messymimi's meanderings

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and it's easy to post something funny and link up!

"Mom, you know what I'm glad about right now?" Bigger Girl asked as she came into the kitchen to get a drink of water for her hiccups/

What's that?

"I'm glad hiccups aren't terminal!"

That reminds me of a joke.

Father Boudreaux was at de hospital for his usual weekly visit to de sick when he see Mother Marie Madelaine comin' down de hall. She be sayin' her rosary loud an' fast, an' almos' runnin', an' she go right pas' him wit'out sayin' not'in' to him or even seein' him.

A moment later, Dr. Thibodeaux come up an' Father Boudreaux ax him, "Did you see Mother Marie Madelaine? She seem upset!"

Dr. Thibodeaux say, "Well, I jus' done tol' her she's pregnant!"

"Mias, no! Dat can't be for true!" Father Boudreaux exclaim.

"Mais, no, of course not. But I sure cure her hiccups, din't I!"

ww

Today is:

Air Force Day -- Pakistan

Beer Lovers' Day -- ESPN began to broadcast on this day in 1979

Chusok -- South Korea (start of the Harvest Moon Festival

Father's Day -- Australia; Fiji; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea

Feel the Love Day

Grandma Moses Day

Grandparents' Day -- US (but if you have fabulous grands in your family, feel free to observe anywhere)

Historical Regatta -- Venice, Italy (competition among two-oar racing gondolas, preceded by Venetian ceremonial boats)

Homesteader Harvest Festival -- Brandon, SD, US (re-creation of the harvest in the pioneer days)

Independence Day -- Brazil

Lusaka Peace Agreement Day -- Mozambique

National Acorn Squash Day

National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day -- US (by Senate proclamation in 2004)

National Napoleon Day (the dessert, not the general)

National Threatened Species Day -- Australia

Neither Snow Nor Rain Day -- celebrates the opening of the US Post Office in NYC on this day in 1914, which building has the famous inscription on it

Nijamati Sewa Divas -- Nepal (Civil Servants' Day)

Onam Festival -- Kerala, India (first day of the rituals celebrating the legendary King Maveli, a 10 day harvest celebration observed by Malayali Hindus)
Pet Rock Festival -- Sturbridge, MA, US (a family friendly festival, bringing together animal welfare activists, shelter workers, and families to promote pet adoption and help the public understand what these organizations do)

Salami Day -- sponsored by salamiday.com

St. Cloud's Day (a/k/a Clodoald the Confessor; Patron of nail makers; St. Cloud, Minnesota)

St. Regina's Day (Patron of poor people, shepherdesses, torture victims)

Turn A Cartwheel in Public Day -- the internet has it out for us

Victory Day -- Mozambique

Wakes Sunday -- Abbots Bromely, England (Complete with the traditional celebration of the Horn Dance tomorrow)

Welsh Fairies Bonnet-Hurling Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Anniversary Today:

Sergey Brin and Larry Page incorporate Google, 1998

Birthdays Today:

Evan Rachel Wood, 1987
Devon Sawa, 1978
Angela Gheorghiu, 1965
Michael Feinstein, 1956
Corbin Bernsen, 1954
Chrissie Hynde, 1951
Julie Cavner, 1951
Susan Blakely, 1950
Gloria Gaynor, 1949
Richard Roundtree, 1942
Cuneyt Arkin, 1937
John Phillip Law, 1937
Buddy Holly, 1936
Don Messick, 1927
Peter Lawford, 1923
Jacob Lawrence, 1917
Anthony Quayle, 1913
Elia Kazan, 1909
Michael E. DeBakey, 1908
Grandma Moses, 1860
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Flying Nun"(TV), 1967
"Truth or Consequences"(TV), 1950

Today in History:

Traditionally, the solar eclipse date that marks the birth of Heracles of Thebes (Latin Hercules), BC1251
The Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem, 70
In the world's first submarine attack, the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor, 1776
The "Troy Post" of NY first uses "Uncle Sam" to refer to the US, 1813
Last hold-up of Jesse James, 1881
Edith Eleanor McLean becomes the first baby in the US to be put in an incubator for premature infants, 1888
The Boxer Rebellion in China officially ends with the signing of the Boxer Protocol, 1901
Eugene Lefebvre (1878–1909), while test piloting a new French-built Wright biplane, crashes at Juvisy, France when his controls jam. Lefebvre dies, becoming the first 'pilot' in the world to lose his life in a powered heavier-than-air craft, 1909
The first day of the first Miss America Pageant is held in Atlantic City, NJ, 1921
Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrates the first use of television in San Francisco, 1927
The last surviving member of the thylacine species, Benjamin, dies alone in her cage at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, 1936
Integration begins in Washington, D.c. and Baltimore, MD public schools, 1954
Desmond Tutu becomes the first black man to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa, 1986
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocks Athens, rupturing a previously unknown fault, 1999
Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 hurricane, hits Grenada, killing 39 and damaging 90% of its buildings, 2004
The first presidential election is held in Egypt, 2005

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus. We could all use a little more cute to start our week, so post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up!

Ladios says, "Uh, mom, look down!"

Mom! Mom! Look down!

See! We're almost out of food!

They may be kittens, but they agree with Snoopy -- one of the saddest sights in the world is an empty, or in this case almost empty, food bowl!

Today is:

Community Day -- EX, O, Spail

Feast of Honor for Lada and Lela -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (harvest festival, a holiday of bread and farewell to summer)

Feast of 'Izzat(Might) -- Baha'i

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin -- Catholic Christian; related observances
     Jum il-Vittorja -- Malta (Feast of Our Lady of Victories)
     Matki Boskiej Zielnej -- Poland (Feast of Greenery, also harvest celebration)
     Public Holiday -- Liechteinstein
     Virgen de la Victoria -- Spain

Independence Day -- Macedonia

Indra Jatra -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (celebration of the founding of Kathmandu)

International Literacy Day -- UN

Kosrae Liberation Day -- Micronesia

La Vierge de Meritxell -- Andorra (Feast of Our Lady of Meritxell, a National Day and official flag day)

National Boss/Employee Exchange Day -- US (or anyone else who wants to foster understanding between bosses and employees)

National Date Nut Bread Day

Navy Day -- Pakistan

Pardon Me Day -- anniversary of the 1974 pardon of Nixon

Peddler's Village Scarecrow Competition -- Lahaska, PA (through Oct. 26th, with the big Scarecrow Festival this month on the 20th and 21st)

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day

St. Adrian's Day (Patron of arms dealers, butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

St. Elizabeth's Day (Orthodox Churches; Mother of John the Baptist; Patron of expectant mothers; Fulda, Germany)

St. Giles Fair -- Oxford, England (dates back to 17th century; through tomorrow)

Wakes Monday -- Abbots Bromely, England; related festival
     Abbots Bromley Horn Dance -- Abbots Bromley, UK (a/k/a Antler Dance or Ceremony of the Deermen; uses deer horns from the 11th Century, and a traditional dance, tune, and circuit around the neighboring farms, and includes a fair)

World Physical Therapy Day -- www.wcpt.org/wptday

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 1981
Pink, 1979
David Arquette, 1971
Henry Thomas, 1971
Alan Feinstein, 1941
Frankie Avalon, 1940
Guitar Shorty, 1939
Patsy Cline, 1932
Peter Sellers, 1925
Sid Caesar, 1922
Claude Pepper, 1900
Antonin Leopold Dvorak, 1841
Richard I (Lionheart), 1157

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Oprah Winfrey Show"(TV), 1986
"Star Trek"(TV), 1966
"Tarzan"(TV), 1966
"That Girl"(TV), 1966
The Old Man and the Sea(Publication Date), 1952
"Blondie"(Comic strip debut), 1930

Today in History:

The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Boleslaus the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland, 1264
Michaelangelo's David is unveiled in Florence, 1504
St. Augustine, FL, becomes the first permanent European settlement of the New World, 1565
The US "Pledge of Allegiance" makes its first appearance in print, in the Youth's Companion, 1892
Galveston, TX, is struck by a hurricane and tidal surge that kill 6,000, 1900
First appearance of the comic strip "Blondie", 1930
3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape, 1930
The original Star Trek series premiers, 1966
The Beatles perform their new hit "Hey Jude" as their last live TV performance on the David Frost show, 1968
Chinese athlete Wang Junxia sets a new women's 10,000 m world record of 29:31.78, breaking the former record by 42 seconds, 1993
Two EMERCOM Il-76 aircraft land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America, 2005
Pakistan and India announce plans to mutually ease visa requirements, 2012
The government of Hong Kong backs down on plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes in schools after weeks of protests, 2012

"Um, mom, I need to interview you and write the answers so I can turn this in today," Little Girl informed me on the way to school. Which school, by the way, is only about a 7 minute drive from our house when the lights are long.

You've waited until the last minute, haven't you? i asked, shaking my head.

"Well, I just have to interview someone about their job, and fill in these blanks. So, what is your job?"

Janitor! i replied. Or you could call me a housekeeper, or chief cook and bottle washer.

"What do you do in a typical day?"

Scrub things and make them clean again, i replied. Also, laundry. Lots of laundry. Mostly i just clean whatever my clients want me to clean. Like today, i'm going to go scrub grout for a client who wants to reseal it in her kitchen, it's all grubby.

"What training did you get to become a janitor, and did you go to college?"

Well, i had chores as a kid, and i worked in Grandpa's office cleaning and sterilizing equipment among other things. Also, lots of training cleaning up after you rug rats!

"Mom, don't get so personal! Did you go to college, and what did you study?"

Yes, i went to college, and i majored in English Literature, History, and Religious Studies. Which qualifies me to either scrub, watch kids, or ask if you want fries with a meal.

"What are three things you like about your job?"

Well, i like putting fresh sheets on beds and making them look pretty, because everyone should have a nicely made bed to come home to after a hard day's work. Also, i like killing germs, especially in sinks and on TV remotes and such. Leaving a bathroom smelling fresh and appealing is a good thing, too.

"What are three things you dislike about your job?

Days when i have 8 loads of laundry about kill me. Also, it's a pain when the kids leave the toys everywhere and you have to clean up before you can clean up, if you know what i mean. And i've always loathed vacuuming, for some reason.

At that point, we had arrived at the school.

"Okay, just one more question, and I'll write the answer when I get inside. Would you recommend this job to someone, and why or why not?"

It's great work to be able to make someone's house nice for them for when they come home and get paid for it, unlike at home where no one thanks you and there's no pay. Being your own boss can be great, as you can get out and get clients if you need more work, or refuse people if you decide you don't want to work so much, or if the client is crazy!

"Thanks!" she said, and hopped out of the van with her backpack in one hand, the paper and pencil she had been using in the other.

Shaking my head, i remember those last minute dashes to finish things. Sometimes i'd get stuff done early, sometimes not. The apple isn't far from the tree.

Today is:

Blessed Father Jacques Leval Day -- Mauritius (physician turned priest who lived among and ministered to the poorest of the poor in Mauritius; people of all faiths make a pilgrimage to his tomb today)

Bonza Bottler Day

Chrysanthemum Day or Kiku no Sekku -- Japan

Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence -- Slovakia

Festivity of Our Lady of Aranzazu -- Oñati, Basque

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day -- spreading the word about the very preventable problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Full Harvest Moon a/k/a Full Corn Moon/Indigo Moon/Wise-Crone Moon (with so much food ripe for gathering, harvesting can go on well into the night by the light of the hugely full Harvest Moon)
     Binara Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka (began yesterday evening)
     Chusok -- South Korea (Harvest Moon Festival; a harvest festival and day to give homage to the ancestors and celebrate family)
     Han'gawi -- North Korea (Harvest Moon Festival; a harvest festival and day to give homage to the ancestors and celebrate family)
     Taw Thalin Full Moon -- Myanmar
     Zhongqiu Jie / Chong Chao -- China; Macau; Taiwan (Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival, the birthday of the earth god T'u-ti Kung, celebrating the harvests, family, and eating moon cakes, matchmaking, sky lanterns, Fire Dragon Dances, and more)

Husker Harvest Days -- Grand Island, NE, US (the largest irrigated working ag show on a permanent site in the US; through Thursday)

Independence Day -- Tajikistan

Karasu-zumo -- Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (a distinctive local festival where the Shinto priests imitate crows)

Liberation Ceremony -- Petange, Luxembourg

Milk-Bathing Festival -- Fairy Calendar

National Day -- North Korea(1948)

National Sports Day -- Indonesia

National Steak Au Poivre Day

St. Peter Claver's Day (Patron of African missions, inter-racial justice, race relations; Colombia; Lake Charles, LA; Shreveport, LA; Witbank, South Africa; against slavery)

Synaxis of Ss. Joachim and Anna -- Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

Teddy Bear Day -- internet generated, but since it's so much fun to have one, celebrate your old friend

Wienerschnitzel Day

Wonderful Weirdos Day -- we all have a few in our lives, they remind us to be true to ourselves, so thank them today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Anniversaries Today:

California becomes the 31th US State, 1850

Birthdays Today:

Michelle Williams, 1980
Michael Buble, 1975
Goran Visnjic, 1972
Rachel Hunter, 1969
Adam Sandler, 1966
Hugh Grant, 1960
Mario Batall, 1960
Angela Cartwright, 1952
Michael Keaton, 1951
Tom Wopat, 1951
Joe Theisman, 1949
Billy Preston, 1946
Otis Redding, 1941
Sylvia Miles, 1934
Cliff Robertson, 1925
James Hilton, 1900
Colonel Harland Sanders, 1890
Alf Landon, 1887
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
William Bligh, 1754

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Welcome Back, Kotter"(TV), 1975
"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"(TV), 1972

Today in History:

William I, The Conqueror, dies in a horseriding accident, 1087
The New England colonies declare war on the Wampanoag Tribe, 1675
The first steam engine arrives in the US colonies, 1753
The first recorded black to graduate from a US college, Alexander Lucius Twilight, receives a BA from Middlebury College, 1817
Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flies a balloon from Castle Garden, NYC to Perth Amboy, NJ, 1830
The first plate glass photograph is taken by John Herschel, 1839
California becomes the 31st state and the territories of New Mexico and Utah are created, 1850
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized, 1886
Orville Wright makes the first one hour plane flight, 1908
J. Verdrines becomes the first person to fly at over 100mph, 1912
First actual case of a computer bug being found: a moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University, 1947
Hurricane Betsy makes its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first hurricane to do over $1billion in actual unadjusted damages, 1965
The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, 1971
The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state, 1993
At exactly 01:46:40 UTC, the Unix billenium is reached, marking the beginning of the use of 10-digit Unix timestamps, 2001
The "Ophel Treasure", about 1,400 years old, is discovered near the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, 2013

Sweetie, in true Southern tradition, now comes home at noon to have dinner, and has a lighter supper at night. It's much better for him, and he's enjoying not having his heaviest meal of the day just a few hours before bed.

Little Girl is enjoying sometimes taking a break from her homework and making that supper for him in the evening, or helping me do it. Usually it's sandwiches, or a large salad, or an omelet, something simple. So i was showing her how he likes his omelets made. One yolk with several whites, a bit of water, mix well with a big pinch of sea salt, and then there is pepper.

She grabbed the pepper shaker, and gave it a tiny dusting over the egg mixture in the bowl. "Is that enough?" she asked.

Smiling, i grabbed the pepper and put in about 10 times what she had put in there and said, There, that's enough for now. He will add more later.

"That's enough to make me sneeze right now, just looking at it!" Little Girl exclaimed.

"Yes, and he will sneeze like a maniac while adding more!" Bigger Girl noted as she came in.

"That's true!" Little Girl said. "What is it about dads that they all sneeze like that! It's loud enough to hear it all over the house! All dads do that, what is with that?"

Well, i'm not sure, i told her. But in our case, it came in handy.

"How so?" both girls asked.

Every time i had a baby, the day after the birth, he would tiptoe into the hospital room while the baby was asleep, and make a big deal out of being quiet for the baby, then let out with one of his huge sneezes. At that point, the baby would cry and i would note that that one passed its hearing test!

Upon hearing that, they laughed, but it's true.

And what is it with guys sneezing so loud, anyway?

Today is

Dia del Nino -- Honduras (Children's Day)

Harvest Home Nibbling Contest -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

National Championship Air Races -- Reno, NV, US (through Sunday)

National Day -- Gibraltar

Pendleton Round-Up -- Pendleton, OR, US (traditional rodeo with the participation of local Native tribes; through Saturday)

Pennsylvania RV & Camping Show -- Hershey, PA, US (the largest RV and Camper show in the world, with the first to days for industry only; through Sunday)

Saint George's Caye Day -- Belize (National Day)

Sewing Machine Day -- date of issuance of an early sewing machine patent, to Elias Howe; some sites call this "Sew Be It! Day"

Swap Ideas Day -- Robert L. Birch of Puns Corp wants people to explore ways in which their ideas can be put to work to benefit all humanity and develop incentives to encourage using our creative imaginations

St. Finian's Day (Patron of Ulster, Ireland)

St. Nicholas of Tolentino's Day (Patron of animals, baby, dying people, mariners/sailors, sick animals; Albi, Italy; Cabanatuan, Philippines; Guimbai, Philippines; Lambuna, Philippines; Mati, Philippines; Tandag, Philippines; Toentino, Italy)

Teacher's Day -- China

The Masters -- Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB, Canada (The international horse show jumping competitions; through the 14th)

TV Dinner Day

World Suicide Prevention Day

Birthdays Today:

Clark Johnson, 1964
Randy Johnson, 1963
Colin Firth, 1960
Amy Irving, 1953
Joe Perry, 1950
Judy Geeson, 1948
Jose Feliciano, 1945
Stephen Jay Gould, 1941
Karl Lagerfeld, 1938
Charles Kuralt, 1934
Roger Maris, 1934
Arnold Palmer, 1929
Rin Tin Tin, 1918
Fay Wray, 1907
Adele Astaire, 1896
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890
Franz Werfel, 1890
Ian Fleming, 1888
Isaac Kauffman Funk, 1839
Marie Laveau, 1801
Carter Braxton, 1736

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The X Files"(TV), 1993
"Gentle Ben"(TV), 1967
"The Road Runner Show"(TV), 1966
"Gunsmoke"(TV), 1955
"Benvenuto Cellini(Berlioz opera), 1838

Today in History:

The Battle of Marathon takes places between the forces of the Persian Empire and those of Athens, BC490*
An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Istanbul, 1509
John Smith is elected president of Jamestown, Va., Colony Council, 1608
Nathan Hale answers the call of George Washington for a volunteer spy, 1776
Simón Bolívar is named President of Peru, 1823
Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine, 1846
George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora, 1858
Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the US, opens, 1913
Austria and the Allies sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain recognizing the independence of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, 1919
20 African-American students enter public schools in Alabama, 1963
Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France, 1977
Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, joins the United Nations, 2002
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland, 2008

*actual date disputed, but it was the 9th day of the 9th moon on their calendar

"Mom, guess what happened to me last night!" Little Girl said as she got in the van when i picked her up from school

There's no way i could guess, i said.

"Well, has this ever happened to you? I woke up at 12:15 this morning, and when I looked at my phone I thought it said 6:15, and I thought 'Oh, no! I'm late!' so I jumped out of bed and I was stuffing things in my backpack and as I pulled my school shirt on I looked at the phone again and saw that it said 12:15. So I thought, 'Oh, good! I get to sleep more!' and I went back to bed. Has that ever happened to you?"

Well, i've gotten up an hour or so before i needed to because i misread the clock, but not 6 hours early!

"Yeah, that was weird! I'm so glad I got to go back to sleep. I'd only been asleep a couple of hours, and I couldn't figure out why I was so tired when I was trying to put everything in my backpack!"

Also, once i forgot the time difference while i was on a trip and your dad was having me call to wake him up for work, and i woke him an hour early.

"Was he angry?"

No, he just called me back to find out why i called so early, and i reset my phone alarm so i'd call him at the right time at home, not the right time where we were. He just stayed up and went somewhere to buy breakfast on the way to work.

"Well, I hope that doesn't ever happen again. I'm not even sure why I woke up, I wasn't dreaming or anything, I don't remember anything but waking up, seeing my phone and thinking it said 6:15, and freaking out."

There's nothing like finding out you misread the clock, is there?

"No, there isn't," she said, as we walked into the house. Then, opening the fridge, "What's with all the boiled eggs?"

Let's devil them! i said mischievously.

And we did.

Today is:

Anvil Mountain 59 Minute 37 Second Challenge -- Nome, AK, US (starting gun sounds at 7 pm, and the course begins at the base of Anvil Mountain, goes uphill then back down via a gravel road, with the challenge being to do it in less than the time allotted)

Day of Remembrance/Patriot Day -- US (all flags at half staff)

Discontinued Thoughts Exhibition -- Fairy Calendar

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 1, Unity (sponsored by We, the World)

Emergency Number Day/National 911 Emergency Day -- US

Feast of San Gennaro -- New York, NY, US (an 11 day street fair centered around Little Italy and its Patron Saint, Gennaro, whose feast day is the 19th; includes a Mass and parading of the Saint's statue on the final Saturday of the celebrations)

Fiesta Nacional de Cataluna -- Catalonia, Spain (National Day of Catalonia)

Heritage Open Days -- UK (What's on your doorstep? Go find out, explore for free places that often charge admission or are not usually open to the public, castles to cottages to battlefields, all over the country; through the 14th)http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

Jeune Genevois -- Geneva, Switzerland (Geneva festival)

Jinnah Day -- Pakistan (Founder's Day)

Libraries Remember Day -- encouraging libraries, which preserve knowledge and heritage, promote tolerance, and represent all that is the antithesis to terrorism, to remain open the entire 24 hours of this day as symbol of freedom, tolerance, and hope

Make Your Bed Day -- make your mom happy!

National Day of Service and Remembrance/Patriot Day -- US (information here)

National Day of the Working Parent -- US (can't find a sponsor, but it's listed on several sites as the 2nd Thursday of September)

National Hot Cross Buns Day

Nayrouz -- Coptic Orthodox Church (Coptic new year and day of confessors) related observances
Enkutatash -- Ethiopia
Keddus Johannes -- Eritrea (a/k/a Geez New Year)

Newport International Boat Show -- Newport, RI, US (through Sunday)

No News is Good News Day

Pohnpei Liberation Day -- Micronesia

Queen Paola's Birthday -- Belgium (an official flag day)

Sacrifice to Zeus Epoptes -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

St. Sperandea's`Day (Patron of Cingoli, Italy)

St. Vincent of Leon' Day (Patron of Cercemaggiore, Italy)

Teacher's Day -- Argentina

Anniversaries Today:

Diocletian New Year
Remembrance of 9/11/2001

Birthdays Today:

Harry Connick, Jr. 1967
Moby, 1965
Virginia Madsen, 1963
Kristy McNichol, 1962
Amy Madigan, 1951
Donna Lopiano, 1946
Lola Falana, 1943
Tom Dreesen, 1942
Brian DePalma, 1940
Paul "Bear" Bryant, 1913
D.H. Lawrence, 1885
O. Henry, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Little House on the Prairie"(TV), 1974
"The Rookies"(TV), 1972
"The Carol Burnett Show"(TV), 1967
"The Queen's Messenger"(TV, first drama ever broadcast), 1928
Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale"(first US performance), 1850

Today in History:

Battle of Teutoburg Forest ends, 9
Michimalonko leads indigenous warriors to attack and destroy Santiago, Chile, 1541
Alexander Hamilton is appointed first US Secretary of the Treasury, 1789
The Hope Diamond is stolen along with other French crown jewels when six men break into the house used to store them, 1792
Stephen Foster's well-known song, Oh! Susanna, is first performed at a saloon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1847
Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", gives her first US concert, 1850
The Olympia Columbian becomes the first newspaper published north of the Columbia River, 1852
The postal mail chute is patented by James Cutler, 1883
Mahatma Gandhi coins the term "Satyagraha" to characterize the Non-Violence movement in South Africa, 1906
The Quebec Bridge's central span collapses, killing 11, 1916
Hurricane Carla strikes the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, the second strongest storm ever to hit the state, 1961
U.S. President Jimmy Carter, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel meet at Camp David and agree on the Camp David Accords, 1978
Hungary announces that East German refugees there are free to leave for West Germany, 1989
Hurricane Iniki, one of the most damaging hurricanes in United States history, devastates Hawaii, especially the islands of Kauai and Oahu, 1992
September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, 2001
The State of Israel claims completion for its unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip, 2005
Russia tests the largest conventional weapon ever, the Father of all bombs, 2007
The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is attacked by terrorists, 2012

Feline Friday is hosted by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats!

Winston says, "Oh, mom! Really? Another picture! And this early in the morning? Sheesh!"

It's too early for this!

It's not easy being on call for photos at any time! Ask my cats and foster cats, they'll tell you!

On another note, Ladybug, our accidental adult foster, found a home! Since she never fights with other cats and is very laid back, she went to a home where the one cat is very scared and timid and was picked on in his first home. She won't bother him, and he may come out of his shell, and even if he doesn't, he has the option of having a companion.

Today is:

Amilcar Cabral's Birthday/National Day -- Guinea Bissau

Bennington Car Show -- Bennington, VT, US (woodies and muscle cars, antique motorcycles and tractor farm machinery; through Sunday)

Big E -- West Springfield, MA, US (one of New England's largest fairs; through the 28th)

Cherokee Strip Days -- Enid, Oklahoma (parade that includes Longhorn steers, arts and crafts, food, and gunfight reenactments; through Sunday)

Defender's Day -- Maryland, US (marking the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, which event inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner", current national anthem of the US)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 2, Interdependence (sponsored by We, the World)

Farm Consumer Awareness Days -- Quincy, WA, US (a fun and tasty way to celebrate and learn how food gets from the farm to your table; through Sunday)

Gahambar Paitishahem -- Zoroastrian Calendar (four day feast of bringing in the harvest, dates approximate)

Goroka Show -- Goroka, Papua New Guinea (a cultural festival and showcase of over 100 clans and tribes and their customs; through Sunday)

Harrogate Autumn Flower Show -- Harrogate, England (Britain's finest blooms show off; through Sunday)

International Day for South-South Cooperation -- UN

King Turkey Day -- Worthington, MN, US (includes a turkey race; through tomorrow)

Morton Pumpkin Festival -- Morton, IL, US (the Pumpkin Capital of the World; through Sunday)

National Chocolate Milkshake Day

National Day of Encouragement -- US (no matter where you live, encourage someone today)

St. Alibe's Day (Patron of wolves; Cashel, Ireland; Emly, Ireland; Munster, Ireland)

St. Guy's Day (Patron of bachelors, epileptics, horned animals, laborers, sacristans, sextons, work horses; for protection of outbuildings, sheds, and stables; Anderlecht, Belgium; against epilepsy, hydrophobia/rabies, infantile convulsions, and rabid dogs)

Summerset Festival -- Clement Park, Littletn, CO, US (a big, fun good-bye to summer; through Sunday)

Telluride Blues and Brews Festival -- Telluride, CO, US (nationally touring bands and microbreweries make for a fun weekend; through Sunday)

ideo Games Day -- an unofficially declared day for kids to thank their parents for indulging their love of games

Wo-Zha-Wa Days Fall Festival -- Wisconsin Dells, WI (fall festival; through Sunday)

Anniversaries Today:

Winston Churchill marries Clementine Hozier, 1908
Elizabeth Barret and Robert Browning elope, 1846
Robert Schumann marries Clara Wieck, 1840

Birthdays Today:

Emily Rossum, 1986
Jennifer Hudson, 1981
Yao Ming, 1980
Benjamin McKenzie, 1978
Amy Yasbeck, 1963
Rachel Ward, 1957
Joe Pantoliano, 1954
Peter Scolari, 1954
Gerry Beckley, 1952
Barry White, 1952
Maria Muldaur, 1943
Linda Gray, 1940
George Jones, 1931
Ian Holm, 1931
Dickie Moore, 1925
Irene Dailey, 1920
Jesse Owens, 1913
Ben Blue, 1901
Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. 1892
Maurice Chevalier, 1888
H.L. Mencken, 1880
Charles Dudley Warner, 1829

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Taxi"(TV), 1978
"Maude"(TV), 1972
"The Monkees"(TV), 1966
"Bonanza"(TV), 1959
"Lassie"(TV), 1954
"Quadrille"(Play), 1952
"The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major/Symphony of a Thousand"(Mahler symphony), 1910

Today in History:

Henry Hudson begins his exploration of the Hudson River while aboard the Halve Maen, 1609
The first submarine is tested in London, 1624
Turkish troops besieging Vienna are overthrown after 2 months by Poland's King Sobieski, 1683
First Black Masons Lodge is formed, 1787
Switzerland becomes a Federal State, 1848
The "Cleopatra Needle" is installed in London, 1878
Charles Leroux, world famous parachutist with 238 successful jumps, perishes in his attempted jump in the Bay of Reval, 1889
The world's first female police officer, Alice Stebbins Wells, is appointed by the LAPD, 1910
Cave paintings are discovered in Lascaux, France, 1940
Jack Kilby demonstrates the first integrated circuit, 1958
Premiere of Bonanza, the first regularly-scheduled TV program presented in color, 1959
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, 'Messiah' of the Rastafari movement, is deposed following a military coup, 1974
Indonesia is hit with an 8.1 earthquake, 1979
Hurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica, 1988
Hong Kong Disneyland opens in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, 2005
Iran finally agrees to release U.S. hiker Sarah Shourd, arrested there in 2009, on bail and permit her to leave the country, 2010
The "Lamb of God" panels of the Ghent Altarpiece, one of the most often stolen artworks in history, are secretly removed for restoration, 2012
NASA's Voyager 1 space probe becomes the first manmade object to reach interstellar space, 2013
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, completes his last shift as a pilot in the RAF, and officially retires to perform Royal and community work, 2013

...it's only September!

Winter isn't supposed to be here!

Oh, not quite here, in the swamps. Not yet. Sometimes we still wear shorts for Thanksgiving.

Up north, though, in Wisconsin and parts of the Rockies, there was snow yesterday! Snow! In September!

It's way too early. While i'm no fan of excessive heat, cold causes me a lot of pain, and i don't even want to begin to think about what it might mean that they are getting snow so early.

So i'll try to think of something else, like my upcoming trip. It's getting close to the time of year when i take off and get away for a few days to be with friends, my yearly sanity retreat.

This year we are meeting in Kentucky, a shorter drive than to New York last year. We will be between Lexington and Louisville, and yes, i will bring cast iron and cook gumbo. Have Grandma M's cast iron, will travel.

Yes, i bring my own coffee, as well as spices and some other ingredients as well.

Only 2 1/2 weeks, so i'd best start making the lists for the family. Things like what meals to cook on which days and who has garbage duty. Also, i need to arrange for Little Girl's transportation to and from school, and i've already cleared it with Miss W that Bigger Girl and Little Girl will do the Friday night shelter duty while i'm gone.

There, thinking about that got my mind off of the impending winter of my discontent. Keep focusing, i'll keep telling myself. Keep focusing, and start buying extra spices and coffee. Gifts, of course, i have to bring enough to share.

Today is:

Aloha Festivals Keiki Ho'olaule'a -- Oahu, Hawai'i, US (preserving Hawai'ian culture, with games, keiki activities, performances, and more)

Banana Festival - An A-peeling Celebration -- Fulton, KY & South Fulton, TN, US (the fun starts tonight with The Banana Ball and continues through next Saturday)

Big Mac Shoreline Fall Scenic Bike Tour & Ride Across The Mackinac Bridge -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (a one-of-a-kind bike tour; through tomorrow)

Defy Superstition Day -- go walk under that ladder!

Dia de los Ninos Heroes -- Mexico

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 3, Environment (sponsored by We, the World)

Epulum Iovis and Lectisternia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival for Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva

Festival of Lighting the Fires of Neith -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Flax Scutching Festival -- Stahlstown, PA, US (through tomorrow; demonstrations of the tradition of making linen out of flax)

Fortune Cookie Day -- you might need one after that ladder stunt

Hollerin' Heritage Festival -- Spivey's Corner, NC, US (with the National Hollerin' Contest, reviving the the "almost lost" art of Hollerin', and a fun filled day of music, food, antique farm equipment, and more)

Independence Day -- Venda (recognized within South Africa only)

International Chocolate Day -- as declared by the National Confectioners Association

International Drive Your Studebaker Day -- an official event of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. (wish i could!)

On the Waterfront Swap Meet and Car Show -- St. Ignace, MI, US (with a car show, truck show, toy show, and swap meet, there's something for everyone! through tomorrow)

National Celiac Awareness Day -- US

National Peanut Day

Positive Thinking Day -- think positively that nothing bad will happen because of that ladder!

Programmers Day -- Russia, and among programmers around the world (on the 256th day of the year)
some sites call this "Thank a Programmer Day"

Roald Dahl Day -- it's his birth anniversary, and this year marks the 51st anniversary of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

Runic Half Month Ken begins (illumination)

Snack-A-Pickle Time

St. John Chrysostom's Day (Patron of education, epileptics, lecturers, orators, preachers; Constantinople)

Birthdays Today:

Ben Savage, 1980
Fiona Apple, 1977
Stella McCartney, 1977
Tavis Smiley, 1964
Jean Smart, 1959
Nell Carter, 1948
Jacqueline Bisset, 1944
Peter Cetera, 1944
Bela Karolyi, 1942
David Clayton-Thomas, 1941
Fred Silverman, 1937
Richard Kiel, 1939
Judith "Miss Manners" Martin, 1938
Robert Indiana, 1928
Mel Torme, 1925
Yma Sumac, 1922
Roald Dahl, 1916
Bill Monroe, 1911
Claudette Colbert, 1903
Sherwood Anderson, 1876
John J. Pershing, 1860
Milton Hershey, 1857
Walter Reed, 1851
Clara Schumann, 1819
Cesare Borgia, 1475

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Law & Order"(TV), 1990
"Soap"(TV), 1977
"The Muppet Show"(TV)1976
"The Rockford Files"(TV)1974
"Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?"(TV)1969
"Yesterday"(Beatles' single release), 1965
"Canticum Sacrum ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis/Canticle to Honor the Name of Saint Mark"(Stravinsky orchestral piece), 1956

Today in History:

The temple of Jupiter on Rome's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September, BC509
Building begins on Hadrian's Wall, 122
St. Francis of Assisi receives stigmata, 1224
Michelangelo begins work on his statue of David, 1503
Henry Hudson reached the river that would later be named after him, 1609
NYC becomes the first capital of the US, 1788
US Government takes out its first loan from NYC banks, 1789
Six teenage military cadets known as Niños Héroes die defending Chapultepec Castle in the Battle of Chapultepec, 1847
Vermont railroad worker Phineas Gage incredibly survives a 3-foot-plus iron rod being driven through his head; the reported effects on his behavior and personality stimulate thinking about the nature of the brain and its functions, 1848
Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film, 1898
Lusitania completes her maiden voyage, arriving in NYC, 1907
The temperature (in the shade) at Al 'Aziziyah, Libya reaches a world record 57.8*C (136.04*F), 1922
Elizabeth McCombs is the first woman elected to the New Zealand Parliament, 1933
Chiang Kai-shek elected president of the Republic of China, 1943
IBM introduces the first computer disk storage unit, the RAMAC 305, 1956
Hurricane Gilbert is the strongest recorded hurricane, based on barometric pressure, in the Western Hemisphere, 1988*
Largest anti-Apartheid march in South Africa, led by Desmond Tutu, 1989
The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted, 2007
Hurricane Ike makes landfall, damaging Galveston Island, Houston, and surrounding area, 2007
Jan van Eyck is credited as the painter of 'The three mary's at the tomb' a painting from the 1430's held in a Rotterdam museum, 2012

*Replaced by Hurricane Wilma in 2005

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

Yesterday was another home team game. While i like the home team and often enjoy going, i skipped out and allowed Bigger Girl to take a friend. The team we were playing wasn't that great, and i simply was not in the mood to go.

The fact that our team was expected to win easily (which does not always happen) reminds me of a joke.

Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, an' Gaston was commiserating wit' each udder an' talkin''bout how bad de home team was.

Gaston, he say, "Me, I blame de coach! If he was any good, he would recruit dem good players!"

ThIbodeaux, he say, "Non, I blame de players! De coach be ver' good, but dem players, day don' give it dere all!"

An' Boudreaux, he say, "Mais, I blame my parents!"

Den Thibodeaux ax him, "Mais! What for you blame your parents?"

An' Boudreaux, he say, "If dey had lived in anudder town, I'd be cheerin' for a better team!"

Today is:

Battle of San Jacinto Day -- Nicaragua

Cochabamba Day -- Cochabamba, Bolivia (festival of the founding of the city)

Eat a Hoagie Day

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 4, Economic Justice (sponsored by We, the World)

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross/Elevation of the Life Giving Cross/Holy Cross Day -- Christian

Festivals and Matsuri of Japan -- several throughout Japan, today and for the next several, most as harvest festivals or traditional horseback archery rituals)
including the O Sannomiya Autumn Festival, Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Festival, Tono Matsuri, Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri, Tsurugaoka-hachimangu Reitasai, Yachi Donga Festival, and Furusato Hyappei Festival

Giostra Della Quintana -- Foligno, Italy (revival of a 17th-century jousting tournament, with 600 knights in full armor)

Great Procession of Tournai -- Tournai, Belgium (religious procession held since 1092, in thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague)

Hug a Crabby Stranger Day -- okay, as long as i don't end up on the evening news

Hug Your Hound Day -- to increase awareness of human- and dog-friendly urban spaces

National Cream-Filled Doughnut Day

Nutting Day -- British Isles tradition, the hazelnuts are supposed to be perfectly ripe on this day

Pet Memorial Day -- US, but everyone who has ever lost a pet, feel free to observe

Pilgrimage to the Black Madonna of Einsiedeln -- Switzerland

St. Notburga's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, husbandmen, peasants, restaurant servers)

Unclear Ideas Display -- Fairy Calendar (Imps celebration)

Birthdays Today:

Amy Winehouse, 1983
Dan Cortese, 1967
Faith Ford, 1964
Wendy Thomas, 1961 (Namesake of Wendy's Hamburgers)
Mary Crosby, 1959
Sam Neill, 1947
Joey Heatherton, 1944
Nicol Williamson, 1938
Walter Koenig, 1936
Kate Millett, 1934
Harve Presnell, 1933
Zoe Caldwell, 1933
Constance Baker Motley, 1921
Clayton Moore, 1914
Stanley Ketchel, 1886
Margaret Higgins Sanger, 1879
Ivan Pavlov, 1849
James Wilson, 1742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Golden Girls"(TV), 1985
"The Waltons"(TV Series), 1972
"Ironside"(TV), 1967
"Have Gun Will Travel"(TV), 1957
"The Turn of the Screw"(Opera), 1954

Today in History:

Domitian becomes emperor of Rome upon the death of his brother Titus, 81
Harun al-Rashid beomes Abbasid Caliph upon the death of his brother, al-Hadi, 786
The first lighthouse in the US, in Boston, is lit, 1716
George Frederick Handel finishes "Messiah" oratorio, after working on it non-stop for 23 days, 1741
Napoleon occupies Moscow; fires begin that will not be fully extinguished for 5 days, 1812
Francis Scott Key witnesses the battle which inspires him to write "The Defense of Fort McHenry", later retitled "The Star Spangled Banner", 1814
George K Anderson of Memphis, Tennessee patents typewriter ribbon, 1886
President of the United States William McKinley dies after an assassination attempt on September 6, and is succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt, 1901
Groundbreaking for the United Nations headquarters in New York City, 1948
The Soviet probe Luna 2 crashes onto the Moon, becoming the first man-made object to reach it, 1959
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded, 1960
The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, is canonized by Pope Paul VI, 1975
President-elect of Lebanon, Bachir Gemayel, is assassinated, 1982
Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a hot air balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean, 1984
The Toronto Blue Jays set a record for the most home runs in a single game, belting 10 of them, 1987
Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations, 1999
Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks; a similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital, 2001
In a referendum, Estonia approves joining the European Union, 2003
NASA reveals the Space Launch Program to replace the Space Shuttle program, 2011

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. We could all use some cute at the start of the work week, so why not post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up?

The tiniest kitten in the house likes to play a bit of hide and seek from under the ironing board in the laundry area.

Who's out there?

Today is:

Battle of Britain Day -- UK

Dia de Nuestra Senora de la Bien Aparecida -- Santander, Spain

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 5, Health (sponsored by We, the World)

Engineer's Day -- India

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa)related observance
Grito de Dolores -- Mexico (Cry of Dolores,a/k/a Father Hidalgo's Cry for Freedom Day, the evening before Independence Day)
Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows Day -- Slovakia

Felt Hat Day (Traditional day upon which men started to wear their winter felt hats, similar to women beginning to wear white shoes on Memorial Day)

Independence Day -- Costa Rica; El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras; Nicaragua (all in 1821)

International Day of Democracy -- UN

International Women's Ecommerce Days -- supporting women's online business endeavours and buying power; through Friday

International Love Your Files Week -- the week to make sure your filing system is working for you

Keiro no hi -- Japan (Respect for the Aged Day)

Make a Hat Day -- just for fun (and if you are a guy, make a felt hat)

National Creme de Menthe Day

National Hispanic Heritage Month -- US, through Oct. 15

National Linguine Day

Really Bad Ideas Exhibition -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins celebration)

Restoration of Primorska to the Motherland Day -- Slovenia

Silpa Bhirasri Day -- Thailand

St. Catherine of Genoa's Day (Patron of brides, childless people, people in difficult marriages, people ridiculed for their piety, victims of adultery and unfaithfulness, widows; against adultery and temptation)

World Lymphoma Day -- the Lymphoma Association of the UK suggests raising funds for lymphoma research with a Great British Tea Break www.lymphomas.org.uk

Anniversaries Today:

Greenpeace is founded, 1971

Birthdays Today:

Heidi Montag, 1986
Prince Harry, 1984
Dave Annable, 1979
Josh Charles, 1971
Dan Marino, Jr., 1961
Tommy Lee Jones, 1946
Oliver Stone, 1946
Carmen Maura, 1945
Jessye Norman, 1945
Merlin Olsen, 1940
Gaylord Jackson Perry, 1938
Norm Crosby, 1927
Jackie Cooper, 1922
Fay Wray, 1907
Roy Acuff, 1903
Agatha Christie, 1890
Robert Benchley, 1889
William H. Taft, 1857
James Fenimore Cooper, 1789
François de La Rochefoucauld, 1613
Marco Polo, 1254

Debuting/Premiering Today:

USA Today(Newspaper first issue), 1982
"CHIPs"(TV), 1977
"Columbo"(TV), 1971
"I Spy"(TV), 1965
"Lost in Space"(TV), 1965
"Bachelor Father"(TV), 1957
"The Lone Ranger"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

The first non-aristocratic, free public school in Europe is opened in Frascati, Italy, 1616
The French army under Napoleon reaches the Kremlin in Moscow, 1812
The first Negro National Convention begins in Philadelphia, 1830
The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad, 1831*
HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, reaches the Galápagos Islands, 1835
Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell becomes the first woman in the US to be ordained a minister (Congregationalist), 1853
Timothy Alder patents the typesetting machine, 1857
RCA releases the 12AX7 vacuum tube, 1947
United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia, 1952
The Soviet ship Poltava heads toward Cuba, one of the events that sets into motion the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
*The John Bull becomes the oldest operable steam locomotive in the world when the Smithsonian Institution operates it under its own power outside Washington, D.C., 1981
Vanuatu becomes a member of the United Nations, 1981
Lehman Brothers files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history, 2008
In Australia, "Indeterminate" can now be listed on a passport as a gender, 2011
A previously unknown species of bottlenose dolphin is found by Australian researchers, and named Tursiops australis, 2011

"Mom, I've got a problem," Bigger Girl said when she came downstairs the other morning.

What's up? i asked.

"Well, you remember my friend Sam?" she continued.

Yes, i remember, she's the third "Sam" we know. Very friendly, always smiling.

"Not these days as much. She's thinking of moving out with her boyfriend, because her home situation is getting so bad, and he hit her the other day."

She must not move out with him, i noted. And she needs to call the police.

"Well, she can't call the police, she hit him back. All of her friends have her on suicide watch now, and we just don't know what to do. She can't continue to live at home, her mom is threatening not to drive her to work any more if she doesn't turn over more of her paycheck every month, and will throw her out if she loses her job, too. So she's talking about moving in with her boyfriend just so she'll have a place.

"I've told her to just go couch surfing for a week or so until she can find a roommate, but other than that, what can we do?"

Couch surfing is fine in theory, i said, but that's a lot to ask of friends, she'd have to coordinate with them to get her to work and school. Her best bet would be to find a roomie, someone else who's in college and just wants someone to split the rent, as fast as possible. And it would need to be where she could take the bus to the college and her work.

"Yeah, that would be best, and I'll talk to her about it, and do you mind if I invite her to spend a night here? At least that's one night where I wouldn't have to worry about her."

Sure you can. And while you are at it, let her practice driving while you are in the neighborhood. The faster she can get a license, the easier her life will be.

"Thanks mom!"

Other people's kids bring home a stray puppy that "followed me home!" My kids bring home stray people, and there's no way i can say no.

Today is:

Anne Bradstreet Day -- Massachusetts, US (by Proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to honor Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet, who is also recognized as the first published woman poet in the English language)

Cherokee Strip Day -- Oklahoma, US (anniversary of the last land run, in 1893, which opened Native American land to white settlers)

Collect Rocks Day -- i guess it means besides all the ones in my head

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 6, Children & Youth (sponsored by We, the World)

Festival for Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Get Ready Day -- US (help your community, workplace, or school to get ready for disasters or emergencies)

Independence Day -- Malaysia(1963); Mexico(1910); Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea(1975)

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer -- UN (commemorates the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer)

Kentucky Bourbon Festival -- Bardstown, KY, US (self explanatory; through Sunday)

Martyrs' Day -- Libya

Mayflower Day -- the ship left England on this day in 1620

National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day

National Guacamole Day -- ideas to celebrate

National Heroes' Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis

National Play-Doh Day -- unofficial; get some anyway and be a kid again for a little while

National Teaching Assistants' Day -- UK https://www.teachingpersonnel.com/go/candidates/national-ta-day/

Opening of Parliament -- Netherlands (holiday in The Hague)related observance
Prinsjesdag -- Netherlands (technically translates "Prince's Day;" the day Parliament opens and the reigning sovereign, now King William-Alexander, gives the Speech from the Throne and the Minister of Finance proposes next year's budget)

Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales

St. Cornelius' Day (Patron of cattle, domestic animals, earache sufferers, epileptics; Kornelimunster, Germany;against earache, epilepsy, fever, twitching )

St. Cyprian of Carthage's Day (Patron of Algeria, North Africa)

St. Euphemia's Day (Patron of Rovinj, Croatia)

St. Ludmilla's Day (Grandmother of St. "Good King" Winceslaus; Patron of converts, duchesses, widows; Bohemia; Czech Republic; against in-law problems)

Stay Away From Seattle Day -- yes, really

Stepfamily Day -- US and others who choose to recognize it (Founded in 1977 by Christy Borgeld; if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live)

Working Parents Day -- internet generated, enjoy if you are a working parent or have a working parent you want to thank

Birthdays Today:

Nick Jonas, 1992
Sabrina Bryan, 1984
Alexis Bledel, 1982
Amy Poehler, 1971
Marc Anthony, 1968
Molly Shannon, 1964
Richard Marx, 1963
Jennifer Tilly, 1961
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV, 1958
David Copperfield, 1956
Mickey Rourke, 1956
Robin Yount, 1955
Mark McEwen, 1954
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1950
Susan Ruttan, 1950
Ed Begley, Jr., 1949
Elgin Gay Baylor, 1934
Anne Francis, 1932
Peter Falk, 1927
B.B. King, 1925
Lauren Bacall, 1924
Janice Page, 1923
Allen Funt, 1914
James Cash Penney, 1875
Francis Parkman, 1823
Anthony Panizzi, 1797
Hildegard of Bingen, 1098

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Frasier"(TV), 1993
"Miami Vice"(TV), 1984
"Logan's Run"(TV), 1977
"Bridget Loves Bernie"(TV), 1972 (first mixed marriage portrayed on television)
"Mannix"(TV), 1967
"Shindig"(TV), 1964
"The Outer Limits"(TV), 1963
"Broadway"(Play), 1926

Today in History:

The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston, 1630
Handel's "The Messiah" premiers in Dublin, 1741
The Great Seal of the United States is used for the first time, 1782
Russians set fire to Moscow shortly after midnight – the city burns down completely days later, 1812
Slavery is abolished in all French Territories, 1848
The Cherokee Strip, in Oklahoma, is opened, making land available to white settlers, 1893
Roald Amundsen discovers the magnetic south pole, 1906
William Durant, carriage-maker, founds General Motors Corp., 1908
Juan Perón is deposed in Argentina, 1955
Malaysia is formed, 1963
Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe join the United Nations, 1975
Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from the trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir, 1976
An earthquake measuring 7.5-7.9 on the Richter scale hits the city of Tabas, Iran killing about 25,000 people, 1978
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations, 1980
The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion, 1987
The Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark, 1992
Mexico celebrates its 200th anniversary of independence, 2010
Denmark elects its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011
NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one, 2011
The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announces a successful artificial insemination as Mei Xiang gives birth to her second giant panda cub, 2012
The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found in tap water near New Orleans, the first time ever detected in the U.S. water supply, 2013

It's a conspiracy, i tell ya.

It has to be, there's no other explanation.

It can't be because the dishwasher caught fire a few years ago (yes, really), and so we do dishes by hand now.

No, it has to be a conspiracy, and i think i know from where it is coming.

Why else would i go to bed each night with my kitchen sink looking like this:

Clean and tidy sink.

And when i get up each morning, it looks about like this:

In the morning!

The dishes are conspiring against me and reproducing in the night!

That has to be the only logical explanation.

Today is:

Autumn Equinox Festival at Chichen Itza -- beginning today, thousands will gather for the amazing play of light and shadow each evening at sunset through the 27th)

Birthday of Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala -- Tonga

Chelsea Antique Fair -- Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, England (through Sunday)

Citizenship Day -- US

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 7, Women (sponsored by We, the World)

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

Fundacion de Melilla -- ML, Spain

General Election Day -- Fiji

Golden Aspen Motorcycle Rally -- Ruidoso, NM, US (trade show, bike shows, riding tours, skills event, stunt show, parade, and fun; through Sunday)

International Country Music Day

National Apple Dumpling Day

National Guitar Flat-Picking Championships and Walnut Valley Festival -- Winfield, KS, US (through Sunday)

National Heroes Day -- Angola

National Rehabilitation Day -- US (on the Wednesday of National Rehab Awareness Week)

National School Backpack Awareness Day 2014 -- US (or anywhere else that you want to weigh your child's backpack on the 3rd Wednesday of September, to make sure it's not heavy enough to hurt them)

Niketeria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Operation Market Garden Remembrance -- Netherlands

Pledge Across America Day -- US (beginning of Constitution Week, every school is invited to join a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance across the whole nation, from 8am Hawaiian time to 2pm Eastern; schools also have an exercise of some kind about the US Constitution)

Return of Kelp-Koli Celebration -- Fairy Calendar (under duress, of course)

Stigmata of St. Francis' Day

St. Hildegard von Bingen's Day (author of treatises on natural healing and the first musical composer whose biography is known)

St. Lambert's Day (Patron of Middelaar, Netherlands)

Time's Up Day -- created by Wellcat Holidays; time's up on holding that grudge, you need to make amends with people today, since you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow

VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day -- anniversary of founding in 1914

Anniversary Today:

The Constitution of the United States is signed, 1787
American Professional Football League (later the NFL) founded (a/k/a the Swallowing Up of Weekends), 1920

Birthdays Today:

Chuck Liddell, 1969
Kyle Chandler, 1965
Rita Rudner, 1956
Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, 1951
John Ritter, 1948
David H. Souter, 1974
Ken Kesey, 1935
Maureen Conolly, 1934
Anne Bancroft, 1931
Roddy McDowall, 1928
George Blanda, 1927
Hank Williams Sr., 1923
Chaim Herzog, 1918
Warren E. Burger, 1907
Jerry Colonna, 1904
John Willard Marriot, 1900
Andrew "Rube" Foster, 1879
Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, 1730

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Home Improvement"(TV), 1991
"Head of the Class"(TV), 1986
"M*A*S*H"(TV), 1972
"Mission: Impossible"(TV), 1966
"Bewitched"(TV), 1964
"The Fugitive"(TV), 1963
"Car 54 Where are You?"(TV), 1961
"Outward Bound"(Play), 1923

Today in History:

The Battle of Thermopylae, fought between 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, and the Achaemenid Empire begins, BC480
Arabs conquer Alexandria, and destroy its library for the last time, 642
Netherland sailors discover Mauritus, 1598
Massachusetts Bay Colony gets a new charter, 1691
Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain, 1776
US Constitution is adopted by the Philadelphia convention, 1787
Sprinkler system for extinguishing fires is patented by Phillip W. Pratt, 1872
The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality, 1908
The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York to Pasadena, is completed after 82 hours 4 minutes, 1911
The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards
of 2,500 people, the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1928
The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives, 1949
Television is first broadcast in Australia, 1956
Malaysia joins the United Nations, 1957
Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations, 1974
The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, is unveiled by NASA, 1976
The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt, 1978
Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America, 1983
Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations, 1991
The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet, 1991
Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years, 2006
A drill finally reaches the 33 Chilean miners trapped after the Aug. 5 Copiapo mining accident, 2010

But that doesn't mean she isn't going to be losing some teeth soon.

Little Girl has been having tooth pain. She wasn't sure if it was cavities or her wisdom teeth, but it didn't matter, we had to schedule a trip to the one dentist we know will give us the straight scoop, every time.

This dentist practices about a 4-5 hour drive from here, but we've found it worth while to not have someone telling us we need things done that aren't really needed.

Sweetie took her up there yesterday, and he took along Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, to "help with the driving." This, when Little Girl can drive. What i had hoped would be a good bonding time between them ended up being him and his brother arguing in the car for hours, as they always do.

That evening, telling me about it, she said that after all those hours in the car with them, she was ready to jump out and walk home, and asked how i had stood it for almost 30 year. While i didn't answer her, she said i must be a very strong woman.

Well, i'm not strong, i've just figured the two of them are happier arguing with each other than getting along with other people at times. (At other times, they just avoid each other, and seek any other company.) It's a twin thing. So i let them have at it, with me not in the same room if i can help it.

Anyway, the dentist did an exam, x-rays, cleaning, and all, for only $180. She had no cavities, but he sealed her molars so that wouldn't get them, either.

The bad news is her upper wisdom teeth are growing out sideways and the lower ones are growing into the rest of the teeth, and all four of them need to be removed.

This dentist cannot do that, so we have to find a local oral surgeon.

She's a bit big for the tooth fairy, but for the sake of putting up with the arguing, and because getting your wisdom teeth out is not an easy thing, she will be due for a reward of some sort.

Whatever it is, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, will have no part in it.

Today is:

Chiropractic Founder's Day -- celebrating the first chiropractic adjustment ever performed, by D.D. Palmer on Harvey Lillard, on this date in 1895

Ear Wig Fitting Day -- Fairy Calendar

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 8, Human Rights (sponsored by We, the World)

Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day -- they are generally anonymous, often underappreciated, so today, give one a hug! (if you know any, that is)

Hummer/Bird Celebration -- Rockport and Fulton, TX, US (ruby-throated hummingbirds and other avians are the stars of this show; through Sunday)

Imilchil Marriage Festival -- Imilchil, Morocco (Marriage Festival, among the Berber people, a whirlwind of speed dating, weddings, exotic music, traditional costumes, and romance; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- Chile

National Cheeseburger Day

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day -- US

National Respect! Day(sm) -- US (encouraging abused women to respect themselves enough to get out)

Osage River Mountain Man Festival and Black Powder Shoot -- Lake Ozark, MO, US (reenactment of a pre-1840s wilderness rendezvous; through Sunday)

Plataia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

St. Joseph of Cupertino's Day (Levitating saint, and so Patron of air crews, air travelers, astronauts, paratroopers, pilots/aviators, students, test takers; Cupertino, Italy)

World Water Monitoring Day -- International

Anniversaries Today:

Constantine II of Greece marries Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, 1964
The United States Air Force becomes a separate military service, 1947
Hull House opens, 1889

Birthdays Today:

Jada Pinkett Smith, 1971
Lance Armstrong, 1971
Alsha Tyler, 1970
James Gandolfini, 1961
Ryne Sandberg, 1959
Frankie Avalon, 1939
Robert Blake, 1933
Scotty Bowman, 1933
June Foray, 1920
Jack Warden, 1920
Rossano Brazzi, 1916
Agnes DeMille, 1905
Greta Garbo, 1905
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, 1905
John Diefenbaker, 1895
Joseph Story, 1779
George Read, 1733
Samuel Johnson, 1709
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, Emperor Trajan, 53

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Baseball"(Documentary), 1994
"Love is a Many Splendored Thing"(TV), 1967
"Get Smart"(TV), 1965
"The Addams Family"(TV), 1964
"Wagon Train"(TV), 1957
"Johnny Belinda"(Play), 1940
"Strictly Dishonorable"(Play), 1929
"Disraeli"(Play), 1911

Today in History:

Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his 4th and final voyage, 1502
Ft. Ticonderoga, NY opens, 1755
The British capture Quebec City, 1759
John Harris builds the first spinet piano in the US, 1769
President Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building, 1793
Royal Opera House in London opens, 1809
A horse beats the first US made locomotive, near Baltimore, 1830
Tiffany and Co. (first named Tiffany & Young) is founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young in New York City; the store is called a "stationery and fancy goods emporium", 1837
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is first published, 1842
First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which later becomes The New York Times, 1851
Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone, 1870
The banking firm of Jay Cooke & Co. in Philadelphia declares bankruptcy, which starts the Panic of 1873 and a severe economic depression, 1873
The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time, 1879
Riots break out in Montreal to protest against compulsory smallpox vaccination, 1885
In appreciation for all she had done for the tribe, Harriet Maxwell Converse, adopted as a member of the Seneca tribe, is made a chief of the Six Nations Tribe at the Tonawanda Reservation, 1891
Daniel David Palmer gives the first chiropractic adjustment, 1895
A typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10,000 people in Hong Kong, 1906
The Irish Home Rule Act becomes law, but is delayed until after World War I, 1914
The Netherlands gives women the right to vote, 1919
The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air, 1927
Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro crossing of the English Channel, 1928
Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the US Senate without completing another senator's term, 1948
Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations, 1960
U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash, 1961
Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations, 1962
The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations, 1973
Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people, 1974
Voyager I takes first photograph of the Earth and the Moon together, 1977
Soyuz 38 carries 2 cosmonauts (including 1 Cuban) to Salyut 6 space station, 1980
Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic, 1984
Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations, 1990
ICANN is formed, 1998
The 72 year run of the soap opera The Guiding Light ends as its final episode is broadcast, 2009
Chileans celebrate the 200th anniversary oof their independence, 2010
After a large storm that took the roof off of Stadium Southland in Invercargill, 100,000 people in New Zealand are left without water, 2010

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

It's easy to participate, just post a cat pic -- yours, or one you find, or even a drawing of a cat -- and link up!

Winston Churchill has learned that the best food comes from the magic food machine. Now he's spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to get it to open!

He knows there has to be a secret!

Today is:

Applejack Festival -- Nebraska City, NE, US (parade, food, fun, and a celebration of the orchards; through Sunday)

Armed Forces Day -- Chile

Biosphere Day -- Noosaville, Australia

Chästeilet im Justistal -- Merlingen, Switzerland (dividing of the summer's cheese between the dairy farmers of the area, a weekend celebration that must be tasted to be believed!)

Clean Up the World Weekend -- it's a big challenge, but we can try

Cosmetic Bridge Day -- seems internet generated, but i'm sure your dentist will approve

Creston/Southwest Iowa Hot Air Balloon Days -- Creston, IA, US (hare and hound races, parade, marching band contest, balloons and more; through Sunday)

Danger Run/Ghost Run -- Louisville, KY, US ("The Most Fun You've Ever Had in Your Car," a haunted Halloween scavenger hunt style game in which you and your friends will work together to solve clues to find your way on dark, spooky roads to haunted houses, and compete for prizes; every Friday and Saturday evening through October)

Day of the First Appearance of the Slovak National Council -- Slovakia

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 9, Freedom (sponsored by We, the World)

Great British Beach Clean -- UK (the Marine Conservation Society knows the coast needs this extra special focus; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis(1983)

International Talk Like a Pirate Day -- www.talklikeapirate.com

Jeans for Genes Day -- UK (convince your school or workplace to let you pay for the privilege of wearing jeans today, with the money going toward research of genetic diseases)

Jubilee of the Moth Moons -- Fairy Calendar

Mid-South Fair -- Southaven, MS, US (original and fun since 1856! through Sept. 28)

MOGFA Common Ground County Fair -- Unity, ME, US (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association sponsors an old-time country fair that revives forgotten skills and has something for everyone; through Sunday)

Monterrey Jazz Festival -- Monterrey, CA, US (57th Annual, featuring some of the world's finest jazz musicians; through Sunday)

National Butterscotch Pudding Day

National POW/MIA Recognition Day -- US

National Tradesmen Day -- US

#New Hampshire Highland Games -- Loon Mountain, Lincoln, NH, US (everything highlands you can think of, and those of Scottish descent can even look up their clan connections; through Sunday)

Riverfest -- Eden, NC, US (a celebration of art, history, and river heritage; through tomorrow)

Seven Sweets and Sours Festival -- Intercourse, PA, US (celebrating all the flavors of fall, and pumpkin bowling; through tomorrow)

St. Januarius of Naples' Day (a/k/a Gennaro of Naples; Patron of blood banks; Naples, Italy; against volcanic eruption) related observance
Feast of San Gennaro -- NYC, NY, US (began on the 13th, continues to the 23rd; one of the highlights of the festival is this, the actual Saint's day)

Women's Suffrage Day -- New Zealand

Birthdays Today:

Alison Sweeney, 1976
Jimmy Fallon, 1974
Jim Abbot, 1967
Soledad O'Brien, 1966
Trisha Yearwood, 1964
Kevin Hooks, 1958
Joan Lunden, 1950
Leslie "Twiggy" Lawson, 1949
Jeremy Irons, 1948
Randolph Mantooth, 1945
Joe Morgan, 1943
"Mama" Cass Elliot, 1941
Bill Medley, 1940
Paul Williams, 1940
David McCallum, 1933
Mike Royko, 1932
Adam West, 1928
Duke Snider, 1926
Sir William Golding, 1911
Lewis F. Powell, Jr., 1907
Joseph Pasternak, 1901
Henry Peter Brougham, 1778
Charles Carroll, 1737
Jan Luyts, 1655

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Skylight"(Play), 1996
"ER"(TV), 1994
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show"(TV), 1970
Funny Girl(Film), 1968
"Flipper"(TV), 1964
"The Virginian"(TV), 1962

Today in History:

Edward, the Black Prince, commands the forces which defeat the French army and capture France's King John II, 1356
Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem Witch Trials, 1692
The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the US, 1778
Ephraim Morris patents the railroad brake, 1838
Bond and Lassell discover Hyperion, moon of Saturn, 1848
New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all of its women the right to vote, 1893
Funeral of assassinated President William McKinley, 1901
Mickey Mouse makes his screen debut as Steamboat Willie, at the Colony Theater in NYC, 1928
The Council of Europe is founded following a speech by Winston Churchill at the University of Zurich, 1946
Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland, 1959
Betty and Barney Hill claim that they saw a mysterious craft in the sky and that it tried to abduct them, 1961
The Solomon Islands join the United Nations, 1978
Scott Fahlman posts the first documented emoticons :-) and :-( on the Carnegie Mellon University Bulletin Board System, 1982
Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by German tourists, 1991
The BP oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was declared “effectively dead” by retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s point man on the blowout disaster, 2010

"Hey, mom, guess what happened to me at work this morning!" #2 Son said as he came in.

Surprise me, i said.

"Well, you know how I'm one of the first people there, right? So I get there a few minutes before 4, right, and open the door and I was the first person to step into the back, and I stepped into water!"

Oh, no! i exclaimed.

"No, no, wait, that's not all of it! So, I step into about a quarter inch of water all over the floor, and then I open the walk in cooler, and every box was off the shelves, and a whole bunch of empty boxes were mixed in, and it was all on the floor of the cooler. It looked like a tornado had gone through there! And I'm thinking, 'No, this is not good, not good at all, not want I want to see first things in the morning.'

"So we had to figure out who had messed up the cooler and flooded the place on purpose, and the manager got the video, and it turned out one of the night shift workers did it because he was mad about being the last one there and having to lock up!"

You have a video showing him doing this stuff? i asked incredulously.

"Yeah, can you believe it! The guy is so dumb, he didn't even try to hide what he was doing. He didn't even know there was a camera! It got everything! He is so fired!"

Hint to disgruntled employees -- just quit. Don't do stupid on camera and get fired, i said.

"Yeah, especially if I have to clean up after your sorry self!" #2 Son finished up as he went to take a nap.

Today is:

America's Day For Kids -- sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Big Whopper Liar's Contest and Kunstfest -- New Harmony, IN, US (a German Festival, with traditional German foods, beer, and entertainment, plus the Big Whopper Liar's Contest, always a good time; through tomorrow)

Birthday of the Sun -- Inca (date approximate; a few days before the Autumn Equinox, all fires, including that at the Temple of the Sun, were extinguished and 3 days later ceremonially relighted using only glass to concentrate the sunlight on cotton; followed by 8 days of feasting)

Covered Bridge Festival -- Washington and Greene County, PA, US (arts, crafts, entertainment, and food at each of the 11 featured covered bridges; through tomorrow)

Egremont Crab Fair -- Egremont, Cumberland, UK (ancient fair given a charter in 1267, includes throwing apples from a cart for children to catch; through tomorrow)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 10, Disarmament (sponsored by We, the World)

Fall Migration Festival -- Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ, US (nature photography workshops, guided viewing of the abundant and diverse species here at this time, and more; through tomorrow)

Feast of Orlog -- Scandinavian Deity of Destiny (date approximate)

Feast of the Ingathering -- UK traditional (also called Harvest Home; in Scotland, Kirn; in northern England, Mell-Supper. Celebrations will be held in rural areas for the next few weekends, celebrating the end of the harvest.)

Feast of Zywie -- Poland (goddess of longevity and health; date approximate)

Genesia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival to honor the dead, especially those who died in wars)

German-American Steuben Parade/Von Steuben Day -- New York City, and other smaller parades in US

Heritage Weekend -- Blue Ridge Parkway Cultural Heritage Center, Ashville, NC, US
featuring the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Championships today

Idaho Spud Day 2014 -- Idaho, US, wants the 3rd Saturday of September as a day to celebrate their favorite crop

International Coastal Cleanup -- join volunteers around the world in helping remove debris that harms marine life and ruins our oceans

International Eat An Apple Day -- a celebration of the fruit of the season, on the third Saturday of every September

Johnny Appleseed Festival -- Fort Wayne, IN, US (an 1800 style period festival; through tomorrow)

Levi Coffin Days -- Fountain City, IN, US (celebrating Levi Coffin, the "President of the Underground Railroad"; through tomorrow)

National Farm Safety Day -- US (can't find a sponsor, but farming is hard, and dangerous, work, so it's a good idea)

National Gymnastics Day -- US (sponsored by USA Gymnastics)

National Rum Punch Day

National Youth Day -- Thailand

National Seat Check Saturday -- US (check it for what, sagging? i'm old, of course it is! Oh, make sure car seats are secured -- my kids finally outgrew those, phew)

Norskedalen Threshing Bee -- Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center, Coon Valley, WI, US (antique engines and pioneer demonstrations, as well as cream separating, butter-making, a thresher's meal, and more)

Oktoberfest -- Germany (through Oct. 5)

Okuma-kabuto Festival -- Nakajima, Japan (Noto Peninsula's top autumn festival)

Peddler's Village Scarecrow Festival -- Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA, US (start celebrating the fall with scarecrow making, pumpkin-painting, and more; through tomorrow)

Responsible Dog Ownership Day -- sponsored by the AKC

Rettir -- Iceland (around this time of year; a traditional sheep round up celebrated in Iceland during September, actual round up dates may vary from region to region)

Trail of Courage Living History Festival -- Rochester, IN, US (frontier life in Indiana when it was Native territory; through tomorrow)

Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride® -- Bridgeport, AL to Waterloo, AL ( ride along part of the original Trail of Tears to honor the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations)

St. Eustace's Day (Patron of difficult situations, fire prevention, firefighters, hunters, torture victims, trappers; Madrid, Spain; Poli, Italy; against fire and torture)

Waikiki Ho'olaule'a -- Waikiki, Oahu, Hawai'i, US (a huge, fun street party, part of the larger Aloha Festivals celebrations all over the Islands, to showcase the culture and beauty of Hawai'i)

XTERRA Trail Run Nationals -- Ogden/Snowbasin, UT, US (finale of the series of extreme runs held across the country through the year, featuring 21k of extreme, off-road trail runs; through tomorrow)

Birthdays Today:

Kristen Johnston, 1967
Guy LaFleur, 1951
Taro Aso, 1940
Sophia Loren, 1934
Anne Meara, 1929
Donald A. Hall, 1928
Dr. Joyce Brothers, 1928
Red Auerbach, 1917
Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, 1890
Maxwell Perkins, 1884
Upton Sinclair, 1878
Rama V, King of Thailand, 1853 (eldest son taught by Anna, of "The King and I" fame)
Emperor Takakura of Japan, 1161

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Cosby Show"(TV), 1984
"Eubie"(Revue), 1978
"The Phil Silvers Show"(TV), 1955
"The Corn is Green"(Play), 1938

Today in History:

Atilla the Hun defeated at Chalons-sur-Marne by General Aetius, 451
Saladin begins the siege of Jerusalem, 1187
Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe, 1519
Galileo Galilei is tried before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun, 1633
Maryland passes the first "anti-amalgamation" law to stop English women from marrying black men, 1664
The Negro Convention of Free Men agrees to boycott slave-produced goods, 1830
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created, 1848
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company, 1857
The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, 1891
The Otis Elevator Company unveils the first escalator at the Paris Exposition, 1900
Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania is launched, 1906
The first Cannes Film Festival is held, 1946
James Meredith, an African-American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi, 1962
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched, 1967
Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match, 1973
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam joins the UN, 1977
Walt Disney World hosts its 200 millionth guest, 1985
U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror", 2001
The US Military ends its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, 2011

Silly Sunday is the place to come each week for laughs. It's hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's easy to participate: Laugh and Link Up!

#2 Son's trouble at work from a night shift employee that got the employee fired reminds me of a joke.

Boudreaux got him a job down at de plant, as de night watchman. He was to watch and search all de employees when dey done lef' de plant, an' make sure none o' dem stole nuthin'. If dey was caught tryin' to steal, he was to fire dem.

So, de firs' night on de job, he watchin' close, an' he don' see nothin' until Fontenot come along wit' a wheelbarrow full o' newspapers.

"Hol' up dere!" say Boudreaux. "What you be doin?" he ax.

"Oh, I do dis ever' day," say Fontenot. "I pick up all de ol' newspapers when dey be done wit' dem, an' I sell dem at de recycle place."

"You t'ink you gone pull dat on me!" yell Boudreaux. "You be fired!"

"Mais, what for?" Fontenot ax.

"Mais, I know what you be tryin' to pull!" Boudreax say. "You be stealin' a wheelbarrow!"

Today is:

Arbor Day -- Brazil

Banned Books Week begins -- US (sponsored by the ALA ; Defend the Freedom to Read, It's Everybody's Job; celebrate your right to read what you want!)

Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper Celebration Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins)

Clypping the Church Ceremony -- Painswick, Gloucestershire, England (since 1321, surrounding the church hand in hand for the Clypping Hymn and an open air ceremony)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 11, Peace (to coincide with the International celebration; sponsored by We, the World)

Independence Day -- Armenia(1991); Belize(1981); Malta(1964)

International Day of Peace -- UN

Kharisteria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; feast of Aremis Agrotera[the huntress] that became a thanksgiving for the victory of the battle of Marathon)

Kwama Nkrumah's Birthday/Founder's Day -- Ghana

Miniature Golf Day -- golf the fun way! (separate from National Miniature Golf Day in May)

National Back to Church Sunday -- US (encouraging every church goer to invite just one person to come along, as studies show many people say they would go, if they were invited)

National Neighborhood Day -- US (The Good Feeling That Lasts All Year)

National Pecan Cookie Day

Pause the World Day -- because we've all wanted to do this at one time or another

St. Matthew the Evangelist's Day (Patron of accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, financial officers, guards, money managers, security forces, security guards, stock brokers, tax collectors; Salerno, Italy; Trier, Germany; Villa d'Ogna, Italy)

Student's Day and Spring Day -- Argentina

Throw Away Something Day -- you have the internet's permission to get rid of that hideous gift; if you can't bring yourself to throw it out, donate it

Tolkien Week begins (always the Sun - Sat that includes Hobbit Day)

UCI Road World Championships -- Toscana, Italy (Union Cycliste International sponsors these races, through the 28th)

Wife Appreciation Day -- unofficially celebrated the 3rd Sunday in September

World Alzheimer's Day

World Gratitude Day

Birthdays Today:

Nicole Richie, 1981
Luke Wilson, 1971
Ricki Lake, 1968
Faith Hill, 1967
Darva Conger, 1965
Rob Morrow, 1962
Nancy Travis, 1961
David James Elliot, 1960
Dave Coulier, 1959
Ethan Boen, 1957
Bill Murray, 1950
Stephen King, 1947
Kay Ryan, 1945
Fannie Flagg, 1944
Bill Kurtis, 1940
Henry Gibson, 1935
Leonard Cohen, 1934
Larry Hagman, 1931
Chuck Jones, 1912
H.G. Wells, 1866
Maurice Barrymore, 1849 (family patriarch)
Francis Hopkinson, 1737

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"NYPD Blue"(TV), 1993
"Glengarry Glen Ross"(Play), 1983
"Monday Night Football"(TV), 1970*
"Perry Mason"(TV), 1957
"The Texaco Star Theater"(TV), 1948
My Weekly Reader(Magazine, first issue date), 1928

*Browns 31, Jets 21

Today in History:

Richard the Lionheart captured, 1192
Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear a badge, 1451
John and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent a fire extinguisher, 1677
Nathan Hale arrested for spying, 1776
The Pennsylvania Packet & Daily Advertiser becomes the first successful US daily newspaper, 1784
Joseph Smith, Jr. claims that the Angel Moroni gives him the gold plates from which he translates the Book of Mormon, 1827
The Duryea Motor Wagon Company becomes the first auto manufacturer, 1895
"Kit Carson", the first cowboy film, premiers in the US, 1903
Publication of Tolkien's "The Hobbit", 1937
Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations, 1971
Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female US Supreme Court justice, 1981
Brunei joins the United Nations, 1984
Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly, 2001
The Galileo mission is terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, 2003

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. We could all use some cute to start the work week, so post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up!

The kittens are big enough to get spayed and adopted, but they still like to stay close.

Kittens don't like to sleep far from littermates.

They should go this week, and we will miss them. Until i get back from my trip in early October, i won't be taking on any more little ones. When i get back, the second half of the year's kitten season should be in full force.

Today is:

Aizu Byakko Matsuri -- Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Fukushima, Japan (ceremonial recreation of a march to war in 1868; through the 24th)

American Business Women's Day -- US (anniversary of the founding of the American Business Women's Association)

Autumnal Equinox -- 2:29am UT, 10:29pm EDT; related observances(some today, some tomorrow)
     Mabon -- Wicca/Pagan Northern Hemisphere
     Ostara -- wicca/Pagan Southern Hemisphere
     Alban Elfed -- Celtic Winter Finding
     Chuseok -- Korean harvest festival (high point of the festival)
     Feast of Carpo -- Greek Horae, goddess of autumn
     Kukulcan Snake God Celebration -- Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico (the snake appears at the equinox, a time to honor this Mayan god)
     Festival of the Sea Goddess -- Eskimo
     Higan -- Japan
     Mabon/Fallfest -- Asatru/Norse Pagan (harvest festival, time to make wine and mead for the next winter)
     Oenach Carman -- Ancient Celtic Calendar
     Sendai Great Tug-of-War -- Sendai, Japan (festival on the equinox that dates back over 400 years)
     Svarog's Holiday -- Slavic Pagan Calendar/Asatru (day to drink mead in honor of Svarog, god of fire and the sky)

Boidromia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; honor Apollon as god of rescue during war)

Bonn Phchum Ben -- Cambodia (Ancestors' Day)

Breakfast, Snack, Elevenses, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Tea, Snack, Dinner, Snack, More Snacks, Supper, Snack, and Bilgewack Celebration Day -- Fairy Calendar (Borms; they are little known relatives of Goblins, given to being overweight and sedentary and lying around feeling ill; bilgewack is their term for having eaten too much and having to lie down.)

Canterbury South Provincial Anniversary Day -- Canterbury South, New Zealand

Coya Raymi -- Inca Native Americans (festival to honor Moon Goddess Quilla, with a focus on purging sickness and evil; through tomorrow, dates approximate)

Dear Diary Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; get it down on paper!

Dominion Day -- New Zealand (obs.)

Elephant Appreciation Day -- sponsored by "Elefunteria" and WildHeart Productions

Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children(TM) -- sponsored by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, encouraging everyone to have a meal with the family, because all the studies show it's good for you!

Feast of Mikeli -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (harvest celebration; through the 24th)

Hobbit Day -- Bilbo's and Frodo's Birth anniversary

Ice Cream Cone Day -- Italo Marchiony applied for a patent for an ice cream cone mold on this day in 1903

Independence Day -- Bulgaria; Mali

International Day of Radiant Peace -- www.radiantpeace.org

Metropolitan Opera in NYC Opening Night

National Centenarians Day -- US

National White Chocolate Day

OneWebDay

Princess Martha Louise's Birthday -- Norway (an official flag day)

Ritual of the Netjers of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

St. Maurice's Day (Patron of armies, cloth dyers, cloth makers, infantrymen, soldiers, swordsmiths, weavers; Austria; Manresa, Spain; Pianello Val Tidone, Italy; Piedmont, Italy; Sardinia; Stadtsulza, Germany; Pontifical Swiss Guards; against cramps and gout)

World Carfree Day -- UN (encouraging all of us to go car free for a day, and see the world from a different perspective) began as:
     Car-Free Day -- this has spread to much of the world; try it for yourself!

Birthdays Today:

Billie Piper, 1982
Ronaldo, 1976
Bonnie Hunt, 1964
Catherine Oxenberg, 1961
Scott Baio, 1961
Joan Jett, 1960
Andrea Bocelli, 1958
Debby Boone, 1956
Shari Belafonte, 1954
Arthur O. Sulzberger, 1951
Paul Le Mat, 1945
Junko Tabel, 1939 (first woman to summit Everest)
Tommy Lasorda, 1927
John Houseman, 1902
Michael Faraday, 1791
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 1694(O.S. Date)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Friends"(TV), 1994
"Family Ties"(TV), 1982
"Charlie's Angels"(TV), 1976
"A Delicate Balance"(Play), 1966
"Fiddler on the Roof"(Musical), 1964
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E."(TV), 1964
"Maverick"(TV), 1957

Today in History:

Legion I Italica is created by Emperor Nero, 66
Switzerland becomes an independent state, 1499
The General Provincial Court at Patuxent, MD, US, empanels the first all female jury in the colonies to try the case of a woman accused of murdering her child, 1656
A final 8 people are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Mass., 1692
Nathan Hale is hanged for spying during American Revolution, 1776
Russia establishes a colony at Kodiak, Alaska, 1784
City of Des Moines, Iowa, is incorporated as Fort Des Moines, 1851
Abraham Lincoln, by executive proclamation, declares that the slaves in the rebelling states shall become free on Jan. 1 of the upcoming year, 1862
Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold premieres in Munich, 1869
The first issue of National Geographic Magazine is published, 1888
Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather, King George III, as the longest reigning monarch in British history, 1895
Italo Marchiony granted a patent for an ice cream cone, 1903
The Duke of York's Picture House opens in Brighton, now the oldest continually operating cinema in Britain, 1910
Ralph J. Bunche becomes the first black winner of the Nobel Peace Price, 1950
The Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time by the Huntington Library, 1991
David Hempleman-Adams becomes the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an open-air, wicker-basket hot air balloon, 2003

"Hey, mom, want to see my latest painting?" Bigger Girl came in carrying a cork board. She says she can't paint on canvass, she has to paint on something with texture.

Sure, i said, so she held it up.

Bigger Girl's latest.

"It's a girl dancing," she said. "I love painting on textured surfaces!"

Nice, i said.

"Oh, and by the way, I accidentally jointed the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster today," she continued.

In a mock accusing voice i asked her, So, where is your colander!

"No, really, I was on their website, and they had a button that said, 'Join us' and I clicked on it, and it said, "So, you want to be a Pastafarian? Congratulations, you're in!' So now I'm a Pastafarian in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. We believe that heaven has a beer volcano and strippers! Oh, and that h3ll has the same, but the beer is stale and all the strippers have social diseases. Also, that there are penguins everywhere. Mom, we're supposed to believe h3ll is full of penguins!"

What, i asked, did the penguins do to deserve that?

"I'm not sure, I haven't learned all my catechism yet!" she said, as she took the painting back to her room.

No penguin deserves that, although i can think of a few people who would.

Today is

Al-Yaom Al-Watany -- Saudi Arabia (National Day/Founding of the Kingdom)

Augustalia -- Roman Empire (birthday of Caesar Augustus, still the traditional New Year's Day in Constantinople and in the Eastern Orthodox Church)

Autumnal Equinox -- 2:29am UT, related observances (some began yesterday, depending on when the equinox actually occurred where you are!)
     Mabon -- Wicca/Pagan Northern Hemisphere
     Ostara -- wicca/Pagan Southern Hemisphere
     Alban Elfed -- Celtic Winter Finding
     Chuseok -- Korean harvest festival (high point of the festival)
     Feast of Carpo -- Greek Horae, goddess of autumn
     Kukulcan Snake God Celebration -- Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico (the snake appears at the equinox, a time to honor this Mayan god)
     Festival of the Sea Goddess -- Eskimo
     Higan -- Japan
     Mabon/Fallfest -- Asatru/Norse Pagan (harvest festival, time to make wine and mead for the next winter)
     Oenach Carman -- Ancient Celtic Calendar
     Sendai Great Tug-of-War -- Sendai, Japan (festival on the equinox that dates back over 400 years)
     Svarog's Holiday -- Slavic Pagan Calendar/Asatru (day to drink mead in honor of Svarog, god of fire and the sky)

Bunster Winding -- Fairy Calendar

Checkers Day/Dogs in Politics Day -- thanks to Mr. Nixon; and i'm tempted to further comment, but this one is too easy

Citua -- Ancient Inca Empire (feast to the Moon, and to banish disease, in the month of Coyaraimi, date approximate)

El Grito de Lares -- Lares, Puerto Rico (anniversary of the first uprising against Spanish rule in 1868)

Innergize Day -- the day to take time for yourself! always on the day after the equinox, so either the 23rd or 24th, depending on where you live

International Restless Legs Syndrome Awareness Day -- on the birth anniversary of Professor Karl-Axel Ekborn, the neurologist who first described it

National Voter Registration Day -- US (Celebrating Democracy in America)

National White Chocolate Day

Neptune Day -- planet discovered this day in 1846 by Johann Galle of Germany

St. Adamnan's Day (Patron of Donegal, Ireland; Raphoe, Ireland)

St. Padre Pio's Day

Thrue Bab -- Bhutan (Blessed Rainy Day)

Woman Road Warrior Day -- to recognize the traveling businesswomen in today's world

Anniversaries Today:

The University of Alberta in Alberta, Canada, is founded, 1908

Birthdays Today:

Anthony Mackie, 1979
Ani DiFranco, 1970
Elizabeth Pena, 1961
Jason Alexander, 1959
Bruce Springsteen, 1949
Mary Kay Place, 1947
Paul Petersen, 1945
Julio Iglesias, 1943
Tom Lester, 1938
Ray Charles, 1930
John Coltrane, 1926
Mickey Rooney, 1920
Walter Pidgeon, 1897
Friedrich Paulus, 1890
Walter Lippman, 1889
Victoria Woodhull, 1838
William H. McGuffey, 1800
Kublai Khan, 1215
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, BC63
Euripides, BC480

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Marcus Welby, M.D."(TV), 1969
"The Jetsons"(TV), 1962
"Threni: id est Lamentatines Jeremiae Prophetae"(Stravinsky dodecaphonic work), 1958

Today in History:

Concord of Worms, 1122
The first major battle of the Wars of the Roses, at Blore Heath in Staffordshire, 1459
First commencement exercises of Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., 1642
Liechtenstein declares its independence from the German Empire, 1719
John Paul Jones'"Bon Homme Richard" defeats the HMS Serepis, 1779
Lewis and Clark arrive back in St. Louis from their explorations, 1806
The Knickerbockers Baseball Club, the first baseball team to play under the modern rules, is founded in New York, 1845
Neptune is discovered by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams, 1846
Nintendo Koppai, later known as Nintendo Company, Limited, is founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi; it produces and markets the playing card game Hanafuda, 1889
The Phantom of the Opera (original title: Le Fantome de l'Opera), a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux, was first published, 1909
The MS Princess of Tasmania, Australia’s first passenger roll-on/roll-off diesel ferry, makes her maiden voyage across Bass Strait, 1959
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos announces over television and radio the implementation of martial law, 1972
Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina, 1973
Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the United Nations, 1983
Qantas Flight 1 overruns the runway in Bangkok during a storm; some passengers only receive minor injuries, it is still the worst crash in Qantas's history, 1991
The first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox ("Phoenix 0.1") is released, 2002
Hurricane Jeanne strikes Haiti and leaves at least 1,070 dead, 2004
The identification of four genetically different types of breast cancer by researchers is announced, 2012

And #2 Son has been accepted to the culinary school!

First he passed all the math and English tests. In fact, he did better than he thought he would since he gets so nervous taking tests. It's okay, i tried to tell him, it's basic math and you speak English, you'll be fine, but he was concerned.

He aced the interview and while i did edit his essay a little (for a couple of spelling errors and one phrase that just didn't sound very good), his own words brought his passion to life, especially in the interview process.

The semester will start in January. It's a 16-month program and he will come out with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. Then he can add just over another year and get a second degree that will qualify him to work in management in restaurants and hotels, come up with business plans for his own restaurant (his dream), and even be a casino pit boss if he ever so desires.

In the meantime, he is still in training for management where he works, and he hopes to continue working after he starts school. Because he will be Serve-Safe Certified after his first week in school, he might even get a raise, or help with tuition. While Grandpa's trust fund is there, we do want to get as much other help as possible. No need to waste help that's easily available, after all.

He's on his way to his dream, and we are jumping with joy!

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique; Peru

Banned Websites Awareness Day -- sponsored by the American Association of School Librarians

Black Walnut Festival -- Stockton, MO, US (tours of the world's largest black walnut processing plant, plus parade, crafts, carnival and entertainment; through Saturday)

Constitution Day/Recoronation of King Norodom Sihanouk -- Cambodia

Do Impressions of Famous People Around the Office Day -- again, i wonder about the intentions of those who start these things

Feast of Our Lady of Mercy -- Catholic Christian
Lady of Mercedes Day -- Dominican Republic
La Merce -- Barcelona, Spain

Festival of the Latest Novelties -- an internet generated holiday to celebrate everything from traditional whoopie cushions to some of the more modern and weird novelty gifts out there; a great day for practical jokers

Gallbladder Good Health Day -- seems unsponsored, but there's information about keeping your gallbladder healthy here

Going Forth of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Heritage Day -- South Africa

Independence Day/National Day -- Guinea-Bissau(1973)

Innergize Day -- the day to take time for yourself! always on the day after the equinox, so either the 23rd or 24th, depending on where you live

Mahidol Day -- Thailand (commemorates the passing of Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej, the "Father of Thai Modern Medicine")

Moose Day -- the day Bullwinkle J. Moose, from Frostbite Falls, MN, US, and his pal Rocky the Flying Squirrel debuted in 1959

National Bluebird of Happiness Day -- US (and no one knows why, but it's supposed to be a day to go spread some happiness)

National Cherries Jubilee Day

National Punctuation Day® -- make sure you are using those punctuation marks correctly! Jeff Rubin can help

National Women's Health and Fitness Day -- www.fitnessday.com

New Caledonia Day -- New Caledonia

Petit Jean Fall Antique Auto Swap Meet -- Morrilton, AR, US (swap meet and the Museum of Automobiles; through Saturday)

Republic Day -- Trinidad and Tobago

Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (begins this evening; through the evening Sept. 6)

Santa Cruz Day -- Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving -- Pennsylvania Dutch followers of Silesian Reformation theology

St. Gerard's Day (Patron of Hungary)

St. Rupert's Day (Patron of Salzburg, Austria, where it is an official school and government holiday)

Transatlantic Telephone Day -- the first cable across the Atlantic was completed on this day in 1956

World School Milk Day -- UN

Birthdays Today:

Morgan Hamm, 1982
Paul Hamm, 1982
Nia Vardalos, 1962
Kevin Sorbo, 1958
Alan Colmes, 1950
Gordon Clapp, 1948
Phil Hartman, 1948
Linda McCartney, 1941
Jim Henson, 1936
Anthony Newley, 1931
Sheila MacRae, 1924
Jim McKay, 1921
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896
John Marshall, 1755
Horace Walpole, 1717

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Nevermind"(Album release), 1991
"No More Lonely Nights"(McCartney single release), 1984
"The Love Boat"(TV), 1977
"60 Minutes"(TV), 1968
"Daniel Boone"(TV), 1964
"The Munsters"(TV), 1964
"Love of Life"(TV), 1951
"Once in a Lifetime"(Play), 1930

Today in History:

Prophet Muhammad completes his hijra from Mecca to Medina, 622
The last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Manuel I Komnenos, dies; the empire slips into terminal decline, 1180
The Dutch Republic surrenders New Amsterdam to England, 1664
The first autopsy and coroner's jury verdict is recorded in the state of Maryland, 1657
John Jay is appointed by George Washington as the first Chief Justice of the then six-person Supreme Court, which was instituted by the Federal Judiciary Act passed that same day, 1789
US Attorney General Office is created, 1789
The Northern Daily Times becomes the first provincial daily newspaper in London, 1853
Alexander Dey patents a dial time recorder, 1889
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy, 1890
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument, 1906
Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong, 1946
The Honda Motor Company is founded, 1948
Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England, and a Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe, 1950
Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona, 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation, 1957
The United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, 1962
Swaziland joins the United Nations, 1968
Compu-Serve launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service, 1979
Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn, 1990
Hurricane Rita devastates Beaumont, Texas, southwest Louisiana, and finishing off some of the parts of New Orleans and southeast Louisiana that Katrina missed, 2005
The G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, US, marks the first use of LRAD for crowd control in the US, 2009
Nigeria's government opens two swollen dams and displaces about two million people, 2010

Just over a year ago, we were finally able to refinance the house. Multiple previous attempts had not gone as planned, so it was a thrill when it finally went through.

One of the difficulties we had was with flood insurance.

We bought it 16 years ago, when we weren't even required to have it. Since then, they've changed the flood zone.

What is supposed to happen is that you get to keep your old zone, and pay that rate, if you already had the insurance. It's called being "grandfathered in," harkening back to the way some former Confederate states tried to use to keep newly freed slaves from voting by passing laws saying you couldn't vote unless you could prove your grandfather had been registered to vote.

We provided the documentation, and everything went well, and our flood insurance is now escrowed and paid and it's all good.

Except when it's not.

The home equity loan is with another bank, and they have decided to pitch a fit. First they didn't believe we had insurance, even after we showed several proofs, including that the primary mortgage company had paid the bill.

Now they are upset because of the "discrepancy" between our flood zone risk assessment they had done, and our actual zone on our coverage. Because we are grandfathered in and allowed to keep the old zone and payment, we are having to do pretzel bends and handstands to show them all this.

Over an hour of calls yesterday got some stuff taken care of, but i need to make more calls today, and our insurance agent has to send a bunch of forms to the gov'mint and get them to certify that we are, indeed, correct in all of this.

In the end, i just hope the home equity bank believes the new documentation, or i'm tempted to flood them with me camped out in their lobby until someone there gets it!

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique

Barnesville Pumpkin Festival -- Barnesville, OH, US (pumpkins are just the start of the fun; through Sunday)

Fairmount Museum Days/Remembering James Dean Festival -- Fairmont, IN, US (celebrating Dean and other famous people from Fairmont; through Sunday)

Ghatasthapana -- Nepal (start of a nine day Hindu festival, the longest and most auspicious festival in the Nepalese annual calendar)

Haustmanuour -- Iceland (beginning of traditional Autumn Month, during which all the summer chores are finished, including livestock rounded up, before winter begins)

International Ataxia Awareness Day -- highlighting the difficulties of living with the many forms of ataxia

Join a Cabal of International Bankers Today Day -- internet generated, and only for people without a conscience

Kamarampaka Day -- Rwanda (Republic Day, marks the 1961 abolition of the monarchy)

Math Storytelling Day -- the brainchild of Maria Droujkova

National Comic Book Day -- internet generated, but go read one, they are fun

National Crabmeat Newberg Day

National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims -- US

National Food Service Employees Day -- because everyone wants to eat out once in a while

National One-Hit Wonder Day -- US, remembering those who had only one hit on the rock charts

National Psychotherapy Day -- US (a day to wear turquoise and encourage education about who psychotherapy can help)

National Teach Ag Day -- US (streamed live from CHS Inc. headquarters)

National Youth Day -- Nauru

Old Holy Rood Eve -- OS calendar Holy Cross Eve, the last day to pick blackberries (after this, the devil poisons them because when he fell from heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush)

Preston County Buckwheat Festival -- Kingwood, WV, US (something for everyone at this fun annual event; through Sunday)

RAINN Day -- The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network encourages all of us to get involved in stopping sexual violence

Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (began last night at sundown, through tomorrow at sundown)

St. Cadoc's Day (Patron of the deaf; against cramps, deafness, glandular disorders, scrofula)

St. Finbarr's Day (Patron of Barra, Scotland; Cork, Ireland)

Toad Tempting Day -- Fairy Calendar

Virginia Peanut Festival -- Emporia, VA, US (and you thought all peanuts came from Georgia! come enjoy peanuts and carnival, quilt show and fireworks, the Virginia way; through Sunday)

World Ataxia Awareness Day

World Maritime Day -- UN (this year's theme is “IMO Conventions: Effective Implementation", chosen to focus on IMO's efforts to carry out commitments made, because making them and then not carrying them out does no good)

World Pharmacists Day -- International Pharmaceutical Federation

Birthdays Today:

Lee Norris, 1981
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 1969
Will Smith, 1968
Scottie Pippen, 1965
Tate Donovan, 1963
Aida Turturro, 1962
Heather Locklear, 1961
Michael Madsen, 1959
Jamie Hyneman, 1956
Christopher Reeve, 1952
Mark Hamill, 1951
Cheryl Tiegs, 1947
Michael Douglas, 1944
Robert Walden, 1943
Juliet Prowse, 1936
Glenn Gould, 1932
Barbara Walters, 1931
Shel Silverstein, 1930
Phil Rizzuto, 1918
Dmitri Shostakovich, 1906
Walter Wesley "Red" Smith, 1905
William Faulkner, 1897
Jean Phillippe Rameau, 1683 (baptismal date, as actual birth anniversary is unknown)
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, 1358 (Japanese Shogun)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Beauty and the Beast"(TV), 1987
"Stepping Out"(Play), 1984
"Winterset"(Play), 1935
"Dorothy"(Comic opera), 1886

Today in History:

St. Ferment is beheaded in Amiens, France, after voyaging there to preach the gospel, 303
The Battle of Stamford Bridge marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon era, 1066
Columbus begins his second voyage, with 17 ships, 1493
Vasco Nunez de Balboa becomes the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the west coast of the Americas, 1513
The first printing press in the Americas begins operations, 1639
Old Style date; two very accurate clocks are set in motion at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, the start of Greenwich Mean Time, 1676
Ethan Allan, American Revolutionary War hero, is captured, 1775
Benedict Arnold joins the British, 1780
The first all-black university in the US, Howard University, is created by Congress, 1867
Yosemite National Park is established by Congress, 1890
Charles Follis becomes the first black to play professional American football, 1904
Birth of the remote control -- Leonardo Torres Quevedo successfully demonstrates the invention of the "Telekino" and guides a boat from the shore in the port of Bilbao, 1906
Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight from Mitchel Field proving that full instrument flying from take off to landing is possible, 1929*
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of United States Army troops, 1957
In a referendum, the people of Norway reject membership of the European Community, 1972
Belize joins the United Nations, 1981
The last of the Magdalene Asylums closes in Ireland, 1996
The Vitim event, a possible bolide (comet nucleus) impact in Siberia, Russia, 2002
China launches the spacecraft Shenzhou 7, 2008
The Wildlife Authority of Uganda announces that, since 1999, the population of some of the animals in the country's game reserves have doubled in population, 2010
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announces that women will now be able to vote and run in municipal elections, 2011

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

Bigger Girl has completed another painting. The kitten studies it closely.

Kitten is an art critic!

And yes, i think the kitten approves.

Today is:

Baltimore Book Festival -- Baltimore, MD, US (the mid-Atlantic’s premier celebration of literary arts; through Sunday)

Buffalo Roundup and Arts Festival -- Custer, SD, US (buffalo round up, Western and Native American entertainment, arts and crafts; through Sunday)

Bureflux -- Discordian Calendar

Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival -- Bethlehem, PA, US (largest highland games and Celtic Festival in the US; through Sunday)

Chili Cook-Off and Fall Festival of the Arts And Crafts -- Washington, MO, US (chili fest and contest, juried art festival, beer, specialty foods, music, and fun; through Sunday)

Cobweb Pie Making Day -- Fairy Calendar

Davidson Fellowship Scholarship Award Reception -- Washington, D.C., US (students under 18 who have completed prodigious works in science, mathematics, technology, music, literature, philosophy, or "outside the box" are made Davidson Fellows and given large scholarships for college)

Dia de la Bandera Nacional -- Ecuador (Day of the National Flag)

Dominion Day -- New Zealand (trad.)

European Day of Languages -- European Union

Fabulous 1890's Weekend -- Mansfield, PA, US (celebration of the first ever night football game in Mansfield in 1892; through tomorrow)

Festival of Venus Genetrix -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Hug a Vegan Day -- you can pledge to give free hugs!features.peta2.com/hug-a-vegan-day-2014/

International Tool Day -- internet generated, now gladly embraced by toolmakers

Johnny Appleseed Day -- birth anniversary of John Chapman

Liberty Fall Festival -- Liberty, MO, US (right in the heart of the town square, among the historic buildings from the 1800s, lots for everyone to do; through Sunday)

Literally, A Haunted House -- Culbertson Mansion, New Albany, IN, US (each weekend through Hallowe'en; a haunted house in a literal haunted house with a history of some very weird stuff; this, their 30th season, they promise a collection of their "greatest scares")

Love Note Day -- some good ideas here on keeping romance alive

Manit Day -- Marshall Islands (Culture Day)

Mesothelioma Awareness Day -- bringing to light this cancer caused by asbestos exposure

Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival -- Mount Pleasant, PA, US (a "front porch neighborhood" festival; through Sunday)

National Pancake Day

National Youth Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands

Native American Day 2014 -- US (begun in California, a day to honor all Native Americans, always celebrated the fourth Friday in September)

Neptune Festival -- Virginia Beach, Virginia (a Boardwalk Weekend; through Sunday)

New York Film Festival -- NY, NY, US (52nd Annual, through Oct. 12)

North American Sand Sculpting Championship -- Virginia Beach, Virginia, US (through Oct. 5)

Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show and Grand National Wedding Cake Cometition -- Tulsa, OK, US (set up today, tomorrow and Sunday the judging with this year's theme as "Fifty Shades of Pretty Cake 2014", it's fun for everyone, as the best of the best cake designers vie for the Grand National title; for asounding pictures of last year's competition, go here)

Old Holy Rood Day -- OS calendar (the day blackberries become unsafe for picking) related observance
Mid-Autumn Day -- Scottish Highlands (traditional; considered the day harts begin to mate and a weather prognostication day)

Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (ends today at evening)

Save the Koala Day -- anyone can help by "adopting" one today

Search for Your Baseball Cards Again Day -- on lots of trivia sites; recommended because you never know

September Revolution Day -- Yemen

Sts. Cosmas and Damian's Day (Patrons of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, barbers, blind people, chemical industry/manufacturers, doctors/physicians/surgeons, hairdressers, midwives, people with hernias; Alberobello, Italy; Ossimo, Italy; against blindness and pestilence) related observance:
Begin now to lay in supplies for your Michaelmas supper on the 29th

Support Purple For Platelets Day(sm) -- Platelet Disorder Support Association

Taca Fall Craft Fair -- Nashville, TN, US (the state's premier outdoor showcase for American fine crafts; through Sunday)

United States Postal Service Day -- US (the first postmaster general under the current constitution, Samuel Osgood, was appointed this day in 1789)

Warrens Cranberry Festival -- Warrens, WI, US (tour a cranberry bog, enjoy the festival and food; through Sunday)

Wild West Show and Bullwhacker Days -- Olathe, KS, US (celebrate the Santa Fe Trail; through Sunday)

World's Biggest Coffee Morning -- UK (Macmillan Cancer Support fundraiser, host or attend a Coffee Morning gathering or go to M&S Cafe, the official partner in the event!)

World Contraception Day -- International

Birthdays Today:

Serena Williams, 1981
Lawrence Leritz, 1962
Melissa Sue Anderson, 1962
Linda Hamilton, 1956
Jane Smiley, 1949
Mary Beth Hurt, 1948
Olivia Newton-John, 1948
Lynn Anderson, 1947
Brian Ferry, 1945
Anne Robinson, 1944
Kent McCord, 1942
Julie London, 1926
Jack LaLanne, 1914
George Gershwin, 1898
T.S. Eliot, 1888
Edmund Gwenn, 1877
John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, 1774
St. Francis of Assisi, 1181

Debuting/Premiering Today:

George(Magazine), 1995
"Knight Rider"(TV), 1982
"The Brady Bunch"(TV), 1969
"Hawaii Five-O"(TV), 1968
"Gilligan's Island"(TV), 1964
"The Beverly Hillbillies"(TV), 1962
"West Side Story"(Musical), 1957
"Lucia di Lammermoor"(Opera), 1835
"The Gladiator"(Play), 1831

Today in History:

In keeping a vow he made at the Battle of Pharsalus, Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to his mythical ancestor Venus Genetrix, BC 46
Sir Francis Drake returns to England with Spanish treasure, 1580
In a battle between Venetians and Turks in Athens, the Parthenon and Acropolis are seriously damaged, 1687
New Jersey passes a bill requiring a license to practice medicine, 1772
Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first Secretary of State of the US, 1789
Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson proved tomatoes weren't poisonous by eating several on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey, 1820
The Diamond Match Company patents book matches, 1892
New Zealand and Newfoundland each become dominions within the British Empire, 1907
Indonesia is admitted to the United Nations, 1950
Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time, 1973
The United Kingdom agrees to the handover of Hong Kong, 1984
An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse, 1997
Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy becomes first person to fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel, 2008
Georgia changes its second language from Russian to English, 2010

Silly Sunday: Hiccups!

Awww Monday: Um, Mom!

At the last minute!

Bless You!

Midnight Madness

Feline Friday: Oh, Mom!

But...

Silly Sunday: Rooting for the Best

Awww Monday: Laundry Room Company

Dilemma

Conspiracy Theory

Too Big for the Tooth Fairy

Feline Friday: Magic Food Machine

Dum Dee Dum Dum Dumb!

Silly Sunday: In Plain Sight

Awww Monday: Still Close

What did the penguins do?

The Verdict is In

Flooded with Difficulty

Feline Friday: Art Critic