messymimi's meanderings

"Guess who got a job!" Little Girl said as she came into the kitchen.

Congratulations! i told her. When do you start?

"Next week I will have orientation. Oh, and I need a new pair of shoes, the non-skid kind. They gave me a coupon for them."

She handed me the coupon, which i decided i did not want to put in a "safe" place that i would subsequently forget, like i usually do, so it went straight into my wallet.

We'll go get the shoes tomorrow or Wednesday, i told her.

"Thank you! Ms. Brianna told me to sing 'Happy Birthday', so I did, and guess what? Sometimes I'm going to be wearing one of the character costumes and playing with the kids, and I'll have to sing 'Happy Birthday' with them!"

Sounds like something you'd enjoy, i noted. Remember when you made your own costumes like that? They were very well done.

"Please don't remind me!"

You did a fabulous job on those, though. You ought to be proud. (Note: when she was 11, she found instructions on the web and made mascot costumes that looked so good, the school across the street asked her to wear one and be their mascot for field day. She did all of the work herself, and used only materials we had around the house. She gets it from Grandma, not me.)

"Well, I just don't like to be reminded of those costumes," she said.

"Guess who has a new job!" Young Jacob said, strolling in.

Why did you need a new job? i asked.

"You didn't hear that I got laid off?" he said.

No, and why would they do that?

"I was the only person working outdoor maintenance, so they laid me off and hired a company to do it. So when I went in to work, they called me in and said I'd get paid through the end of the month, but I was laid off as of that moment. Then I went outdoors and talked to the manager of the company they hired, and he hired me on the spot to work for them!"

That's thinking fast! i exclaimed.

"Yeah, so I work for them and start next Monday, and today I went and got a chauffeur's license so I can drive one of the big vans. The owner is going to move me into managing because I've had my own lawn care business before, and he's going to pay for me to get my horticulture license, too!"

Well, that's the way to deal with getting laid off! i said. Get another job before you even leave the property.

Then i joked, i know you aren't the type to 'let the grass grow under your feet!'

"No, I'm going to have a job no matter what," he said. "If I have to, I'll use my grandmother's mower and go get jobs. There's work out there, so there's no reason not to go do it!"

Well, i said, after a day like this, you need some comfort food, i said. How about soup?

Sweetie came in at the mention of food, of course.

"Soup! Oh, that looks good! Can I get a sandwich, too?"

Chicken vegetable soup and cheese sandwiches, coming up.

A pot full of comfort food!

Today is:

American Diabetes Association Alert Day -- a day to remind people about how serious the illness is, and what the risk factors are

Ann Arbor Film Festival -- Ann Arbor, MI, US (independent digital, 16mm and 35mm films, including experimental film; through Sunday)

Commonwealth Covenant Day -- Northern Mariana Islands

Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice -- Argentina

Dies Sanguines -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sacrifices to the war goddess Bellona)

Einmanudur Month Begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Lone Month, the month dedicated to young men)
Yngismannadagur -- Young Men's Day

Houdini Day -- see if you can pull a disappearing act in his honor

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims -- UN

Kazimiras Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (return of the larks)

Komoeditsi -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calandar (honors the great Bear God, Meveshii Bog and includes sacrifices to the Great God of Honey)

Left-of-Field Fanciers' Fortnight begins -- Fairy Calendar

National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day

National Revolution Day -- Kyrgyzstan

Pandia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Zeus that immediately followed the Greater Dionysia; date approximate)

St. Catherine of Sweden's Day (Patron against miscarriages)

St. Gabriel the Archangel's Day (traditional date, now usually celebrated in September; Patron of childbirth, diplomats, messengers, postal workers, stamp collectors, telephone workers)

St. MacCairthinn of Clogher (St. Patrick's "Strong Man" and fellow worker; Patron of Clogher, Ireland)

World Tuberculosis Day -- UN & WHO

Birthdays Today:

Peyton Manning, 1976
Alyson Hannigan, 1974
Lara Flynn Boyle, 1970
Sharon Corr, 1970
Mase, 1970
Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway, 1965
Annabella Sciorra, 1964
Star Jones, 1962
Donna Pescow, 1954
Louie Anderson, 1953
Alan Sugar, 1947
R. Lee Ermey, 1944
Bob Mackie, 1940
Steve McQueen, 1930
Byron Janis, 1928
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 1919
Dorothy Height, 1912
Joseph Barbera, 1911
Clyde Barrow, 1909
Ub Iwerks, 1901
Dorothy Constance Stratton, 1899
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, 1887
Edward Weston, 1886
Harry Houdini, 1874
Andrew W. Mellon, 1855
William Morris, 1834
John Wesley Powell, 1834
Fanny Crosby, 1820

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Nightline"(TV News), 1980
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"(Play), 1955
"Native Son"(Play), 1941
"Letter from America"(Radio), 1946

Today in History:

Turko-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus, 1401
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England, 1603
The first game law passed in American colonies, by Virginia, 1629
Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island, 1664
Britain enacts Quartering Act, required colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers, 1765
Benjamin West of the US becomes president of Royal Academy of London, 1792
In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr., 1832
Canada gives African men the right to vote, 1837
Robert Koch of Germany announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis), 1882
Oscar Straus is appointed the first Jewish ambassador from US (to Turkey), 1887
A. A. Popov makes the first radio signal transmission in history, 1896
"Census of the British Empire" shows England rules 1/5 of the world, 1906
Greece becomes a republic, 1923
U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth, 1934
The longest game in NHL history is played between Detroit and Montreal; Detroit scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime and won the game 1-0, 1936
In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III, 1944
The British Cabinet Mission arrives in India to discuss and plan for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership, 1946
Elvis Presley joins the army (serial number 53310761), 1958
NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing, 1965
The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland, 1972
In Argentina, the armed forces overthrow the constitutional government of President Isabel Perón, 1976
Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed while celebrating Mass in San Salvador, 1980
In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground, 1989
Discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, 1993
Apple Inc. releases the first version of the Mac OS X operating system, 2001
Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election, 2008

Sometimes i think i am a professional procrastinator.

Most years, when this chore comes up, i get to it in time, but not because i want to. Oh, no. If i could, i'd put it off forever.

The chore, of course, is getting the tax papers ready for Grandpa's accountant friend, who does ours, too.

Last year, i went berserk and got everything in the mail to him by Valentine's Day! His office still didn't get our taxes done until the day before they were due to be filed.

This year, i figured why bother, since getting it there early didn't help any last year.

As the old song lyrics say, "I didn't wanna do it!" Knowing they won't get to it any sooner didn't help with that.

Nothing can make me love it, either, but when i sat down to do the dreaded chore yesterday, figuring it would be all day, it took less than two hours.

That's part of the professional procrastinator mindset, always think things take longer than they do.

Will this convince me next year to try getting it all in early again? With me, you never know, it might.

Meanwhile, since the only way to get a song out of your head is to play it all of the way through:

Today is:

Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants -- San Marino

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary -- Roman Catholic Christian
Lady Day/Quarter Day -- England; Ireland; Wales (traditional New Year's Day)
Varfrudagen -- Sweden (waffle day)

Day of the Shining Ones of Heaven move Upstream -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of King Amenhotep I -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (rituals depicting his death and burial, performed for the Deir-el-Medina workforce; date approximate)

Hilaria -- Ancient Roman Empire ("Day of Joy", honoring Attis)

Independence Day -- Cyprus; Greece(1821)

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade -- UN

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members -- UN

International Waffle Day -- based on Sweden's tradition of having waffles on Annunciation Day

Medal of Honor Day -- US (first one awarded this date in 1963)

Mother's Day -- Slovenia

National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy -- Greece; US

National Lobster Newburg Day

National Pecan Day -- anniversary of George Washington's planting of Pecan trees at Mt. Vernon in 1775

National Waffle Day -- possibly also International Waffle Day, depends on the site you search

Numbskulls and Clodhoppers' Dance -- Fairy Calendar (i know a couple of people who qualify on both counts; i need to find out how to buy tickets!)

Old New Year's Day -- until 1751, British Empire

Revolution Day -- Greece (anniversary of the revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1821)

Sacrifice to Kronos -- Ancient Greek Calendar (private sacrifices to Kronos; date approximate)

St. Dismas' Day ("Dismas" is the name given to the unnamed "Thief on the Cross", crucified next to Jesus according to Biblical accounts, and who repented; Patron of condemned/death row prisoners, funeral directors/undertakers, penitent criminals, prisoners, reformed thieves; Merizo, Guam)

Struggle for Human Rights Day -- Slovakia

The Tichborne Dole - in Alresford, Hampshire, UK; since 1150, a gallon of flour is given to every resident by the Tichborne family head on this day, to avoid a curse

Tolkien Reading Day -- sponsored by The Tolkien Society on the anniversary of the fall of Sauron

Birthdays Today:

Danica Patrick, 1982
Lee Pace, 1979
Sheryl Swoopes, 1971
Sarah Jessica Parker, 1965
Marcia Cross, 1962
John Stockwell, 1961
Mary Gross, 1953
Paul Miles, 1952
Bonnie Bedelia, 1948
Elton John, 1947
Bonnie Bedelia, 1946
Paul Michael Glaser, 1943
Aretha Franklin, 1942
Anita Bryant, 1940
Gloria Steinem, 1934
James Lovell, 1928
Eileen Ford, 1922
Simone Signoret, 1921
Howard Cosell, 1920
Norman Borlaug, 1940
David Lean, 1908
Bela Bartok, 1881
Arturo Toscanini, 1867
Gutzon Borglum, 1867

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Barrymore"(Play), 1997
"Cagney & Lacey"(TV), 1982

Today in History:

The first Easter, according to calendar-maker Dionysius Exiguus, 31
According to legend, Venice, Italy is born today at noon, 421
Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France, leading to his death on April 6, 1199
Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland, 1306
Sir Walter Raleigh renews Humphrey Gilbert's patent to explore North America, 1584
Henry Hudson embarks on an exploration for Dutch East India Co., 1609
Lord Baltimore founds Catholic colony of Maryland, 1634
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens, 1655
Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000, 1669
The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire, 1807
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway in England, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger carrying railway in the world, 1807
Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism, 1811
Greeks revolt against the Ottoman Empire, beginning the Greek War of Independence, 1821
In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers, leading to factory reform laws, 1911
The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811, 1917
The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 1948
The European Economic Community is established (West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), 1957
Canada's Avro Arrow makes its first flight, 1958
Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, 1965
The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch, 1979
The world's first wiki, a part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham, 1995
The European Union's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease, 1996
Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police, 2006
In southwest China, environmental and health concerns among residents are raised when 1,000 dead ducks pulled from the Sichuan River, 2013

Bigger Girl is 22 today.

It seems like just yesterday she announced her arrival two days before my scheduled C-section.

Every time i tell her she was two days early, she says i just didn't get her memo!

Well, i got it all right, in a rush to get to the hospital and a doctor concerned that i would rupture (as i undoubtedly would have if i hadn't gotten there fast).

It certainly scared the daylights out of Sweetie, whom i awakened from a sound sleep with the announcement that i was in labor and we needed to move fast.

It was about a 1 hour 15 minute drive to the hospital, and he got us there in about 45 minutes. With every contraction, he sped up a little.

All turned out well in the end, though, and now she is 22 and i will barely even see her on her birthday.

The Big Boss and Ms. P need for me to pick up her Eldest Boy and take him to school, so i have to get to work early.

Bigger Girl will leave for school very soon after i leave for work. Because she has the day off of work, she and her friends have an entire evening planned, and she will spend the night there.

It's okay, though, this is what comes with growing up, which she is. She's got her things that she wants and needs to do, and she gets them done.

There will be cake, though, upon that i insist. Even if we had to give it to her last night, and the boys here will demolish most of it before she comes home tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, child who came so fast. You've grown up fast, too. To me, it's been the blink of an eye.

Double fudge cake -- get it while it's here!

Today is:

Day to Mourn Victims of Biological Weapons -- commemorates the day these weapons were outlawed in 1975

End of Zimbor-Quattor's Revenge Week and Day of Reconcilliation with All Those Whose Hats Have Been Damaged -- Fairy Calendar

Fiesta del Arbol -- Spain (Tree Festival or Arbor Day)

Independence Day and National Day -- Bangladesh(1971)

Khordad Sal -- Zoroastrian (Birth of the Prophet Zaranhushtra)

Legal Assistants' Day

Make Up Your Own Holiday Day -- Wellcat Holidays, which has made up a bunch, wants you to do the same today!

Martyr's Day / Democracy Day -- Mali

National Letting Go of Stuff Day -- see lettinggocafe.com for details

National Nougat Day

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianole Day -- Hawaii, US (Hawaiian Royal who worked to preserve the Hawaiian culture)

Purple Day -- International (supporting epileptics around the world http://www.purpleday.org/aboutus)

Savannah Tour of Homes and Gardens -- Savannah, GA, US (tours of Savannah's historic homes; through Sunday)

Spinach Day -- on this day in 1937, spinach growers in Crystal City, Texas, erected a statue of Popeye in honor of their favorite veggie

St. Braulio's Day (Patron of Aragon, Spain)

St. William of Norwich's Day (Patron of kidnap and torture victims)

Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel -- Eastern Orthodox Christianity (celebration of his role is the Annunciation)

Anniversaries Today:

Ricki Lake weds Rob Sussman, 1994
Founding of the University of Utrecht, 1636

Birthdays Today:

Keira Knightley, 1985
Amy Smart, 1976
T.R. Knight, 1973
Josh Lucas, 1972
Leslie Mann, 1972
Kenny Chesney, 1968
John Stockton, 1962
Marcus Allen, 1960
Jennifer Grey, 1960
Catherine Keener, 1960
Leeza Gibbons, 1957
Curtis Sliwa, 1954
Teddy Pendergrass, 1950
Martin Short, 1950
Vicki Lawrence, 1949
Steven Tyler, 1948
Diana Ross, 1944
Bob Woodward, 1943
Erica Jong, 1942
James Caan, 1939
Alan Arkin, 1934
Leonard Nimoy, 1931
Sandra Day O'Connor, 1930
Pierre Boulez, 1925
Tennessee Williams, 1911
Viktor Frankl, 1905
Robert Frost, 1874
Jane Arminda Delano, 1862
Nathaniel Bowditch, 1773

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Fences"(Play), 1988
"The Young and the Restless"(TV), 1973
"Cannon"(TV), 1971
"Funny Girl"(Musical), 1964
"Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi/The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi"(Play), 1952

Today in History:

William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop's Fables, 1484
The first British Sunday newspaper is published (British Gazette & Sunday Monitor), 1780
The US Congress orders removal of Indians east of Mississippi to Louisiana, 1804
An earthquake destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, leaves 20,000 dead, 1812
The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, NY, 1830
Eastman Film Co manufactures the first commercial motion picture film, 1885
New Delhi replaces Calcutta as capital of British-Indies, 1931
William H. Hastie becomes the first black Federal Judge in the US, in the US Virgin Islands, 1937
Jonas Salk announces the first successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children, 1953
East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form People's Republic of Bangladesh, 1971
Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C., 1979
The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world, 1999
A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man, 1999
The Taiwanese government calls on 1 million Taiwanese to demonstrate in Taipei, in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China, 2005

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

It's easy to participate. Post a picture, drawing, cartoon, or video of a cat, a silly one, cute one, doofy one, your choice. Then go to Steve's site and get the code. Paste the code under your picture, and join the link. It's that easy!

HopeCat may be asleep, but it looks like her tail is still on the alert:

HopeCat loves our bed.

HopeCat is the one that is "special" and never leaves our room because she gets lost in the house. Yes, i'm sure she was asleep here, she was snoring!

Today is:

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament -- Brooklyn, NY, US (puzzle lovers, unite! through Sunday)

Armed Forces Day -- Myanmar

Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Viewing and Celebrations begin -- Japan (the festivities get started around now, and vary by region depending on when the trees bloom in that area over the next 6 weeks)

Commemoration of Sen no Rikyu -- Omotesenke School of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Japan (remembering the influential master in The Way of Tea)

Corkscrew Day -- M.L. Byrn of New York patented "covered gimlet screw with a 'T' handle" on this date in 1860

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Israel; Jordan; Syria

National"Joe" Day -- no, it isn't official, but today you can make everyone call you "Joe" if you want, and call them the same; probably started by someone who had no memory for names

National Spanish Paella Day

Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day -- after all, they do need their own day; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays (and here's a site with some funny ones)

^*St. John Damascene's Day (Patron of pharmacists, icon paiting, theology students)

St. Rupert of Salzburg's Day (Patron of Salzburg; celebrated on the 24th in the rest of the Church)

Tempe Festival of the Arts -- Tempe, AZ, US (hundreds of artists and craftspeople, continuous entertainment, children's area; through Sunday)

Wear a Hat Day -- UK (a brain tumour awareness event and fundraiser)

World Theatre Day

Anniversaries Today:

Mary Pickford marries Douglas Fairbanks, 1920

Birthdays Today:

Brenda Song, 1988
Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson, 1975
Nathan Fillion, 1971
Mariah Carey, 1970
Quentin Tarantino, 1963
Xuxa, 1963
Maria Schneider, 1952
Austin Pendleton, 1940
Michael York, 1942
David Janssen, 1931
Anthony Lewis, 1927
Mstislav Rostropovich, 1927
Sarah Vaughan, 1924
Harold Nicholas, 1921
Gloria Swanson, 1899
Thorne Smith, 1892
Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, 1886
Edward Steichen, 1879
Patty Smith Hill, 1868
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, 1845
Nathaniel Currier, 1813

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Starlight Express"(Rock musical), 1984
Funky Winkerbean(Comic strip), 1972
Singin' in the Rain(Film), 1952
"La Rondine/The Swallow"(Puccini Opera), 1917
"The Colleen Bawn"(Play), 1860

Today in History:

Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt, BC196
Pope Clement V excommunicates the entire population of Venice, 1309
Juan Ponce de Leon discovers Florida, 1513
The first English child born in Canada at Cuper's Cove, Newfoundland to Nicholas Guy, 1613
The dike at Hardinxveld breaks, causing the Alblasserwaard flood, 1709
Spain losses Menorca & Gibraltar, 1713
John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster, precursor to the band-aid, 1848
First reported sighting of the Yosemite Valley by Europeans, 1851
M L Byrn patents "covered gimlet screw with a 'T' handle" (corkscrew), 1860
The first international rugby football match, England v. Scotland, is played in Edinburgh at Raeburn Place, 1871
Famous Apache warrior, Geronimo, surrenders to the U.S. Army, ending the main phase of the Apache Wars, 1886
The first Japanese cherry blossom trees planted in Washington, D.C., 1912
The first successful blood transfusion takes place in Brussels, 1914
Typhoid Mary, the first healthy carrier of disease ever identified in the United States, is put in quarantine, , 1916
Charlie Chaplin receives France's distinguished Legion of Honor, 1931
Nikita Khrushchev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, 1958
The Good Friday Earthquake, the most powerful earthquake in U.S. history at a magnitude of 9.2 strikes South Central Alaska, killing 125 people and inflicting massive damage to the city of Anchorage, 1964
The Concorde makes its first supersonic flight. 1970
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins, 1975
The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea, killing 123 of its crew of 212, 1980
The Solidarity movement in Poland stages a warning strike, in which at least 12 million Poles walk off their jobs for four hours, 1981
The US FDA approves Viagra, 1998
HMS Scylla (F71), a decommissioned Leander class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe, 2004

Or confuse myself. Whatever it is supposed to be. And boy, was i confused.

Step one, get a call from The Big Boss on Thursday asking me to run errands while cleaning the house. He tells me where he will leave both his credit card so i can pay for the errands, and the gate key so i don't have to keep calling Ms. P to get her to buzz me in.

Step two, put the credit card and the gate key in my wallet while running errands. Have the workload be big enough that it carries over into Friday, with The Big Boss approving my keeping the gate key with me so i can get back in and do the last 3 loads of laundry and last errand.

Step three, get up early Friday to attend 6:30am Bible study, and be completely taken aback and thoroughly confused when i wave my wallet with the church key card at the sensor and have it turn green but not let me in. Try several doors with the same result. Wait for another member of the study to come along and open the door.

Step four, rush out of Bible study as soon as it's done so as to get to work early, get to the gate and realize, when pulling out the gate key, that the reason i couldn't get in the church earlier is that both gate key and church key work on the same principle, and the gate key was the one the church sensor was reading and not recognizing!

Step five, promise myself that i will keep that gate key, next time they give it to me, in my pocket notebook instead of my wallet.

Today is:

Children's Picture Book Day -- while i can't find a sponsor for this day, starting kids on a lifelong love of books is as good an excuse for a holiday as any

Commemoration of Sen no Rikyu -- Urasenke School of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Japan (remembering the influential master in The Way of Tea)

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Gaza Strip; West Bank

Earth Hour -- 8:30pm-9:30pm, your local time; turn off your lights to take a stand against climate change

Feast of Artemis -- Ancient Greek Calendar (as protector of wild animals, vegetation, and places, begins at sundown; date approximate)

Festival of the Sacrifice at the Tombs -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to honor the ancestors)

"Greatest Show on Earth" Day -- Barnum and Bailey merged their circuses on this day in 1881

Hot Tub Day -- because we all need one!

Invasion of Loaming Shores Beyond the Certain Sea Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar

Khordad Sal (Birth of the Prophet Zarathushtra) -- Zoroastrianism (Fasli Calendar)

Komamorijinja Reisai -- Nakaedo, Kashi-sh, Gifu, Japan (festival of the the Kosazukeishi "child-granting stone")

Maple Syrup Saturday -- Appleton, WI, US (please note that, starting now, almost every Saturday has a maple syrup festival or demonstration somewhere in Canada or the US where maple syrup is produced)

National Black Forest Cake Day

Ragnar Lodbrok's Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (remembrance of this Viking's sack of Paris)

Respect Your Cat Day -- anniversary of King Richard II's edict in 1384 forbidding the consumption of cats

Serfs Emancipation Day -- Tibet

Something on a Stick Day -- something edible, of course, what were you thinking? never mind; almost everything tastes better on a stick

St. Guntramnus' Day (Patron of divorced people, guardians, repentant murderers)

Teachers' Day -- Czech Republic; Slovakia

Weed Appreciation Day -- at last, for those of us with black thumbs, since this is all we can grow! "Weeds are flowers once you get to know them!" A.A. Milne

Birthdays Today:

Lady Gaga, 1986
Julia Stiles, 1981
Annie Wersching, 1977
Kate Gosselin, 1975
Scott Mills, 1974
Juliandra Gillen, 1971
Vince Vaughn, 1970
Reba McEntire, 1955
Dianne Wiest, 1948
Ken Howard, 1944
Conchata Ferrell, 1943
Jerry Sloan, 1942
Freddie Bartholomew, 1924
Dirk Bogarde, 1921
Irving "Swifty" Lazar, 1907
August Anheuser Busch, Jr., 1899
Maxim Gorky, 1868
Frederich Pabst, 1836
St. Teresa of Avila, 1515
Fra Bartolomeo, 1472

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Hair"(Rock musical), 1968
"Philadelphia Story"(Play), 1939

Today in History:

Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus, 193
Viking raiders sack Paris, who leave in exchange for a huge ransom, 845
The origin of the Fasli Era in India, 1556
Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco, 1776
Nathaniel Briggs of NH patents a washing machine, 1797
Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man, 1802
The US Salvation Army is officially organized, 1885
Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, 1910
Jews are expelled from Tel Aviv & Jaffa by Turkish authorities, 1917
Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara, 1930
The McGill français movement protest occurs, the second largest protest in Montreal's history, 1969
Operators of Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania fail to recognize that a relief valve in the primary coolant system has stuck open, leading to a partial meltdown, 1979
In South Africa, Zulus and African National Congress supporters battle in central Johannesburg, resulting in 18 deaths, 1994
The 2005 Sumatran earthquake rocks Indonesia, and at magnitude 8.7 is the second strongest earthquake since 1965, 2005
At least 1 million union members, students, and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law, 2006
Australian diplomat Peter Woolcott's draft for the first-ever treaty to regulate the conventional arms trade is discussed by members of the United Nations, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and a great way to have a chuckle while getting to know other bloggers.

It's easy to participate, the rules are simple, just have fun. So, Laugh and Link Up!

It's Palm Sunday, so our church will have the usual procession around the block with palm branches before we march into the sanctuary for the service.

Amos the donkey, who has never been ridden, will lead the way. He's sweet and friendly and i or Bigger Girl always bring him some carrots.

Once the service is over, we have a street party, the kind with pony rides and bouncy houses and food and an Easter egg hunt.

Talk of Easter eggs remind me of the time Tee Boudreaux ax his mamere, "When we goin' kill de eggs, Mamere?"

"Kill de eggs?" his mamere Clothile say. "What you mean..." an den she see what her son mean, an' she start laugh! "Dye! You mean when we goin' dye de eggs!"

"Dat's it!" Tee yell, and Clothile say, "We can do dat later today."

While dey be dyin' de eggs, Tee ax her another question. "Mamere," he say, "how come we don' go to church much? We ain't been since Christmas!"

"Well," Clothile say, to stall while she t'ink of a reason, "de choir dere ain't so good, an' de sermon like to put Boudreaux to sleep mos' de time...."

"Mais!" Tee say. "I t'ink it be a pretty good show for it only cost de dollar he put in de plate ever' time!"

Today is:

Barthelemy Boganda Day -- Central African Republic

Borrowed Days begin -- old English/Scottish/Irish legends about how March borrowed the next 3 days from April; these are still seen as weather prognostication days based on several different legends

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Albania; Andorra; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Estonia; Faroe Islands; Finland; France; Germany; Gibraltar, Greece; Greenland (some areas); Holy See (Vatican City); Hungary; Ireland; Isle of Mann; Italy; Kosovo; Latvia; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macedonia; Malta; Moldova; Monaco; Montenegro; Morocco; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; San Marino; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; Western Sahara
     European Union: Daylight Saving Time (Summer Time) Begins

Day of Redress -- Fairy Calendar

Knights of Columbus Founders Day

Martyrs' Day -- Madagascar

National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day

National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day -- as recognized by AICPA

Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday -- Christian

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

Smoke and Mirrors Day -- some sites call it "Festival of Smoke and Mirrors Day," but appropriately no one knows who started it

St. Armogastes of Africa's Day (Patron of the poor and torture victims; against poverty and torture)

St. Gladys' and St. Gwynllyw's Day (the Welsh "Bonny and Clyde", who led a life of crime before their conversion)

USA Memory Championship -- New York, NY, US ("Mental Athletes" compete for the title of National Memory Champion, and the winner goes on to the World Memory Championships)

Youth Day -- Taiwan

Anniversaries Today:

Harry Hamlin weds Lisa Rinna, 1997
Yeshiva College (now University) is chartered in New York, 1928

Birthdays Today:

Hideaki Takizawa, 1982
Jennifer Capriati, 1976
Lucy Lawless, 1968
Elle Macpherson, 1964
Christopher Lambert, 1957
Kurt Thomas, 1956
Earl Christian Campbell, 1955
Karen Ann Quinlan, 1954
Bud Cort, 1950
George Blaha, 1945
Eric Idle, 1943
John Major, 1943
John Joseph McLaughlin, 1927
Pearl Bailey, 1918
Sam Walton, 1918
Eugene Mccarthy, 1916
Philip Ahn, 1905
Denton True "Cy" Young, 1867
Isaac Mayer Wise, Rabbi and Founder of Reform Judaism, 1819
John Tyler, 1790
Carlo Buonaparte, father of Napoleon Bonaparte, 1746

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Woman of the Year"(Play), 1981
"The King and I"(Play), 1951
"Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows"(circus), 1919
Mutt and Jeff(Comic strip), 1908
"Jevgeni Onegin/Eugene Onegin"(Opera; Tchaikovsky Op. 24), 1879

Today in History:

The city of Salvador da Bahia, the first capital of Brazil, is founded, 1549
Treaty of Saint-Germain is signed, returning Quebec to French control after the English had seized it in 1629, 1632
Swedish colonists establish the first settlement in Delaware, 1638
Ludwig von Beethoven, age 24, debuts as a pianist in Vienna, 1795
Construction is authorized of the Great National Pike, better known as the Cumberland Road, becoming the first United States federal highway, 1806
Niagara Falls stops flowing for 30 hours due to an ice jam, 1848
The United Kingdom annexes the Punjab, 1849
Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day, 1852
Queen Victoria gives Royal Assent to the British North America Act which establishes the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867
Queen Victoria presides over the opening of Albert Hall in London, 1871
The Knights of Columbus are established, 1882
Dr. John Pemberton brews the first batch of Coca-Cola in his back yard, 1886
The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement goes into effect at 03:00 local time, 1941
Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, 1951
NASA's Mariner 10 becomes the first spaceprobe to fly by Mercury, 1974
The Canada Act 1982 (U.K.) receives the Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II, setting the stage for the Queen of Canada to proclaim the Constitution Act, 1982
Catherine Callbeck becomes premier of Prince Edward Island and the first woman to be elected in a general election as premier of a Canadian province, 1993
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia join NATO as full members, 2004
The Republic of Ireland becomes the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants, 2004
Thirty-five countries and over 370 cities join Earth Hour for the first time, 2008
A transistor-like transcriptor is built out of DNA and RNA molecules by American bioengineers at Stanford University, 2013

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's easy to participate, just post a picture that makes you say, "Awww!"

Don't forget to link up and visit other Awww Monday posts, because it's great to be able to start the week with a smile!

The duckling has grown very fast, and true to duck behavior, follows its "mother," Friend Becky, everywhere.

Duckling follows here, and so does #2 Son!

Today is:

Check for Change in Every Coin Return You Pass Day -- because someone has a sense of humor and put it on the internet

Culture and Traditions Day -- Micronesia

Doctors Day -- US (begun by Eudora Almond in 1933 because she thought her husband, Dr. Charles B. Almond, deserved recognition for his hard work; www.doctorsday.org for ideas on how to thank your doctor)

Fairies of the First Wand Reunion Dinner -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of Janus and Concordia -- Ancient Roman Calendar

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

Festival of Reality Fabrication -- internet holiday to celebrate your imagination

Festival of Salus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of health)

Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day -- remember how good you have it; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

I am in Control Day -- remember Alexander Haig's words on this date in 1981? well today, if you find the phones won't stop ringing, the kids got into the glue again, the coffee maker is on the fritz, and somebody dyed the poodle purple, stand up and declare that you are in control!

Land Day Commemoration -- West Bank/Palestinian remembrance

Limited Liability Day -- because no one can be responsible for everything

Pencil Day -- the pencil with an eraser top was patented this day in 1858 by Hyman Lipman

Runic Half-Month Ewhas (Horse) begins

Seward's Day -- Alaska, US

Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day -- Trinidad and Tobago

St. Leonard Murialdo's Day (Patron of apprentices)

Take a Walk in the Park Day -- begun by someone who wanted to get out of the office

Turkey Neck Soup Day

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day -- US (information here)

Birthdays Today:

Scott Moffatt, 1983
Jason Dohring, 1982
Norah Jones, 1979
Matt Doran, 1976
Mark Consuelos, 1971
Celine Dion, 1968
Ian Ziering, 1964
Tracy Chapman, 1964
M.C. Hammer, 1962
Paul Reiser, 1957
Robbie Cotrane, 1950
Eric Clapton, 1945
Astrud Gilberto, 1940
Warren Beatty, 1937
John Astin, 1930
Rolf Harris, 1930
Peter Marshall, 1930
Richard Dysart, 1929
Peter Marshall, 1927
Frankie Laine, 1913
Sean O'casey, 1880
Anna Sewell, 1820
Vincent Van Gogh, 1853
Francisco Jose De Goya, 1749

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Agnes of God"(Play), 1982
"Applause"(Musical), 1970
"Jeopardy"(TV), 1964
"Verkaufte Braut/The Bartered Bride"(Comic opera), 1866

Today in History:

The first recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, BC240
Ketsugan, Zen teacher, performs exorcisms to free aizoji temple, 1422
Henry VIII divorces Catherine of Aragon, 1533
British and coalition forces march into Paris after the defeat of Napoleon, 1814
Dr. Crawford Long of Georgia, US, performs the first operation with anesthesia (ether), 1842
A pencil with attached eraser is patented by Hyman L Lipman of Philadelphia, 1858
Alaska is purchased from Russia by US Secretary of State William Seward, for $7,200,000 (about 2 cents per acre), 1867
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, 1932
Einstein announces his revised unified field theory, 1953
The Yonge Street Line, the first subway in Canada, opens in Toronto, 1954
President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr., 1981
The oldest copy of Codex Holmiensis, dating from 1280, is returned to Denmark from Sweden after 300 years, and 45,000 Inca artifacts are returned to Peru's Machu Picchu after spending 100 years at Yale University, 2011

We almost had a crisis on our hands yesterday. Little Girl, on her way to her very first day of work, said, "Oh, and I need my Social Security Card. Do you know where it is?"

What a time to tell me, i thought, although i should have known. You can barely do anything any more without at least two forms of identification.

The first place i headed was the logical place, the filing cabinet. Nada. Her file was there, but not the requested document, nor her birth certificate. Bummer.

Thinking about it, i realized we had used both of those to register her for school, and for driver's ed, and for getting her permit, so a further search found the required document filed in her education records.

That was close -- i hate having to try to replace things like that, as i had to with Bigger Girl's Social Security Card years ago. Much easier to keep track of it to begin with, and her documents are back in her file where they belong, not among the report cards.

As for me being crazy, i have decided to go ahead and do the A to Z challenge again this year.

Yes, i post daily anyway, so why not. The problem i have is getting to five other blogs each day, besides all the ones i already try to get to. There are only so many hours in the day, and only so many of them that i want to spend online.

As for the mechanics of it, it actually only took me 20 minutes to figure out how to get the participation image/icon/whatevertheycallit onto my blog -- last year it took a lot longer. Why do you think i leave the "No Shopping on Thanksgiving" icon up all year long? If i ever took it off, i'd never figure out how to get it back. Technology is not my strong suit.

Beginning tomorrow, then, i will be traipsing through the alphabet along with many others. No particular theme, of course, because i meander too much, and too much crazy stuff goes on here.

Like finding you've filed a birth certificate in the education files.

Today is:

Bali Spirit Festival -- Ubud, Bali (annual celebration of Balinese culture, yoga, healing arts, music and dance; through Sunday)

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

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

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

Culture and Traditions Day -- Micronesia

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

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

Eiffel Tower Day -- inaugurated this day in 1889

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

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

Jum il-Helsien (Freedom Day) -- Malta

King Nangklao Memorial Day -- Thailand

National Clams on the Half Shell Day

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

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

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

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

Transfer Day -- US Virgin Islands

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

McGuffy Ann, of McGuffy's Reader, saw fit a few days back to nominate me for a blogging award, and i am very grateful.

Also, i am somewhat stumped, as it is called the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Inspiring?

Some bloggers don't accept awards, and i've never really decided one way or another how i feel about them. It's nice to be recognized. It's sometimes difficult to know whom to nominate in return, as many of the blogs i read are people who don't accept such awards. Yes, i've tried before, it was something of a flop.

To thank McGuffy Ann, though, i'm going to do some of the particulars of this award.

The first is to thank the person who bestowed it, and link back to her blog. McGuffy Ann, you take excellent care of your critters and work in animal rescue and foster kittens, and i find you inspiring, and i thank you for this honor. Yes, i have linked back to your blog above.

Since i am a tech dunce, the second one took a bit of figuring on my part, as it is to post the award logo. In order to do that, i had to figure out how to get the image onto my computer and then into Picasa and then on here, and here it is:

Third and fourth is to nominate other bloggers and leave comments on their blogs letting them know. That is the step i believe i must skip, as again, most of the blogs i read have been nominated before by others, or just don't accept awards.

Fifth is to mention three things that have inspired me lately.

Since Lent began, i have been inspired by the very excellent Lenten devotional written by our pastor for this season. In fact, he preaches almost every Sunday, writes books, and produces a Lent and Advent devotional each year, with small group Bible studies centered around them. This year's has been stellar, as usual delving deeply into the Scripture and including teachings from early church fathers up through the most recent theologians.

The owners/editors of our local newspaper inspired me recently with how they handled a serious problem. Their press decided to quit working in the middle of a run. They not only kept at it until they found the solution and got it working again, they turned to and helped, along with almost everyone in their offices, with deliveries for those delivery drivers who have second jobs and couldn't finish because of how late it was when they got the papers. Not only did they come out and apologize for the inconvenience of people getting their papers late, they apologized because their phone system got overloaded when people began calling to see what was wrong. Then they set out to upgrade the phone system so that doesn't happen again.

Acknowledging the problem and then getting right on the solution is inspiring customer service to me.

Finally, i am inspired by Ms. Belinda, a friend from church who recently had a stroke. She is working hard in therapy, and has almost fully recovered. She won't give up until she gets there, either! She's being patient with getting rides to church and the store and appointments until such time as she is cleared to drive, and i know it's hard for her. She's accepting it without complaint, and i don't know that i could do that.

So, there we have it. Thank you again, McGuffy Ann, and all who read and comment here.

Today is

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

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

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

Capture of Brielle Remembrance -- Brielle, Netherlands

Civil Service Day -- Thailand

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

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

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

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

Greek Cypriot Day -- Cyprus (EOKA Day)

International Fun at Work Day -- sponsored by Playfair, which encourages non-foolish humor that is non-toxic

International Tatting Day

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

Islamic Republic Day -- Iran

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

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

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

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

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

National Sourdough Bread Day

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

Orissa Day -- Orissa, India

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

Paraprofessional Appreciation Day -- honoring the contributions of paraprofessionals everywhere

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

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

School Year Begins -- Japan, most schools and universities

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uzupis Day -- Uzupis District, Vilnius, Lithuania

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

Anniversaries Today:

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

The elder of my two younger brothers (if that makes sense) just turned 50.

He's not a kid any more!

(No, it's not a very good picture of a picture, but it was the best i could do in the rush of doing other things at the time.)

He had a party, at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Lots of friends, lots of food, and a big bread pudding with raisins and sauce instead of cake.

Uncle P, as i call him here since he is Uncle to my kids, is single and has no children. He likes it that way. It has allowed him to spend time on the mission field without worry about how to provide for a family, and he loves working with both the elderly and mentally challenged individuals.

He also does some stand-up comedy, mostly about what it's like to be straight and single at his age in this society.

He's flying his own path, and comfortable with where and who he is, and i love him and am proud of him.

Today is

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Ferret Day -- US (The American Ferret Association)

National Love Your Produce Manager Day -- with its own Facebook page

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

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

Sizdehbedar -- Iran (Nature Day)

Spring Fever and Medical Aid Appeal -- Fairy Calendar

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

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

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

Thai Heritage Conservation Day -- Thailand

Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day -- Belarus

World Autism Awareness Day -- UN

Anniversaries Today:

Napoleon Bonaparte marries the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, 1810

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Yes, creative.

And you probably thought i would say "cats." Well, we will hear plenty from them in the future, i can guarantee, so today i'm highlighting some of the creative people in the family.

No, that doesn't include me. If given instructions, i can knit, crochet, cross stitch, or do a craft at Sunday school, and it will look utilitarian. Tell me to come up with a pattern, or do something for which there is no pattern, or do something with my own twist to it, and you will have a mess on your hands. Don't even ask me to arrange the furniture in a creative way.

The creative ones in that way are Grandma and my girls.

They can all write, too, but here are a few visual samples of what they do:

A wall in Grandma's room.

Grandma chooses great colors and artistically arranges furnishings.

Grandma paints, scrapbooks, and creates lovey things from family photos.

Grandma even has an artistic, and flowery, garden!

A painting by Bigger Girl

Part of Bigger Girl's room.

Some of Bigger Girl's drawings.

Part of the wall in Bigger Girl's room, with a wolf drawing on it by Little Girl.

Little Girl knows how to make it fun!

Little Girl noodling on a dry erase board.

Little Girl decorates cookies creatively!

A sketch by Little Girl

Grandma is where my girls got it all, and i'm so glad they did!

Today is

Alcohol-Free Weekend 2015 -- US; sponsored by National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence ncadd.org

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

Anniversary of the Second Republic -- Republic of Guinea

Commemoration of the Birth of Lao-Tzu -- Taoist (15th day of 2nd lunar month)

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

Don't Go to Work Unless it's Fun Day -- and unless you have a really great job, we know your decision (some sites have this listed on the first Monday in April)

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

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

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

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

Mahavir Jayanti -- Jain (local dates may vary)

National Chocolate Mousse Day

National Walk to Work Day -- US (originally sponsored by Prevention Magazine, and different from the one in September)

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

Pesach -- Judaism (Passover; begins at sundown)

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

Second Republic Day -- Guinea

Shower Dance -- Fairy Calendar

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

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

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

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

Anniversaries Today:

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Hello again! This is Dansig, and I'm back writing a post because the still not well trained mother person here has asked me to. She said something about the A to Z challenge again, and my name fitting here, so here I am.

A smart cat's work is never done. Don't ask me about dumb cats, I don't want to talk about them.

Anyone who sees me knows I'm not dumb.

Those of you who read last year's post might remember that #2 Son belongs to me, and he is well trained, unlike the mother person. He picks me up and looks into my eyes and tells me how special I am. She just tells me to get out of KidaMosquito's food, and won't let me eat the bird things that are hanging around here now.

I mean really, what are bird things for if not to eat? And if Kida is getting old and can't eat all of her own food, why in the world can't I help her with it?

While sometimes it seems not much has changed in the past year, I guess there are some differences. #2 Son's friend Festus put poor Mikey in his place with a water gun a few months back, which didn't make me happy. After all, Mikey is my friend, even if he does try to boss all of us around because he's the biggest..

Now, if Festus had done it to that three-legged cat that none of us like, I probably wouldn't have cared, she's mean.

We haven't had any foster kittens for a while, and though I'm glad for the break, I do miss having new little ones to teach about food and attacking people. And paper bags. You have to teach them how to pretend not to care about the paper bag, so you will be allowed to play with it. They don't know that until you teach them.

I have no interest in the bag whatsoever.

That's about it for this year, maybe me reporting in each year on the day my name fits will become a habit. Then again, maybe i shouldn't make any promises and spoil her. Humans are so easily spoiled, you know.

Today is

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

Bonza Bottler Day™

Children's Day -- Taiwan

Cold Food Day -- China (especially celebrated in the Shanxi Province, a commemoration of Jie Zitui, a loyal servant; no fires are to be lit and all food is too be served cold)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Independence Day -- Senegal(1960)

International Carrot Day -- because Bugs Bunny wouldn't steer us wrong!

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

International Pillow Fight Day -- yes, really

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

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

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

National Cordon Bleu Day

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

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

Peace Day -- Angola

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

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

Swedish-American Friendship Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

ZAB Death Anniversary -- Pakistan

Anniversary Today:

Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft Corporation, 1975

Birthdays Today:

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

Today in History:

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

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.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other bloggers and have a laugh or two in the process.

Here is how it works: Laugh and Link Up!

Post a joke.
Link Up with the URL to your joke in the Linky Tools Widget.
Read my joke, and follow the link above to read Sandee's joke, too.
Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.

A blessed and beautiful Easter to all of you! Today will be very busy, i will pick up Ms. Belinda at 6am and take her to the sunrise service, because she hasn't been cleared to drive yet. Then i will run her home, go back to the church to see if they need a hand in the nursery area, attend prayer, and at 11am i'll head out to the place where Pastor M has church for the homeless. There, i will help prepare the bags of food and supplies given to each person who attends the service, and assist the Sunday school teacher with the 3- to 11-year-olds.

Yes, even on Sunday i'm running like a squirrel on the road that doesn't know which way to go, so i'm going to tell the squirrel joke, which some of you may remember.

A local church was having trouble with squirrels. They were getting into the buildings and damaging wires and making nests, so the church members got up there and tried to find all the ways the squirrels were getting in a block those up. That didn't help much, the squirrels found or made new ways in.

Next they hired a local company to humanely trap and relocate the squirrels. About a week later, the squirrels were back.

Finally, though, they found a solution. They baptized the squirrels and made them church members, and now they only see them at Christmas and Easter!

Today is

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

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

Easter -- Christian (remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus)
Paskar -- Iceland (Easter, the day trolls and evil beings sleep through the day, so an auspicious day to look for the wishing stone)

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

Fringe Fairies Welcome Party -- Fairy Calendar

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

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

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

National Caramel Day

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

National Raisin and Spice Bar Day

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

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

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

Sikmogil -- South Korea (Arbor Day)

Anniversary Today:

John Rolfe marries Pocahontas, 1614

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Hello, again! My full name is The Charismatic Enigma SissyCat, but you may call me Enigma. I co-own #1 Son with Mikey.

I love windows!

Last year I wrote a bit about my younger days, and I don't want to be repetitive so I'll let you click over there if you wish.

What I wish is that my pet human and Mikey and I could move again. This house is where I was raised, but I'm tired of being one of 9 cats. Mikey and I got used to being the only two that year we spent in Kansas, and I'd love to get back to that.

Lately I follow #1 Son everywhere, any time he's home. When he's on the computer, I sit right behind him. When he's on the couch, I sit next to him. If he gets up and leaves the room, I follow him. He complains he can't even use his litter box room without me! It's because I really want to move into a place where it's just the three of us again.

He tries to lock me out of his room sometimes, but I've learned how to break in. I'm a smart little cookie! He never locks me out at night, though, so I can sleep with him. At least he's good about that.

As for all the other cats, some I like okay, and some I really don't. I'd love to have the pampering KidaMosquito gets. Yes, I know, she's old and thin and not absorbing her food right and all that, but I still want her canned food and I'm going to keep snitching as much of it as I can! After all, a cat's gotta do what a cat's gotta d

This is what I gotta do to get sustenance! Snitch a bite when I can!

That's enough about me, I guess, to hold everyone for a while. If you want me, I'll be next to #1 Son!

Today is

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

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

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

Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia -- Philadelphia, PA, US (in conjunction with the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia; through the 12th)

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

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

Easter Monday -- Christian; related observances
     Dyngus Day
     Egg Races -- Rural Northwestern Switzerland (traditional Easter Monday races with competitors carrying large numbers of eggs from village to village)
     Emaishen -- Luxembourg (traditional market)
     Family Day -- South Africa
     Hallaton Hare Pie Scramble & Bottle Kicking -- Hallaton, Leicestershire, England (traditional celebrations dating back at least 600 years)
     Memorial Day -- Republic of Georgia
     Seu Harvest Parade -- Curacao
     Sham el-Nessim -- Egypt (Smell the Breezes Day, a spring celebration for all religions; celebrated by getting outside, greeting neighbors, enjoying spring, and eating salty raw fish)

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

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

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

National Caramel Popcorn Day

National Student Athlete Day -- US

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

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

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

President Ntaryamira Day -- Burundi (anniversary of assassination)

Sorting-Out of the Doggets Day -- Fairy Calendar

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

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

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

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

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

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Barney & Friends"(TV), 1992
Post-It Notes(first day of sale), 1980
"Entertaining Mr. Sloane"(Play), 1964
"Little Orphan Annie"(Radio series), 1931
"La Double Inconstance / Double Inconsistancy"(Play), 1723

Today in History:

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

They can fall so easily. More easily than i think we realize. (Don't read any further if you cry easily.)

All of this is as told to me by #1 Son.

The scene: #1 Son at work at the pizza place. His phone rings, he rinses his hands at the sink and takes it out to see it's his friend Andrew, who wouldn't call him at work unless it's dire.

#1 Son answered, listened a moment and said only two words, "Oh, no!" listened a moment more, then hung up.

The manager saw his face and immediately said, "Go home!"

"Our friend Brian died."

"Go home."

"Heroin. It's always heroin that does it."

"Go home!"

"We thought he was sober."

"Go Home!"

"Everyone thought he was clean, they even sent him away for a year of treatment."

"Go Home!!!"

"His grandmother found him slumped over with a needle in his arm! We thought he'd been staying clean! He hid it from everyone!"

"GO HOME!!!"

#1 Son called #2 Son, who also was friends with Brian, and came home.

Andrew, he said, called back and warned him not to get on Facebook, as their whole circle had exploded with pics and tributes and people crying buckets for the boy who they all thought had beaten that monster. He showed me some of it, but he had to stop. He tried to go back to work for his split shift, and the manager wouldn't even let him get through the door.

"Your next shift is day after tomorrow, I don't want to see you until then," the manager told him. "You don't need to be here trying to make pizza and crying."

Watch the kids in your life, keep them close. They can fall so easily.

Today is

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

Easter Tuesday -- TAS, Australia; Cyprus; Nauru

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

Genocide Memorial Day -- Rwanda

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

Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa -- Buddhism (birthday of Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy)

International Beaver Day -- celebrating the species that restores valuable wetlands

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

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

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

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

National Coffee Cake Day

National Health Day -- Kiribati

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

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

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

Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day -- Tanzania

Southland Provincial Anniversary Day -- Southland, NZ

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

Women's Day -- Mozambique

World Health Day -- UN

Anniversaries Today:

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Every year, i go on what i call my "yearly sanity retreat."

It all began when an online friend i had never met invited anyone who wished to come to visit her in Albuquerque on a particular autumn weekend several years ago. She planned things we could do together, including a public place to meet up for the first time, and i made further plans to stop in San Antonio where another member of our message board lived, and for the two of us ride the rest of the way together.

Since then, we have met up every year in a different place. Any member of our board is welcome, and some of us have made it every year. Each year, also, we've gotten to meet some people who couldn't come before.

It's been wonderful getting to know these people as friends in real life. It makes me so glad i took the chance, stepped out, and went that first year.

We are now in the planning stages of this year's S-fest, as i call it. S for sanity, because this get away each year, getting me away from the usual routines and getting a break, has been a life and sanity saver for me.

While there was talk of the Pacific Northwest this year, we have chosen Galveston instead, and we are shooting for the Portland area in 2016. It gives me more time to plan and save up for the longer trip.

No, i've never been there; i've been all up and down most of the Gulf Coast, but never to Galveston. We can hardly wait to go.

And while i'm on the letter G, i will share that i was a big gobsmacked by something Bigger Girl told me yesterday. Yes, this happens often.

"Mom, do we have any plans for the weekend?" she asked.

Not that i know, i answered.

"Good!" she exclaimed. "It seems I'm going to be going clothes shopping, helping a couple of friends of a friend who are cross dressers pick out new wardrobes. They want to learn how to dress fashionably without giving people the wrong impression. Don't ask how I got caught up in this one, it's complicated."

Yes, i can believe it's complicated, and no, i won't ask.

Today is

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Empanada Day

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

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

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

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

Zoo Lovers' Day -- go support your local zoo

Anniversary Today:

Voyageurs National Park established, Minnesta, US, 1975

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Falsettos"(Musical), 1992
"Twin Peaks"(TV), 1990
"White Horse Inn"(Musical), 1931
"The Bolt"(Shostakovich ballet), 1931 *Note: sometimes translated as "The Arrow"
"La Gioconda"(Ponchielli opera), 1876

Today in History:

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

Oh, you're here again. Hello, I'm Hope, and you can learn a bit more about my name and about Horizon if you want to click over here. The big man of the house belongs to me and Horizon and Kida. We mostly share well especially since Kida doesn't come up the stairs any more, she's so old.

I'm happy right here!

I have only been out of the bedroom about 3 or 4 times since the last time I talked to you. I get so confused out there. It's better in here where the mama lady and the big man sleep. I don't have to see any other cats than Horizon and Link and sometimes Little Girlie. The rest aren't allowed in here, and I like that. They are too much for me.

No, I just want to stay here where I can eat and sleep and sit by the window and see the bird things. Sometimes a bug gets in the room and I get to chase it and eat it, and that's always fun, too.

The big man still leaves the water dripping for me, even though the mama lady turns it off when we are done drinking. She turns it back on a lot too, now. She says she might as well, especially since the "incident." I don't like to talk about it, I had to go to the vet because I got "stopped up." It was awful, and what the vet did was awful, and now I'm on different food so it won't happen again and I like this food much better.

It also means I have to drink a lot of water so it won't happen again, so the mama lady cooperates better about turning the water on and waiting for me to drink. She says we shouldn't waste water.

Well, I guess it's time to get Horizon over here to talk to you. He's going to be scared, but it's okay. He's a bit less scared this year than he was last year.

Yes, I'm Horizon, and I do get scared. I'm scared to drink the dripping water if anyone is watching me. I'm scared to go in the litter box if I think another cat might see me go in or out. I'm scared of outside the house.

I'm ready to dive under the bed if necessary!

But, well, I'm not as scared as I used to be of everything. I've figured out that Mikey won't hurt me. The first time I saw him after he moved back in, he ran up to me the way he does to every black and white cat to make friends. He really does that! It spooked me, but now I know he likes to be friends with every black and white cat he ever sees, so I sit with him sometimes when I go out of this room.

This room with Hope is where I spend most of my day, but I'm not as scared to leave it as I was before. I go out every day now, at least once or twice for a little while. I'm not thrilled about most of the other cats, but I have learned to knock on the door to be let back in. The mama lady makes me wait sometimes, but the big man always lets me right it -- he's a well trained pet.

I still hide under the bed when someone I don't know well comes in the room, but last year when he went away (they call it vacation), Bigger Girl came in and spent time with me every day, and so did #1 Son. That was good, I wasn't so wild with fright that I had been abandoned because they did that.

So that's about it for an update. Maybe we will do this again next year.

Today is:

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

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

Baghdad Liberation Day -- Kurdistan, Iraq

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

Dita e Kushtetutes -- Kosovo (Constitution Day)

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

Feast of Jalal (Glory) -- Baha'i

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

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

Martyr's Day -- Tunisia

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

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

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

National Chinese Almond Cookie Day

National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day -- US

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

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

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

St. Casilda's Day (Patron against sterility)

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

The Masters Tournament -- the matchup for the Green Jacket is the first of golf's major championships in 2015, running through the 12th

Verruca Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblin Celebration again)

Vimy Ridge Day -- Canada

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

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

Anniversaries Today:

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

We go through this with every vehicle, every year.

Inspection stickers.

Newly Inspected!

Happiness, i often say, is a new inspection sticker. This is especially true with us, since all of our cars are used cars. There have been times when it was questionable whether we would pass, and a couple of times where we sported a failed sticker for a few days waiting for a part to come in.

Since they set traps around here for sticker checks, it's important to keep on top of this, too. The police have one officer looking at your sticker and your tag, and if he sees either are expired he radios the description of your vehicle to the other officers waiting a block or so up who will pull you over for the paperwork.

Just over a week ago, i noticed that it was time for Jalopy's oil change, so i brought her to Kevin and Lenny.

Her inspection sticker was still good for another month, but i told Lenny, and he agreed, that we might as well inspect her early, before any more of those pesky dash lights could come on!

He laughed, but he knows the Jalopy, so they did the oil change, replaced a burned out bulb, and inspected her.

It's great knowing i don't have to worry about Jalopy for another year where that is concerned!

Today is

American Family Pet Expo -- Costa Mesa, CA, US (includes displays on any type of domesticated pet you can imagine, as put on by the World Pet Association; through Sunday)

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

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

Commodore Perry Day

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

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

Encourage a Young Writer Day -- can't find out who started this, but it sounds like a great idea

Fast and Prayer Day -- Liberia

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

Feast of Ezekiel the Prophet -- Roman Catholic

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

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

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

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

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

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

National Cinnamon Crescent Day

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

National Pie Championships and Great American Pie Festival -- Orlando, FL, US (two days of celebrating the best pies anywhere!)

National Siblings Day -- US (information here)

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

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

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

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

Student Government Day -- US (encouraging kids to learn about how government works by learning to govern themselves) 2nd Friday if the 1st is Good Friday

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Johnny-on-the-spot is what i have had to be, where The Big Boss and Ms. P were concerned. And i want to add, jumpin' Jehoshaphat and Jimminy Crickets!

Last week, i was told to expect to be available for this past Thursday through the coming Monday, as The Big Boss and Ms. P would be out of town, and the four children might or might not need a nanny/housekeeper/bronc buster.

First it was yes, i would have them part time, and the rest of the time the ex would.

Then this past Wednesday night, i was again told no. The ex definitely wanted them for the whole weekend.

Then the ex's best childhood friend in Texas was rushed to the hospital, and was begging the ex to come see him, they honestly didn't know if the friend would survive.

By Thursday morning, when i got over there to at least do laundry and clean the house, i was told yes, i needed to stay.

Eldest Boy was going to go with his father, the ex. He was out of school this week anyway.

At that time, Only Daughter was home.

Middle Boy and Youngest Boy had their spring break last week, so i picked them up from school Thursday, ran us all past my house to grab my clothes and toothbrush, and brought them home.

And now i can add jill-of-all-trades to my titles. Middle Boy's mini go cart was out of commission. The chain had come off, just like the chains used to come off of my bicycles. Was he surprised when i was able to unscrew the cover, coax the chain back on, and get him up and going again!

Yesterday was some tricky doing, and i had to miss Friday morning Bible study to get the boys to school. During the day, Only Daughter had an appointment, and then she was invited to spend the rest of the weekend with a friend, so i took her there.

Then, on the way to get the boys from school, i got the call that the ex wanted them that night! Could he bring them back to me on Sunday? Sure, we might as well change it up again.

They came with me and my Little Girl to the cat shelter, and were picked up from there, because the original plan was to have them at the shelter, then come with us to rEcess.

Instead, Little Girl and i got to go to rEcess without the extra drama of extra kids. It worked out very well, and i will be home today, back at Ms. P's house tomorrow.

rEcess was the usual, controlled chaos with love and fun on the side. Gracie was a blur, she didn't stop moving the whole evening.

Barely controlled chaos, just like we all like it!

Gracie was an actual blur!

Today is

Baby Massage Day

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

Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival -- Bodega Bay, CA, US (fun, fish, wine tastings, and more; through tomorrow)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Wilkes Boothe Escape Route Tours -- Surrat House Museum, Clinton, MD, US (for Civil War history buffs, a 12 hour bus tour over the route used by Lincoln's assassin; every Saturday through May 2)

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

"Just Pray No" Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting -- people around the world pray for healing for those who are addicted to drugs, through tomorrow

La Frontera Tucson International Mariachi Conference -- Tuscon, AZ, US (festival showcasing the best of balle folklorico and mariachi; through Saturday)

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

Liberation Day -- Uganda (fall of Idi Amin)

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

National Cheese Fondue Day

National Pet Day / Pet Day USA -- US (it's about the love, so adopt, don't shop!)

Pesach/Passover -- Judaism (ends at sundown tonight)

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

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

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

World Parkinson's Disease Day

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

Anniversary Today:

Spelman College is founded, 1881

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

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Sometimes sending a husband to the grocery store is a crapshoot, and Sweetie is no exception. He tries so hard, but sometimes he just comes home with the wrong item, or misunderstands what i really wanted, or just plain forgets to go.

Yes, i've learned to always send him with a specific written list, and sometimes it helps, but not every time or with every item.

This reminds me of a joke.

Clothile come in an' ax her husband, Boudreaux, to go to de store for her.

She say, "Donc,*, would you go? We gots to have a gallon o' milk. An' see if dey gots bananas. If dey gots bananas, get six."

So Boudreaux, he go to de store, an he come back wit' 6 gallons o' milk. An' Clothile say, "What for you get six gallons?"

"Mais," say Boudreaux, "dey had bananas!"

*While the actual translation of this word is not "please" in French, the Cajuns use this as a shorthand for s'il vous plait/please in common speech.

Today is

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

Caballo de Paso Peruano -- Pachacamac, Peru (National Contest of Paso Horses/The National Horse Competition of the native Peruvian horse, the Paso; through the 19th)

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

Domingo del Angel -- Palma de Mallorca, Spain (Angel Sunday, a fiesta dating back to the 15th century)

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

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

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

Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

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

International Day for Street Children -- information here

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

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

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

National Licorice Day www.licoriceinternational.com

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

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

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

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

Volunteer Recognition Week begins -- sponsored by Points of Light

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

World Youth Day -- sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church, and this year celebrated at various dates in each diocese around now; this 30th celebration is themed "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see G-d” (Mt 5:4) and here is Pope Francis message to young people for this day

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

Birthdays Today:

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

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

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

Two in a Day

You Know They Made Me Do It -- a Wednesday Whine

There will be cake.

Feline Friday: Alert

How to thoroughly confuse yourself.

Silly Sunday: Cheap Entertainment

Awww Monday: Duck in a Row

A crisis averted, and i am crazy.

A to Z: A is for Award

A to Z: B is for Brother

A to Z: C is for Creative.

A to Z: D is for Dansig

Silly Sunday: Running Circles

A to Z: E is for Enigma

A to Z: F is for Fall

A to Z: G is for Going!

A to Z: H is for Hope and Horizon

A to Z: I is for Inspection

A to Z: J is for Johnny-on-the-spot.

Silly Sunday: Half Dozen of the Other