messymimi's meanderings

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's a great way to get to know other bloggers and have fun in the process. The rules are simple, just have fun, so Laugh and Link Up!

Today my Sweetie will be officially made a deacon in our church at the 9am service. This reminds me of a joke.

When Tee Boudreaux were a young teen, he work hard an' save up his money, he want to buy him a donkey so he don' have to walk ever'where. Den one day he fin' him a man sellin' a donkey for a hunnerd dollar. He pay de man, and de man tell him, "I bring you de donkey in de mornin'."

De nex' mornin', de man come an say, "I's sorry I gots to tell you, de donkey died!"

"Well," say Tee, "give me back my money."

"Mais, dat be de problem!" de man say. "I done spen' it all!"

"Den unload de donkey an' leave it," Tee say.

A month later, de man meet up wit' Tee in a store an he say, "Say, I wanna tell you I's still real sorry about de donkey! What you ever done wit' it, anyway?"

Tee say, "Oh, don' you worry. I raffled off de donkey!"

"You raffled off a dead donkey!" de man say.

"I did, I sold raffle tickets for $2 each, an' I make me a t'ousand dollars!" Tee bragged.

"An what did de person say when he fin' out he done won a dead donkey?" de man ax.

"Oh, he ax for his money back, and I give it to him!" Tee answer.

Dat was many year ago, an' now Tee Boudreaux be de deacon in charge of de finance committee at his church!

Today is:

A Room of One's Own Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, for all of those who just want a space to call their own; on the birth anniversary of Virginia Woolf

Around the World in 72 Days -- this date in 1890, Nellie Bly broke the fictional Phileas Fogg's record and went around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds

Big Rock Day -- discovery of the Cullinan diamond (3,106 carets) this day in 1905

Clean Out Your Email Inbox Week -- cure your email e-ddiction, get rid of the old stuff clogging up your inbox; see InboxDetox for details

Conversion of St. Paul -- Christian
Observe the Weather Day -- a beautiful St. Paul's Conversion day means a prosperous year, precipitation means an expensive year, clouds mean much loss of livestock, and wind means war looms in the year ahead

Dydd Santes Dwynwen -- Wales (For St. Dwynwen, Patron of lovers, especially Welsh lovers, and sick animals; the Welsh Valentines Day)

Farmhouse Breakfast Week begins -- UK (encouraging you to refresh your wake up routine, with the challenge to "Shake Up Your Wake Up"http://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/)

Feriae Sementivae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a Feast of Spring, asking protection for seeds sown in the fall, and those to be sown in spring)

Festival of Constructive Energy -- another internet generated day with no explanations

G. F. Betico Croes Day -- Aruba

IV Nurse Day -- US (sponsored by the Infusion Nurses Society)http://www.ins1.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3605

January 25 Revolution Day -- Egypt

Lowcountry Oyster Festival -- Mt. Pleasant, SC, US (80,000lbs. of oysters, come have some fun!)

Luanda City Day -- Luanda City, Angola

Macintosh Computer Day -- debuted this day in 1984

National Irish Coffee Day

National Voters' Day -- India

Old Disting -- Norse Calendar (date approximate; a market day held at the same time as a sacrifice to the female powers.)

Robert Burns' Night -- Scotland; Newfoundland (celebrated with a Burns' Supper and reciting poetry)
Dinner Party Day -- for Bobby Burns, of course

St. Ananias of Damascus' Day (Saint who baptized St. Paul)

Winter-een-mas -- a holiday for gamers, begun by Tim Buckley; through the 31st

World Leprosy Day -- International

Zaccheus Sunday -- Orthodox Churches

Anniversaries Today:

Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn, 1533 (secret wedding)
Moscow University is established, to coincide with St. Tatiana's Day, 1755

Birthdays Today:

Alicia Keys, 1981
Ana Ortiz, 1971
China Kantner, 1971
Dinah Manoff, 1958
Leigh Taylr-Young, 1945
Etta James, 1938
Corazon Aquino, 1933
Dean Jones, 1931
Edwin Newman, 1919
Florence Mills, 1896
Virginia Woolf, 1882
William Somerset Maugham, 1874
Robert Burns, 1759
Robert Boyle, 1627 (O.S. date)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Rent"(Musical), 1996
M*A*S*H(Film), 1970
One Hundred and One Dalmatians(Cartoon film), 1961
"Metamorphosen, Study for 23 Solo Strings"(Strauss composition), 1946
The Guiding Light(Radio), 1937
"R.U.R./Rossum's Universal Robots"(Play), 1921 (the word "robot" enters the world lexicon)
"Wedding March"(Mendelssohn, Op. 61), 1858
"La Cenerentola"(Rossini Opera), 1817

Today in History:

Founding of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1554
Battle of Mikatagahara, in Japan; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1573
The Treaty of Utrecht marks the beginning of the Dutch Republic, 1579
Eliakam Spooner of Vermont patents the first seeding machine in the US, 1799
The first US engineering college opens, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Troy, NY, 1825
Sojourner Truth addresses the First Black Women's Rights Convention, in Akron, Ohio, 1851
Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" is first played, at the wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Victoria, to crown prince of Prussia, 1858
The soda fountain is patented by Gustavus Dows, 1870
Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company, 1881
Bilu, a Russian Zionist organization, forms, 1882
Nellie Bly beats Phileas Fogg's time around world by 8 days (72 days), 1890
The first US transcontinental telephone call is made when Alexander Graham Bell in NY calls Thomas Watson in SF, 1915
The League of Nations is founded, 1919
The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps), inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games, 1924
At the Hollywood Athletic Club the first Emmy Awards are presented, 1949
The first scheduled transcontinental flight in the US takes place, an American Airlines flight from California to New York, 1959
The Clementine space probe launches, 1994
Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile, 1995
During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands the release of political prisoners and political reforms while condemning US attempts to isolate the country, 1998
Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb through gravitational microlensing, the first cool rocky/icy extrasolar planet around a main-sequence star, 2006

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's a great way to start the week with a smile, so post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up!

Winston Churchill is still up for adoption at the shelter. He was one of our bottle feed kittens -- from the litter that ended up in a barbecue pit that got sold, and the new owner didn't find the kittens until he got the pit home, over 25 miles away!

For a while after he got to the shelter he was a very sick kitty, but he's recovered now. He's as loving and silly as ever.

He always liked this view!

Little Girl and i visit him as often as we can, and she spends a good bit of time with him on Friday evenings, when we clean over there.

Last Friday, we were there while Bowie was adopted. It's always fun to watch a family pick out a cat, and watch a cat get a good home. We hope Winston doesn't have too much longer to wait.

Today is:

Auckland Province Anniversary -- Auckland, New Zealand

Australia Day -- Australia (National Day); Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Norfolk Island; (Commemorates Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival at Sydney Cove with the First Fleet, on January 26, 1778.)
Australia Day Cockroach Races -- Brisbane, Queensland (the greatest gathering of thoroughbred cockroaches anywhere, with competition proceeds going to charity)

Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day

Dental Drill Day -- George F. Green, of Kalamazoo, MI, US, patents the electric dental drill, 1875

Duarte Day -- Dominican Republic

Elementary School Teacher Day

End of the Fifth Quarter of the Ninth Dozen of the Thirteenth Set -- Fairy Calendar

Liberation Day -- Uganda

Lotus 1-2-3 Day -- released this day in 1983

National Cowboy Poetry Gathering -- Elko, NV, US (the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, with working cowboys, this year including butteri from Italy, attend workshops, jam sessions, performances, and enjoy art and exhibits; through Saturday)

National Heroes' Day -- Cayman Islands

National Peanut Brittle Day

National Pistachio Day

Republic Day -- Delhi, India (pompous and splendid celebrations through the 29th)

Sailing of Anubis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (celebration of the god of the dead; date approximate)

Spouse's Day -- an internet generated reason to tell your SO how much he/she means to you

St. Paula's Day (Patron of widows)

St. Timothy's Day (Patron against stomach and intestinal disorders)

St. Titus' Day (Patron of Crete)

Toad Hollow Day of Encouragement -- begun at Toad Hollow School in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the 1800s, a day to encourage your friends

Anniversaries Today:

Establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park, 1915
Michigan becomes the 26th US state, 1837

Birthdays Today:

Kherington Payne, 1990
Kirk Franklin, 1970
Andrew Ridgeley, 1963
Wayne Gretzky, 1961
Anita Baker, 1958
Ellen DeGeneres, 1958
Eddie Van Halen, 1955
Lucinda Williams, 1953
David Strathairn, 1950
Gene Siskel, 1946
Angela Davis, 1944
Scott Glenn, 1942
Bob Uecker, 1935
Father George Harold Clements
Jules Feiffer, 1929
Paul Newman, 1925
Anne Jeffreys, 1923
Jimmy Van Heusen, 1913
Maria Augusta von Trapp, 1905
Bessie Coleman, 1893
Douglas MacArthur, 1880
Mary Mapes Dodge, 1831
Julia Dent Grant, 1826
Emperor Go-Nara of Japan, 1497

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Phantom of the Opera"(Musical), 1988
"The Dukes of Hazzard"(TV), 1979
"Duchess of Padua"(Oscar Wilde play), 1891
"Cosi Fan Tutte"(Mozart Opera), 1790
"Esther"(Racine play), 1689

Today in History:

The fifth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, 66
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil, 1500
The Council of Trent issues its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, 1564
Isaac Newton receives Jean Bernoulli's 6 month time-limit problem, and solves the problem before going to bed that same night, 1697
The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake took place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records, 1700
The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia, 1788
The Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia, 1808
Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States, 1838
Hong Kong is proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain, 1841
The first US income tax, passed to raise funds for the Civil War, is repealed, 1871
Muhammad Ahmed ("Mahdi") rebels conquer Khartoum, Sudan, 1885
The World's largest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, is found, 1905
The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the oldest military rifle still in official use, 1907
Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane, 1911
Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera, 1911
Former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer, 1920
Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses, 1952
Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia), 1960
Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon, but misses its target by 22,000 miles (35,400 km), 1962
Hindi becomes the official language of India, 1965
The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h), 1978
Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations, 1980
An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths, 2001
President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution of Afghanistan. 2004
The 41st World Economic Forum convenes in Davos, Switzerland, 2011

"What's there, what's there, let me see, let me see!" Little Girl sang out as she ran toward where i stood near the mail box.

Nothing for you this time, i'm afraid, i told her.

"What do you mean, nothing!" she demanded. "See this! It says 'Resident', and I'm a resident!"

Yes, i replied with a grin, you may have the Schlotzsky's Deli ad, the rest of it is bills and tax information.

"Boring!" she said, handing all of it, including the deli flyer, back to me as we went in.

"You know the one, her name is long and starts with a Q, she's the one I mean!" Festus was saying.

What's under discussion? i asked.

"We're talking about who would play the cats in a movie, and we've decided on a few of them," #2 Son replied.

"Yeah, we decided KidaMosquito is such a character she'd either have to be Reese Witherspoon or she'd have to be played by a guy, like Robert DiNero," Festus said.

"And my Dansig would be Bruce Willis, wouldn't you my buddy!" #2 Son crooned over his large orange cat in a most un-macho way, with a snuggle and a kiss.

"We know Mikey would be Jamie Foxx or William DeFoe. And we were talking about Enigma, she'd be that girl whose name I can't remember."

"Oh, I know who you are talking about! She was in the movie Beasts of the Southern Wild, right?" Little Girl asked.

"Yeah! Her!" Festus said.

Quvenzhané Wallis, i said.

"That's it!" #2 Son replied.

It's nice to know they know their cats so well they can tell who would play them in a movie.

Today is:

Big Snow Day -- remembering the 15 inch snowflakes that fell on in Fort Keough, Montana, in 1887

Chocolate Cake Day

Day of Remembrance for Victims of Nazism -- Germany (anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz)

Day the Netjers of Heaven Receive Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Family Literacy Day -- Canada

International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust

Iroquois Mid-Winter Ceremony -- Iroquois Native Americans (for the continuation of all life-sustaining things; a multi-day ceremony and feast that begins around this time of year)

Listen to Classical Music During Lunch Day -- in honor of Mozart

Mozart Day

National Speak Up and Succeed Day -- encouraging joining Toastmasters International, as fear of speaking can block your road to success!

Punch the Clock Day -- internet generated, and no reason for it given; this has to be one of the more baffling ones

Sioux Empire Farm Show -- Sioux Falls, SD, US (great winter farm show, since you can't be planting, come out and have fun; through Saturday)

St. Angela Merici's Day (Founder of the Sisters of the Order of St. Ursula; Patron of the disabled and ill; against bodily ills and the death of parents)

St. Devota's Day (Patron of Corsica; Monaco)

Thomas Crapper Day -- death date, in 1910, of the perfector of the flush toilet mechanism

Up-Helly-AA Day -- Lerwick, Shetland (the largest fire festival in Europe, with tomorrow as a day off so everyone can recover)

Anniversaries Today:

Founding of the National Geographic Society, 1888
The first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, is founded at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, 1870
The University of Georgia is chartered, the first state university in the US, 1785

Birthdays Today:

Julie Foudy, 1971
Jennifer LB Leese, 1970
Patton Oswalt, 1969
Alan Cumming, 1965
Bridget Fonda,1964
Cris Collinsworth, 1959
Mimi Rogers, 1956
Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1948
Nick Mason, 1944
Mairead Corrigan, 1944
James Cromwell, 1942
Troy Donahue, 1936
Donna Reed, 1921
David Seville, 1919
Skitch Henderson, 1918
Hyman George Rickover, 1900
Jerome Kern, 1885
Samuel Gompers, 1850
Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), 1832
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Laverne and Shirley"(TV), 1976
Tarzan of the Apes(Film), 1918

Today in History:

Trajan becomes Roman Emperor, 98
The Rashidun Caliphate ends with the death of Ali, 661
Song Dynasty General Yue Fei is wrongfully executed, 1142
Dante Alighieri becomes a Florentine political exile, 1302
The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31, 1606
The first American lime kiln begins operation in Providence, Rhode Island, 1662
Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Instanbul, 1695
Czar Peter the Great sets the first Russian state budget, 1710
Abdication of Stanislas, the last king of Poland, 1736
The US Congress approves the opening of Indian Territory for settlement, which led to the forced relocation of Native Americans on the "Trail of Tears," 1825
Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are incorporated, 1870
Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the electric incandescent lamp, 1880
The National Geographic Society is organized, in Washington, D.C., 1888
"Tarzan of the Apes," the first Tarzan movie, premiers, 1918
Apollo 1 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, 1967
More than sixty nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space, 1967
Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian caper, 1980
The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, breaks through, 1983
American-born sumo wrestler Akebono Taro becomes the first foreigner to be promoted to the sport's highest rank of yokozuna, 1993
Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 1996
Western Union discontinues its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services, 2006

Literally, not figuratively.

Little Girl came to me and said, "This makes me exceedingly angry!" Then she held out this:

Sharp cheddar, as found in the fridge.

"Really!" she exclaimed. "Who does this! Look at this!" She then held it sideways for my inspection.

It has certainly been creatively deconstructed.

As we both laughed over how sometimes boys are unfathomable, she grated what was left for some quesadillas.

It can certainly make you wonder how they are going to survive on their own, if they don't even know how to cut cheese straight.

Today is:

Army Day -- Armenia

Data Privacy Day -- International

Festival of the Lenaia to Dionysus -- Ancient Greek Calendar, end January through early February

Fun At Work Day -- inject laughter and fun into your workplace (if you dare); some sites have this as a national or international day, and dates given vary, but my warning stands if you decide to celebrate this at all

Jackhammer Day -- US (the pneumatic jackhammer was patented this day in 1894 by Charles Brady King of Detroit, MI)

National Blueberry Pancake Day

National Kazoo Day -- because anyone can play one!

National Spieling Day -- internet generated, and whatever your area of expertise, spiel about it today

Rinkydinks Annual Snowball Fight -- Fairy Calendar

Runic Half-month Elhaz (elk) commences

St. Charlemagne's Day (Patron of the University of Paris)

St. Thomas Aquinas's Day (Patron of academics, apologists, book sellers, chastity, colleges, learning, pencil makers, philosophers, publishers, scholars, schools, students, theologians, universities; Aquino, Italy; Belcastro, Italy; Falerna, Italy; University of Vigo; all Catholic academies, schools, and universities; against lightning, storms)

Telephone Exchange Day -- US (the first telephone exchange was set up in New Haven, CT with 22 subscribers on this day in 1878)

US Nationals Snow Sculpting Competition and Championships -- Lake Geneve, WI, US (through Feb. 7)

Anniversary Today:

Adoption of the Great Seal of the United States, 1782

Birthdays Today:

Elijah Wood, 1981
Nick Carter, 1980
Joey Fatone, Jr. 1977
Kathryn Morris, 1969
Sarah McLachlan, 1968
Harley Jane Kozak, 1957
Nicolas Sarkozy, 1955
Rick Warren, 1954
John Beck, 1943
Susan Howard, 1943
Alan Alda, 1936
Susan Sontag, 1933
Claes Oldenburg, 1929
Jackson Pollack, 1912
Robert Stroud, 1890 (The Birdman of Alcatraz)
Arthur Rubenstein, 1887
Auguste Piccard, 1884
Jean Felix Piccard, 1884
Colette, 1873
Jose' Marti, 1853
Henry Morton Stanley, 1841
Alexander Mackenzie, 1822
Peter the Great of Russia, 1775
St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Fantasy Island"(TV), 1978
"Barnaby Jones"(TV), 1973
"Symphony No. 1/Jeremiah"(Bernstein), 1944

Today in History:

The Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor is lifted by Pope Gregory VIII, 1077
The first Crusaders begins siege of Hosn-el-Akrad Syria, 1099
Pope Alexander VI gives his son Cesare Borgia as hostage to Charles VIII of France, 1495
Edward VI, age nine, succeeds his father Henry VIII as king of England, 1547
By the Edict of Orleans, the persecution of French Huguenots is suspended, 1561
Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, sanctioning freedom of religion in Poland, 1573
Sir Thomas Warner found the first British colony in the Caribbean, on St. Kitts, 1624
The Russian Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and implemented in the Senate decree (it was called St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917), 1724
Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word serendipity, 1754
London's Pall Mall is the first street lit by gaslight, 1807
Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom, 1813
The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway, 1855
In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, being 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick, 1887
Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent became the first person to be convicted of speeding in an automobile. He is fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h), 1896
The Carnegie Institution is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie, 1902
An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard, 1915
The first Jewish US Supreme Court justice, Louis Brandeis, appointed by Wilson, 1916
A symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to honor the unknown dead of World War I, 1921
The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhary Rehmat Ali Khan and is accepted by the Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence, 1933
The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today, 1958
The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament, 1965
Tropical Storm Domoina makes landfall in southern Mozambique, eventually causing 214 deaths and some of the most severe flooding so far recorded in the region, 1984
Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief, 1985
Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board, 1986
Hundreds of thousands of protesters filled up the Egyptian's streets in demonstrations referred to as "Friday of Anger" against the Mubarak regime, 2011

Most weeks, i clean Ms. P's house on Thursdays.

Every once in a while, they throw me for a loop and ask me to come on Wednesday instead. That's what happened yesterday.

When i arrived, i found 7 loads of laundry waiting. So i sorted and got that started, then went through the rest of the house.

With stops to reboot the laundry, washing, drying, and folding, i managed to clean the bathrooms, wash the dishes, clean the kitchen, sweep and vacuum and mop floors, sanitize surfaces, get the garbage out, and even clean the inside of the refrigerator.

This was done in a matter of 8 1/2 hours.

At the end, i wondered to myself, self, why can't i get this much done at my own house in one day?

Then it hit me. First, when i'm there, i don't have anyone in the house undoing what i've just done as fast as i can do it, if not faster. No one to come behind me and cook a full meal as soon as i've washed all the dishes. No one to decide to do a project that gets spread out all over an entire room or two, and ends up with glitter spilled everywhere.

Second, there are no cats. There's very little dust and no cat hair all over, no cleaning an area just to turn around and find some critter baptized it with tinkle or barf, no looking at a just cleaned area to see even more cat hair. (Seriously, i think i sweep and vacuum up enough cat hair in this house each week to knit myself another litter of kittens, if i ever needed another litter of kittens, which i don't.)

Third, when i'm done, i'm done. There's a sense of finality to cleaning someone else's house, i find, that just isn't there when cleaning my own. Yes, i'll be doing Ms. P's again next week, i hope, but there's still a sense that i got stuff done and it's done. At home, i'm watching it deteriorate, and there is no done.

Finally, at home, i'm not paid! That, i think, is one of the biggest factors. When they come up with pay, i'll probably be more interested!

Yes, i know, that'll be the day. Anyway, it's no wonder it takes me days to do at home what i can do there in one day.

Now i'm going to wonder if there's money in the budget for me to pay myself. It might be worth a look.

Today is:

Blue and Pink Day -- Fairy Calendar

Bubblegum Sculpture Day -- commonly listed on ecard sites, and not to be confused with National Bubble Gum Day, coming in February

Carnation Day -- in honor of William McKinley; also on the date of his assassination each year, Sept. 14

Curmudgeons' Day -- W.C. Field's birth anniversary

National Corn Chip Day

National Puzzle Day -- because they are just fun

Sahid Diwash -- Nepal (Martyrs' Day)

St. Constantius of Perugia (Patron of Perugia, Italy)

St. Gildas the Wise's Day (one of the earliest British historians)

St. Moritz Polo world Cup on Snow -- St. Moritz, Switzerland (winter polo on the frozen lake of St. Moritz; through Sunday)

Thomas Paine Day/Freethinkers' Day -- birth anniversary of Thomas Paine

Anniversaries Today:

Establishment of The Seeing Eye, 1929 (first US guide dog school)
Kansas becomes the 34th US state, 1861

Birthdays Today:

Adam Lambert, 1982
Jonny Lang, 1981
Andrew Keegan, 1979
Sara Gilbert, 1975
Heather Graham, 1970
Bobby Phillips, 1968
Nick Turturro, 1962
Greg Louganis, 1960
Oprah Winfrey, 1954
Teresa Teng, 1953
Ann Jillian, 1950
Tom Selleck, 1945
Katharine Ross, 1942
Germaine Greer, 1939
John Forsythe, 1918
Victor Mature, 1913
Huddie William "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, 1885
W.C. Fields, 1880
Anton Chekhov, 1860
William McKinley, 1843
Henry Morton Stanley, 1841
Thomas Paine, 1737
Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Sweet Charity"(Musical), 1966
Dr. Strangelove(Film), 1964
Sleeping Beauty(Cartoon movie), 1959
"The Potting Shed"(Play), 1957
"All My Sons"(Play), 1947
"The Raven"(publication date), 1845
"Idomeneo"(Mozart Opera), 1781
"The Beggar's Opera"(Gay Ballad Opera), 1728

Today in History:

The first performance of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1595
John Beckley of Virginia is appointed the first Librarian of Congress, 1802
Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" is first published, 1845
The Victoria Cross is established to acknowledge bravery, 1856
Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile, 1886
Liliuokalani is proclaimed Queen of Hawaii, its last monarch, 1891
Walt Disney starts his first job as an artist, earning $40/week with the KC Slide Co, 1920
North America's first guide dog school, The Seeing Eye, is incorporated in Nashville, Tennessee, 1929
The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced, 1936
The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced, 1963
Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so, 1989
President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing, 1996
La Fenice, Venice's opera house, is destroyed by fire, 1996
The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing, 2005

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

#2 Son's cat, Dansig, is a lot like #2 Son. He's convinced he owns the kitchen.

I am king of all I survey!

Speaking of #2 Son, he came in from school yesterday and said, "They gave us our knife kits today, and guess what!"

You cut yourself, didn't you? i asked.

"You got it!" he grinned, and reached into the cabinet where we keep the first aid kit.

Some things are just predictable.

Today is:

Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo -- Rapid City, SD, US (everything you could want in such an event, including the stockman banquet and ball; through Feb. 8)

Carnaval de Quebec -- Quebec City, Canada (a vigorous winter celebration, where they have the cold around long enough to need it; through Feb. 15)

Cash Register Day -- James Ritty and John Birch were granted a patent on this day in 1883 for an early mechanical cash register

Congressional Brawl Day -- marking the first ever all out brawl in the US Congress in 1798

Draw A Dinosaur Day -- and post it to the web site

Feast of King Charles the Martyr -- Anglican

Inane Answering Message Day -- the day to change those annoying messages, sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

King's Birthday -- Jordan

Martyrs' Day -- India (assassination anniversary of Gandhi)

Montana Winter Fair -- Lewistown, MT, US (from farm exhibits to a fiddler's contest, there's fun to be had here; through Sunday)

National Croissant Day

National Preschool Fitness Day -- get them loving moving early

Pax -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Festival of Peace)

Puce and Ochre Day -- Fairy Calendar

School Day of Nonviolence and Peace -- sponsored by DENIP

St. Aldegund's Day (Patron of cancer patients; against cancer, childhood diseases, sudden death, wounds)

St. Bathilde's Day (Patron of children, sick people, widows; against bodily ills and sickness)

St. Martina of Rome's Day (Patron of nursing mothers; Rome, Italy)

Tapati Festival -- Rapa Nui (Easter Island; a unique and exotic Polynesian festival, showcasing the island's culture and traditions; through Feb. 14)

Three Archbishops' Day -- Eastern Orthodox (a/k/a Holy Hierarchs' Day)

Winterlude Festival -- Ottawa, ON, Canada (enjoy parades, dances, snow races, and more; through the 16th, with most of the festivities on weekends)

Yodel For Your Neighbors Day -- Why? Do you hate your neighbors?

Birthdays Today:

Johnathan Lee Iverson, 1976
Christian Bale, 1974
Brett Butler, 1958
Phil Collins, 1951
Charles Dutton, 1951
Steve Marriott, 1947
Marty Balin, 1942
Dick Cheney, 1941
Vanessa Redgrave, 1937
Boris spassky, 1937
Tammy Grimes, 1934
Louis Ruckeyser, 1933
Gene Hackman, 1930
Dorothy Malone, 1925
Dick Martin, 1922
Barbara W. Tuchman, 1912
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882
Isaiah Thomas, 1749
Thomas Rolfe, 1615 (Only child of John Rolfe and Pocahontas.)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Yogi Bear Show"(TV), 1958
"Robert Montgomery Presents"(TV), 1950
City Lights(Chaplin Movie), 1931

Today in History:

The Jews of Freilsburg, Germany, are massacred, 1349
King Charles I of England is beheaded, 1649
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed after having been dead for two years, 1661
The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Oishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master, 1703
Henry Greathead tests the first boat intended to be specialized as a lifeboat for rescue purposes, which he invented, on the River Tyne in England, 1790
The burned Library of Congress is reestablished, with Thomas Jefferson contributing, 1815
Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica, 1820
The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales is opened, 1826
A fire destroys two-thirds of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, 1841
The city of Yerba Buena is renamed San Francisco, for the nearby mission of the same name, 1847
William Wells Brown publishes the first Black drama, "Leap to Freedom," 1858
The US Navy's first ironclad warship, the Monitor, is launched, 1862
The pneumatic hammer is patented by Charles King of Detroit, 1894
The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy, 1911
The House of Lords rejects the Irish Home Rule Bill, 1913
"The Lone Ranger" begins a 21 year run on ABC radio, 1933
Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is assassinated by Pandit Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist, 1948
American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1956
The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police, 1969
Carole King's Tapestry album is released, it would become the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sell 24 million copies worldwide, 1971
Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations, 1972
The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary, 1975
Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner", 1982
Peter Leko of Hungary becomes the world's youngest chess grand master at age 14, 1994
Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease, 1995
Over half a million people participate in the world's largest wildlife survey after extreme cold drives exotic birds into Britain's back gardens, 2011

Where are you heading today? i asked Bigger Girl.

"I'm going with Vera to Plato's Closet for jeans. Every pair of jeans I own has a hole in them, except these, and these are guy jeans!" she answered.

Sounds like time to shop, i said.

"Yes, but I may buy more guy jeans. You know what the best thing is about them? Pockets!" She turned a pocked inside out. "Look at this! A real pocket, that you can really use!"

For those kinds of pockets, i might have to switch to guy jeans, i said, laughing.

"Oh, mom, here's my knife kit!" #2 Son said as he came in. The culinary school provides a kit for each student, and they are responsible for keeping them clean and bringing them each day.

Nice! i said, and Sweetie walked in and said, "Cool knives! German made, those are good quality!"

"Don't I know it!" #2 Son said. "When they gave us the knives, I sat through the first lecture on knife use, taking notes with one hand and flipping this paring knife in the other. The whole class, I was flipping this knife, and I caught it every time, and when the lecture was over, I went to put it back in the case and cut myself on one of the other knives!"

As we laughed, he said, "Yeah, I tested out how sharp they are. I've used each one to shave some of the hair off of my arms!"

Remind me not to let you cook for me using those, i said drily.

"I cleaned them!" he protested as we all laughed more.

"Well, on that note, it's Five Dollar Friday, I'm heading out," Sweetie said.

"Smoothies!" #2 Son called out.

"Yes," Sweetie answered. "I'm kind of tired today, I need the energy."

"Power Punch Plus, extra turbinado!" #2 Son said.

"Yes, that's what I get every time," Sweetie said.

"Yes! The man knows! Oh, and did you know you can get it with a quad shot of turbinado?" #2 Son asked.

"You don't want me having a quad shot," Sweetie said. "I'd pass out from the sugar rush."

Don't tempt your father, i said.

"Well, I'm going to make some tempting chocolate donuts," #2 Son said. And he did, and they must have been good, because this is all that's left.

Empty donut plate, nothing left but some powdered sugar!

Today is:

Afrma Fancy Rat and Mouse Annual Show -- Riverside, CA (don't laugh, rats and mice make great pets!)

Arizona Musicfest -- North Scottsdale, AZ, US (a winter classical music festival; through Mar. 5)

Backward Day -- no info on the origin, but if you want to do something backward, go ahead

Brookfield Ice Harvest and Winter Carnival -- Brookfield, VT, US (demonstrating traditional ice harvesting using original equipment near the Brookfield Floating Bridge, one of only two such bridges still extant; through tomorrow)

Cultural Caravan for Peace -- various cities in Mali and on the Niger River; this is the "Festival au Desert", the most remote music festival in the world, with tonight's Great Night for Peace in Bamako, and the remaining concerts to be held as they travel into Niger through Feb. 15

Eat Brussels Sprouts Day -- saute in olive oil with some garlic, they are worth it!

Eve of Brigantia -- Ireland (St. Bridget's Eve, the night when she crosses the countryside and bestows blessings)

Feast of Great Typos -- another that no one will claim inventing, but since we've all made them, we may as well celebrate them

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

Gasparilla Pirate Fest -- Tampa, FL (reenactment of the invasion of Tampa by pirates)

H&ll is Freezing Over Day -- internet generated day to review the list of things you said you would do when h*ll freezes over

Independence Day -- Nauru(1968)

Inspire Your Heart With the Arts Day -- begun by Rev Jayne Howard Feldman as a day to use art to feed your soul

Ka Moloka'I Makahiki -- Molokai, Hawaii (traditional ceremonial end of the harvest festival, a time of peace; still celebrated with ceremonies and sporting events)

Kumquat Festival -- Dade City, FL, US (because kumquats are not just funny, they are delicious!)

National Brandy Alexander Day

National Bug Busting Day -- UK (this is one idea that needs export to the whole world! the aim is to have every child checked for head lice on the same day, and thus get rid of them in one fell swoop, so they don't circulate endlesslyhttp://www.national-awareness-days.com/national-bug-busting-day.html)

National Gorilla Suit Day -- Mad Magazine's Maddest Artist, Don Martin, says this is the day to pull that gorilla suit out of the closet and step out in style.

National Seed Swap Day -- find or set one up in your area, so you can expand your garden, and help others expand theirs

National Storytelling Week -- UK (the Society for Storytellinghttp://www.sfs.org.uk/ encourages you to celebrat one of the most ancient art forms)

Orchid Festival -- Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO, US (through Mar. 22)

Phlegm-Green, Moldy-Grey, and Gazzard Day -- Fairy Calendar (don't ask what color Gazzard is, it doesn't exist in the human world, and you don't want it to)

Play An Old Game You Haven’t Played in Years Night -- internet generated, and a great idea

Scotch Tape Day -- it hit the market this day in 1928

St. John Bosco's Day (Patron of apprentices, boys, editors, laborers, schoolchildren, students, young people-especially youth of Mexican descent)

Birthdays Today:

Justin Timberlake, 1981
Kerry Washington, 1977
Portia de Rossi, 1973
Minnie Driver, 1971
Kelly Lynch, 1959
Jhn Lydon, 1956
Nolan Ryan, 1947
Charlie Musselwhite, 1944
Richard Gephardt, 1941
Jessica Walter, 1941
Stuart Margolin, 1940
Queen Beatrix, 1938
suzanne Pleshette, 1937
Philip Glass, 1937
James Franciscus, 1934
Ernie Banks, 1931
Jean Simmons, 1929
Carol Channing, 1923
Norman Mailer, 1923
Mario Lanza, 1921
Jackie Robinson, 1919
Thomas Merton, 1915
Garry Moore, 1915
Tallulah Bankhead, 1903
Eddie Cantor, 1892
Zane Grey, 1872
Franz Schubert, 1797
Robert Morris, 1734
Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun of Japan, 1543

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"These Are My Children"(TV), 1949 (first daytime TV Soap Opera)
"The Green Hornet"(Radio), 1936
"The Lone Ranger"(Radio), 1933
"Three Sisters"(Chekhov Play), 1901
"Hedda Gabler"(Ibsen Play), 1891

Today in History:

Guy Fawkes is executed for his plotting against Parliament and James I of England, 1606
The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital, 1747
The Corn Laws (tariffs on imported grains) are abolished in Britain, paving the way for more free trade, 1849
The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations, 1876
The Bulletin of Sydney is founded, publishes for 128 years, 1880
An automobile exceeds 100 mph (161 kph) for the first time, at Daytona Beach, driven by A. G. MacDonald, 1905
The Soviet Union exiles Leon Trotsky, 1929
Scotch tape is first marketed by the 3M Company, 1930
Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, US receives the first US Social Security monthly payment check, for $22.54, 1940
President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb, 1950
A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands, 1953
Explorer 1 – The first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit, 1958
James Van Allen discovers the Van Allen radiation belt, 1958
Mercury-Redstone 2 – Ham the Chimp travels into outer space, 1961
The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program, 1966
Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon, 1971
The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow, 1990
Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake, 1996
NASA reveals the Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR), a lunar mining robot which could be used to produce fuel and water directly on the Moon, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's the place to come for weekly laughs. The rules are simple, just have fun.

It's a great way to get to know other bloggers and have a laugh in the process, so Laugh and Link Up!

"Mom, it's the Girl Scouts!"

The call came from a couple of the kids, and really i wasn't paying attention to which ones, as all i heard was "Girl Scouts."

Girl Scouts! i shouted multiple times as i dashed down the stairs and crashed through the door. Girl Scouts! Girl Scouts! Girl Scouts!

Yes, i do that every year. One year, as i came hollering and crashing through the door in my haste, i almost scared them away!

Your here! Hooray! i yelled as i came through the door. Thank you for coming! We have to order cookies!

The young girl, who is about 8 and lives 3 doors down, was grinning at me, as she remembered the drill from last year. Her father stood on the sidewalk watching and laughing at my antics.

Yes, i get this excited to order the cookies. No, i'm a vegan and i eat almost all of my food raw or only low temperature dehydrated, so i don't eat the cookies. But everyone in my house loves the cookies, and i love ordering them and supporting the Girl Scouts, i have fond memories of being one, and of my girls being in a troop for a short time.

A dozen boxes lightened my wallet by $48, but it's worth it. Those boxes will last less than two days in this house, and i will buy at least several more from every troop i see selling them outside of local businesses.

Our family's love affair with Girl Scout cookies reminds me of a joke.

Boudreaux an' Thibodeaux was goin' to de local hardware store where de owner was lettin' de Girl Scouts sell some cookies.

After dey done got de hardware dey wanted, dey walk out an' dere was no way dey was leaving wit'out a few boxes o' dem cookies.

As dey is walkin' away, Boudreaux say to Thibodeaux, "Mais, I jes' don' get why dey gots to sell de cookies right at de start of Lent. Don' dey know de only two t'ings I can't resist are temptation an' Girl Scout Cookies?"

Today is:

Air Force Day -- Nicaragua

Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery -- Mauritius

Be An Encourager Day/Inspire Your Employees to Excellence Day -- begun by ecard companies; send someone an encouraging word today

British Yorkshire Pudding Day -- UK (celebrating this delicious traditional dish, and here's how to make it right)

Candlemas Eve

Cross-Quarter Day of Imbolc/Sughnassad -- various celebrations through the 2nd

Dignity Action Day -- UK (aiming to ensure people who use care services are treated as individuals and are given choice, control, and a sense of purpose in their daily lives)

Federal Territory Day -- Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya, Malaysia

Festival of the North -- Ketchikan, AK (month long celebration of the arts in Alaska, including a wearable art show, ballet performances, and more)

Freedom Day -- US (anniversary of the approval of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery)

Four Chaplains Sunday -- Interfaith

G.I. Joe Day -- the action hero first went on sale this day in 1964

Heroes' Day -- Rwanda

Hula in The Coola Day -- sponsored by iparty.com; a day to laugh at winter doldrums and escape the cold for a bit -- warm up the house, put on your shorts and have a luau!

Igbi -- Shaitli and Kituri among the Avar ethnic group, Dagestan, Russia (midwinter celebration, through the 5th, which is the first day the sun is expected to return to shine on the towns here)

Independence Day -- Nauru

Kalends of February -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
     Festival of Helernus (god of vegetables and the underworld)

National Baked Alaska Day

Robinson Crusoe Day -- anniversary of the 1709 rescue of Alexander Selkirk, whose story inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe; a day to be adventurous and self-reliant

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Day -- the Dominion Police and the North-West Mounted Police officially merged on this day in 1920 to form the "Mounties"

Scout Sunday -- BSA (Boy Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to church and represent scouting to their congregation)

Solo Diners' Eat Out Week -- sooner or later, everyone faces the challenge of eating out alone, so go enjoy doing so, celebrating this lifestyle skill; sponsored by SoloDining.com

Spunky Old Broads' Day (also the start of Spunky Old Broads' Month) -- a day for women over 50 to resolve to live a regret free life

St. Brigid's Day (aka St. Bridget or Saint Brighid of Kildare; Patron of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen/mariners/sailors, cattle, chicken farmers, children of unwed parents, dairy workers, fugitives, midwives, nuns, poets, printing presses, scholars, travellers; Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland; Ivrea, Turin, Italy; Kildare, Ireland; Leinster, Ireland)
     formerly celebrated on Feb. 2 as the Imbolc quarter day of the Irish pagan calendar

Super Bowl Sunday; related observance
     National Popcorn Day

Tuppence's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Tupperware Sculpting Day -- internet generated; take an old, worn piece of Tupperware, melt it, and sculpt something

Winterfest Flagstaff -- Flagstaff, AZ, US (a month of wintertime family fun)

Working Naked Day -- dedicated to those who work from home without the support system an outside work environment provideshttp://www.workingnaked.net/

Ya-Ya Matsuri -- Owase, Mie Prefecture, Japan (parades, street festivals, and boys diving into the sea for purification; through the 5th)

Birthdays Today:

Lauren Conrad, 1986
Michael C. Hall, 1971
Pauly Shore, 1970
Lisa Marie Presley, 1968
Pauly Shore, 1968
Sherilyn Fenn, 1965
Brandon Lee, 1965
Princess Stephanie of Monaco, 1965
Bill Mumy, 1954
Rick James, 1948
Bob Jamieson, 1943
Terry Jones, 1942
Sherman Helmsley, 1938
Don Everly, 1937
Garrett Morris, 1937
Boris Yeltsin, 1931
Stuart Whitman, 1929
S.J. Perelman, 1904
Langston Hughes, 1902
Clark Gable, 1901
John Ford, 1894
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, 1882
Hatty Wyatt Caraway, 1878
Victor Herbert, 1859

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Late Night with David Letterman"(TV), 1982
"Rich Man, Poor Man"(TV Miniseries), 1976
"The Secret Storm" (TV), 1954 (first TV soap opera)
"General Electric Theater"(TV), 1953
"You Are There"(TV), 1953
"La Boheme"(Puccini Opera), 1896
The Corsair(publication date), 1814

Today in History:

Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1327
The Colony of Roanoke Island is established by the landing of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1587
Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, is rescued from the uninhabited archipelago of Juan Fernandez, 1709
The Ottoman sultan orders the capture of his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII, resulting in the Kalabalik i Bender (Tumult in Bender), 1713
The first US steamboat patent is issued, by Georgia, to Briggs & Longstreet, 1788
The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York, 1796
The American Insurance Company of Philadelphia opens, the first such company managed by blacks, 1810
Volcano Mayon on Luzon, Philippines erupts killing 1,200, 1814
Slavery is abolished in Mauritius, 1835
The first US dental school, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, is incorporated, 1840
Auburn University is chartered as the East Alabama Male College, 1856
Morris Raphall of NYC becomes the first rabbi to open the House of Representatives, 1860
Julia Howe publishes the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," 1862
Jefferson Long of Georgia is the first black to make an official speech in the House of Representatives (opposing leniency to former Confederates), 1871
The first volume of A New English Dictionary, A to Ant,later called the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, is published, 1888
Thomas Edison completes the world's first movie studio, in West Orange, N.J., 1893
The first auto insurance policy is issued, by The Travelers Insurace Co., 1898
China's empress Tzu-hsi forbids binding woman's feet, 1902
The first US federal penitentiary is completed, at Leavenworth, Kansas, 1906
Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar, 1918
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police forms as Royal Northwest Mounted Police merge with Dominion Police, 1920
The United States Army launches Explorer 1, 1958
Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1960
The Hamilton River in Labrador, Canada is renamed the Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill, 1965
Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces, 1968
Director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl, 1978
The Ayatollah Khomeini is welcomed back to Tehran, Iran after nearly 15 years of exile, 1979
Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral, 1998
Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard, 2003
Johanna Siguroardottir is elected as the first female Prime Minister of Iceland, 2009

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. Just post a picture that will make people smile, because it's a great way to start the week.

Some of my pictures this week might make you say, Oh! but i hope the last of them will be Awwws.

Yesterday was the first Sunday of the month, thus our church's turn to provide the food and help at the outdoor church service for the homeless. It was raining, so we couldn't use the regular lot. That doesn't stop us, though.

Ms. Jo and i do the Sunday School.

What does homeless look like?

Sometimes it's taking shelter on the porch of an abandoned building.

A lot of times it's sleeping here, under the bridge. Yes, people live here.

What does hope look like?

People putting out nice clothes for anyone who needs them to take.

A church service where anyone and everyone is welcome, no matter what.

Graffiti that shows some people never give up.

Children hearing a Sunday school lesson.

Ms. Jo's lesson had a Valentine's Day theme. She was discussion how we can show love, and one of the ways in the book she read was, "Grandpa shows love by fixing a broken toy." The little girl in this photo piped up with, "I never break my toys!" at which her mother, standing behind us, laughed!

The biggest Awww, i believe, will be when we can get to a point in this world where we can all say we are "Worred Bout Nuttin."

Today is:

Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu -- Estonia

Bonza Bottler Day™

Bramley Apple Week begins -- UK (celebrating these wonderfully delicious fruits)

Candlemas -- Christian -- or Presentation of Our Lord (f/k/a the Purification of the Virgin Mary) - commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and purification of Mary on the 40th day after the birth of Jesus. Candles have been blessed on this day since the 11th century, and this was the original forecaster, “If Candlemas is fair and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”
     Bank Holiday -- Liechtenstein
     Candelaria Festival -- Puno, Peru (Virgen de la Candelaria, through the 16th)
     Dia de la Candelaria/Virgin of Candelaria -- Mexico; Spain
     La Fete de la Chandeleur -- Canada; France
     Matka Boska Gromniczna (Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle) -- Poland

Constitution Day -- Mexico

Cordova Ice Worm Festival -- Cordova, AK, US (one of Alaska's zaniest winter festivals; through Sunday)

Festival of Juno Februa -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Juno as goddess of motherly and matrimonial love)

Groundhog Day/Hedgehog Day/Badger Day -- what animal you looked to in order to predict the weather depended on where you lived
     Hromnice -- Czech Republic (hrom = thunder, a weather forecasting day)

Imbolc/Sughnassad -- Pagan/Wiccan (Northern Hemisphere/Southern Hemisphere)
     Brigmid -- Druid Calendar, also called Feast of Imbolc, celebrated later as St. Bridget's Day, but originally a festival for Brigid, (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. It is always halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, so some years it is on Feb. 1 with St. Brigid's Day
     Disting/Charming of the Plough -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan (a feast of new beginnings and spring)
     Serpent Day -- Celtic (The tradition was that on this day, the Brigmid, snakes or badgers would come out of their winter dens and predict the weather; perhaps a precursor to North America's Groundhog Day.)
     Wives' Feast Day -- Northern England (ancient celebration in association with Imbolc)

Inventors' Day -- Thailand

Just Say No to Powerpoint® Week begins -- please, use something else, like communicating with your audience! begun by Nancy Stern

Le Jour des Crepes -- France (Crepes Day, as crepes are traditionally served on Candlemas; if you can flip the crepe pan and catch the crepe in it with your right hand, while holding a gold coin in your left, you will become rich this year!)

National Heavenly Hash Day

Nelson Provincial Anniversary Day -- Nelson, New Zealand

Presentation of Christ in the Temple -- Anglican Catholic Christian

Sled Dog Day -- anniversary of the arrival, in 1925, of diphtheria antitoxin in Nome, Alaska; in memory of the sled dogs, especially lead dogs Togo and Balto, who made it possible

St. Cornelius the Centurion's Day (the Cornelius converted by St. Paul in the Book of Acts)

Veja Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (day of wind, with rituals performed to assure no wind damage next summer)

Wand Dedication Day -- Fairy Calendar

World Wetlands Day -- UN (this year's theme is "Wetlands and Agriculture: Partners for Growth")

Anniversaries Today:

Marina Ogilvy (daughter of Princess Alexandra) weds Paull Mowatt, 1990
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) marries Olivia Langdon in Elmira, NY, 1870

Birthdays Today:

Shakira, 1977
Michael T. Weiss, 1962
Christie Brinkley, 1954
Ina Garten, 1948
Farah Fawcett, 1947
Graham Nash, 1942
David Jason, 1940
Tom Smothers, 1937
Les Dawson, 1934
Stan Getz, 1927
Elaine Stritch, 1925
James Dickey, 1923
Liz Smith, 1923
Ayn Rand, 1905
George “Papa Bear” Halas, 1895
William Rose Benét, 1886
James Joyce, 1882
Solomon R. Guggenheim,1861
Toyotomi Hideyoshi,1536 (Japan's second "great unifier")

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Rich Little Show"(TV), 1975
"The Midnight Special"(TV), 1973
"And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little"(Play), 1971
"What's My Line?"(TV), 1950
"Le Dame aux Camelias"(Play, Dumas, fils), 1848
"Artaxerxes"(Opera, Thomas Arnes), 1762

Today in History:

Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates The Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum) a collection of Roman law, 506
Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1536
New Amsterdam (later New York) is incorporated as a city, 1653
The first leopard is exhibited in the US, in Boston (admission 25 cents), 1802
Russian settlers establish the Ft. Ross trading post north of San Francisco, 1811
Jonathan Martin sets York Cathedral afire, does £60,000 damage, 1829
The first Chinese workers arrive in San Francisco, 1848
The first public men's toilet in Britain opens, on Fleet Street in London, 1852
Samuel Clemens uses the pen name Mark Twain for the first time, 1863
James Oliver invents the removable tempered steel plow blade, 1869
The SS Strathleven arrives in London with the first frozen mutton imported from Australia, 1880
The Knights of Columbus forms in New Haven, Connecticut, 1882
The first official Groundhog Day is observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, 1887
The bottle cap with cork seal is patented by William Painter of Baltimore, 1892
The longest boxing match under modern rules takes place in Nameoki, Illinois; 77 rounds between Harry Sharpe and Frank Crosby, 1892
The first movie close-up, of a man sneezing, is made at the Edison Studio in West Orange, NJ, 1893
The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne, 1899
Queen Victoria's funeral takes place, 1901
Musher Gunner Kaasan and his sled team, led by Balto, finish the serum run from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, delivering the much needed diphtheria medication (inspiration for the Iditarod), 1925
Leonarde Keeler tests the first polygraph machine, 1935
The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada, 1976
F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to function legally and promises to release Nelson Mandela, 1990
Iran launches its first domestically made satellite, Omid, into orbit, 2009

"Good morning!" Kevin called out as i went in to the shop with #1 Son.

"It's about time you came back!" Lenny said. "It's been at least three days, and i was starting to get separation anxiety!"

As i laughed and got myself some coffee, Kevin asked, "What is it this time?"

It's Chase, the Chevy, i told him. Time for that oil change and the tires you said it needed last time.

(Note: Yes, we name our cars. Yes, this one is the Chevy, Chase. Yes, i know that's bad, but so is Jalopy!)

"Oh, yes. And an alignment?" Kevin said.

Yes, i sighed. We don't want uneven wear on the tires.

"I've noticed the steering wheel is pulling," #1 Son said.

"No, you sure don't want uneven wear!" Lenny said. "It means you end up in here more often, although now that I think about it, it's not such a bad thing!"

More laughter ensued, and Kevin continued.

"We're figuring tires in the $80 range?" The way Kevin said it, it was as much statement as question.

Yes, i answered. We figured on $80-$100 per tire, and that we'd be spending in the $600-$650 range when it was all said and done.

"That sounds right," Kevin said. "And be glad it's not the $300 tires!"

Those specialty tires are outrageous, i said. You're right, i'm glad we don't opt for anything like that!

"One guy came in a few weeks ago, he had hit a curb and sliced both tired on that side," Kevin said. "That was $1,200. Then two weeks later, he did it again, and three weeks after that, he sliced the back tire on that same side! He spent about $3,000 in tires in less than 6 months."

You'd think he'd learn to drive better, i noted drily.

"Yeah, you'd think!" Kevin said. "We'll get on it, it will be this afternoon."

See you then, i said as i headed home.

A few hours later, i drove #1 Son back over there to pick up his Chevy, Chase, and Kevin greeted me with, "I got it all done for only $615! That's tires, alignment, oil change, air filter and new wiper blades!"

Thank you! You are a magician! i told him.

"Yeah, I'd been meaning to get to those wiper blades,"#1 Son said. "I don't think I've changed them since I've owned the car!"

"Well, we got them now, you're good to go!" Kevin said.

"Come back soon," Lenny said.

Don't worry, i told him. Cicero will need an oil change before we leave town.

"I'll be looking forward to it!" he said. "You can have coffee!"

Of course i can.

Today is:

Day of Remembrance for Oleg the Prophet -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan

Four Chaplains Day -- US (by act of Congress, honoring the four chaplains of the Dorchester who gave their life jackets to others and went down with the ship on Feb. 3, 1943)

Fukuju no mai (Jimai) -- Sensouji Temple, Japan (dance of the seven gods of fortune)

Full Snow Moon -- sometimes also called the Full Hunger Moon, as the most snow falls this month and finding food is hardest
     Meaka Bochea -- Buddhist (celebration of the final sermon of Buddha)
     Navam Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka
     Spring Lantern Festival -- China (final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations)
     Tabodwe Full Moon -- Myanmar (month of Hta-Ma-Ne Feast, the harvest festival of Thanksgiving)

Guru Ravidas Jayanti -- CH, HR, and PB, India

Halfway Point of Winter/Summer -- which it is depends, of course, on your hemisphere; enjoy that cold weather will warm soon, or that cooler temps will relieve your hot spells

Heroes' Day -- Mozambique

Magnolia and Fish Jubilee -- Fairy Calendar

Martyr's Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

National Carrot Cake Day

Nuestra Señora de Suyapa -- Honduras (Festival of the Virgin of Suyapa, Patroness of Honduras)

Setsubun-sai (Bean-Throwing Festival) -- Japan/Shinto (many fests throughout Japan)

St. Anskar's Day (patron of Denmark, Scandinavia, Sweden; Bremen, Germany; Hamburg, Germany)

St. Blaise's Day/Blessing of Throats Day (Patron of animals, builders, carvers, healthy throats, stonecutters, veterinarians, wool-combers, wool weavers; Dalmatia; Anguillara Sabazia, Italy; Bovolone, Italy; Camastra, Sicily, Italy; Cassano allo Ionio, Italy; Castellania, Italy; Doues, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Militello, Sicily, Italy; Montecatini Val di Cecina, Italy; Palombara Sabina, Italy; Pietrasanta, Italy; Revello, Italy; Sacrofano, Italy; against coughs, goiters, throat diseases, whooping cough, wild beasts)

Takisanji Oni Matsuri -- Takisan-ji Temple, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

The Day the Music Died -- anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson)

Tu B'Shvat -- Judaism ("New Year of the Trees", begins at sunset)

Veterans' Day -- Thailand

Anniversaries Today:

Jean-Claude van Damme weds Darcy Lapier, 1994
Wake Forest University is established, 1834

Birthdays Today:

Isla Fisher, 1976
Maura Tierney, 1965
Keith Gordon, 1961
Thmas Calabro, 1959
Nathan Lane, 1956
Morgan Fairchild, 1950
Dave Davies, 1947
Blythe Danner, 1943
Fran Tarkenton, 1940
Shelley Berman, 1926
Joey Bishop, 1918
Simone Weil, 1909
James Michener, 1907
Norman Rockwell, 1894
Gertrude Stein, 1874
Elizabeth Blackwell, 1821
Horace Greeley, 1811

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Victor Borge Show"(TV), 1951
The Three Caballeros(Cartoon Film; US debut), 1945
"Face the Music"(Musical), 1932
"Le carnaval romain"(Berlioz, Op. 9), 1844
"Semiramide"(Opera, Rossini), 1823

Today in History

Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south, 1488
The first paper money in America is issued by the colony of Massachusetts, 1690
Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants, 1743
The Dutch States-General forbid the export of windmills, 1752
Spain recognizes US independence, 1783
The world's first commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland, 1815
The sovereignty of Greece is confirmed in a London Protocol, 1830
The Wisconsin Supreme Court declares the US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional,1855
Emperor Meiji becomes the 122nd emperor of Japan, 1867
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, guaranteeing Black suffrage, is passed, 1870
Albert Spalding, with only $800, starts a sporting goods company, which eventually manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football (American style football), 1876
Circus owner P.T. Barnum buys Jumbo the elephant, 1882
The 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, the income tax, is ratified, 1913
Canada's original Parliament building, in Ottowa, burns down, 1916
Percival Prattis becomes the first African-American news correspondent allowed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate press galleries, 1947
A plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson and the incident becomes known as The Day the Music Died, 1959
British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan speaks of the "a wind of change" of increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa, signalling that his Government was likely to support decolonisation, 1960
The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon, 1966
In Cairo, Yasser Arafat is appointed Palestine Liberation Organization leader at the Palestinian National Congress, 1969
New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption, 1971
John Buster and the research team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center announce history's first embryo transfer, from one woman to another resulting in a live birth, 1984
Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 1995
The New York Giants defeated the heavily favored and previously undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14, in what is known to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history, 2008

How many vehicles does it take to shut down the whole area?

Only one.

"Don't go anywhere!" #1 Son said as he came in from work.

Yes, i heard, i told him. Your father called to get me to look online to see if there were any routes open. The whole area is shut down from a car breakdown about 5 hours ago.

"I know! It's amazing that one car breaking down on the bridge can shut down the whole thing! How does that happen?" he asked.

Oh, the usual, i answered. One car breaks down or there's an accident up on one of the interstate areas. It slows to a crawl, so people flood the what they call the surface streets and the other highways, trying to get through. Then add more traffic as people get off work and are trying to leave, and it shuts everything down.

"Yeah, well, it took me an hour from about two miles from here!"

That's how it goes, i told him. So i expect your dad to be late, which means i can't pay this bill online until he gets here, and it has to be done today.

"What's with that?" he asked.

Well, it's one of those sites that asks for your credit card number and expiration date, as usual. The only problem is, my card expires this month, and they only ask for the expiration month and year, not the day. Thus, they have decided that this card is expired, even though it is still good until the end of the month or until i get the new one and activate it. And i can't just use the new expiration date that will be on the new card, because that card hasn't been activated yet, since i don't have it. So i will have you use your father's card, which has a different expiration month from mine!

"That's dumb!" he said. "They should know that an expiration month means at the end of the month!"

You would think, i said.

So how many cars does it take to shut down this whole area and turn it into a 7 hour traffic nightmare? Only one. How many websites does it take to make me almost wish we could go back to paper and pen and a check in the mail? Also only one.

And how many of my kids does it take to put me back in a good mood?

"Mom, I just found out we get a whole week for spring break!" Little Girl practically yelled.

Of course, i said. You get Good Friday and all of the week after Easter.

"A whole week for Mardi Gras, and a whole week for Easter! Bless the Catholics!" she yelled.

The answer is still only one.

Today is:

Biezputras Diena (Porrige Day) -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (date unconfirmed, some sites suggest it's always on a Sunday before Feb. 23 instead)

Create-A-Vacuum Day -- an internet generated celebration of the nothingness of vacuums

Cultural Caravan for Peace -- various cities in Mali and on the Niger River; the Caravan for this very remote music festival will be hosted by The Festival on the Niger through the 8th, then continue in various other cities through the 15th

Festival sur le Niger -- Segou, Mali (Festival on the Niger, an annual heritage celebration, with a special combination festival with the Festival au Desert on the 6th; through the 9th)

General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day -- Poland (birth anniversary)

Homemade Soup Day

Independence Day -- Sri Lanka

King Frost Day -- London (Celebrated yearly until WWI, in remembrance of the frozen River Thames on this day in 1814.)

Liberation Day -- Angola

National Girls and Women in Sports Day -- US (information here)

National Stuffed Mushroom Day

Quacker Day -- for those who love Quacker Factory clothes

Spoiled Cats' Day -- internet generated, and isn't this every day?

St. Andrew Corsini's Day (Patron of Carmelites; against civil disorder and riots)

St. John de Brito's Day (Patron of Portugal; Sivagangai, India)

Thank A Mailperson/Postal Worker Day -- because someone decided it would be a good day to do that, and put it on the internet

Tu B'Shvat -- Judaism ("New Year of the Trees", began yesterday at sunset)

USO Day -- US (founded this date in 1941)

World Cancer Day -- International

Anniversaries Today:

United Service Organizations (USO) founded, 1941
The University of Wisconsin is established, with one classroom and 20 students, 1849

Birthdays Today:

Natalie Imbruglia, 1975
Oscar De La Hoya, 1973
Gabrielle Anwar, 1971
Michael Goorjian, 1971
Rod corddry, 1971
Clint Black, 1962
Lawrence Taylor, 1959
Lisa Eichhorn, 1952
Alice Cooper, 1948
Dan Quayle, 1947
George A. Romero, 1940
Jhn Schuck, 1940
David Brenner, 1936
Gary Conway, 1936
Betty Friedan, 1921
Ida Lupino, 1918
Rosa Parks, 1913
Clyde W. Tombaugh, 1906
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906
Charles Lindbergh, 1902
Tadeusz Kosciuszko, 1746

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"(Album), 1977

Today in History:

The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta, 211
The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries, 960
Maximilian I assumes the title Holy Roman Emperor without being crowned, 1508
Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague 1600
In Edo (now Tokyo), The 47 Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after avenging the death of their master, 1703
The worst earthquake in 8 years in Calabria, Italy, leaves 50,000 dead, 1783
The first Anglican bishops of New York and Pennsylvania are consecrated in London, 1787
George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College, 1789
The French National Convention proclaims the abolishment of slavery, 1794
An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, kills 41,000, 1797
J.W. Goodrich introduces his rubber galoshes to the public, 1824
The Mormons of Nauvoo, Missouri, leave to go west, eventually settling in Utah, 1846
The Codex Sinaiticus is found at the Greek Monastery of Mount Sinai, 1859
The first rolling lift bridge opens, in Chicago, 1895
The first Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France, 1924
The first tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks open, in New Orleans, 1930
Radium E is the first radioactive substance to be produced synthetically, 1936
The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops, 1941
Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft, 1967
After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections, 1997
Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, 2004
The Federal Court of Australia's ruling in Roadshow Films v iiNet sets a precedent that Internet service providers (ISPs) are not responsible for what their users do with the services the ISPs provide them, 2010
The remains found the previous year in a dig at Leicester are confirmed to be those of King Richard III of England, 2013

Today is a long work day. Get there before 7am so i can get the kids to school, and then come back and do the laundry and cleaning.

So i am thankful:

that i have work
that Bigger Girl can take Little Girl to school for me on days like this
that Little Girl got to get her project for extra credit done last night
that we seem to have finished the big car repairs for the time being
that prayer meeting last night was concentrated on prayer for more understanding between peoples here and around the world
that the rain stopped
that...

"Hey, guess what!" Red-Headed Alec said.

What? i asked.

"Your #2 Son challenged me to a grip fight! He said he could break out of any grip I could put him in, because he's so skinny."

Note: the kid is a bean pole, really.

And? i asked.

"All I had to do was grab him and hold him over my head, and he couldn't move!" Red-Headed Alec grinned from ear to ear.

"Yeah, we were laughing and telling him no to drop him!" Little Girl said.

Yes, i said, please don't do that -- i'd have to pay the medical bills!

So, i'm thankful Red-Headed Alec did not drop #2 Son when his mouth got away from him.

Today is:

Berlin International Film Festival -- Berlin, Germany (a premier international film festivall; through the 15th)

Calgary Boat and Sportsmen's Show -- Calgary, AB, Canada (through Sunday)

Constitution Day -- Mexico (trad.)

Feast Day of Jacob, Patriarch -- Catholic Christian

Kashmir Day -- Pakistan

Liberation from the Alberoni Occupation -- San Marino (also St. Agatha's Day)

Longest War in History Ends -- The Third Punic War, between Rome and Carthage, was officially ended on this date with a peace treaty signed in 1985, which is 2,131 years after the war began

Move Hollywood & Broadway to Lebanon, PA Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and Why would they want it?

National Chocolate Fondue Day

National Weatherperson's Day -- US (mostly, though some other countries now observe it as well; in honor of the first US meteorologist, John Jeffries)

Nones of February -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
Fornacalia -- celebration in honor of bread and the ovens used to dry grain; held any day between now and the 17th, one of Rome's few movable feasts)

Runeberg's Birthday -- Finland (National Poet)

Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) -- Sapporo City, Japan (fun in the cold, ice sculping competitons, and hot springs with hot sake to take the edge off; through the 11th)

Shiretoko Fantasia -- Shiretoko, Hokaido, Japan (laser lights and music illuminate the drift ice and waves of the Okhotsk Sea each night; through mid-March)

St. Agatha's Day (Patron of bell-founders, fire prevention, jewelers, martyrs, nurses, rape victims, single laywomen, torture victims, wet-nurses; Malta; San Marino; as well as over 50 cities around the world; against breast cancer, breast disease, earthquakes, eruptions of Mt. Etna, fire, natural disasters, sterility, volcanic eruptions)

Unity Day -- Burundi

World Nutella Day

Birthdays Today:

Jeremy Sumpter, 1989
Sara Evans, 1971
Bobby Brown, 1969
Michael Sheen, 1969
Laura Linney, 1964
Jennifer Jason Leigh, 1962
Christopher Guest, 1948
Barbara Hershey, 1948
David Alan Ladd, 1947
Charlotte Rampling, 1946
Roger Stauback, 1942
Jane Bryant Quinn, 1941
David Selby, 1941
H.R. Giger, 1940
Alex Harvey, 1935
Henry "Hank" Aaron, 1934
Andrew Greeley, 1928
Red Buttons, 1919
William Burroughs, 1914
John Carradine, 1906
Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr., 1900
Andre' Citroen, 1878
Belle Starr(Myra Maybelle Shirley), 1848
Dwight Lyman Moody, 1837
Ole Bull, 1810
Robert Peel, 1788
John Witherspoon, 1723
Sanjo, Emperor of Japan, 976

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Where On Earth Is Carmen San Diego"(TV), 1994
Hagar The Horrible(Comic strip), 1973
"Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"(TV), 1967
Peter Pan(Disney cartoon film), 1953
"Otello"(Verdi Opera), 1887

Today in History:

Earthquake in Pompeii, Italy, 62
King Alfonso V orders Sicily's Jews to attend conversion sermons, 1428
A group of early Japanese Christians are killed by the new government of Japan for being seen as a threat to Japanese society, 1597
The first US livestock branding law is passed, in Connecticut, 1644
Georgia becomes the first state to abolish both entail and primogenature, 1777
Sweden recognizes US independence, 1783
Hannah Lord Montague of New York creates the first detachable shirt collar, 1825
The "Oregon Spectator" is the first newspaper published on the American West Coast, 1846
An adding machine employing depressible keys is patented in New Paltz, NY, 1850
Two innovations which helped pave the way for motion pictures are pateneted, a hand turned stereoscope by Samuel Goodale of Cincinnati, and the Kinematoscope by Coleman Sellers of Philadelphia, 1861
Four inches of snow falls in San Francisco, 1887
The loop-the-loop centrifugal railroad (a/k/a the roller coaster) is patented by Ed Prescot, 1901
Greek military aviators, Michael Moutoussis and Aristeidis Moraitinis performed the first naval air mission in history, with a Farman MF.7 hydroplane, 1913
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists, 1919
Reader's Digest magazine is first published, 1922
The Royal Greenwich Observatory begins broadcasting the hourly time signals known as the Greenwich Time Signal, 1924
A hydrogen bomb known as the Tybee Bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, never to be recovered, 1958
The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families, 1997
Danish special forces storm a ship captured by Somali pirates, freeing 25 crew members on board, 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 do, just post a picture of a cat, and link up!

HopeCat loves our flannel sheets. She matches the decor pretty well, actually.

HopeCat on our bed.

The cats shed so much that i buy extra top sheets, and spread them out over the bed after i make it in the morning. Then we take that sheet off at night and don't have as much cat hair in the bed. We are convinced that's a good thing. The cats, not so much.

Since winter came and i switched to flannel sheets, Hope does seem to like it better.

Today is:

Aldus Day -- death anniversary of Aldus Manutius, inventor of italics

Asahikawa Winter Festival -- Asahikawa, Japan (through the 11th)

Bob Marley Day -- Jamaica (birth anniversary)

Bon Soo, Ontario's Winter Carnival -- Sault Ste. Marie, ON, Canada (ten days of winter fun)

Bubble Gum Day -- US Schools (with the principal's permission, pay a $.50 fine and get to chew gum at school today; money is to be donated to a charity the school chooses)www.bubblegumday.com/Bubble_Gum_Day/Bubble_Gum_Day.html

Chiang Mai Flower Festival -- Chiang Mai, Thailand (if you love flowers, go to this one year, the whole city is bedecked and species shown include 1,000 varieties of orchids; through Sunday)

Downers Grove Ice Sculpting Festival -- Downers Grove, IL, US (this year's theme is "Once Upon a Time"; through Sunday)

Gamelia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (anniversary celebration of the marriage of Zeus and Hera; date approximate)

Give Kids A Smile Day -- US (ADA sponsors dentists giving free care to children from low-income families)

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation -- United Nations

Lame Duck Day -- US, on the anniversary of the passage of the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution; a day to recognize those whose tenure is running out

National Chopsticks Day

National Wear Red Day -- US (wear red for women's heart health awareness)

Otaru Yuki Akari no Michi -- Otaru, Japan (Snow Light Path Festival; through the 15th)

Oto Matsuri -- Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (fire festival)

Pay-A-Compliment Day

Reggae Day -- Bob Marley birth anniversary

Rubik-Cube Muddling Championships -- Fairy Calendar

Sami National Day -- Finland, Norway, Russian, and Sweden

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival -- Saranac Lake, NY, US (oldest winter festival in the eastern US, a ten day celebration with this year's theme as "Groovy 60's")

Six Nations Championship (Rbs 6 Nations) -- annual rugby tournament between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales (into March)

St. Dorothy of Caesarea's Day (Patron of brewers, brides, florists, gardeners, midwives, newlyweds; Pescia, Italy)

St. Peter Baptist's Day (Patron of Caceres, Philippines; Japan)

UNICEF Day for Change -- International (encouraging school children everywhere to learn about how children around the world live, and to raise money to help children who have no educational opportunitieshttp://www.unicef.org.uk/Get-Involved/Your-organisation/Schools/day-for-change/)

Waitangi Day -- Maori, New Zealand and Niue (treaty with Britain, 1840; also considered National Day)

Wear It Beat It -- UK (formerly Rock Up in Red Day, raising awareness of heart health and educating people about heart disease)

Anniversaries Today:

Accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 1952 (upon the death of her father, George VI)
Massachusetts becomes the 6th US State, 1788
The College of William and Mary in Virginia is founded by royal charter, 1693

Birthdays Today:

Axl Rose, 1962
Barry Miller, 1958
Kathy Najimy, 1957
Robert Townsend, 1957
Natalie Cole, 1950
Bob Marley, 1945
Michael Tucker, 1944
Fabian, 1943
Gayle Hunnicutt, 1943
Gigi Perreau, 1941
Tom Brokaw, 1940
Mike Farrell, 1939
Francois Truffant, 1932
Rip Torn, 1931
Mamie Van Doren, 1931
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 1919
Mary Leakey, 1913
Ronald Reagan, 1911
Babe Ruth, 1895
Aaron Burr, 1756
Nicolaus II Bernoulli, 1695
Chongzhen, Emperor of China, 1611
Christopher Marlowe, 1564

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Masque of Kings"(Play), 1936
"Rhenisch"(Schumann's 3rd Symphony), 1851

Today in History:

The United States signs its first treaty, in which France recognizes the US and promises aid, 1778
New Jersey issues the first US railroad charter to John Stevens, 1815
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore, 1819
The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia, 1820
Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony, 1840
Harper's Weekly publishes the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers, 1869
The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree, 1900
The Young Women's Hebrew Association organizes in NYC, 1902
The "Monopoly" board game goes on sale for the first time, 1935
Turkey holds its first election in which women can vote, 1935
K Elizabeth Ohi becomes the first Japanese-US female lawyer, 1937
Elizabeth II becomes the first Queen regnant of the United Kingdom and several other realms since Queen Victoria, upon the death of her father, George VI, 1952
Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit, 1959
Justice Mary Gaudron is appointed to the High Court of Australia, the first woman to be appointed, 1987
The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe, 1989
Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile, 2000
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake causes significant damage to villages along the coast of the Solomon Islands, 2013

It's been two months, and that's too long! The national organization sponsors this only 8 times a year, but i really think it should be every month. Parents of special needs kids should be able to get out more often, and these kids are so much fun, we all love to be with them.

Two months since our last rEcess, so parents and volunteers were all ready. There were parades only a few blocks away, so parking was at a premium, and one of our pastors forgot we had rEcess scheduled and rented out our parking lot, but we made it work.

Nothing was going to stop us, not even the fact that the gym was set up for the congregational meeting coming up this weekend, so we couldn't go play in the gym, and it was too cold to be out on the playground.

They ran and played in the rooms and halls, and we were loud and wonderful.

Wheel chairs cast aside, we were all over the room!

Only the bigger kids wanted to sit down!

Look at me, I'm a blur!

Linda didn't slow down all evening.

Actually, none of them slowed down all evening. Emmy walked for two hours, Jack and Peggy rolled on the floor chasing each other and the other kids, and we had a princess with us.

Our very own princess, at the keyboard.

She called herself Elsa, even though it was a Cinderella dress.

It was a typical night in that it was wild and fun, although i missed Gracie, who wasn't well. She had been looking forward to it, but i'm sure she will be there next time.

Today is:

Arizona Renaissance Festival -- Apache Junction, AZ, US (the official sister event to the Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood Forest, England; Saturdays, Sundays, and President's Day through Mar. 29)

Charles Dickens Day -- read a chapter or two of his work, in honor of his birth

Daniel Boone Escape Day -- he escaped from the Shawnee tribe which had captured him

Dump Your Significant Jerk Day -- beginning of Dump Your Significant Jerk Week; make a resolve and do it now, before Valentine's Day

Feast of Mulk (Dominion) -- Baha'i

Homstrom -- Scuol, Switzerland (burning of the straw man effigy of Old Man Winter, signaling the coming spring and winter's demise)

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day -- because you have to do it at least once a year

Ice Fishing Derby at Hell Creek -- Fort Peck, MT, US (subject to cancellation if there is no ice, so Hell has to freeze over for them to have this tournament!)

Independence Day -- Grenada(1974)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Gingerbread Sociable -- Pomona, CA, US (Pomona Public Library has on permanent display many of her original manuscripts)

Marriage Week -- UK (part of the Futureway Trusthttp://marriage-week.org.uk/, and now observed around the world, celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of marriage as the heart of family life)

National Fettucini Alfredo Day

National Hangover Awareness Day -- internet generated and shouldn't it be on Jan.1?

Orchid Festival/Tropical Extravaganza -- Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, London (through March 8)

Royal Hobart Regatta -- Queens Domain Hobart and Derwent River, Tasmania, Australia (Australia's largest aquatic event, includes an Australian Wooden Boat Festival; through Monday)

Scout Sabbath -- BSA (Boy Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to synagogue and represent scouting to their congregations)

Send a Card to a Friend Day -- wonder which card company created this one

Saint Theodore Stratelates' Day (Patron of soldiers; Brindisi, Italy; for finding lost objects)

Twin Cities' Krewe of Janus Mardi Gras Parade -- Monroe and West Monroe, LA, US (If you are looking for more family friendly fun than downtown NOLA, stick to parades is the smaller cities, like here!)

Wave All you Fingers at Your Neighbor Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; wave to your neighbors, let them know you like them

Yukon Quest International 1,000 Mile Sled Dog Race -- Whitehorse, YT, Canada to Fairbanks, AK, US (two week international competition for the best mushers and dogs from around the world)

Birthdays Today:

Tina Majorino, 1985
Ashton Kutcher, 1978
Chris Rock, 1965
Garth Brooks, 1962
Eddie Izzard, 1962
James Spader, 1960
Miguel Ferrer, 1954
Hector Babenco, 1946
Pete Postlethwaite, 1945
Gay Talese, 1932
Keefe Brasselle, 1923
Eddie Bracken, 1920
Oscar Brand, 1920
Larry "Buster" Crabbe, 1908
Sinclair Lewis, 1885
James Hubert “Eubie” Blake, 1883
Alfred Adler, 1870
Laura Ingalls Wilder, 1867
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev, 1834
Charles Dickens, 1812
John Deere, 1804
Sir Thomas More, 1478

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"America's Most Wanted"(TV), 1988
Blazing Saddles(Film), 1974
Pinocchio(Disney animated Film), 1940
"The Cat and the Canary"(Play), 1922
Kid Auto Races at Venice(first Charlie Chaplin "Little Tramp" Film), 1914
"Chantecler"(Rostand Play), 1910
"The Deserter"(first ballet performed in US), 1827
"Il Matrimonio Segreto" (Comarosa Opera), 1792

Today in History:

The Mongols burn the Russian city of Vladimir, 1238
Edward of Carnarvon,later Edward II, becomes the first English prince to hold the title Prince of Wales, 1301
The bonfire of the vanities occurs in which supporters of Girolamo Savonarola burn thousands of objects like cosmetics, art, and books in Florence, Italy, 1497
King Philip II forms an inquistion in South America, 1569
Academie Francaise begins a Dictionary of the French Language, 1639
An 8.2 magnitude earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri, 1812
The colonial Tasmanian Parliament passes the Electoral Act of 1856, the first piece of legislation anywhere in the world providing for elections by way of a secret ballot, 1856
The Battle at Ingogo, Transvaal: the Boers defeat superior British forces, 1881
The Great Blizzard of 1891 begins, 1891
Émile Zola is brought to trial for libel for publishing J'Accuse, 1898
Baltimore catches fire; 1500 buildings are destroyed in 80 blocks, 1904
The Mud March, the first large procession organized by the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS), 1907
Charlie Chaplin debuts "The Tramp" in "Kid Auto Races at Venice," 1914
The first wireless message sent from a moving train to a station is received, 1915
Bert Hinkler begins the first solo flight from England to Australia, 1928
Pluto moves inside Neptune's orbit for the first time since either was discovered, 1979
Astronauts Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart make the first untethered space walk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), 1984
The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power, 1990
Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in, 1991
The Maastricht Treaty is signed, leading to the creation of the European Union, 1992
Crown Prince Abdullah becomes the King of Jordan on the death of his father, King Hussein, 1999
Bushfires in Victoria left 173 dead in the worst natural disaster in Australia's history, 2009
In Europe, ready-meal manufacturer, Findus, withdrew its beef lasagne meals from supermarkets after confirming beef supplied by French manufacturer, Comigel contained horsemeat, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and the rules are simple, just have fun.

It's a great way to get to know other bloggers while tickling your funny bone, so laugh and link up!

Today the Session of our church has called the annual Congregational Meeting. Sweetie hates such meetings. When he was young, his father the Baptist preacher told him, "Son, don't come to the meetings! You are too young to come see adults acting like children the way they do at these meetings! Be glad you don't have to be there!"

Unfortunately, he always obeyed his father, and still tries to use the excuse of "my father told me I don't have to go!" to get out of it. He can't, of course, he's a deacon now.

Also, they bribe us with a meal, the old fashioned eatin' meetin', where the church buys the entree and the congregation brings sides, salads and desserts. If you feed them, they may be grumpy about the meeting part, but they will come.

All this reminds me of the time Boudreaux was talkin' to his frien' James. James was a Protestant and Boudreaux was a Cat'lic, but James decide he goin' ax Boudreaux some advice about a problem in dere church.

"I know dem priests don' marry," James tell him, "but maybe you got some idea we ain't done thought 'bout yet."

"Many years ago," James continue, "de pastor of de church an his wife was espectin' de firs' baby, an he ax for a raise, because you gots to pay for so much for a chile dese days. So we decide when he an' his wife have a chile, we give dem a raise."

"So, wha's de problem?" Boudreaux ax.

"Well, dey about to have dere sixth chile! It's gettin' espensive for us to give him mo' money ever' time dey has a chile!" James say. "So we's gonna have de Congregation Meetin', and we's trying to t'ink about what we can say to tell him dis ain't workin'! He know we been talkin''bout dis, an' he say 'Chil'ren be a gift from de Lord!"

"Mais," say Boudreaux. "I know jes' what you tell him. You tell him he right, chil'ren be a gift from de Lord, an' so is de rain, but when it rain too much, you wear rubbers!"

Today is:

*Boy Scout Day -- celebrates the birth anniversary of Scouting in the US

Cowtown's Last Old West Gunfight -- White Elephant Saloon, Fort Worth, TX, US (annual reenactment of the last gunfight in what was then Cowtown, between White Elephant Saloon owner Luke Short and former marshal T.I. “Longhaired Jim” Courtright on this date in 1887)

Death of Kelp-Koli -- Fairy Calendar

Hari Kuyo -- Sensouji Temple, Japan (Festival of Broken Needles, in which all of the worn or broken sewing needles from the previous year are put in a sacred resting place.)

Hold Onto Your Head Day -- invented by someone for people like me, because heaven knows i'm losing mine!

International Flirting Week -- always the Sun-Sat that encompases Valentine's Day; if you are married, flirt with your mate, it's fun!

Jerusalem International Book Fair -- Jerusalem, Israel (unique, biennial, multilingual, with thousands of publishers from over 40 countries, recently including participants from Arabic countries; through the 13th)

Krewe of Mutts Parade -- Baton Rouge, LA, US (the heart of downtown is turned over to pets and their people, including an all day Bark in the Park event, to benefit CAAWS, the Capital Area Animal Welfare Society)

Laugh and Get Rich Day -- a day to recognize the power of laughter

Love May Make the World Go 'round, But Laughter Keeps US from Getting Dizzy Week -- annually, the week before and including Valentine's Day; dedicated to Victor Borge’s notion that “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people” and Joel Goodman’s notion that “Seven days without laughter makes one weak.”

Man Day -- always the Sunday before Valentine's Day, sponsored by C. Daniel Rhodes

Mystic Krewe of Barkus Parade -- NOLA, US (The French Quarter goes to the dogs, and some cats as well, all to benefit animal nonprofits)

National Molasses Bar Day

Ocean County Bluegrass Festival -- Albert Music Hall, Waretown, NJ, US (a family-oriented bluegrass festival, at the best venue for bluegrass and old time country music anywhere)

Preseren's Day -- Slovenia (Honors their national poet, France Preseren, often called Day of Slovenian Culture)

Random Acts of Kindness Week -- always Valentine's Week

Rebel Day -- birth anniversary of James Dean

St. Jerome Emilani's Day (Patron of orphans; Taos Indian Pueblo)

Tako-ichi -- Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan (kite fair dating back to the Edo period)

World Marriage Day -- sponsored by Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Anniversary Today:

Founding of Universiteit Leiden, with the motto Praesidium Libertatis, 1575

Birthdays Today:

Josh Keaton, 1979
David "Phoenix" Farrell, 1977
Seth Green, 1974
Alonzo Mourning, 1970
Gary Coleman, 1968
Claudette Pace, 1968
Vince Neil, 1961
John Grisham, 1955
Mary Steenburgen, 1953
Brooke Adams, 1949
Robert Klein, 1942
Nick Nolte, 1941
Ted Koppel, 1940
John Williams, 1932
James Dean, 1931
Jack Lemmon, 1925
Audrey Meadows, 1924
Freddie Blassie, 1921
Lana Turner, 1921
Elizabeth Bishop, 1911
Lyle Talbot, 1902
William Tecumseh Sherman, 1820
Jules Verne, 1828
Samuel Butler, 1612

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Times"(TV), 1974
"RCA Victor Show Starring Dennis Day"(TV), 1952
"Danses Concertantes"(Stravinsky Ballet), 1942
"Two for the Show"(Musical), 1940
"The Plough and the Stars"(Play), 1926
The Stars and Stripes(US Armed Forces Newspaper), 1918
The Birth of a Nation(Film), 1915
"Boris Godunov"(Mussorgsky Opera), 1874
"Flora; or the Hob in the Well"(Cibber's Opera, first opera performed in the Colonies), 1735

Today in History:

Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of having been involved in the Babington Plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, 1587
Isaac Newton reads his first optics paper before the Royal Society in London, 1672
French and Indian troops set Schenectady, NY, afire, 1690
A doctor in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment, leading to the Salem witch trials, 1692
The Supreme Privy Council is established in Russia, 1726
The first opera in the US, "Flora," opens in South Carolina, 1735
A minor earthquake shakes London, 1750
The strange phenomenon called the "Devil's Footprints" mysteriously appear in Devon, England, 1855
Martin Robinson Delany becomes the first black major in the US Army, 1865
The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated by William D. Boyce, 1910
D.W. Griffith's controversial film The Birth of a Nation premieres in Los Angeles, 1915
The Stars and Stripes newspaper is published for the first time, 1918
Swiss men vote against women's suffrage, 1920
Radio arrives at the White House, 1922
Allende meteorite falls near Pueblito de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico, 1969
The NASDAQ stock market index opens for the first time, 1971
After 84 days in space, the crew of the first American space station Skylab returns to Earth, 1974
The Melbourne dust storm hits Australia's second largest city. The result of the worst drought on record and a day of severe weather conditions, a 320 metres (1,050 ft) deep dust cloud envelops the city, turning day to night, 1983
The massive Internet collaboration "24 Hours in Cyberspace" takes place, 1996
A freak storm in the Hindukush mountains of Afghanistan triggers a series of at least 36 avalanches, 2010

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's easy, just post a picture that makes you say, "Awww!" It's a great way to start the week with a smile.

SissyCat loves the outdoors!

SissyCat, sometimes called Tripod, loves the outdoors. It rained for a day and a half, and every time anyone opened the door she would run out, only to turn and look reproachfully at that person (mostly me), as if to ask us how we screwed up the weather like that. (Really i wasn't sure whether to scold her or just be glad she thinks i'm in charge of stuff like that!)

When it finally did stop raining, she got to go out to eat grass and just enjoy herself. She's learned to never leave the yard, and watches everything closely. It was nighttime, so it was peaceful just watching her sit and take in the great outdoors.

A special note out Saturday's post: Gracie wasn't feeling the best, and was tired and cranky, so she didn't come to rEcess. She was there last night, as the children's choir met at the same time we had our congregational meeting. Her smile was huge, and she gave me a big hug, so i know she is feeling better.

Today is:

Clean out Your Computer Day

Family Day -- BC, Canada

Feast of Apollo -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Go Green Week begins -- UK (helping people find greener alternatives)

Hurling the Silver Ball -- St. Ives, Cornwall, England (keeping up the over 1,000 year old tradition of an early form of rugby, the person who returns the silver ball to the Mayor on the steps of St. Ives Guildhall at midday gets a silver coin; pennies are thrown to the children in the afternoon)

Love a Mensch Week begins -- because mensches are decent and responsible men and women, and we should appreciate how they enhance our lives; info from Robin Gorman Newmanwww.lovecoach.com

Narvik Sun Pageant (Vinterfestuka) -- Norway (annual festival held since ancient times to honor the sun goddess)

National Bagels and Lox Day

National DAV (Develop Alternative Vices) Day -- internet generated, in hopes that bad habits will be altered to positive coping mechanisms

National Read in the Bathtub Day -- yes, the day has its own Facebook page facebook.com/Read.In.the.Bathtub.Day

Oatmeal Monday -- Scotland (traditionally, at universities in Scotland, the day the students were allowed to go home and get more "meal", or oatmeal, and other supplies, as they had to provide their own food and fuel for the fires while in school)

Pizza Pie Day

Read in the Bathtub Day -- another one that no one will claim to have invented, and please don't try it with a digital book

Remembrance for Eyvind Kinnrifi -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan (martyr)

Royal Hobart Regatta Day -- Tasmania, Australia

St. Apollonia's Day (Patron of dentists; Achterbos, Belgium; Ariccia, Italy; Cuccaro Monferrato, Italy; against toothaches, tooth disease)

St. Maroun's Day -- Lebanon (Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch, an Eastern Catholic Church)

Tales of Kelp-Koli begin -- Fairy Calendar (through the 16th)

Toothache Day -- and someone thought this needed a day because...? Okay, I guess because there is a patron saint for it. Or against it. However that works.

Weather Day -- US (Weather Service Founding)

Birthdays Today:

David Gallagher, 1985
Ziyi Zhang, 1979
Mena Suvari, 1979
Shakira, 1977
Travis Tritt, 1963
Charles Shaughnessy, 1955
Judith Light, 1949
Mia Farrow, 1945
Alice Walker, 1944
Joe Pesci, 1943
Carole King, 1942
Janet Suzman, 1939
Roger Mudd, 1928
Brendan Behan, 1923
Kathryn Grayson, 1922
Bill Veeck, 1914
Gypsy Rose Lee, 1914
Ernest Tubb, 1914
Carmen Miranda, 1909
David Dean Rusk, 1909
Ronald Colman, 1891
Amy Lowell, 1874
William Henry Harrison, 1773

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Falstaff"(Verdi Opera), 1893
"Venice Preserv'd"(Otway Play), 1682

Today in History:

The Synod of Breslau orders Jews of Silesia to wear special caps, 1267
The first recorded race meet in England in Roodee Fields, Chester, 1540
The British ex-premier Walpole becomes the Earl of Oxford, 1742
After no presidential candidate receives a majority of electoral votes in the election of 1824, the United States House of Representatives elects John Quincy Adams President of the United States, 1825
The U.S. Weather Bureau is established, 1870
The first Japanese immigrants arrive in Hawaii, 1885
The Davis Cup competition is established, 1900
The first forestry school is incorporated at Kent, Ohio, 1909
Snow falls on Mauna Loa, Hawaii, 1922
Brazil becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty, 1922
Year-round Daylight saving time is re-instated in the United States as a wartime measure to help conserve energy resources, 1942
Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1960
Jamaica becomes an independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations, 1962
The Beatles make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, performing before a "record-busting" audience of 73 million viewers, 1964
First test flight of the Boeing 747, 1969
Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, 1971
Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks, 1995
A storehouse of thirty Egyptian mummies is unearthed inside a 2,600-year-old tomb, 2009

"We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works!" Douglas Adams

He's right, and i'm more convinced of it every day.

#1 Son's iPhone was either stolen, or ended up in a place where no one can hear it ringing, and the battery is probably dead by now anyway. So Grandpa insisted we go get him another, and off to the AT&T store we went.

While there we resolved a couple of things, and the nice sales rep suggested that i call customer care and have the unique number assigned to that phone's internal hardware put on a blacklist. That way, if it was stolen, it can never be used again.

Which makes me wonder, if that can be done, why would anyone steal a phone anyway? If you can't use it for anything, what's the point of taking it?

Anyway, when i called to get the phone blacklisted, the nice lady asked me to get online on my account. This required yet another password reset, because it has been so long since i bothered to get on that site that there was no way i was going to remember.

Once on, we did what was needed, and i hung up, and then tried to log off of my account on AT&T's site. There was no log off button.

Really? i thought as i clicked through several pages and even tried the site map. After about 15 minutes, i got disgusted and called customer service again, this time for tech support.

The agent, when i told him the dilemma, didn't laugh at me. He asked me to read him the top line on the page, which i did, and which didn't have a sign out option.

He got onto my account from his end, and he couldn't find it, either!

Turns out, there was a glitch with their site, and some things about my account were not available, including the ability to actually sign out.

Well.

For once, it wasn't me.

His suggestion was to shut down my computer, which would disconnect me from the system, which i did. Unfortunately, that caused the computer to have a glitch when the boys got on it later. Windows didn't want to restart. It did eventually, but the computer just didn't "behave right" for a while, and they had trouble starting up a game they play where they hook up two computers.

It was one of those days when i think Douglas Adams was more than right, so i will concentrate on one of the good, old fashioned shows of human skill for which there is no substitute. #2 Son had his culinary school knife skills test yesterday, and got a very high grade! No tech needed, and he carves mushrooms into decorative shapes beautifully, and then i get to cook the results for the mushroom lovers in the house.

No technology needed.

Today is:

Deep Blue Day -- the IBM computer defeats chess champion Gary Kasparov, the first such victory for a computer, in 1996

Extraterrestrial Culture Day -- New Mexico, US ("to celebrate and honor all past, present, and future extraterrestrial visitors in ways to enhance relationships among all citizens of the cosmos, known and unknown.")

Feast of Saint Paul's Shipwreck -- Malta

Gold Record Day -- Glenn Miller is awarded the first ever Gold Record, for "Chattanoga Choo Choo", 1942

National Cream Cheese Brownie Day

National Memorial Day of the Exiles and Foibe -- Italy, especially in Trieste

National Sports Day -- Qatar

Plimsoll Day -- honoring Samuel Plimsoll, the "Sailor’s Friend," who persuaded Parliament to have a maximum load limit on ships.

Safer Internet Day -- organised by Insafe (promotes safe and responsible use of the internet by teaching children how to keep themselves safe online)

St. Scholastica's Day (Patron of children in convulsions, nuns; LeMans, France; against rain, storms)

Try to Invent a New Jell-O Flavor Day -- it can't hurt to try

Umbrella Day

World Ag Expo -- Tulare, CA, US (largest farm and equipment show in North America; through Thursday)

Anniversaries Today:

Poland is symbolically married to the Baltic Sea by Jozef Haller de Hallenburg, celebrating the restitution of Polish access to the water, 1920
Tom Thumb marries Mercy Lavinia Warren, 1863
Queen Victoria marries her cousin Albert von Saxe-Coburg, 1840
Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War (a/k/a French and Indian War), 1763
Academie Francaise forms in Paris (by Cardinal Richelieu), 1635

Birthdays Today:

Lance Berkman, 1976
Laura Dern, 1967
Glen Beck, 1964
Lenny Dykstra, 1963
Cliff Burton, 1962
George Stephanopoulos, 1961
Greg Norman, 1955
Jim Cramer, 1955
Mark Spitz, 1950
Donovan, 1946
Frances Moore Lappe, 1944
Roberta Flack, 1939
Robert Wagner, 1930
Leontyne Price, 1927
Lon Chaney, Jr., 1906
Bertolt Brecht, 1898
Frances Margaret "Dame Judith" Anderson, 1898
Jimmy Durante, 1893
William "Bill" Tilden, 1893
Boris Pasternak, 1890
Samuel Plimsoll, 1824
Charles Lamb, 1775

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"My Friend Flicka"(TV), 1956
"Death of a Salesman"(Play), 1949
"Puss Gets the Boot"(Cartoon, first Tom and Jerry short), 1940
"Icebound"(Pulitzer-winning Davis' Play), 1923
"All the News That's Fit to Print"(Slogan of the New York Times), 1897
"Les Contes d'Hoffman"(Offenbach Opera), 1881
"The Lily of Killarney"(Opera), 1862

Today in History:

St. Paul is shipwrecked on the island of Malta, 60
Crusaders defeat Prince Redwan of Aleppo at Antioch, 1098
The St. Scholastica's Day riot breaks out in Oxford, England, leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two days, 1355
Wampanoag Indians under King Philip kill all the men in Lancaster, Massachusetts, 1676
Edmund Halley is appointed the second Astronomer Royal of England, 1720
The Treaty of Paris ends the French and Indian War, surrendering Canada to England, 1763
Simon Bolivar is named dictator by the Congress of Peru, 1824
The first US fire extinguisher patent granted to Alanson Crane of Virginia, 1863
The YWCA is founded in NYC, 1870
Nathaniel Carr Goodwin becomes the first actor to perform in two different cities on the same day, in Boston for a matinee, and then in NYC for and evening performance, 1887
Nearly 11,000,000 acres of land, ceded to the US government by the Sioux Indians, is opened for settlement, 1890
The New York Times begins using the slogan, "All the news that's fit to print," 1897
Japan and Russia declare war after Japan's surprise attack on Russian fleet at Port Arthur disabled 7 Russian warships, 1904
Britain's first modern and largest battleship "HMS Dreadnought" is launched, 1906
Baseball outlaws all pitches that involve tampering with the ball, 1920
New Delhi becomes the capital of India, 1931
The first singing telegram is delivered, by the Postal Telegram Company of NYC, 1933
Captured American U2 spy-plane pilot Gary Powers is exchanged for captured Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, 1962
Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee becoming the first African American to lead a major American political party, 1989
The IBM supercomputer Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov for the first time, 1996
The communication satellites Iridium 33 and Kosmos-2251 collide in orbit, destroying both, 2009

Little Girl, who is a junior in high school and not so little as she was when i nicknamed her, had her Senior Ring Ceremony yesterday.

When i was in school, we got our junior pins in junior year, and our senior rings in senior year.

The times change. They get it in junior year now.

She left me a note, asking me to wake her at 5am. When i went to get her, she was already up and i asked why she wanted to be up so early.

She said, "I have to leave time to goof off!"

Don't goof off, i said with a grin.

"Oh, but goofing off time is going to happen!" she said, laughing. "By the way, do you have a nice blouse I can wear?"

Yes, i gave her a blouse. My girls are not girlie girls, and don't much like dressing up, so Little Girl usually raids my closet on such occasions.

Her class has over 200 students, but only 19 bought rings, and only 15 came for the ceremony (the flu is rampant here, and those four are currently home recovering). It was sobering and inspiring at the same time, but that is the nature of public schools here.

The principal addressed the students, reminding them that in receiving this ring, they are promising to graduate, no matter what. These are the kids who will, too, the ones whose parents care enough about their education to order a ring and come for the ceremony.

Back home after school, wearing her ring.

The ring in its box, which s shaped like a graduation cap.

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Liberia

Be Electrific Day -- Edison's birth anniversary

Carnival de Ponce -- Ponce, Puerto Rico (through Mardi Gras)

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day -- no history on the origin, but remember we all mess up once in a while, don't take small mess ups too seriously

Evelio Javier Memorial Day -- Panay Island, Philippines

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes/World Day of the Sick -- Roman Catholic Church (anniversary of the first appearance of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette)

Grandmother Achievement Day -- internet generated; call your grandmother, or someone's grandmother you admire, and tell her what she is doing right

Independence Day -- Vatican City (Holy See) (a/k/a Lateranensi Pact Day, for the pact that established it as an independent state)

Kenkoku Kenen-no-hi -- Japan (also called National Foundation Day or Empire Day)

Meringue Memorial Day -- don't know who came up with it, but it's the day to see if you remember how to make meringue

National Inventors' Day -- US (Edison's birth anniversary)

National Peppermint Patty Day

National Shut-In Visitation Day -- some sites have it here, some in October; either way, go visit someone who can't get out of the house today, or make plans to see them this weekend

Nelson Mandela Day -- South Africa (celebrates his release from prison)

Pro Sports Wives Day -- the annual recognition of those who truly are sports widows, wives of professional athletes, coaches, and support personnel; prosportswives.com

Satisfied Staying Single Day -- for those who aren't desperate to have someone by the 14th; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

St. Caedmon's Day (Oldest English poet known by name.)

White Shirt Day -- a recognition of the dignity of the working class

Youth Day -- Cameroon

Anniversaries Today:

Napoleon weds Marie-Louise of Austria, 1810
The founding of London University, 1826

Birthdays Today:

Taylor Lautner, 1992
Natalie Dormer, 1982
Kelly Rowland, 1981
Matt Lawrence, 1980
Brandy, 1979
Mike Shinoda, 1977
Jennifer Aniston, 1969
Sarah Palin, 1964
Sheryl Crow, 1963
Carey Lowell, 1961
Sergio Mendes, 1941
Bobby "Boris" Pickett, 1938
Burt Reynolds, 1936
Tina Louise, 1934
Leslie Nielsen, 1926
Paul Bocuse, 1926
Eva Gabor, 1921
Sidney Sheldon, 1917
Max Baer, 1909
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1909
Philip Dunne, 1908
Thomas Alva Edison, 1847
Lydia Marie Child, 1802

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The French Chef"(TV, with Julia Child), 1963
"Dynamo"(O'Neill play), 1929
"Salome"(Wilde Play), 1896
"La Fille du Regiment"(Donizetti Opera Comique), 1840

Today in History:

Traditional date for the founding of the Japanese empire under Emperor Jimmu, BC660
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome, which clears the way for Nero to become Emperor, 55
Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England, 1531
The Pennsylvania Hospital opens, the first in the US, 1752
Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery, 1790
Anthracite coal is burned experimentally as fuel for heating a home for the first time, by Jesse Fell in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1808
Robert Fulton files a patent for improvements to steamboat navigation, 1809
Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a redistricting bill that leads to the first use of the term "gerrymander," 1812
The first public toilet facilities for women opens in London, on Bedford Street, 1852
The Meiji constitution of Japan is adopted, 1889
Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control, 1916
BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., which coined the term "robot", 1938
Glenn Miller is awarded the first ever gold disc for selling one million copies of "Chattanooga Choo Choo," 1941
Eighty-seven countries, including the US, UK, and USSR, sign the Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons in international waters, 1971
The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens, 1978
Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa, 1990
The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, 2011

The mood in the house is mixed right now.

Grandma and Grandpa announced, last November, that they wanted to take as many of us as could make it to Walt Disney World this year at Mardi Gras.

Bigger Girl and #1 Son both had to bow out, she because she doesn't feel she can miss school, and he because he just started this job and you don't go into the boss at a new job and tell her/him you need a week off to go on vacation with your family, not when you are 23.

All the plans are set, hotel, who is driving (us), who is flying (Uncle J, Bryn and Dre, because no one wants to be in a car for that many hours with a 9-year-old), and all the other myriad details.

Everyone was looking forward to it.

Then the kink got thrown into the works. Grandma, who has always had somewhat fragile health, got so sick last week she had to call Grandpa to come home early from a meeting and take her to the doctor right away. She was on the verge of pneumonia and had pleurisy, and was put on a very strong antibiotic.

As she seemed to be recovering as fast as she got ill, the plans didn't change. Then the antibiotic caused such bad side effects she had to get off it it. By then, her lungs were clear, but since she didn't take the full course of medicine, she cannot be exposed to crowds or being outdoors a lot in the cold weather to make certain she doesn't relapse.

They are insistent that the rest of us will still go, and we will. We are all sad and upset, though, that Grandma and Grandpa won't be with us.

This past week has seen me chasing my own tail to get ready, and today i am working at Ms. P's house, and tomorrow i am scheduled to deliver flowers for Valentine's Day, but only in the morning, as we leave in the afternoon. So much has been crammed into this last week that i don't know whether, as Dolly Parton said in Steel Magnolias, "to wind my butt or scratch my watch!"

When we leave town, i have to think of everything, including how much cat litter to have in the house and to time my kombucha (fermented tea) brewing so it won't be over fermented by the time i get back. As for the Valentine's Day deliveries, i am going to miss being able to earn the money for the full three days work, but at least i can get one morning in.

Yesterday we tried to get Little Girl her driver's license, since she now only has a permit and we thought it would be a good idea to do this before she helped drive. She had early dismissal, so we went to the DMV. They told us we now have to have an appointment to take the driving test. You cannot call for an appointment, you have to fill out an application and get an appointment. We did, and they had a same day testing available, at 2pm. We left to have lunch and came back. She passed, and then they said, "Where is her proof of school attendance?" It seems you need that now. Of course, by the time they told us, there wasn't anyone still at the school who could get it for us, so Sweetie has to take her back on Friday while i'm delivering flowers, but after he gets the oil changed in #2 Son's car and air in Bigger Girl's tires.

And now as subduedly excited as i am that we are getting to go, i think i need to find that watch to scratch.

Today is:

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday -- US (with a wreath laying ceremony at the rebuilt cabin near where he was born)

American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting -- Chicago, IL, US (a five day meeting of top scientist; who knows what these people will come up with next, because science is amazing!)

Borrowed Days (through the 14th) -- Scottish Highlands (Gaelic Faoilteach, days supposedly borrowed from January, and if the weather is bad, the rest of the year will be good.)

Darwin Day -- International (birth anniversary)

Day Holy to Diana -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Desert Festival -- Jaisalmer, India (three days of local culture, contests, and fun)

Feast of the Incappucciati -- Gradoli, Italy (members of the Confraternity of Purgatory makes the rounds of the town gathering food for the souls in Purgatory, which is served at a banquet next week on Ash Wednesday)

Fettiger Donnerstag -- Swabia, Germany ("greasy Thursday", so called because of the greasy Kuchli cakes and pastries made today to use during carnival before the Lent fast)

Gold Rush Days -- Wickenburg, AZ, US (celebrating the Old West; through Sunday)

Lost Penny Day -- in honor of pennies, the first US coin to commemorate a person; collect all those pennies you have hanging around and donate them to a good cause

Miami International Boat Show -- Miami, FL, US (biggest boat show in the US, and the main event for product introductions; through Monday)

Oglethorpe Day/Georgia Day -- Georgia, US (landing of General Oglethorpe at what is now Savannah in 1733)

Pick A New Love Song Day -- internet generated, and why? Only bother if your old one has worn thin.

Plum Pudding Day -- shouldn't this be at Christmas? Ah, well, i don't set them, i just report them.

Powamu Festival -- Pueblo/Hopi Native Americans (8 day sacred Bean Dance and purification ceremonies; date approximate)

Red Hand Day -- UN (Drawing attention to the plight of child soldiers.)

Runic Half Month of Sigel (Sun) begins

Sacrifice to Dionysos -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

St. Julian the Hospitaler (Patron of boatmen, carnival/circus workers, childless people, clowns, ferrymen, fiddlers, hospitality, hotel keepers/innkeepers, jugglers, knights, pilgrims, repentant murderers, shepherds, travellers, wandering musicians; to obtain lodging while travelling; San Giljan, Malta)

Union Day -- Myanmar

Youth Day -- Venezuela

Anniversaries Today:

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is founded, 1909
Michigan State University is founded, 1855
Maria Therese Habsburg marries Emperor Francios I, 1736

Birthdays Today:

Jennifer Stone, 1993
Christina Ricci, 1980
Jesse Spencer, 1979
Naseem Hamed, 1974
Josh Brolin, 1968
Chyna Phillips, 1968
Arsenio Hall, 1955
Joanna Kerns, 1953
Michael McDonald, 1952
Simon MacCorkindale, 1952
Steve Hackett, 1950
Cliff De Young, 1947
Maud Adams, 1945
Ray Manzarek, 1939
Judy Blume, 1938
Joe Don Baker, 1936
Bill Russell, 1934
Arlen Specter, 1930
Joe Garagiola, 1926
Franco Zeffirelli, 1923
Dom DiMaggio, 1917
Lorne Greene, 1915
Ted Mack, 1904
Roy Harris, 1898
Omar Bradley, 1893
Anna Pavlova, 1881
John Llewellyn Lewis, 1880
John Graham Chambers, 1843
Charles Darwin, 1809
Abraham Lincoln, 1809
Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams, 1775
Cotton Mather, 1663
John Winthrop the Younger, 1606
John Winthrop the Elder, 1588
Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shogun, 1218

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Child's Play"(Play), 1970
Dracula(Film), 1931
"Rhapsody In Blue", 1924
"Beggar on Horseback"(Play), 1924
"Fruen Fra Havet(The Lady from the Sea)"(Ibsen Play), 1889

Today in History:

Vasco da Gama sets sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India, 1502
Santiago, Chile, is founded by Pedro de Valdivia, 1541
A year after claiming the throne of England for nine days, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason, 1554
The Onderlinge van 1719 u.a., the oldest existing life insurance company in the Netherlands is founded, 1719
Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, and its first city at Savannah, 1733
The first US fugitive slave law, requiring the return of runaway slaves, is passed, 1793
The Teatro di San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is destroyed by fire, 1816
The Creek Indian treaty is signed, requiring the tribes to turn over all of their land in Georgia to the government and migrate west by Sept. 1 the following year, 1825
Ecuador annexes the Galapagos Islands, 1832
Official proclamation sets April 15 as last day of grace for US silver coins to circulate in Canada, 1870
The US Congress abolishes bimetallism and authorizes $1 and $3 gold coins, 1873
King David Kalakaua of the Sandwich Islands/Hawaii becomes the first king to visit the US, 1874
The first news dispatch by telephone takes place, between Boston and Salem, Massachusetts, 1877
News of the Battle of Isandlwana, the single greatest defeat for the British Army at the hands of a native army, reaches London, 1879
The New York to Paris auto race, via Alaska and Siberia, begins; George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel, 1908
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) forms, 1909
The last Ch'ing (Manchu) emperor of China, Hsuan T'ung, abdicates, 1912
A meteor creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union, 1947
U.S.S.R. launches Venera 1 towards Venus, 1961
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union, 1974
Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia, 1990
NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid, 2001
The city of San Francisco, California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom, 2004

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Most years, i deliver flowers the day before, the day of, and bat clean up on the day after. This year, because we are leaving town today, i can only deliver this morning, and i hope to get a couple of good routes in before we leave.

Those who've read my blog for a while will recognize these, but i hope you will all pass them around.

So, once again, from the point of view of the person who just might be delivering your flowers, comes a few hints for how to make my job easier and assure that you will get those flowers there.

1. Order early. Earlier than that. Yes, that early.

Here's the thing. The florists order lots and lots of flowers, and some are going to be in better shape than others. The nicest ones get used first. By midday on Valentine's Day, they are using the ones they would have passed over earlier. Ordering ahead, and ordering for early delivery, gets you the nicest selection.

Ordering early also means that if we can't find your location or have trouble, we have time for a redelivery.

One other thing. Order to have them delivered the day before, and then give your sweetheart the card and candy and date on the actual day, and s/he will know you weren't just throwing something together last minute, you planned it out and made the occasion last a bit longer. Points for you!

2. Mark your home well! This is for your benefit as well as ours. After all, if we can't find you, what makes you think the EMTs can find you in the middle of the night?

3. Delivery drivers know the town in general, but not every single side street, business, nook and cranny. Give us your whole, complete address. This means include:

     Avenue, Street, Boulevard, Drive, Circle, Lane, or whatever is in the actual title of your street.

     Your apartment complex name and apartment number
     or the nursing home name and room number
     or the business name and office number/division of the business where your sweetheart works.

   You know where it is, but we don't, and it's no fun having to guess.

4. If you live in a gated community, please tell us, and give us a way to get in. It's frustrating not to be able to get to your home because we need a code. Give us a phone number, and i'll talk more about that later.

5. The same goes for if you are having flowers delivered to a limited access work place. Make sure we can get in there to it. More than once i've had to wait until someone was leaving the building to beg to be brought in, and had to register, and all of that. Again, a phone number helps.

6. If you and your recipient are both at work all day, give us permission, when you place the order, to leave the flowers in a safe place by your back door, under a patio, or with a neighbor.

7. Tell us what time your recipeint gets off work, if you really want us to go there. It's frustrating to get there a half hour after s/he got off for the day.

8. About phone numbers: tell your recipient to answer the phone! Yes, you usually don't answer if you don't recognize the number. Tell him/her to answer anyway, on this day, because there is a surprise coming. Give us your number as well, and answer it. If we can get in touch with you, or your recipient, we can work out most delivery complications easily, and we don't get a call an hour later after you've listend to the voicemail and i have to tell you that i'm sorry, your item is no longer with me, it's been sent back for redelivery when they can get to it again..

Yes, i know, you want it to be a surprise. So, if we have to call the recipient, the surprise comes over the phone. That's better than the nasty surprise of us not being able to get it delivered at all.

9. Please if you ask us to deliver to the school, make sure you let us know it's a school, and order early enough that we can get there before the carpool line starts. The people in the carpool lane get very upset with us, as they think we are cutting in line. Tell us if the person is in the office, a teacher, or someone in the cafeteria or on the janitorial staff, too. One year it took the office people 20 minutes to figure out who the person was and in which department.

10. Remember your driver is paid only for completed deliveries. Time is of the essence for us, we want to successfully deliver as many items as we can, for the joy it brings you and the money it brings us. There's no shame in earning some extra cash by doing this service, so help us serve you better by following the tips above!

Today is:

Blame Someone Else Day -- always on the first Friday the 13th of the year, you get a free pass to blame someone else!

Break-Up Day -- if you are over him/her, don't go through tomorrow pledging love falsely, get out today

Dream of Your Sweetheart Day -- a reminder that if you aren't ready for Valentine's Day tomorrow, you'd better get cracking

Employee Legal Awareness Day -- Australia

Get a Different Name Day -- for those who hate their name; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Great Back Yard Bird Count begins -- birdsource.org; a four day project for anyone from across North America; count birds for a few minutes a day today, or every day for the next four days, giving a real time idea of where the birds are now

Ides of February -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
     Parentalia begins -- through the 21st (honoring divi parentes -- the deified ancestors)
     Lupercalia begins -- through the 15th (to rid the city of evil spirits)
     Orgiastic festival of Juno Februa begins -- through tomorrow

I Value Your Friendship Day -- because you don't want to neglect your friends while we are remembering love this week

Madly in Love With Me Day -- because you have to love "me" before you can love "we"

National Date Festival -- Indio, CA, US (a most exotic county fair, the date comes from the land of the Arabian Nights and this festival celebrates all aspects of the theme; through the 22nd)

National Tortellini Day

Nice Carnival -- Nice, France (dating back to the 14th century, this celebration is one of France's best; through Mar. 1)

Reenactment of the Battle of Olustee -- Olustee, FL, US (largest Civil War battle in Florida; through Sunday)

St. Catherine dei Ricci's Day (Patron of the ill)

Ta-asobi -- Akatsuka Suwa Shrine, Itabashi-ku, Japan (ceremony to pray for a good harvest)

Trndez or Tearnandarach -- Armenian Christian Church (fire celebration, begins in the evening and goes through tomorrow; originally a pagan sun worship celebration, it is now a Candlemas celebration by the OS Calendar)

Weiberfastnach -- Cologne, Germany (Women's Carnival, the day the women run the pre-Lent celebration)

Wings Over the Platte Spring Migration Celebration -- Grand Island, NE, US (the world's largest concentration of sandhill cranes is celebrated through mid-April)

Yuma Square and Round Dance Festival -- Yuma, AZ, US (for square and round dance enthusiasts; through Sunday)

Birthdays Today:

Mena Suvari, 1979
Robbie Williams, 1974
Kelly Hu, 1968
David Naughton, 1951
Peter Gabriel, 1950
Stockard Channing, 1944
Jerry Springer, 1944
Carol Lynley, 1942
Peter Tork, 1942
Bo Svenson, 1941
George Segal, 1934
Kim Novak, 1933
Chuck Yeager, 1923
Eileen Farrell, 1920
Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1919
Eddie Robinson, 1919
Grant Wood, 1892
Alvin York, 1887
Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace Truman, 1885
Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill, 1849
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, 1754
Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, 1682

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Merlin"(Musical), 1983
"Prince Valiant"(Comic strip), 1937

Today in History:

Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed, 1258
Jews are expelled from Burgsordf, Switzerland, 1349
The Disfida di Barletta (Challenge of Barletta); Frenchman Charles de la Motte accused Italians of cowardice, and thirteen Italians proceeded to rout 13 Frenchmen in a chivalrous horseback tourney, 1503
St. Augustine, Florida, is founded, becoming the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States, 1566
Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for trial before the Inquisition for professing belief that the Earth revolves around the sun, 1633
Treaty of Lisbon: Spain recognizes Portugal, 1668
The Massacre of Glencoe: 78 members of the clan Macdonald are murdered for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange (William III), 1692
Cholera appears in London, 1832
Work begins on the covering of the Zenne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards, 1867
The feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is first published in Paris by the activist Hubertine Auclert, 1881
Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversial over use of male nudes in a coed art class, 1886
Auguste and Louis Lumière patent the Cinematographe, a combination movie camera and projector, 1894
English suffragettes storm British Parliament and 60 women are arrested, 1907
The Negro National League is formed, 1920
A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, 1935
France tests its first atomic bomb, 1960
Black Sabbath, arguably the very first heavy metal album, is released, 1970
A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky, 1981
An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany, 1990
The last original "Peanuts" comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies, 2000
The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", 2004
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations, 2008
At 23:31:30 UTC the Unix system time (time_t) number reaches 1234567890 seconds, 2009
For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, were able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855, 2011

Silly Sunday: Pass the Collection Plate, Deacon!

Awww Monday: Winston at the shelter

Not coming soon to any theater i know of, but a fun idea.

Okay, who cut the cheese?

No wonder.

Feline Friday: Kitchen King

Tempting

Silly Sunday: How the Cookie Crumbles

Awww Monday: Hope

Chasing New Tires

How Many?

Thankful Thursday

Feline Friday: Flannel

Loud and Wonderful rEcess Time

Silly Sunday: Protection

Awww Monday: SissyCat is Happy

Take that, technology!

Ringing in the Next Step

Where's that watch?

Working until the last minute!