Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield, 642
King Edward and Earl Aetherlred, leading the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, defeat the last major Viking army to raid England at the Battle of Tettenhall, 910
Anti-Jewish riots in Arnstadt, Germany, 1264
Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John's, Newfoundland, 1583
The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England on its first attempt to reach North America, 1620
New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he had published was true, 1735
US Army abolishes flogging, 1861
Standard Oil of New Jersey is established, 1882
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, 1884
Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in the first long distance automobile trip made in her husbands invention, the first patented automobile; her journey was to publicize the invention, and she garnered attention and sales, 1888
The first electric traffic light is installed, in Cleveland, Ohio, 1914
Debut of the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie", by Harold Gray, 1924
Debut of the comic strip "Andy Capp", by Smythe, 1957
Nelson Mandela is jailed, 1962*
The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty, 1963
The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm, 1995
The Copiapo mining accident traps 33 Chilean miners about 2,300ft below the ground, 2010

*Released in 1990

"Hi, mom!" Bigger Girl said as she came into the house.

Hi, sweetheart. How was work? i asked.

"It was fine, and I got my oil change on the way home. They didn't vacuum the carpets really well, but since there's a fly in there that won't get out, at least it will have something to eat!" she laughed.

Yes, until it dies in the heat of the car tomorrow! i noted.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe it will fly out in the morning when I open the car, though," she said.

Maybe, was my comment as i grabbed the last paper towel off of the roll.

"Oh, and guess what else happened today?" she asked.

There's no way i can guess, so you'd best just tell me, i told her.

"Well, you know my friend Vera? The Kentucky Fried Soldier with PTSD and a bad back and knee? Well, when they lived at their old apartment, someone in the building brought in bedbugs and the landlord didn't do anything for so long that their apartment got infested, and they had to throw away their bed when they moved.

"So ever since then, Vera has to sleep on a pallet on the floor and she is always hurting, and so she tries not to go to bed until she's so tired she has to go to bed, so she will sleep through some of the pain.

"But I wanted to do something, so I asked Miss Lizzie if she had that old air mattress, and she said she did but we couldn't get together to get it to Vera, so I sent out a text to all of my friends asking if anyone had an old air mattress they didn't need, and why I needed it, and Pat told his mom and dad and they went out and bought Vera a brand new air mattress!" She was beaming with excitement.

That's wonderful! i exclaimed.

"Yea, and when I brought it to Vera and told her, she cried!"

Well, you know I would have bought her one, too, if you had told me, i said.

"Yea, but I thought if somebody had one already, that would be easier," she noted.

Could you go get me another roll of paper towels from the closet? i asked.

"I'll do it!" Little Girl called out to us from the hallway. We heard the closet door open, then she exclaimed, "SissyCat! Why are you in the closet? What was SissyCat doing in the closet?" she continued as she came into the kitchen with the paper towels.

"Because she's not comfortable with the idea of coming out yet!" Bigger Girl quipped.

As we all laughed, Little Girl said, "Oh, that closet! That explains it!"

Today is:

Accession Day -- United Arab Emirates (accession of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan)

Best Elf Awards -- Fairy Calendar

Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship -- Shelburne, ON, Canada (through Sunday)

east of Everything Green Except Money -- Hooray for veggies! You'll need them before you have that root beer float.

Festival of Nut and Ra; Chief Festival of Thoth -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival Wednesday -- British Virgin Islands

Hiroshima Day

Independence Day / National Day -- Bolivia; Jamaica

Miss Crustacean USA Beauty Pageant and Ocean City Creep -- Ocean City, NJ, US (crowning the most beautiful and fastest tree crab on Earth)

National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day -- shouldn't that read, anti-halitosis?

National Root Beer Float Day -- A&W Root Beer really gets into this day

Peace Festival -- Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan

Sts. Justus and Pastor's Day (Patrons of Alcala, Spain; Madrid, Spain)

Tanabata Festival -- Sendai, Japan (Japan's largest Tanabata 'Star Festival', through the 8th)

Teinne Festival -- Ancient Celtic Calendar (Teinne, the Celtic Holy Fire, sometimes called Tan; date approximate)

Transfiguration of the Lord -- Orthodox Christian

Wiggle Your Toes Day -- internet generated, and my suggestion is to celebrate it with a cool drink out by the pool!

Birthdays Today:

Romola Garai, 1982
Melissa George, 1976
Soleil Moon Frye, 1976
M. Night Shyamalan, 1970
Michelle Yeoh, 1962
Catherine Hicks, 1951
Dorian Harewood, 1950
Shirley Ann Jackson, 1946
Peter Bonerz, 1938
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob, 1934
Andy Warhol, 1928
Robert Mitchum, 1817
Lucille Ball, 1911
Clara Bow, 1905
Hoot Gibson, 1892
Alexander Fleming, 1881
Louella Parsons, 1881
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, 1861
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1809
Daniel O'Connell, 1775

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Help"(Album debut), 1965

Today in History:

Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada founds the city of Bogota, Colombia, 1538
Holland (The Dutch Republic) sells Brazil to Portugal and the two
countries sign the Treaty of The Hague, 1661
The first private military school in the US, Norwich University, is
founded in Vermont, 1819
The Russian Geographical Society is founded in Saint Petersburg, 1845
William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by the electric chair, 1890
Alice Ramsey takes three friends (none of whom could drive) to become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, 1909
Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, 1926
Prometheus, a bristlecone pine and the world's oldest tree, is cut down by the US National Forest Service, for reasons even they cannot explain, 1964
The Federal Voting Rights Act is signed, 1965
A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, 1986
The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, 1990
NASA makes the still disputed announcement that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms, 1996
The incoming coalition government of the United Kingdom discontinues the use of the controversial ContactPoint database of all children in that country, 2010
After a century of silence, Mount Tongariro in New Zealand erupts, spreading volcanic ash across the country's central North Island and affecting airports, 2012
The Curiosity Rover, controlled by NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, lands safely on the surface of Mars, 2012

Little Girl has eyes a lot like Sweetie's -- she needs glasses to see. She needs glasses to find her glasses!

The first time i realized she needed them, and she put them on, as we drove into our tree filled neighborhood she said, "Oh, the trees have leaves! Not just green blobs on top!"

That's been a couple of years, and though she fights me on it, saying she doesn't need another exam, she's gone whenever i notice she can't recognize people at a distance any more. It's usually every year, but one time her eyes changed so fast that we went after 6 months.

With school starting up soon, it was time she (and i) took another trek to the eye doctor. It's one of those "get two pair and an eye exam for X price" places, which works for the rest of us. Sweetie's retinal problems and glaucoma require more attention, and he goes to the M.D. Ophthalmologist, but she and i and #1 Son all make do with the Doctor of Optometry at the glasses place.

We had a 10:30am appointment, and since they always make me fill out the same paperwork, i make sure we get there by a bit after 10. Once i had us checked in, told them that yes, we want the visual field test (always, always pay the $15 extra for that test! it is worth it to detect glaucoma and macular degeneration or retinal problems early), we sat and waited.

And waited, and waited. The place takes walk-ins or appointments. People who just walk in have to wait until they can be worked in, but we've never had to wait long since i always make an appointment.

This time, we waited, along with another man who was talking on his phone, very loudly. Why can they never figure out how loudly they are speaking? Anyway, we got to overhear that he had an appointment at the same time as ours (overbooking was part of the problem today, perhaps?), and that his sister was having surgery, and that with this new breach that means tons of passwords have been hacked he has to change his passwords and how's he going to do that? He can't even remember the ones he has, much less change them and remember new ones.

By the time we were called back, i was ready to not overhear any more. So of course there was another one in the back, telling the person he was talking to, "You can't drive, man! No, don't take a left on that street! What is wrong with you? You won't get there if you take a left! Man, you just can't drive!"

After both of us were checked out, got our new prescriptions and a clean eye bill of health, we went and picked frames. Then we waited and waited and waited again, overhearing the lady who was in there with her adult daughter talk about her other daughter expecting twins and how much they loved to shop at MallMart. "I'll spend two hours in there! I start in hardware and work my way back to the food!" she was saying, as her daughter helped her decide whether she wanted the lenses that could darken in the sun or if she needed bifocals.

A lot of life goes on that we can hear around us, whether we want to or not.

Today is:

Assyrian Martyrs Day -- various Assyrian communities

Battle of Boyaca Day -- Colombia

Edmonton Folk Music Festival -- Gallagher Park, Edmonton, AB, Canada (folk music of all kinds and fun for the whole family; through Sunday)

Festival at Sandpoint -- Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint, ID, US (internationally renowned summer concert series in a casual and relaxed atmosphere; through the 11th)

Great River Tug Fest -- Port Byron, IL, and LeClaire, IA, US (the only tug-of-war across the Mighty Mississippi; festival through Saturday)

Harvest Holiday -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (reaping ceases for a few hours in honor of Volos' beard; bread is eaten and offerings given to Mother Earth and Volos for a bountiful harvest)

Hope Watermelon Festival -- Hope, AK, US (if you've never had Hope watermelons, you've missed the best! Through Saturday)

Independence Day / National Day -- Cote d'Ivoire(1960)

Inter-State Fair and Rodeo -- Coffeyville, KS, US (rodeo, livestock shows, carnival, and more; through the 14th)

"Lil" Margaret's Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival -- Leonardtown, MD, US (bluegrass music, crafts, old time tractors and cars, and home-cooked meals; bring a lawn chair! through Saturday)

National Hobo Convention -- Britt, IA (held each year since 1900, gathering for migrant workers who are proud to call themselves "hobos" and make a living through working where they choose and traveling where they want; through Sunday)

National Lighthouse Day -- US (American Lighthouse Foundation)

National Raspberries in Cream Day

Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and especially the kind no one can open without a machete, what's with that!

Professional Speaker's Day -- information about it is here

Purple Heart Day -- US (originally instituted this day in 1782 by George Washington)

Ribfest -- Kalamazoo, MI, US (live festival and cook off; through Saturday)

Say "Cheese" Day -- begun by ecard companies looking for something to celebrate; in my family, we do not say "Cheese", we say "Chicken Lips!" Try it some time when walking past tourists who are trying to get a good photo, and watch them smile genuine smiles and come up with a good picture.

Sea Serpent Day -- no one knows why today, just enjoy

Skowhegan State Fair -- Skowhegan, ME (since 1818, ten days of grand fun; through the 16th)

Smartest Leprechaun Eisteddfod -- Fairy Calendar

St. Albert of Trapani's Day (Patron of Carmelite schools; Messina, Italy; Trapani, Italy)

St. Cajetan's Day (Patron of job seekers and the unemployed)

Take Last Winter's Snowballs Out of the Freezer and Have a Fight Day -- in the northern hemisphere, it's certainly hot enough

Birthdays Today:

Charlize Theron, 1975
Harold Parrineau, 1963
DeLane Matthews, 1961
David Duchovny, 1960
Alberto Salazar, 1957
John Glover, 1944
Garrison Keillor, 1942
B.J. Thomas, 1942
Abebe Bikila, 1932
"The Amazing" James Randi, 1928
Carl "Alfalfa" Switser, 1927
Stan Freberg, 1926
Ralph Johnson Bunche, 1903
Rudolf C. Ising, 1903
William Boyd McKechnie, 1886
Billie Burke, 1884
Mata Hari, 1876
Nathanael Greene, 1742

Today in History:

Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon, following the death of Alexander the Great, BC322
Construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore begins in Florence, 1420
Coup again the Tianshun Emperor by the Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin, 1461
Francis Drake's fleet returns to Plymouth, 1573
The first documented performance of Macbeth, at the Great Hall at Hampton Court, 1606
Sieur de La Salle's brigantine Le Griffon becomes the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes, 1679
Cherokee Indians take Ft. Loudon, Tennessee, 1760
George Washington creates the Order of the Purple Heart, 1782
Simon Bolivar triumphs over the Spanish at the Battle of Boyaca, 1819
The long simmering tension between the Hatfields and the McCoys on the Kentucky/West Virginia border erupts into full scale violence on election day, 1882
The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, 1927
IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I), 1944
Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America, 1947
Explorer 6 transmits the first TV photo of Earth from space, 1959
The "artistic crime of the century" occurs when Philippe Petit of France, after months of planning and smuggling in materials, makes an illegal tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, 1974
Viking 2 enters orbit around Mars, 1976
The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication, 1981
Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts, 1985
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks baseball great Hank Aaron's record by hitting his 756th home run, 2007

Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

It's fun to play along, just post a picture of a cat, yours or one you find on the internet, or even a drawing of a cat, and link up!

Festus is 18 now and has graduated from high school. He's working two jobs while contemplating whether or not he wants to do a hitch in the military to earn money for college, or go a different route.

Meanwhile, his parents have told him they will help him with school as much as they can, and he is moving out in about a month.

He wants a cat, and has chosen one of the black kittens we bottle raised. Festus named the kitten Winston Churchill.

Winston Churchill.

He is fascinated with bugs, as you can see. In this picture, he's following a pesky fly that got in when Bigger Girl came through the door. Yes, later he caught it, but i didn't take that picture.

Today is:

Abbotsford International Airshow -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("Canada's National Air-show" and the leading air show in North America, attracting the world's top aeronautical performers; through Sunday)

Anjin Matsuri -- Ito City, Japan (commemorations William Adams (1564-1620), a naturalized British shipwright, called "Anjin Miura" in Japan, a great contributor to the early development of Japanese ship-building industry; through the 10th)

BaBa Day -- Taiwan (ba ba is Mandarin for both "father" and "8-8")

Bonza Bottler Day™

Burry Man Parade -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (a resident is elected to wear the Burry-Man costume and parade through the town so his burrs will collect all the bad luck, to be burned at the end of the day; followed tomorrow by the Ferry Fair)

Capitolfest -- Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY, US (showing rare silent and early films; through Sunday)

Constitution Day -- Anguilla

Cranham Feast -- Cranham, Gloucestershire, England (a three day traditional feast and fair that dates back to the 1700's)

Dalek Day -- on the birth anniversary of the creator of these Scifi baddies, Terry Nation

Edinburgh International Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (one of the world's most exciting venues for opera, dance, theater, classical music and the visual arts; through Sept. 1)

Festival for Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sunset to sunset)

Finest Fairy Finals -- Fairy Calendar (Do only the finest fairies take finals? How do the others get a final grade? :D )

Fourteen Holy Helpers' Day (Patrons against diseases)

Gals Night Out 2014 -- single or married, you need a night out!

Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival -- Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, WY, US (bluegrass music at its finest on a pristine mountainside in the Grand Teton Mountains; through Sunday)

Happiness Happens Day -- sponsored by the Secret Society of Happy People, to encourage sharing happiness and discourage parade raining; on the anniversary of their founding in 1997

Kool-Aid Days -- Hastings, NE, US (3 days of celebrating in the town where Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid over 80 years ago)

Kranti Diwas -- Mumbai (former Bombay), India (a/k/a Freedom Day or Quit India Day; anniversary of Gandhi's Quit India speech to the British authorities in 1942)

Ma and Pa Kettle Days -- Kettle River, MN, US (fun on the Kettle River; through tomorrow)

Namesday of the Queen -- Sweden (Queen Sylvia; an official Flag Day)

National Frozen Custard Day

National Huckleberry Festival -- Trout Creek, MT, US (a yummy good time; through Sunday)

Odie Day -- Garfield's pal Odie, who first appeared in the strip on this day in 1978

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and i love the stuff but can't grow plants to save my life, i'll leave the porch light on for you if you will bring me some!

St. Cyriacus' Day (Patron of the eyes; Altidona, Italy; against diabolical possession, eye disease, and temptations, especially temptations at the time of death)

St. Dominic's Day (Founder of the Dominican Order[Friars]; Patron of astronomers and astronomy, falsely accused people, scientists; Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines; Bayombong, Philippines; Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo; Valletta, Malta)

St. Mary MacKillop's Day (First native-born Australian saint; Patron of Australia; Wagga Wagga, Australia)

Tetonkaha Rendezvous -- Lake Benton, MN, US (come to the Hole in the Mountain County Park where they reenact the fur-trading atmosphere of the 1840s, complete with muzzle-loader contest, tomahawk and knife throwing, log sawing, and more; through Sunday)

The Date To Create -- can't find anything on this one, just listed at a couple of sites, but go have fun creating something!

Torneo dei Rioni (Tournament of the Districts) -- Oria, Italy (3 day reenactment of the tournament ordered by Frederick II in 1225; features jousting, processions, ceremonies, a Palio horse race, medieval fanfare, food and fun as the town's four districts battle it out for bragging rights)

Turku Music Festival -- Turku, Finland (music from medieval to modern, by world-famous artists in the historic venues of Finland's oldest city, in historic buildings all over the city; through the 23rd)

Wakulima ya Nane Nane -- Tanzania (Peasants' Day/Farmers' Day)

World Cat Day / International Cat Day -- begun in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and other animal rights groups

Birthdays Today:

Roger Federer, 1981
Michael Urie, 1980
Drew Lachey, 1976
The Edge, 1961
Deborah Norville, 1958
Randy Shilts, 1951
Roberta Cooper Ramo, 1942
Keith Carradine, 1949
Connie Stevens, 1938
Dustin Hoffman, 1937
Mel Tillis, 1932
Esther Williams, 1923
Rory Calhoun, 1922
Dino De Laurentis, 1919
Russell Markert, 1899
Fredric March, 1897
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1896
Emiliano Zapata Salazar, 1879
Matthew Henson, 1866
Emperor Horikawa of Japan, 1079

Today in History:

The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia, 70
Otto I (The Great) crowned German king, 936
Vijayanagara Empire is rebegun with the crowning of emperor Krishnadeva Raya, 1509
The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven, 1576
John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage, 1585
The first known ascent (indoors) of a hot-air ballon by Bartolomeu de Gusamao, 1709
Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard become the first to ascend Mont Blanc, 1786
Metal bullet cartridges are patented by Smith and Wesson, 1854
Mimeograph is patented by Thomas Edison, 1876
Wilbur Wright makes the brother's first public flight, at a racecourse in Le Mans, France, 1908
The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire, 1911
The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight, 1929
The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, the 3rd nation to join, 1945
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, 1967
Richard Nixon announces his resignation as President of the United States, effective the next day, 1974
The lights go on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last stadium in the majors to host a night game (which was subsequently rained out!), 1988
Iraq occupies and annexes Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait within a couple of weeks, 1990
Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor, 2000
Archeologist excavating the Templo Mayor, one of the Aztec's main temples in their capital city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico city), make an unprecedented find - the skeleton of a young woman inside a burial, surrounded by piles of 1,789 human bones, 2012

Most weeks i do not work consecutive days. Since i am a janitor/housekeeper with some health considerations, it's better that i space out my work. That's because when i work, i really, really get into detail.

One of my female clients was amazed that i cleaned the insides of her make-up cases, and one gentleman was quite surprised that i commented that if he had me back the next week, i would do more to tackle the atrocious state of his baseboards. Being older and single, he didn't even know he had baseboards, much less that they needed attention.

This past week, though, i ended up working two days in a row. Most of that time was spent cleaning carpets with a large, heavy machine. Pour in three gallons of hot tap water and the cleaner formula, clean a small area of carpet, empty the dirty water tank, start again.

In some areas where children had been using markers on the carpets, i also had to stain treat, and clean the area multiple times for it to even fade them at all. Then there was the upholstery cleaning there, too. Kids are hard on upholstery, and one ottoman i simply had to declare a lost cause.

Hauling water to and from the machine, over and over, and even carrying the machine up and down stairs, as well as doing the regular cleaning at one of the houses, did my back in for the time being.

After the second house, where i only did carpets in the morning and the regular cleaning in the afternoon, as well as the laundry, i went and did the shelter caretaker shift alone, as the girls were both busy, but through miscommunication each thought the other would be helping me.

Today, after the funeral i will attend this morning, i am coming home to give my back some TLC.

It better recover quickly, i'm in the nursery for 3 1/2 hours at church tomorrow.

Today is:

Betty Boop Day -- she debuted in "Dizzy Dishes" on this day in 1930

Book Lover's Day -- internet generated, but if you love books, go sit under a shady tree with a cool drink and indulge!

Bud Billiken Parade -- Chicago, IL, US (second largest parade in the US, as well as the oldest and largest African-American parade in the US, begun in 1929)

Celebrate Your Lakes Day -- of unknown origin but worth celebrating

Clean Out the Kitchen Cupboards Day -- because someone, somewhere, thought it would be a good day to remind us to get rid of the junk in there we haven't seen since last year

Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival -- Coupeville, WA, US (one of the longest-running arts festivals in the Pacific Northwest, with only the best artisans, lots of entertainment, and proceeds donated to the community; through tomorrow)

Crater Lake Rim Runs and Marathon -- Crater Lake National Park, OR, US (one of the toughest and most spectacular runs ever, around the deepest lake in the US)

Dag der Inheemsen -- Suriname (Indigenous People's Day)

Elvis Week -- Memphis, TN, US (ten days of celebrating The King)

Ferry Fair Day -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (centuries old fair, the biggest day of the modern festival that was originally a way for farmers to find labour for harvest, but is now just for fun)

Festival for Sol -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Goblin Ugly Contest -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day / National Day -- Singapore(1965)

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples -- UN

Jesse Owens Day -- the day he became the first American to win 4 gold medals

Leadville Trail 100 Bike Race -- Leadville, CO, US (100 miles of off-road bike racing over Colorado's high peaks)

Nagasaki Day / Moment of Silence -- Japan

National Garage Sale Day -- US (the goal, according to C. Daniel Rhodes, is to turn the nation into a giant shopping mall on the second Saturday of August each year)

National Hand Holding Day -- sponsored by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith of Chicago

National Rice Pudding Day

National Women's Day -- South Africa

Quad City Air Show -- Davenport, IA, US (large family aviation weekend; through tomorrow)

Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians -- Asatru/Norse Pagan

Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross' Day (born Edith Stein, killed at Auschwitz; Co-Patron of Europe; Patron of converts, martyrs, those who have lost their parents, World Youth Day)

Smokey the Bear Day -- Smokey first appeared on a U.S. Forest Service poster on this day in 1944

Streetscene -- Covington, VA, US (car show, open to all types of vehicles; come show off your ride!)

Veep Day -- US (commemoration of the day in 1974 Richard Nixon's resignation let Gerald Ford succeed to the presidency)

Watermelon Festival -- Rush Springs, OK, US (fun all day and free watermelon for all)

Women's Day -- South Africa

Yosakoi Matsuri -- Kochi City, Japan (over 100 groups come up with their own Bon dance and costume and have dance competions in the streets, through the 12th)

Anniversaries Today:

Coronation of Albert II of Belgium, 1993

Birthdays Today:

Audrey Tautou,1976
Eric Bana, 1968
Gillian Anderson, 1968
Delon Sanders, 1967
Hoda Kotb, 1964
Whitney Houston, 1963
Michael Kors, 1959
Amanda Bearse, 1958
Melanie Griffith, 1957
Sam Elliot, 1944
David Steinberg, 1942
Robert Joseph (Bob) Cousy, 1928
P.L. Travers, 1899
Joseph Locke, 1805
Amedeo Avogadro, 1776
John Dryden, 1631
Izaak Walton, 1593

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Béatrice et Bénédict (Beatrice and Benedick)"(Berlioz Opera Comique), 1862
Walden(Thoreau, publication date), 1854

Today in History:

Battle of Pharsalus, in which Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, who fled to Egypt, BC 40
Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta, 681
Start of construction of the Tower of Pisa, 1173*
Sistine Chapel opens, 1483
First horses arrive in Hawai'i, 1803
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains, 1842
Thoreau's Walden is published, 1854
Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph, 1892
Betty Boop makes her debut in the cartoon, Dizzy Dishes, 1930
Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement, 1942
The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time, 1944
Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the first and only country to date to gain independence unwillingly, 1965
Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, 1974
Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial player transactions in ice hockey history, 1988
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership, 1993
Tensions escalate between North and South Korea, when South Korea claims North Korea fired over 100 rounds of artillery into the Sea of Japan, 2010
David Rudisha of Kenya becomes the first athlete at the 2012 Summer Olympics to set a new world track record and secures the 800m gold medal, 2012

*completed two hundred years later

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's a great way to start the week, so Laugh and Link Up and enjoy the fun!

#2 Son loves to fish. From an early age he would fashion his own fishing poles with long, thin tree branches, string, and any hooks he could fashion from safety pins or find near the creek.

He loves to catch, clean, and cook his own, and the best part about it was, before he turned 18, he didn't even need a license!

This reminds me of a joke.

Boudreaux, like so many Cajuns, resents having to get a license to fish or hunt. After all, ever since the Cajuns migrated to south Louisiana, they ate whatever they could grow or catch, just to survive. Having to go through the law just to get a bite to eat rubs them the wrong way.

Well, one day Boudreaux be out fishin', an' de Game Warden sneak up on him. He gots several fish in his bucket, and de Game Warden say, "Boudreaux, this time I have you! You've got those fish in that bucket, and you know you can't fish without a license. So show me your license!"

"Now Warden, you got dis all wrong!" Boudreaux protest. "Dese ain't fish I done caught! Dese is my pet fish. Ever' day I bring dem down here to this backwater where it be real quiet, an' I let dem out to swim aroun' fo' a while, an' den when I whistle, dey come an' jump back in de bucket, an' I bring dem back home an' put dem back in de big tanks!"

"Nice try, Boudreaux," the Game Warden say, but Boudreaux interrupt him wit', "Wait! I's gonna prove it! I's gonna let dem in de water, and whistle, an' dey gonna jump back in de bucket! Jes' you watch!"

With dat, Boudreaux dumps de bucket, and de Game Warden say, "Okay, Boudreaux, whistle and bring those fish back to the bucket."

An' Boudreaux say, "Mias, what fish?"

Today is:

Banana Split Day

Chung Yuan Festival -- China (Festival of Hungry Ghosts; according to legend, during this 7th lunar month the souls of the dead are released from Purgatory to wander the Earth, and so today is the day to appease those spirits with joss stick burning, prayers and food, "ghost money", and other offerings; dates of this vary in other countries)

Chemistry Set Volcano Day -- beat summer boredom, make a chemistry set volcano!

Day of Wandering -- Fairy Calendar

Dejada de Santo Domingo de Guzeman -- Managua, Nicaragua

Don't Wait, Celebrate! Week -- 2nd full week of August each year; because spontaneous and frequent celebrations are good for you

Feast of San Lorenzo -- San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Full Sturgeon Moon a/k/a Full Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon
Nikini Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka (begins at sundown)
Wahgaung Full Moon -- Myanmar

Ginza Holiday: Japanese Cultural Festival -- Midwest Buddhist Temple, Chicago, IL, US (experience the traditions of Japan, through Sunday)

Horse Racing Festival -- Nagchu, Tibet (through the 16th)

Independence Day / National Day -- Ecuador(1822)

Lazy Day -- internet generated, since it's so hot, though, make it a lazy day!

Melon Day -- Turkmenistan (the country that really loves its muskmellons)

National Duran Duran Appreciation Day -- anniversary of the 1985 near fatal accident of lead singer Simon Le Bon, when his yacht capsized during a race; the band acknowledges the declaration of this day on their website, and many years offer a free download of a song from one of their albums

National Peacekeepers Day -- Canada (obs. on Sunday closest to the 9th)

National S'mores Day

Opalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, festival of Ops (date approximate, there were several celebrations of Ops through August and September)

Puck Fair -- Killorglin, Ireland (one of Ireland's 3 oldest fairs, with a wild goat caught and crowned the Puck, and let go on the 3rd day, Aug. 12)

Prisoner's Justice Day -- Canada (prisoners fast and refuse to work in memory of those who have died in prison of murder, suicide, or neglect)

Raksha Bandhan -- GJ, RJ, UK, & UP, India; Nepal (the Hindu festival that celebrates the the love and duty between brothers and sisters)

Skyscraper Appreciation Day -- birth anniversary of architect William Can Alen, the genius behind the Chrysler Building

St. Lawrence of Rome's Day (Martyr roasted on a gridiron; Patron of archives and archivists, armories and armourers, brewers, butchers, chefs, comedians, confectioners, cooks, cutlers, deacons, glaziers, laundry workers, librarians and libraries, paupers and the poor, restauranteurs, schoolchildren, seminarians, stained glass workers, students, tanners, vine growers and vintners; of over 25 cities around the world; against fire and lumbago)

Anniversaries Today:

The Smithsonian Institution is chartered, 1846
Missouri becomes the 24th US state, 1821

Birthdays Today:

Angie Harmon, 1972
Antonio Banderas, 1960
Rosanna Arquette, 1959
Schim Schimmel, 1954
Ian Anderson, 1947
Betsey Johnson, 1942
Bobby Hatfield, 1940
Rocky Colavito, 1933
Jimmy Dean, 1928
Eddie Fisher, 1928
Rhonda Fleming, 1923
Leo Fender, 1909
George Crockett, 1909
Norma Shearer, 1902
Henri Nestle', 1890
Herbert Hoover, 1874

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Candid Camera"(TV), 1948

Today in History:

Nineveh is destroyed and Sinsharishkun, King of the Assyrian Empire is killed, BC 612
Temple at Jerusalem is burned, 70
Ferdinand Magellan sets out with 5 ships to circumnavigate the globe, 1519
The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is laid, 1675
Word of the US Declaration of Independence reaches London, 1776
Mozart completes "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", 1787
First ascent of Finsteraarhorn, the highest summit of the Bernese Alps, 1829
Candid Camera makes its television debut after being on radio for a year as Candid Microphone, 1948
The Magellan space probe reaches Venus, 1990
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.5*C (101.3*F) in Kent; it is the first time the UK has recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 2003
New Zealand's highest mountain, the south ridge of Aoraki/Mount Cook, is renamed Hillary Ridge after Sir Edmund Hillary, first to conquer Mt. Everest, 2011

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. Everyone can use a bit of cute to start the work week, so just post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up!

Kida the Mosquito, the elderly, asthmatic Siamese who is always buzzing around, has been losing a bit of weight. Sweetie is worried, and has me putting her in his man cave 4-5 times a day with canned food to entice her. She eats most of it, and what she leaves in the bottom of the bowl i put out for the last two kittens that are waiting for formal adoption.

We share!

Yes, they really do both get their mouths in there and enjoy the treat!

Today is:

Alcatraz Day -- the first prisoners arrived this day in 1934

Carnival Monday -- Grenada

Day of Honor for Oddudua -- Santeria religion (cognate of the Roman Catholic St. Clare of Assisi; credited with the creation of humans)

Dog Days end -- yes, supposedly, in this heat

Fathers' Day -- Samoa; Tokelau (a public holiday in both countries)

Feast of St. Attracta -- Irish Catholic Saint (founded a hospice and convents, and supposedly slayed a dragon; Patron of Achonry, Ireland; Men of Lugna)

Gai Jatra -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (cow festival, celebrated in remembrance of all people who have died in the previous year)

Heroes Day -- Zimbabwe

Independence Day -- Chad(1960)

Ingersoll Day

National Raspberry Bombe Day or Raspberry Tart Day -- whichever one you like best, or both, if that's the way you roll

Perseid Meteor Showers -- in 2014, most visible in the next few days, if the full moon doesn't drown them out; the Celts believed these meteors were due to games being played by Lugh, their sun god

Play in the Sand Day -- as per many internet sites; yeah, like at the beach, nothing like sand in your shorts, i get enough of that on vacation, thank you

Presidential Joke Day**

Son and Daughter Day -- the day to give your son(s) or daughter(s) the gift of time

St. Clare of Assisi's Day -- (Foundress of the Order of Poor Ladies [Poor Clares] Franciscan nuns; Patron of embroiderers, eyes, gilders/gold workers/goldsmiths, good weather, laundry workers, needle workers, telegraphs, telephones, and television writers; Assisi, Italy; Santa Clara Indian Pueblo; against eye disease)***; related observance
Fiesta de Santa Clara -- Santa Clara Pueblo, NM, US (Native American celebration of St. Clare of Assisi, their Patron saint, with a corn dance and prayers for rain)

St. Philomela's Day (Patron of babies, children, desperate causes, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes, orphans, poor people, priests, prisoners, sick people, students, test takers, toddlers, young people; against barrenness, bodily ills, infertility, mental illness, sickness, sterility)

Birthdays Today:

Will Friedle, 1976
Ashley Jensen, 1969
Viola Davis, 1965
Joe Jackson, 1955
Hulk Hogan, 1953
Stephen Wozniak, 1950
Marilyn vos Savant, 1946
Joanna Coles, 1944
Anna Massey, 1937
Arlene Dahl, 1928
Mike Douglas, 1925 (Note: he also died on this date in 2006)
Alex Haley, 1921
Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond, 1862
David Rice Atchison, 1807
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, 1667 (Last of the Medicis)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Dream Child(Film), 1989
"Die Harmonie der Welt /The Harmony of the World"(Opera), 1957

Today in History:

First day of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, used my the Maya and other pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, BC3114
Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation, BC2492
Battle of Artemisium, naval battle of the Greco-Persian War, fought at the same time as the Battle of Thermopylae of the same war; Leonidas, King of Sparta, dies in the land battle, BC480*
Papandayan Java volcanic eruption kills 3,000, 1772
Charles Lawrence gives expulsion orders to remove the Acadians from Nova Scotia beginning the Great Upheaval, 1755
The world's first roller rink opens in Newport, RI, 1866
The first civilian prisoners arrive at Alcatraz, 1934
Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a frequency hopping, spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi, 1942
A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo to Honolulu, killing one teenager and injuring 15 passengers, 1984
NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history, 2003
A new species of a giant carnivorous plant, Nepethes attenboroughii, is discovered in the central Phillipines highlands, 2009
Jamaican runner Usain Bolt wins his third gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012

*some historians give different dates

**because presidents have a sense of humor, too, as shown this day in 1984 when Reagan thought the microphone was off and joked about Russia being outlawed

***why tv? because when she became too ill to attend mass at the end of her life, a miraculous image of the service would display on the wall of her room

Gone are the days when school started the Tuesday after US Labor Day, meaning the first Tuesday in September. That's how it was when i was a kid.

Now, for some reason, we start back up in August! And they still go until the end of May, as we did. It doesn't make much sense to me, but it is what it is.

Thus yesterday was Little Girl's first day in 11th Grade. She still needs to do a couple of E2020 classes, as they are called, because they won't give her credit for what she did in the private school, but they did put her in 11th even without those.

When she came in yesterday, i asked how the first day had gone. (While i drive her to school, because it would be insane to make her catch a bus at 6am when i can drive her up there in about 6 minutes, she enjoys riding the bus home if it's not raining. She likes the bus driver, and a few of her friends on the bus.)

Her answer was, "Mom, they've moved me up to honors classes and I'm in Advanced Placement English! That's for some college credit!"

That's what happens, i told her, when you make all A's.

"But it's the same classes, just more work, like Festus said! I don't wanna do more work!"

You are good at it, honey, so you have to just dig in and do it. And you can do it, i told her.

She knows she can. And we are going to see about those E2020 classes, too, so that she can graduate on schedule.

Today is:

Aloha Day -- unofficial celebration of the annexation of Hawai'i by the US

Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Left Foot -- Fairy Calendar

Awa Odori Festival -- Tokushima, Japan (through the 15th; one of Japan's largest dance festivals, Awa-dance is said to be a "fool's dance", and the saying is "It's a fool who dances and a fool who watches, so if both are fools, you may as well dance!")

Carnival Tuesday -- Granada

Defense Forces Day -- Zimbabwe

Festival for Hercules Invictus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through tomorrow; based on an even older Greek celebration of Heracles at the same time of year)

Festival for Venus Vitrix -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Victorius Venus)

Fox Hill Day -- Nassau, Bahamas (final day of their Emancipation celebrations)

Grouse Day/Glorious Twelfth -- England; Scotland (opening of grouse hunting season; because the 12th is a Sunday in 2012, it will actually be celebrated tomorrow)

Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday and National Mother's Day -- Thailand

International Sundance -- Manitoba, Canada (an extraordinary gathering of Elders from many Native traditions around the world, to perform the sacred Sundance of the Lakota people and sacred ceremonies of the other traditions represented; through Saturday)

International Youth Day -- UN

Julienne Fries Day

Lychnapsia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (celebration of the Birthday of Isis, instituted after the conquest of Egypt)

Machias Wild Blueberry Festival -- Machias, ME, US (blueberries and fun, in the place that has lobster, too; through Saturday)

Middle Children's Day -- on some sites, listed as Aug. 14; either way, Middle Children deserve a special day!

National Toasted Almond Bar Day

Osirian Mysteries; Feast of the Lights of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, but this is the date the Romans gave it, so who am i to quibble?)

PC Day -- no, not politically correct, personal computer; IBM introduced theirs this day in 1981

Put Peanuts in Your Coca Cola Day -- and no, i can't figure this one out, but they say don't shake it once you do it; if anyone else wants to experiment with why, let me know the results

Solar Alignment with Teotihuacan, City of the Gods -- ancient when the Aztecs found its ruins, this city's ritual cave aligns with the setting sun today and April 29, also the rising and setting dates of the Pleiades

South Mountain Fair -- Arendtsville, PA, US (celebrating agriculture, arts, crafts, and industry; through Saturday)

St. Gracilian's Day (Patron of Bassano Romano, Italy)

St. Murtagh's Day (Patron of Killaria, Ireland)

Vinyl Record Day -- celebrating the tremendous cultural influence of records, on the anniversary of the day in 1877 that Edison invented the phonograph

World Elephant Day -- learn more here

Zaraday a/k/a Zarathud's Day -- Discordianism

Birthdays Today:

Casey Affleck, 1975
Pete Sampras, 1971
Peter Krause, 1964
Ann M. Martin, 1955
Pat Metheny, 1954
Sam J. Jones, 1954
Skip Caray, 1939
George Hamilton, 1939
William Goldman, 1931
George Soros, 1930
Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens, 1929
John Derek, 1926
Michael Kidd, 1915
Jane Wyatt, 1912
Cantinflas, 1911
Joe Besser, 1907
Alfred Lunt, 1892
Cecil B. DeMille, 1881
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson, 1880
Edith Hamilton, 1867
Katharine Lee Bates, 1859
"Diamond Jim" Brady, 1856
Robert Mills, 1781
Thomas Bewick, 1753

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Wings(Film, only silent film to win the Oscar for Best Picture), 1927

Today in History:

The last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic Dynasty, Cleopatra VII Philopater, allegedly commits suicide by asp bite, BC30
A conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs which may have been what the Bible calls the Star of Bethlehem, 3
Crusaders win the Battle of Ascalon, 1099
Juan Ponce de Leon arrives in Puerto Rico, 1508
Praying Indian John Alderman shoots and kills Metacomet, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip's War, 1676
Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine, the first one to be practical for home use, 1851
Asaph Hall discovers Deimos, 1877
The last quagga, a subspecies of zebra once plentiful in South Africa, dies at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, 1883
Hawai'i is annexed by the US, 1898
William Somerset Maugham published "Of Human Bondage", 1915
Alleged date of the first Philadelphia Experiment test on United States Navy ship USS Eldridge, 1943
The Soviet Union detonates its first thermonuclear weapon, 1953
Echo I, the first communications satellite, is launched, 1960
South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games because of its racist policies, 1964
The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, 1977
The IBM Personal Computer is released, 1981
Canada, Mexico, and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1992
The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, 2000
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launches, 2005
Director of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, announces plans to release remaining Afghan War Diary documents from War in Afghanistan, 2010
President Obama's health insurance mandate from his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is struck down by the U.S. court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2011
The International Olympic Committee announces it will punish athletes who support Russian LGBT rights at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, 2013

#1 Son, age 23, had a weird "episode" i guess you could call it, just over a week ago. His heart started beating very, very rapidly, and he was short of breath and dizzy. This happened in the evening, and he hadn't been doing anything in particular to precipitate it. It was on a day off, so it wasn't a particularly strenuous day.

He spoke to the doctor on the phone, and was reassured that he would be fine. Over the next several days, though, he had numbness in his extremities, sometimes some shortness of breath for no reason, and rapid heartbeat on occasion. He was simply planning to get a check-up soon.

Then, yesterday morning, he had a dream right before he woke up. In the dream, he was running, breathing hard, and had chest pain. He also dreamed he put his left hand in the thorn bush, and was pulling thorns out of it.

He woke up with shortness of breath, his left arm numb and painful, and with a rapid heartbeat and chest pain. It scared him enough that he came and got me to take him to the ER.

After all, it's drilled into us that with those symptoms, you don't waste time asking questions, you just get up and "git goin'.

They were efficient when we got there, i'll give them that. You say the words "chest pain" and next thing you are getting an EKG, even before they take any other vitals.

He was poked and prodded and x-rayed and we spend about 3-4 hours in there all together, to find out that they can't figure the cause, but it can't be anything major. His heart is fine, his blood work is fine, his lungs look okay, and for heaven's sake, make that appointment for a full physical and let our regular doctor figure out what's up. That's his job.

This one was precautionary i know, but it's a hit to the wallet more than an enlightened exercise, as part of the full physical is an EKG, as well as a spirometry test (to check lung capacity), an ankle brachial index assessment (to make sure you don't have blocked arteries in any of your limbs), and all of that blood work, plus more. All included.

Today is:

Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Right Foot -- Fairy Calendar

Crayfish Premiere -- Sweden (crayfish may be sold and served in restaurants, the day after the season opens)

Day of Battle between Horus and Set; Aset gains the Horns of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of Aventine Diana / Nemoralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (commemoration of the dedication of her temple; celebrated between now and the 15th, and rededicated as the Festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin after Christianization)

Festival of Xocotl Huetzi -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (first fruits of harvest festival; date approximate, but two weeks around the end of August)

Independence Day -- Central African Republic(1960)

International Left-Hander's Day -- sponsored by Lefthanders International

International Tango Festival and World Championship -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (through the 26th)

Lao Issara -- Laos (Day of the Free Laos)

Lesser Festival of Flora -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Mae West Birthday Gala -- New York, NY, US

National Filet Mignon Day

Obon -- Buddhist (celebration to revere the ancestors; celebrated at different times even within Japan, but usually the biggest dates are in mid-August)

Perseids Meteor Shower peaks

Runic Half Month As begins (the gods)

Skinny Dipping Day -- funny t-shirt: I no longer skinny dip. I chunky dunk!

St. Cassian's Day (Patron of students and teachers; Brixen, Italy; Comacchio, Italy; Imola, Italy; Mexico City, Mexico)

St. Concordia's day (Patron of nursing mothers and wet nurses)

St. Hippolytus' Day (Patron of horses, prison guards/officers/workers; Bibbiena, Italy)

Wall Day -- anniversary of the day in 1961 that the Berlin Wall began going up; observe it by trying to break down a wall or communication barrier somewhere in your own life

Women's Day -- Tunisia

Birthdays Today

Shani Davis, 1982
Midori Ito, 1969
Quinn Cummings, 1967
Danny Bonaduce, 1959
Dan Fogelberg, 1951
Kathleen Battle,
Philippe Petit, 1949
Kevin Tighe, 1944
Don Ho, 1930
Pat Harrington, Jr., 1929
Fidel Castro, 1926
George Shearing, 1919
Ben Hogan, 1912
Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, 1907
Alfred Hitchcock, 1899
Bert Lahr, 1895
Annie Oakley, 1860
Lucy Stone, 1818

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Zaire/The Tragedy of Zara"(Voltaire's "Tragedy in Verse"), 1732

Today in History

The English army under King Henry V lands at the mouth of the Seine River, 1415
Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs is conquered by the Spanish, 1521
Tenbun Hokke Disturbance, in which Buddhist monks from Kyoto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto, 1536
John Smith submits the story of Jamestown's first days for publication, 1608
Christiaan Huygens discovers the Martian south polar cap, 1642
Founding of Litchfield, CT, 1651
Marie Antoinette and other French royals are imprisoned by Revolutionaries, 1792
Nat Turner sees the solar eclipse which he interprets as a sign from heaven to begin his ill-fated slave rebellion, 1831
Earthquake in Peru and Ecuador kills 25,000, 1868
Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his "Navigable Balloon", 1889
First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley, 1913
Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, 1918
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany, 1918
The first barbed wire fence that would become the Berlin Wall is erected, 1961
The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York, 1969
Michael Phelps sets the Olympic record for most the gold medals won by an individual in Olympic history, 2008
Footage of the previously unseen Kawahiva tribe is released; the Kawahiva is an indigenous tribe living in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, and is thought to have had very little contact with the outside world, 2013

"Mom, did you know there are people who now claim they believe in hobbits, just like they believe in the other legendary little people?" Bigger Girl remarked.

Really? i noted.

"Yes. It was on a discussion board about legendary creatures, and someone asked about dwarfs. I mean, really, isn't the Snow White story kind of creepy? Like how did all those old men know each other, and why did they all live together in one house? What were they planning? And why aren't there ever any dwarf women in any of the stories? I mean, did all dwarfs know each other automatically, like some weird fraternity?"

Actually, i've never really heard the legend of how the dwarfs came to be, but all the legends about them have them as the miners and metal workers, and they all knew each other and were skilled in the work they did. They would make the armor and chain mail, and fabulous swords. They are among the little folk, so it doesn't do to ask too many questions.

"Yes, I guess so. Also, I was reading in one of their discussions where one person was asking about the differences between hobbits, dwarfs and leprechauns!"

And what is the difference? i asked.

"That's simple," Sweetie answered, coming into the room. "Leprechauns all eat cereal that has magic horseshoe marshmallows in it!"

"Oooo, so it's magically delicious!" Bigger Girl answered as we all laughed.

They better hope there's no leprechauns around here. From what i gather, those shillelaghs of theirs are wicked, and they use them well!

Today is:

Anniversary Day -- Tristan da Cunha

Assumption Eve -- France; Holy See

Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival -- Bucyrus, OH, US (food and fun celebration of German heritage; through Saturday)

Day of Peace between Horus and Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Faradda di li candareri (Descent of the Candlesticks) -- Sassari, Sardinia (beginning of the celebration of the Assumption)

Festival for Fortuna Equestris -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Independence Day -- Pakistan(1947)

International Nagging Day -- ignore this one if you have any sense, the founder was smart enough to leave no trace

Jersey Battle of Flowers -- Jersey, Channel Islands, UK (two days of floats and family fun)

Kentucky State Fair and World Championship Horse Show -- Louisville, KY, US (if you love horses, it's the place to be since 1904; through the 24th)

La Torta dei Fieschi -- Lavagna, Italy (this city on the Italian Riviera comes to life with dance and music every year to commemorate the wedding, on this day in 1230, of Bianca de Bianchi and Count Opizzo Fiechi, as he had invited everyone in town to share the 30ft. high cake he had made for the occasion)

Liberty Tree Day -- Massachusetts, US

Little League Baseball® 2014 World Series -- South Williamsport, PA, US (through the 24th)

Mantoro Lantern Lighting -- Kasuga Taisha, Japan (through tomorrow; 3,000 lanterns light the shrine, and the main hall is open for visitors, with Bugaku and Kagura performed in the apple garden)

Milwaukee Irish Fest -- Milwaukee, WI, US (the world's largest Irish music and cultural event outside of the Emerald Isle; through Sunday)

National Creamsicle Day

National Financial Awareness Day -- can't find the history on who started this for which country, but it's wise to become financially literate no matter where you live

National Navajo Code Talkers Day -- Navajo Nation; US

Oued Ed-Dahab Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara (celebrating the recovery of this area from Spanish occupation in 1979)

Pramuka Day -- Indonesia (Scouting Day)

St. Maximillian Kolbe's Day (Patron of families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, recovering drug addicts, the pro-life movement; against drug addictions)

St. Werenfrid's Day (Patron of vegetable gardeners; Arnheim, Netherlands; Elst, Netherlands; Westervoort, Netherlands; against gout and stiff joints)

Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival -- Sun Prairie, WI, US (family fun with a carnival, midget auto races, parade, food, entertainment, and lots of hot, buttered sweet corn; through Sunday)

Wiffle Ball Day -- the wiffle ball was introduced this day in 1953

Anniversaries Today:

Jackie Mason marries Jyll Rosenfeld, 1991
V-J Day, 1945

Birthdays Today:

Tim Tebow, 1987
Terin Humphrey, 1986
Mila Kunis, 1983
Spencer Pratt, 1983
Jay Manuel, 1972
Catherine Bell, 1968
Halle Berry, 1966
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, 1959
Marcia Gay Harden, 1959
Gary Larson, 1950
Danielle, Steel, 1947
Antonio Fargas, 1946
Susan Saint James, 1946
Steve Martin, 1945
Lynne Cheney, 1941
David Crosby, 1941
Arthur Betz Laffer, 1940
Alice Ghostley, 1926
Buddy Greco, 1926
Russell Baker, 1925
John Ringling North, 1903
Ernest Everett Just, 1883
Ernest Lawrence Thayer, 1863
Doc Holiday, 1851
H.C. Oersted, 1777
Emperor Hanazono of Japan, 1297

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Front Page"(Play), 1928

Today in History

The young Emperor Antoku and three sacred treasures are taken by Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan, fleeing to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan, 1183
Kublai Khan's invading fleet disappears in a a typhoon near Japan, 1281
Three years after Gutenberg, the oldest known exactly dated printed book is published, 1457
Queen Elizabeth I refuses sovereignty of the Netherlands, 1585
Great Britain annexes Tristan da Cunha (remotest occupied island), 1816
Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma, 1842
Oregon Territory created, 1848
Magazine "Field and Stream" begins publication, 1873
Construction of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, is completed, 1880
Japan issues its first patent, for rust-proof paint, 1885
A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord, one of the first recordings of music ever made, is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London, 1888
France begins requiring motor vehicle registration, 1893
The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21, 1901
Mt. Rushmore project first proposed, 1925
United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired, 1935
British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland, 1969
Longest game in softball history begins, as The Gager's Diner team takes on the Bend'n Elbow Tavern; the game was played to raise money for a new softball field in Monticello, NY, went to 365 innings over two days, and the Gagers won 491-467, 1976
Lech Walesa leads strikes at the Gdansk, Poland shipyards, 1980
Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada, 2003
More than 2,000 people found in Poland's largest mass grave during World War II are reburied in a military cemetery, 2009
As a sponsored event of the IOC, the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, first ever Youth Olympics for athletes age 14-18, officially starts in Singapore, 2010
North and South Korea agree to reopen the jointly-operated Kaesong Industrial Region, 2013

The nice lady whose house i clean on Thursdays has four kids, a girl and three boys. So there is always lots of laundry, and most of the time, with the boys's stuff, i can't tell whose is whose.

Well, except for these, of course.

No mistaking these!

Photo-Finish Friday is the brainchild of Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Poland

Asuncion Foundation Day -- Paraguay

Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary -- Catholic Christian Holy Day of Obligation
     Related Observances
          Coeur d'Alene Indian Pilgrimage -- Coeur d'Alene's Old Mission State Park, Cataldo, ID, US
          Dormition of the Theotokos -- Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Christian
          Ferragosto -- Italy (During the Roman Empire, a festival to Diana and a fertility and ripening celebration)
          Mother's Day -- Antwerp; Costa Rica
          National Acadians Day -- Acadians
          Virgin of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands -- Tenrife, Spain
          Irmandade da Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte Fiesta -- Bahia, Brazil (Festival of the Order of Our Lady of the Good Death)
          Festival of the Outremeuse -- Liege, Belgium
          Public Holiday or Publicly Observed -- Andorra; Austria; Belgium; Benin; Bosnia; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Central African Republic; Chile; Colombia; Côte d'Ivoire; Croatia; Cyprus; East Timor; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; Gabon; Gambia; Germany; Greece; Guadelupe; Guatemala; Guinea; Holy See; Hungary; Italy; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Madagascar; Malta; Martinique; Mauritius; Mayotte; Monaco; New Caledonia; Paraguay; Poland; Portugal; Reunion; Romania; Rwanda; Saint Barthelemy; Saint Martin; Saint Pierre et Miquelon; San Marino; Senegal; Seychelles; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Togo; Vanuatu; Wallis and Fortuna

Best Friend's Day -- sponsored by Thema Martin

Bohemian Nights at New West Fest -- Fort Collins, CO, US (300+ artists' showcase, children's carnival, food, beer gardens, and more; through Sunday)

Bon/Obon Festival -- Japan (biggest day of the festival in most parts of Japan)

Chauvin Day -- observed on Napoleon's birthday because his is unknown, the day is named for Nicholas Chauvin, whose blind devotion to Napoleon was immortalized in his name's use for absurdly intense attachments to any cause

Check the Chip Day -- the American Veterinary Medical Association reminds you to check your pet's microchip and make sure it is still working correctly and that the registration information is up to date

Dia de la Ley Fundamental -- Equatorial Guinea (Constitution Day)

Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (through the 18th, dates approximate)

Elwood Glass Festival -- Elwood, IN, US (glass factory tours and so much more; through Sunday)

Festival of the Little Hills -- St. Charles, MO, US (largest festival of the year, a great time for all; through Sunday)

Festival of Vesta -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of the hearth)

Fete Nationale -- Republic of the Congo (National Day/Independence Day)

Fool's Dance -- Japan (part of the Awa Dance Festival)

Hartjesdagen -- Amsterdam and Haarlem, Holland ("Little Hearts Day; the folklore is that this was the day non-nobles could hunt deer in the woods around Haarlem, and became a cross dressing festival, all men dressed as women, and women as men, to see how the other half lived; revived in recent years on the 3rd weekend of August, but the 3rd Monday was the original celebration)

Helsinki Festival -- Helsinki, Finland (Finland's largest arts festival; through the 31st)

Independence Day -- India(1947)

Liberation Day -- both Koreas
     Gwangbokjeol -- South Korea
     Jogukhaebangui nal -- North Korea

Linwood National Pickle Festival -- Linwood, MI, US (tons of fun, tons of pickles; through Sunday)

Lucerne Festival of Summer -- Lucerne, Switzerland (through Sept. 14, over 100 events)

Maras Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebration of the goddess Mara, cognate of Mary)

Muddy Frogwater Country Classic Festival -- Yantis Park, Milton-Freewater, OR, US (lots of family fun, including the square dancing, firefighters' water fight, and lots of country cooking and BBQ; through Sunday)

National Day -- Lichtenstein (a/k/a Liberation Day [1945])

National Failures Day -- some websites say the 16th, and may i suggest a book called "Fail Better", a small quotations book about how failure is just the beginning.

National Lemon Meringue Pie Day

National Men's Grooming Day -- US (sponsored by American Crew, participating salons and barbershops host a day of grooming events for men)

National Mourning Day -- Bangladesh

National Relaxation Day -- sponsored by Sean Moeller of Clio, Michigan; if you call in sick to stay home and relax, blame him

Northeastern Wisconsin Antique Power and Machinery Show and Thresheree -- Sturgeon Bay, WI (continuous display of operating antique machinery and lots of fun; through Sunday)

Panama La Vieja Day -- Panama (Founding of Panama City)

Shoro Nagashi Nagasaki -- Nagasaki, Japan (floating lanterns are released into the harbor in honor of the ancestors)

Sproshinki -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (end of the hay harvest festival)

Statehood Day -- Hawaii, US

St. Tarcisius' Day (Patron of altar servers, first communicants)

Tuva Republic Day -- Tos-Bulak fields south of Kyzuk, Tuva, Russia (celebration of the Tuva Republic, a Naadam festival of Mongolian wrestling, horse racing, and archery; held by the Tuva people, the closest genetic relatives to the North and South American Native Peoples)

Wafaa El-Nil -- Egypt and Coptic Church ("Fidelity of the Nile", celebration of the annual of Flooding of the Nile)

Anniversaries Today:

Woodstock, 1969
Buddy Holly marries Maria Elena Santiago, 1958
Panama Canal opens, 1914
Transcontinental US railway is completed at Promontory Point, UT, US, 1870

Birthdays Today:

Joe Jonas, 1989
Kerri Walsh, 1978
Ben Affleck, 1972
Debra Messing, 1968
Melinda Gates, 1964
Zeljko Ivanek, 1957
Princess Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom, 1950
Jimmy Webb, 1946
Kathryn Whitmire, 1946
Linda Ellerbee, 1944
Stephen G. Breyer, 1938
Vernon Jordan, Jr, 1935
Phyllis Stewart Schlafly, 1924
Mike Connors, 1925
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, 1925
Rose Marie, 1925
Huntz Hall, 1919
Oscar Romero, 1917
Julia Child, 1912
Elizabeth Bolden, American Supercentenarian, 1890 (d. 2006)
Edna Ferber, 1885
Ethel Barrymore, 1879
Charles Albert "The Old Roman" Comiskey, 1859
E. Nesbit, 1858
Sir Walter Scott, 1771
Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Mainz Psalter(Publication date; first book with the publication date printed on the colophon), 1457

Today in History:

Battle of Roncevaux Pass, the Basques defeat Charles the Great (Charlemagne) and Roland is killed, 778
Macbeth defeats his cousin and rival King Duncan I, who is killed in the battle, and becomes king of Scotland, 1040
Battle of Lumphanan, in which King Macbeth is killed by the forces of Mael Coluim MacDonnchada, 1057
The cave city of Vardzia is consecrated by Queen Tamar of Georgia, 1185
The foundation stone of Cologne Cathedral, built to house the relics of
the Three Wise Men, is laid, 1248*
The "Mainz Psalter" is completed, the earliest dated book, 1457
Founding of Panama City, 1519
Jesuit priest St. Francis Xaverius land in Kagoshima, Japan, 1549
Joseph Haydn departs England, never to return, 1795
Country of Liberia is founded by freed American former slaves, 1824
Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest still intact amusement parks in the world, opens in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1842
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawai'i, is dedicated; it is the oldest continuously used Roman Catholic Cathedral in the US, 1843
San Sebastian Church in Manila, the first all-steel church in Asia, is officially inaugurated and blessed, 1891
A male servant of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright sets fire to the living quarters of the architect's Wisconsin home, 1914
The Panama Canal opens to traffic with the transit of the cargo ship Ancon, 1914
Will Rogers and Wiley Post are killed in a plane crash, 1935
The birth of stadium rock: The Beatles play Shae Stadium, 1965
President Richard Nixon completes the break from the gold standard, 1971
The "Wow! signal": The Big Ear, a radio telescope operated by Ohio State University as part of the SETI project, receives a radio signal from deep space, 1977
An 8.0-magnitude earthquake off the Pacific coast devastates Ica and various regions of Peru killing 514 and injuring 1,090, 2007
The olinguito becomes the first mammal to be discovered in the past 35 years, 2013

*Yes, we just noted the other day the date of completion in 1880!

On the way to work the other day, something was off.

First, at an area just around the corner, on the highway, the traffic came to a sudden stop for no reason. We went from 45mph to stopped in such a short space that i barely avoided hitting the vehicle in front of me, and then the vehicle behind me almost hit me. That was two near misses.

Then, further up where the highway was divided, someone decided to come all of the way across and pull out right in front of me as if i weren't there doing highway speed. By clever maneuvering and probably wearing a good month off of my brakes, it was another near miss.

At the next light, while waiting to take a left to get on the interstate on ramp, i watched as we got a green light, and the lady in the oncoming lane, eyes fixed to her phone, rolled most of the way through before realizing, stopping, and backing up. Near miss number 4.

Once on the interstate, one person didn't even check his side mirror before switching lanes and almost pulling into me, and he honked at me as if it were my fault.

Finally, pulling into the neighborhood where i work, someone almost backed out of her driveway and right into my vehicle.

Believe me, i breathed a sigh of relief and a prayer of thanks that i even made it to work that day.

On the way home, not a single incident, and then i saw it as i pulled into my neighborhood off the highway. Two cars, one with the front bumper crunched, the other with the back bumper in similar condition, and a sheriff's deputy parked right behind them as they filled out their information.

Six lucky near misses for me, and it seemed that the unlucky 7th never happened to me, but to them. It makes me sad for the two of them that their ride home at the end of a day became an unwelcome incident. After all, considering what had happened that morning, i knew it could just as easily have been me sitting there, now wondering when i'm going to get the time to add yet another car repair to my already stretched thin time.

Today is:

Antique Marine Engine Exposition -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (annual exposition of pre-WWII marine engines and models; through tomorrow)

Baba Au Rhum Day -- of course, on rum day, bake some cake with the stuff!

Battle of Blue Licks Celebration -- Blue Licks Battlefield State Park, Mount Olivet, KY, US (to commemorate the Revolutionary War Battle of Blue Licks with living history demonstrations, arts, crafts, games, reenactments and more; through tomorrow)

Bike Van Buren -- Van Buren County, IA, US (a leisurely two-day bike tour of villages, landmarks and landscapes)

Bratwurst Day

Children's Day -- Paraguay

Daimonji Bonfire -- Mt. Nyoigadake, Kyoto, Japan (spectacular bonfires in the shapes of word pictures on the mountains surrounding the city)

Elvis Presley Day -- can you believe he's been gone 37 years?

Festival of the Minstrels -- Tutbury Castle, UK (middle ages; celebrated with great pomp, as the Duke of Lancaster had decreed that they each year elect a new king of the minstrels)

Fete de l'Independance -- Gabon (National Day)

Harmonic Convergence Day -- modern followers of Maya and Aztec calendars

India Independence Day Parade -- Devon Avenue, Rogers Park, Chicago, IL, US (yes, a Celebration of Indian and American Democracy; anything for a party, even another country's Independence Day, right?)

International Federation of Library Association's Annual Conference -- Lyon, France; through the 22nd

International Geocaching Day -- and i must say this stuff looks cool

International Homeless Animals Day® -- International Society for Animal Rights

Joe Miller's Joke Day -- anniversary of the death of English comic actor Joseph Miller in 1738

Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon -- Leadville, CO, US (race 100 of the toughest miles in the country through the Rocky Mountains beginning at 4am; you have 30 hours to complete the course to the ghost town of Winfield and back)

Madonna del Voto Day -- Siena, Italy (a/k/a Palio dell'Assunta, 2nd of the traditional yearly horse races)

Minnesota Renaissance Festival -- Shakopee, MN, US (one of the countries largest and finest; weekends through the end of September)

Mt. Hagan Cultural Show -- Mt. Hagan, Papua New Guinea (one of the biggest cultural shows in Papua New Guinea; through tomorrow)

National Airborne Day -- US (honors all Airborne Military)

National Honey Bee Day -- US (this year's theme is Beekeeping: Ask Me How To Get Started)

National Tell a Joke Day -- seems internet generated, but probably related to Joe Miller Joke Day

National Rum Day

Remember What Your Spouse Wore the First Time You Met Day -- internet generated and dangerous!

Restoration of the Republic -- Dominican Republic

Roller Coaster Day -- the first one was patented this day in 1898

Sandcastle and Sculpture Day -- Nantucket, MA, US

St. Roch's Day (Patron of bachelors, dogs, falsely accused people, invalids, surgeons, tile makers; of over 20 cities in Italy as well as Istanbul, Turkey; for relief from pestilence; against cholera, diseased cattle, epidemics, knee problems, plague [Black Death], skin diseases and rashes)

St. Stephen of Hungary's Day (Patron of bricklayers, kings, masons, stonecutters; Hungary; against the death of children)

The World's Greatest Carrot Festival -- Bradford, Ontario, Canada (unleash your inner Bugs Bunny! through tomorrow)

Woodward Dream Cruise Day 2013 -- Detroit, MI, US (what began in 1995 as a fundraiser for a soccer field has grown into the largest one-day classic car show in the world)

Xicolatada -- Palau-de-Cerdagne, France (hot chocolate festival)*

Anniversary Today:

Sean Penn marries Madonna, 1985
Paul Simon marries Carrie Fisher, 1983
Gioachino Antonio Rossini marries Olympe Pélissier, 1846

Birthdays Today:

Seth Peterson, 1970
Steve Carell, 1963
Laura Innes, 1960
Timothy Hutton, 1960
Angela Bassett, 1958
Madonna, 1958
Jeff Perry, 1955
James Cameron, 1954
Kathie Lee Gifford, 1953
Reginald VelJohnson, 1952
Leslie Ann Warren, 1946
Julie Newmar, 1935
Eydie Gorme, 1932
Frank Gifford, 1930
Ann Blyth, 1928
Fess Parker, 1925
Menachem Begin, 1913
George Meany, 1894
T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia), 1888
Bernarr Macfadden, 1868
Amos Alonzo Stagg, 1862
Hongxi Emperor of China, 1378

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Siegfried"(Opera, WWV 86C), 1876

Today in History:

Henry VIII defeats the French at the Battle of Guinegate/Battle of the Spurs, forcing the French to retreat, 1513
Jack Broughton formulates the earliest code of rules for boxing, 1743
Chang and Eng Bunker, the original "Siamese" twins, arrive in Boston to be exhibited, 1829
U.S. President James Buchanan inaugurates the new transatlantic telegraph cable by exchanging greetings with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, 1858
Arica, Peru (now Chile) is devastated by a tsunami which followed a magnitude 8.5 earthquake, 1868
Gold is discovered in the Klondike, at Bonanza Creek, 1896
Edwin Prescott patents the roller coaster, 1898
In Valparaiso, Chile, an 8.6 earthquake followed by fire destroys the city and kills 20,000, 1906
The first color sound cartoon, called Fiddlesticks, is made by Ub Iwerks, 1930
Democrats nominate Adlai E. Stevenson as presidential candidate, 1956
Joseph Kittinger parachutes from a balloon over New Mexico at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), setting three records that still stand today: High-altitude jump, free-fall, and highest speed by a human without an aircraft, 1960
A solar flare from the Sun creates a geomagnetic storm that affects micro chips, leading to a halt of all trading on Toronto's stock market, 1989
For only 2nd time Stanley Cup leaves North America (heads to Russia), 1997
In England, two men who created a Facebook site to incite violence during the riots are sentenced to four years imprisonment, 2011

*Yes, they celebrate a hot chocolate festival in the summer. It all started when the 15th of August was a feast day on which the locals always drank a bit much, and the chocolatier of the town claimed his brew was a good remedy the day after. The original festival on the 15th has ceased, but the hot chocolate is brewed to this day, served at 11am promptly.

So, how was the movie? i asked as the kids came in from seeing the latest release.

"It was good," Bigger Girl said, "but I really wish it wasn't so expensive to go!"

"Yeah, I spend so much on the ticket, I don't get anything to eat or drink, and sometimes I wish I could," Little Girl added.

"I wish we could just bring our own!" Bigger Girl said.

That reminds me of a joke.

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux go in de local bar an' each order a beer. Den dey each takes a sammich outta de paper bags dey have wit' dem, an' starts to eat.

Gaston, de barkeep, rush over an' start to yell, "Mais, what you t'ink you be doin'? You cain't bring in you own sammiches in here!"

So Boudreaux and Thibodeaux looks at each other, shrug, and trade sammiches!

Today is:

#2 Pencil Day -- internet generated, but since a pencil can draw a line 35 miles long, write under water, in zero gravity, or upside down, what's not to celebrate!

Black Cat Day -- they deserve a day!

Day of Rituals in the Temples of Ra, Horus, and Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Dog Day Road Race -- Harvey Cedars, NJ, US (sponsored by the High Point Volunteer Fire Company)

Drink Coffee at the Office from A Sippy Cup Day -- begun by someone with a sense of humor, who wants you to see how long it takes people to notice

Festival of Diana -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Janmasthami -- Hindu (birth of Lord Krishna)

Jari Kemerdekaan RI -- Indonesia (Independence Day)(1945)

Meaning of "Is" Day -- thank you, Clinton!

National Medical Dosimetrists' Day -- US (medical radiation safety experts)

National Thrift Shop/Thrift Store Day -- no history on it, probably started by a thrift store having a summer sale; still a good idea

National Vanilla Custard Day

Odin's Ordeal begins -- based on the Ancient Norse legend, Modern Odinists and some Asatru practice silence for nine days, through the 25th

Portunalia -- Roman Empire (honoring the god of locks, keys, ports, and harbors)

Prekmurje Union Day -- Slovenia (celebrates the Slovenes in Prekmurje being Incorporated into the Mother Nation)

Rushbearing -- Forest Chapel, Cheshire, England (ancient tradtion of bringing new rushes, plaited in traditional weaves, to carpet the church and keep it warm, always on the first Sunday after Aug. 12)

San Martin Day -- Argentina (death anniversary of General Jose de San Martin, liberator of Argentina, chile, and Peru)

St. Hyacinth's Day (Patron of Camalaniugan, Philippines; Ermita de Piedra de San Jacinto, Philippines; Kradow, Poland; Lithuania; Poland; against drowning)

Birthdays Today:

Mark Salling, 1982
Donnie Wahlberg, 1969
Sean Penn, 1960
Jonathan Franzen, 1959
Belinda Carlisle, 1958
Guillermo Vilas, 1952
Robert Joy, 1951
Robert DeNiro, 1943
Francis Gary Powers, 1929
Maureen O'Hara, 1920
Harrison V. Chase, 1913
Mae West, 1892
Charles I, last emperor of Austria-Hungary, 1887
Samuel Goldwyn, 1882
Davy Crockett, 1786

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Life of Brian(Film), 1979
"Symphonie Liturgique"(Honegger's Third Symphony), 1946
Animal Farm(Publication date), 1945
"Gotterdammerung/Twilight of the Gods"(Opera WWV 86D), 1876

Today in History:

The Peace of Bergerac gives political rights to the Huguenots, 1577
John White returns to Roanoke, Virginia, to find no trace of the colonists he had left there 3 years earlier, 1590
Robert Fulton's steamboat Clermont begins its first trip up the Hudson River, 1807
Solymon Merrick patents the wrench, 1835
The first bank in Hawaii opens, 1858
Patent granted for an electric self starter for automobiles, 1891
Pike Place Market, the longest continuously-running public farmers market in the US, opens in Seattle, 1907
Fantasmagorie by Émile Cohl, the first animated cartoon, is shown in Paris, 1908
First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California, 1953
Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Yellowstone earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana, 1958
East German border guards kill 18-year-old Peter Fechter as he attempts to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin becoming one of the first victims of the wall, 1962
Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the Mississippi coast, killing 248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damage, 1969
Venera 7 launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus), 1970
Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine, 1978
The first Compact Discs are released to the public in Germany, 1982
The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of the Israel unilateral disengagement plan, starts, 2005
Afghan archeologists discover the remains of a Buddhist site located south of Kabul, 2010
Trogloraptor marchingtoni, an unusual spider discovered in 2010 is determined to be a new family of spiders previously unknown in the world of science; the new spider family has been named Trogloraptor, meaning 'cave robber', 2012

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