messymimi's meanderings

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

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is..

1) post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute)2) go to Steve's page, linked above, then on the menu bar click on the Feline Friday tab to get the code3) paste the code under your cat picture4) add your name and link

That’s all there is to it! Be sure to check back every so often and visit all the Feline Friday bloggers. Also, please leave a nice comment on their blogs. Nasty comments will be deleted!

Little Girlie is not amused.

Are you serious? You want me to pose? When I'm in the middle of trying to take a very important nap?

I can't believe you woke me! Grrr!

One of us is nuts, and since I'm the cat and it can't be me, it must be you!

Today is

Bachfest Leipzig -- Leipzig, Germany (celebrating the great composer in the city where he composed some of his best-known works; through the 21st)

Badger State Summer Games -- Appleton, WI, US (Wisconsin residents of all ages and skill levels can compete this weekend and the next two in a fun Olympic-style sports festival)

Banana Split Festival -- Wilmington, OH, US (through tomorrow, in the city claiming to be the birthplace of the banana split)

Bell Tower Festival -- Jefferson, IA, US (shows, entertainment, parade, and more all in the shadow of the Mahanay Memorial Bell Tower; through tomorrow)

Chicago Blues Festival -- Chicago, IL, US (the largest free blues festival in the world; through Sunday)

Crowded Nest Awareness Day -- for those whose problem is the opposite of the Empty Nest, a day to remind you to keep your sense of humor and get support when you need it

Festival of Mut -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Ghost in the Machine Day -- the internet holiday that explains everything!

Helsinki Day -- Finland

Huck Finn's Jubilee -- Mojave Narrows Regional Park, Victorville, CA, US (river-raft building, country and bluegrass music, an old-time tent circus, and more; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- Philippines

International Cachaca Day -- the once illegal cocktail now has its own day of celebration

Loving Day -- US (commemoration of Loving vs. Virginia decision by the Supreme Court which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws)

National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers -- on the second Friday of June, sponsored the last couple of years by Wives Behind the Badge

National Jerky Day -- begun a couple of years ago, possibly by one of the jerky manufacturers (no one can track it down, sounds suspicious to me)

National Lemonade Days -- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation wants everyone to either run or patronize a lemonade stand this weekend to help fight childhood cancers, one cup at a time

National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

Peace of Chaco Day / Chaco Armistice Day -- Paraguay and Bolivia (commemorates the end of a war between the two)

Queen's Birthday -- Solomon Islands

Red Rose Day -- found all over the internet, with June 12 as the most common date cited; may have begun with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Australia, which has Rose Days as fundraisers

Russia Day -- Russia

Senior Race Day -- Isle of Man (final day of the Tourist Trophy races which is for Seniors only)

St. Anthony's Eve -- Brazil; Portugal

Dia dos Namorados -- Brazil (Lover's Day, celebrated on St. Anthony's Eve)

St. Onuphrius' Day (Patron of weavers; Centrache, Catanzaro, Italy)

The Strawberry Festival -- Crawfordsville, IN, US (historic Lane Place hosts three days of fun, and all the city museums are open; through Sunday)

Versailles Poultry Day -- Versailles, OH, US (fun for the whole family, with parades, 5K, and even a Miss Chick contest; through Sunday)

Windsurfing Regatta/Unvarnished Music Festival -- Worthington, MN, US (windsurfing, swap meet, and music on the beach; through Sunday)

World Day Against Child Labour -- The UN, Education International and the International Labour Organization; this year, the spotlight is NO to Child Labour - YES to Quality Education

Birthdays Today:

Frances O'Connor, 1969
Timothy Busfield, 1957
Marv Albert, 1941
Chick Corea, 1941
Jim Nabors, 1932
Anne Frank, 1929
Vic Damone, 1928
George H.W. Bush, 1924
David Rockefeller, 1915
Alexandre Tansman, 1897

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Doctor Doctor"(TV), 1989
Raiders of the Lost Ark(Film), 1981
You Only Live Twice(Film), 1967
Cleopatra(Film), 1963

Today in History:

Joan of Arc leads the French army in their capture of the city and the English commander, William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk in the second day of the Battle of Jargeau, 1429
The French begin their colonization of Algeria with the landing of 34,000 troops, 1830
The world's first Fingerprint Bureau opens in Calcutta, India, after the Council of the Governor General approves a committee report that fingerprints should be used for classification of criminal records, 1897
Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor, 1939
Anne Frank gets her diary as a birthday present, 1942
The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws which prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional, 1967
The first man powered flight across the English Channel is performed by Bryan Allen in the Gossamer Albatross designed by Paul MacCready, 1979
At the Brandenburg Gate U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, 1987
Russia Day – the parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty, 1990
Queen Elizabeth II reopens the Globe Theatre in London, 1997
A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to widespread protests, 2009
Ending an extensive study on the wooly mammoth, scientists conclude that they were wiped out by multiple things, including climate change, human hunters, and shifting habitats, 2012

Last Monday, i went to babysit, and the boy's room looked like this:

Um, how do i get in there, and where's the floor?

Then, this past Thursday, i went over there to do the cleaning and laundry. (While there, i also kept an eye on the kids and went and picked them up from various activities, but that's another story.)

Youngest Boy, when he got to the house, went and looked at the room, which now looked like this:

Still too many clothes, but much more orderly.

Then in all seriousness he came to me and asked, "Did you clean our room?"

Never before in my life have i been more tempted to say, no, the blue fairy did it!

Mr. Linkletter, i can promise you that kids still say the darnedest things.

Today is

24 Hours of LeMans -- Le Mans, France (the biggest sporting challenge for car manufacturers, as they have to be the best over a 24 hour period; through tomorrow)

Bali Arts Festival -- Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia (a full month of daily performances, handicraft exhibitions, and cultural activities showcasing all Bali has to offer in dance, music, art, food, and more; through July 11)

Betty Picnic -- the Betty Club, founded by Betty Wilder and Betty Patterson of Grant's Pass, Oregon, began hosting a picnic for all with their name in 1987, and want Bettys all over the world to have a Betty Picnic on the second Saturday of June each year

Big Mac Shoreline Spring Scenic Bike Tour -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (weekend bike tours of varying lengths along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, with a concluding ride over the Mighty Mackinac Bridge; through tomorrow)

Billy the Kid Tombstone Race -- Fort Sumner, New Mexico (racers carry an 80 pound tombstone through an obstacle course! a tribute to the number of times the tombstone has been stolen over the years; there is also a triathlon)

Day of the Living Children of Nut -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Feast of Epona -- Ancient Celtic Calendar (Rhiannon in Wales, Macha in Ireland, guardian goddess of horses, stables, horse owners, agriculture, and transportation; date approximate, and disputed, she was the only Celtic goddess worshipped by the Romans, and they celebrated her on December 18)

First-in-Line and Queue-Jumping Tournament -- Fairy Calendar

Ides of June -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances:
     Festival of Jupiter Invictus (Jupiter the Unconquered)
     Lesser Quinquartrus/Quinquatrus Minusculae (festival for those who played flutes at religious ceremonies; through the 15th)

International Young Eagles Day -- Experimental Aircraft Association members and chapters focus on providing introductory flights to children 8-17

Kitchen Klutzes of America Day

Magic Circles Day and Magic History Gathering -- marking the founding of The Magic Circle, a society of amateur and professional magicians

Missing Mutts Awareness Day -- to help families whose beloved pets have gone missing

Roller Coaster Day -- the world's first "Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway", patented by LaMarcus Thompson, opened on this day in 1884 on Coney Island, at a cost of five cents per ride

Sewing Machine Day -- why this day is anyone's guess, but we must admit it's a useful invention

Sovereign's Day/Queen's Birthday -- British Virgin Islands; Pitcairn Island (leave it to the descendants of mutineers to celebrate on a different day from the rest of the Commonwealth, and convince others to do so, also!)

St. Anthony of Padua's Day, the "Hammer of Heretics" (Patron of amputees, animals, asses, boatmen, domestic animals, elderly people, expectant mothers, faith, fishermen, harvests, horses, mail, mariners, Native Americans, oppressed people, paupers, poor people, sailors, seeksers of lost objects, starving people, swineherds, Tigua Indians, travel hostesses, travellers, watermen; Amantea, Italy; Anzio, Italy; Brazil; Cianciana, Italy; Dorado, Puerto Rico; Favara, Italy; Ferrazzano, Italy; Giano Vetusto, Italy; Lisbon, Portugal; Nocolosi, Italy; Padua, Italy; Portugal; San Antonio Tiayacapan, Mexico; San Fulgencio, Spain; Sandia Indian Pueblo; against barrenness, shipwreck, starvation, and sterility)
     a municipal holiday in Lisbon, Portugal and parts of Spain

Texas Folklife Festival -- San Antonio, TX, US (the signature event of the Institute of Texan Cultures; through tomorrow)

Trooping the Colour -- UK (military celebration of the monarch's birthday, one of London's biggest and most colorful celebrations))

Weed Your Garden Day -- a reminder to get out there and do a little each day, so the little buggers don't get out of hand

World Juggling Day

World Wide Knit in Public Days -- better living through stitching together!

Anniversaries Today:

Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is founded, 1798
Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, 1525

Birthdays Today:

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, 1986
Raz-B, 1985
Rivers Cuomo, 1970
Jamie Walters, 1969
Ally Sheedy, 1962
Tim Allen, 1953
Richard Thomas, 1951
Ban Ki-Moon, 1944
Malcolm McDowell, 1943
Siegfried Fischbacher, 1939
Christo, 1935
Paul Lynde, 1926
Ralph Edwards, 1913
Red Grange, 1903
Dorothy L. Sayers, 1893
Basil Rathbone, 1892
William Butler Yeats, 1865
Winfield Scott, 1786

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Closer"(TV), 2005
Roadie(Film), 1980
"Les vêpres siciliennes"(Verdi opera) 1855

Today in History:

Coronation of Alexander III as King of Scots, 1249
Ibn Battuta, who was to become the foremost world traveler of his day, seeing most of the known world in his time, begins his first hadj, 1325
Rhode Island becomes the first of Britain's North American colonies to ban the importation of slaves, 1774
Mission San Luis Rey de Francia is founded, 1798
Meriwether Lewis and four companions sight the Great Falls of the Missouri River, 1803
A fire devastates much of Vancouver, British Columbia, 1886
King Ludwig II of Bavaria is found dead in Lake Starnberg south of Munich at 11:30 PM, 1886
Yukon Territory is formed, with Dawson chosen as its capital, 1898
The University of the Philippines College of Engineering is established, the largest degree granting unit in the Philippines, 1910
Mir Mine, the first diamond mine in the USSR, is discovered, 1955
The United States Supreme Court rules in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them, 1966
Thurgood Marshall is nominated to become the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, 1967
Fahd becomes King of Saudi Arabia upon the death of his brother, Khalid, 1982
Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the solar system, 1983
President Kim Dae Jung of South Korea meets Kim Jong-il, leader of North Korea, for the beginning of the first ever inter-Korea summit, 2000
The US withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, 2002
The Al Askari Mosque is bombed for a second time, 2007
A capsule of Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa returns to Earth with particles of asteroid 25143 Itokawa, 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court invalides gene patents held by Myriad Genetics when it rules that isolated human genes are not patentable, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs. 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.
    Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
    Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.
    Go to Sandee's site, linked above, and get the Silly Sunday code for your blog, too!

A pastor from a local church made a bit of an error recently. He found out, during a church "eatin' meetin'", that one of his older female congregants was celebrating her birthday that day.

He actually went up and asked her how old she was!

She smiled very politely and taught him to never ask again by saying, "Well, Pastor, I am exactly one year older today than I was last year on this day!"

This reminds me of some things that have happened to Boudreaux as he has aged.

Boudreaux done gone to de doctor fo' his annual check-up, an' afore dey start, Dr. Trosclair ax him, "You got enny complaints or t'ings dat be buggin' you?"

An' Boudreaux he say, "Well, I don' got much, but my wife, Clothile, she say I jes' don' seem to be able to help aroun' de house so much no mo'."

So Dr. Trosclair done examine Boudreaux real thorough-like, an' fin'ly he say, "Well, you in such good shape, I t'ink dere ain't nothin' wrong wit' you but dat you be lazy!"

"Mais!" say Boudreaux. "You gots to give me de medical term for dat so I can tell it to Clothile!"

A few days later, while Clothile be out of town visitin' her sister in Ville Platte, Boudreaux an' Thibodeaux decide dey gonna go check out de new bar in town, have dem a guys night out. So dey go on in, and Thibodeaux ax de young barkeep what he recommen'.

Lookin' at de two gray-haired men sittin' dere, de young man say, "I t'ink maybe you should try dis here imported beer, Guiness." Den he wink an' add, "It's supposed to put de lead in your pencil!"

"Mais!" say Thibodeaux. "I'd goin' try dat! Marie, she won' fuss at me when I get home if dis works. How 'bout you, Boudeaux?"

An' Boudreaux, he say, "Well, I don' t'ink so dis time, 'cause wit' Clothile out in Ville Platte, I don' got no one to write to!"

Today is

Abused Women And Children's Awareness Day

Children's Sunday -- many US churches

Family History Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, urging people to brush up on family history during summer family reunions

Feast Day of Elisha the Prophet -- Christian

Flag Day -- United States

Freedom Day -- Malawi

Leinapaev -- Estonia (Mourning and Commemoration Day; remembering those deported under Soviet rule)

Liberation Day -- Falkland Islands

Mourning and Hope Day -- Lithuania (remembering those exiled to Siberia under the Soviets)

Multicultural American Child Day -- listed as a celebration on the second Sunday in June on many sites, with no way to trace it that i can find

National Bourbon Day -- celebrating America's "Native Spirit"

National Strawberry Shortcake Day

Pause for the Pledge Day -- US, in conjunction with Flag Day, all citizens are asked to pause at 7pm EDT to recite the Pledge

Pig Callers' Day -- no clue where this came from, or why; any pig callers out there want to weigh in?

Pop Goes the Weasel Day -- and just as no one knows for sure the origins of the song or it's meaning, no one knows why it is celebrated on this day

Puerto Rican Day Parade -- NYC, NY, US (recognizing the many Puerto Ricans in the US, and especially in New York City)

Race Unity Day -- Baha'i sponsored observance promoting racial harmony

Rice Planting Festivals -- Sumiyoshi Shrine, Osaka and Izawanomiya Shrine, Mie Prefecture, Japan (rice planting at sacred fields, some rites date back over 1,700 years)

Rumor Sunday -- Fairy Calendar

Runic Half-month Dag (day) commences

Sandpaper Day -- Isaac Fisher, Jr., of Vermont, was issued the first US patent for sandpaper on this day in 1834

St. Basil the Great's Day (traditional date in Roman Catholic Church, current date in Episcopal Church; Patron of education, exorcisms, hospital administrators, monks, liturgists, reformers; Cappadocia; Russia)

St. Castora Gabrielli's Day (Patron of difficult marriages, widows)

World Blood Donor Day -- International (2015's host is Shanghai, China, and the emphasis is "Thank you for saving my life")
     Blood Type Awareness Day -- while donating, make sure you know your type, and that of your loved ones; in an emergency, it's good to know

Write to Your Father Day -- a week before Father's Day, write him a letter and ask him things like what he finds most enjoyable or exciting or scary or satisfying; encouraging people to stay in touch with Dad on a deeper level than the commercial holidays

Anniversaries Today:

The United States Army is founded, 1775
Munich, Germany is founded, 1158

Birthdays Today:

Daryl Sabara, 1992
Lucy Hale, 1989
Kevin McHale, 1988
Diablo Cody, 1978
Steffi Graf, 1969
Yasmine Bleeth, 1968
Traylor Howard, 1966
Boy George, 1961
Eric Arthur Heiden, 1958
Will Patton, 1954
Eddie Mekka, 1952
Donald Trump, 1946
John F. MacArthur, 1939
Jerzy Kosinski, 1933
Joe Arpaio, 1932
Marla Gibbs, 1931
Che Guevara, 1928
Pierre Salinger, 1925
Gene Barry, 1919
Burl Ives, 1909
Alois Alzheimer, 1864
John Bartlett, 1820
Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Cable Guy(Film), 1996
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(Film), 1991
"The Gong Show"(TV), 1976

Today in History:

Kublai Khan defeated the force of Nayan and other traditionalist Borjigin princes in East Mongolia and Manchuria, 1287
Richard II in England meets leaders of Peasants' Revolt on Blackheath and the Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance, 1381
Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts colony, 1648
The Stars and Stripes is adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States, 1777
Bounty mutiny survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 7,400 km (4,000-mile) journey in an open boat, 1789
Whiskey distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig, who named it Bourbon because he lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky, 1789
Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Ismail Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom, 1821
The village of Henley, on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, stages its first Royal Regatta, 1839
Trade unions are legalised in Canada, 1872
Norway adopts female suffrage, 1907
John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown depart St. John's, Newfoundland on the first nonstop transatlantic flight, 1919
Action Comics issue one is released, introducing Superman, 1938
The Canadian Library Association is established, 1946
UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, is dedicated by the U.S. Census Bureau, 1951
The European Space Research Organisation is established in Paris – later becoming the European Space Agency, 1962
The Vatican announces the abolition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, 1966
The 1994 Stanley Cup Riots occur after the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup from Vancouver, 1994
The Wallow Fire becomes the largest wildfire in the history of the US State of Arizona, 2011
Australia announces its plan to create the largest marine reserve in the world, 2012

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays. Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you. What better way to start the week than with a smile!

Yes, I know I am beautiful, with my lovely nails done!

Love my pink and white toes!

She's up for adoption at the shelter, and she's used to the fake nails that keep cats from shredding the furniture. An excellent advantage!

Today is

A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed Day -- simply a good day to remember this, and thank a friend

Dia del Arbol -- Costa Rica (Tree Day/Arbor Day)

Fly A Kite Day (on the anniversary of Ben Franklin's kite experiment)

Global Wind Day -- to celebrate wind energy www.globalwindday.org

Magna Carta Day -- UK (King John set his seal on the document this day in 1215)

Mangaia Gospel Day -- Mangaia, Cook Islands

Native American Citizenship Day -- US (passage, in 1924, of the legislation recognizing citizenship of Native Americans in the US)

National Heroes' Day -- Bermuda

National Lobster Day

Nature Photography Day -- sponsored by the North American Nature Photography Association

Organic Act Day -- US Virgin Islands (commemorates the organization of how the islands are governed)

Ride to Work Day -- ride your motorcycle or scooter! if you don't have one, watch for others riding to work today

Salvation Day/National Day of Salvation -- Azerbaijan

Separation Day -- Delaware, US (date of declaration of separation from England and Pennsylvania)

Smile Power Day -- test out smile power today, it's free!

Sneak a Kiss Day -- usual litany of cautions with this internet generated holiday

St. Vitus' Day (Patron of actors, comedians, dancers, dogs, epilepsy sufferers; against animal attacks, dog bites, epilepsy, lightning, oversleeping, rheumatic chorea, Saint Vitus' Dance, snake bites, storms, wild beasts; Badia Calavena, Italy; Czech Republic; Forio, Italy; Prague, Czech Republic; Recanati, Italy; Vacha, Germany; Wetsens, Netherlands; Zeven, Germany)

The Queen's Birthday Celebration -- Anguilla; Cayman Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Norfolk Island; Turks and Caicos Islands; Tuvalu

Valdemar's Day and Reunion Day -- Denmark (an official Flag Day)

Vestalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (main and final celebration, in which the Temple of Vesta was swept clean)

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day -- because our elders deserve to be protected and cared for properly

Worldwide Day of Giving

Anniversaries Today:

King Hussein of Jordan marries Lisa Halaby (Queen Noor), 1978
Gustaf, Crown Prince of Sweden marries Princess Margaret of Connaught, 1905
Arkansas becomes the 25th US State, 1836

Birthdays Today:

William Dean Martin, 1981
Neil Patrick Harris, 1973
Leah Remini, 1970
Ice Cube, 1969
Lisa McCall, 1969
Dina Meyer, 1969
Courtneney Cox Arquette, 1964
Helen Hunt, 1963
Julie Hagerty, 1955
Jim Belushi, 1954
Simon Callow, 1949
Nicola Pagett, 1945
Waylon Jennings, 1937
Mario Cuomo, 1932
Erroll Garner, 1921
Muzaffer Tema, 1919
Bob Wian, 1914
Edvard Grieg, 1843
Rachel Donelson Robards Jackson, 1767
Henry FitzRoy, illegitimate son of Henry VIII, 1519
Edward the Black Prince, 1330

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Lion King(Animated film), 1994
Dick Tracy(Film), 1990
"Hee Haw"(TV), 1969
"My Little Margie"(TV), 1952

Today in History:

The Assyrians record a solar eclipse that is later used to fix the chronology of Mesopotamian history, BC763
King John of England puts his seal to the Magna Carta, 1215
The first human blood transfusion is administered by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys, 1667
Benjamin Franklin proves that lightning is electricity, 1752
Delaware votes to suspend government under the British Crown and separate officially from Pennsylvania, 1776
Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, co-pilot of the first-ever manned flight (1783), and his companion, Pierre Romain, become the first-ever casualties of an air crash when their hot air balloon explodes during their attempt to cross the English Channel, 1785
Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber, 1844
The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, 1846
Crown Prince Wilhelm becomes Kaiser Wilhelm II and is the last emperor of the German Empire, 1888
The most destructive tsunami in Japan's history kills more than 22,000 people, 1896
A fire aboard the steamboat SS General Slocum in New York City's East River kills 1000, 1904
Tabulating Computing Recording Corporation (IBM) is incorporated, 1911
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter, 1916
A German expedition led by Karl Wien lost sixteen members in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat (9th highest mountain), the largest single day loss of life on an 8,000m peak, 1937
In the Saskatchewan general election, the CCF, led by Tommy Douglas, is elected and forms the first socialist government of North America, 1944
Israel and Vatican City establish full diplomatic relations, 1994
Near earth asteroid 2002 MN misses the Earth by 75,000 miles (121,000 km), about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Moon, 2002
In Bulgaria, remains that some believe to be the bones of John the Baptist, are scientifically proven to be from a Middle Eastern man and dated to be from the first century AD, 2012

In this house, you never know what you will see.

Thus when i walked in and saw Sweetie with his foot in the sink and the rubbing alcohol (surgical spirits) in his hand, i just kept going.

"Hey!" he called. "Don't you want to know what's going on?"

No, i said. After all, i can figure you hurt your foot, and you are pouring alcohol on it, since that's your treatment for every injury.

"Well, anyway, there's a ton of cat hair under my dresser in the bedroom..."

Of course there is, i said. You have seventeen thousand pairs of shoes under there, more or less.

"Less, considerably less," he said drily. "Well, I got all of them out, and cleaned any that were dirty, and while I was digging around under there I accidentally stepped on Link's tail and he bit my big toe!"

Of course he did, i said. So, what did you do with all the shoes?

"Two pair I threw away, and the rest are cleaned and on that new shoe holder thingie you got me at the garage sale!"

So, his shoes:

Shoes. Plenty of them. The green pair is for Christmas. Yes, really.

His Beatle Boots:

Two pair -- made in England. One he wore at our wedding!

His Vietnam Era war surplus jungle boots:

He likes his boots!

And still not pictured, his newest deck shoes, his flip flops (that were on when his toe was attacked, thus making the attack possible), and his two pair of cowboy boots, which are probably out in his man cave.

As usual, i own one pair of heels, one pair of ballet flats, one pair of flip flops, two pair of Sketcher Go-walks, and an old, holey pair of tennies that i use for dirty work outdoors. All of them are black so they can go with anything.

Day and Night, that's what we are.

Today is

Bloomsday -- commemoration of James Joyce and his novel, Ulysses

Day of Third-Hand Reports and Shaky Evidence -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Ludi Piscatari -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival for fishermen; some sites say it was on the 17th)

Fresh Veggies Day -- before you have that fudge later

International Day of the African Child -- Organisation of African Unity

Ladies' Day (Baseball) -- anniversary of the first ever Ladies' Day baseball game, hosted by the New York Giants in 1883

Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev -- Sikh

National Fudge Day

National Morticians Day -- honoring the last people to ever let you down

National Vinegar Day

Petit Jean Antique Auto Show and Swap Meet -- Morrilton, AR, US (sponsored by the Museum of Automobiles in Morrilton, and the place to be if you love old cars; through Saturday)

Royal Ascot -- Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire, England (a unique event bringing together the best of fashion, style, sport, and entertainment for five days)

Steamboat Days -- Burlington, IA, US (fun on the Mississippi Riverfront; through Sunday)

St. Benno's Day (Patron of anglers, fishermen, weavers; Dresden-Meissen, Germany; Munich, Germany)

St. John-Francis Regis' Day (Patron of embroiderers, lace makers, social workers; Sisters of Saint Francis Regis; against plague)

Sussex Day -- West Sussex, England (on St. Richard's Day as celebrated in this area [current feast day is April 3 elsewhere]; he was Bishop of Chichester from 1245 to 1253, and his shrine was an important pilgrimage site)

Youth Day -- South Africa

Birthdays Today:

Abby Elliott, 1987
Diana DeGarmo, 1987
Phil Mickelson, 1970
Laurie Metcalf, 1955
Sonia Braga, 1950
Joan Van Ark, 1943
Joyce Carol Oates, 1938
Erich Segal, 1937
John Howard Griffin, 1920
Stan Laurel, 1890
Geronimo, 1829

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Ghostbusters II(Film), 1989
The Blues Brothers(Film), 1980
Psycho(Film), 1960

Today in History:

The Zoroastrian Religious Calendar begins with the ascension of Yasdegerd III of Persia, the start of the Persian Era, 632
Battle of Stoke Field, the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses, 1487
British troops take Cape Breton Island, which is now part of Nova Scotia, Canada, 1745
The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians, 1755
Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois, 1858
The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England kills 183 children, 1883
John Abbott becomes Canada's third prime minister, 1891
The Ford Motor Company is incorporated, 1903
The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marks the first aircraft hijacking of a commercial plane, 1948
Rudolf Nureyev defects at Le Bourget airport in Paris, 1961
Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, 1963
The largest single-site hydro-electric power project in Canada starts at Churchill Falls, Labrador, 1972
Soweto uprising: a non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd and kill 566 children, 1976
Israel complies with UN Security Council Resolution 425 after 22 years of its issuance, which calls on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon, 2000
The 9/11 Commission, contradicting White House claims, determines Saddam Hussein had no strong ties to al-Qaeda, 2004
British Petroleum agrees to finanace a $20 billion fund to compensate those whose livelihood was damaged by the Deepwater Horizon disaster, 2010
Prince Harry of Wales is cleared to return to active duty in the Afghan War, 2011
Egypt's voters go to the polls for a second round of voting in their first presidential election, 2012

It was Red-headed Alec's birthday. When asked what kind of cake he liked best, he named his two favorites, red velvet and German chocolate.

Dilemma: what to do when someone has two favorites?

Solution:

Two half cakes! One German chocolate, one red velvet!

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

Today is

Bake Your Own Bread Day -- it's really not that hard

Bunker Hill Day -- Suffolk County, MA, US (actual date and parade date)

Dia del Padre -- El Salvador; Guatemala (Father's Day)

Eat All of Your Vegetables Day / Fresh Veggies Day -- yes, i have this listed yesterday, too; internet sites disagree about the actual date, and you need your veggies today, too!

Ice Cream Days -- LeMars, IA, US (the home of Wells's Blue Bunny Ice Cream calls itself the Ice Cream Capital of the World and has a parade, basketball tournament, children's activities, fishing derby, and more along with tons of ice cream; through Saturday)

Independence Day/National Day -- Iceland

International Violin Day -- Stravinsky's birth anniversary

National Apple Struedel Day

Okinawa Day -- Japan/US (remembrance of signing the treaty, in 1971, to return Okinawa to Japan)

Pirate Radio Day -- no actual pirate (i.e., unlicensed) radio stations will admit to declaring this a holiday, but what do you expect?

Ramadan begins -- Islam (at sunset, through the evening of July 17)

Soviet Occupation Day -- Latvia

St. Botulph of Ikanhoe's Day (Patron of agricultural and farm workers, sailors, travelers; Bossal, England; Boston, England; Boston, MA, US; Botesdale, England; Botolph Bridge, Huntingdonshire, Englad; Botolph's Bridge, Kent, Englad; Botolph, Sussex, England)

St. Herve's Day (Patron of the blind; against eye diseases and problems)

Toadstool-Squatting begins -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

Vice President's Remembrance Day -- not officially, just a day to see how many vice presidents you remember

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought -- UN

Anniversaries Today

Orpheus marries the nymph Eurydice, Ancient Greek traditional date, year unknown

Birthdays Today:

Mark Walker, 1999
Lee Ryan, 1983
Venus Williams, 1980
Will Forte, 1970
Dan Jansen, 1965
Greg Kinnear, 1963
Thomas Haden Church, 1960
Mark Linn-Baker, 1953
Joe Piscopo, 1951
Barry Manilow, 1946
Art Bell, 1945
Newt Gingrich, 1943
Gene De Paul, 1919
John Richard Hersey, 1914
Ralph Bellamy, 1904
Sammy Fain, 1902
M.C. Escher, 1898
Igor Stravinsky, 1882
William Hooper, 1742
John Wesley, 1703

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Oh! Calcutta!"(Revue), 1969
"Barney Google and Snuffy Smith"(Comic strip), 1919

Today in History:

Vlad III the Impaler (a/k/a Vlad Dracul or Count Dracula) attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia, 1462
Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru, 1565
Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England, 1579
Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth; her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal, 1631
The Battle of Bunker Hill, 1775
In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the Edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands, 1839
1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook's forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory, 1876
The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, 1885
The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT, 1901
"Barney Google" cartoon strip, by Billy De Beck, premieres, 1919
Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic, 1944
The Wooden Roller Coaster at Playland, which is in the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, Canada opens; it is still open today, 1958
The New Democratic Party of Canada is founded with the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress, 1961
Five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate Hotel, 1972
With the death of the last individual, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct, 1987
The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which had required racial classification of all South Africans at birth, 1991
Australian scientists report that they have "teleported" a laser beam, breaking it up and reconstructing it in another location, 2002
The first condemnation of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgender people is issued by the United Nations Human Rights Council, 2011

"Mom, I need scissors, a paper clip, and some tape," #1 Son told me.

Scissors are here with the paper clips, i said, opening the drawer, and the tape is in your dad's briefcase.

"Why is...oh, never mind, I may not want to know," he said as he rifled through the briefcase on the table.

What are you trying to do? i asked.

"Fix my phone," he said, matter-of-factly.

Um, aren't most phones these days past the technology where a paper clip helps? i queried.

"Yes, but I need the paper clip to poke into this hole so I can get the SIM card out, and, well, this is how you make the SIM card fit in the new phone I had to get because my old one is broken."

Siri must have quit talking to you, i noted. (For a couple of weeks after he broke the screen, he could still tell Siri to call people and set alarms for him. Then someone spilled water on it.) And how did you get a new phone? i asked.

"My friend Trent gave me his old one. By the way, I'll need for you to call the phone company to get the new one activated, since they have me on this old one and just moving the card isn't enough any more."

Talk about an understatement. Not only did the SIM card surgery not quite work out to specs and have to be done at one of the stores, i had a horrible time getting customer service on the line, because i didn't know i had to be at the store with him to get the card activated. They told me to call customer service once he was back home. When i did, they wanted to know everything about every transaction on the account for the last 6 months to make sure it was me. It surprised me that they didn't ask for my blood type.

The biggest snag came when the customer service guy, who was quite nice and patient with my having to trawl the memory banks for answers, told me to have #1 Son dial a number from the phone.

He turned it one and found out he needed a pass code. His friend Trent didn't tell him that.

He couldn't call Trent, because Trent's number is on his phone. Yes, i have Trent's number, but i was on the phone with customer service.

#1 Son drove up the block to Trent's, and came back defeated. The phone was originally Trent's girlfriend's son's phone, which she gave Trent when she got her son a new one. She can't answer her phone at work, so no way to call her and get her to call her son and get the code.

So now, says Mr. Customer Service Guy, do we have iTunes on the computer so we can reset the phone to default?

Of course not. My computers are old, and we have to pray daily that they will work. They don't do cool stuff like iTunes.

Go to the store out on Pike Road, they are the tech support place locally, maybe they can help, is what i'm told next.

To the store, which turned out to be the wrong store. There are two on Pike Road (it's a long, long road). The nice guy there got the SIM card programmed since the other store had put it in the phone, but #1 Son and Trent would have to go to the Apple Store to get them to reset the phone to default so it could be used.

Why would Trent have to go? As the original owner of the phone, he'd have to be there to prove he owned it and gave it to #1 Son

Going over all this overcomplicated mess that has become our phone system, the thought came to me. One family. Six people. Seven phone lines (one is the home phone). Somehow, i don't think Alexander Graham Bell ever envisioned this.

Today is

Autistic Pride Day -- an Aspies for Freedom www.aspiesforfreedom.com/ initiative; shifting the view from "disease" to "different"

Constitution Day / National Day -- Seychelles

Czech Days -- Tabor, SD, US (celebrating foods and traditions of the Czech people who settled this area; through Saturday)

Eid el-Galaa -- Egypt (Evacuation Day; final withdrawal of British this date in 1956)

Fort Union Trading Post Rendezvous -- Williston, ND, US (re-creation of the fur trade era; through Sunday)

Foundation Day -- Benguet, Philippines

Going Forth of Neith Along the River -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of war and hunting; date approximate)

Go Fishing Day -- anniversary of the first American fly-casting tournament this day in 1861 in Utica, NY

International Picnic Day

International Sushi Day

Inti Raymi Festival -- Cusco, Peru (traditional Inca sun worship festival, through the 24th, which is the biggest and best day)

Kiamichi Owa-Chito Festival of the Forest -- Beaver's Bend State Park, Broken Bow, OK, US (celebration of Native American culture; through Saturday)

Napoleon Bivouacs -- Waterloo, Belgium (reenactment of Napoleon's military camp at the sight of his battle battle against Allied forces led by the Duke of Wellington, and this year, for the Bicentenary of the Battle there will be a larger reenactment; through the 21st)

National Cherry Tart Day

National Dump the Pump Day -- The American Public Transportation Association encourages you to consider public transportation as a way to cut down on high gasoline prices

National Splurge Day -- explanation here

Prairie Villa Rendezvous -- Prairie du Chien, WI, US (learn about the fur trader lifestyle of days gone by, make Indian fry bread, learn how hard it was to load a rifle with gunpowder back in the day, learn about plants and medicines, and more; through Sunday)

Queen Mother's Birthday -- Cambodia (Ex-Queen Norodom Monineath)

Ramadan -- Islam (began sunset yesterday, through July 17)

Recess at Work Day -- engage in productive play!

Sam Steele Days -- Cranbrook, BC, Canada (fun for all, celebrating the life and legend of Sam Steele of the North-West Mounted Police in the 1880's; through Sunday)

Shakespeare on the Green -- University of Nebraska, Omaha, NE, US (nonprofit professional productions of the Bard's works, including preshow seminars, workshops, period music and entertainment; this year's performances will be As You Like It and Othello, each performed several times through July 5)

St. Gregory of Fragalata's Day (Patron of Fragalata, Sicily)

St. Osanna Andreasi's Day (Patron of school girls)

Tiger-Get-By's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Waterloo Day -- UK (no longer an official holiday, but still of historic importance)

Birthdays Today:

Eddie Cibrian, 1973
Nathan Morris, 1971
Richard Powers, 1957
Carol Kane, 1952
Isabella Rossellini, 1952
Roger Ebert, 1942
Paul McCartney, 1942
Lou Brock, 1939
John D. Rockefeller IV, 1937
Tom Wicker, 1926
Donald Keene, 1922
Red Adair, 1915
Sammy Cahn, 1913
Sylvia Field Porter, 1913
E.G. Marshall, 1910
Bud Collyer, 1908
James Kern "Kay" Kyser, 1905
Jeanette MacDonald, 1903
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicolaievna Romanova of Russia, 1901
George Herbert Leigh Mallory, 1886
Henry Clay Folger, Jr., 1857
E.W. Scripps, 1854

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Archipelago S"(Takemitsu orchestral work), 1993
"Der Freischütz/The Marksman"(Opera, Weber Op. 77, J. 277), 1821

Today in History:

Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China, 618
Five monks from Canterbury report seeing "two horns of light" on the shaded side of the moon, probably witnessing the meteor impact formation of the Giordano Bruno crater, 1178
The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature, 1264
French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay, 1429
Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island, 1767
The U.S. Congress declares war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1812
The Battle of Waterloo leads to Napoleon Bonaparte abdicating the throne of France for the second and last time, 1815
Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin's own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory, 1858
Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 (US) for attempting to vote in the prior year's US presidential election, 1873
Empress Dowager Longyu of China orders all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families, 1900
Aviator Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly as a passenger in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean, 1928
The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill, 1940
The Republic of Egypt is declared and the monarchy is abolished, 1953
Governor of Louisiana Earl K. Long is committed to a state mental hospital; he responds by having the hospital's director fired and replaced with a crony who proceeds to proclaim him perfectly sane, 1959
The AIDS epidemic is formally recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California, 1981
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space, 1983
Kazakhstan launches its first satellite, KazSat, 2006
Sequoia, IMB's Blue Gene/Q system installed at the Department of Energy becomes the world's fastest supercomputer, 2012
New data reveals that over 280 previously unknown craters exist on the Moon, 2013

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

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is..

1) post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute)
2) go to Steve's page, linked above, then on the menu bar click on the Feline Friday tab to get the code
3) paste the code under your cat picture
4) add your name and link

That’s all there is to it! Be sure to check back every so often and visit all the Feline Friday bloggers. Also, please leave a nice comment on their blogs. Nasty comments will be deleted!

Link has decided he has a new job.

This one is great!

He is now the official blanket tester! No one is allowed to use any blanket until he sits on it to test it out first.

Today is

Antiques on the Bay -- St. Ignace, MI, US (annual show for antique and classic cars at least 25 years old or older; through tomorrow)

Avon Heritage Duct Tape Festival -- Avon, OH, US (everything wacky and wonderful about duct tape is celebrated in the Duct Tape Capital of the World, home of the Duck brand of duct tape; through Sunday)

Asatru Alliance Founding Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan

Birthday of José Gervasio Artigas / "Never Again" Day -- Uruguay (Dia del Nunca Mas)

Blues on the Fox -- Aurora, IL, US (celebration of the historical blues recordings made in Aurora, with blues musicians from around the country performing; through tomorrow)

Butterfly Day -- an ecard holiday; if you know someone who loves butterflies, send an ecard, let them know you are thinking of them

Day of the Independent Hungary -- Hungary (a memorial day for those martyred in 1958, and for the end of Soviet occupation)

Duanwu Jie -- China; Hong Kong; Macao[Tung Ng]; Taiwan (Dragon Boat Festival Days, today and tomorrow, in which spectacularly decorated boats loaded with rowers and drums race)

Dulcimer Days -- Coshocton, Ohio, US (enjoy the restored 19th Century Roscoe Village and the charming music of dulcimers; through Sunday)

Festival for Minerva -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of arts, crafts, skill, war, and intelligence)

Festival of the Coming Ice Age -- can't find out anything about this one, but it sounds hilarious

Fulton County Historical Power Show -- Rochester, IN (featuring tractors, engines, antique power equipment, and food, music, and fun; through Sunday)

Garfield the Cat Day (his birthday/comic strip premier)

Goettafest -- MainStrasse Village, Covington, KY, US (a celebration of goetta, a favorite regional food, plus entertainment, and arts and crafts; through Sunday)

Juneteenth -- US, celebrates the news of freedom on the day it came to slaves on Galveston Island, Texas

Labour Day -- Trinidad and Tobago

Midnight Sun Festival -- Nome, AK, US (celebration of the solstice, when there is almost continual daylight, with a parade, raft race, folk fest, and more; through tomorrow)
Polar Bear Swim -- Nome, AK, US (since 1975, as soon as they can break through the ice! the intrepid swimmers gather on the shore of the frigid Bering Sea to swim; if they can't break through the ice yet, it may be rescheduled; part of the Midnight Sun Festival)

Midsummer's Eve Holiday -- Aland; Finland; Sweden

National Flip Flop Day -- sponsored by Tropical Cafe Smoothie to raise funds for its national charity partner, Camp Sunshine

National Martini Day -- some sites specify a dry martini

New Church Day -- Swedenborgian Christian

Newport Flower Show -- Newport, RI, US (New England's premier summer flower show; through Sunday)

Old Time Music Ozark Heritage Festival -- West Plains, MO, US (celebrating the unique culture and old time music of the Ozark Highlands; through tomorrow)

Rusalka's Week begins -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (week long festival to honor the divinity of rivers)

Sacred Heart of Jesus -- Catholic Christian

Spooky Stories Appreciation Night -- because someone thought it would be a good night to tell a few scary tales

St. Boniface of Querfurt's Day (Patron of Prussia)

St. Jude's Day (Patron of desperate situations, forgotten/impossible/lost causes, hospitals, hospital workers; Saint Petersburg, FL, US)

Tiger-Get-By's Second Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Vikingespil Frederikssund (Viking Festival) -- Frederikssund, Denmark (the most famous Viking cultural event in Denmark, with two weeks of plays based on Danish Viking legends and a three day festival this weekend, as well as two markets and a Viking camp recreation)
runs from the second-to-last Friday of June to the first Sunday in July)

Work @ Home Fathers' Day -- special kudos to the dads who work from home by telecommuting, or care for house and kids while the wife works outside the home, begun by Jeff Zbar

World Sauntering Day -- origin unknown, but perhaps begun at Grand Hotel (Mackinac Island) in Michigan during the 1970s as a response by W.T.Rabe to a growing movement toward the recreation of jogging and the idea was to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them; the rules are to observe the lost art of Victorian sauntering, discouraging jogging, lollygagging, sashaying, fast walking, and trotting, but no word on meandering that i can find!

World Sickle Cell Day

Anniversaries Today:

Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, marries Sophie Rhys-Jones, 1999

Birthdays Today:

Zoe Saldana, 1978
Poppy Montgomery, 1972
Mia Sara, 1967
Andy Lauer, 1965
Aung San Suu Kyi, 1965
Paula Abdul, 1962
Kathleen Turner, 1954
Ann Wilson, 1951
Phylicia Rashad, 1948
Salman Rushdie, 1947
Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane, 1942
Gena Rowlands, 1930
Louis Jourdan, 1919
Pauline Kael, 1919
Pat Buttram, 1915
Abe Fortas, 1910
Earl W. Bascom, 1906
Lou Gehrig, 1903
Guy Lombardo, 1902
Moe Howard, 1897
Wallis Simpson, 1896
Elbert Green Hubbard, 1856
Charles H. Spurgeon, 1834
Blaise Paschal, 1623
King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1566

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Batman Returns(Film), 1992
"The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas"(Musical), 1978
"The Rocky Horror Show"(Musical), 1973
"Devil May Hare"(Cartoon short, Tazmanian Devil's premier), 1954
"I've Got a Secret"(TV), 1952
"Moon Mullins"(Comic strip), 1923

Today in History:

King Louis IX of France orders all Jews found in public without an identifying yellow badge to be fined ten livres of silver, 1269
The Earl of Pembroke's army defeats Bruce's Scottish army at the Battle of Methven, 1306
English colonists leave Roanoke Island, N.C., after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in America, 1586
Emanuel Swedenborg reports the completion of the Second Coming of Christ in his work True Christian Religion, 1770
Battle of Seven Oaks between North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company, near Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1816
The first officially recorded, organized baseball match was played under Alexander Joy Cartwright's rules on Hoboken's Elysian Fields (Hoboken, New Jersey)with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the Knickerbockers 23-1; Cartwright umpired, 1846
Over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Galveston, Texas, United States, are finally informed of their freedom; the anniversary is still officially celebrated in Texas and 35 other states as Juneteenth, 1865
Maximilian I of the Mexican Empire is executed by a firing squad in Querétaro, Querétaro, 1867
After all of the Southern States are formally readmitted to the United States, the Confederate States of America ceases to exist, 1870
The Herzegovinian rebellion against the Ottoman Empire begins, 1875
The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington, 1910
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing, in New York, 1953
Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom, 1961
In one of the first militant attacks by Hezbollah, David S. Dodge, president of the American University in Beirut, is kidnapped, 1982
Norway ratifies the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention of 1989, 1990
Prime ministers of several northern European nations participate in a ceremonial "laying of the first stone" at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Spitsbergen, Norway, 2006

Okay, where are all of the spoons?

That was the question i called through the house when i opened the flatware drawer and saw this:

See! No spoons!

It happens in our house, and i've never understood. We will be out of spoons, and then one day they all show back up again. Then all the cups go. Or all of the small plates disappear.

There were only two in the dishwasher, so after searching the library next to the computer and coming up empty, i headed toward Bigger Girl's room (she sometimes forgets to bring back her evening snack bowl and spoon) and heard a sneeze.

Please don't tell me you are sick again! i said.

"No, it's just dust, I'm cleaning my room," she answered.

You've let the dust bunnies grow big enough to attack again, haven't you? i asked with a smile.

At that point, Sweetie came out of our room and said, "If you're sick again, stay away from me, I can't afford to get sick and miss work!"

"You can't afford to get sick!" she answered. "What about me? I'm only part time minimum wage, and besides, it's against my religion to be sick, so how do you think it makes me feel?"

As we laughed, Bigger Girl said, "By the way, we are down to the last roll of toilet paper in our bathroom."

"And we are totally out in our bathroom," Sweetie said.

Um, okay, who is elected to go to the store? i asked.

"I'll go," Sweetie said. "What else do we need?"

The usual, i told him. Milk and bread. Oh, and bananas.

"Milk, bread, bananas, and toilet paper. Got it," he said.

Don't worry, i told Bigger Girl. He loves to grocery shop, and he will rectify the situation."

"Mom, shut up!" Bigger Girl laughed. "Did you have to go there?

Of course, i answered with a huge grin. Making my kids uncomfortable is my job!

We ended with a laugh, but i still couldn't find the spoons.

If some of those spoons don't show up soon, they will have to be next on the list.

Today is

American Eagle Day

Baymen's Seafood and Music Festival -- Tuckerton, NJ, US (this year including a micro-brewers tent with the seafood and music; through tomorrow)

Cuckoo Warning Day -- if you hear the cuckoo today, it will be a wet summer, according to old European traditions

Day of the National Flag -- Argentina (Anniversary of General D. Manuel Belgrano's Death)

Day of the Purification of All Things -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Dollars Against Diabetes Days -- always on Father's Day weekend, with information here

Feast of the Great Spirit / Great Mystery -- various Native Americans (celebrations are around the time of the solstice)
     Cherokee call the spirit Asgaya Galun Lati
     Iroquois call the spirit Orenda
     Lakota call the spirit Wakan Tanka
     Zuni call the spirit Awonawilona

La Festa Dei Gigli -- Nola, Campagna, Italy (Festival of the Lilies, in honor of St. Paulinus; through tomorrow, with the traditional Ballad of the Lilies on June 28)

Festival for Summanus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (the god who threw thunderbolts at night)

Festival of the New Knee -- Fairy Calendar

GRABAAWR / GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River -- WI, US (fun bicycle adventures for all ages, levels, and abilities; through next Saturday)

Hogueras de San Juan -- Alicante, Spain ("Bonfires of St. John," through the 29th, with the night of the 24th being the most magical as the festival is for St. John, whose day that is)

Husband Caregiver Day -- to honor husbands who give health care to family members (wives, children, or extended family)

Ice Cream Soda Day -- i guess because it's hot enough now for one

International Surfing Day -- The Surfrider Foundation and Surfing Magazine suggest contests, barbecues, film screenings, and organizing beach clean ups to celebrate

Iron Skegge's Day -- Vikings (martyrdom of Iron Skegge, who died defending the temples of Maeri against Christians)

KCQ Country Music Fest -- Saginaw, MI, US (country music's hottest stars, classic car show, art fair, and great food)

Long Beach Bayou and Blues Festival -- Rainbow Lagoon, Long Beach, CA, US (celebrating Cajun/Creole culture, food, music, arts and crafts, and even a Mardi Gras parade; through tomorrow)

Longest Dam Race -- Fort Peck, MT, US (a run that crosses 1.8 miles of the Fort Peck Dam, as well as a fun run, a bike race, and more)

Madam Lou Bunch Day -- Central City, CO, US (Old Flop House Celebration of the Madam who ran the city's most famous house of ill repute during the gold rush, complete with period costumes and a brass bed race!)

Martyr's Day -- Eritrea

Mermaid Parade -- Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, US (wacky and wonderful and worth every wild moment)

Midsummer's Day -- Aland; Finland; Sweden

Midsummer's Eve -- many and varying traditions, with some celebrating the day before the solstice, and some always tying it to June 23, St. John's Eve
     Night of the Fairy Goddesses Aine and Finnen -- Ireland (watch out for the antics of the little people on Midsummer's Eve, whichever day you celebrate it!)

National Vanilla Milkshake Day

New Identity Day -- an internet generated holiday, just have fun thinking about who you might want to be for a day

Norskedalen's Midsummer Fest -- Coon Valley, WI, US (celebrate summer solstice and Sankt Hans Dag[St. John's Day] the way pioneer Scandinavians did; through tomorrow)

Pixie Day -- Ottery St. Mary, Devon, England (reenacting of the "Revenge" of the Pixies who bothered the town until midsummer in 1454; now fun, games, music, pageant, and more)

Rochesterfest -- Rochester, MN, US (street dances, parade, exotic foods, children's and senior events, and more; through the 28th)

Scira/Skirophoria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival for Demeter, organized by the women of Athens; date approximate)

Spirit of the Woods Folk Festival -- Brethren, MI, US (a family friendly good time in the park)

St. Michelina of Pesaro's Day (Patron of mentally ill people, people with in-law problems, widows; against death of children, insanity and mental illness)

Takekiri Eshiki Matsuri -- Kuramadera, Kyoto, Japan (bamboo cutting festival; the bamboo represents snakes, so cutting it symbolizes victory over evil)

World Productivity Day -- no central focus, just a day for suppliers of productivity tools and training to celebrate what they contribute to society

World Refugee Day -- UN

Anniversaries Today:

The University of Oxford receives its charter, 1214
West Virginia becomes the 35th US state, 1863

Birthdays Today:

Robert Rodriguez, 1968
Nicole Kidman, 1967
Michael Landon, Jr, 1964
Cyndi Lauper, 1953
John Goodman, 1952
Lionel Richie, 1949
Andre Watts, 1946
Bob Vila, 1946
Anne Murray, 1945
Brian Wilson, 1942
John Mahoney, 1940
Danny Aiello, 1933
James Tolkan, 1931
Martin Landau, 1931
Olympia Dukakis, 1931
Chet Atkins, 1924
Audie Murphy, 1924
Jean-Jacques Bertrand, 1916
Errol Flynn, 1909
Lillian Hellman, 1905
Charles W. Chesnutt, 1858
Scipio Africanus, BC236

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Jaws(Film), 1975
"The Ray Stevens Show"(TV), 1970
"The Ed Sullivan Show"(TV), 1948

Today in History:

Flavius Aetius' battles Attila the Hun; the battle was inconclusive, and Attila retreats, causing the Romans to interpret it as a victory, 451
Jews are expelled from Brazil by order of regent Don Henrique, 1567
The Irish village of Baltimore is attacked by Algerian pirates, 1631
A British garrison is imprisoned in the Black Hole of Calcutta, 1756
King Louis XVI of France and his immediate family begin the Flight to Varennes during The French Revolution, 1791
The U.S. vessel SS Savannah, the first steam-propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic, arrives at Liverpool, 1819
Queen Victoria succeeds to the British throne, 1837
Samuel Morse receives the patent for the telegraph, 1840
Alexander Graham Bell installs the world's first commercial telephone service in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 1877
Caroline Willard Baldwin becomes the first woman to earn a doctor of science degree, at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 1895
A rare June hurricane struck Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence killing 35, 1959
The so-called "red telephone" is established between the Soviet Union and the United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1963
The German parliament decides to move the capital from Bonn back to Berlin, 1991
The Wikimedia Foundation is founded in St. Petersburg, Florida, 2003
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers grants private companies the right to create new website domain suffixes, 2011
Instagram offers users the ability to upload videos to their service, 2013
Dunedin and Christchurch, New Zealand, have roads cut off and flights cancelled due to adverse weather conditions, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs. 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.
Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.
Go to Sandee's site, linked above, and get the Silly Sunday code for your blog, too!

"Actually Jesus coming back would have been the first most unexpected thing that could have happened yesterday," Festus was saying.

What? i asked, as i walked in, not sure i had heard him correctly.

"Oh, I was just talking about Miss Lizzy coming by to get help with her friend's kitten yesterday. I was saying that I never would have expected her to be here, and that her coming was the most unexpected thing that could have happened yesterday. Then I amended myself, because actually, Jesus coming back would have been the most unexpected thing that could have happened. So her coming over was the second thing I would have least expected to happen yesterday."

Okay, i said. After all, what else do you say to that?

This did remind me of something unexpected that happened to Father Boudreaux one Sunday.

Father Boudreaux decided he wasn't going to tell anyone, but he was going to sneak off to the golf course early one Sunday morning alone and get in a quick nine holes before saying Mass.

St. Peter noticed this, and of course he brought it to The Lord's attention.

"He should be ashamed of himself!" fussed Peter. "After all, he should be setting a good example!"

G-d nodded, seeming to agree, but a couple of holes later, Father Boudreaux hit a 450-yard drive that rolled in a curve and landed right in the cup.

St. Peter was almost apoplectic. "What!" he practically yelled. "Here I thought you agreed he probably needed to have a lesson taught to him about setting a good example and putting You first on Sunday, and You not only give him a hole-in-one, You give him a fabulous drive to go with it!"

Bemusedly the Almighty looked at St. Peter and said, "Who's he going to tell?"

Today is

Baby Boomer Recognition Day

Father's Day -- Egypt; Jordan; Lebanon; Palestine; Syria; Uganda (always June 21 in these countries)

Father's Day -- Afghanistan; Albania; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Aruba; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Cambodia; Chile; People's Republic of China; Colombia; Costa Rica; Cuba; Curaçao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Dominica; Ecuador; Ethiopia; France; Ghana; Greece; Guyana; Hong Kong; Hungary; India; Ireland; Jamaica; Japan; Kenya; Kosovo; Kuwait; Laos; Macau; Madagascar; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Netherlands; Nigeria; Oman; Pakistan; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Singapore; Slovakia; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; Tunisia; Turkey; United Kingdom; United States; Venezuela; Vietnam; Zambia; Zimbabwe
     Family Awareness Day -- US (a day to reflect on the importance of fathers)

Go Skateboarding Day -- and break something? leaving this to the young; sponsored by the International Association of Skateboard Companies (IASC)

Martyr's Day -- Togo

National Aboriginal Day / First Nations Day -- NT, Canada

National ASK Day -- prevent gun violence and accidental deaths, ASK if there is an unlocked gun anywhere that your child plays, because Asking Saves Kids! http://askingsaveskids.org

National Peaches & Cream Day

Reaping Machine Day -- Cyrus McCormick was granted a patent for his mechanical reaper this day in 1834

Solstice -- 16:39UCT/12:39pm EDT; related observances:
     Aimless Wandering Day -- use the extra daylight to wander someplace with nothing particular to do
     Anne and Samantha Day -- remembrance for Anne Frank and Samantha Smith, and their contributions to our world
     Daylight Appreciation Day -- celebrating the benefits of sunshine
     Finally Summer Day/Finally Winter Day
     Hump Day -- Tasmania (because it is the shortest in the year, Taswegians today feel they are over the "hump" of winter.)
     Inti Raymi -- Inca (festival of the sun god Inti, ongoing);Sacsayhuamán Andes Mountain Natives (winter solstice and New Year festival)
     Litha / Yule -- Wicca/Pagan (northern hemisphere / southern hemisphere)
     Midnight Sun Baseball Game -- Fairbanks, AK, US (begins promptly at 10:35pm local time, and played without any artificial lights allowed)
     Midsomarsblog -- Norse Viking celebrations (time of fishing, trading, and raiding)
     Midsummer -- Midsummer Festivals begin -- Juhannus Day in Finland and Midsommar in Denmark and Norway, celebrated over the next several days in many Scandinavian traditions; often this time is also associated with betrayal, as the sunlight begins to decrease, this is when Baldur was betrayed, as well as Sigurd.
     Midsummer -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan
     Midsummer Baal -- Ancient Celtic Calendar
     Polar Bear Swim -- Nome, AK, US (if they can break through the ice!)
     Solsticio de Invierno / Ano Nuevo Aymara -- Bolivia (Winter Solstice / Aymara Indiginous People's New Year)
     We Tripantu -- Chile (Mapuche natives winter solstice festival)
     Wadjet Summer Solstice Ceremony -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, it may have been a multi-day ceremony that began on Midsummer's Eve)

St. Alban's Day (Patron of epileptics, people with hernias; against epilepsy, hernias, kidney stones)

St. Aloysius Gonzanga's Day (Protector of young students, young men; Patron of AIDS care-givers and patients; for relief from pestilence; Castiglione delle Stiviere, Italy; Valmonte, Italy; against sore eyes)

Tano (Dano) Festival -- Korea (start of a 3 day traditional festival of spring and farming, with summer food offered at the household shrine of the ancestors; 5th day of 5th lunar month)

Tiger-Get-By's Third Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Ulloortuneq -- Greenland (National Day)

World Handshake Day -- no one likes them fishy, and it's not a contest; practice a firm grip and a smile! not to be confused with National Handshake Day, today's sponsor is here

World Music Day -- begun in the UK, now celebrated everywhere

Anniversary Today:

New Hampshire becomes the 9th US State, 1788

Birthdays Today:

Kris Allen, 1985
Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis), 1982
Juliette Lewis, 1973
Larry Wachowski, 1965
Sammi Davis-Voss, 1964
Doug Savant, 1964
Berkeley Breathed, 1957
Rick Sutcliffe, 1956
Benazir Bhutto, 1953
Nils Lofgren, 1951
Meredith Baxter, 1947
Michael Gross, 1947
Ray Davies, 1944
Mariette Hartley, 1940
Joe Flaherty, 1940
Bernie Kopell, 1933
Maureen Stapleton, 1925
Jane Russell, 1921
Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905
Al Hirschfeld, 1903
Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892
Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1859
Daniel Carter Beard, 1850
Daniel D. Tompkins, 1774
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, 1731
Increase Mather, 1639

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Evita"(Musical), 1978
"Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg"(Wagner opera), 1868

Today in History:

Jews are expelled from Nurenberg Bavaria by Emperor Maximillian, 1498
The Incident at Honno-ji takes place in Kyoto, Japan, 1582
In Montreal in New France, a slave known by the French name of Marie-Joseph Angélique is put to death, having been convicted of the arson that destroyed much of the city, 1734
Halifax, Nova Scotia, is founded, 1749
The first Victoria Cross is awarded during the bombardment of Bomarsund in the Åland Islands, 1854
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police fire a volley into a crowd of unemployed war veterans, killing two, during the Winnipeg General Strike, 1919
The first successful west-to-east navigation of Northwest Passage begins at Vancouver, British Columbia, 1940
Columbia Records introduces the long-playing record album in a public demonstration at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, 1948
Ellen Louks Fairclough is sworn in as Canada's first woman Cabinet Minister, 1957
In handing down the decision in Miller v. California 413 US 15, the Supreme Court of the United States establishes the Miller Test for obscenity in U.S. law, 1973
SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight, 2004
Pluto's newly discovered moons are officially named Nix & Hydra, 2006
Greenland assumes self-rule, 2009
The U.S. officially charges Edward Snowden with espionnage, 2013

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays. Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you. What better way to start the week than with a smile!

Our cat rescue group is full:

I'm gonna hide up here and "git" my sister when she's under me!

Hammocks are our thing!

Comfy!

How full? A note from Ms. Cathy:

*We have 101 cats in foster care, 99 are kittens. *NO MORE*

Plus 80 here at the shelter, and 13 at the pet store adoption centers

That's 194 Total! OMG! OMG! OMG!

Today is

Anti-Fascist Resistance Day -- Croatia

Bouphoria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (sacrifice of an ox to symbolize social order dissolving and being restored; date approximate)

Dairy Queen Day -- the first Dairy Queen® opened this day in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois

Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War -- Belarus

Discovery Day -- NL, Canada

Elfin Music Festival -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of 1 Lithe -- Hobbit Calendar

National Chocolate Eclair Day

National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest and Festival -- Weiser, ID, US (through Saturday)

National Onion Rings Day

Soap Microphone Day -- grab your soap in the shower and pretend you are on stage! (promise i won't tell)

Solennität -- Morat, Switzerland (on Morat Commemoration Day, a Youth festival remembering the pivotal role this tiny town played in winning a battle in 1476)

Solmanudor -- Icelandic calendar, Sun Month, with the midnight sun dominating the time of year

St. Nicetas' Day (Patron of Romania)

St. Thomas More's Day (Patron of adopted children, civil servants, difficult marriages, large families, lawyers, politicians/politicos/statesmen, step-parents, widowers; Arlington, VA; Ateneo de Manila Law School; Pensacola-Tallahassee, FL; University of Malta; University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters)

Stupid Guy Thing Day -- included under protest; "guy things" aren't necessarily stupid, it should just be Guy Thing Day; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, who want all women to just not count anything against guys today, but chalk it up to being a Stupid Guy Thing

Teacher's Day -- El Salvador

Anniversary Today:

Harry Houdini marries Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Rahner, 1894

Birthdays Today:

Eric Stretch, 1980
Donald Faison, 1974
Carson Daly, 1973
Mary Lynn Rajskub, 1971
Kurt Warner, 1971
Amy Brennenman, 1964
Dan Brown, 1964
Randy Couture, 1963
Tracy Pollan, 1960
Freddie Prinze, 1954
Cyndi Lauper, 1953
Todd Rundgren, 1948
Meryl Streep, 1949
Lindsay Wagner, 1949
Pete Maravich, 1947
Klaus Maria Brandauer, 1944
Ed Bradley, 1941
Michael Lerner, 1941
Kris Kristofferson, 1936
William Ralph "Bill" Blass, 1922
Joseph Papp, 1921
Billy Wilder, 1906
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906
John Dillinger, 1903
Captain George Vancouver, 1757

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Rescuers(Animated film), 1977
Lady and the Tramp(Animated film), 1955

Today in History:

Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom, BC217
Bilbo Baggins returns to his home at Bag End, (Shire Reconning), 1342
The Jewish quarter of Prague is burned and looted, 1559
Galileo Galilei is forced by Inquisition to "abjure, curse, & detest" his Copernican heliocentric views, 1633
A poisonous cloud from Laki volcanic eruption in Iceland reaches Le Havre in France, 1783
The British Parliament abolishes feudalism and the seigneurial system in British North America, 1825
Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee procession in London, 1897
The Flag of Sweden is adopted, 1906
The Flag of the Faroe Islands is raised for the first time, 1919
Erwin Rommel is promoted to Field Marshal after the capture of Tobruk, 1942
The Cuyahoga River catches fire, which triggers a crack-down on pollution in the river, 1969
The Canadian House of Commons abolishes capital punishment, 1976
Charon, a satellite of the dwarf planet Pluto, is discovered, 1978
The largest hailstone ever recorded falls in Aurora, Nebraska (7inch diameter, 18.75 inch circumfrence), 2003
Eastman Kodak Company announces that it will discontinue sales of the Kodachrome Color Film, concluding its 74-year run as a photography icon, 2009
UNESCO officially names Mount Fuji a World Heritage Site, 2013

The last few days have not been easy for #1 Son.

There was phone trouble. He still does not have a working phone. Every time i offer to buy him a cheap phone "just for now" that he can give back to me when he gets his working, he declines.

Then there's the ups and downs of moving. He's tired of being one of those 20-somethings who is still "living in mommy's basement." (Although we don't technically have a basement, and he is in what used to be the garage, you get the idea.) He wants to be out on his own.

It seemed perfect when his friend Trent needed new roommates. The house he was renting is just around the corner, actually walking distance from this house. He and his other friend Nicky moved in.

Two days later, EnigmaSissy, his cat, spilled a cup of water on his laptop and fried it. So now he is without a phone or a computer.

Then the landlady, after allowing them to move in, evicted them with only 24 hours to get out.

He spent all day yesterday moving his very heavy furniture back here.

To say he is weary and discouraged would be an understatement.

Yes, i'm going to go get a go-phone and make him use it. He needs the break.

Today is

Anubis Ceremony -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Dandruff Dance -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins and Gnomes)

Father's Day -- Nicaragua; Poland

Festival of the Purple Void -- only one internet reference, and not explained there, either, but since purple is my favorite color, and a Purple Void sound like something fun to celebrate, i'm including it!

Festivals of Het-Hert and Bast, and Great Feast of the Southern Heavens -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Grand Duke's Birthday & National Day -- Luxembourg

Helen Keller Festival -- Tuscumbia, AL, US (performances of The Miracle Worker, historic tours, other entertainment, a fair, and more; through Sunday)

Kupala -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (Summer Solstice celebration, always on St. John's Eve, as the pagans hid their celebration by naming it "Ivan Kupala", their name for John the Baptist)

Let It Go Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; whatever you are holding on to, just let it go and the day will get better

National Columnists' Day -- on the fourth Tuesday of June each year, set aside some time to thank your favorite newspaper columnists, whether local or syndicated

National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism -- Canada

National Pecan Sandy Day

National Pink Day -- the color or the flower, your choice, because the creator didn't leave a trail explaining it

Pink Flamingo Day -- honoring Don Featherstone, creator of the original pink plastic flamingo lawn ornament; decorate your lawn with at least four pink flamigos, the minimum number needed for a flock

Poop Out Early Day -- act pooped out, see if you can cut out early; your success at pooping out early may vary

Public Service Day -- UN

SAT Math Day -- birth anniversary of Alan Turing

St. Agrippina (Patron against bacterial diseases and infections, evil spirits, leprosy, storms and thunder; of Mineo, Italy)

St. Ethelreda's Day (Patron of those with neck and throat ailments, widows; University of Cambridge)

St. John's Eve -- start or culmination of many midsummer festivals, including:
     Dragaica Fair -- Buzau, Romania
     Golowan Festival -- Cornwall
     Jaaniohtu -- Estonia
     Kupala Days begin -- Belarus; Poland; Russia; Ukraine
     Ligo / Lani -- Latvia (pagan midsummer celebration originally dedicated to the god Janis
     Midsummer Eve -- Denmark; Sweden
     Midsummer Festival -- Portugal

St. Joseph Cafasso's Day (Patron of captives, prisoners, prisons, and prison chaplains)

Swedish Days Midsommar Festival -- Geneva, IL, US (celebrating Swedish heritage in the granddaddy of all Illinois festivals with fun for the whole family through Sunday)

Typewriter Day -- patented this day in 1868 by Christopher Latham Sholes

Victory Day -- Estonia

Western Days -- Elgin, TX, US (music, carnival, parade, live music and more; through Saturday)

Windjammer Days -- Boothbay Harbor, ME, US (the premier maritime event on the coast of Maine, with something for everyone; through tomorrow)

Birthdays Today:

Bridget Sloan, 1992
Chellsie Memmel, 1988
Jason Mraz, 1977
Selma Blair, 1972
Louis Van Amstel,1972
Frances McDormand, 1957
Clarence Thomas, 1948
Bryan Brown, 1947
Ted Shackelford, 1946
James Levine, , 1943
Wilma Glodean Rudolph, 1940
June Carter Cash, 1929
Bob Fosse, 1927
Alan Turing, 1912
Edward VIII, King of England, 1894
Alfred Kinsey, 1894
Johannes Gutenberg, 1400 (estimated)
Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar, BC47 (Son of Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Batman(Film), 1989
"The Breakfast Club"(Radio), 1933

Today in History:

The world's oldest parliament, the Icelandic Althing, is established, 930
First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan, 1180
First War of Scottish Independence: The Battle of Bannockburn, south of Stirling, begins, 1314
The mutinous crew of Henry Hudson's fourth voyage sets Henry, his son and seven loyal crew members adrift in an open boat in what is now Hudson Bay; they are never heard from again, 1611
The French residents of Acadia are given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia, Canada, 1713
Empress Catherine II of Russia grants Jews permission to settle in Kiev, 1794
Christopher Latham Sholes receives a patent for Type-Writer, 1868
The Rocky Mountains Park Act becomes law in Canada, creating the nation's first national park, Banff National Park, 1887
The International Olympic Committee is founded at the Sorbonne, Paris, at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, 1894
The College Board administers the first SAT exam, 1926
Wiley Post and Harold Gatty take off from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine plane, 1931
The 1946 Vancouver Island earthquake strikes Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, 1946
The Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, comes into force, 1961
Title IX of the United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 is amended to prohibit sexual discrimination to any educational program receiving federal funds, 1972
Himmy, of Australia, weighs in at domestic cat record 20.7 kg (45 lb) , 1982
Nintendo 64 goes on sale in Japan, 1996
Japan's Iwate prefecture experiences a 6.7 magnitude earthquake, 2011
Nik Wallenda completes a high wire walk across a Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon, 2013

The other day, i was treated to overhearing a conversation while taking Ms. P's kids home from some of their summer activities.

Only Daughter was on the phone. "Stacy, guess who I saw! Tommy Gardener! Yes! Really I did! Yes! He was at the place where my brother went to a birthday party! Well, if he told her that he was having his hair cut he was lying, because I just saw him here! He was hanging out with my brother!"

The above was accompanied with much squealing, and i can only imagine what was going on at the other end of the line.

Once Only Daughter hung up, she turned to the young man, a friend Eldest Son, who was riding home from the party with us. "What do you think of my hair?" she asked.

Being only about 12 years old, he was a bit dumbstruck, and wasn't sure what to say. As he ummed a bit, she said, "See, I colored it!" and turned to show the highlights.

"Oh! Yes, I see!" he said, quick to catch on. "It really looks good!"

"You like it?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, I do!" he said.

He probably has no idea he's in for many more such conversations in the future, and most women won't point out what is now different when they start such an exchange.

Upon getting back to the house, The Big Boss and Ms. P were in the throws of planting a garden. He is in his late 70's, and was wielding a garden tool that has the shape of a hoe, but three tines instead of a flat surface. He was going at it like nobody's business, and i could tell from the chainsaw and branches that he had been trimming the bushes not long before.

Ms. P came up to me and said, "Look at him! He hasn't been in such good shape in years! It was an awful thing to go through when he was forced to retire, but he's lost weight and he's looking wonderful! He can outwork me!"

"Are we going to plant, or are we going to talk?" The Big Boss said at that moment.

"Wow!" Ms. P whispered to me. "I never should have taken him to Pilates classes!"

Another time, Middle Boy and Youngest Boy and i had the usual conversation you get from kids who want to whine until they get what they want.

"We want to go to Sonic for dinner!" Middle Boy was practically yelling.

"Yeah! That or Chik-fil-A!" Youngest Boy added.

We have plenty of food here, i said. We can eat what is here, it's plenty.

Howls followed, with explanations that they were not hungry for what was in the house, and was i trying to starve them, and on and on.

Unperturbed, i went ahead and made each of them a half of a turkey sandwich, cut up some strawberries, and gave each a few chips. The i told them that if they were hungry enough, they would eat what was in front of them.

After about another hour of running around the house, they did eat most of it. They had been yelling for pizza rolls, too, and were told they could have some for a snack later. When they had eaten most of their dinner, i did warm up a few pizza rolls. Youngest only ate one.

All of that fussing, and they ate what i made and mostly enjoyed it. It just goes to show, as i said to them while we cleared the table, hunger is the best sauce.

Today is

Araw ng Maynila -- Philippines (Manila Day)

Bannockburn Day -- Scotland (decisive battle of the first Scottish War of Independence, led by Robert Bruce)

Burning of the Lamps in Egypt at Sais -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar, a celebration of Isis and Neith (date approximate)

Calcio Fiorentino -- Florence, Italy (reviving 16th century style football in period costumes, through the 28th)

Carabobo Day -- Venezuela (battle commemoration)

Celebration of the Senses -- Wellcat Holidays urges you to enjoy all five (six?) of your senses today

Countryman's Day -- Peru (one of Peru's three Fiestas Patrias Peruanas)

Day of the Caboclo -- Amazonas State, Brazil

Feast of Rahmat (Mercy) -- Baha'i

Flying Saucer Day -- anniversary of Kenneth Arnold's 1947 sighting, while flying near Mt. Rainier, of 9 metallic, circular objects he could not identify

Fors Fortuna -- Ancient Roman Calendar (rites and festival for the goddess of good luck and fortune)

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts -- Pilton, Glastonbury, England (the world's largest green field music and performing arts festival, including theatre, circus, cabaret, children's activities and more; through Sunday)

International Fairy Day/Faerie Day -- day for collectors, believers, and artists to share their love for the little folk

Little Bighorn Days -- Hardin, MT, US (celebrating the life and legends of the American West; through Sunday)

Lost Handkerchief Day -- Fairy Calendar

Museum Comes to Life Day -- another fun and funny day someone came up with

National Creamy Pralines Day

Smithsonian Folklife Festival -- Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., US (through Sunday, then again July 1-5; a model of research-based presentations of contemporary living cultural traditions of people around the world)

Sonoma-Marin Fair and World’s Ugliest Dog Contest® -- Petaluma, CA, US (livestock exhibitions, wine gardens, demolition derby, Ugly Dog Contest, and more; through Sunday)

St. John the Baptist's Nativity Day and related Midsummer celebrations (Patron of baptism, bird dealers, converts, children with convulsions, epileptics, farriers, French Canadians, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors; against convulsions, epilepsy, hail and hailstorms, and spasms; Patron of over 60 cities and countries around the globe)
    Inti Raymi -- Peru (Incan Sun Festival)
    Jaanipaev -- Estonia
    Jani -- Latvia
    Jónsmessa -- Iceland (feast of St. John the Baptist, considered a magical night when cows can speak, seals take on human form, finding magical stones and herbs is propitious, and rolling naked in the dew is healing.)
    Macau Day -- China (celebrating the defeat of Dutch invasion forces in 1622 and paying homage to St. John as the port's Patron Saint)
    Midsummer Day -- England
    National Holiday -- Quebec, Canada (Sant Jean-Baptiste)
    Saint John the Baptist Day -- Andorra
    Saint Jonas Festival or Jonines -- Lithuania
    San Juan -- CT and GA, Spain
    Surinal -- North Korea
    Zuni Buffalo, Corn, and Comanche Dances -- Zuni Native Americans (for fertility of land and people; Vespers is also observed, as San Juan is their Patron Saint)

Swim a Lap Day -- just for fun!

Swing a Kid Day -- if swimming isn't right for you

Anniversaries Today:

Eton College is founded by Henry VI, 1441

Birthdays Today:

Sherry Stringfield, 1967
Joe Penny, 1956
Nancy Allen, 1950
Phyllis George, , 1949
Peter Weller, 1947
Mick Fleetwood, 1947
Ellison Shoji Onizuka, 1946
Jeff Beck, 1944
Michele Lee, 1942
Claude Chabrol, 1930
John Anthony Ciardi. 1916
Phil Harris, 1904
Jack Dempsey, 1895
Roy O. Disney, 1893
Ambrose Bierce, 1842
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Catch-22(Film), 1970
"Hopalong Cassidy"(TV), 1949
"American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press"(Radio), 1945

Today in History:

Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces, takes place, 972
A sudden outbreak of St. John's Dance causes people in the streets of Aachen, Germany, to experience hallucinations and begin to jump and twitch uncontrollably until they collapse from exhaustion, 1374
John Cabot lands in North America at Newfoundland; the first European
exploration of the region since the Vikings, 1497
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi founds Manila, the capital of the Republic of the Philippines, 1571
Samuel de Champlain discovers the mouth of the Saint John River, site of Reversing Falls and the present day city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, 1604
The colony of New Jersey is founded, 1664
Kingston, Jamaica is founded, 1692
The Premier Grand Lodge of England, the first Masonic Grand Lodge in the world (now the United Grand Lodge of England), is founded in London, England, 1717
The first republican constitution in France is adopted, 1793
The decisive battle in the war of independence of Venezuela from Spain, the Battle of Carabobo takes place, 1821
First performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français, 1880
The first exhibition of Pablo Picasso's work opens, 1901
Mary Pickford becomes the first female film star to get a million dollar contract, 1916
The first airmail service in Canada from Montreal to Toronto begins, 1918
Siam is renamed Thailand by Plaek Pibulsonggram, the third prime minister, 1939
The Soviet Union makes overland travel between the West with West Berlin impossible, 1948
The United Kingdom grants Zanzibar internal self-government, 1963
Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud completes his first mission, becoming the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a Payload Specialist, 1985
John Isner of the United States defeats Nicolas Mahut of France at Wimbledon, in the longest match in professional tennis history, 2010
The last known Pinta Island Tortoise, Lonesome George, is found dead in the Galapagos Islands, 2012

This, in my eyes, is a very sad sight:

No more! Ahhhh!

Yes, to me, one of the saddest things is an empty coffee cup. Someone please go make another pot!

Make it decaf after the first large cup though, please, as you don't want to be the one peeling me off the ceiling.

Others in the house agree, too, that coffee is essential. Do not run out, it is a crisis of the first magnitude if i let that happen. Stocking up when the MomAndPop Store is having a sale is my common practice.

"The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Especially after the storm we had here yesterday. It was the second day in a row where the evening thunderstorm hit just around rush hour and gave us continual lightning, thunder that rattled our teeth, pouring rain, and lashing winds that downed trees and power lines.

Today, i hope for a respite from that, and for a second cup of java. After all, i'm at Ms. P's house doing laundry, and that calls for some fortification.

Today is

Arbor Day -- Philippines

Color TV Day -- CBS broadcast the first program in color on this day in 1951

Day of the Seafarer -- The International Maritime Organization (this year’s campaign is to have you post pictures of sights and experiences at sea with a caption “A career at sea looks like:”)

Elf Thumping Day -- Fairy Calendar (no details on what the Elves thump, and no, no one is allowed to thump an Elf!)

Feast of the Optional Holiday -- pick one, and celebrate it or don't, your option!

Festival of the Tarasque -- Tarascon, France (celebration of the legend of the dragon tamed by St. Martha; through Monday)

Festival of Ranting and Vaporing -- sponsored by The Daily Bleed

Global Beatles Day -- read about the meaning of this day, and why this date was picked, here

Gotanshin Sai -- Kitano Tenmangu, Kyoto, Japan (festival to commemorate the birth of Lord Sugawara, with ceremonies to ward off summer infections)

Independence Day -- Mozambique(1975)

Leon Day -- Noel spelled backward, the turning poing on the calendar when Christmas starts getting closer; those who make Christmas/Noel gifts need to start thinking about their projects

Ludi Taurii -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Games of the Bull, a two day festival held once every five years)

National Bomb Pop Day -- on the Thursday in June right before US Independence Day, to kick off the celebration with the original red, white, and blue bomb pops

National Catfish Day

National Fried Okra Day

National Handshake Day -- US; sponsored by professional development companies on the last Thursday in June

National Strawberry Parfait Day

Oregon Bach Festival -- University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, US (international gathering of musicians, master classes and performances, and family events so even the youngest music fans can fall in love with the works of J.S. Bach and other masters; through July 12)

Saint Ignace Auto Show -- St. Ignace, MI, US (parade, cruise night, and swap meet; through Saturday)

Sense of Humor in Bed Appreciation Day -- i'm not touching this one

Slovenian Sovereignty Day / National Day -- Slovenia

Statehood Day -- Croatia

St. Eurosia's Day (a/k/a Orosia; Patron of Jaca, Spain; against bad weather)
Fiesta de Santa Orosia -- Jaca, Spain

St. Molaug's Day (Patron of Argyll, Scotland; against mental illness)

Telluride Wine Festival -- Telluride, CO, US (meet winemakers, celebrity chefs, experts and authors for an unparalleled educational and epicurian experience; through Sunday)

Watermelon Thump with World Champion Seed Spitting Contest -- Luling, TX, US (fun for all, and lots of juicy watermelon, bring lots of wet wipes, enjoy the music and food and crafts, too; through Sunday)

Anniversaries Today:

Virginia becomes the 10th US State, 1788

Birthdays Today:

Scott Terra, 1987
Linda Cardellini, 1975
Dikembe Mutombo, 1966
George Michael, 1963
Ricky Gervais, 1961
Sonia Sotomayor, 1954
Jimmie Walker, 1949
Phyllis George, 1949
Carly Simon, 1945
Willis Reed, Jr., 1942
June Lockhart, 1925
Sidney Lumet, 1924
Anne Revere, 1903
George Orwell, 1903
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold, 1886
Rose Cecil O'Neill, 1874

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Het Achterhuis. Dagbrieven van 14 juni 1942 tot 1 augustus 1944(First publication of excerpts from Anne Frank's diaries), 1947
"It Pays To Be Ignorant"(Radio), 1942

Today in History:

The Book of Concord or Concordia, the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, is published, 1580
Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy, from the University of Padua, 1678
Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary, 1741
Lucien B. Smith of Ohio patents the first version of barbed wire, 1867
Battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, 1876
Dr. Douglas Hyde is inaugurated the first President of Ireland, 1938
The Diary of Anne Frank is published, 1947
The Berlin airlift begins, 1948
The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, 1950
CBS broadcasts the first color television signal, 1951
First live global satellite television programme – Our World, 1967
Mozambique achieves independence, 1975
Microsoft is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington, 1981
Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence from Yugoslavia, 1991
Kim Campbell is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and becomes the first female Prime Minister of Canada, 1993
An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir, 1997
The Soufrière Hills volcano in Montserrat erupts resulting in the death of 19 people, 1997
The Harvard School of Health Study concludes that since 1980 the number of adults with diabetes has doubled, 2011
A portion of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protects minority voting rights, is struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that Congress has not taken into account the nation's racial progress when singling out certain states for federal oversight, 2013

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

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is..

That’s all there is to it! Be sure to check back every so often and visit all the Feline Friday bloggers. Also, please leave a nice comment on their blogs. Nasty comments will be deleted!

Sometimes what you see depends on the angle.

Yes, brother and I are squishing sister back there!

What about it? Brother and I are happy!

Fooled you!

Today is

10,000 Crestonians 4th of July Celebration -- Creston, IA, US (lots of history and fun, through the 4th)

Alexandra Rose Day -- anniversary of the tradition started by Queen Alexandra on this day in 1912, in which roses and rose emblems were sold in London and the UK, with the money going to smaller charities that are not usually in the national spotlight; also by tradition, the Lord Mayor of London bought the first rose
Alexandra Rose Charities still exists, but uses other forms of fundraising and now supports healthy eating initiatives among lower income mothers and children

Armed Forces Day -- Azerbaijan

Barcode/UPC Day -- the first scanner, at Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, scanned its first item, a pack of Wrigley's gum at 8:01am this day in 1974

Beautician's Day -- on a couple of websites, while other list other days; if yours puts the "beauty" in beautician, remember her next time you go have your do tended to

Birth Anniversary of Guru Rinpoche -- Bhutan

Galesburg Railroad Days -- Galesburg, IL, US (celebrating the city's railroad heritage with carnival, exhibits, and more; through Sunday)

Grantsville Days -- Grantsville, MD, US (annual homecoming weekend, with fun for all; through Sunday)

Handing Back of Tiger-Get-By's Presents -- Fairy Calendar

Heidi Festival -- New Glarus, Wisconsin (celebrations of the town's Swiss heritage; through Sunday)

Hjemkomst and Annual Viking Festival -- Moor-head, MN, US (celebrating all things Nordic, with exhibitions from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweeden and Saami Land; through tomorrow)

Holiday for the Shemsu of Heru -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Madagascar[Fetin'ny Fahaleovantena]; Somalia

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking -- UN

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -- UN

Kaposia Days -- South St. Paul, MN, US (Kaposia, or "Little Crows Village," was a seasonal American Indian settlement within the city limits of what is now St. Paul, MN, and a family oriented city festival is now held paying tribute to the orignal name; through Sunday)

Louisiana Peach Festival -- Ruston, LA, US (Ruston grows some peaches worth celebrating! through tomorrow)

National Canoe Day -- Canada

National Chocolate Pudding Day

Sternwheeler Days -- Port Marine Park, Cascade Locks, OR, US (reliving the days of the mountain men; through Sunday)

St. Pelayo's Day (Patron of abandoned people, torture victims; Castro Urdiales, Spain; Torreira, Portugal)

Sunthorn Phu Day -- Thailand (celebration of the country's best-known Royal Poet)

Take Your Dog to Work Day -- (depending on where you work, what did your dog do to deserve this?)

Ugliest Dog Day -- actual day, during the Sonoma-Marin Fair that began two days ago, of the 2014 World's Ugliest Dog® Contest

Ziua Tricolorului -- Romania (Flag Day)

Birthdays Today:

Jennette McCurdy, 1992
Jason Schwartzman, 1980
Derek Jeter, 1974
Gretchen Wilson, 1973
Chris O'Donnell, 1970
Paul Thomas Anderson, 1970
Sean P. Hayes, 1970
Harriet Wheeler, 1963
Greg LeMond, 1961
Chris Isaak, 1956
Claudio Abbado, 1933
Eleanor Parker, 1922
Charlotte Zolotow, 1915
"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, 1914
Colonel Tom Parker, 1909
Peter Lorre, 1904
Pearl S. Buck, 1892
Sir Robert Laird Borden, 1854
Lord Kelvin, 1824
Abner Doubleday, 1819
Arthur Middleton, 1742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

For Your Eyes Only(Film), 1981
"Absurd Person Singular"(Play), 1972
"A Hard Day's Night"(Album, US version, release), 1964
"The Valkyrie"(Opera, WWV 86B), 1870

Today in History:

Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire; General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield, 363
The legendary Pied Piper leads 130 children out of Hamelin, German, 1284
Richard III is crowned king of England, 1483
Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima, 1541
W. K. Clarkson patents the first bicycle, 1819
The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States, 1870
The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity, 1909
The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco, 1945
William Shockley files the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor, 1948
The Berlin Airlift begins, 1948
The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships, 1959
The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, 1974
Indira Gandhi establishes emergency rule in India, 1975
The CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, is opened to general public, 1976*
Biologists J. Craig Venter and Francis S. Collins announced that their research groups had mapped the human genome, 2000
Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, the four thousand year-old ridge-top monastery in Bhutan catches fire and is destroyed; no relics were lost in the fire because the monastery was under renovation, 2012

*It is still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere

A clunk was followed by, "Oh, no! There's a huge hole in my pocket!" as Little Girl reached down and picked up the new iPhone she just bought. (Note that she bought it, with the money she is earning. Grandpa offered to get her one, and she refused, she wanted to earn her own.)

"I've told you that you need to protect that thing," Festus said. "Have you ordered a cover yet?"

"Yes," she answered. "And this is the first time I've dropped it, and it wouldn't have happened if I didn't have this huge hole in the pocket that I didn't even know about!"

"You need to duct tape it to you until that cover comes!" Festus said. "It's more fragile than a baby. You can't just put it in your pockets. Would you chuck your baby in a train car full of holes?"

That last question rather surprised me, but Little Girl even more so. "What does a baby have to do with it?" she asked.

"Your phone is more expensive than a baby," he said.

"No it isn't!" she said. "Think about how much a baby costs!"

"They aren't that much when you are carrying them. And they don't eat much," he said.

"But when they are born, it's so expensive!" she said. "And you have to buy furniture and everything!"

At that point i left them to argue out which was more expensive or fragile, a baby or an iPhone, as Red-headed Alec walked in.

"Well, I now know that I have to have a new job," he said.

Manager being a jerk again? i asked.

"That's one way to say it," he noted. "The guy chewed me out in front of customers when I had done something right. But of course, he wouldn't apologize in front of them when he realized he was wrong and I wasn't. I have to get away from this place!"

Yes, you do, i said. You do good work, and you need to be where it's appreciated.

"Well, I did have one thing going for me!" he said. "I had a girlfriend for 4 days!"

Had? i asked. Which of you broke it off?

"Oh, no, we're still together," he said. "What made you think that?"

You said you 'had' a girlfriend for four days, that implies past tense, i said.

"Oh, you should know I speak American, not English! English is more precise, but I only speak American. Or maybe, what do they call it, Ebonics?" he said.

No, i told him. You may have gone to public schools with a lot of African-American kids, but you are still a red-headed Irish American to the core, and i guess you talk like it!

At this point i noticed Festus had gotten up and pulled out a cigarette, and was going to head outdoors. (Several of the boys who hang around here smoke. It makes me furious, but they have to learn for themselves. They are not allowed to do it indoors, and must clean up after themselves.)

Little Girl was tugging on his arm, saying "I was to crush it! Let me!"

Crush what? i asked.

"There's this thing in the filter, and you are supposed to crush it before you light it." she said. "And I like to do it for him, it feels so weird!"

What's in it? i asked.

"Around 4,000 chemicals, 3,000 of which are bad for me," Festus answered. "At least, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to admit and be honest about what it's doing to me."

"Well, I hate the smoking, but crushing the little round thing in the filter is fun," Little Girl said.

Is that in all cigarettes now? i asked.

"Just some brands, it's a flavoring. I just got used to it because it's the brand my mother smoked, and I used to sneak them out of her purse when I was about 14," Festus replied.

Well, don't you ever get used to it! i told Little Girl.

"Oh, don't worry," Festus said. "Red-headed Alec, Young Jacob, both of your sons and I have already told her that if she ever smokes we will take turns beating her up!"

"And don't worry, they mean it!" Little Girl said. "No smoking for me, I'm an athlete. And I have a swim meet tomorrow!"

Today is

Armed Forces Day -- Great Britain

ARRL Field Day -- American Radio Relay League's most popular on-air operating event, in which amatuer/ham radio operators practice and drill for communications during emergencies; through tomorrow

Canadian Multiculturalism Day -- Canada

Colorado Brewers' Festival -- Fort Collings, CO, US (celebrate Colorado's rich brewing history with over 30 breweries; through tomorrow)

Day of National Unity -- Tajikistan

Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art -- Turkmenistan

Day Sacred to the Lares -- Ancient Roman Calendar (personal household gods); also
Festival of Jupiter Stator -- Jupiter, Stayer of the Rout, god who helped soldiers especially to stand their ground
Initium Aestatis -- three day festival for the goddess of summer, which season they saw as beginning on this day

Decide to Be Married Day -- sponsored by Barbara Gaughen-Muller; to focus on the joy of couples deciding to be married

Eastern Music Festival -- Guilford College, Greensboro, NC, US (an acclaimed festival and school, with world-class guest artists; through Aug. 1)

Findle-Fritter's Stoat Wheedling Event -- Fairy Calendar

Gettysburg Civil War Relic and Collectors Show -- Gettysburg, PA, US (featuring leading collectors and dealers; through tomorrow)

Great American Backyard Campout -- sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/Great-American-Backyard-Campout.aspx

Great American Picnic Day -- various dates given, with the most common being the final Saturday of June

"Happy Birthday to You" Day -- tune composed this day in 1859

Independence Day / National Day -- Djibouti

Industrial Workers of The World Day -- founded this day in 1905

Ladies of Country and Bluegrass Music Show -- Waretown, NJ, US (at the historic Albert Music Hall)

Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum Smith -- Mormon

Mineral Collecting Field Trips -- Bancroft, ON, CA (every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this month and next, geologists lead mineral collecting field trips, educating participants about mineral identification, collecting techniques, and earth sciences)

Mixed Races Day -- Brazil

National HIV Testing Day -- US

National Indian Pudding Day

National Orange Blosssom Day

National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day -- US (by Senate resolution)

Purple Hull Pea Festival and World Champion Rotary Tiller Contest -- Emerson, AR, US (the tiny town of Emerson, population 368, puts on a big show that also includes a World Cup Purplehull Pea-Shelling competiton)

Seven Sleepers Day (Siebenschläfertag) -- Germany (according to legend, today's weather determines the pattern for the next seven weeks)

St. Ladislaus' Day (Patron of Szekszard, Hungary)

Sunglasses Day -- a reminder to wear those shades, protect your eyes from UV damage!

Veteranendag -- Netherlands (Veterans Day)

Birthdays Today:

Gabi Wilson, 1997
Madylin Sweeten, 1991
Ed Westwick, 1987
Drake Bell, 1986
Tobey Maguire, 1975
J.J. Abrams, 1976
Jason Patric, 1966
Isabelle Adjani, 1955
Julia Duffy, 1951
James Daughton, 1950
Norma Kamali, 1945
Shirley-Anne Field, 1938
H. Ross Perot, 1930
Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan, 1927
Helen Keller, 1880
Patrick Lafcadio "Koizumi Yakumo" Hearn, 1850
Charles Stewart Parnell, 1846

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Live and Let Die(Film), 1973
"Dark Shadows"(TV), 1966
"Captain Video and His Video Rangers"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

General James Wolfe begins the siege of Quebec, 1759
Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail, 1844
George Dixon becomes the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion, 1890
The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia, 1898
Sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian Battleship Potemkin, denouncing the crimes of autocracy, demanding liberty and an end to war, 1905
Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane, 1923
The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War, 1950
The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow, 1954
The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield, London, 1967
The President of Uruguay dissolves Parliament and heads a coup d'état, 1973
U.S president Richard Nixon visits the U.S.S.R., 1974
France grants independence to Djibouti, 1977
The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, ILO 169 convention, is adopted, 1989
Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before, is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft, starting the Ten-Day War, 1991
Bill Gates resigns from Microsoft to focus on his charity work, 2008
The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held, 2010
Tests show radioactive cesium is present in small quantities in residents of Iitate and Kawamata, Fukushima, towns located 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 2011
NASA launches IRIS, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun, 2013

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs. 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.
Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.
Go to Sandee's site, linked above, and get the Silly Sunday code for your blog, too!

The other day, at prayer, a request was prayed that the Lord would raise up some of the younger people at our church to start doing some of the volunteer work needed there.

Most of the volunteers have been doing certain things for years, and are getting older and less able to carry out some of these duties. We need some of our younger people to step forward while there are still older volunteers around who can show them the ropes.

"We old gray mares ain't what we used to be, Lord," Elder J prayed. "We need some of these young people to step up, to serve and not just sit back and be served."

This talk about aging reminds me of something Boudreaux said.

Boudreaux an' some o' his ol' army buddies got together. Firs' day talk about ol' times, and dat was great. After a bit, though, de talk turn to de aches an' pains an' illnesses dey had been sufferin'.

Boudreaux decide he gots to get dem off of dat, so he try to change de topic. Of all t'ings, nex' dey start in talkin' about if'n you should have de casket open or close!

Fin'ly Boudreaux he done had enough, an he say, "Mais! We gots to quit all dis sickness talk and funeral talk! We got lots o' life lef' in us! We gots to stop an smell de roses before dey be on top of us!"

Today is

America's Kids Day -- founded to encourage parents to teach their children the value of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

Birthday of Cheng Huang -- Taiwan (the gods that are city guardians are celebrated with a procession of actors on stilts doing dragon and lion dances on this 13th day of the fifth moon)

Constitution day -- Ukraine

Descendent's Day -- on the final Sunday of June each year, an encouragement for all the world's citizens to take an accounting of their activities during the prior year and how those will affect those who come after us

Festival of Terrible Poetry -- according to The Daily Bleed, and since there is some hilarious, if terrible, poetry out there, go find some, and bust a gut

Gioco Del Ponte -- Pisa, Italy (the Battle of the Bridge or Game of the Bridge, a medieval parade and contest for possession of the bridge)

Guan Sheng Di Jun Dan -- Taoism (Heavenly Sage Guan Di's Birthday [god of war])

Insurance Awareness Day -- now who do you think invented that!?!

International Body Piercing Day -- on the birthday of James Mark "Jim" Ward, "the granddaddy of the modern body piercing movement"

International CAPS LOCK DAY -- a parody holiday created by Derek Arnold, a user on Metafilter, in 2000

Log Cabin Day -- The Log Cabin Society, dedicated to preserving log cabins and the old fashioned ways of life; many places that have historic log cabins plan big events the last Sunday in June to celebrate

Mnarja / L-Imnarja Festival begins -- Buskett Gardens, Malta (folk festival for Sts. Peter and Paul, begins this evening and continues through the 29th)

Mother's Day -- Kenya

National Ceviche Day

National Tapioca Day

Paul Bunyan Day -- the tall tale hero of the lumberjacks; celebrated at different times in some parts of the country, but most sites cite this date

Punxsutawney Ground Hog Festival -- Punxsutawney, PA, US (through Saturday; because the groundhog is worth more than just one cold day in February!)

Ra goes forth to propitiate the Nun -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Singing on the Mountain -- Grandfather Mountain, Linville, NC, US (traditional and modern gospel music, with local and nationally known artists and speakers)

Stonewall Rebellion Day -- now seen as the start of the gay liberation movement in 1969

St. Irenaeus' Day (Patron of Mobile, Alabama)

St. Paul's Feast -- Kato Paphos, Cyprus (religious festivities with the archbishop officiating and a procession of the icon of St. Paul through the streets, through tomorrow)

St. Peter's Eve -- English Christian tradition, night of bonfires and continuation of midsummer celebrations

Thanksgiving for Useful Fairies -- Fairy Calendar

Vidovdan (Festival for St. Vitus) -- Eastern Orthodox Christian, based on the traditional Julian Calendar date
a recognized holiday in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Anniversaries Today:

Harry S. Truman marries Bess Wallace, 1919

Birthdays Today:

Kellie Pickler, 1986
Steve Burton, 1970
Danielle Brisebois, 1969
John Cusack, 1966
Mary Stuart Masterson, 1966
Mark Grace, 1964
John Elway, 1960
Thomas Hampson, 1955
Alice Krige, 1954
Kathy Bates, 1948
Gilda Radner, 1946
Bruce Davison, 1946
Turkan Soray, 1945
Pat Morita, 1932
Mel Brooks, 1926
Maria Goeppert Mayer, 1906
Richard Rodgers, 1902
Clara Louise Maass, 1876
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712
John Wesley, 1703
Peter Paul Rubens, 1577
Henry VIII, King of England, 1491

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Nutty Professor(Film), 1996
"Amos 'n' Andy"(TV), 1951
"Quiz Kids"(Radio), 1940

Today in History:

Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul, 1098
Ottomans defeat Serbian army in the bloody Battle of Kosovo, opening the way for the Ottoman conquest of Southeastern Europe, 1389
Guadeloupe becomes a French colony, 1635
The coronation of Victoria of the United Kingdom, 1838
The Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique in Paris premieres the ballet Giselle, 1841
The first conformation dog show is held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, 1859
Franz Ferdinand, Archduke of Austria and his wife Sophie are assassinated in Sarajevo by young Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip, the casus belli of World War I, 1914
The Treaty of Versailles is signed in Paris, formally ending World War I, 1919
The Irish Civil War begins with the shelling of the Four Courts in Dublin by Free State forces, 1922
Israel annexes East Jerusalem, 1967
COMECON, as part of the last vestige of the Soviet Bloc, is formally disbanded, followed by the Warsaw pact 3 days later, 1991
Slobodan Milosevic is deported to ICTY to stand trial, 2001
The Republic of Montenegro is admitted as the 192nd Member of the United Nations, 2006
The U.N. reports 10 million people are effected by the worst drought in 60 years, 2011

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays. Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you. What better way to start the week than with a smile!

We have a very unique litter of kittens up for adoption. Like all kittens, they are cute and Awww! worthy, but more than that:

Awww! A quite unique litter.

Yes, you are looking at 3 pure white boys, one with two blue eyes, the second with two yellow eyes, and the third has one blue eye and one yellow eye! Then there are the sisters, one totally white except for three small black spots on the top of her head, one totally white except for one small beige spot on her neck, and a tortoiseshell!

Little Girl, petting the kittens.

Six kittens, all white or mostly white except for the one tortie. That's probably not something we will ever see again!

Today is

Autonomy Day -- French Polynesia

Camera Day -- internet generated, but a fun one to celebrate

Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul -- Christian
     St. Paul, Patron of Greece, Malta, rope makers, tentmakers, upholsterers
     St. Peter, Patron of clockmakers, fishermen, Russia; against fever, foot trouble, wolves
     a recognized holiday in Chile; Holy See; Italy; Malta[l-Imnarja]; Peru; GR and TI, Switzerland; Wallis and Fortuna
     Haro Wine Festival -- Haro, LaRioja, Spain (a festival that includes a Battle of Wines, where wine is thrown from buckets at opposing teams; on the feast day of the city's patron, San Pedro)
     Rat-Catcher's Day -- often cited because some of the earliest legends of the Pied Piper claim he took the children on the Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul

Hug Holiday -- while the National Hug Holiday Week has been moved to the beginning of May, this is the original day, and was for quite a while, so go give someone a big hug!

Independence Day -- Seychelles

Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon -- Wimbledon, England (through July 12)

National Almond Butter Crunch Day

Oharai/Grand Purification Festival -- Shinto

Please Take My Children To Work Day -- originally sponsored by mamasaid.net; a tongue-in-cheek way to request that you give a full- or part-time stay-at-home mom a break today!

Runic Half-month Feoh (wealth) commences

Tabarka Jazz Festival -- Tabarka, Tunisia (perfect weather for music, workshops, seminars, and performances by local and international artists; through the 7th)

Waffle Iron Day -- don't know why today, but it's a great gadget, and if you have one, pull it out and use it today

Wicked Fairies Summer Debate -- Fairy Calendar (i'd love to hear this!)

Birthdays Today:

Prince Aristide Stavros of Greece and Denmark, 2008
Amanda Donohoe, 1962
Sharon Lawrence, 1962
Fred Grandy, 1948
Richard Lewis, 1947
Gary Busey, 1944
Robert Evans, 1930
Ray Harryhausen, 1920
Slim Pickens, 1919
Bernard Herrmann, 1911
Nelson Eddy, 1901
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1900
James Van Der Zee, 1886
William James Mayo, 1863
George Washington Goethals, 1858
Julia Clifford Lathrop, 1858

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Moonraker(Film), 1979

Today in History:

An Irish monastic chronicler records a solar eclipse, 512
Jacques Cartier makes the European discovery of Prince Edward Island, 1534
The Globe Theatre in London, England burns to the ground, 1613
Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario, 1786
Coal is discovered on Vancouver Island, 1850
Ninety-nine people are killed in Canada's worst railway disaster near St-Hilaire, Quebec, 1864
France annexes Tahiti, 1880
The first known recording of classical music, Handel's "Israel in Egypt", is made on a wax cylinder, 1888
Street railway in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, commences operation, 1891
Doukhobors burn their weapons as a protest against conscription by the Tsarist Russian government, 1895
France grants 1 km² at Vimy Ridge "freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes," 1922
Joseph-Armand Bombardier of Canada receives a patent for sprocket and track traction system used in snow vehicles, 1937
Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina, 1974
The Seychelles become independent from the United Kingdom, 1976
The space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian Mir Space Station for the first time, 1995
Two car bombs are found at Piccadilly Circus, in the heart of London, 2007
News that European Union members agree on a deal to help some struggling Eurozone members causes world stock markets to soar, 2012

It's Tech Support Appreciation Day!

We joke about terrible tech support, because sometimes it does happen. When it does, you can usually put it under just plain bad customer service or the company's "software" (techies) not being people friendly. But what does tech support have to put up with from customers? Sometimes you'd be amazed.

Here are a few samples.

Customer: I'm trying to connect to the Internet with your CD, but it just doesn't work. What am I doing wrong?

Tech support: OK, You've got the CD in the CD drive, right?
Customer: Yeah....

Tech support: And what sort of computer are you using?
Customer: Computer? Oh no, I haven't got a computer. It's in the CD player and all I get is weird noises. Listen.....

*******************

Tech support: What kind of computer do you have?

Female customer: A white one...

*******************

Customer: I keep getting inappropriate pop-ups on my computer and don't want my wife to think that it's me.'
Advisor: 'I will remove them for you.'

Customer: 'How do I get them back when she is not in?'

*******************

Customer: Hi, this is Celine. I can't get my diskette out.
Tech support: Have you tried pushing the button?

Customer: Yes, sure, it's really stuck.
Tech support: That doesn't sound good; I'll make a note.

Customer: No .. wait a minute... I hadn't inserted it into the computer yet... it's still on my desk... sorry....

********************

During a recent password audit, it was found that a blonde was using the following password:

"MickeyMinniePlutoHueyLouieDeweyDonaldGoofyParis"

When asked why she had such a long password, she said she was told that it had to be at least 8 characters long and include at least one capital.

********************

Customer: My 14 year-old son has put a password on my computer and I can't get in.

Advisor: Has he forgotten it?

Customer: No he just won't tell me it because I've grounded him.

*******************

Customer: All my files I saved last week to my C: drive are missing!'

Tech Support: 'Do you remember what directory you first saved them in?'

Customer: 'No, I don't . I just know it was on my C: drive.'
Tech Support: 'Ok, I'll walk you through how to find the files.'

Customer: 'I wouldn't think I would be losing files on this computer. Gee, I just had the hard drive replaced in it yesterday.'

********************

Tech Support: 'All right, can you insert the disk in the disk drive please?'

Customer: 'How?'

Tech Support: 'Place the disk in the opening at the front of the computer.'
Customer: 'Will I have to have my computer delivered before we can do this'

Tech Support: 'Um yes, that might be an idea.'

********************

Tech Support: 'Have you made backups of your software and data?'

Customer: 'I didn't know it had a reverse.'

********************

Customer: 'I'm having trouble installing Microsoft Word.'

Tech Support: 'Tell me what You've done.'
Customer: 'I typed A:SETUP.'

Tech Support: 'Ma'am, remove the disk and tell me what it says.'
Customer: 'It says [PC manufacturer] Restore and Recovery disk'.

Tech Support: 'Insert the MS Word setup disk.'
Customer: 'What?'

Tech Support: 'Did you buy Microsoft Word?'
Customer: 'No.'

******************

Tech Support: 'Thank you for calling. May I have your phone number beginning with the area code first, please?' There was a pregnant pause, then a series of touch tones.Tech Support: 'Hello? I need your phone number, please'. More touch tones.

Tech Support: 'Hi, can you hear me?'
Customer: 'Yes.'

Tech Support: 'Great, then can you please tell me your phone number so I can pull up your file?' More touch tones.

Tech Support: 'Sir, what's your name?'
Customer: Malcolm

Tech Support: 'Great, now can you tell me your phone number?' Touch tones again.

Tech Support: 'Please, tell me your phone number.'
Customer: 'Again?'

Tech Support: 'Yes sir, if you don't mind, but can you please just tell me verbally?' Touch tones yet again.

Tech Support: 'Sir, contrary to popular opinion, support is not half machine. I'll need you to verbally tell me your phone number with your mouth so I can bring up your account info, got it?'
Customer: 'You people are rude as well as incompetent.'

May all of us have a great day, and not need tech support!

Today is

Aizen Matsuri -- Shoman-in Temple, Osaka, Japan (celebration of Aizen Myo-oh, greatest of the 8 Buddhist guardian gods, and is also called the Yakuta Festival; through July 2)

Armed Forces Day -- Guatemala

Crab Races -- Fairy Calendar (Pixies, Elves, and some Fairies)

Day of Aestas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (culmination of the festival that begins the summer)

Feast of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome -- remembrance of the first Christians killed in Rome by order of Nero as scapegoats for the fire in Rome

General Prayer Day -- Central African Republic

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show -- Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, England (the world's largest flower show; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)(1960)

Leap Second Time Adjustment Day -- if one is needed

Meteor Day -- because of the Tuskunga Event

National Corvette Day -- US (vehicle introduced this day in 1953)

National Ice Cream Soda Day

Ommegang Pageant -- Grand-Palace, Brussels, Belgium (three days of recreating of the medieval entertainment at the court of Charles V)

Pridie Kalendas July (Day Before the Kalends of July) -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a day when dies comitiales -- citizen committees -- voted on political and criminal matters)

Revolution Day -- Sudan(1989)

Sata-Hame Accordion Festival -- Ikaalinen, Finland (one of the worlds biggest and best accordion festivals; through Sunday)

St. Theobald of Provins' day (Patron of bachelors)

Tech Support Appreciation Day -- if you can get a hold of them, they can be great to have aroundThe North American Tournament -- Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB, Canada (show jumping tournament, through Sunday)

Anniversary Today:

Greg Allman marries Cher, 1975

Birthdays Today:

Michael Phelps, 1985
Fantasia Barrino, 1984
Ralf Schumacher, 1975
Michael Gerard (Mike) Tyson, 1966
Rupert Graves, 1963
Vincent D’Onofrio, 1959
David Alan Grier, 56, 1955
Leonard Whiting, 1950
Patricia Schroeder, 1940
Nancy Dussault, 1936
Harry Blackstone, Jr., 1934
Susan Hayward, 1919
Lena Horne, 1917
Czeslaw Milosz, 1911
William Almon Wheeler, 1819

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Johnny Carson Show"(TV), 1955
"Guiding Light"(TV), 1947
"Brenda Starr, Reporter"(Comic strip), 1940

Today in History:

Jews are expelled from Berne Switzerland, 1294
The Spaniards are expelled from Tenochtitlan, 1520
Native American forces under Blue Jacket attack Fort Recovery, Ohio, 1794
French acrobat Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope, 1859
The 1860 Oxford evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History takes place, 1860
The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal; it arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4, 1886
Albert Einstein publishes the article "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", in which he introduces special relativity, 1905
The Tunguska event, probably caused by a meteor or comet fragment, occurs in remote Siberia, 1908
The Regina Cyclone hits Regina, Saskatchewan, killing 28; it remains Canada's deadliest tornado event, 1912
Congo gains independence from Belgium, 1960
The first leap second is added to the UTC time system, 1972
The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the $1 coin, known as the Loonie, 1987
East Germany and West Germany merge their economies, 1990
The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, 1997
After nearly 7 years in space, the Cassini spacecraft becomes the first to orbit the planet Saturn, 2004
The Molecule of the Year 2011 is announced, BMP7 (Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7), a potential therapeutic utility for recurrent metastatic disease, 2012

Our vet, Dr. Bea, has a copy of this sign in her office, and i think it says it all:

They do have it down, don't they!

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

A happy, blessed and beautiful Canada Day to all in that beautiful country!

Today is

Canada Day -- Canada

Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day -- a great way to start off Ice Cream Month; try a new one and you just might find a new favorite.

Day to Celebrate All the World's Creatures -- commemorates the day in 1975 that endangered species became internationally protected.

Distressed Elves Day -- Fairy Calendar

Dixon Petunia Festival: The Pink. The Proud. The Petunias. -- Dixon, IL, US (food, entertainment, fun, and petunias! through Sunday)

Doctors' Day -- India

Emancipation Day -- Sint Maarten

Full Buck Moon a/k/a Full Thunder Moon or Full Hay Moon; related observances
     Adhi-Esala Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka
     Waso Full Moon / Dhamma Cakka Day -- Myanmar

Grand Teton Music Festival -- Teton Village, WY, US (a summer celebration of classical music with the world's finest artists and in the spectacular setting of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; through Aug. 15)

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day -- Hong Kong

Hug a Cowboy Day -- always on Canada Day

Independence Day -- Burundi(1962); Rwanda(1962)

Intact Day -- celebrating genital integrity, as far as possible from the Feast of the Circumcision on Jan. 1

International Chicken Wing Day -- some sites say the 2nd, celebrate today or tomorrow, your choice

International Joke Day -- as declared by many internet sites, but i can't find out why today; then again, why not?

International Reggae Day

International Tartan Day -- anniversary of the repeal, in 1782, of the Act of Proscription which banned the wearing of Tartans; celebrated especially by Scottish diaspora in Australia; New Zealand

July Morning -- Bulgaria (dates back to the '70s, young and old people hitchhike to the Black Sea in late June to greet the dawn of July 1 with Uriah Heep's hit song July Morning; began as a suble anti-communist protest, now in memory of the fall of communism and to celebrate the start of summer vacation)

Keti Koti -- Suriname (Emancipation Day)

Madeira Day -- Madeira

Memorial Day -- Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Mount Fuji Official Climbing Season begins -- Japan (through Aug. 31)

Moving Day -- Quebec, Canada

National Boating Day -- US

National Ducks and Wetlands Day -- US (presidential designation in 1990)

National Financial Freedom Day -- can't find how this one started, but it's as good a day as any to take a good look at your finances, and start learning how to better manage them.

National Gingersnap Day

Republic Day -- Ghana; Somalia

Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo -- Halifax, NS, Canada (through the 8th)

Skiraphoria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of cutting and threshing the grain)

Sir Seretse Khama Day -- Botswana

St. Serf of Culross' Day (patron of the Orkney Islands)

Sts. Cosmas and Damian's Day -- Eastern Catholic Churches
     Holy Healers' Day -- Bulgaria (a special festival for the two saints/brothers who were healers; celebrated especially by all healers, fortune-tellers, witches, sorceresses and herbalists)

Territory Day -- British Virgin Islands

U.S. Postage Stamp Day -- first US postage stamp issued this day in 1847

Yukon Gold Panning Championships -- Dawson City, YT, Canada

Zip Code Day -- US (inaugural anniversary in 1963; when you mail that letter, zip it up! no zip, slow trip; wrong zip, long trip)

Anniversaries Today:

Prince Albert II of Monaco marries Charlene Whittstock, 2011
Haleakala National Park established, HI, US, 1961
Mammoth Cave National Park established, KY, US, 1941
Dwight D. Eisenhower marries Mamie Geneva Dowd, 1916

Birthdays Today:

Hilary Burton, 1982
Liv Tyler, 1977
Ruud Van Nistelrooy, 1976
Missy Elliott, 1971
Pamela Anderson, 1967
Andre Braugher, 1962
Princess Diana, 1961
Carl Lewis, 1961
Michelle Wright, 1961
Alan Ruck, 1956
Dan Aykroyd, 1952
Deborah Harry, 1945
Karen Black, 1942
Genevieve Bujold, 1942
Twyla Tharp, 1941
Jamie Farr, 1934
Jean Marsh, 1934
Leslie Caron, 1931
Farley Granger, 1925
Olivia DeHavilland, 1916
William James "Willie" Dixon, 1915
Estee Lauder, 1906
Charles Laughton, 1899
Thomas Andrew Dorsey, 1899
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot, 1872
Ignaz Semmelweis, 1818
George Sand, 1804

Debuting/Premiering Today:

CourtTV(Network, now TruTV), 1991
"Nick at Nite"(TV), 1985
"The Liberace Show"(TV), 1952
"Mama"(TV), 1949
NBC(Network, first scheduled TV broadcast ever), 1941

Today in History

Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor, 69
La Noche Triste: a joint Mexican Indian force led by the Aztec ruler Cuitláhuac defeat Spanish Conquistadores led by Hernán Cortés, 1520
Lexell's Comet passed closer to the Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching to a distance of 0.0146 a.u., 1770
American privateers attack Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, 1782
A system of the civil registration of births, marriages and deaths is established in England and Wales, 1837
U.S. Postage stamps went on sale for the first time, 1847
In the first instance of photojournalism, a French photographer's daguerrotypes of Paris riots were turned into woodcuts so as to be published in the weekly newspaper L'Illustration Journal Universel on this date in 1848
Keti Koti (Emancipation Day) in Suriname, marking the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands, 1863
The British North America Act of 1867 takes effect as the Constitution of Canada, creating the Canadian Confederation and the federal dominion of Canada; Sir John A. Macdonald is sworn in as the first Prime Minister of Canada, 1867
The Philadelphia Zoological Society, the first US zoo, opens; admission twenty-five cents for adults and ten cents for children, 1874
The world's first international telephone call is made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States, 1881
SOS is adopted as the international distress signal, 1908
Grant Park Music Festival begins its tradition of free summer symphonic music concert series in Chicago's Grant Park, which continues as the United States' only annual free outdoor classical music concert series, 1935
NBC makes the first scheduled television broadcast, 1941
Tokyo City merges with Tokyo Prefecture and is dissolved; since then, no city in Japan has had the name "Tokyo" (present-day Tokyo is not officially a city), 1943
The merger of two princely states of India, Cochin and Travancore, into the state of Thiru-Kochi (later re-organized as Kerala) in the Indian Union ends more than 1,000 years of princely rule by the Cochin Royal Family, 1949
Zip Codes are introduced for the U.S.mail, 1963
The first color television transmission in Canada takes place from Toronto, 1966
The European Community is formally created out of a merger with the Common Market, the European Coal and Steel Community, and the European Atomic Energy Commission, 1967
Sony introduces the Walkman, 1979
O Canada officially becomes the national anthem of Canada, 1980
German re-unification: East Germany accepts the Deutsche Mark as its currency, thus uniting the economies of East and West Germany, 1990
The People's Republic of China resumes sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule, 1997
Saturn orbit insertion of Cassini-Huygens begins at 01:12 UTC and ends at 02:48 UTC, 2004
Smoking is banned in all indoor public spaces in England, 2007
The oldest European remains of a white man are discovered in Australia; the Manning River Skull may belong to a man born in 1650, predating the country's history that Captain James Cook was the first to land on Australia's east coast in 1770, 2013

Feline Friday: Our Own Grumpy Cat

Where's Art When You Need Him?

Silly Sunday: Joys of Aging

Awww Monday: Don't Hate Me Because I Am Beautiful

Shooby-dooby-doo

Wordless Wednesday: Dilemma Resolved

Phone Untangling.

Feline Friday: His Line of Work

No Spooning Around Here

Silly Sunday: Unexpected

Awww Monday: Up to Your Eyeballs in Kittens

Ups and Downs

What i hear at work.

Clouds and Coffee

Feline Friday: Perspective

Just another day.

Silly Sunday: Enjoying the Flowers

Awww Monday: Unique Litter

No, i don't want their job!

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Wordless Wednesday: They Have It Covered