messymimi's meanderings

A few weeks ago, while we were on vacation, Little Girl's close friend Annie came by each day and took care of our cats. (She was earning money for her mission trip to Guatemala, and it was her first year doing it for us. Though i was afraid she would be overwhelmed by our numbers -- no kittens, just all the adult cats -- she did a great job. She can have the job every year from now on, as far as i am concerned.)

Now it's Little Girl's turn, as Annie's family is on a weekend family reunion getaway to the shore. We are watching Vandy.

Vandy

Vandy is a pure bred Basenji, and he's very strong for his size and fast as he can be. He is so strong that a few weeks ago he pulled Annie's mother right off her feet and she ended up with a huge black eye where she hit the pavement. He even made Festus, who is over 6 feet tall and weighs over 200 lbs., stagger when he pulled on the leash unexpectedly.

Little Girl is keeping him part time at his house, and part time at ours. He began his adventures here by, when Little Girl tied his leash to our front porch column like we used to do with the Hazelnut so she could grab his water bowl that was just inside the door, chewing through his leash and high-tailing it back home, with Little Girl in hot pursuit.

You can tell that the cats have mixed feelings about this.

Link's language has been downright forcible.

Dansig doesn't seem to mind too much, but Link is using the worst language i've ever heard out of him, everyone else is staying clear, and even the kittens are preparing to sell their lives dearly.

Misha wants no part in this adventure.

At night, he sleeps in Little Girl's room, looking very down in the dumps, she tells me. He misses his family.

During the day, she keeps him mostly over at his house, where she is enjoying spending a lot of time reading in the peacefully quiet and empty house.

He's mostly a good dog, and as i've said before, if i didn't have to walk one every day and if i could trust myself not to let the training slip up, i'd have a dog. The cats might not agree, so maybe it's for the best that i just enjoy everyone else's dogs and stick to what i know i can handle.

Today is

Anne Hutchinson Memorial Day -- Portsmouth, RI, US (honoring Anne Marbury Hutchinson, co-founder of Portsmouth, in 1638)

Codman Estate Antique Auto Show -- Codman Estate, Lincoln, MA, US (a day to appreciate antique and classic cars, trucks, motorcycles, and fire engines)

Coldest Day Ever -- the lowest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was -89.2 *C (-128.6 *F; 184.0 *K) at the Soviet Vostok Station in Antarctica on this day in 1983

Concours D'elegance -- Forest Grove, OR, US (one of the premier vintage auto shows in the US)

Dornach Commemoration Day -- Dornach Battlefield and nearby city of Solothurn, Switzerland (victory in 1499 which ended the Swabian War)

Feast of Damo -- Ancient Greek Calendar (keeper of secrets of philosophy; daughter of Greek sages, Pythagoras and Theano, date approximate)

Feast of the Redeemer -- Venice, Italy (a procession of gondolas commemorating the end of the epidemic of 1575)

Galla Bayramy -- Turkmenistan (celebration of the wheat harvest)

Hemingway Birthday Celebration -- Hemingway Museum, Oak Park, IL, US

Independence Day / National Day -- Belgium(1830)

Kazanskaya -- Russia (Feast of Our Lady of Kazan)

Lakota Sun Dance -- Lakota Native Americans (festival of the sun god Wi, with offerings to Maka (mother earth) and Haokah (father sky), both aspects of Creator Tukaskanskan; dating approximate, as outsiders are usually no longer allowed at these multi-day ceremonies)

Liberation Day -- Guam (1944; from Japan)

Lucaria -- Ancient Roman Calendar ("Feast of Clearings", with prayers said as land was cleared for planting)

Luxembourg Beer Festival -- Diekirch, Luxembourg

National Ice Cream Day -- by US Presidential proclamation on the 3rd Sunday of July each year; at this time of year, the trick is to eat it fast enough that it doesn't melt, but not so fast that you get a brain freeze!

National Junk Food Day

Racial Harmony Day -- Singapore

Ragbrai / Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa(TM) -- Iowa, US (the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world; through the 27th)

Sapporo Summer Festival -- Odori Park, Sapporo, Japan (through Aug. 20, the park becomes a beer garden)

Schoelcher Day -- French West Indies; Martinique (Schoelcher worked for abolition)

St. Lawrence of Brindisi's Day (Patron of Brindisi, Italy)

St. Praxedes' Day (Patron of single laywomen)

Touch Hammer's Birthday Bargain Day -- Fairy Calendar

Tug-Of-War Tournament Day -- if you have a problem with someone today, solve it with an old fashioned tug-of-war!

Birthdays Today

Hatty Jones, 1988
Josh Hartnett, 1978
Jon Lovitz, 1957
Michael Connelly, 1956
Robin Williams, 1951
Cat Stevens, 1948
Kenneth Starr, 1946
Norman Jewison, 1926
Don Knotts, 1924
Kay Starr, 1922
Isaac Stern, 1920
Marshall McLuhan, 1911
Ernest Hemingway, 1899

Today in History

Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, BCE 356
A tsunami devastates the city of Alexandria, Egypt, 365
The first landing of French troops on the coast during the French invasion of the Isle of Wight, 1545
Twenty-four-year-old Scottish physician and explorer Mungo Park became the first European to see the Niger River, the third longest river in Africa, 1796
In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots and kills Davis Tutt in what is regarded as the first true western showdown, 1865
At Adair, Iowa, Jesse James and the James-Younger Gang pull off the first successful train robbery in the American Old West, 1873
Louis Rigolly, a Frenchman, becomes the first man to break the 100 mph (161 km/h) barrier on land, driving a 15-liter Gobron-Brille in Ostend, Belgium, 1904
In Dayton, Tennessee, high school biology teacher John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching evolution in class and fined $100, 1925
Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin become the first men to walk on the Moon, during the Apollo 11 mission, 1969
After 11 years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed, 1970
The world's lowest temperature is recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica at -82.9*C (-129*F), 1983
The fully restored USS Constitution (aka "Old Ironsides") celebrates her 200th birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years, 1997
NASA's Space Shuttle program ends with the landing of Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-135, 2011

Well, to others, it might not be news, but i'm searching for another title and coming up empty.

Young Jacob, friend of both #1 and #2 Son and a maintenance worker at the same place where Sweetie works is back on restriction from driving from his epilepsy. This time, it will be for a year, but only if they get it under control.

He will, therefore, need rides to and from work, which highlights how sad it is that we have such a terrible public transportation system here.

Our cat Hope, the mildly mentally retarded one, is not doing too well. Most cats with her condition don't live very long lives, and she has been having "digestive difficulties" lately. While i will spare the gory details, i can tell you that it is no fun having to unplug a plugged up cat. There is no "purr" in purgative.

Misha is eating dry food, and occasionally licking some formula from a bowl. Collins is right behind him, attempting to nibble the dry stuff, too. They aren't too far from being big enough to go up for pre-adoption. There are four more behind, them -- it was three, and a fourth was found and fit right in.

The dog, Vandy, has gone home. His visit was enjoyable, but our house is not set up for a dog. Like most Basenjis, he is mostly mute, very seldom making any noises. The funniest line heard at our house while he was here was when he did actually bark at a knock at the door and Bigger Girl yelled, "If it's any of those annoying religious people, let's sic the dog on them!"

And that is all i can think of for today, as yesterday was church and i am still chewing on the sermon. It was the kind i like, it takes days and days to digest, which makes for an interesting week.

Today is

Aphrodisia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (bathing festival of Aphrodite and Peitho [Persuasion]; through tomorrow)

Asalhka Puja Day -- Buddhism (Buddhist "Lent" begins)

Festival of Boredom and Reverie -- Fairy Calendar

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

Hammock Day -- don't know who came up with this one, but at the height of the dog days, it seems appropriate; on some sites listed as Summer Leisure Day

International Childbirth Education Awareness Day -- can't find confirmation on this, but if you're going to have a kid, it's not a bad idea to get educated about what to expect!

King Father's Birthday -- Swaziland

La Guelaguetza a/k/a Los Lunes del Cerro -- Oaxaca, Mexico (folk dance, music and costumes, an extension of the celebrations of the Lady of Carmel, which used to be the feast of Xilonen, goddess of tender corn; now celebrated on two consecutive Mondays)

National Penuche Fudge Day

Pi Approximation Day (22nd day of month 7; 22/7 is the approximation of Pi)

Ratcatcher's Day -- celebrated by the British dating of the Pied Piper story; celebrated June 26 in Hamelin, Germany

Revolution Day -- The Gambia

Soma-Nomaoi Festival -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (Wild-Horse Chasing, a four day festival in which a thousand horsemen, clad in ancient armor, compete for possession of three shrine flags, and along the Hibarigahara Plain, men clad in white costumes attempt to catch wild horses)

Spooners Day (Spoonerism -- Named for William Archibald Spooner, English cleric and scholar who once fussed at a student because "You hissed my mystery lesson," told a groom it was "kisstomery to cuss the bride," and once accidentally referred to Queen Victoria as "the queer old Dean.")

St. Mary Magdalene's Day (Patron of apothecaries, contemplative life and contemplatives, converts, druggists, glove makers, hairdressers and hair stylists, penitent sinners, penitent women, people ridiculed for their piety, perfumeries and perfumers, pharmacists, reformed prostitutes, tanners, women; Anguiano, Spain; Atrani, Salerno, Italy; Casamicciola, Italy; Elantxobe, Spain; Foglizzo, Italy; La Magdaleine, Italy; against sexual temptation)
   Stilt Dance Day -- Anguiano, Spain (a special stilt dance performed on the Feast of the city's patron, St. Mary Magdalen)

Birthdays Today

Madison Pettis, 1998
Selena Gomez, 1992
Daniel Jones, 1973
Rufus Wainwright, 1973
Shawn Michaels, 1965
David Spade, 1964
Willem Dafoe, 1955
Alan Menken, 1949
Albert Brooks, 1947
Don Henley, 1947
Danny Glover, 1946
Estelle Bennett, 1944
Bobby Sherman, 1943
Alex Trebek, 1940
Terrence Stamp, 1939
Louise Fletcher, 1934
Oscar De la Renta, 1932
Orson Bean, 1928
Bob Dole, 1923
Amy Vanderbilt, 1908
Alexander Calder, 1898
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1890
William Archibald Spooner, 1844

Today in History

King Edward I of England and his longbowmen defeat William Wallace and his Scottish schiltrons outside the town of Falkirk, 1298
The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I in the Battle of Dornach, 1499
A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony, 1587
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean becoming the first Euro-American to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada, 1793
In the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rear Admiral Nelson is wounded in the arm, and part of it is amputated, 1797
Death of Josef Strauss, Austrian composer, 1870
First ever motorized racing event is held in France between the cities of Paris and Rouen. The race is won by Comte Jules-Albert de Dion, 1894
Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world traveling 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes, 1933
Dezik and Tzygan become the first of Russia's Space Dogs, making a sub-orbital flight, which they both survived, 1951
Japan completes its last reparation to the Philippines for war crimes committed during WWII, 1976
Martial law in Poland is officially revoked, 1983
The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, 1997
Norway is the victim of twin terror attacks, on government buildings in Oslo and a youth camp at Utoya, 2011

"Well, mom, i've found out just how used to their living conditions our horses are." Bigger Girl had just gotten in from work.

What happened this time? i asked.

"We had borrowed a stallion from another research area, because the researchers wanted to be using some fresh stock for trying to predict genetic traits, and the plan was to allow them to mate naturally, but the mare wouldn't cooperate. So we opened the gate, and Badger didn't even need to be led in. He ran across the field, came in, she moved her tail, they mated, and he turned around and ran right back into his pasture. It all took less than a couple of minutes. Those horses are just too much into a routine!"

Sounds like it, although it's obviously one they like, i noted drily.

"Oh, and someone brought a cake!" she continued.

Who?

"We don't know. It was in the break room, and it sat there all day, totally untouched. No one I talked to knew who brought it, so we didn't want to touch it, although I really wanted to take one of the Oreos off the top. Anyway, as the day went by, and everyone walked around it and ignored it, I started thinking 'The cake is a lie!' You know, like in the movie Portal, where the computer promises cake but it's a lie."

So now you don't know if the Oreos were even there, do you?

"Nope. But mom, I've decided I want to find the ultimate joke that will end crime and injustice and bring about world peace. Think about it, World Peace Through Humor!"

Let me know when you find it, i told her.

Meanwhile, a funny sign that might not bring about world peace, but may make you smile. This past Good Friday, a local Catholic Church had a sign outside that said, "He is Risen! No Bingo Tonight."

Today is

Birthday of Emperor Haili Selassi I -- Rastafari

Flag Day -- Abkhazia

Gorgeous Grandma Day -- a day to celebrate those who age, date, and mate in style!

Hot Enough For Ya Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays as the only day on which you may utter these words; any other day, and you will get high fived on the back of the head! ;)

Hurricane Supplication Day -- US Virgin Islands

Mayan Sun Festival -- honoring Ahau Kin, the sun god, date approximate

National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

Neptunalia and Salcia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god and goddess of the ocean and wide seas, celebrates Neptune in his role as god of irrigation)

Private Eye Day -- internet generated

Remembrance Day -- Papua New Guinea

Renaissance Day -- Oman (celebrates the accession of Qaboos bin Said Al Said, 14th Sultan of Oman)

Revolution Day -- Egypt

St. Apollinaris' Day (Patron against epilepsy, gout; of Aachen, Germany; Burtscheid, Germany; Düsseldorf, Germany; Ravenna, Italy; Remagen, Germany)

St. Bridget of Sweden's Day (Patron of widows; Europe; Sweden)

St. Phocas the Gardener's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, boatmen, farm workers, farmers, field hands, gardeners, husbandmen, mariners, market-gardeners,sailors, watermen)

Warei Shrine Summer Festival -- Warei Shrine, Uwajima City, Japan (through tomorrow, includes "bull-sumo", a non fatal type of bull fighting, where the bulls try to push each other out of the ring)

Anniversaries Today

Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson, 1986
Coronation of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, 1999

Birthdays Today

Daniel Radcliffe, 1989
Michelle Williams, 1980
Nomar Garciapara, 1973
Marlon Wayans, 1972
Charisma Carpenter, 1970
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967
Woody Harrelson, 1961
Lamont "ShowBoat" Robinson, 1961
Don Imus, 1940
Don Drysdale, 1936
Bert Convy, 1933
Amalia Rodrigues, 1920
Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, 1918
Arthur Treacher, 1894
Haile Selassie I, 1892
Raymond Chandler, 1888

Today in History

William Austin Burt patents the Typographer, a precursor to the typewriter, 1829
The Province of Canada is created by the Act of Union, 1840
The Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, the world's oldest international sport federation, is founded, 1881
The Ford Motor Company sells its first car, 1903
Fox Film buys the patents of the Movietone sound system for recording sound onto film, 1926
Telstar relays the first publicly transmitted, live trans-Atlantic television program, featuring Walter Cronkite, 1962
The International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling within 4 years, 1982 *
Air Canada Flight 143 runs out of fuel and makes a deadstick landing at Gimli, Manitoba, 1983
Comet Hale-Bopp is discovered, 1995
Cape Verde becomes the 153rd member of the World Trade Organization, 2008

*Don't I wish that had worked!

It was, indeed, one of the days where i needed a laugh.

The two youngest are in summer school not because of failing, but to see about getting them further in some academic goals more easily. It means i am still spending at least an hour a day, and sometimes two hours, driving them out there and picking them up four days a week.

So it is a big deal to me, in time and gas wasted, when we get out there and the school is closed and i didn't know, which is what happened yesterday.

The teacher/principal and her sister secretary/bookkeeper were not to blame though. It was a family emergency. After several years of their elderly father battling cancer and getting progressively weaker and more and more stubborn about the fact that he and his wife can take care of themselves anyway, she fell and broke her hip.

In their family, i think this will bring the crisis to a head and her father will have to give in and realize that they cannot continue to live in their home and do everything for themselves.

It's a shame it had to come down to this, though.

So i'm glad today is "Tell an Old Joke" Day, because it gives me an excuse to trot out a few things.

Little Johnny was obviously not paying attention to his math lesson, so the teacher suddenly called out, "Johnny, what are 4, 2, 28, and 44?"

Thinking quickly, he answered, "NBC, ABC, HBO, and Cartoon Network!"

The woman was out shopping for furniture for her daughter's room, and they had selected the pieces they wanted. As the salesman wrote up the order, he needed information for the delivery, so he asked, "First name?"

"Elizabeth," the woman replied.

"What!" yelled the daughter. "I thought your name was Mommy!"

There was a medical convention in N'Awlins, an' Dr. Boudreaux had come in from Carencro to attend. He and a group of surgeons got to talking about which patients were the easiest to operate on.

"It's the accountants," noted one. "Everything inside them is numbered!"

"Well, I have to disagree," said a second. "I like electricians because it's all color coded."

"You should try librarians," noted a third. "Everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

"Give me construction workers every time," a fourth noted. "After all, they are very understanding when you have a few parts left over."

"Well, you all be wrong!" Dr. Boudreaux noted. "The easiest patients are the politicians! There's no heart, no brains, no guts, no spine, and the head and the hind end are interchangeable!"

To finish off, a joke from Bigger Girl During all of the hoopla over the Royal Birth, her response to everyone clamoring to see the new heir as soon as possible had her say, "I feel sorry for his parents. You'd think everyone could wait at least until the new baby smell wears off!"

Today is

Amelia Earhart Day

Children's Day -- Vanuatu

Chincoteague Pony Round Up -- Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, VA, US (through tomorrow)

Cousins Day -- because cousins are wonderful people to have around! sponsored by Claudia Evart of New York City, who must have had great cousins

Festival of St. Eloi -- French Basque

Jakaba Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (beginning of St. James' [Jacob] Festival, whose day is tomorrow; the beginning of hay harvest)

Jilwalla Jinks' Jamboree -- Fairy Calendar

National Drive Through Day -- but only if you won't pass out from the heat when you roll down the window! on the founding date of Jack-in-the-Box, the first drive through burger chain

National Tequila Day -- celebrate North America's first native-born distilled spirit

Oregon Brewers Festival -- Portland, OR, US (81 microbreweries from across the nation showcase their best, including rare, hard-to-find, and exotic beers; through Sunday)

Pioneer Day -- Mormon Christian

Pop a Wheelie Day -- before, not after, the tequila, please; a hospital visit is no fun

Public Opinion Day -- the first public opinion poll was published this date in 1824!

Simon Bolivar Day -- Ecuador; Venezuela

Sts. Boris and Gleb's Day (Patrons of princes; Moscow, Russia)

St. Christina the Astonishing's Day (Patron of all with mental handicaps, disorders, or illnesses, and mental health care workers, psychiatrists and therapists; against insanity and mental disorders)

St. Christina of Bolsena's Day (Patron of archers, mariners, millers)

Sumarauki -- Iceland (their calendar's extra days added to take into account the "drift" of the calendar from the moon phases)

Tell an Old Joke Day

Tenjin Matsuri -- Tenmangu Jinja, Osaka, Japan (one of Japan's 3 major festivals, through tomorrow)

Birthdays Today

Bindi Irwin, 1998
Dhani Lennevald, 1984
Anna Paquin, 1982
Summer Glau, 1981
Eric Szmanda, 1975
Jennifer Lopez, 1969
Barry Bonds, 1964
Linda Carter, 1951
Michael Richards, 1949
Ruth Buzzi, 1936
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, 1900
Chief Dan George, 1899
Amelia Earhart, 1897
Oswald Chambers, 1874
Alexandre Dumas, pere, 1802
Simon Bolivar, 1783
John Newton, 1725 (wrote Amazing Grace)

Today in History

Death in Kyoto, Japan, of Kamo no Chomei (b. 1155), Japanese author, poet (waka) and essayist, critic of Japanese vernacular poetry and major figure of Japanese poetics, 1216
Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands strike against a ban on foreign beer, 1487
Jacques Cartier plants a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and takes possession of the territory in the name of Francis I of France, 1534
Mary, Queen of Scots, is forced to abdicate and replaced by her 1-year-old son James VI, 1567
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds the trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701
A Spanish treasure fleet of 10 ships under Admiral Ubilla leaves Havana, Cuba for Spain; on the 31st, all ships will be lost and come to be known as the !715 Treasure Fleet, 1715
Slavery is abolished in Chile, 1823
The first opinion poll was carried out in Delaware, USA, 1824
Benjamin Bonneville leads the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains by using Wyoming's South Pass, 1832
After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young leads 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City, 1847
The first tramway opened in England, 1861
Tennessee becomes the first U.S. State to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War, 1866
Captain Matthew Webb, who was the first person to swim the English Channel, drowned while trying to swim the rapids above Niagara Falls, 1883
O. Henry is released from prison in Austin, Texas after serving three years for embezzlement from a bank, 1901
Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, "the Lost City of the Incas", 1911
The passenger ship S.S. Eastland capsizes while tied to a dock in the Chicago River. A total of 844 passengers and crew are killed in the largest loss of life disaster from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes, 1915
The first insulin treatment is carried out, on a six-year-old girl, at St Guy's Hospital, London, 1925
The Kellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect, 1929*
The dust bowl heat wave reaches its peak, sending temperatures to 109°F (44°C) in Chicago and 104°F (40°C) in Milwaukee, 1935
During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! ("Long live free Quebec!"), 1967
The Quietly Confident Quartet of Australia wins the Men's 4 x 100 metre medley relay at the Moscow Olympics, the only time the United States has not won the event at Olympic level, 1980
Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, is sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, becoming the first monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office, 2001
Lance Armstrong wins his 7th consecutive Tour de France, 2005

*Nice try, fellas.

"Would you be able to take me to get my ID tomorrow?" Young Jacob had been dropped at our house for a visit, as he cannot drive for a while. Epilepsy that's not fully controlled and driving do not mix.

Sure, i told him, what time do you want me to pick you up?

"Well, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, too, but I lost my wallet again, so I want to go get a replacement ID before I see the doc."

That, i told him, can by handled by the "mini DMV" as i call it, the one that only does certain things, like replacing a lost ID. They open at 8am -- do you want to wait in line before or after they open?

"Before. Could you pick me up a bit after 7am? It's out on Hoover Road."

Sure. After i turn from the highway onto Hoover, what next?

"Take a left onto the gravel road that's right after the long, green fence, and I'll be waiting at the end of the driveway."

And that is why, the next morning, bright tailed if not bushy eyed after feeding kittens at 5am, i was pulling onto a gravel driveway all the way out on Hoover Road at 7:20 in the blessed morning, as my father sometimes says.

"Thank you so much!" Young Jacob said, as he climbed in.

How long did you have to wait? i asked.

"Not long, but I don't have an alarm clock and the Game Boy that I sometimes use died because I played for four hours straight and I can't find the charge cord, so I was afraid I overslept."

What about your phone? i asked.

"Oh, I haven't been able to find it, either, since I ran off the road the other day. But I did find this one in my truck, and I don't know where it came from. So I'm going to put some minutes on it and use it until I can buy one."

Is there anything you haven't lost lately? i asked.

"My mind," he said with a smirk.

Good for you, i told him, as i lose mine regularly.

"Yeah, with your kids, I can imagine. Each of yours is a special apple, that's for sure. Even #1 Son. Did you know he is scared of the new place I'm moving to?"

Oh, you are moving?

"Yeah, to be closer to work. Walking distance. I'll be rooming with a guy I've known for several years. It's over behind the dog park, you know the area? It's really not a great neighborhood, but I've been hanging around there for years with my friend, so the people out there know me and won't be telling me I'm the white boy on the wrong end of town. But your son, he's scared of the place, and when I take him there, he won't roll the windows down!"

It's sad, i thought to myself, that there are still parts of any town in this country where people might feel unsafe for being the wrong race. Something is still fundamentally wrong with that.

So, i asked, after you get your ID, what will you do?

"Oh, my mom will be picking me up in a couple of hours to take me to the doctor."

You mean, you plan to just hang around here until then? i asked as i pulled into the parking lot.

"Yeah, I guess I'll find out how good I am at entertaining myself."

Well, how about instead i wait with you, as it's only 20 minutes until they open and we will be first in line, and then you can come back you my house. Your mom has dropped you there before, and it's just around the corner from your doctor, so i could take you if she runs into a problem.

"You wouldn't mind that?" he asked.

Of course not, i said, and i meant it. It really did only take us about 8 minutes after the doors opened.

A bit of a side story here. Little Girl lost her phone a while back. She has been convinced that she had it in the usual spot when she went to sleep one night, but it wasn't there in the morning. She has torn the room apart and cleaned it thoroughly multiple times, and looked all through the rest of the house, too.

The afternoon after i had run Young Jacob on his errand, my phone rang. Imagine my surprise when the call ID said it was Little Girl's phone!

As i answered, i just had a weird feeling, and i was right.

"Hi, do you know whose phone this is?" Young Jacob asked.

Yes, i answered, it is my daughter's phone that she has been looking for since forever!

At that moment i smiled over at Little Girl, and her eyes opened widely in surprise.

:"Where is it? Who has it?" she yelled.

It's Young Jacob, and you must have left it in his truck, i told her.

"How! What! I thought it was in the house! And I've torn stuff apart looking!" she sputtered.

Well, i said into the phone to Young Jacob, she's been without it this long, you go ahead and use it for a few days until you can replace your own, i'll send the charge cord to work with Sweetie tomorrow.

"Thank you, again!" he said.

Just don't lose it! i said, and he laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't," he said, and hung up.

Well, i said to both girls, at least we now know what happened to that phone. You dropped it in Young Jacob's truck when he gave you a ride to the store.

At that moment, Bigger Girl piped up, "That's one mystery in life down, ten million more to go."

Today is

Act Like A Caveman Day -- internet generated, just to be fun, especially if your neighbors think you are crazy anyway

Annie Oakley Days Festival -- Greenville, OH, US (keeping alive the legacy of "Little Miss Sure Shot" with a shooting contest today as well as a pilgrimage to her grave, then tomorrow starts the Melodrama performances, ugly boot contest, Family Fun Games, and more; through Sunday)

Bayreuther Festspiele -- Bayreuth, Germany (Wagner festival, through Aug. 28)

Be Adamant About Something Day -- it's good practice

Berne Swiss Festival -- Berne, NE, US (Swiss food, dancing, yodeling, a stein-toss, and lots more family fun; through Saturday)

Calgary Folk Music Festival -- Calgary, AB, Canada (one of Calgary's biggest and most fun festivals ;through Sunday)

Commonwealth Constitution Day -- Puerto Rico

Culinarian's Day -- another one here because of the internet, but a good excuse to let your inner chef go wild, and enjoy the results

Ebernoe Horn Fair -- Sussex, England (ancient horn fairs were pagan fertility rites, now just a fun time for all)

Eve of the Hathor Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of the Knee-Knockers -- Fairy Calendar

Furrinalia -- Ancient Etruscan Calendar (Furrina, goddess of the sacred grove and spring on Janniculum hill)
      also Ancient Roman Calendar (to honor those who searched for underground water sources)

Great Texas Mosquito Festival -- Clute, Texas, US (Annual salute to the fact that if you can't beat 'em, and when it's mosquitoes, you can't, you might as well celebrate 'em. There's something for all ages, including the Skeeter Beaters Baby Crawl, a Mosquito calling contest, and a Mr. & Mrs. Mosquito Legs Contest, plus games, rides, carnival food, and more; through Saturday)

Guanacaste Day -- Costa Rica

Guayaquil Day -- Guayaquil, Ecuador

Ilyap'a -- Ancient Inca Calendar (festival of the lightning god; date approximate)

National Chili Dog Day

National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

Nova Scotia Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Festival -- Bible Hill, NS, Canada (Canada's longest running bluegrass festival and a great event for the whole family; through Sunday)

Quilt Odyssey 2013 -- Hershey, PA, US (national quilt competition, through Sunday)

Republic Day -- Tunisia

St. Christopher's Day (Patron of archers, automobile drivers/motorists, bachelors, boatmen, bookbinders, busdrivers, cab drivers,epileptics, fruit dealers, fullers, gardeners, lorry drivers, mariners, market carriers, porters, sailors, taxi drivers, transportation/transporation workers, travellers, truck drivers/truckers, watermen; Baden, Germany; Barga, Italy; Brunswick, Germany; Fubine, Italy; Havana, Cuba; Mecklenburg, Germany; Rab, Croatia, St. Christopher's Island; Saint Kitts; Toses, Girona, Calalonia, Spain ;for a holy death; against bad dreams, epilepsy, floods, hailstorms, lightning, pestilence, storms, sudden death, toothache)

St. James' Day (The Apostle, brother of St. John and son of Zebedee, the first Apostle martyred; Patron of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, arthritis sufferers, blacksmiths, equestrians and horsemen, furriers, knights, laborers, pilgrims, soldiers, tanners, veterinarians; Altopascio, Lucca, Italy; Antigua, Guatemala; Bangued, Philippines; Brentino Belluno, Italy; Caltagirone, Italy; Cassine, Italy; Chile; Cicala, Catanzaro, Italy; Comitini, Italy; Compostela, Spain; Galicia, Spain; Gavi, Italy; Guatemala; Hettstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany; Jemez Indian Pueblo; Loiza, Puerto Rico; Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Montreal, Canada; Nicaragua; Pistoia, Italy; Rivarolo Canavese, Italy; Sahuayo, Mexico; Seattle, Washington; Spain; Tesuque Indian Pueblo; against arthritis and rheumatism; sometimes called Jacob, the Latinized version of his name, also Iago and Jaques in Romance languages) related observances
     Dia Nacional de Galicia -- Galicia, Spain (National Day of Galicia, a/k/a Apostole Santiago, St. James the Apostle's Day)
     The Pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela -- Galicia, Spain (one of the world's largest pilgrimages still, to the church that has the supposed relics of St. James, culminates on the Saint's feast day)
     Loiza Aldea Fiesta -- Puerto Rico

Birthdays Today

Brad Renfro, 1982
Louise Brown, 1978
Matt LeBlanc, 1967
Walter Payton, 1954
Barbara Harris, 1935
Estelle Getty, 1923
Walter Brennan, 1894
Maxfield Parrish, 1870

Today in History

Diocletian appoints Maximian as Caesar, co-ruler, 285
Constantine I is proclaimed Roman emperor by his troops, 306
The Edict of Pistres of Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings, 864
Sebastián de Belalcázar, on his search for El Dorado, founds the city of Santiago de Cali, Colombia, 1536
Don Diego de Losada founds the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas, modern-day Caracas, the capital city of Venezuela, 1567
Henry IV of France publicly converts from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism, 1593
James VI of Scotland is crowned James I of England, bringing the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into personal union; political union would occur later, 1603
Ignacio de Maya founds the Real Santiago de las Sabinas, now known as Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, México, 1693
British governor Charles Lawrence and the Nova Scotia Council order the deportation of the Acadians; thousands of Acadians are sent to the British Colonies in America, France and England, and some later move to Louisiana, while others resettle in New Brunswick, 1755
Horatio Nelson loses more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife (Spain), 1797
Costa Rica annexes Guanacaste from Nicaragua, 1824
The first commercial use of an electric telegraph is successfully demonstrated by William Cooke and Charles Wheatstone between Euston and Camden Town in London, 1837
The Japanese daimyo begin returning their land holdings to the emperor as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms, 1869
Kikunae Ikeda of the Tokyo Imperial University discovers that a key ingredient in Konbu soup stock is monosodium glutamate (MSG), and patents a process for manufacturing it, 1908
Sir Thomas Whyte introduces the first income tax in Canada as a "temporary" measure, 1917
The first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast takes place, 1920
Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) is established, 1925
At Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team, 1946
Italian ocean liner SS Andrea Doria collides with the MS Stockholm in heavy fog and sinks the next day, killing 51, 1956
The Republic of Tunisia is proclaimed, 1957
Louise Brown, the world's first "test tube baby" is born, 1978
Israel and Jordan sign the Washington Declaration, which formally ends the state of war that had existed between the nations since 1948, 1994
K.R. Narayanan is sworn-in as India's 10th president and the first Dalit— formerly called "untouchable"— to hold this office, 1997
Air France Flight 4590, a Concorde supersonic passenger jet, F-BTSC, crashes just after takeoff from Paris killing all 109 aboard and 4 on the ground, 2000
Pratibha Patil is sworn in as India's first woman president, 2007
Wikileaks publishes classified documents about the War in Afghanistan, one of the largest leaks in U.S. military history, 2010

If only we could all share like this.

Sharing.

The buff is Misha, the black is Collins. They are from different litters, but are now brothers. They eat and drink from the same bowl and are always together.

Today is

Aberdeen International Youth Festival -- Aberdeen, Scotland (talented young people in all areas of performing arts and from around the world participate; through Aug. 3)

All or Nothing Day -- no history on this one, but it's supposed to be the day you decide to live as if it's going to be your last!

Antique Power and Steam Exhibition -- Burton, OH, US (over 100 antique engines show they can still cut the mustard -- or saw the logs, thresh the grain, etc.; through Sunday)

Arcadia Daze -- Arcadia, NY, US (lots of family friendly fun in this scenic village; through Sunday)

Aunt and Uncle Day -- originally proposed on this day in 2005 by Florida State Senator Tony Hill; if you have aunts and uncles you love, why not give them a call today

Bele Chere -- Asheville, NC, US (the largest outdoor free festival in the Southeast US; through Sunday)

Dia de la Rebeldia -- Cuba (Revolution Anniversary)

Dodge City Days -- Dodge City, KS, US (a celebration of Western heritage; through Aug. 4)

Farm Heritage Days -- American Farm Heritage Museum, near St. Louis, MO, US (celebrating America's farm heritage; through Sunday)

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

Festival of Sleipnir -- Norse Pagan (date approximate, honored Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir)

Gilroy Garlic Festival -- Gilroy, California (the part of the world that grows more of our garlic than anywhere else, where you can almost marinate a steak just by hanging it on the clothesline in the breeze, celebrates the stinky rose; through Sunday)

Gold Discovery Days -- Custer, SD, US (bed races and pancake breakfast, children's fair and more; through Sunday)

Green Corn Ceremony -- Native Americans (thanksgiving for the maize harvest; these are celebrated by many tribes in many different ways and are not generally scheduled as they depend on how the corn grows; some have with rites including a Thanksgiving Prayer, Confession Chant, and Feather Dance; the Santa Ana Pueblo holds an annual Corn Festival on this date each year that is open to the public)

Groovy Chicken Day -- don't ask, just enjoy

Independence Day -- Liberia(1847); Maldives(1965)

Iowa Storytelling Festival -- Clear Lake, IA, US (come listen to professional and amateur storytellers in the scenic lakeside setting, and including a story exchange for novice storytellers; through tomorrow)

Kargil Vijay Diwas -- India (Kargil Victory Day)

Langholm Common Riding -- Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland (a traditional riding of the bounds, with lots of celebrating, begins 5am and ends 9:30pm)

Lieksa Brass Week -- Lieksa, Finland (the world's finest brass music in various styles by international class musicians; through August 3rd)

Lumberjack World Championships -- Hayward, WI, US (the world's greatest lumberjacks face off in the "Olympics of the Forest"; through Saturday)

Mutomboko Ceremony -- Luapula Province, Zambia (among the Lunda of the Kazembe kingdom, a rich celebration of African cultural heritage, traditional dances and music, and sponsored by the Royal Family; through tomorrow)

National Coffee Milkshake Day

Nuzul Al-Quraan -- Brunei; Malaysia (Quran Revelation Day)

One Voice Day -- readings around the world of the Universal Peace Covenant, sponsored by the School of Metaphysics

Otaru Tide Festival -- Otaru Wharf, Otaru City, Japan (one of Japan's biggest sea festivals, through the 28th)

Racial Desegregation Day -- date in 1944 the US Army ordered training camp facilities desegregated, and the date in 1948 President Truman signed the order integrating the US armed forces

Schools Tree Day -- Australia (because National Tree Day is always a Sunday, the schools participate in planting trees the Friday before)

St. Anne's Day (traditional name given to the mother of Mary; Patron of broommakers, cabinetmakers, carpenters, childless people, equestrians, expectant mothers, grandmothers, grandparents, homemakers, horse men, horse women, housewives, lace makers, lace workers, lost articles, miners, mothers, old-clothes dealers, poor people, pregnancy, pregnant women, riders, seamstresses, stablemen, turners, women in labour; Canada; France; Micmaqs; over 20 cities around the world; against poverty and sterility)

St. Joachim's Day (traditional name given to the father of Mary; Patron of fathers, grandfathers, grandparents; Adjuntas, Puerto Rico)

System Administrator Appreciation Day

Talk in an Elevator Day

UFO Days -- Elmwood, Wisconsin, US (Wisconsin's UFO capital, visit the petting zoo, shop at the community wide thrift sale, take part in the fun run, softball games, medallion hunts, bed races, and dances; watch the crowning of Miss Elmwood, the tractorcade, the car and truck show, the nightly fireworks, and stage bands; let the kids have a ball in the greased pig race and kiddie water fight; enjoy the Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast and the bake sale; and no need to miss church Sunday morning, bring a lawn chair for the ecumenical service so you don't miss a moment of the fun and excitement! through Sunday)

Wonderful Drinks Day -- Fairy Calendar

Anniversaries Today

New York becomes the 11th US State, 1788
Signing of the American's With Disabilities Act, 1990

Birthdays Today

Kate Beckinsale, 1973
Sandra Bullock, 1964
Kevin Spacey, 1959
Angela Hewitt, 1958
Dorothy Hamill, 1956
Roger Taylor, 1949
Helen Mirren, 1945
Mick Jagger, 1943
Dobie Gray, 1940
Stanley Kubrick, 1928
Blake Edwards, 1922
Jason Robards, Jr., 1922
Vivian Vance, 1912
Gracie Allen, 1902
Aldous Huxley, 1894
Carl Jung, 1875
George Bernard Shaw, 1856
The United States Postal Service, 1775

Today in History

The first recorded women's cricket match took place near Guildford, England, 1745
The birth of what would later become the United States Post Office Department is established by the Second Continental Congress, 1775
The Surrey Iron Railway, often considered the world's first public railway, opens in south London, 1803
In California, the poet and American West outlaw calling himself "Black Bart" makes his last clean getaway, 1878
Premiere of Richard Wagner's Parsifal at Bayreuth, 1882
Publication of the Unua Libro, founding the Esperanto movement, 1887
United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation), 1908*
King Edward VIII, in one of his few official duties before he abdicated the throne, officially unveiled the Canadian National Vimy Memoria, 1936
The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election of July 5 by a landslide, removing Winston Churchill from power, 1945
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council, 1947
U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military of the United States, 1948
Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution, 1953
Syncom 2, the world's first geosynchronous satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta B booster, 1963
The National Assembly of Quebec imposes the use of French as the official language of the provincial government, 1977
A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 1989
Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, bringing the city to a halt for over 2 days, 2005

*Yes, the grand-nephew of Napoleon I started the FBI -- I'm not sure why that seems so odd to me.

Twenty-eight years ago today, and it was a Saturday, too i woke up early (as i usually do), cooked breakfast for any who wanted it, with the help of my Grandma Rosie, and by the end of the day, i was married.

It's been an interesting 28 years. It has included two moves, five pregnancies, a few minor car accidents, surgeries, nights in the ER with sick/injured kids, health crises, and more good times than you could shake a stick at.

All the years represent a lot of "time real estate" that includes so much more than can be listed in a simple post.

Twenty-eight years of meals shared and vacations survived. Twenty-eight years of me putting up with Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, and his resentfulness that his brother married and he didn't.* Twenty-eight years of Sweetie putting up with my mother, whom we all love dearly but she has her quirks. All the car breakdowns, kid meltdowns, church meetings, diapers changed, dishes washed, horrible home repairs, fabulous days celebrated -- everything, in short, that makes up life.

Do i have the strength for more? Only if i'm given them in the usual way you live them, one day at a time.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie. Hold on, because, knowing our family, the ride will only get wilder and crazier from here.

*Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, and Sweetie are identical twins, but The Mouth is high functioning autistic, with all that it entails. As i always say, if i had married him instead, i would be a widow and a felon, because i would have killed him!

Today is

Afrma Fancy Rat & Mouse Display -- Riverside, CA, US

Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (pre-1963 power and sailing yachts, river parade, and Rum Runners Rendezvous celebration; through tomorrow)

Barbie-in-a-blender Day -- while i get why we do it to Barbie, what did your blender do to deserve this? originally thought of by Freeculture.org, to defend our rights to comment on cultural icons, whether they are trademarked/copyrighted or not

Bugs Bunny Day -- the "wascally wabbit" made his debut in A Wild Hare, released on this day in 1940

Day of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus -- date on the Julian Calendar, these are the legendary saints who, upon persecution by the Emperor Decius and being walled up in a cave to die as martyrs, instead slept for over 200 (in the Koran, yes, they are mentioned there, it is 300) years; based on an even more ancient legend and the prototypes of Rip Van Winkle; related observances
     National Sleepy Head Day -- Finland (the last person in the house to wake on this day is awakened with water, either thrown on him/her or the person is thrown into water; in honor of the story of the Saints of Ephesus)
     Seven Sleepers Day -- Ancient Latvian Calendar
     Siebenschlafer -- Germany (a weather prognostication day, if it rains today, there will be rain for seven weeks more)

Hanover Dutch Festival -- Hanover, PA, US (celebrating the area and it's heritage)

Iglesia Ni Cristo Day -- Philippines

Ipip Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (festival for working on the king's tomb; date approximate)

Jose Celso Barbosa Day -- Puerto Rico

National Blunt Object Day -- this one is just weird, and no one wants to take the blame for starting it, either

National Creme Brulee Day

National Dance Day -- go out and bust a move on a Saturday night (but don't bust you, please)

National Day of the Cowboy -- US (celebrating the heritage, and those who still work as cowboys/cowgirls today)

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day

National Scotch Day

Over-The-Moon Night (Cows and Spoons) -- Fairy Calendar

"Paddle for Perthes" Disease Awareness Day -- to promote awareness of the children's condition called Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

St. Pantaleon's Day (Patron of bachelors, physicians, torture victims; against tuberculosis)

Sumidagawa River Fireworks Festival -- Tokyo, Japan (one of Japan's largest fireworks festivals)

Take Your Houseplants For a Walk Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which claims doing this will orient them to their position on the earth and make them healthier (some websites mistakenly call it take your pants for a walk day!)

Taylor Horsefest -- Taylor, ND, US (big enough to be fun, small enough to get you lots of time with the stars of the show, the horses! through tomorrow)

Victory Day -- North Korea

Walk on Stilts Day -- at your own risk always; sponsored by Bill "Stretch" Coleman, the Nine Foot Clown, who encourages everyone to walk on stilts to foster a chance to develop self-confidence, master balance and coordination, enjoy the challenge, and celebrate daring accomplishments at all ages

War Martyrs' and Invalids' Day -- Vietnam

Whitstable Oyster Festival -- Whitstable, Kent, England (celebrating the areas famed and protected oysers, Ostrea edulis; through next Saturday)

Birthdays Today

Ashlyn Sanchez, 1996
Cheyenne Kimball, 1990
Alex Rodriguez, 1975
Triple H, 1969
Maureen McGovern, 1949
Peggy Fleming, 1948
Betty Thomas, 1947
Bobbie Gentry, 1944
Gary Gygax, 1938
Jerry Van Dyke, 1931
Norman Lear, 1922
Alexandre Dumas, fils, 1824
Queen Hatshepsut, BC1508

Today in History

Siward, Earl of Northumbria invades Scotland to support Malcolm Canmore against Macbeth of Scotland, who usurped the Scottish throne from Malcolm's father, King Duncan; Macbeth is defeated at Dunsinane, 1054
Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan, 1549
The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports, 1663
A Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England, 1694
The Russian Navy defeats the Swedes atthe Battle of Grengam, 1720
The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (later renamed Department of State), 1789
Robespierre is finally arrested, 1794
The Atlantic Cable is successfully completed, allowing transatlantic telegraph communication for the first time, 1866
Researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the hormone insulin, 1921
The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny, 1940
RMS Titanic, Inc. begins the first expedited salvaging of wreckage of the RMS Titanic, 1987
A pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, US, during the Summer Olympics, 1996
Photograph negatives purchased at a garage sale prove to be early works by photographer Ansel Adams, 2010

Yesterday was busy, so today, a couple of jokes (while i'm off teaching Sunday school). (And yes, i'm always a little bit off, but that's beside the point.)

All the high school football coaches in Louisiana have a conference once a year, and no one wants to have to share a room at the hotel with Coach Boudreaux from Breaux Bridge, because he snores so bad. Since none of them can afford to pay for a separate room, they have to take turns.

The first night, it was Coach Arceneaux from Mamou's turn. The next day, he come down to breakfast with bags under his eyes and looking awful, and he say, "Oh, man, that Coach Boudreaux! He snore so bad, ya! I din't get no wink o' sleep, I was up all night watching him!"

That night, it was Coach Thibodeaux from Iota's turn. Man, the next morning, he looked even worse than Coach Arceneaux had, and he say, "Oh, I hope I don' ever have to sleep wit' dat Coach Boudreaux again! I din't sleep at all, I was up all night watching him!"

Then it was Coach Gautreaux from Ville Platte's turn. The next morning, he comes down looking fresh as a daisy. Everyone axed him, "What happen? Din't you have to sleep in the room wit' Coach Boudreaux?"

And Coach Gautreaux he say, "Yes, and so I tucked him in bed real nice, and kiss him goodnight on the cheek, and he spent all night watching me!"

Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, and Gauthier used to get together every month and go to the pool hall and play for the prizes. None of them ever won until one night when all three won a prize -- Gauthier won a big ol' pot of gumbo donated by that new restaurant down the street, Thibodeaux won two nights at the Red Roof Inn in Lafayette and tickets for two to the local bar to see the Mamou Playboys perform, and Boudreaux, he won a toilet brush.

The next month, on the way to the pool hall, they compared how they had liked the prizes they had finally won after so long playing pool there.

Gauthier say, "Oh, man, me an' my wife, we done love that gumbo! It was so good, and dere was so much, it las' us t'ree days, we don' have to cook!"

An' Thibodeaux, he say, "Well, let me done tol' you, dat Red Roof Inn is top! Oh, it is plush! An' dem Mamou Playboys, dey is so good, you would t'ink dey is from Ville Platte!"

Den Boudreaux, he say, "Well, I like me de toilet brush okay, but I t'ink I'm gone go back to using paper."

Today is

Anniversary of the Fall of Fascism -- San Marino

Day of Commemoration of the Great Upheaval a/k/a Expulsion of the Acadians Day -- Canada

Festival of Domhnach Chrom Dubh -- Ireland (Black Crom's Sunday, associated with the god Lugh and connected to the festival of Lammas; also connected to John Barleycorn, the personification of the grain, who is killed by being harvested at this time; many honor St. Patrick's Fast by making a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick, where he fasted until he overcame the pagan deity Crom Cruach [Crom of the Reek])

Festival of Hedjihotep -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of weaving; date approximate)

Geneva Arts Fair -- Geneva, IL, US (a juried event that is becoming one of the top such events in the US; through tomorrow)

Heyannir month commences -- Icelandic Calendar (Harvest Month, literally translates "Hay Working")

Imp-Handling Conference -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Peru(1821)

International Bog Day

Liberation Day / Anniversary of the Fall of Fascism -- San Marino

Mi'kmaq Pilgrimage to St. Ann Mission -- Mi'kmaq First Nations of Canada and Maine

Nagasaki Peiron Senshuken -- Nagasaki, Japan (two day dragon boat racing festival begun in the 17th century)

National Milk Chocolate Day

National Tree Day -- Australia

Olavsokuaftan (Olavsoka Eve) and the Olai Festival -- Faroe Islands (St. Olav's Eve, the night before the opening of Parliament and the festival of St. Olav; through tomorrow)

Parent's Day -- US

Procession of the Penitents -- Veurne, Belgium (passion play dating back to the 15th century)

Ranggeln -- Mt. Hundstein, Germany (traditional form of wresting, called ranggeln, in honor of St. Jacob's Day [which most celebrate on July 25]; this particular festival harks back to the pre-Christian Lughnasadh celebrations, which went through Aug. 1 and contained athletic events)

Soma-Nomaoi -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (three day wild horse chase which recreates a battle from over 1,000 years ago)

St. Arduinus of Trepino's Day (Patron of Trepino, Italy)

Terry Fox Day -- born in Winnipeg on this date in 1958, he raised $24 million for cancer research by running over 3,000 miles on an artificial leg before his death in 1981 at age 23

Valencia Fair Battle of the Flowers -- Valencia, spain (conclusion and highlight of the Valencia Fair, with a parade and thousands of carnations thrown from floats, making a magical carpet of petals for all to enjoy)

World Hepatitis Day -- International

Anniversaries Today

Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard, 1540
The first Singing Telegram is delivered, 1933

Birthdays Today

Hugo Chavez, 1954
Sally Struthers, 1948
Jim Davis, 1945
Rick Wright, 1945
Bill Bradley, 1943
Phil Proctor, 1040
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, 1929
Earl Tupper, 1907
Rudy Vallee, 1901
Joe E. Brown, 1892
Beatrix Potter, 1866

Today in History

Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of treason, 1540
Bermuda is first settled by Europeans, survivors of the English ship Sea Venture en route to Virginia, 1609
Maximilien Robespierre is executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution, 1794
Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina, 1865
The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, guaranteeing due process and establishing citizenship for African Americans is certified, 1868
First flight of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1935
The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad foils a bullion robbery in the "Battle of London Airport", 1948
The Tangshan earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 moment magnitude flattens Tangshan, the People's Republic of China, killing 242,769 and injuring 164,851, 1976
Andorra joins the United Nations, 1993
Australian Ian Thorpe becomes the first swimmer to win six gold medals at a single World Championships, 2001
The Provisional Irish Republican Army calls an end to its thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland, 2005

Bigger Girl had convinced me to go see Shakespeare's Twelfth Night at the local university, performed by students.

It was merriment indeed. You can perform Shakespeare with all the elaborate costuming, the big budget, the big name actors, the fabulous locations, and it can be awful.

Or, you can have a bunch of college students who are so obviously in love with what they are doing, that they take one simple set on a small, intimate stage, some very simple costumes and props, and their sheer joy at performing and turn out a masterpiece.

This was such a masterpiece. They had cut some of it, so it wasn't a full 3 hours. Their Malvolio was the only non-student and a member of the local acting guild, and he set the tone they followed. He came across as pompous as my Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, can be, and that's saying a lot. Even when they supposedly woke him and he came out in a cape and boxers to fuss at the drunk Sir Toby, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Feste, his expression was one of daring anyone to laugh, although of course we all did.

Orsino looked like a very young version of Chris Sarandon, who played Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride. You could believe this man was deeply passionate. Viola and Sebastian were cast so well that they not only did resemble each other, they had similar mannerisms and you could really believe they were brother and sister.

Olivia was one not to take guff off of Sir Toby, and Feste, the jester, rolled across the stage and had such fun you wanted to get up and have fun with him.

Maria capered about so prettily that it was easy to forgive her for her part in the tricks. Antonio and the Officer who arrested him had a sword fight that had people in the front row of the tiny theater leaning back a bit in their seats, you could tell they meant business.

The singing was joyful, exactly in keeping with the setting and one of the supporting cast had the prettiest soprano voice i have heard in a long time.

We were both glad we went, although it did mean that i skipped out on attending Bedside Baptist yesterday afternoon. If you've got a local secondary school or university with a drama department full of people who love what they do and do it well, go see a performance some time. You just might be surprised.

Today is

Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day (Buy your cheese that will be sacrificed on Cheese Sacrifice Day, and no, I never have found out why there is a Cheese Sacrifice Day anyway or to whom you are supposed to sacrifice it.)*

Chicken Wings Day -- Buffalo, NY, US (they want it to be a national day, and maybe someday it will be)

Experimental Aircraft Association Airventure -- Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, WI, US (world's largest sport aviation event, through Sunday)

Feast of St. Martha, Virgin, Dragon Charmer, Sister of Lazarus (Patron of butlers, cooks, dieticians, domestic servants, homemakers, hotel keepers, housemaids, housewives, inkeepers, laundry workers, maids, manservants, servants, servers, single laywomen, travellers; Villajoyosa, Spain, which village she saved on her feast day by sending a flash flood to wash away the Moorish invaders in 1538)

Fiesta de Santa Maria Ribarteme (a/k/a Festival of Near Death Experiences) -- As Neves, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain (festival of Mary in which those who have come back from near death are carried to the shrine in open coffins, or walk there clad in shrouds)

International Tiger Day

NASA Day -- marking the day President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act into law, creating NASA

National Anthem Day -- Romania

National Lasagna Day

National Thai Language Day -- Thailand (Wan Phasa Thai Haeng Chat)

Photograph Your Children When They're Not Looking Day -- get a good, candid shot to enjoy

Rain Day Festival -- Waynesburg, Pennsylvania (yes, it has rained at 113 out of the 138 observances of this festival on this date)

Runic Half-Month Thorn begins (defense)

St. Lazarus' Day -- date given in the Martyrologium Romanum; celebrated on Lazarus Saturday by most Eastern Churches and on Dec. 17 in most Western Churches

St. Olaf's (Olav) Day (Norway's Viking king; pPtron of carvers, difficult marriages, kings; Norway)related observances
     Olavsoka -- Faroe Islands (opening of Logting, or Parliament; a National Day, on the Feast Day of St. Olav)
     Oslok Eve -- Norway (celebrating the valiant death of their hero on this evening at the battle at Stiklestadt in 1030)
     sometimes associated with Thor's Day among the Norse and Thunor of the Anglo-Saxons

Territory Day -- Wallis and Futuna

*"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be oversophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk's leap toward immortality." Clifton Fadiman

Anniversaries Today

Mary, Queen of Scots, marries Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, 1565
Charles, Prince of Wales, marries Lady Diana Spencer, 1981

Birthdays Today

Wanya Morris, 1973
Julian McMahon, 1968
Martina McBride, 1966
Marilyn Quayle, 1949
Peter Jennings, 1938
Elizabeth Dole, 1936
Paul Taylor, 1930
Melvin Belli, 1907
Clara Bow, 1905
Dag Hammarskjold, 1905
Stanley Kunitz, 1905
Benito Mussolini, 1883
Alexis de Tocqueville, 1805

Today in History

King Olaf II fights and dies trying to regain his Norwegian throne from the Danes, 1030
James VI is crowned King of Scotland at Stirling, 1567
English naval forces under command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake defeat the Spanish Armada off the coast of Gravelines, France, 1588
John Graves Simcoe decides to build a fort and settlement at Toronto, having sailed into the bay there, 1793
Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, 1836
In Tipperary, an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule is put down by police, 1848
The First Hague Convention is signed, 1899
Sir Robert Baden Powell sets up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole Harbour on the south coast of England; this is regarded as the foundation of the Scouting movement, 1907
The International Atomic Energy Agency is established, 1957
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President of France François Mitterrand sign the agreement to build a tunnel under the English Channel, 1987
The film Cry Freedom is seized by South African authorities, 1988
Astronomers announce the discovery of Eris, the largest dwarf planet in the solar system, 2005

"Cows! Too many cows!" Bigger Girl was home, and she had obviously been working with cows that day.

So, what did you do with cows today? i asked.

"We had to ultrasound and flush. And there are so many! And it gets boring, the same thing over and over. so I started thinking. You know how the government sometimes sells old, empty missile silos? Well, what if somebody bought one and turned it into a fake 'supervillain lair" for people to take tours?

"Think about it," she continued. "The owner could dress up like the villain and give tours, and it could be interactive, and he could give out pamphlets about why he wants to rule the world!"

It does sound like something some people would want to do, i noted drily.

"Plus, it would be something different in the 'comic superhero' world, which has gone crazy lately. I mean, the latest Young Avengers stuff is awful! I came up with a better plot line and I was half asleep!"

Yes, i'm sure you did, i said.

"Anyway, I like plot twists and really interesting character development. The latest stuff has them killing off so many of their own characters it's awful! And when they reworked some of the characters, they made them look like children instead of adults. Maybe Stan Lee was drunk when he approved all of this."

"He's been appearing in a bit part in every one of the latest movies," Little Girl said, walking in.

Really?

"Yes, doing cameos, so it's a challenge, try to find him in the movie is the idea," she added.

Oh, i noted, like Hitchcock used to do!

"Yes, but old Alfred was nuts!" Bigger Girl said. "I mean, think about it, he tied birds to a woman and tried to hit on her! He was insane! Who ties birds to a woman, and then sexually harasses her?"

Well, he did, and it's a shame, i said. She deserved better than to be blacklisted because she wouldn't give him what he wanted.

"That's for sure," Bigger Girl said. "But anyway, I thought about how I would design a supervillain lair if I had an old, empty missile silo while I was working with all those cows. I think that's what saved my sanity today."

Glad to know it's intact, i grinned, and turned back to chopping onions.

Today is

Dia del Amigo -- Paraguay

Father-in-Law Day -- unsponsored and unclaimed, but fathers-in-law deserve respect, too

Feast of the Throne -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Festival of Fortuna Huiusque Diei -- Ancient Roman Calendar ("Fortune of the Present Day")

Friendship Day -- UN

Herbal Ballooning -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day -- Vanuatu(1980)

Kronia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Kronos as god of the harvest; date approximate)

Martyr's Day -- South Sudan

National Cheesecake Day

Paperback Day -- anniversary of the 1935 publication of Penguin #1, Arial, A Life of Shelley, by Andre Maurois in London, the first successful series of paperback books

Sumiyoshi Matsuri -- Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Osaka, Japan (Osaka's last major summer festival, through Aug. 1)

Sts. Abdon and Sennen's Day (Patrons of barrel makers and coopers; the ashes of ferns cut and burned on this day will keep away insects and unwanted guests)

Anniversaries Today

Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, marries Michael Tindall, 2011

Birthdays Today

Hilary Swank, 1974
Tom Green, 1971
Vivica A. Fox, 1964
Lisa Kudrow, 1963
Laurence Fishburne, 1961
Kate Bush, 1958
Delta Burke, 1956
Jean Reno, 1948
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1947
Paul Anka, 1941
Peter Bogdanovich, 1939
Buddy Guy, 1936
Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, 1933
Thomas Sowell, 1930
Sid Krofft, 1929
Christine McGuire, 1926
Henry W. Bloch, 1922
Casey Stengel, 1891
Henry Ford, 1863
Georg Wilhelm von Siemens, 1855
Emily Bronte, 1818

Today in History

City of Baghdad is founded, 762
The First Defenestration of Prague, 1419
Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage, 1502
At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs, which set the tone for French-Iroquois relations for the next one hundred years, 1608
In Jamestown, Virginia, the first European style representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time, 1619
An earthquake in Naples, Italy kills 10,000 people, 1629
Baltimore, Maryland is founded, 1729
Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly-built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers, 1756
First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps,1859
Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, agreeing to stop the harassment of emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah, 1863
In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first Football World Cup, 1930
Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short, 1932
A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto, 1956
US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid, 1965
David Scott and James Irwin on Apollo Lunar Module module, Falcon, land with first Lunar Rover on the moon, 1971
Six Royal Canadian Army Cadets are killed and fifty-four injured in an accidental grenade blast at CFB Valcartier Cadet Camp, 1974
Jimmy Hoffa disappears, 1975
In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line, 2003

My mornings start early, and yesterday was no exception. It's no fun to start a morning by stepping into the laundry room, where the A/C unit is in the utility closet, and feel water.

It's happened for years, for many reasons, but i knew rain was not the cause, as it hasn't rained that much and i could hear the water dripping in the utility closet.

Ouch. We live in a swamp, and summer can be awful without cool air. Yes, people lived through summers here for years and years without it. Yes, i'm pretty heat tolerant (until even i get so hot that my heart trouble bothers me). Yes, we have limped through a couple of summers with only the one small room with the room unit A/C working and no central. It's still not pleasant, and we are just not used to it.

So i put in the call early to the home warranty company to get on their list. They then contact a local contractor, who is supposed to call me.

Only, the local contractor never called. Not even a call to ask for information, much less to set up a service call.

We are blessed that Sweetie's work has an in house guy who used to work with an A/C company. He comes each summer and cleans the outdoor unit, and tests it, and makes sure we are good for the summer, and for a lot less than a regular company charges. When Sweetie told Kurt what was going on, he told us it had a simple solution, and offered to come by after work to fix it.

Now, i rather knew what the problem could be, or might be, because our old unit used to do this. It meant a drain was clogged, and that it needed to be blown out and have some bleach poured down it to keep it clear. When the old unit used to clog, i would dig out the garden hose, hook it up to the drain hose, and turn the water on. That would clear it out every time.

With this unit, though, i'd never been shown how to access or clear the drain, which is a PVC pipe and not a hose, anyway. So i decided to wait for someone to show me.

By the time Kurt got off work at 3:30pm, i still hadn't heard from the service contractor, but i hadn't canceled the call. He came over, showed me how to clear the drain, put in the bleach, we changed the filter, and in under 20 minutes i had cool air again.

While bailing out the drip pan into the sump pump, we also managed to test the pump, and it worked great, also. At least i now know it's still in good shape, if we ever do need it.

Instead of a deductible for a service call, i gave Kurt the $20 he asked for and told him that Sweetie will also treat him to lunch one day this week at work. It's worth it, the deductible is much more than that.

Then i called the warranty company and told them, politely, that their contractor never even bothered to call me, and that i was not best pleased with their service. Also that i no longer needed the service that day, and that it was a good thing, too, as i was not enjoying the symptoms i was beginning to have.

Today, i am very grateful that, although i spent a most unpleasant afternoon being so hot that i couldn't even cook, our A/C is working again, and i now know how to clear the drain myself, and keep it clear.

Today is

Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day

Cotton Candy Day

Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola -- (Founder of the Jesuits, especially revered in Spain; Patron of retreats, soldiers, and the Society of Jesus which he founded; Basque country; Bilbao, Spain; Bizkaia, Spain; Gipuzkoa, Spain; Guipuscoa, Spain; Guipúzcoa, Spain; Spiritual Exercises (by Pope Pius XI); Vizcaya, Spain)

Friendship Festival -- Lathrop, Missouri, US (this year's theme is "Mule Dynasty"; through Saturday)

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai -- Hachinohe City, Japan (one of the most elaborate neputa festivals, through Aug. 4)

Halifax International Busker Festival -- Halifax, NS, Canada (with action packed, mind blowing shows from around the globe; through August 5)

Jump for Jellybeans Day

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day -- Hawai'i (State Flag Day)

Lammas Eve / Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot -- Norse harvest festival with a "blot", or offering, to the gods, celebrated through tomorrow

Loki and Sigyn's Day - Asatru / Norse Pagan (aka Devoted Couples Day)

Maine Lobster Festival -- Rockland, ME, US (more fun than a lobster can shake a tail at; through Sunday)

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day -- summer's almost over, make the most of the days we have left!

Moby Dick Marathon -- aboard the last US wooden whaler, the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (through tomorrow, from noon to noon, a marathon reading of Moby Dick in honor of Melville's birthday)

Mutts' Day -- because mutts deserve a day as much as purebreeds do!

National Raspberry Cake Day

St. Germanus' Day (Patron of Auxerre, France)

St. Joseph of Arimathea's Day -- Eastern Orthodox Church (Patron of funeral directors)

Birthdays Today

Eric Lively, 1981
Dean Cain, 1966
J.K. Rowling, 1965
Jim Corr, 1964
Wesley Snipes, 1962
Bill Berry, 1958
Michael Biehn, 1956
Evonne Goolagong, 1951
Barry Van Dyke, 1951
Geraldine Chaplin, 1944
Ted Cassidy, 1932
Curt Gowdy, 1919
Milton Friedman, 1912

Today in History

Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide, BC30
The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji, 781
Thessalonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city, 904
The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect, 1492
On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus
becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad, 1498
Aurangzeb is proclaimed Moghul emperor of India, 1658
The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1667
Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers, 1703
The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Marquis de Lafayette "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions[sic], he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States," 1777
First U.S. patent is issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process, 1790
Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city, 1856
The first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Australia, 1865
The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time, 1930
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius in Persepolis, 1938
First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, 1954
At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning because of rain, 1961
The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, 1970
Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover, 1971
NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, 1976
A rare, class F4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage, 1987
Georgia joins the United Nations, 1992
Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro, 2006
Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end, 2007

It's August already?

That means today is Link's birthday! He's a year old now.

Link, at close to a week old, if i'm remembering correctly.

A year ago today, someone came to the shelter with the tiniest newborn kitten i had ever seen. He looked like a premie, a runt, or both, so small his head was barely as wide as my thumb. He had been found alone, his mama had him and abandoned him.

Little Girl loved him from the start, and in a moment of sheer insanity i allowed her to convince me to adopt him. After all, her sister has Little Girlie and #2 Son had Dansig, so it wouldn't be fair to not allow her to keep one special cat.

A year later, here he is.

Link, by Little Girl's feet, waits for a treat.

They dote on each other, and Link still likes it when she puts her pinkie out for him to suck on, just like when he was a fussy kitten.

Happy Birthday to Link!

Happy August to Everyone!

And yes, both of my daughters make it a point to always wear odd socks, unless they are dressing up for something. Just another interesting fact of life in my little nuthouse.

Today is

Air Force Day -- US (declared by President Truman in 1947)

Anniversary of the Founding of Scouting -- first day of Brownsea Island Camp in 1907, where Robert Baden-Powell began Scouting

Armed Forces Day -- Lebanon

Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival -- Davenport, IA, US (fifteen bands at 3 venues and a great time for all; through Sunday)

Blessing of the Waters -- Whitstable, Kent, England (ceremony dating back to 1657, this event is held to appease the cruel seas and give thanks for its bounty; held during the community's annual Oyster Festival)

Emancipation Day -- Barbados; Guyana; Jamaica; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and Grendines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands

Emancipation Day -- Bermuda (first day of the Cup Match)

Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Jesus / Procession of the Cross and Dormition Fast -- Orthodox Christian

Feast of Kamal (Perfection) -- Baha'i

Festival at Sandpoint -- Lake Pend Oreille, Sandpoint, ID, US (internationally renowned summer concert series in a casual and relaxed atmosphere; through the 11th)

Fiesta de Santo Domingo -- Managua, Nicaragua (patron saint; through the 10th)

Girlfriends' Day -- a day to celebrate the women who enrich your life

Harriet Quimby Day -- first woman to earn a pilot's license, this date in 1911

Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri -- Hirosaki, Japan (through the 7th, parade and purification ritual to rid the the town of future illness and bad fortune)

Homowo -- Ghana (a festival of thanksgiving and remembrance, among various groups of Ga peoples, all through August and September.)

Imps Charity Scramble -- Fairy calendar (Do they scramble the imps, or do the imps scramble for something? The fairies keep their own counsel on this, but i'd love to know.)

Independence Day / National Day -- Benin(1960)

Kalends of August -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances
     Feast of Spes (personification of hope)
     Festival for Victoria (goddess of victory)

Lammas Day / Lammac Tide -- Christian, a Cross Quarter Day (called the Gule of August in Wales, and known as August Eve and Lady Day Eve)

Liberation of Haile Selassie -- Rastafari

Lughnassad / Imbolc -- Wicca and Pagan (based in the Northern Hemisphere on the Celtic Feast of Bread, beginning of the harvest season)

Minden Day -- British Armed Forces

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival -- Asheville, NC, US (celebrating the cultural heritage of the southern Appalachian Mountains; through Saturday)

Nagaoka Festival -- Nagaoka, Japan (through the 3rd, samuri procession, traditional music and dances, fireworks)

National Day -- Switzerland (where it is also called Swiss Confederation Day, when Switzerland became a single unit in 1291)

National Minority Donor Awareness Day -- US (bringing awareness to the fact that there are fewer minorities who are organ donors)

National Non-Parent Day -- sponsored by The National Organization for Non-Parents and No Kidding!

National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Parents' Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo

"Pastimes of Colonial Virginia" Theme Month -- Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, VA, US & Yorktown Victory Center, Yorktown, VA, US (Games and other diversions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are shown through hands-on activities and interpretive programs, play a variety of games, including whirligigs, corncob darts, ninepins, quoits, mancala and nine-men's morris all through the month of August)

Quilt Exhibition -- Billings Farm, Woodstock, VT, US (a juried show, demonstrations and other activities; through Sept. 22)

Ribfest -- Kalamazoo, MI, US (live festival and cook off; through Saturday)

Rockhound Gemboree -- Bancroft, ON, Canada (expeditions to prime mineral locations as well as dealers, demonstrations, swapping, and the chance for rockhounds to have a great time; through Sunday)

Rounds Resounding Day -- sponsored by Rounds Resounding Society (Grab your friends and sing a few songs that go in rounds, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Frere Jacques".)

Satchmo Summerfest -- New Orleans, LA, US (because one jazz festival in this city is never enough; through Sunday)

Social Resistance Day -- North Cyprus

Spiderman Day -- he first appeared today in Amazing Fantasy #15, released Aug. 1, 1963

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori's Day (Founder of the Redemptorists, a/k/a Ligourians; Patron of confessors, final perseverence, moralists, scrupulous people, theologians, vocations; Pagani, Italy; Sant'Agata de' Goti, Italy; against arthritis, scrupulosity disorder)

Yorkshire Day -- Yorkshire, England

Anniversaries Today:

Colorado becomes the 38th US State, 1876
MTV begins broadcasting, 1981
World Wide Web

Birthdays Today:

Tempestt Bledsoe, 1973
Robert Cray, 1953
Jerry Garcia, 1942
Yves Saint Laurent, 1942
Dom DeLuise, 1933
Herman Melville, 1819
Francis Scott Key, 1779
William Clark, 1770

Today in History:

The future Caesar Augustus, Octavian, enters Alexandria, Egypt, and brings it under the control of Rome, BC30
Japan sends Ono no Imoko to the Sui court in China as envoy, 607
The Swiss Confederation is formed with the signature of the Federal Charter, 1291
Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile drive the Jews out of Spain, 1492
Henry Tudor, soon to be Henry VII, sails with his army to England, 1495
The first black Americans arrive in Jamestown, Virginia, 1619
Oxygen is "discovered" for the 3rd time, by Priestly, 1774
The Act of Union is passed in which merges the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1800
Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire, 1834
First coast to coast automobile trip, from San Francisco to New York, is completed, 1903
The first Jeep is produced, 1941
Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary, 1944
The United States and Canada form the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), 1957
Israel annexes East Jerusalem, 1967
Peat cutters discover Lindow Man, Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England, 1984
CERN physicists begin discussing building what would eventually become the World Wide Web, 1990
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia join the European Environment Agency, 2001

You know work is over when you can kick your shoes off, and leave them for mom to trip over.

The kids are done with summer school today, and glad of it. They didn't have to put in the extra work, but they did, and it will pay off. For now, i don't mind them kicking back and relaxing for a few days.

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

Today is

AgriFair -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("the best little country fair" and a rodeo; through Monday)

Blueberry Arts Festival -- Ketchikan, AK, US (with a pet and doll parade, slug race, the Gigglefeet Dance Festival, and more; through Sunday)

Boom Days -- Leadville, CO, US (celebrate the mining heritage of the Rockies with a parade and even a celebrity pack burro race; through Sunday)

Braham Pie Day -- Braham, MN, US (a home-made pie festival)

Canada's National Ukrainian Festival -- Dauphin, MB, Canada (experience the richness of Ukrainian culture; through Sunday)

Czech Festival -- Wilber, NE, US (to promote the preservation of Czech culture, sponsored by the Nebraska Czechs of Wilber; through Sunday)

Day of the Airborne Forces -- Russia; Ukraine

Day of Azerbaijani Cinema -- Azerbaijan (anniversary of the 1898 showing of the first motion pictures taken in Azerbaijan)

Distribution of Charity Monies -- Fairy Calendar (Imps only)

Edinburgh Festival Fringe -- Edinburgh, Scotland (the largest art gathering in the world; through the 26th)

Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru (The National Eisteddfod of Wales) -- Denbighshire and District, Wales (preserving the Welsh language and heritage, with music, drama, literature, arts and crafts ;through Aug. 10)

Festival of Amen and Hapi -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (offerings to the god of transcendent powers and the god of the Nile to assure the flooding of the Nile; date approximate)

Gigglefeet Dance Festival -- Ketchikan, AK, US (today and Sunday, celebrating dance in the community and part of the Blueberry Arts Festival)

Jumatul Bidah/Jumat-ul Wida -- Bangladesh/India

Lailat al Kadr (Lailat al Qadr) -- Islam (Night of Destiny; begins at sundown, through sundown tomorrow, although local observances may vary)

Lincoln Penny Day -- US (the Lincoln Cent entered circulation on this day in 1909, and is one of the longest running coins in continual production in history)

Lollapalooza -- Grant Park, Chicago, IL, US (through Sunday)

Make Some Old Fashioned Lemonade Day

Musikfest -- Bethlehem, PA, US (10 days, 15 stages, over 500 musical performances, so there is something here for everyone!)

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Nuestra Senora de los Angeles -- Costa Rica (Feast of Our Lady of the Angels)

Onekama Days -- Onekama, MI, US (family fun, through Sunday)

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo -- Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland (display of military color an pageantry; through the 24th)

Shimizu Minato Matsuri -- Shimizu City, Japan (through the 4th, commemorates the reopening of Shimizu Port to international trade)

Sioux Empire Fair -- Sioux Falls, SD, US (entertainment, concerts, livestock exhibits, farm exhibits, and tons of fun; through next Sunday)

Somers Day -- Bermuda (Second Day of Cup Match)

St. Elias' Day (Elijah the Prophet) related observance
Iliden -- Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ukraine; other Slavic countries where he is titled St. Ilia
Republic Day -- Macedonia

St. Eusebius of Vercelli's Day (Patron of Vercelli, Italy)

Tall Timber Days -- Grand Rapids, MN, US (lumberjack shows, chainsaw carvers, and lots of fun; through Sunday)

Twins Day Festival -- Twinsburg, OH, US (no, you aren't seeing double, it's a celebration of multiples; through Sunday)

White Oak Rendezvous -- Deer River, MN, US (reliving the history of a North West Company Fur Post from 1798 and an accompanying Ojibwe Native Village from the same time period; through Sunday)

Anniversary Today

The first US Census is recorded, 1790

Birthdays Today

Butch Patrick, 1953
Peter O'Toole, 1932
James Baldwin, 1924
Carroll O'Connor, 1924
Myrna Loy, 1905
Jack L. Warner, 1892
Elisha Gray, 1835

Today in History:

Philip II of Macedon leads his army to defeat the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, which secured Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean, BC338
Hannibal leads his Corinthian army to defeat the superior forces of Rome, BC216
Henry Hudson sails into what it is now known as Hudson Bay, thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage and reached the Pacific Ocean, 1610
First United States Census, 1790
First parachute jump in the US, 1819
Japan's samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms, 1869
Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, 1870
Andrew Hallidie tests the first cable car system in San Francisco, 1873
Wild Bill Hickok meets his death; shot in the back while playing poker, his hand, a pair of Aces and a pair of eights, is now called "Dead Man's Hand", 1876
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary) dies, 1903
Typhoon in China kills about 60,000, 1922
The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson, 1932
Pakistan is re-admitted back into the Commonwealth of Nations, 1989
Iraq invades Kuwait, setting the stage for the Gulf War, 1990
Two previously unknown works by Mozart - a concerto movement and a prelude, are performed in Salzburg, Austria, 2009
The U.S. Government estimates the Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, 2010

...for about 5 days, i kept tripping over a pair, and moving them out of the way, and then ending up tripping over them again.

They seemed to appear suddenly, and i wasn't sure to whom they belonged. They looked big enough for Festus, and he is here a lot, and i frequently find stuff of his here (i've even ended up washing his clothes when they get in the dirty clothes pile, as well as the clothing of other friends who hang around a lot).

Then the mystery was solved one day when #2 Son asked, "Hey, mom, have you seen #1 Son's tennis shoes? He's got his work shoes, but he hasn't seen his tennis shoes in a few days."

Do you mean the huge, black ones that i've been tripping over for almost a week? And that he walked right past at least 3 times when he was here earlier this afternoon? i asked.

"Yeah, those!" he grinned. "He was here? And he walked past them?"

Yes, he was, and yes, he did, i noted.

"Wow. Boy. am I going to have fun teasing him about that! Well, can you run me over to spend the evening with him? He's off work, and I'll take him his shoes, he'll be so glad to see them. He hates wearing his work shoes when he's not at work."

They move out, but they never quite leave, do they?

Today is

Andorra La Vella Festival -- Andorra (through Monday)

Armed Forces Day -- Equatorial Guinea

Battle of Bushy Run Reenactment -- Harrison City, PA, US (commemorates the decisive battle of Pontiac's War in 1763; through tomorrow)

Canmore Folk Music Festival -- Canmore, AB, Canada (bringing beautiful folk music and more to the area ;through Monday)

Cowes Week begins -- Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK (the largest, longest-running and most prestigious international sailing regatta in the world; through the 11th)

Dia de la Bandera -- Venezuela (Flag Day)

Fairy Washing Festival -- Fairy Calendar (do the fairies wash themselves, or is everyone supposed to wash his/her fairy?)

Fancy Farm Picnic -- Fancy Farm, KY, US (what a name for a town, and what a good time they have, Southern hospitality at its best!)

Feast of Caligo, the mother of Chaos -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate, and this is as good a day to celebrate chaos as any other)

Fete National de l'Arbre -- Niger (Independence Day, 1960)

Fiesta de San Salvador -- San Salvador, El Salvador

Giope de la Libertad -- Equatorial Guinea (Freedom Day)

Grab Some Nuts Day -- almonds and walnuts are especially good for you

International Tree Climbing Championships and Arbor Fair -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada (sponsored by the International Society of Arboriculture, and designed to simulate working conditions of professional arborists, with five different qualifying events; through the 7th)

Ishitori Festival -- Kasuga Shrine, Kuwana City, Japan (through tomorrow, called the loudest festival in Japan)

Kanto Matsuri -- Akita, Japan (a four day festival, praying for good harvest, purification ceremonies, and feats of skill)

Lailat al Kadr (Lailat al Qadr) -- Islam (Night of Destiny; began at sundown yesterday, through sundown tonight, although local observances may vary and governmental days off vary from country to country)

League of N.H. Craftsmen Annual Craftsmen's Fair -- Newbury, NH, US ("America's oldest crafts fair," through next Sunday)

National Mustard Day -- sponsored by the National Mustard Museum

National Watermelon Day

Olathe Sweet Corn Festival -- Olathe, CO, US (lots of fun and all the "Olathe Sweet" corn you can eat)

Pidjiguiti Day -- Guinea-Bissau (Colonization Martyr's Day; Anniversary of the Killing of Pidjiguiti)

Sagbraw: Schramm's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Wisconsin -- Wisconsin's oldest cross-state bicycle tour; through the 9th

Sinjksa Alka -- Sinj, Croatia (knight tournament in which the whole district takes pride in keeping the tradition by making and restoring all the equipment used, with accompanying festivals and fun at home, in church, and in public; through Sunday)

St. Lydia Purpuraria's Day (Lydia the "seller of purple" who was Paul's first convert in Philippi; Patron of dyers)

St. Nicodemus' Day (member of the Sanhedrin and secret disciple who helped bury Jesus)

Birthdays Today:

Jay North, 1951
John Landis, 1950
Martha Stewart, 1941
Martin Sheen, 1940
Tony Bennett, 1926
Leon Uris, 1924
John T. Scopes, 1900
Ernie Pyle, 1900
Elisha Graves Otis, 1811

Today in History:

Tiberius, Roman Empire general, defeats the Dalmatians at the river Bathinus, 8
Columbus sets Sail for the "Indes",departing from Palos, Spain, 1492
John Rut, at St. John's, Newfoundland, sends the first known letter from North America, 1527
Robert LaSalle builds the Le Griffon, the first known ship built on the Great Lakes, 1678
First ascent of Jungfrau, third highest summit in the Bernese Alps, 1811
Harvard defeats Yale in the first intercollegiate rowing race, 1852*
Second Maori War begins in New Zealand, 1860
The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company is founded, 1900
The nuclear submarine USS Nautilus travels beneath the Arctic ice cap, 1958
President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya of Mauritania is overthrown in a military coup while attending the funeral of King Fahd in Saudi Arabia, 2005

*In fact, it was the first American intercollegiate athletic event ever.

Sometimes happiness comes from the simplest things.

Saturday was very busy from very early, but one simple thing made me happy. Sweetie, who was a chef at one time, and who used to swear that leftovers were against his religion, didn't just make his own brunch (which he does many weekends), he used leftovers!

Now around here, he's gotten used to the fact that we don't have the money to throw away food, so anything left over will be served for his lunch the next day. If there's more left, it will get reused, turned into another meal, until there is nothing left from the original meal to be found.

When he fixes things for himself, though, he's not too keen on using leftovers. As a chef, all that time ago, he was used to the best and freshest ingredients, and he would still love to be able to use only the finest of everything. Instead, he's stuck using what we can afford, but he still tries to be fancy.

Not yesterday, when he decided on an omelet. He made the biggest, fanciest omelet he has ever made, and in it he included everything but the kitchen sink. Leftover chicken from quesadillas. Leftover beef from soft tacos. Leftover sauteed vegetables, leftover spaghetti (!), leftover chopped fresh veggies that hadn't been eaten with the tacos.

He topped it with leftover home made pico de gallo and salsa and he had so much he saved half for today, he couldn't finish it all.

It doesn't look like leftovers to me!

The good thing is, not only does it make me happy to see him getting the hang of using leftovers himself instead of me having to do it, or the kids, but now i have no leftovers!

Tonight, for dinner, a fresh meal, hamburger steaks with gravy, and a few sides that i will decide on as i go along. And if i have more burgers left over that he doesn't take with him for lunch at work on Monday, maybe i'll even ask him what ideas he has for how to use them. Which is nice, because after this busy week end, the only thing i think is going to be left over in my brain is cobwebs.

Today is:

Blessing of the Boats -- Whitby, North Yorkshire, England

Champagne Day -- internet generated holiday, probably created by someone who wanted an excuse to celebrate

Coast Guard Day -- US (anniversary of founding in 1790)

Constitution Day -- Cook Islands

Fairy Drying-Out Day -- Fairy Calendar (makes sense, as we washed them yesterday. Now it begs the question, how does one dry a fairy?)

Festival of the Dead; Sunset Ceremony -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fiestas de la Virgen Blanca -- Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava, Basque Country, Spain; through the 9th

Fiestas Patronales -- El Salvador (through Tuesday)

International Forgiveness Day -- sponsored by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance

International Friendship Day

Joust of the Quintana -- Asciku Piceno, Italy (reenactment of a medieval jousting tournament)

Loch-mo-Naire Pilgrimage -- Loch mo Naire, Scotland (tonight from midnight to 1am tomorrow is the magical hour, complete the ritual there to be healed by the waters because of magic stones in the water that a Celtic priestess put there)

Matica Slovenska Day -- Slovakia (main Slovak cultural institution, established 1863)

National Friendship Day -- US (designated by Congress in 1935)

National Lasagna Day

Nicole Robin Day -- St. John, USVI (unofficial celebration her safe return, with the crew, to the Virgin Islands after being held by Cubans.)

Single Working Women's Day

Sisters' Day® -- celebrating the bond between sisters, as begun by Tricia Eleogram

Swiss Volksfest -- New Glarus, WI, US (celebration of Swiss Independence Day)

St. John Baptist Mary Vianney's Day (Cure of Ars; Patron of confessors, parish priests; Dubuque, Iowa; Kamloops, BC; Kansas City, KS; Saint Paul and Minneapolis, MN)

Vigil of St. Oswald -- Anglo-Saxon holy day, commemorates the day before King Oswald's death in 642

Zuni Corn Dance -- the Zuni Native Americans give thanks to Mother Earth, the Kokos (Nature Spirits), and the Corn Maidens for the maize harvest; through the 7th

Birthdays Today:

Cole and Dylan Sprouse, 1992
Roger Clemens, 1962
Barack H. Obama, 1961
Billy Bob Thornton, 1955
Maurice "Rocket" Richard, 1921
Louis Armstrong, 1901*
Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, 1900
Louis Vuitton, 1821
Percy Bysshe Shelley, 1792

Today in History

The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans, 70
A supernova is observed in constellation Cassiopeia, 1181
The first printing of Zohar (Jewish Kabbalah), 1558
A hurricane in the Carribean kills thousands in Guadeloupe, Martinique, and St. Christopher, 1666
Dom Perignon invents champagne (traditional date), 1693
First edition of the Saturday Evening Post, which was published until 1969, 1821
The family of Lizzie Borden is found murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home, 1892
The Greenwich foot tunnel under the River Thames opens, 1902
The Supreme Court of Japan is established, 1947
The Billboard Hot 100 is founded, 1958
American civil rights workers Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney are found dead in Mississippi after disappearing on June 21, 1964
The African republic Upper Volta changes its name to Burkina Faso, 1984
Operation Storm begins in Croatia, 1995
Prime Minister Paul Martin announces that Michaëlle Jean will be Canada's 27th Governor General, 2005
California's Proposition 8, the ballot initiative prohibiting same-sex marriage passed by the state's voters in 2008, is overturned by Judge Vaughn Walker in the case Perry v. Schwarzenegger, 2010

*In several interviews, Satchmo claimed to have been born on July 4, 1900. Historians always disputed that claim, saying it was too neat and tidy, and his baptismal records, found in a church basement, proved otherwise. Some biographies still give the July 4, 1900 date in error.

A friend of mine has a son who, when she used to say, "You kids are driving me crazy!" would respond with, "But mom, don't bother driving, it's such a short trip, why waste the gas?"

Little Girl, my youngest, begins driving school today.

#2 Son's driving adventures will have to wait for another day, but after today, i will have no one left in the house who hasn't at least been initiated into the pool of potential drivers.

Gads. The shuddering you just felt is my wallet, as we already pay a huge amount for insurance.

Last night, as a celebration, Bigger Girl took her out for ice cream. When i told them not to stay out late as they would all have an early morning, Bigger Girl noted, "It's okay, mom, we are going to buy some and bring it back. After that, it's up to her to go to bed at a decent hour, and if she asks for coffee ice cream, it's her own fault!"

In preparation for this day, we took Little Girl to the eye doctor for another exam. It's about two months shy of a year since her last exam, but because of driving and school beginning (another story, the red tape nightmare of getting her into the regular schools around here), and she's been saying everything is blurry even with her glasses, i took her anyway. Her prescription has changed by about 4 diopters.

When i mentioned that to Sweetie, with a bit of concern, he said, "Ah, don't worry, when I was her age, mine would change by 2 diopters every 6 months, so she's right on schedule!"

Great to know, i responded with a bit of sarcasm.

Although it is nice to have proof, once again, that though she really doesn't look much like anyone in the family that we know of (there are extended family and some of Sweetie's biological family that we have no pictures of, so there could be a link to some of them, but we have no way of telling), she really isn't adopted as she likes to tell everyone when they ask why she looks so different.

And if you followed that last sentence, good for you. No, i'm not retyping it, it's the morning of my youngest starting driving school, and i'm not up for much editing.

Especially not as i'm trying to gear myself up to another round of hours and hours of sitting, white knuckled and clutching the door handle, through another kid learning the ropes.

If i'm even more of a dithering nut in the next several months, you will know why. And no, i won't let it drive me crazy, i'll walk because it's too short a trip to waste the gas.

Today is:

August Bank Holiday -- Australia; Ireland; UK

August Monday/Culturama -- Saint Kitts ande Nevis

Barsi Bhagat Puran Singh -- Sikhism

Bogota Carnival -- Bogota, Colombia (celebrating the city's Hispanic founding; through tomorrow)

British Columbia Day -- British Columbia, Canada

Carnival Monday -- Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; British Virgin Islands

Celtic Tree Month Coll (Hazel) commences

Civic Holiday -- Canada

Cuti Bersama -- Indonesia

"Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead" Day -- statement uttered this day by Admiral Farragut at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864

Emancipation Day -- Bahamas; Dominica; Granada; Guyana; Montserrat; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Turks and Caicos Islands

Farmer's Day -- Zambia

Festival Monday -- British Virgin Islands

Frídagur verslunarmanna -- Iceland (Commerce Day)

Hanakasa Matsuri -- Yamagata City, Japan (10,000 costumed dancers perform; through the 7th)

Independence Day / Republic Day -- Burkina Faso (former Upper Volta)(1960)

International Beer Day

Kadooment Day -- Barbados (huge carnival celebration of the end of the Crop Over festival, celebrating the end of the sugar cane harvest)

National Blackmail Day -- according to mostly ecard sites, with suggestions to send a card to the friend who has told you his/her secrets, with the notice that you plan on celebrating this date!

National Children's Day -- Tuvalu

National Underwear Day -- sponsored by www.freshpair.com, which encourages people to rethink their underwear style, make sure they have the right fit, and which gives away free underwear
details here about this year's attempt to break the Guiness World Record for most people publicly gathered in their skivvies in one place

National Waffle Day

New Brunswick Day -- New Brunswick, Canada

Nuestra Senora de Africa -- CE, Spain

Old Fiddler's Convention -- Galax, VA, US (fun and fiddles, dulcimers, banjos, autoharps, and more; through Saturday)

Oyster Day

Picnic Day -- NT, Australia

Pixie of the Year Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Sacrifice to Salus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of health, associated with Greek Hygeia)

St. Afra of Augsburg's Day (Patron of converts, martyrs, penitent women; Augsburg, Germany)

St. Oswald of Northumbria's Day (Patron of Zug, Switzerland)

Sturgis Rally -- Sturgis, SD, US (the grand-daddy of all motorcycle rallies and races; through Sunday)

Tampere Theatre Festival -- Tampere, Finland (largest such festival in the Nordic countries; through Sunday)

Turku Music Festival -- Turku, Finland (music from medieval to modern, by world-famous artists in the historic venues of Finland's oldest city, in historic buildings all over the city; through the 17th)

Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian defenders -- Croatia

Work Like a Dog Day -- different from work-a-holics, people who work like a dog work hard while they are at it, and rest when they aren't

Youth Day -- Kiribati

Birthdays Today:

Maureen McCormick, 1956
Loni Anderson, 1946
Neil Armstrong, 1930
Raoul Wallenberg, 1912
John Huston, 1906
Joseph Merrick, 1862
Guy de Maupassant, 1850

Today in History

The last outpost of Bar Kockba, Betar, falls to Rome, 135
Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Northumbria at the Battle of Maserfield, 642
King Edward and Earl Aetherlred, leading the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, defeat the last major Viking army to raid England at the Battle of Tettenhall, 910
Anti-Jewish riots in Arnstadt, Germany, 1264
Sir Humphrey Gilbert establishes first English colony in North America, at what is now St John's, Newfoundland, 1583
The Mayflower departs from Southampton, England on its first attempt to reach North America, 1620
New York Weekly Journal writer John Peter Zenger is acquitted of seditious libel against the royal governor of New York, on the basis that what he had published was true, 1735
US Army abolishes flogging, 1861
Standard Oil of New Jersey is established, 1882
The cornerstone for the Statue of Liberty is laid on Bedloe's Island in New York Harbor, 1884
Bertha Benz drives from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back in the first long distance automobile trip made in her husbands invention, the first patented automobile; her journey was to publicize the invention, and she garnered attention and sales, 1888
The first electric traffic light is installed, in Cleveland, Ohio, 1914
Debut of the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie", by Harold Gray, 1924
Debut of the comic strip "Andy Capp", by Smythe, 1957
Nelson Mandela is jailed, 1962*
The United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union sign a nuclear test ban treaty, 1963
The city of Knin, a significant Serb stronghold, is captured by Croatian forces during Operation Storm, 1995
The Copiapo mining accident traps 33 Chilean miners about 2,300ft below the ground, 2010

*Released in 1990

It was once again time for me to have blood work done. Thyroid, every few months, is standard for me, because i am on a weird dose. So i walked in for my appointment, grabbed a cup of coffee, and sat.

There was only one person in the waiting area at that time, but it quickly changed. A man and his wife walked in, and i noted her with a bit of surprise. He looked typical of an older business man. His wife was a cat of another color.

She was wearing a long shapeless black dress with multicolor socks that had the neatest pattern from the hemline just below her knee to her black walking shoes. A big, floppy black hat and dark sunglasses, neither of which she removed when she came in, completed her costume. She carried herself with the aplomb of a woman completely at home with her fashion choices, down to the black handbag and later, when she pulled out her phone, it wasn't a "smart" variety and did have a black case. In fact, it looked like a model even older than mine, and that's saying something.

Her husband was ushered in, and a mother and daughter came in and were quickly brought to the back also. They came out so fast i'm thinking it was just a formality to get a physical form for school. Around that time the lady's phone rang.

In such a close space, you can't help but overhear, and the conversation sounded typical of a mom talking to a teen, questions and comments of "where are you" and "what kind of shirt do you need" and "we're at the doctor's office." When she hung up, she laughed and said, "My son calls me like that all day!"

Sympathetically i murmured, teenager?

"No, he's 29, but he has post traumatic stress after his two tours in Afghanistan, and he has a job interview today for a graduate assistantship out of town, and so I'm going to have to go with him," she answered quite candidly.

Well, thank him for his service, and i'm sorry he is suffering this for it, i said.

"Thank you. Yes, he's doing better, but when he went back to school, there were difficult times. I have to be ready to drive to the school at any time. It's a good thing the construction between here and there is finished on that stretch of interstate!"

"I couldn't agree more!" the gentleman who had been in the waiting room when i arrived chimed in. He spoke with a thick "yat" accent that told me right away he was originally from N'Awlins, and wore work clothes that spoke of a man who does manual labor. His hands, gripping a water bottle, were thick and calloused and looked very capable. "Sometimes the traffic was so bad I would only go about a half a mile in half an hour! I never left my shop until 6:30 anymore for a while!"

"Yes, it was bad, but we survived," she said. "I had to be ready to go any time, and that was okay, it got him through his undergraduate program. It hasn't been easy, but we're doing better. I've managed to teach his friends that when they go in a restaurant with him, they can't just sit down, they have to let him pick a seat first so he can be comfortable. He can't sit with his back to a door or window. It's hard on him when he takes a young lady on a date, of course. He wants to seat her first, but it can be difficult if he has to then move around her chair to get behind the table near the wall.

"The school is learning, too. He couldn't graduate in a normal ceremony, with hundreds of people, of course, so they did a small, private ceremony for him. It was amazing what they did, just him and the few who were also getting the same degree in the same field, a very small group. All the professors came in full robes, and we had cake in that same small room. They made it very special, and we appreciated it."

It's got to be very difficult, i noted. It's so sad that this is the result of serving your country, and amazing how prevalent it is.

"Yeah, but they all had it," the gentleman noted. "In past generations, they would just say they had an anger problem or something. One guy I knew who did two back to back tours in Nam came home and when a guy raped his sister, he went to a bar and killed the guy. Got off on 'insanity' and spent a month in a mental ward. He wasn't insane, but he did have a hair trigger and was the strongest man I've ever known. He was 5'4" and could deck guys a foot or more taller before they knew it. He never badly hurt anyone else, but he would put them on the floor if they picked on him. That one guy, he only did it because of the rape. It all came of doing the tours back to back -- that's what makes them unable to recover."

"You are so right!" the lady was speaking again. "My father-in-law was in World War II, and I know he has the same thing, he just represses it. That's what happened then, whether they called it battle fatigue or shell shock or whatever name they gave it, and they were just expected to deal with it, so they repress it. It's awful."

They get to where they can't get back to normal, i noted, the stress was too much.

"No, they can't, not really," she said. "In fact, my son would go back if he could. He already lives with that stress and it's like it has become normal to him. But he is getting better, and getting treatment."

Her phone rang again, and it was her son. "Your good white shirt is in the ... oh, you have it. Okay, well call me again when you are getting gas and I'll walk down to meet you at the door.

"That was a fast shower!" she smiled.

Well, if it got the job done, i noted with a grin. Then i added, it reminds me of the line of a character in a book, a young boy, who was asked if he was clean and he said, 'everything that shows!'

We all laughed, and she went on.

"You are right! And he keeps deodorant and body spray in the truck so at least he will smell nice no matter what."

At that moment, the door opened and an older lady came out. The gentleman in the work clothes jumped up to grab the bag that held her oxygen tank from the nurse. When he dropped the water bottle, she said, "I don't know why you had to buy that! There's water right here in the office if you had waited, they told me. But you always get so impatient!"

The look he gave me and the other lady, and the nurse, bespoke a very patient man indeed, one who is used to the time it takes to do good work. "I'm sorry, mom, but I didn't know, and so when I passed the machine, I took advantage of it. I'll know to wait next time."

"Well, I hate that you paid $1.50 for water when they would have given you some here!" she went on. "I remember when gas was $1.50!"

He sighed, and followed her out, turning to grin at us behind her. We all smiled back.

The lady's phone rang again. "Okay, I'll meet you in the parking lot," she said. Then she went to the window to talk to the receptionist. "Please tell my husband that our son picked me up and I am going with him to a job interview. Thank you!"

As she turned to go, i said, please thank your son for me for his service, and tell him i'm sorry he's going through this, that he will be in my prayers.

She and i shook hands, and then i was called into the back.

My veins are so good that it never takes more than one stick, and i filled a tube so fast the nurse was surprised. "I love patients with good veins," she said.

Yes, i noted, and if i were to ever go to nursing school, i'd be the one everyone would want to practice on, mine are so good.

"Yes, that's what happened to me." she said. "There. Done, and we'll have the results in a few days. Just let me put on this bandage."

By the time i got to the car, the i was able to discard the bandage, as usual. It doesn't take long.

Now, i was thinking, if only the mind could heal from trauma as quickly as that bleeding stopped.

Today is:

Accession Day -- United Arab Emirates (accession of H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan)

August Tuesday / Culturama -- St. Kitts and Nevis

Best Elf Awards -- Fairy Calendar

Carnival Tuesday -- Antigua and Barbuda (Last Lap Jump Up)

Esala Perahera (Festival of Buddha's Tooth) -- Sri Lanka (two week festival honoring a relic held in one temple that is supposed to have a tooth of Buddha brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd Century; one of Sri Lanka's most elaborate festivals)

Feast of Everything Green Except Money -- Hooray for veggies! You'll need them before you have that root beer float.

Festival of Nut and Ra; Chief Festival of Thoth -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival Tuesday -- British Virgin Islands

Hiroshima Day

Independence Day / National Day -- Bolivia; Jamaica

National Fresh Breath (Halitosis) Day -- shouldn't that read, anti-halitosis?)

National Night Out -- sponsored by National Association of Town Watch, to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness

National Root Beer Float Day

Peace Festival -- Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan

Sts. Justus and Pastor's Day (Patrons of Alcala, Spain; Madrid, Spain)

Tanabata Festival -- Sendai, Japan (Japan's largest Tanabata 'Star Festival', through the 8th)

Teinne Festival -- Ancient Celtic Calendar (Teinne, the Celtic Holy Fire, sometimes called Tan; date apprximate)

Transfiguration of the Lord -- Orthodox Christian

Wiggle Your Toes Day -- internet generated, and my suggestion is to celebrate it with a cool drink out by the pool!

Birthdays Today:

M. Night Shyamalan, 1970
Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob, 1934
Andy Warhol, 1928
Robert Mitchum, 1817
Lucille Ball, 1911
Clara Bow, 1905
Hoot Gibson, 1892
Alexander Fleming, 1881
Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt, 1861
Alfred Lord Tennyson, 1809

Today in History:

Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada founds the city of Bogota, Colombia, 1538
Holland (The Dutch Republic) sells Brazil to Portugal and the two
countries sign the Treaty of The Hague, 1661
The first private military school in the US, Norwich University, is
founded in Vermont, 1819
The Russian Geographical Society is founded in Saint Petersburg, 1845
William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by the electric chair, 1890
Alice Ramsey takes three friends (none of whom could drive) to become the first women to complete a transcontinental auto trip, 1909
Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel, 1926
Prometheus, a bristlecone pine and the world's oldest tree, is cut down by the US National Forest Service, for reasons even they cannot explain, 1964
The Federal Voting Rights Act is signed, 1965
A low-pressure system that redeveloped off the New South Wales coast dumps a record 328 millimeters (13 inches) of rain in a day on Sydney, 1986
The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, 1990
NASA makes the still disputed announcement that the ALH 84001 meteorite, thought to originate from Mars, contains evidence of primitive life-forms, 1996
The incoming coalition government of the United Kingdom discontinues the use of the controversial ContactPoint database of all children in that country, 2010

It seems that, when G-d created the world, He promised man that there would be good, obedient, submissive women to be found in all corners of the world.

Then He made the world round.

If you end up driving down the right roads in Louisiana, you can sometimes end up with whiplash from the double takes you do reading the signs on the side of the road. For example, one man was very surprised to see a "Vatican Baptist Church" sign, complete with service times. He felt a little better after he saw the sign up the road a bit further welcoming him to Vatican, Louisiana.

Then there was the accountant who complained, when he got to heaven, that he was only 45, so he had been taken way too young.

"We have you down as 85," he was told by an angelic secretary.

"How can that be!" he yelled.

"We added up your billable hours."

No, Wednesday isn't usually joke day, but it beats having a Wednesday whinefest that no one wants to read, including me!

Today is:

Assyrian Martyrs Day -- various Assyrian communities

Battle of Boyaca Day -- Colombia

Canadian Open Old Time Fiddle Championship -- Shelburne, ON, Canada (these folks aren't just fiddling around, they are good! through Sunday)

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; begins at sundown, and runs through sundown on the 11th, but local dates and official government observances may vary)

Festival Wednesday -- British Virgin Islands

Harvest Holiday -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (reaping ceases for a few hours in honor of Volos' beard; bread is eaten and offerings given to Mother Earth and Volos for a bountiful harvest)

Independence Day / National Day -- Cote d'Ivoire

Miss Crustacean USA Beauty Pageant and Ocean City Creep -- Ocean City, NJ, US (crowning the most beautiful and fastest tree crab on Earth)

National Lighthouse Day -- US

National Raspberries in Cream Day

Particularly Preposterous Packaging Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and especially the kind no one can open without a machete, what's with that!

Professional Speaker's Day -- www.professionalspeakersday.com

Purple Heart Day -- US (originally instituted this day in 1782 by George Washington)

Ramazan Bayramy Eve -- Turkey

Say "Cheese" Day -- begun by ecard companies looking for something to celebrate; in my family, we do not say "Cheese", we say "Chicken Lips!" Try it some time when walking past tourists who are trying to get a good photo, and watch them smile genuine smiles and come up with a good picture.

Sea Serpent Day -- no one knows why today, just enjoy

Smartest Leprechaun Eisteddfod -- Fairy Calendar

St. Albert of Trapani's Day (Patron of Carmelite schools; Messina, Italy; Trapani, Italy)

St. Cajetan's Day (Patron of job seekers and the unemployed)

Take Last Winter's Snowballs Out of the Freezer and Have a Fight Day -- in the northern hemisphere, it's certainly hot enough

Birthdays Today:

Charlize Theron, 1975
David Duchovny, 1960
Garrison Keillor, 1942
B.J. Thomas, 1942
"The Amazing" James Randi, 1928
Carl "Alfalfa" Switser, 1927
Billie Burke, 1884
Mata Hari, 1876

Today in History:

Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon, following the death of Alexander the Great, BC322
Construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore begins in Florence, 1420
Coup again the Tianshun Emperor by the Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin, 1461
Francis Drake's fleet returns to Plymouth, 1573
The first documented performance of Macbeth, at the Great Hall at Hampton Court, 1606
Sieur de La Salle's brigantine Le Griffon becomes the first ship to sail the upper Great Lakes, 1679
Cherokee Indians take Ft. Loudon, Tennessee, 1760
George Washington creates the Order of the Purple Heart, 1782
Simon Bolivar triumphs over the Spanish at the Battle of Boyaca, 1819
The long simmering tension between the Hatfields and the McCoys on the Kentucky/West Virginia border erupts into full scale violence on election day, 1882
The Peace Bridge opens between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, 1927
IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I), 1944
Thor Heyerdahl's balsa wood raft the Kon-Tiki, smashes into the reef at Raroia in the Tuamotu Islands after a 101-day, 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi) journey across the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to prove that pre-historic peoples could have traveled from South America, 1947
Explorer 6 transmits the first TV photo of Earth from space, 1959
The "artistic crime of the century" occurs when Philippe Petit of France, after months of planning and smuggling in materials, makes an illegal tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, 1974
Viking 2 enters orbit around Mars, 1976
The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication, 1981
Takao Doi, Mamoru Mohri and Chiaki Mukai are chosen to be Japan's first astronauts, 1985
Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants breaks baseball great Hank Aaron's record by hitting his 756th home run, 2007

"Mom, your daughter wants to go ghost hunting and punch a ghost in the face!" Bigger Girl came into the room yelling.

From the other room i heard Little Girl yelling, "It'll work, I know it'll work!" as she ran toward us, laughing.

As i laughed at their fun, i asked Little Girl if she wanted to be a ghost hunter someday.

"Well, I'm not sure," she said. "More likely, a tattoo artist, but I could hunt ghosts on the side!"

"I know what I want to be doing, at least for the next couple of years," Bigger Girl said. "Once I'm done with all of my math enough to start taking science courses, I'm going to be preparing to spend time in the Peace Corps. I'm going to Africa, one way or another.

"After all, mom, you went to Europe, I want to go to Africa. Europe is too...weird for me."

After a deep breath, i decided to let that comment slide. She happens to be rather "unique" herself.

"And I'm going to get my degrees, too," Bigger Girl went on. "The Associates, then Peace Corps, then come back and get the Bachelor's."

Well, i'm glad you are so clear on that, i told her. Hope you don't run into too much bureaucracy while doing all of this, i added.

Meanwhile, i have run into bureaucracy at every turn just trying to get Little Girl into the regular school system here for a simple high school diploma. They are fighting me tooth and claw on everything, including accepting the high school work she has already done, because it was at a private school in the next parish over. That's not supposed to make a difference, but they are wanting to make her take all kinds of tests anyway.

Don't even get me started about what it will take to get her into the art program she wants. That's a separate issue, and even now i can't get them to tell me anything, Yet somehow, with no lists, no information, and no clue what type of uniform they require and from where, i'm supposed to have all her school supplies by next Monday.

Bigger Girl interrupted my thoughts on all this to say, "Yes, and I paid my tuition today! This semester is all me paying for it. My next two paychecks will cover my books, but tuition is done! And after that, I can use more of the money Grandpa set aside for each of us. But I wanted him to know I could at least do some of this myself."

He's going to be very proud of you, i told her. Now please don't let me forget to pick up the cat food tonight -- Misha and Collins are having their surgery tomorrow so they can do up for adoption on Friday.

"Well, that tells me what they aren't going to ever be -- fathers!" Little Girl had the last word.

Today is:

Anjin Matsuri -- Ito City, Japan (commemorations William Adams (1564-1620), a naturalized British shipwright, called "Anjin Miura" in Japan, a great contributor to the early development of Japanese ship-building industry; through the 10th)

BaBa Day -- Taiwan (ba ba is Mandarin for both "father" and "8-8")

Bonza Bottler Day

Edinburgh International Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (one of the world's most exciting venues for opera, dance, theater, classical music and the visual arts; through Sept. 1)

Edmonton Folk Music Festival -- Gallagher Park, Edmonton, AB, Canada (folk music of all kinds and fun for the whole family; through Sunday)

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 11th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

Festival for Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sunset to sunset)

Finest Fairy Finals -- Fairy Calendar (Do only the finest fairies take finals? How do the others get a final grade? :D )

Fourteen Holy Helpers' Day (Patrons against diseases)

Great River Tug Fest -- Port Byron, IL, and LeClaire, IA, US (the only tug-of-war across the Mighty Mississippi; festival through Saturday)

Happiness Happens Day -- sponsored by the Secret Society of Happy People, to encourage sharing happiness and discourage parade raining; on the anniversary of their founding in 1997www.sohp.com

Hope Watermelon Festival -- Hope, AK, US (if you've never had Hope watermelons, you've missed the best! Through Saturday)

Hot August Nights -- Reno, NV, US (celebrate cars and music of the 50's and 60's; through Saturday)

Jersey Battle of Flowers -- Jersey, Channel Islands, UK (two days of floats and family fun)

Kranti Diwas -- Mumbai (former Bombay), India (a/k/a Freedom Day or Quit India Day; anniversary of Gandhi's Quit India speech to the British authorities in 1942)

"Li'l" Margaret's Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival -- Leonardtown, MD, US (bluegrass music, crafts, old time tractors and cars, and home-cooked meals; bring a lawn chair! through Saturday)

Namesday of the Queen -- Sweden (Queen Sylvia; an official Flag Day)

National Frozen Custard Day

National Hobo Convention -- Britt, IA (held each year since 1900, gathering for migrant workers who are proud to call themselves "hobos" and make a living through working where they choose and travelling where they want; through Sunday)

Odie Day -- Garfield's pal Odie, who first appeared in the strip on this day in 1978

Skowhegan State Fair -- Skowhegan, ME (since 1818, ten days of grand fun; through the 17th)

Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and i love the stuff but can't grow plants to save my life, i'll leave the porch light on for you if you will bring me some!

St. Cyriacus' Day (Patron of the eyes; Altidona, Italy; against diabolical possession, eye disease, and temptations, especially temptations at the time of death)

St. Dominic's Day (Founder of the Dominican Order[Friars]; Patron of astronomers and astronomy, falsely accused people, scientists; Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines; Bayombong, Philippines; Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo; Valletta, Malta)

St. Mary MacKillop's Day (First native-born Australian saint; Patron of Australia; Wagga Wagga, Australia)

The Date To Create -- can't find anything on this one, just listed at a couple of sites, but go have fun creating something!

Wakulima ya Nane Nane -- Tanzania (Peasants' Day/Farmers' Day)

Birthdays Today:

Keith Carradine, 1949
Connie Stevens, 1938
Dustin Hoffman, 1937
Mel Tillis, 1932
Esther Williams, 1923
Rory Calhoun, 1922
Dino De Laurentis, 1919
Matthew Henson, 1866
Emperor Horikawa of Japan, 1079

Today in History:

The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia, 70
Otto I (The Great) crowned German king, 936
Vijayanagara Empire is rebegun with the crowning of emperor Krishnadeva Raya, 1509
The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven, 1576
John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage, 1585
The first known ascent (indoors) of a hot-air ballon by Bartolomeu de Gusamao, 1709
Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard become the first to ascend Mont Blanc, 1786
Metal bullet cartridges are patented by Smith and Wesson, 1854
Mimeograph is patented by Thomas Edison, 1876
Wilbur Wright makes the brother's first public flight, at a racecourse in Le Mans, France, 1908
The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire, 1911
The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight, 1929
The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, the 3rd nation to join, 1945
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, 1967
Richard Nixon announces his resignation as President of the United States, effective the next day, 1974
The lights go on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last staduim in the majors to host a night game (which was subsequently rained out!), 1988
Iraq occupies and annexes Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait within a couple of weeks, 1990
Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor, 2000

New Kittens On The Block

four "new" babies

Well, really, they aren't that new. They are just over 3 weeks old, and they've been here since the day they were born. The black one is a singleton, found abandoned behind someone's home. The other three were wandering in the street, the lady who drove past thought they were leaves blowing in the wind until she looked closely.

Misha and Collins go to the shelter today to go up for adoption, so these four will be allowed to become the "kitchen kittens" after today, and the little pen we put them in (actually a converted bird cage) will be empty for the next set, when needed. Once they are out of the cage, also, i'll be able to get better pics of them.

Collins

Misha

Today is:

Abbotsford International Airshow -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("Canada's National Air-show" and the leading air show in North America, attracting the world's top aeronautical performers; through Sunday)

Betty Boop Day -- she debuted in "Dizzy Dishes" on this day in 1930

Book Lover's Day -- internet generated, but if you love books, go sit under a shady tree with a cool drink and indulge!

Burry Man Parade -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (a resident is elected to wear the Burry-Man costume and parade through the town so his burrs will collect all the bad luck, to be burned at the end of the day; followed tomorrow by the Ferry Fair)

Capitolfest -- Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY, US (showing rare silent and early films; through Sunday)

Celebrate Your Lakes Day -- of unknown origin but worth celebrating

Clean Out the Kitchen Cupboards Day -- because someone, somewhere, thought it would be a good day to remind us to get rid of the junk in there we haven't seen since last year

Constitution Day -- Anguilla

Cranham Feast -- Cranham, Gloucestershire, England (a three day traditional feast and fair that dates back to the 1700's)

Dag der Inheemsen -- Suriname (Indigenous People's Day)

Festival for Sol -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Gals Night Out 2013 -- single or married, you need a night out!

Ginza Holiday: Japanese Cultural Festival -- Midwest Buddhist Temple, Chicago, IL, US (experience the traditions of Japan, through Sunday)

Goblin Ugly Contest -- Fairy Calendar

Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival -- Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, WY, US (bluegrass music at its finest on a pristine mountainside in the Grand Teton Mountains; through Sunday)

Independence Day / National Day -- Singapore(1965)

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples -- UN

Inter-State Fair and Rodeo -- Coffeyville, KS, US (rodeo, livestock shows, carnival, and more; through the 17th)

Jesse Owens Day -- the day he became the first American to win 4 gold medals

Kool-Aid Days -- Hastings, NE, US (3 days of celebrating in the town where Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid over 80 years ago)

Ma and Pa Kettle Days -- Kettle River, MN, US (fun on the Kettle River; through tomorrow)

Nagasaki Day / Moment of Silence -- Japan

National Hand Holding Day -- sponsored by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith of Chicago

National Huckleberry Festival -- Trout Creek, MT, US (a yummy good time; through Sunday)

National Rice Pudding Day

National Women's Day -- South Africa

Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians -- Asatru/Norse Pagan

Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross' Day (born Edith Stein, killed at Auschwitz; Co-Patron of Europe; Patron of converts, martyrs, those who have lost their parents, World Youth Day)

Smokey the Bear Day -- Smokey first appeared on a U.S. Forest Service poster on this day in 1944

Teej Festival -- HR, India (a woman's festival, celebrating marriage and the uniting of Shiva and Parvati; through tomorrow)

Tetonkaha Rendezvous -- Lake Benton, MN, US (come to the Hole in the Mountain County Park where they reenact the fur-trading atmosphere of the 1840s, complete with muzzle-loader contest, tomahawk and knife throwing, log sawing, and more; through Sunday)

Veep Day -- US (commemoration of the day in 1974 Richard Nixon's resignation let Gerald Ford succeed to the presidency)

Yosakoi Matsuri -- Kochi City, Japan (over 100 groups come up with their own Bon dance and costume and have dance competitions in the streets, through the 12th)

Anniversaries Today:

Coronation of Albert II of Belgium, 1993

Birthdays Today:

Gillian Anderson, 1968
Delon Sanders, 1967
Hoda Kotb, 1964
Whitney Houston, 1963
Sam Elliot, 1944
P.L. Travers, 1899
Joseph Locke, 1805
Amedeo Avogadro, 1776
John Dryden, 1631

Today in History:

Battle of Pharsalus, in which Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, who fled to Egypt, BC 40
Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta, 681
Start of construction of the Tower of Pisa, 1173*
Sistine Chapel opens, 1483
First horses arrive in Hawai'i, 1803
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains, 1842
Thoreau's Walden is published, 1854
Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph, 1892
Betty Boop makes her debut in the cartoon, Dizzy Dishes, 1930
Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement, 1942
The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time, 1944
Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the first and only country to date to gain independence unwillingly, 1965
Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, 1974
Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial player transactions in ice hockey history, 1988
The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership, 1993
Tensions escalate between North and South Korea, when South Korea claims North Korea fired over 100 rounds of artillery into the Sea of Japan, 2010

*completed two hundred years later

Vandy

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