messymimi's meanderings

Awww Monday is the way to start your week off right. Find a picture that makes you say, "Awww!" and help us all get off to a good start for the week.

Thanks to Sandee at Comedy Plus for Awww Monday.

Link is so big!

Link is getting ready to go get "fixed" this week. We've met the family that is adopting him. His majesty is going to continue to be spoiled rotten.

Today is:

Bunsen Burner Day -- on the birth anniversary of its inventor, Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, in 1811

Buy Some New Socks Day -- because all the websites that list it agree you are worth it

Cesar Chavez Day -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah,& Wyoming, US

Culture and Traditions Day -- Micronesia

Day Everyone Says "31" a Lot -- Fairy Calendar

Eiffel Tower Day -- inaugurated this day in 1889

Festival for Luna -- Ancient Roman Calendar (moon festival)

Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru -- Indonesia (Hindu New Year)

Hindu New Year -- Hindu (local custom/date may vary)
Ougadi -- Mauritius and some regions of India (the Telugu New Year)

Hot Guitar Day -- the day Jimi Hendrix first set fire to his guitar in 1967

Jum il-Helsien (Freedom Day) -- Malta

King Nangklao Memorial Day -- Thailand

Mule Day Celebrations -- Columbia, TN, US (the "mule capital of the world" has mule shows, entertainment, dancing and music, food, and fun; through Sunday)

National Clams on the Half Shell Day

Nyepi Day -- Bali, Indonesia (Day of Silence, the day following the Balinese New Year celebration on which everything is closed, even the international airport)

Oranges and Lemons Day -- St. Clement Danes Church, London, Enlgand (traditional children's service based on the rhyme that begins "Oranges and lemons/say the bells of St. Clement's)

Ramayana -- Hindu (through the 20th; local customs/celebratory dates may vary)

Seward's Day -- Alaska, US

"She's Funny That Way" Day -- pay tribute to the women in your life, and how they keep you laughing; sponsored by Brenda Meredith of Dahomey Publishing, Inc.

St. Balbina's Day (Patron of those with scrofulous diseases or stroma)

Thomas Mundy Peterson Day -- New Jersey, US (the first African-American to legally cast a vote in the US, this date in 1870)

Transfer Day -- US Virgin Islands

Vigil to Mourn China's Annexation of Tibet -- anniversary of the day in 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled to India

Workplace Napping Day -- on the Monday after Daylight Saving Time begins, to highlight how power naps can help productivity

Birthdays Today:

Pavel Bure, 1971
Ewan McGregor, 1971
Marc McClure, 1957
Angus Young, 1955
Edward Francis "Ed" Marinaro, 1950
Al Gore, 1948
Rhea Perlman, 1948
Gabe Kaplan, 1945
Christopher Walken, 1943
James Earl "Jimmy" Johnson, 1938
Herb Alpert, 1935
Richard Chamberlain, 1935
Shirley Jones, 1934
John Jakes, 1932
Gordie Howe, 1928
Cesar Chavez, 1927
William Daniels, 1927
Leo Buscaglia, 1925
Henry Morgan, 1915
John "Jack" Johnson, 1878
Andrew Lang, 1844
Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut, 1823
Edward Fitzgerald, 1809
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol, 1809
Joseph Haydn, 1732
Andrew Marvell, 1621
Rene Descartes, 1596

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"'night, Mother"(Play), 1983
"The Shadow Box"(Play), 1977
"The Best Man"(Play), 1960
"The Glass Menagerie"(Play), 1945
"Oklahoma!"(Musical), 1943
"Le Chasseur Maudit/The Accursed Huntsman"(Symphonic poem), 1883

Today in History:

Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade; Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade, 1146
King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella sign decree ordering Jews to convert or be expelled from Spain, 1492
Jews are expelled from Prague, 1745
Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade, 1854
Thomas P Mundy of Perth Amboy, NJ, becomes the first African American to cast a vote, 1870
The Eiffel Tower, commemorating the French Revolution, opens, 1889
Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft, 1903
Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1909
Construction begins on the RMS Titanic, 1909
Construction of the RMS Titanic is completed, 1912
The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands, 1917
Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time, 1918
The Royal Australian Air Force is formed, 1921
The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada, 1949
Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau, 1951
In the Canadian federal election, 1958, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265, 1958
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum, 1959
The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon, 1966
Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit, 1970
The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California, 1992
Netscape releases the code base of its browser under an open-source license agreement; the project is given the code name Mozilla and is eventually spun off into the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, 1998
Amid unrest in the Mideast, activists claim China has launched the largest crackdown on dissenters in recent years, 2011

Is it really? But, i'm not ready yet!

Like the calendar cares, right? So, here i've signed up for April A to Z, and i haven't a clue what to blog about for A, except that it's April and i'm not so sure that it should be this far into the year already and it's pretty lame, but anyway.

At least for part of the month i will write about animals, and part of it about kids (like that's different?). And i'm trying to remember what i did last year. Oh, yes, i could go and look, but that would be too easy. Okay, give me a minute, i'll go look.

All right then. Last time, i started with A for Apple Pie. That's as good a place to go as any.

Our favorite apple pie recipe is easy, and good, and #2 Son took over making it long ago and like most things we cook around here, there's no set amounts, mostly approximations.

We use the easy pie crust recipe you can find here. Half of that gets rolled out as the bottom crust and pre-baked for about 10 minutes at 400°. The rest of the pie crust you can roll out, spread with a bit of melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, and bake alone for another tasty treat.

While the bottom crust is baking a bit, slice up about 5 apples. Mix 1/2c sugar with some spices -- cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, ginger, mace, whatever sweet spices you like, and if you are like us, you will use a lot because you like a spicy pie. Layer the apples and sprinkle the sugar/spice mix liberally.

Then take about two tablespoons of butter and cut it into smaller chunks. Tuck these in and among the apples.

Now mix 1/3c sugar with 1c of finely chopped pecans. Cut 6 tablespoons of butter into it, adding a bit more spice if you like (i told you we like spicy pies), and drop the mixture by spoonfuls on top of the apples.

Bake the whole thing at 400° for ten minutes, then lower the temp to 350° for about 35 minutes, or until the apples are at the texture you like.

Be sure you cover the edges of the crust with foil if they start to get too brown.

There, that's A. Tune in tomorrow, if you dare, and see if i come up with something for the letter B besides "my brain is frozen."

Today is

APAWS International Pooper Scooper week -- The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists believe every dog should have its day, but not on someone else's lawn!

April Fool's Day a/k/a Huntingowk Day or Gowkie Day in Scotland, because an April Fool is called a gowk; in England it is All Fools Day or April Noddy Day, as an April fool is a "noddy"

Azalea Festival -- Muskogee, OK, US (month long celebration with citywide events throughout)

Capture of Brielle Remembrance -- Brielle, Netherlands

Civil Service Day -- Thailand

Community Spirit Days -- an open invitation, all month long, for any town or community to involve itself in a special service project

Day of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Edible Book Day -- Sponsored by the Edible Book Festival, Austin, TX, US (celebrating books and culinary creativity by making edible representations of books, then eating them)

Fossil Fools Day -- part of the conservationist movement of many organizations that want us to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and stop corporate polluters

Greek Cypriot Day -- Cyprus (EOKA Day)

International Fun at Work Day -- sponsored by Playfair, which encourages non-foolish humor that is non-toxic, with this year's theme: Work Like Your Dog!

International Tatting Day

Investiture of the New Captains Regent -- San Marino (sometimes listed as National Day)

Islamic Republic Day -- Iran

Kalends of April -- Ancient Roman Empire; also
Festival of Fortuna Virilis -- Fortune in her role of bringing luck to women who want better relationships with men
Veneralia -- ritual yearly washing of the statue of Venus

Kha b-Nisan -- Assyrians (traditional New Year celebration)

Loki's Day -- by some calculations, but more likely it was moved to this date to celebrate the trickster of all time on the trickiest day of the year

Miyako Odori -- Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre, Kyoto, Japan ("Dance of the Old Capital", the highly anticipated geisha dance and music festival, through the 30th)

National Sourdough Bread Day

Orissa Day -- Orissa, India

One Cent Day -- no history on this, just noted on several sites

Pigasus Award Announcement Day -- by James Randi, awarded to parapsychological, paranormal or psychic frauds

Reading is Funny Day -- a day to read riddles, jokes, and fun things with kids to show them how great reading can be

School Year Begins -- Japan, most schools and universities

Sizdeh Be-dar -- Iran (Nature Day, an ancient Persian celebration to get out and joyfully spend the day outdoors)

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival -- Skagit Valley, WA, US; through the 30th

Sorry Charlie Day -- a day to recognize Charlie the Tuna, always rejected but never giving up, and anyone who has ever been rejected and lived to tell about it

St. Gilbert de Moray's Day (Patron of Caithness, Scotland)

St. Stupid's Day (First Church of the Last Laughhttp://www.saintstupid.com/)

Sun 'n Fun International Fly in & Expo -- Lakeland, Florida, US (preserving and enhancing the future of flight; through Sunday)

Tree Loving Week begins -- South Korea (always the week that includes April 5, their Arbor Day)

Uzupis Day -- Uzupis District, Vilnius, Lithuania

Anniversaries Today:

Nunavut becomes Canada's third independent territory, 1999
Jim Bakker marries Tammy Faye LaValley, 1961

Birthdays Today:

Randy Orton, 1980
Jon Gosselin, 1977
Rachel Maddow, 1973
Susan Boyle, 1961
Libby Riddles, 1956
Annette O’Toole, 1953
Samuel A. Alito, Jr, 1950
David Eisenhower, 1947
Daniel Joseph “Rusty” Staub, 1944
Ali MacGraw, 1938
Gordon Jump, 1932
Debbie Reynolds, 1932
Jane Powell, 1929
Anne McCaffrey, 1926
Toshiro Mifune, 1920
Abraham Maslow, 1908
Clara "Mother" Hale, 1905
Lon Chaney, 1883
Sergei Rachmaninoff, 1873
Otto von Bismarck, 1815
William Harvey, 1578
Emperor Go-Saga of Japan, 1220

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Will Rogers Follies"(Musical), 1991
"General Hospital"(TV), 1963
"The Doctors"(TV), 1963
"Der blaue Engel/The Blue Angel"(Film; premier of Marlene Dietrich), 1930

Today in History:

The ruins of the city of Pompeii are found, 1748
Japan's volcano Unsen erupts, killing about 53,000, 1793
Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine, 1826
Cincinnati becomes the first US city to pay firefighters, 1853
Singapore, Penang & Malakka become British crown colonies, 1867
The London-Paris telephone connection is opened, 1891
The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois, 1891
The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, 1918
The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed, 1924
Generalisimo Frederico Franco announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, 1939
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands creates a tsunami that strikes Hawai'i, killing 159, 1946
The twenty-six counties of the Irish Free State become the Republic of Ireland, 1949
The Canadian government repeals Japanese Canadian internment after seven years, 1949
The BBC broadcasts the spaghetti tree hoax on its current affairs programme Panorama, 1957
Project Tiger, a tiger conservation program, is launched in the Corbett National Park, India, 1973
Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, 1976
The Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia is created, 1996
Comet Hale-Bopp is seen passing over perihelion, 1997
Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories, 1999
Croatia and Albania join NATO, 2009

Boudreaux and Clothile's daughter, Marie, hated going to weddings. When there is a Cajun wedding, everyone comes, all the family and friends for miles around. Boudreaux noticed that his daughter got more and more upset after each wedding, so the day after a particularly big one where she came home markedly upset, he decided to find out what was up.

"Marie, I done seen dat you don' seem to like dem weddings. What's wrong?" he axed.

"Mais," she answered. "It's all dem old ladies. At ever' weddin', dey come up to me and poke me in de ribs and say, 'You's next!' an' I's tired of dat!"

Well, Boudreaux, he t'ink about dat for a minute an' den he say, "Well, at de nex' funeral, you go up to dem and do the same t'ing! Den dey'll stop!"

Later on, Boudreaux was talking to his wife, Clothile, about his funeral. He had been going on in detail for a while. Then he summed up.

"An' I wan' be buried wit' my fiddle!" he say, "dat's my las' instruction!"

Clothile look at him, and he say, "Mais, why you look at me so funny? You t'ink I's wrong to be buried wit' my fiddle?"

"No," Clothile answer. "I jes' t'ink I's glad you don' play de piano!"

And for you fans of Boudreaux and Thibodeaux, i have a sad announcement. There will be no more jokes. You see, Boudreaux died the other day, and he wanted to be buried at sea. Thobodeaux then died trying to dig the grave.

Today is

Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia -- Philadelphia, PA, US (in conjunction with the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia; through the 13th)

Dia Feriado Con Fines Turisticos -- Argentina (Public Holiday for Tourism)

Feast of Acan -- Ancient Mayan Calendar (god of wine, whose name means either "belch" or "groan", depending on your source -- although both seem apt, one during the celebration, the other after; date approximate)

Great Lovers Day -- you don't have to be a Cassanova to celebrate the great lovers in your life!

International Children's Book Day -- on the birth anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen, sponsored this year by the USA division of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People); this year's theme is "Bookjoy around the World"

Malvinas Day -- Argentina (honors veterans of the Falklands War)

National Day of Hope -- US; recognizing victims of child abuse and neglect, a day to recommit to make the world safe for children

National Ferret Day -- US (The American Ferret Association)http://ferret.org/nationalferretday/index.html

National Love Your Produce Manager Day -- ???

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

National Walking Day -- US (sponsored by the American Heart Association)

Paraprofessional Appreciation Day -- honoring the contributions of paraprofessionals everywhere

Quingming Festival begins -- China; Taiwan (a/k/a Pure Brightness Festival or Tomb-sweeping Day; through Apr. 4, which is the main celebration)

Reconciliation Day -- as recommended by columnist Ann Landers, use today to reach out and mend a broken relationship

Shangsi Festival -- China (ancient Double Third festival, on the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month)

Sizdehbedar -- Iran (Nature Day)

Spring Fever and Medical Aid Appeal -- Fairy Calendar

St. Francis of Paloa's Day (Patron of boatmen, mariners, naval officers, sailors, travellers, watermen; Amato, Italy; Calbria, Italy; Fossato Serraita, Italy; Sant'Agata di Esaro, Italy; against fire, plague, and sterility)

St. Urban of Langres' Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, gardeners, vine dressers/vine growers/vintners; Dijon, France; Langres, France; against alcoholism, blight, fainting, frost, storms)

Taily Day, Scotland (engage in pranks related to your tail end, a second day of April fooling)

Thai Heritage Conservation Day -- Thailand

Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day -- Belarus

Whole Grain Sampling Day -- sponsored by the Whole Grains Council

World Autism Awareness Day -- UN

Anniversary Today:

Napoleon Bonaparte marries the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, 1810

Birthdays Today:

Bethany Joy Galeotti, 1981
Christopher Meloni, 1961
Pamela Reed, 1953
Ron "Horshack" Palillo, 1949
Camille Paglia, 1947
Emmylou Harris, 1947
Linda Hunt, 1945
Leon Russell, 1942
Dr. Demento, 1941
Marvin Gaye, 1939
Jack Webb, 1920
Charles White, 1918
Alec Guinness, 1914
Buddy Ebsen, 1908
Max Ernst, 1891
Walter Chrysler, 1875
Emile Zola, 1840
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, 1834
Hans Christian Anderson, 1805
Giovanni Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, 1725
Charlemagne, 742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Nickelodeon(TV Cable Channel), 1979
"Dallas"(TV), 1978
"2001: A Space Odyssey"(Film), 1968
"As the World Turns"(TV), 1956
"The Edge of Night"(TV), 1956
Symphony No. 1 in C major(Beethoven Op. 21), 1800

Today in History:

Mehmed II begins his siege of Istanbul/Constantinople, 1453
Juan Ponce de Leon becomes the first European to set foot in Florida, 1513
"American Farmer," the first successful agricultural journal, begins publication, 1819
Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman nominated for president of the US, 1870
The first Easter egg roll is held on the White House lawn, 1877
Puerto Rico is given limited self rule by the US Congress, 1900
The first full time movie theater, the "Electric Theater," opens in Los Angeles, 1902
The Titanic undergoes sea trials under her own power, 1912
President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany, 1917
Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia, 1930
Charles Lindbergh turns over the $50,000 ransom for his kidnapped son, 1932
The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London, 1962
Argentine forces sieze the Falkland Islands, beginning the Falklands War, 1982
Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province (British Columbia), 1991
Israeli forces surround and besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated, 2002
Three widows and two daughters of Osama bin Laden were charged with illegally living in Pakistan; they were sentenced with 45 days in jail and fined $114 each, 2012
The Arms Trade Treaty, the first-ever bill to regulate the global trade in conventional weapons, is passed by the U.N. General Assembly, 2013

Color, because spring is busting out all over, in ways big and small.

Small azalea bushes.


Large azalea bushes

Azaleas of different colors:

Deep pink.

Light pink.

White.

There are cultivated colors:

And there are wild grown colors:

As gray as the skies have been this winter, i hope the colors hang around a while.

Today is

American Circus Day -- the first circus in the US opened this day in Philadelphia in 1793

Anniversary of the Second Republic -- Republic of Guinea

Day Sacred to Bona Dea and Day of Proserpina's Rise from the Underworld -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Don't Go to Work Unless it's Fun Day -- and unless you have a really great job, we know your decision

Find-A-Rainbow Day -- a day to paint bright and colorful wishes for your friends, family, and sweetheart; if you actually find a rainbow in the sky, that's a plus, send a pic to the RainbowBrite site

Hanshi a/k/a Cold Food Festival -- China (second day of the Quingming Festival)

Nafels Pilgrimage -- Canton Glarus, Switzerland (commemoration of the Battle of Nafels in 1388, observed with processions, prayers, sermon, and a reading of the names of those killed in battle)

National Chocolate Mousse Day

National D.A.R.E Day -- US (cannot confirm date, but usually by Presidential Proclamation on the first Thursday of April)

Overcome a Handicap Day -- on the day, in 1981, when one-legged Canadian high jumper Arnie Boldt cleared 6 feet 8¼ inches, only about a foot under the world record at the time

Pony Express Day -- US; inaugurated this day in 1860

Second Republic Day -- Guinea

Shower Dance -- Fairy Calendar

St. Irene of Thessalonica's Day (Patron of girls, peace)

St. Richard of Chichester's Day (called Ricardus, ri for ridens meaning "laughing", car for carus meaning "dear", dus for dulcis meaning "sweet"; Patron of coachmen and of the Diocese of Chichester, Sussex, England)

Tweed Day -- a day to consider the costs of political corruption, on the birth anniversary of "Boss" Tweed

World Party Day -- anyone and everyone is invited to join the party

Anniversaries Today:

Isle Royale National Park is established in Michigan, US, 1940
Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England, 1043

Birthdays Today:

Amanda Bynes, 1986
Leona Lewis, 1985
Cobie Smulders, 1982
Jamie Bamber, 1973
Jennie Garth, 1972
Picabo Street, 1971
Robert Chapin, 1964
Eddie Murphy, 1961
David Hyde Pierce, 1959
Alec Baldwin, 1958
Bernie Parent, 1945
Tony Orlando, 1944
Leona Lewis, 1943
Marsha Mason, 1942
Wayne Newton, 1942
Jane Goodall, 1934
Calvin "Baby Vet" Graham, 1930
Max Frankel, 1930
Virgil "Gus" Grissom, 1926
Jan Merlin, 1925
Marlon Brando, 1924
Doris Day, 1924
Herb Caen, 1916
Sally Rand, 1904
Henry Robinson Luce, 1898
Leslie Howard, 1893
John Burroughs, 1837
William Magear "Boss" Tweed, 1823
Edward Everett Hale, 1822
Washington Irving, 1783

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Endgame"(Play), 1957
TV Guide(Publication), 1953

Today in History:

Edward the Confessor is crowned king of England, 1043
The US Pony Express begins its first run, 1860
Gottlieb Daimler receives a German patent for his engine, 1885
Trial of the libel case instigated by Oscar Wilde begins, eventually resulting in his imprisonment on charges of homosexuality, 1895
The US House of Representatives accept the "American's Creed," a patriotic contest winner by William Tyler Page, as the official creed of the US, 1918
The building of the RMS Queen Mary is commissioned, 1929
President Harry S. Truman signs the Marshall Plan, 1948
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, 1968
The first portable cell phone call is made in New York City, 1973
Bobby Fischer refuses to play in a chess match against Anatoly Karpov, giving Karpov the title of World Champion by default, 1975
Conventional-Train World Speed Record: a French TGV train on the LGV Est high speed line sets an official new world speed record, 574.8 km/h (357.2 mph), 2007
Australia formally adopts the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2009
Following the News International phone hacking scandal, James Murdock resigns as Chairman of BskyB, 2012

Hello, my name is Dansig.

Aren't I handsome?

I own #2 Son. I'm one of the cats that was bottle raised in this house, but I don't like to mention that too much. After all, who wants to remember when you were a helpless little whelp? No, like all cats, I like to pretend I've always been the big, self-sufficient, dashingly handsome cat I am now.

#2 Son is very well trained, but his mother is not. He picks me up and looks into my eyes and I can tell he's a very special pet. He lets me go outside, even though his mother fusses that I'll pick up fleas. That's part of her not being well trained at all. She puts that nasty medicine on my neck and makes me take pills and takes me to the vet! Ugh!

I really have to put up with a lot in this house. There are a lot of other cats, some that I like, and some that I don't. Since I was raised with Mikey, I like him and we play now that he's living here again. And because I was here when Link came along, and I helped teach him how to eat out of a bowl instead of the bottle, I like him.

That three-legged cat, though, none of us like her at all. She picks fights with everyone. And Kida thinks she owns the place because she is the oldest and has been here the longest. Those are the two I just cannot and will not get along with.

We also have to put up with the mother person yelling at us. Look at me in this picture, do you see anything wrong? Of course not. But she yells, "Get off the clean laundry, you dingy cat!" Well, what does she think I'm going to do, get myself dirty by sleeping on the dirty clothes? Of course not.

Ah, soft. And clean!

Then, there's Little Girl She's special, and she's Link's pet, so I put up with her, but look what she did to me! Now, I ask you, is this any way to treat a self-respecting big cat like me? I think not

Where's my dignity? Under a flower petal, probably.

Of course, I also have to put up with the fact that there are kittens everywhere, even where I like to be. They aren't so bad, though, because they don't stay

I'd like to file a complaint, the downstairs neighbors are getting rowdy again!

Well, that's enough about me for this one time. The mother person asked me to do a post for the letter D because my name starts with that letter, and for Feline Friday. She told me to let you all know that Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude. She thinks it's because he likes cats, and I know it is. After all, what's not to like?

Today is

Alcohol-Free Weekend 2014 -- sponsored by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence

Ballroom Dance Day -- dance with your sweetheart today in honor of the birth anniversary of Arthur Murray

Bonza Bottler Day™

Children's Day -- Taiwan

Homogenized Milk Day -- a machine to homogenize milk was patented this day in 1892 by Auguste Gaulin

Hospital Admitting Clerks Day -- remembering those people at the front desk who make sure you get in and to the right place

Hug a Newsman/Newswoman Day -- an internet holiday, and be careful, no more fiascos like the gropings in 2009, please, just a nice hug

Independence Day -- Senegal(1960)

International Carrot Day -- really!

International Day for Mine Awareness & Assistance in Mine Action -- UN

Matsuyama Haru Matsuri -- Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan (Spring celebrations incorporating the Matsuyama Castle festival and the Dogo Hot Springs festival)

Medieval Fair -- Norman, OK, US (living history, and lots of fun; through Sunday)

Megalesia, a/k/a Festival of Magna Mater -- Ancient Roman Calendar (great mother festival for Cybele; through the 9th)

Natchitoches Jazz Festival -- Natchitoches, LA, US (what Louisiana is known for, food, music, and passing a good time! through tomorrow)

National Cordon Bleu Day

National Reading a Roadmap Day -- another internet holiday that some sites call "Learn to Read A Roadmap Day," but a good one to observe; you need to know how to read one when your GPS battery dies, after all

National Walk to Work Day -- originally sponsored by Prevention Magazine, and different from the one in Septemberhttp://walking.about.com/od/pedestrians/p/walktoworkday.htm

Ose Matsuri -- Ose Shrine, ShizouKa Prefecture, Japan (men dressed in women's clothes dance a lively jig on board a boat afloat in the harbour which is festooned with flags and streamers while taiko groups play drums on shore in this festival thought to date back to a wife wanting to protect her fisherman-husband by giving him a kimono)

Peace Day -- Angola

Poteet Strawberry Festival -- Poteet, TX, US (one of Texas oldest and largest festivals; through Sunday)

St. Benedict the African's Day (Patron of African missions; African-Americans; Palermo, Sicily, Italy)

St. Isidore of Seville's Day (Patron of computer technicians, computer users, computers, the Internet, schoolchildren, students)

Student Government Day -- encouraging kids to learn about how government works by learning to govern themselves; always the first Friday in April

Swedish-American Friendship Day

Tell a Lie Day -- an internet generated holiday; the only day it is acceptable! make sure, after today, to clear it up, trust me

Victims of Violence Day -- anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Vitamin C Day -- the vitamin was isolated on this day in 1932 by C.C, King at the University of Pittsburgh

Walk Around Things Day -- fun to do, it makes people look at you funny

World Rat Day -- pet rat lovers everywhere, unite and introduce your friends to your pet rats

ZAB Death Anniversary -- Pakistan

Anniversary Today:

Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft Corporation, 1975

Birthdays Today:

David Blaine, 1973
Dave Mirra, 1972
Jill Scott, 1972
Barry Pepper, 1970
Nancy McKeon, 1966
Robert Downey, Jr., 1965
David Gavurin, 1963
Gary Moore, 1952
Christine Lahti, 1950
Craig T. Nelson, 1946
Kitty Kelley, 1942
Angelo Bartlett "Bart" Giamatti, 1938
Michael Parks, 1938
Anthony Perkins, 1932
Maya Angelou, 1928
Muddy Waters, 1915
Frances Langford, 1914
Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, 1908
John Cameron Swayze, 1906
Arthur Murray, 1895
Isoroku Yamamoto, 1884
Linus Yale, Jr., 1821
Dorothea Dix, 1802

Today in History:

Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world, 1581
Sir Robert Walpole becomes First Lord of the Treasury of England, and is so influential in the Cabinet that he is considered the de facto first Prime Minister of England, 1721
Napoleon abdicates for the first time, 1814
Casparus van Wooden of Amsterdam patents chocolate milk powder, 1828
William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia becoming the first President of the United States to die in office and the one with the shortest term served, 1841
Bryant's Minstrels debut the song "Dixie" in a blackface minstrel show, 1859
Susanna Medora Salter is elected the first US woman mayor, in Argonia, KS, 1887
Cecil Rhodes scholarship fund is established, 1902
An earthquake in India's Kangra Valley kills 20,000, destroys most of three cities, 1905
Vitamin C was first isolated by C.C. King at the University of Pittsburgh, 1932
Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty, creating NATO, 1949
Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated, 1968
Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart (the patient survived for 65 hours), 1969
The World Trade Center in NYC is dedicated, 1973
Bill Gates and Paul Allen form Microsoft, 1975
Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space, 1983
Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape Communications Corporation under the name "Mosaic Communications Corporation", 1994
Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, 1996
The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War, 2002
15 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released, 2007
The most distant supernova on record is found by the Hubble Space Telescope, 2013

When I was a tiny kitten, I was named Enigma.

Aren't I beautiful?

Some of you might recall a bit of my story. My brother was Curlicue Q. Crooktail and my sister was Dr. Penguin. We were found under an abandoned car, screaming for food. Our mother had starved to death, and was wrapped around us. She died trying to keep us warm and fed and safe.

We were brought into this house when the other litter, Anomaly, Perplexity, and Conundrum were here. Since the mother person who lives here also wanted to use the name Enigma, that was given to me, although now my full title is "The Charismatic Enigma Sissicat." Yes, it's a mouthful, but I like it.

While my brother and sister were adopted out, I now own #1 Son. He loves me a lot, and I actually co-own him with Mikey, who will get his day later in the month.

#1 Son had moved out of this house for a while. We went to Kansas, which was very different. We had snow! I wasn't used to snow, and one day, when he opened the door, Mikey and I escaped. We jumped out of the door and up to our bellies in the soft, white stuff. It was a shock, but soon Mikey and I were both running, leading #1 Son on a merry chase to catch us and get us back in the apartment. It was fun, especially the way he hollered at us!

We didn't like it much when he would come home to visit and leave us at the apartment alone for a few days.

We liked it even less when we had to ride with him for hours and hours. Sometimes he would stop at a hotel, and that wasn't too great, but at least it was a break. In the car for hours, I would sometimes howl and howl.

Link looks at me angrily when he thinks I'm in his way. Of course, I don't let him get away with it.

After we moved back down here, #1 Son moved in a house with some friends. The friends had dogs! That was new, and I made friends with one of the dogs. The other one they had to keep away from us because he always wanted to chase us and we would fight back.

Now we are back in the house where we were raised. It's okay, but Link doesn't like that we are back.

Still, there are good things. like getting to sit and look out of the window. There are birds to watch, and sometimes a squirrel, and Butch, the cat two doors down who is allowed to go outside (he wears a tag and everything!) sometimes comes by.

My favorite perch.

It's a good life.

Today is

Babu Jagivan Ram's Birthday -- Andhra Pradesh, India

Bell Bottoms Day -- remember those? apparently so did someone who wanted to celebrate the fact

Crabbie's Grand National -- Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool, England (the world's greatest steeplechase, according to many, dating back to 1839)

Easter Island Day -- anniversary of the "discovery" of the Island in 1722, on Easter Sunday of that year

Edinburgh International Science Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (massiver celebration of science and technology; through the 20th)

Elmira Maple Syrup Festival -- Elmira, ON, Canada (fun for the whole family, and delicious, too!)

Every Day is Tag Day -- make sure your pet has an up to date tag or microchip, just in case!

Fringe Fairies Welcome Party -- Fairy Calendar

Go for Broke Day -- take a risk, and make it count! step out and do something extraordinary; anniversary of the day in 1945 that a US Army unit made up of almost all Japanese-Americans, the 442nd Regimental, went for broke and managed to break through the Nazi Gothic line in Italy in one day

Historic Pendleton Spring Jubilee -- Pendleton, SC, US (through tomorrow)

International Pillow Fight Day -- yes, really

International Tabletop Day -- encouraging people to play games on a table, not online, face to face

Katori Jingu Otaue-sai -- Sawara, Chiba Prefecture, Japan (rice planting festival; through tomorrow)

Lady Luck Day -- in honor of the Roman festival of Fortune held each year on this date

National Caramel Day

National Deep Dish Pizza Day -- anniversary of the day in 1979 that Uno Chicago Grill, originator of the deep dish pizza, first opened a restaurant outside the Chicago area

National Raisin and Spice Bar Day

Nones of April -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
Fortuna Publica -- festival of Fortune in her role as the Luck of the People

Quing Ming Jie -- China; Hong Kong; Macau; North Korea; Taiwan (Tomb Sweeping Day, last day of the Quingming Festival)(a/k/a Festival of Clear Brightness, Festival for Tending Graves, Grave Sweeping Day, Chinese Memorial Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, Spring Remembrance, and All Souls Day (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic holiday of the same name); the festival includes kite flying and rituals to call the spring rains, as well as cleaning the graves of ancestors and offering them gifts)

Saint Vincent Ferrer's Day (Patron of brick makers, builders, construction workers, pavement workers, plumbers, tile makers; of Calamonaci, Italy; Casteltermini, Agrigento, Italy; Leganes, Philippines)

Sikmogil -- South Korea (Arbor Day)

Tangible Karma™ Day -- set aside an hour today to become purposefully aware of the needs of someone around you, and to fulfill that need; because giving feels as good as receiving tangiblekarma.com

World Catfish Festival -- Belzoni, MS, US (a family friendly festival celebrating this ever-popular fish)

Anniversary Today:

John Rolfe marries Pocahontas, 1614

Birthdays Today:

Mitch Pileggi, 1952
Agnetha Faltskog, 1950
Max Gail, 1943
Michael Moriarty, 1942
Judith A. Resnik, 1949
Colin Powell, 1937
Frank Gorshin, 1934
Roger Corman, 1926
Gale Storm, 1921
Gregory Peck, 1916
Bette Davis, 1908
Spencer Tracy, 1900
Booker T. Washington, 1856
Joseph Lister, 1827
Elihu Yale, 1649

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Secret Garden"(Musical), 1991
"Married . . . with Children"(TV), 1987
"Secret Agent"(TV), 1961
"Fireside Theatre"(TV), 1949
"Pavane pour une infante défunte"(Ravel piano solo, Pavane for a Dead Princess), 1902
"Die Fledermaus"(Operetta), 1874
The Symphony No. 2 in D major(Beethoven Op. 36), 1803

Today in History:

St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop, 456
Two hundred Dutch noblemen petition to have the Spanish Inquisition suspended in the Netherlands, 1566
The Daimyo (Lord) of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyushu, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa, 1609
The Native American Indian princess Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, marries Englishman John Rolfe, 1614
Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island, 1722
The first recorded meteorite in Scotland falls in Possil, 1804
Helen Keller learns her first word, "water," from Anne Sullivan, 1887
The Greco-Turkish War, also called "Thirty Days' War", is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, 1897
Archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B, 1900
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires, 1923
In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi breaks British law after marching to the sea and making salt, 1930
In the Dominion of Newfoundland, 10,000 rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government, 1932
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for espionage, 1951
Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the UK because of failing health, 1955
Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time, 1958
In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshu, the largest suspension bridge in the world, opens, 1998
North Korea launches its controversial Kwangmyongsong-2 rocket, 2009
SkyNews admits it illegally hacked emails that belonged to members of the public on two separate occasions, 2012

Silly Sunday is brought to us by Sandee, at Comedy Plus. Link up and laugh up!

Just over a week ago, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, became ill. Being that he is Sweetie's twin, he had to share, of course.

So, Sweetie went down for the count with this nasty stomach bug. He never misses church, and he missed church to drive the porcelain bus, to let you know how bad it was.

Then Little Girl fell. She was too sick to go to school, but i had to drag the poor girl out to the doc, so we could say she went, and get a doctor excuse for school.

She's now feeling better, and yesterday said, "I haven't eaten in four days, and I'm hungry!"

That was music to my ears, but i cautioned her to be careful and eat bland food until her stomach was stronger.

Her response? "But I love spicy food! I'll deal with the consequences later!" She then laughed and made a pot of mac and cheese. She was fine.

All this illness in the family has reminded me of some doctor jokes.

When Boudreaux was in college, determined to go to medical school, he was taking a physics class, and he really didn't like the professor very much. His dislike of the man meant that he really wasn't putting forth much effort in the class, and one day he asked the professor, "Mais, we goin' be doctors, how come we got to take physics? How do dat help us in medical school?"

The Professor stared at hime pointedly and said, "It helps us make sure people who aren't smart enough to learn physics don't get into medical school!"

Of course, Boudreaux straightened up his attitude after that, and graduated well from medical school a few years later. After he had gone back to Mamou to set up his own practice, his friend Thibodeaux come to him, and say, "Boudreaux, I'm sick! Can you he'p me?"

So Dr. Boudreaux, he give Thibodeaux a shot, but Thibodeaux don't get no better. So he come back, and Dr. Boudreaux give him some pills. Still no help, so Thibodeaux come back and say, "Please, you gotta do som'pin!"

Dr. Boudreaux tell him "Okay, go home, take a cold bath, den go outside and stan' naked in de garden for an hour."

Thibodeaux, he say, "Mais, it's winter! Dat'll give me de pewmonia!"

"Yes," Dr. Boudreaux said, "but pneumonia I can cure!"

Then Fontenot went to the newly minted Dr. Boudreaux because he had a cough.

"Doctor Boudreaux, you got's to do som'pin about dis cough!" he says.

"Go home an' drink you a quart of prune juice after each meal for de nex' two days," Dr. Boudreaux said.

"An dat will cure de cough?" Fontenot axed wit' surprise.

"Probably not, but you sure gonna t'ink twice before you do cough!" Dr. Boudreaux answer.

Many years later, old Dr. Boudreaux was a wise and respected physician, still with his old Cajun charm, and his accent. He was one of the speakers at a medical conference, and got to talking with other doctors over dinner.

They began discussing which patients were their favorites to operate on. The first doctor at the table said, "I like to work on accountants. You open those guys up, and everything inside is numbered!"

"If you think that's great," the second doctor said, "what about librarians? You open them up, and everything inside is in alphabetical order!"

"You should try an electrician some time," the third doctor chimed in. "You open them up, and everything inside is color coded!"

"What about construction workers and contractors?" asked the fourth doctor at the table. "You know them, they don't worry if the job doesn't come in on time, there's a cost overrun, and you have a few parts left over afterward!"

"No, you's all wrong, I t'ink," Dr. Boudreaux said. "De easiest person to operate on is de politician!"

"Politician!" the other doctors exclaimed.

"Mais oui, t'ink about dat. You open dem up, dere's no heart, no guts, no brain, no spine, an' de head an' de backside be interchangeable!"

Today is

Act of Self Determination Day -- Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Animated Cartoon Day -- date of release, in 1908, of Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, often considered the first actual animated cartoon

Army Day -- US (by proclamation of FDR in 1942)

Caballo de Paso Peruano -- Pachacamac, Peru (National Contest of Paso Horses/The National Horse Competition of the native Peruvian horse, the Paso; through the 13th)

California Poppy Day -- California, US (state flower)

Care Sunday / Carling Sunday -- England, 5th Sunday of Lent (possibly from the Old Saxon "carles", or husbandman)

Chakri Dynasty Day and King Rama I Memorial Day -- Thailand

Drowsy Driver Awareness Day -- please pull over and take a nap when you need to

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace -- UN (on the anniversary of the date of the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896)

International Whistlers Convention -- Tokyo, Japan (The Franklin County Historical Society, Inc., of Louisburg, North Carolina, US, "The World's Whistling Capital" are sponsoring it with the Japan Whistling Confederation)

Jump Over Things Day -- probably started by the same people who brought us Walk Around Things Day on the 4th; as if friends and family aren't looking at you strangely enough after that one

Kamakura Matsuri -- Kamakura and the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine, Japan (parades, festival, and celebrating spring; through next Sunday)

Kanamara Matsuri -- Kanayama Shrine, Kawasaki, Japan ("Festival of the Steel Phallus", a phallic symbol festival, now a big tourist draw and used to raise money for HIV research)

National Caramel Popcorn Day

National Student Athlete Day -- US (Celebrating 27 years of outstanding Student-Athletes)

New Beer's Eve -- US (unofficial celebration of the end of Prohibition; beer became legal to sell again on tomorrow's date in 1933)

North Pole Day -- Peary and Co. arrived there this day in 1909

Plan Your Epitaph Day -- figure out how you want to be remembered, and then live that way! (some sites celebrate this on Nov. 1)

President Ntaryamira Day -- Burundi (anniversary of assassination)

Sorting-Out of the Doggets Day -- Fairy Calendar

St. Sixtus' Day (Patron of Alatri, Italy)

Tartan Day -- Scottish diaspora of Canada and the US (anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320)

Teflon Day -- Polytetraflouroethylene resin was developed by Roy J. Plunkett while working for E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company in 1938

Think About Spring Cleaning Day -- don't do it, just think about it

Twinkie Day -- the snack cakes that will never go away were invented on this day in 1930

Volunteer Recognition Week begins -- sponsored by Points of Light

Birthdays Today:

Candace Cameron, 1976
Zach Braff, 1975
Ari Meyers, 1969
Paul Rudd, 1969
Marilu Henner, 1952
John Razenberger, 1947
Barry Levinson, 1942
Philip Austin, 1941
Roy Thinnes, 1938
Merle Haggard, 1937
Billy Dee Williams, 1937
Andre Previn, 1929
James Watson, 1928
Gerry Mulligan, 1927
Lowell Thomas, 1892
Rose Schneiderman, 1882
Butch Cassidy, 1866
René Lalique, 1860
Raphael, 1483

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Barney & Friends"(TV), 1992
Post-It Notes(first day of sale), 1980
"Entertaining Mr. Sloane"(Play), 1964
"Little Orphan Annie"(Radio series), 1931

Today in History:

Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) in the battle of Thapsus, BC46
The Roman army under the command of Stilicho stymies the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia, 402
Charlemagne confirms his father Pepin the Short's "Donation of Pepin," which had established the Papal States, 774
King Richard I, The Lionheart, of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder, 1199
The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath, 1320
The Italian poet Petrarch first sees his beloved Laura, 1327
At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town , 1652
An earthquake devastates Dubrovnik, then an independent city-state, 1667
Peter the Great of Russia ends the tax on men with beards in that country, 1722
Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d'état, 1782
The Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic in France, and the period known as the Reign of Terror begins, 1793
John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company, 1808
Celluloid, the first plastic, is patented, 1869
The city of Vancouver, BC, is incorporated, 1886
The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City is dedicated, 1893
In Athens, the first modern Olympic Games are opened, 1,500 years after being banned by Emperor Theodosius I; James Connoly of the US becomes the first gold medalist of the modern games, 1896
The Kishinev pogrom forces thousands of Jews to seek refuge in Israel and the West, 1903
Robert Peary and Matthew Henson allegedly reach the North Pole, 1909
Governor Huey P. Long is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1929
Mohandas Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." Thus he starts the Salt Satyagraha, 1930
Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit, 1965
The American League of Major League Baseball begins using the designated hitter, 1973
Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of reaching India, 1998
Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment, 2004
Scientists announce the discovery of three new animal species that spent their entire lives without oxygen, 2010
In England, lawmakers ban the display of tobacco products, hoping the move will lead to a reduction in the number of youths who smoke, 2012

Awww Monday is brought to us by Sandee at Comedy Plus. Just post a picture that makes you say, "aww, how cute!" After all, we could all use a little cute on Monday mornings.

Today, F for fuzzy. Lorax is just that!

Don't I have a beautiful face?

So cute, I'm fluffy!

Bigger Girl very excitedly told me something she discovered about Lorax, who os getting neutered today. "Mom.I know why he won't lick from a bowl or eat dry food -- he has a cleft palate!"

Sure enough, he does. So, before he can go home with his forever family, he has to have surgery for that. It certainly also explains why he has to use only the short nipple on the bottle, and the hole has to be facing down, and why he dribbles so much milk when feeding. He's a cute little mess, and i'll be letting everyone know how he fares, of course.
Today is

Empowered Women Entrepreneurs Day -- this one is unsponsored and listed on many calendar sites

Genocide Memorial Day -- Rwanda

Goddess Karna's Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (goddess of crying and wailing)

International Beaver Day -- celebrating the species that restores valuable wetlands www.beaversww.org

International Snailpaper Day -- relax today with a hard copy of a regular, old fashioned newspaper

Metric System Day -- officially adopted in France on this day in 1795

Motherhood and Beauty Day -- Armenia (day the Armenian Orthodox Church celebrated the Annunciation; it is the only Church to celebrate it on this day, which is also observed as Mother's Day in this country)

National Beer Day -- US (unofficial, the celebration of the end of Prohibition)

National Coffee Cake Day

National Health Day -- Kiribati

Navpad Oli -- Jain (nine day religious festival)

No Housework Day/Let Someone Else Clean Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, enjoy this one!

Pandia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (a festival of Zeus; date approximate)

Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day -- Tanzania

St. Saint John Baptist de La Salle's Day (Patron of educators, school principals, teachers)

Tater Day -- Benton, KY, US (old fashioned family fun centered around the sweet potato, with a parade, a mule pull, a carnival and more)

The Masters Tournament -- the matchup for the Green Jacket is always the first full week of April

Women's Day -- Mozambique

World Health Day -- UN

Anniversaries Today:

World Health Organization is founded, 1948
Prague University is chartered by Charles IV, the first university in central Europe, 1348

Birthdays Today:

Russell Crowe, 1964
Anthony Drew "Tony" Dorsett, 1954
Jackie Chan, 1954
Janis Ian, 1951
John Oates, 1948
Gerhard Schroeder, 1944
Francis Coppola, 1939
David Frost, 1939
William Hodding Carter III, 1935
Wayne Rogers, 1933
Daniel Ellsberg, 1931
James Garner, 1928
Ravi Shankar, 1920
Billie Holiday, 1915
Walter Winchell, 1897
Bronislaw Malinowski, 1884
John Joseph McGraw, 1873
David Grandison Fairchild, 1869
W.K. Kellogg, 1860
Walter Camp, 1859
William Ellery Channing, 1780
William Wordsworth, 1770
St. Francis Xavier, 1506

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"South Pacific"(Musical), 1949
"Monsieur Beaucaire"(Operetta), 1919
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major,"Eroica"(Beethoven Op. 55), 1805

Today in History:

Attila's Huns plunder Metz, in northern France, 451
Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I issues the first draft of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the basis for much civil law even today, 529
A crowd in Florence, Italy, storms the Convent of San Marco, demanding Fra Savonarola be turned over as they rebelled against his Bonfires of the Vanities and interference with trade, 1498
Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Cebu, 1521
Michael Cardozo becomes the first Jewish lawyer in Brazil, 1645
American pioneers found Marietta, Ohio, as the first permanent settlement of the new Northwest Territory, 1788
France adopts the meter as the standard measure of length, 1795
The Mississippi Territory is established, 1798
English chemist John Walker invents wooden matches, 1827
Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation is assassinated by the Irish, in one of the few Canadian political assassinations, and the only one of a federal politician, 1868
Nebraska establishes an 8 hour work day, 1891
Texas Oil Company (Texaco) is formed, 1902
An eruption of Mt. Vesuvius devastates Naples, 1906
Dr. K. Winfield Ney performs the first brain tumor operation under a local anesthesia, at Beth Israel Hospital, 1923
Using phone lines, the first long distance television image is sent, of Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover, from Washington, D.C. to NYC, 1927
Booker T. Washington becomes the first African-American depicted on a postage stamp in the US, 1940
Syria is officially recognized as independent from France, 1946
Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech, 1954
Spain relinquishes its protectorate in Morocco, 1956
IBM announces the System/360, 1964
The publication of RFC1 marks the symbolic birth of the Internet, 1969
Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter, 1978
During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first space shuttle spacewalk, 1983
Mars Odyssey is launched, 2001
Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent, 2009
Following the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, Joyce Banda becomes President of Malawi, 2012

There's nothing quite like the taste and smell of food from an outdoor grill.

In our house, #2 Son took over the grill when he was 9, and Grandpa loved having him as a grill buddy. They would both rather be out there, even if the weather isn't right for it (there's a good, protected overhang at Grandpa's house), cooking and having fun, than in a kitchen, as much as they also love cooking indoors.

A family that lives a good way out in the country thought the same, so when they found a grill they had always wanted on CraigsList, they snapped it up. It was way out in another parish, but they knew the trip would be worth it.

They got more than they bargained for, though. The grill was bought, loaded in the truck, brought home and unloaded, and the next day, they went out there to set up to grill that night's dinner.

That's when they heard the noises from inside the grill.

You know me, so you know where this goes. That's right, a mama cat had decided that grill was the perfect nursery.

Not charcoal, although found in a grill.

Yes, four. Yes, they are black.

Only about 2-3 days old, two boys, two girls. More than anyone bargain's for when buying a used grill.

Today is

Aerosol Day -- John D. Lynde receives a patent for an early aerosol dispenser on this day in 1862

All is Ours Day -- an internet holiday to remind us of what we do have

Be Kind to Lawyers Day -- after all, you will need one someday, for something

Buddah's Birthday -- Mahayana Buddhism in Japan (based on Gregorian Calendar, other Buddhists use a different dating system)
Hana Matsuri Flower Festival

Children's Day in Florida -- FL, US

Counter Stool Memorial Day -- when was the last time you got to sit on the stool at a diner counter and spin? if you can find such a place, go take a spin today

Craft Brewers Conference & Brewexpo America® -- Denver, CO, US (through the 11th)

DAB(Draw a Bird) Day -- a movement begun in Britain in the 1940's, encourages everyone to draw a picture of a bird, and share it with friends

Feast of the Hummingbird -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (date approximate)

Hammerin' Hank Day -- anniversary of his 715th homer in 1974, breaking Ruth's record

International Day of the Roma -- a celebration of Romani culture

Invocation of Lumps and Cysts -- Fairy Calendar (Goblin Celebration)

London Book Fair -- Earls Court, London, England (one of the world's most important book fairs; through the 10th)

Milk in Glass Bottles Day -- prior to this day in 1879, milk was sold in the container you brought with you to the seller

National Empanada Day

National Equal Pay Day -- US (the date of how far into 2014 a US woman had to work to earn what a US man did in 2013)http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html

Ramnawami / Ramanavami / Ram Navami/Chaitay Dashain/Smarta -- India; Nepal (Hindu celebration of thebirth of Rama, avatar of Vishnu; local festivities may vary) also
Swaminarayan Jayanti -- birth of Lord Swaminarayan for followers of the Swaminarayan tradition

Scottsdale Culinary Festival -- Scottsdale, AZ, US (six days, ten events, 20 wineries, 30 chefs, and 100 restaurants, all to raise money for arts education in the community)

Sealing the Frost -- Guatemala (Cuchumatan Indians ritual to protect their corn from frost; date approximate, always early in April)

St. Julie Billiart's Day (Patron against bodily ills, disease, and poverty)

Trading Cards for Grown-Ups Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and i got this out of my system dealing with Pokemon cards when my kids were young

Tutor Appreciation Day -- because some people need that extra boost

Zoo Lovers' Day -- go support your local zoo

Anniversary Today:

Voyageurs National Park established, Minnesta, US, 1975

Birthdays Today:

Kirsten Storms, 1984
Katee Sackhoff, 1980
Patricia Arquette, 1968
Robin Wright, 1966
Julian Lennon, 1963
John Schneider, 1960
Gary Carter, 1954
James Augustus “Catfish” Hunter, 1946
Stuart Pankin, 1946
Kofi Annan, 1938
Seymour Hersh, 1937
Shecky Greene, 1926
William D. Chase, 1922
Carmen Mcrae, 1920
Betty Ford, 1918
Sonja Henie, 1912
Mary Pickford, 1893
O. Raymond Knight, 1872
William Williams, 1731
Lewis Morris, 1726

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Twin Peaks"(TV), 1990
"White Horse Inn"(Musical), 1931
"The Bolt"(Shostakovich ballet), 1931 *Note: sometimes translated as "The Arrow"
"La Gioconda"(Ponchielli opera), 1876

Today in History:

Sultan Baybars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers in Syria, 1271
The first Jewish congregation in the US forms the Shearith Israel synagogue in NYC, 1730
The first fire escape, a wicker basket on a rope and pulley system, is patented, 1766
The statue Aphrodite of Milos (Venus de Milo) is discovered on the Aegean island of Melos, 1820
John D. Lynde patents the aerosol dispenser, 1862
William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons, 1886
The first recorded college basketball game occurs in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, 1893
Longacre Square in Midtown Manhattan is renamed Times Square after The New York Times, 1904
Auguste Deter, the first person officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, dies, 1906
The last meeting of the League of Nations is held, 1946
Hammerin' Hank Aaron hits his 715th home run, beating Babe Ruth's record, 1974
Retired tennis great Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS, acquired from blood transfusions during one of his two heart surgeries, 1992
The Republic of Macedonia joins the United Nations, 1993
The construction of the world's first building to integrate wind turbines is completed in Bahrain, 2008
The U.S. Department of Justice admits that it has probed WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts, defending the practice and dismissing privacy and freedom of speech concerns, 2011
Wikileaks released 1.7 million U.S diplomatic and intelligence documents from 1973-1976 when Henry Kissinger was U.S. Secretary of State, 2013

We have two cats whose names start with the letter H, so they have to share, in alphabetical order.

My name is Hope, and they named me that because they hoped that I would even survive. The big man of the house belongs to m

They say I'm a little mentally slow, but I love books. To sleep on, that is.

From what I've been told, I was found in a flower bed where the big man in the house works, by one of the gardeners. There were four of us, and two had already died, and the other didn't make it long. Our mama had been run over.

So the mama lady took me and brought me to the cat rescue and said, "May we raise this one, too?" even though she had a bunch at the time. They said yes, and that was only the start of my troubles.

Because I had almost starved, I was already very weak. Then, just as I was getting better, I got the sickness that killed a lot of kittens that season. The mama lady sat up with me, sleeping sitting up, and giving me fluids with the IV or medicine every half hour around the clock for two days. She took me to the emergency vet in the middle of the night once, too.

I survived, but the mama lady says there was a cost. I have one eye that is permanently dilated, and my head is really too small for the size of my body. I get lost in the house easily, mistaking where I am. When I used to get lost, I would just howl until someone would rescue me. Now I make it easy and don't usually leave the big man and the mama lady's bedroom

After all, why should I leave the room? I have a food bowl, I've trained the big man to leave the water dripping so I can always have fresh water, there's a litter box for when I decide to use it and the tile next to the tub for when I decide I don't want to use it. I get brushed every day a lot, and I love that. In fact, the mama lady says that I would let her brush until all my hair fell off!

It's a good life, especially since I probably shouldn't have survived to live it.

Horizon, get in here, it's your turn! Horizon!

Do I have to? Okay, but I'm scared.

Hello, I'm Horizon, and I lived on the street with my cat family until I was 3 months old. Then I a young lady caught me and brought me in her house and I was very scared and then she gave me to #1 Son as a birthday gift and he was mine until I decided I liked the big man of the house better so I moved into the bedroom with Hope

I'm scared -- the mama lady might ask me to move!

In fact, I'm still scared. I don't like outside any more. I used to try to get out of the front door, but the last time, I got beat up. No more of that.

I'm scared of the mama lady because she's the one who give me medicine and brushes me, and I'm scared of loud noises and I don't like to leave the room much and I'm scared of the rest of the cats.

The best part of my life is when the big man of the house spends time with me. That makes all the scared go away for a little while.

Today is:

Appomattox Day -- US (marking the end of the US Civil War on this day in 1865)

Astronauts' Day -- web generated by someone who wants all these brave people honored

Baghdad Liberation Day -- Kurdistan, Iraq

Bataan Day/Day of Valor -- Philippines (Araw ng Kagitingan)

Dita e Kushtetutes -- Kosovo (Constitution Day)

Dry Milk Day -- the first patent for powdered milk was issued this day in 1972 to Samuel Percy

Feast of Jalal (Glory) -- Baha'i

Gio to Hung Vuong Day -- Vietnam (National Day; celebrating the founding of the nation by Emperor Hung Vuong some three millenia ago)

Independence Restoration Day -- Georgia (formerly Day of National Unity)

Martyr's Day -- Tunisia

Name Yourself Day -- an internet holiday allowing you to change your name for a day, if you want to.

National Cherish An Antique Day -- hooray for old fashioned quality!

National Chinese Almond Cookie Day

National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day -- US

Observation of the Nazi Occupation -- Denmark (anniversary of the Nazi invasion)

Public Library Day -- US (anniversary of the opening of the first "publicly funded" library -- i.e. a tax based, free library -- in the US, in 1833 in Petersborough, New Hampshire)

Remembrance for Haakon Sigurdsson -- Asatru/Norse Pagan Calendar (Haakon the Great, one of the Jarls of Hladhir)

St. Casilda's Day (Patron against sterility)

St. Mary of Cleophas' Day (one of the Marys in the Bible who was present at the Crucifixion)

Verruca Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblin Celebration again)

Vimy Ridge Day -- Canada

Winston Churchill Day -- commemorates his becoming an honorary US citizen

World Konkani Day -- Goa (Official language of the Indian state of Goa; on the death anniversary of the pioneer of modern Konkani literature, Vaman Raghunath Varde Valaulikar)

Anniversaries Today:

Sophia Loren marries Carlo Ponti, 1966
Wayne Newton marries Kathleen McCrone, 1994
Charles, Prince of Wales, marries Camilla Parker-Bowles, 2005

Birthdays Today:

Elle Fanning, 1998
Kristen Stewart, 1990
Jesse McCartney, 1987
Leighton Meester, 1986
Taylor Kitsch, 1981
Keshia Knight Pulliam, 1979
Rachel Stevens, 1978
Gerard Way, 1977
Austin Peck, 1971
Jacques Villeneueve, 1971
Cynthia Nixon, 1966
Paulina Prizkova, 1965
Dennis Quaid, 1954
Michael Learned, 1939
Avery Schreiber, 1935
Jean-Paul Belmondo, 1933
Paul Krassner, 1932
Tom Lehrer, 1928
Hugh Hefner, 1926
John Presper Eckert, Jr., 1919
Ward Bond, 1903
Paul Robeson, 1898
Efrem Zimbalist, 1889
Frank King, 1883
Eadweard Muybridge, 1830
Charles Baudelaire, 1821
Tamerlane, 1336

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Ticket to Ride"(Beatles' single), 1965
"Diamond Lil"(Play), 1928
"Shadow of a Gunman"(Play), 1923
The World, the Flesh and the Devil(Film), 1914

Today in History:

The Mongol hordes defeat the Poles and Germans in the Battle of Liegnitz, 1241
Robert Cavalier de la Salle reaches the mouth of the Mississippi River and claims all the land drained by the river and its tributaries for France, 1682
The African Methodist Episcopal church in the US is formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1816
The oldest audible sound recording of a human voice is made, 1860
Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the US Civil War, 1865
Passing by a single vote, the United States Senate ratifies a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska, 1967
The Hudson Bay Company cedes its territory to Canada, 1869
Jumbo the Elephant arrives in the US, 1882
The Titanic leaves Queenstown, Ireland for NYC, 1912
The first full color film, "World, The Flesh, and The Devil", premiers in London, 1914
Mae West makes her NYC debut in "Diamond Lil," 1928
The first Japanese built aircraft to fly to Europe, the Kamikaze, arrives at Croydon Airport in London, 1937
The Suez Canal is officially opened for shipping, 1957
NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the "Mercury Seven", 1959
In the first game in the Astrodome, Houston beats the Yankees 2-1 in an exhibition game, and Mickey Mantle hits the first indoor home run, 1967
The first British built Concorde makes its first flight, 1969
Georgia declares its independence from Russia, 1991
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, at Westminster Abbey, 2002
Facebook purchases Instagram, a photo sharing application, for $1 billion, 2012

We are blessed, we are a generally healthy bunch. Mostly we've had the typical bumps, bruises, stitches on occasion, a couple of broken bones, and the normal range of colds, ear infections, and etc.

This last couple of weeks, though, has been a bit of a bump. As i noted a few days ago, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, got sick, passed it to Sweetie, who passed it to Little Girl. She was out of school for 3 days.

Then, as she put it, the "time of the month" took over where the illness left off, and as soon as the cramps subsided, she came down with a sore throat.

Back to the doctor we went. The good news is that it's not strep or mono, they tested for both. The bad news is that this means it's just one of those red, raw, sore throats that make you feel awful. She will be back to scx=hool today, though.

On the note of illnesses and surgeries and such, a kitten update. We took Lorax to the vet specialists, one of whom fell flat out in love with him. They said it's a severe cleft that can be repaired. They want me to continue to bottle feed him for at least 4 weeks, maybe even up to 6. Then they will do surgery, and they've promised to make it cost as little as they can get away with, because it's for the rescue group.

They also noted that, because he's a Persian and their faces tend to grow wider not longer as they grow older, there is a good likelihood that he will need another corrective surgery in the future.

Carol is going to tell all of this to the family that wants to adopt him, and ask if they are willing to wait or want to chose another cat. Either way, he's so cute and fuzzy and there won't be a problem adopting him out.

Today is

ASPCA Day/Humane Day -- anniversary of founding in 1866

Birthday of Cybele -- Ancient Roman Calendar (great mother goddess)

Commodore Perry Day

Dust the Ceiling Fan Day -- before it gets hot and you have to turn it on and find out you forgot how dusty it gets up there the hard way

Encourage a Young Writer Day -- can't find out who started this, but it sounds like a great idea; one website says this year's theme is "Write Your Autobiography"

Feast of Bau -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (date approximate, around the same time of year the Romans honored Cybele)

Feast of Ezekiel the Prophet -- Roman Catholic

Feast of the Rivers and Seas -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar (mother of Ea[Earth]; date approximate, around the same time of year the Romans honored Cybele)

Fiesta San Antonio -- San Antonio, Texas, US (annual celebration that honors the memory of Texas heroes who fought in the Texas war for Independence. More that 150 events, with sporting events, fireworks, dances...all culminating with the traditional "Battle of Flowers" parade! through the 27th)

Founder's Day -- Salvation Army (birth anniversary of the founder, William Booth)

Frances Perkins Day -- US (birth anniversary of the first woman appointed to a Presidential Cabinet position)

French Quarter Festival -- New Orleans, Louisiana, US (celebrate all that makes the Vieux Carre special, antiques, food, and 275 hours of musical entertainment; through Sunday)

Golfer's Day -- anniversary of founding of the Professional Golfers' Association of America in 1916

Iroquois Thunder Ceremony -- Iroquois Native Americans (week long ceremonial thanksgiving for the rain, which brings new growth in spring; date approximate, but most tribes celebrate in mid-April)

National Alcohol Screening Day® 2014 -- US (find a way to get screened here)

National Cinnamon Crescent Day

National Farm Animals Day -- UShttp://www.farmanimalsday.com/

National Siblings Day -- US http://www.siblingsday.org/

Safety Pin Day -- patented this day in 1849 by Walter Hunt

Spring Fair in Puyallup -- Puyallup, WA, US (fun for the family, every year since 1900; through Sunday)

St. Macarius of Antioch's Day (Patron of plague victims; Ghent, Belgium)

Birthdays Today:

Haley Joel Osment, 1988
Mandy Moore, 1984
Ryan Merriman, 1983
Liz McClarnon, 1981
Shemekia Copeland, 1979
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, 1957
Peter MacNicol, 1954
Steven Seagal, 1952
Paul Edward Theroux, 1941
Joe Don Meredith, 1938
John Madden, 1936
Omar Sharif, 1932
Dolores Huerta, 1930
Max Von Sydow, 1929
Chuck Connors, 1921
Robert Burns Woodward, 1917
Harry Morgan, 1915
Frances Perkins, 1880
Joseph Pulitzer, 1847
William Booth, 1829
James Bowie, 1796
Commodore Matthew Perry, 1794
Hugo Grotius, 1583(O.S. date)
Cybele, Roman goddess (traditional, year unknown)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Entertainer"(Play), 1957
House of Wax(Film), 1951 Note: first full color 3D film from a major studio
The Great Gatsby(Publication), 1925
Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der heiligen Schrift/A German Requiem, To Words of the Holy Scriptures, Op. 45(Brahms' Requiem), 1868

Today in History:

Halley's Comet and Earth experienced their closest approach to one another when their separating distance equaled 0.0342 AU (3.2 million miles), 837
the lama Deshin Shekpa visits the Ming Dynasty capital at Nanjing. He is awarded with the title Great Treasure Prince of Dharma, 1407
The Charter of the Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America, 1606
The first law regulating copyright is issued in Great Britain, 1710
The Mount Tambora volcano in Indonesia begins its peak eruption period that lasts until July 15, 1815
The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town Messolonghi start leaving the town after a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive, 1826
The NY "Tribune" begins publishing under editor Horace Greeley, 1841
The safety pin is patented by Walter Hunt of NYC, who sells the rights for only $100, 1849
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh, 1866
The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska, 1874
The Titanic leaves Southampton, England, 1912
Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos, 1919
Warner Brothers debuts the first 3-D movie, "House of Wax," 1953
Adolf Eichmann is put on trial as a war criminal in Israel, 1961
In an attempt to thaw relations with the United States, the People's Republic of China hosts the U.S. table tennis team for a weeklong visit, 1971
A 7.0 earthquake kills 1/5 of population of Iranian province of Fars, 1972
H J Heinz, Van Camp Seafood & Bumble Bee Seafood say they would not buy tuna caught in nets that also trap dolphins, 1989
A rare tropical storm develops in the Southern Hemisphere near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites, 1991
President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces he will suspend the constitution and assume all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis, 2009

What kind of vehicle does the mom of a barely scraping by family drive?

Jalopy

A Jalopy, of course. In fact, her name is Jalopy.

She's an old Saturn Relay minivan. She had to have a new engine a couple of months ago, and she still needs more work. Sometimes she shifts very abruptly. One of her back seats hasn't been able to be unfolded for a couple of years, so she can no longer hold more than 5, instead of her previous 7.

There are dents from parking lots on both sides, the glove box door fell off, and because she is not really worth a whole lot, we never lock the doors unless we have something inside her we don't want taken.

She's a work horse, shared by me and #2 Son, and Little Girl is learning to drive in her. If you look at the picture, you might be able to see that one tail light is taped back together with clear tape, and the side of the bumper looks loose. It is loose, it's held on by duct tape, which can fix anything except a broken heart.

Part of me really enjoys Jalopy, even if the remotes quit working and she's not worth much. She gets the job done, so she's worth a whole lot to me.

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

Today is

Barbershop Quartet Day -- founding day of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America

Buchenwald Liberation Day -- at 3:15pm local time, by the Third Army

Dogwood Festival -- Atlanta, GA, US (fine art, and beautiful trees; through Sunday)

Education and Sharing Day -- in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994).

Eight Track Tape Day -- do you remember those; someone who fondly does has a day to honor them

Fast and Prayer Day -- Liberia

Festival of Unmediated Play -- just go out there and have fun, like kids do

Global Youth Service Day -- annual campaign to mobilize children and youth to make a difference (through Sunday)

Holiday in Dixie -- Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana, US (ten days celebrating the Louisiana Purchase and what it meant to the US; at least, that's the formal excuse for a really fun party!)

International "Louie Louie" Day -- a song that caused such a stir it deserves a day; on the birth anniversary of its composer, Richard Berry

Juan Santamaria Day -- Costa Rica (commemoration of the hero of the Battle of Rivas)

Liberation Day -- Uganda (fall of Idi Amin)

Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest -- Washington, MO, US (professional BBQ competition, plus music and fun; through tomorrow)

Mennonite Relief Sale -- Hutchinson, Kansas, US (Mennonite, Bretheren in Christ, and Amish congregations from all across the area auction quilts, grandfather clocks, furniture, tools and crafts to raise money for hunger relief worldwide, through tomorrow)

M&M Crisis in Space Day -- on this day in 1996, American astronaut Shannon Lucid reported from Space Station Mir that she was out of M&Ms; it was the only thing she regularly requested for resupply in her 188 days there!

National Cheese Fondue Day

National Pet Day -- US (it's about the love)

National Teach Children to Save Day -- sponsored by the American Banking Association

Ozark UFO Conference -- Eureka Springs, Arkansas, US (experts -?- from around the world meet to exchange the latest info on UFOs; through Sunday)

Pet Day USA -- Adopt! Don't Shop!

St. Antipas' Day (spiritual student of St. John, mentioned in the Book of the Revelation of St. John)

St. Stanislaus' Day (Patron of soldiers in battle; Cracow, Poland; Plock, Poland; Poland, where he is celebrated on May 8)

Tsechu Festival -- Paro, Bhutan (religious celebration in honor of Padmasambhava, with colorfully dressed monks performing masked rituals; through the 15th)

World Parkinson's Disease Day

Anniversary Today:

Spelman College is founded, 1881

Birthdays Today:

Joss Stone, 1987
Tricia Helfer, 1974
Vincent Gallo, 1961
Bill Irwin, 1950
Ellen Goodman, 1948
Meshach Taylor, 1947
Peter Riegert, 1947
Louise Lasser, 1939
Richard Berry, 1935
Tony Brown, 1933
Joel Grey, 1932
Ethel Kennedy, 1928
Oleg Cassini, 1913
Jane Matilda Bolin, 1908
Dalia "Dale" Messick, 1906
Percy Julian, 1899
Lizzie “Lillie” Bliss, 1864
Charles Evans Hughes, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"On Your Toes"(Musical), 1936
"Matthäus-Passion/St. Matthew's Passion"(Bach BWV 244), 1727

Today in History:

William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain, 1689
The last execution for witchcraft in Germany takes place, 1775
President Abraham Lincoln makes his last public speech, urging a spirit of concilliation during reconstruction, 1865
The Shogunate is abolished in Japan, 1868
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized, 1876
Ellis Island is designated as an immigration station, 1890
Spain cedes Puerto Rico to the United States in the treaty ending the Spanish American War, 1899
The US Navy aquires its first submarine, designed by John P. Holland, 1900
Albert Einstein announces his Special Theory of Relativity, 1905
The International Labour Organization is founded, 1919
The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found in Arbroath Abbey where Scottish nationalist students had taken it from Westminster Abbey, 1951
Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule, 1957
Apollo 13 is launched, 1970
The Apple I is created, 1976
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed, 1979
The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan, 1987
Australia beats American Samoa in a 31-0 win, the biggest ever in an international match of football, 2001
The French ban of Islamic women's face coverings goes into effect, 2011

Greetings, underling humans. I am Kida.

As you can plainly see if you are even a little bit smart, smart for a human at least, I am a Siamese. This, of course, means that I Am Cat.

I am Siamese. I am also literary.

This is something i have been trying to convince the mother person when she dares to call me "Kida the Mosquito." She pretends she can make that rhyme, by the way, pronouncing the final "o" incorrectly. Nevertheless, she claims that I am always buzzing around.

It's amazing what they try to get away with if I'm not on the ball!

To continue my story, though, it reaches back into a dark and mysterious past and I prefer to keep it that way. I was found on the streets with my very fine litter of 5 kittens, whom I was raising quite well thankyouverymuch. The rescue group, of course, decided that it wouldn't do for one of my stature to be on the street, and so I was taken in. When my litter were ready to be weaned and adopted out, they gave me 3 more kittens, orphans, to raise, and I did so.

At that point, I was done with motherhood. They tried to slip another litter in on me. I had enough of that. I kept them warm and clean, simply because I cannot stand the smell of unwashed kittens and I wasn't going to let them freeze. I would not nurse them. So the mother person here bottle fed them and I did most of the rest of the work.

Upon recognizing my tremendous sacrifice in doing this, and my excellent feline charms, and upon my recognizing that they simply couldn't run this house without my presence, the big man who goes to work asked that I stay here. He had always wanted a Siamese (he has good taste, I must give him that), and i agreed.

Hope and Horizon claim that the three of us are co-owners of the big man who works. I allow them to think so, however, I rule the roost with a stern look in my beautiful blue eyes and an iron paw. I do not put up with nonsense from any of the other felines in the house, as I am older and outrank them in breeding and in every other way.

Trust me, when the eyes aren't so dilated, they are very pretty blue.

So, now I have told you enough about myself, and as I really don't care to know anything about you unless you are willing to brush me or give me food, I will be getting back to my other duties.

Kida, attending important business.

Today is

Baby Massage Day

Big Wind Day -- anniversary of the strongest natural wind ever recorded on the earth's surfact, at Mount Washington, NH, US; the wind gusts reached 231 mph

Cimarron Territory Celebration and World Cow Chip–throwing® Championship Contest -- Beaver, OK, US ("a highly specialized organic sporting event", as well as poker fun, food, crafts, and a parade; through next Saturday)

D.E.A.R. Day (a/k/a Drop Everything And Read) -- sponsored by the ALA, on Bevery Cleary's birth anniversary

Eat All Your Snacks Before the Movie Even Starts Day -- with all the ads before the movie, doesn't that happen anyway?

Feast of Pak Tai -- Macau (Pak Tai who conquered the Demon King, celebrated the 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month)

Festival of Cerealia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (seven day public and private festival for Ceres)

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

Halifax Day -- North Carolina, US (anniversary of the resolution adopted authorizing voting for independence in 1776)

International Day for Street Children http://www.streetchildrenday.org/

John Wilkes Boothe Escape Route Tours -- Surrat House Museum, Clinton, MD, US (for Civil War history buffs, a 12 hour bus tour over the route used by Lincoln's assassin; every Saturday through May 3)

Kasama Tsutsuji Matsuri -- Kasama, Japan (Azalea festival attended by about 3 million people over the next 3-4 weeks)

Kentucky Derby Festival -- Louisville, KY, US (the warm-up celebration for the big race, much of which is free; through May 2)

Laotian New Year's Eve -- Laos (celebrations last through the 15th and sometimes beyond; at the start of the monsoon season)

Lazarus Saturday -- Orthodox Christian
     Lazarovden -- Bulgaria (along with celebrating the raising of Lazarus, there are fertility rituals, especially involving young maidens, and honoring the goddesses of spring and love)

National Licorice Day -- go see the Licorice Ladies if you are a big fan!

Sinhala & Tamil New Year's Eve -- Sri Lanka

Slow Art Day -- a global all-volunteer event with the simple mission of helping more people discover for themselves the joy of looking at and loving art

St. Sabas' Day (Patron of Lectors, torture victims)

St. Zeno's Day (Patron of anglers, children learning to speak, children learning to walk, fishermen, newborn babies; city and diocese of Verona, Italy)

Thingyan -- Myanmar (Burmese Water Festival; part of the New Year celebrations)

Walk on Your Wild Side Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, a day in which to do something no one would expect from you

Yasurai Matsuri -- Imamiya Jinja, Kyoto, Japan (festival to prevent ill health)

Yuri's Night -- International (Commemoration of first human in space, Yuri Gagarin)
     Cosmonaut's Day -- Russia
     International Day of Human Space Flight -- UN

Birthdays Today:

Saoirse Ronan, 1994
Riley Smith, 1982
Claire Danes, 1979
Sarah Jane Morris, 1977
Nicholas Brendon, 1971
Shannen Doherty, 1971
Nick Hexum, 1970
Art Alexakis, 1962
vince Gill, 1957
Andy Garcia, 1956
David Cassidy, 1950
Tom Clancy, 1947
Dan Lauria, 1947
David Letterman, 1947
Ed O'Neill, 1946
Herbie Hancock, 1940
Dennis Banks, 1937
Tiny Tim, 1930
Ann Miller, 1923
Beverly Cleary, 1916
Henry Clay, 1777
Lyman Hall, 1724
Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, BC599

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"21 Jump Street"(TV), 1987
"Your Hit Parade"(Radio), 1935
"Madame Bovary"(Publication date), 1857
"Oberon, or The Elf King's Oath"(Weber opera), 1826
"The Tatler"(Journal, first edition), 1709 Note: this original version of a publication with the name lasted only two years

Today in History:

Constantinople falls to the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire, 1204
The formal inquest of Galileo by the Inquisition begins, 1633
The first edition of Tatler Magazine is published in London, 1709
The American Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, 1861
George C Blickensderfer patents a portable typewriter, 1892
Pierre Prier makes the first nonstop flight from London to Paris, in 3h 56m, 1911
Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England, 1937
The strongest surface wind gust ever measured, 231 mph, at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, 1943
The Salk vaccine is declared safe and effective, 1955
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space, 1961
Samuel Doe takes over Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending 130 years of peaceful and democratic presidential successions, 1980
The first launch of a space shuttle, the Colombia, 1981
The Euro Disney Resort officially opens (now Disneyland Paris), 1992
Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam, 1994
Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwe Dollar as their currency, 2009
Following the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster, Japan raises the crisis level to 7, equal to the disaster in Chernoby, 2011

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus. It's easy to link up and laugh up!

Today is Palm Sunday. Our church usually has multiple services, but today is different. We all gather for one service. Before it begins, Amos the Donkey leads us around the block in front of the church, and then we file in. After the service, we gather again outside where the children hunt eggs and play in the "bouncy houses" or whatever those things are actually called, and we have a big picnic lunch. It's a nice time, and we all look forward to it every year.

Thinking about church has reminded me about Tee Boudreaux and the preacher.

Like mos' Cajuns, de Boudreaux's is Cat'lic(Catholic). But when dere frien' from up dere in Shrevepo't died, dey went to de service, even though de frien' was a non-denomination Christian.

Well, it were an ol' church, and de equipment weren't de newest, and de preacher carried a mic dat had a cord, not one of dem new cordless ones. An' dis preacher, let me done tole you, when he get to preachin', he start pacing back and forth, and turnin' dis way and dat, and he get hisself all worked up. He keep preachin'. and movin' aroun' dat stage, an' de cord from dat dere mic end up wrap aroun' him a bit, an' he kick it out de way, but it keep doin' dat as he gets more and more worked up.

After a while, he jes' ignore dat cord, and keep stridin' up an' down and it gets aroun' him, and he's 'bout hollering, an' Tee, who ain't never seen nothin' like dis in a church, well, his eyes dey be as big as saucers.

Fin'ly, Tee lean back against his mamere, Clothile, an he ax, "Mais! If he come loose from dat rope, is we gonna be safe?"

Today is

All Ireland Dance Championships -- London, England (the world championships of Irish Dance; through next Sunday)

Anniversary of the Election of Pope Francis -- Holy See (Vatican City)

Day to Give Thanks for Fish/Seafood -- anniversary of the US Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1976

Environmental Protection Day -- anniversary of the 1962 publication of Silent Spring

Feast of Rotten Endings -- because some stories just don't end well

Global Day to End Child Sexual Abuse -- sponsored by The Innocence Revolution

Huguenot Day -- Huguenot Society of the US (anniversary of the 1598 Edict of Nantes, in which King Henry IV promoted peace between Catholics and Protestants)

Ides of April -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
     Festival of Libertas -- personification of freedom and political liberty
     Festival of Jupiter Libertas
     Festival of Jupiter Victor

International Plant Appreciation Day -- unsponsored by any but those who love plants

London Marathon -- Greenwich to The Mall, London, England

Mahavir Jayanti -- Jain (local dates may vary)

National Library Week begins -- US (sponsored by the ALA, this year's theme is "Lives change @ your library.")

National Peach Cobbler Day

Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday -- Christian/Orthodox Christian

Poshui Jie -- Jinghong, China (Water Splashing Festival; a 3 to four day festival around this time)

Scrabble Day -- anniversary of the 1899 birth of its inventor, Alfred Mosher Butts

Semana Santa -- Holy Week in Spain and Spanish speaking areas; special celebrations:
     Mexico -- through the country, but especially in Chiapas, with processions, costumes, and even fireworks, music, dance, and syncretic rituals
     Seville, Spain -- with hundreds of shuffling penitents in their hoods making the torch lit processions through the town; through Easter)

Songkran Festival / Chiang Mai Songkran / Tamil New Year / Bangla New Year / Bisket Jatra -- Bangladesh; Cambodia; India; Laos; Myanmar; Nepal; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Thailand (New Year festivals, celebrated over the next few days, as the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries)

Squashing of Moonhopper Day -- Fairy Calendar

St. Hermengild's Day (Patron of converts; against drought, flood, and thunderstorms)

Thingyan -- Myanmar (Water Festival; through the 16th)

Thomas Jefferson Day -- US

U.S. Elephant Day -- marking the arrival of the first elephant in the US in 1796

World Youth Day -- sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church; this 29th celebration is themed "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3) and Pope Francis message to young people for this day is here

Yayoi Matsuri -- Nikko, Japan (five day spring festival)

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Brandis, 1976
Rick Schroder, 1970
Garry Kasparov, 1963
Saundra Santiago, 1957
Max Weinberg, 1951
Peabo Bryson, 1951
Ron Pearlman, 1950
Al Green, 1946
Tony Dow, 1945
Lowell George, 1945
Jack Casady, 1944
Bill Conti, 1942
Paul Sorvino, 1939
Lyle Waggoner, 1935
Don Adams, 1926
Howard Keel, 1919
Eudora Welty, 1909
Samuel Beckett, 1906
Butch Cassidy, 1866
F.W. Woolworth, 1852
Thomas Jefferson, 1743
Guy Fawkes, 1570

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Arcadia"(Play), 1993
Casino Royale(Film), 1967
Silent Spring(Publication date), 1962
"El Capitan"(Operetta), 1896
"Messiah"(Oratorio, HWV 56), 1742

Today in History:

The Seventh Crusade is defeated in Egypt with the capture of Louis IX of France, 1250
Henry IV of France signs the Edict of Nantes, granting freedom of religion and political rights to Huguenots (French Protestants), 1598
John Dryden, age 36, becomes the first English Poet Laureate, 1668
George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland, 1742
The first elephant seen in the Western Hemisphere arrives from India, 1796
The British Parliament grants religious freedom to Roman Catholics, 1829
Hungary becomes a republic, 1849
The first US Pony Express run is completed, 1860
George Westinghouse patents a steam powered brake, 1869
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded, 1870
J.C. (James Cash) Penney opens his first store, 1902
British troops fire on unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar, India, killing at least 379 and wounding over 1,200 more, 1919
Helen Hamilton becomes the first woman US Civil Service Commissioner, 1920
Lord Clydesdale makes the first flight over Mt. Everest, 1933
The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated on the 200th anniversary of his birth, in Washington, D.C., 1943
Van Cliburn becomes the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, 1958
Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field, 1963
An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon, 1970
The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan, 1972
Western Union (in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft) launches the United States' first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1, 1974
Portugal and the People's Republic of China sign an agreement in which Macau would be returned to China in 1999, 1987
Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament, 1997
Former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak and sons, Alaa and Gamal, are detained for 15 days of questioning regarding charges of corruption and abuse of power, 2011
The People's Republic of China and the U.S. agree to work towards eliminating nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula, 2013

Hello, everyone! I'm Link! Also sometimes called Linker-Stinker, or Tuna Breath by Little Girl, whom I own.

I'm so good looking, and I know it!

They say a wonderful lady found me one day, after a huge rainstorm, when she was out for a walk. I was in the leaves by the ditch, yelling for my mama. Since mama was nowhere to be found, and I was wet and cold, the lady brought me where I could be bottle fed.

The mama lady here says I was the smallest kitten she'd ever bottle raised. She didn't expect me to make it. Because I was alone with no siblings to play with, she took special care to hold me a lot and socialize me well.

I grew up to be quite the handsome, fun loving guy! Little Girl and I love to play together, and get into mischief. I will run around like a kitten even though I'm now about a 2-year-old. It's such fun to run and jump on people, and tear through the house like a mad thing.

All this damage is the handiwork of yours truly!

Little Girl sometimes takes me outside, and that's so cool! She lets me run in the grass in the back yard, and sometimes I try to dig in the mud. I don't ever try to run away, because I'm smart enough to know I own a great kid!

The one thing I sometimes don't like is that the #1 Son moved back in, and brought Mikey with him. I mean, I know, I grew up with Mikey and Dansig, they were the ones who played with me and taught me how to be a good cat and all, but I got used to Mikey being gone. So when he came back, I stalked him a lot. He didn't like it, and we fought a few times. It's all okay now, but it really was odd having him back at first.

Well, because the mama lady is doing this by alphabet, whatever that is, I have to share my day with Little Girly, who is an old lady and cranky. Just don't tell her I said that.

I heard that! Old and cranky. Well, I am 9 years old, almost 10, but I'd hardly describe myself as old and cranky.

I may be literary, and fuss at the young ones, but that doesn't make me cranky!

Since I'm supposed to tell you where I came from (my cat mother, of course!), I'll get that over with. I was one of a litter of four who was orphaned by a car running over our mom, and bottle raised here. Because I bore a striking resemblance to the original cat they had whose name was Girlie, I was kept. There, that's enough of that.

Bigger Girl belongs to me, and everyone better know it. I edit her papers for her. She's in college, and she really does need an editor when she's writing papers. So I sit in her lap while she types, and I watch the screen. She asks, and sometimes, I gotta tell you, it's a mess. Other times, it's good stuff, which she learned from me. Trust me when I tell you, I'm always honest with her about whether it's good or bad.

If there are books, I'm around them.

She claims I'm a communist, and that I've turned her bed into the coolective, but I just say I deserve everything. I'm a cat, after all.

Today is

Ambedkar Jayanti -- India (birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, father of the Indian Constitution)

Americas Day -- Honduras

Black Day -- South Korea (for those who got neither Valentine's gifts nor White Day gifts; singles wear black and get together to eat black noodle soup)

Celebrations in the Houses of Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Children with Alopecia Day -- children lose their hair for many reasons, some information about it is here

Day of Mologa -- Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia (commemorates the destruction of the town of Mologa during the construction of the Rybinsk Reservoir)

Day of the Georgian Language -- Georgia (marking the 1978 protests of Soviet attempts to suppress the Georgian language)

Elfin Choir Congress -- Fairy Calendar

Ex Spouse Day -- why?

Global Day of Action on Military Spending -- sponsored by by the International Peace Bureau (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)http://demilitarize.org/

Heavenly Sage Bao Sheng’s Birthday -- Taoism

International Moment of Laughter Day -- started by Izzy Gesell www.izzyg.com

Kinetoscope Day -- the first commercial exhibition of motion pictures through Edison's "peep show" device occurred on this day in 1894

Look Up At The Sky Day -- internet generated, no history on this one, but if it's a pretty day, take advantage of it (some sites say April 12, but since we don't know who started it, today is fine)

National Dolphin Day

National Love Our Children Day -- sponsored by STOMP Out Bullying and Love Our Children USA

National Pecan Day -- http://www.nationalpecanday.com/

N'Ko Alphabet Day -- Mande Language Speakers

Pan American Day -- Order of the American States

Pathologists' Assistant Day -- US (American Association of Pathologists' Assistants)

Pesach -- Judaism (Passover; begins at sundown)

Rato Machhindranath Jatra -- Nepal (chariot races for the god of rain; cannot confirm this year's date, but always begins mid-April)

Reach as High as You Can Day -- internet generated, and listed on various dates; a good idea, anyway, whenever you decide to celebrate it

Runic Half Month of Man (humanity) begins

Sacrifices to Leto, Pythian Apollon, Zeus, Hermes, and the Dioscuri in the Deme of Erichia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Sidereal Equinox New Year Celebrations -- throughout South and Southeast Asia, including
    * Assamese New Year, or Rongali Bihu (India's Assam Valley)
    * Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh (Bangladesh and India's West Bengal state)
    * Burmese New Year, or Thingyan (Burma)
    * Hindu and Sikh New Year, or Vaisakhi (Punjab region)
    * Khmer New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey, most commonly celebrated on April 13 (Cambodia)
    * Lao New Year, or Songkan / Pi Mai Lao, generally celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Laos)
    * Malayali New Year, or Vishu (India's Kerala state)
    * Nepali New Year, or Bikram Samwat / Vaishak Ek (Nepal)
    * Oriya New Year, or Maha Visuba Sankranthi (India's Orissa state)
    * Sinhalese New Year, or Aluth Avurudhu (Sri Lanka)
    * Tamil New Year, or Puthandu (India's Tamil Nadu state)
    * Thai New Year, or Songkran, celebrated from 13 to 15 April (Thailand)
    * Tuluva New Year, or Bisu (India's Karnataka state)

Sommarsblot -- Ancient Norse Calendar (celebration of the coming summer, with sacrifices to the gods over the next several days; through Walpurgis/May 1)

Spring Hula Hooping Day -- try out the old hula hoop one more time, then toss it

St. Benezet's Day (Patron of bachelors, bridge builders; Avignon, France)

St. Lydwina of Schiedam's Day (Patron of ice skating/roller skating/skaters, prolonged suffering, sick people; Schiedam, Netherland; against bodily ills and sickness)

St. Peter Gonzalez's Day (Patron of boatmen, mariners, sailors, watermen)

St. Tiburtius' Day (Considered the day the cuckoos return to England for the spring)

Takayama Spring Festival -- Takayama City, Japan (often considered one of the 3 most beautiful festivals in Japan; through tomorrow)

Vaisaki/Baisakhi -- Sikh (celebration of the spring grain harvest and of the rebirth of the Sikh religion in the 15th Century)

Youth Day -- Angola

Birthdays Today:

Abigail Breslin, 1996
Sarah Michelle Gellar, 1977
Adrien Brody, 1973
Anthony Michael Hall, 1968
Greg Maddux, 1966
Cynthia Cooper, 1963
Robert Carlyle, 1961
Brad Garrett, 1960
Emma Thompson, 1959
Ritchie Blackmore, 1945
Julie Christie, 1941
Pete Rose, 1941
Loretta Lynn, 1935
Rod Steiger, 1925
John Gielgud, 1904
Arnold Joseph Toynbee, 1889
Anne Sullivan, 1866
Emperor Momozono, 1741
Christiaan Huygens, 1629

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Boys in the Band"(Musical), 1968
"Bye Bye, Birdie"(Musical), 1960
The Grapes of Wrath(Publication date), 1939
"Jeux d'enfants"(Ballet), 1932
"Murders in the Rue Morgue"(Publication date), 1841
American Dictionary of the English Language(Publication date), 1828

Today in History:

Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, who is wounded, BC 43
Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions, beginning the Siege of Jerusalem, 70
Temur, grandson of Kublai Khan, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, 1294
The foundation stone of Cathedral St. Peter and St. Paul in Nantes, France is laid, 1434
Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush establish the first abolitionist society in the US, 1775
Napoleon calls for establishing Jerusalem for the Jews, 1799
Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary, 1828
The Donner Party departs Springfield, Illinois, 1846
Harriet Tubman begins her first Underground Railroad run, 1853
William Bullock patents the continuous-roll printing press, 1863
Abraham Lincoln is shot at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth, 1865
Canada sets denominations of currency as dollars, cents, & mills, 1871
Canada passes the Dominion Lands Act, 1872
The RMS Titanic hits an iceberg at 11:40pm and sinks 2 hours later, 1912
The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden, 1927
The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press, 1939
The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit, 1958
The heaviest hailstones ever recorded, at 1 kilogram, hailstones fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92, 1986
The most costly natural disaster in Australian history, a hailstorm, strikes Sydney, Australia, 1999
The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%, 2003
The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County, 2005
Ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano drifts towards Europe, causing air traffic to close over Northern Norway, 2010
The first-ever European MP's of Croatia are determined in an election held in anticipation of Croatia gaining formal entry into the European Union, 2013

Okay, everyone! Pipe down! It's my turn, so clear out!

Everyone else gone? Good.

Hi, I'm Mikey. I own #1 Son, well, co-own him with Enigma. I don't mind admitting that, either, as she's cool. She grooms me, and with my long hair, that's a good friend who does that!

Me, guarding the front door.

As for the rest of these clowns in this house that try to pass for felines, well, some of them don't want to acknowledge me as boss! Can you believe it? I mean really, you move away for a year, and when you come back Link goes out of his way to pick fights! I mean, I helped raise that little stinker.

Me, just chillin'.

Now, Dansig, he remembered that I am top cat, and he is my friend, always was and always will be. Most of the others are afraid of me enough not to argue. That's the beauty of being the biggest and a Maine Coon mix, I'm big enough to get the point across to everyone. Well, i keep having to prove that to the Tripod, who is a foster and just visiting and ought to be glad she even has a place, and that Siamese. She is stuck up. We get on as long as we mostly stay away from each other, and I'm willing to let her think she's in charge since she's 12 years old, I know I'm the ruler, though

I'm king, and sit where I choose!

Don't get me wrong, either, I'm a great person owner. I love my boy and his whole family. I'm one of the most loving cats there is with the people I claim. I just don't tolerate any nonsense from other cats. Come on, I even let Little Girl put flowers on me, so you know i'm mostly laid back.

Aren't I patient -- and handsome1

Well, I guess that's about all I had to say, except that when I was orphaned as a baby and raised here, I lucked out that #1 Son realized I'd make such a good person owner.

Hey, hey! Why are you sneaking back in here!

Sorry folks, gotta go. See you soon!

Today is

Celtic Tree Month Saille (willow) begins

Day of the Sun -- North Korea (Kim Il Sung's Birthday)

Eighty-Niner Days Celebration -- Guthrie, OK, US (commemoration of the Oklahoma Territory Land Run of April 22, 1889, celebrating their heritage with chuck wagon feeds, "gunfights", a parade and carnival; through Saturday)

Fast Food Day -- the first franchised McDonald's opened this day in 1955 in Des Plaines, IL, US

Father Damien Day -- Hawaii, US (Patron of lepers)

Festival of Heru; Festival of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fluff Appreciation Day -- internet generated; i guess as a distraction for Tax Day

Fordicalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (cow sacrifice to the earth mother, Tellus Mater)

Full Pink Moon -- a/k/a Full Sprouting Moon, Grass Moon, Egg Moon, White Moon, Virgin Moon, and Fish Moon; in other traditions
     Bak Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka
     Tagu Full Moon -- Myanmar

Guangzhou (Canton) Spring Trade Fair -- Guangzhou (Canton), China (a month-long spring trade fair held the same dates each year)

Hanuman Jayanti -- Hindu (local dates may vary)

Hillsborough Disaster Memorial -- Anfield at Liverpool, England

Income Tax Pay Day -- Philippines; US
     related observances:
     Freak Out Day
     National Griper's Day (after all, you have to pay your taxes, and the Titanic sank today*)
     Tax Resistors' Day -- good luck!
     That Sucks Day (appropriate, isn't it)

Jackie Robinson Day -- Major League Baseball

Lord's Evening Meal -- Jehovah's Witness

National Glazed Ham Day

National Library Workers Day -- US (always the Tuesday of National Library Week)

Passover -- Judaism (began sundown yesterday; ends evening Apr. 22)

Rubber Eraser Day -- today in 1770, Joseph Priestly described a vegetable gum which had the ability to rub out pencil marks

St. Hunna's Day (Patron of laundresses, laundry workers, washerwomen)

Swallow Day -- England (traditional date of the return of chimney swallows)

Take a Wild Guess Day -- sponsored by Jim Barber as a day to honor guesses, hunches, inspirations, speculations and other forms of “intuitive intelligence;” just not on your taxes, please

Tipsa Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebration of the start of plowing)

Titanic Remembrance Day

World Creativity and Innovation Week -- always begins on DaVinci's birth anniversary
    World Art Day -- because he was an artist as well as inventor

*If you want to add others reasons why today should be considered "That Sucks Day", please go share your horror story of the day at www.thatsucks.net

Anniversary Today:

Gallaudet University is founded, 1817 (first US public school for the deaf)

Birthdays Today:

Emma Watson, 1990
Ilya Kovalchuck, 1983
Seth Rogen, 1982
Patrick Carney, 1980
Anna Torv, 1978
Emma Thompson, 1959
Evelyn Ashford, 1957
Heloise Cruse Evans, 1951
Amy Wright, 1950
Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, 1947
Claudia Cardinale, 1939
Roy Clark, 1933
Elizabeth Montgomery, 1933
Leon Schotter, 1922
Harold Washington, 1922
Hilda Simms, 1920
Hans Conried, 1917
Bessie Smith, 1894
Thomas Hart Benton, 1889
Sam Rodia, 1875
John Munroe Longyear, 1850
Henry James, 1843
Joseph E. Seagram, 1841
Charles Willson Peale, 1741(O.S. date)
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"In Living Color"(TV), 1990
"Driving Miss Daisy"(Play), 1987

Today in History:

Pope Innocent III refuses to grant permission to the Jews of Cordova, Spain, to build a synagogue, 1250
Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London, 1755
The first school for the deaf in the US opens in Hartford, Connecticut, 1817
The last day US silver coins are allowed to circulate in Canada, 1870
Harley Proctor begins producing Ivory Soap, 1878
General Electric Company is incorporated, 1892
The Titanic sinks, 1912
Insulin becomes available to diabetics, 1923
Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas, 1924
Jackie Robinson debuts with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947
White Rock, British Columbia officially separates from Surrey, British Columbia and is incorporated as a new city, 1957
Tokyo Disney Resort (and the Tokyo Disneyland park) opens in Tokyo Bay (Japan), 1983
Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in the People's Republic of China, 1989
Representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities sign the Marrakesh Agreements revising the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and initiating the World Trade Organization, 1994
Astronomers at San Francisco State University announce the discovery of the first multiplanet solar system besides our own, three planets around Upsilon Andromedaie, 1999
Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe, 2010
In a Schrodinger's cat experiment, researchers in Japan and Australia successfully teleport wave packets of light; this is the first transfer of quantum information from one point to another, 2011

Conversation overheard between Bigger Girl and a guy friend the other day:

Friend: So, what were you up to today?

Bigger Girl: I went to the Palm Sunday service this morning. Amos the Donkey was there, as usual, and I brought him an apple to eat. And the assistant pastor, whom I now call "Man Who Shouldn't Have Shaved That Morning If He Was Going to Play Jesus," couldn't find his costume so we were a few minutes late starting. Also, no one told him that Amos always stops at the same corner to try to nibble the grass. It was funny. The service was great, too.

Friend: That does sound fun. I just got back from my mon's birthday dinner with my family. We went to the Cheesecake Bistro and I had the chicken pasta. It was good.

Bigger Girl: It sounds good. After church, Grandpa picked us up and took us to a baseball game. He gets seats in a suite. It's not natural to watch baseball in a suite with men in suits and eat shrimp salad, you know? That's just not natural to watch a baseball game that way.

Friend: But I'll bet it tastes good!

Bigger Girl: Yes. Oh, and by the way, remember how we were talking about the upcoming superhero movies being made, and I was so excited they might be thinking of having one starring one of their female characters?

Friend: Yeah.

Bigger Girl: Well, it wasn't true. They've decided they don't think it will make enough money if it stars a female superhero. It's always guys who run things making those decisions, too! Always thinking the girls are lesser or can't draw enough interest.

Friend: Unfortunately, that's only too natural.

Today is

Day of Mushroom Encouragement -- Fairy Calendar

Dronningens fodselsdag -- Denmark (Birthday of Queen Margrethe II)

Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US

Holiday of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Jim Thorpe Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation in 1973)

National CPA's Goof Off Day -- US, the day after tax day because they deserve it!

National Bookmobile Day -- US, on the Wednesday of National Library Week

National Eggs Benedict Day

National Healthcare Decision Day -- US (to inspire, educate & empower the public & providers about the importance of advance care planning)

National Stress Awareness Day -- sponsored by the Health Resource Network (always on the first workday after paying taxes)

Offering to Demeter Khloe -- Ancient Greek Calendar (honoring Demeter as goddess of green shoots; date approximate)

St. Bernadette of Lourdes' Day (Patron of people ridiculed for their piety, poor people, shepherdesses, shepherds, sick people; Lourdes, France; against bodily ills, poverty, sickness)

St. Padarn's Day (Celtic peoples traditionally begin weeding crops on this saint's day)

Thank Your School Librarian Day --US, the Wednesday of National Library Week

Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day -- US (the day after you pay your taxes, bring the comforts of home to the office; sponsored by PajamaGram)

World Entrepreneurship Day

World Voice Day -- if you've ever had laryngitis, you know how important it is to protect your voice

Anniversaries Today:

Harry Connick, Jr. marries Jill Goodare, 1994
Founding of the University of Queensland, 1910

Birthdays Today:

Lilliana Mumy, 1994
Lucas Haas, 1976
Selena Quintanilla, 1971
Martin Lawrence, 1965
Jon Cryer, 1965
Ellen Barkin, 1955
Jay O. Sanders, 1953
Kareem Adbud-Jabbar, 1947
Dusty Springfield, 1939
Bobby Vinton, 1935
Herbie Mann, 1930
Edie Adams, 1929
Pope Benedict XVI, 1927
Henry Mancini, 1924
Kingsley Amis, 1922
Peter Ustinov, 1921
Barry Nelson, 1920
Merce Cunningham, 1919
Charlie Chaplin, 1889
John Millington Synge, 1871
Wilbur Wright, 1867
Jose De Diego, 1866
Anatole France, 1844
John Franklin, 1786
Hans Sloane, 1660

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Fibber McGee and Molly"(Radio), 1935
"Mazeppa"(Symphonic poem, Liszt' S 100), 1854
"The Contrast"(Comedy), 1787 (First play by an American author, Royall Tyler, to be professionally produced on stage)

Today in History:

Calculated date of the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, BC1178
The Jewish fortress of Masada falls to the Roman Army, ending the Jewish revolt, 73
Martin Luther is called before the Diet of Worms, 1521
Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina, 1582
The United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada, 1880
The first passenger rail opens in India, 1853
Ebenezer Bassett, the first African-American diplomat, begins his service in Haiti, 1869
US Marshal Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle, in Dodge City, 1881
Harriet Quimby becomes the first female pilot to cross the English Channel, 1912
Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British, 1919
Annie Oakley shoots a record 100 clay targets in a row, 1922
Dr. Albert Hofmann first ingests LSD, thus discovering its effects, 1943
Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1947
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation, 1963
The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean, 1992
The Queen Mary II embarks on her first transatlantic voyage, 2004
President of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo declares the First Ivorian Civil War to be over, 2007

It was an Oops sort of day.

#1 Son found out his car insurance premium will almost triple, because of his accidents and tickets.

Bigger Girl lost her wallet. It fell out of her pocket at the library. Someone turned it back in, minus her cash.

And, to top off the day, Little Girl had that day's biggest Oops of all:

Part of the front of our house.

Another view.

The good news? The Jalopy is fine!

Today is

American Academy of Arts and Letters Charter Day

Bat Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Bat Conservation International, at the time of year when bats begin awakening from hibernation

Blah, Blah, Blah Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Ellis Island Family History Day -- US (by proclamation of the nations governors and in conjunction with the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a day to celebrate the achievements and contribution of the immigrants and their descendants who came through Ellis Island; on the anniversary of the day, in 1907, when 11,747 immigrants were processed through the island, the most in one day)

Equality Day -- Canada (the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force on April 17, 1985, guaranteeing equality without regard to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability)

Flag Day -- American Samoa

Ford Mustang Day -- International (on the "birthday" of the vehicle)

Get to Know Your Customers Day (celebrated the 3rd Thursday quarterly)

Independence Day / Evacuation Day -- Syria

International Day of Peasants Struggle

Maundy Thursday -- Christian (a/k/a Holy, Green, Chare, Sheer, or Shere Thursday; commemoration of the Last Supper)
Procession of the Addolorata -- Taranto, Italy

National Cheeseball Day

National Haiku Poetry Day -- US, sponsored by The Haiku Foundation

National High Five Day -- raising money for cancer research, sponsored by the National High Five Project

New Year -- Myanmar (celebrated through the 21st)

Nimble Fairies' Scattering -- Fairy Calendar

Nosy Neighbor Appreciation Day -- to be celebrated, if you dare, by greeting and thanking your neighbor for being nosy

Nothing Like A Dame Day -- a day to pay homage to the unique wit, wisdom, style and strength of dames past and present, and to cultivate the dame in you or in your life

St. Kateri Tekakwitha's Day (Patron of ecologists, ecology, environment, environmentalism, environmentalists, exiles, people who have lost their parents, people ridiculed for their piety)

St. Stephen Harding's Day (Co-founder of Cistercian Order)

Support Teen Literature Day -- US (on the Thursday of National Library Week)

Thargelia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (two day festival for the birthday of Apollon and Artemis; date approximate)

Toothbrush Appreciation Day -- think of what it would be like without one!

Verrazano Day -- New York, US (Celebrates discovery of New York harbor by Giovanni Verrazano, Florentine navigator)

Women's Day -- Gabon

World Hemophilia Day

Birthdays Today:

Victoria Beckham, 1974
Jennifer Garner, 1972
Liz Phair, 1967
Lela Rochon, 1966
Norman Julius “Boomer” Esiason, 1961
Sean Bean, 1958
Olivia Hussey, 1951
Don Kirshner, 1934
Cynthia Ozick, 1928
Harry Reasoner, 1923
William Holden, 1918
Thornton Wilder, 1897
Nikita Krushchev, 1894
Adrian Constantine “Cap” Anson, 1852
J.P. Morgan, 1837
Samuel Chase, 1741

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Caveman(Film), 1981
"McCartney"(Album), 1970 (first solo album)
"No Time for Comedy"(Play), 1939

Today in History:

Geoffrey Chaucer tells his Canterbury Tales for the first time, at the court of Richard II, ten years to the day after the pilgrimage actually began, 1397
Christopher Columbus signs his contract with Spain to find the Indes, 1492
Martin Luther stands firm and refuses to recant before the Diet of Worms, 1521
Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America, 1797
The first Sino-Japanese War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, 1895
A one day record 11,747 immigrants are processed at Ellis Island, 1907
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios is formed by the merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company, 1924
Cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd & Petunia Pig, debut, 1937
At midnight, 26 Irish counties officially break with the British Commonwealth and form the Republic of Ireland, 1949
The Bay of Pigs Invasion fiasco begins, 1961
Ford Motor Company unveils the Mustang, 1964
Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air, 1964
The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely, 1970
Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, 1982
The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends, 1986
NJ Devil Martin Brodeur becomes the 2nd NHL goalie to score in a playoff game, 1997
The 5th Summit of the Americas takes place in Port of Spain; Trinidad, thirty-four heads of government attend, 2005
An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, causes 15 deaths and major damage to nearby buildings, residences, a nursing home and middle school, 2013

Last Thursday, Little Girl brought home a notice from school. It said that she would be receiving some awards from the school, and that it would be on the next Tuesday!

Of course, we had plans. Those got rearranged and it all worked out. I was only able to be there until she got her award, and then i slipped out. Sweetie actually got her to the ceremony on time, and stayed to take her home.

She was required to dress up. She was not happy until i told her that yes, she would wear the suit and tie she had originally bought for another formal occasion.

She hates being photographed, so i had to be discreet and make sure i didn't show her face. Also, since i had to sit in the back with the child i was babysitting, the pictures aren't the best.

Little Girl in her suit and tie, with her name being called.

Receiving her awards.

Her awards were for being named an Exceptional Student in Biology and an Outstanding Student in Geometry.

We are very proud of her and how hard she works in school

Today is

Adult Autism Awarenes Day -- sponsored by aheadd.org; i know the poster child!

Army Day -- Iran (Rouz-e-Artesh)

Cleaning for a Reason Week begins -- raising awareness of Cleaning For A Reason, which helps provide free residential cleaning to women fighting cancer

Goddess Month of Maia begins

Good Friday/Passion Friday -- Christian (remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus)
Via Crusus (Way of the Cross) -- San Fernando, Philippines (reenactment of the Passion)
Procession of the Mysteries -- Taranto, Italy

Independence Day -- Zimbabwe(1980)

International Amateur Radio Day/World Amateur Radio Day -- celebrating "ham radio" around the world with the ARRl

International Day for Monuments and Sites -- UNESCO

Invention Day -- Japan

Laundromat Day -- the first self-service "washateria" opened on this date in 1934 in Fort Worth, TX, US

Look-Alike Day -- internet generated, a day to try to look like someone you admire; some sites list it on the 20th

Make a Quilt Day -- obviously begun by someone who has no idea how long the process really takes!

National Animal Cracker Day

National Hot Cross Bun Day -- always on Good Friday

Newspaper Columnists' Day -- The National Society of Newspaper Columnists in honor of the anniversary of the death of Ernie Pylehttp://www.columnists.com/2009/04/story-behind-national-columnists-day/

Pet Owners Independence Day -- the day to let your pet do the work and chores while you lie around and enjoy having only the responsibilies of your pet; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Sleep Apnea Awareness Day -- http://www.sleepapnea.org/

Smile Big and Say Hi for No Particular Reason Day -- if some site gave the reason for this, it would defeat the purpose

St. Agapitus Day (Patron of Palestrina, Italy; against colic)

St. Agia's Day (Patron against lawsuits)

"Third World" Day -- the phrase was first used on this date in 1955

Ushibuka Haiya Matsuri -- Furukawa, Japan (one of the liveliest dance festivals, with elements of dance styles from around the country; through the 20th)

Anniversaries Today:

The University of Alabama is founded, 1831

Birthdays Today:

America Ferrara, 1984
Cheryl Ann Haworth, 1983
Melissa Joan Hart, 1976
Eli Roth, 1972
David Tennant, 1971
Maria Bello, 1967
Conan O'Brien, 1963
Eric McCormack, 1963
Jane Leeves, 1961
Eric Roberts, 1956
John James, 1956
John Pankow, 1954
Rick Moranis, 1954
Dorothy Lyman, 1947
James Woods, 1947
Hayley Mills, 1946
Robert Hooks, 1937
Barbara Hale, 1921
Leopold Stokowski, 1882
Samuel Earl "Wahoo Sam" Crawford, 1880
Clarence Darrow, 1857
Lucrezia Borgia, 1480

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Beauty and the Beast"(Musical), 1994
"Real People"(TV), 1979
"Call Me Mister"(Musical), 1946

Today in History:

Boleslaw Chrobry is crowned the first king of Poland, 1025
The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid, 1506
The Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History) is founded in Madrid, 1738
The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and William Dawes, upon seeing two lanterns in the church steeple, set out to warn that "The British are coming!" 1775
Fighting ceases in the American Revolutionary War, eight years to the day after it began, 1783
Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico, 1881
The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria, 1899
Denmark becomes the first country to formally adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals, 1902
Quetzaltenango, second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1902
The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, 1906
The RMS Carpathia brings the Titanic survivors to NYC, 1912
"The House that Ruth Built," Yankee Stadium, opens, 1923
Simon and Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book, 1924
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opens, in Ft. Worth, Texas, 1934
The League of Nations is formally dissolved, 1949
29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference., 1955
A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum, 1958
The Republic of Zimbabwe is officially established with the swearing in of Canaan Banana as its first President, 1980
The Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Red Wings, from the Triple-A International League, begin the longest game in professional baseball history, 33 innings, 1981
The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision, 2007
Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f, two planets resembling planet Earth are discovered revolving around the star Kepler-62 in the habitable zone, an area around the stars whose atmospheric pressure can suport liquid water at the surface, 2013

One thing about Lorax, he's a very quiet kitten. Besides one big yell out of him when someone accidentally stepped on his tail, i've only heard him purr, and one little squeak when he was hungry. I was even a closed mouth squeak!

Mr. Fluffypants is getting so big!

It's nice having a quiet kitten. The others have no trouble yelling at the tops of their lungs.

He's getting big, and i'm having to feed him a lot. If he were a typical kitten, he would be weaned by now. To get enough calories into him, i have to blend canned food into the formula in a type of gruel. His bottle's nipple has a split in the side, rather than a hole in the tip. The rounded end of the nipple acts in place of the roof of his mouth.

He still follows me around, silently, as if he were a puppy. The others chase me and holler for food. We like them, we love our quiet boy.

He will be ready for the cleft palate surgery in a few weeks. Meanwhile, i really am glad for our quiet boy.

Today is

Banyan Tree Birthday Party -- Lahaina, Maui, Hawai'i (celebrating the "birthday" of Lahaina's most important landmark, their 139-year-old banyan tree which now covers over 2/3 of an acre; cake, nature displays, kid activities, history exhibits and more, through tomorrow)

Bendideia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival for Bendis; date approximate)

Dutch-American Friendship Day -- anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and the US, America's oldest continuously peaceful diplomatic relations

Feria Nacional de San Marcos -- Palenque, Mexico (through the May 11; feast of San Marcos, with rodeos, bull fights, folk dancing, parades, mariachi and muchos mas)

Georgia Renaissance Spring Festival -- Atlanta, GA, US (weekends through June 8)

Holy Saturday -- Christian (a/k/a Black Saturday, Holy Saturday, Easter Saturday, or Easter Eve)

Husband Appreciation Day -- 3rd Saturday

Independence Declaration Day -- Venezuela

John Parker Day -- many US States (anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord, where parker said “Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon; but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”)

King Mswati III's birthday -- Swaziland

Landing of the 33 Patriots Day -- Uruguay

Lozenge Competition -- Fairy Calendar (no, i don't know what they do with the lozenges that makes it a competition)

Ma Zu, Goddess of the Sea’s Birthday -- Buddhism; Taoism

National Amaretto Day

National Auctioneers Day -- recognizing the contribution of auctioneers to American commerce

National Garlic Day

National Hanging Out Day -- Project Laundry List and other organizations promote bringing back the clothesline to save energy and the planet!

Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day

Okoshi Daiko Festival -- Furukawa, Japan (today, hundreds of men in loincloths fight to touch a wooden frame supporting a huge taiko drum as it is carried through the streets, and tomorrow is an elegant parade with lion dancers and traditional music)

Primrose Day -- UK (anniversary of the death of Disraeli)

Record Store Day -- celebrated by independent record stores everywhere, find one near you www.recordstoreday.com/

Spinach Festival -- Alma, AR, US (celebrating one of my favorite greens with music, food, crafts, carnival and more)

St. AElfheah's Day (Patron of kidnap victims; Greenwich and Solihull, England)

St. Expeditus of Melintine's Day (Patron of merchants, navigators; for expeditious and prompt solutions; against procrastination)

St. Leo IX's Day

World's Biggest Fish Fry -- Paris, TN, US (parades, auto shows, arts and crafts, and of course, all-you-can-eat catfish dinner; through the 27th)

YMCA Healthy Kids Day

Anniversaries Today:

Grace Kelly marries Ranier III of Monaco, 1956
Cheyney University is founded as The Institute for Colored Youth, 1837
Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI by Proxy Marriage, 1770

Birthdays Today:

Maria Sharapova, 1987
Hayden Christensen, 1981
Kate Hudson, 1979
James Franco, 1978
Luis Miguel Basteri, 1970
Ashley Judd, 1968
Al Unser, Jr., 1962
Tony Plana, 1954
Paloma Picasso, 1949
Tim Curry, 1946
Alan Price, 1942
Elinor Donahue, 1937
Dudley Moore, 1935
Jayne Mansfield, 1933
Dick Sargent, 1930
Hugh O'Brian, 1925
Eliot Ness, 1903
Lucretia Rudolph-Garfield, 1832
David Ricardo, 1772
Roger Sherman, 1721

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope"(Musical revue), 1972
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn"(Musical), 1951
"Carousel"(Musical), 1945
"Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder/Mother Courage and Her Children"(Play), 1941
"National Barn Dance"(Radio), 1924
"The Bing Boys are Here"(Musical revue), 1919
"Revizor/The Government Inspector"(Comedy), 1836
"Iphigenia in Aulis,"(Opera), 1774

Today in History:

Sir Francis Drake sails to Cadiz and sinks the Spanish Fleet, 1587
Because he has no male heirs, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, assuring Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would go to his daughter, Maria Theresa, 1713
Captain James Cook sights Australia, 1770
John Adams secures Dutch recognition of the United States, and his home in The Hague becomes the first American Embassy, 1782
Venezuela achieves home rule, 1810
The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy, 1839
Charles Duryea claims to have taken the first automobile built in the US for a spin, 1892
The first Boston Marathon is won by John McDermott of NY in 2:55:10, 1897
Leslie Irvin of the United States makes the first successful voluntary free-fall parachute jump, 1919
The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published, 1928
Burma (now Myanmar) joins the United Nations, 1948
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ends in success for the defenders, 1961
Sierra Leone becomes a republic, 1971
India's first satellite, Aryabhata, is launched, 1975
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is bombed, killing 168, 1995
The German Bundestag returns to Berlin, the first German parliamentary body to meet there since the Reichstag was dissolved in 1945, 1999
His Eminence Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is elected the 265th Pope of the Catholic Church, taking the name Benedict XVI, 2005
Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party of Cuba's central committee after 45 years, 2011

Awww Monday: His Majesty, Mr. Fluffypants

A to Z: Ack! April Already!

A to Z Challenge: B is for Boudreaux and Burial

A to Z Challenge: C is for Color

A to Z Challenge: D is for Dansig

A to Z Challenge:E is for Enigma

Silly Sunday: Get Well Soon

A to Z Challenge & Awww Monday: F is for Fuzzy

A to Z Challenge: G is for Grill

A to Z Challenge: H is for Hope and Horizon

A to Z Challenge: I is for Illness

A to Z Challenge and Photo-Finish Friday: J is for Jalopy

A to Z Challenge: K is for Kida

Silly Sunday: Tee Boudreaux and the Preacher

A to Z Challenge: L is for Link and Little Girlie

A to Z Challenge: M is for Mikey

A to Z Challenge: N is for Not Natural

A to Z Challenge: O is for Oops

A to Z Challenge: P is for Proud

A to Z Challenge: Q is for Quiet