messymimi's meanderings

Once again it is Random Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.

Guest pup is back because of the super cold and the fact that he has a Very Special Appointment today. (He's getting neutered.) We have managed to secure him better, making it harder for him to escape inside the house and tear things up. When he does manage to get his paws on something he shouldn't, he is outdoing himself and has started eating books.

Because of the cold, i went on a draft hunt. Every draft i could find was covered with duct tape. Someday i think my whole house is going to be made of that stuff.

Bigger Girl spent this past weekend in North Carolina. A friend from there bought her a plane ticket to go up for a visit. Now it's back to school and working in the lab. This semester she and her lab partner are in charge of reviving certain strains of bacteria from the freeze stasis, growing them, and experimenting with them to see what use they can be in eating petrochemicals. It should be interesting, i know she will keep me posted.

It's almost tax season, and i'm not going to panic. No, i'm not going to panic. Okay, too late, i'm going to panic. Yes, i paid all of my quarterlies. Yes, i can sit down and add up what i've earned, what my mileage is, and figure our deductions. Yes, i'm going to go to the church and talk to them about why two of our donations were not included in the tax letter they sent. Yes, i kept track (mostly) of everything else we donated and did that has to do with taxes. It's time to panic anyway, and get it over with. Once i finish a panic "i can't do this!!!" session, i will take a breath and do it anyway.

We have finally acquired enough cat beds that every cat that wants one has one. They seem happy snuggling in their own beds at night, and it has cut down on Mikey and Enigma SissyCat fussing with each other.

Sweetie is finishing off the banana bread, and all of the frozen Christmas treats will be gone. He pretends he never really wants dessert, then goes and gets a little something. Once we are out of the treats people give us and that i freeze for him to grab later, he will be back to sneaking off to the store to buy Klondike bars. Say what he will, he's not happy until he's had a nibble of something "naughty" every evening.

Today is:

Appreciate a Dragon Day -- share stories of your favorite dragons from literature; begun by author Danita K. Paul

Concordia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (honoring the goddess of harmonious relations)

Day of Offerings to the Shemsu of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Inflatable Tire Day -- birth anniversary of Andre Michelin

International Hot and Spicy Food Day

Laurent Kabila -- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Heroes' Day)

National Day of Peace -- El Salvador (anniversary of 1992 peace treaty)

National Fig Newton Day

National Good Teen Day -- which really is most of them, isn't it

National Nothing Day -- created by newspaperman Harold Pullman Coffin in 1973 “to provide Americans with one national day when they can just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring anything.”

National Work At Home With Your Spouse Day -- internet generated; try if you dare, i won't, as much as i love him, i'd have to kill him.

National Religious Freedom Day -- US (anniversary of the passage, in 1786, of the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom)

Religious Freedom Day -- US (in 1786, the Virginia legislature adopted a statute guaranteeing religious freedom to citizens of that state, and protecting them from discrimination for their religious choices)

St. Anthony's Eve -- Abruzzo, Italy (Fires of Saint Anthony -- Anthony the Great)

St. Honratus of Arles' Day (Patron for rain; against drought, misfortune)

Teacher's Day -- Thailand

There's No Business Like Show Business Day -- Ethel Merman's Birth Anniversary!

Uzhavar Thirunal -- PY, TN, India (Farmer's Day portion of the Pongal celebrations)

Birthday's Today:

Kate Moss, 1974

Sade, 1959

Debbie Allen, 1950

John Carpenter, 1948

Dr. Laura Schlessinger, 1947

Ronnie Milsap, 1944

A.J. Foyt, 1935

Dian Fossey, 1932

Dizzy Dean, 1911

Ethel Merman, 1908

Frank Zamboni, 1901

Harry Carey, Sr., 1878

Robert W. Service, 1874 (Poet, The Cremation of Sam McGee)

Andre Michelin, 1853

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Hello, Dolly"(Musical), 1964

"A Pastoral Symphony"(Ralph Vaughan Williams' third symphony), 1922

Today in History:

The title Augustus is bestowed upon Gaius Julius Casesar Octavian by the Roman Senate, BC27

The Ostrogoths, under King Totila, conquer Rome after a long siege, by bribing the Isaurian garrison, 550

A great storm tide in the North Sea destroys the German island of Strand and the city of Rungholt, 1362

The Medici family is appointed official banker of the Papacy, 1412

The first grammar of a modern language, in the Spanish language, is presented to Queen Isabella, 1492

Ivan IV of Russia aka Ivan the Terrible becomes Tsar of Russia, 1547

English parliament passes laws against Catholicism, 1581

The first edition of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (Book One of Don Quixote) by Miguel de Cervantes is published in Madrid, 1605

The Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks, 1776

The Commonwealth of Virginia enacted the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson, 1786

The refrigerator car is patented by William Davis, a fish dealer in Detroit, 1868

The Pendleton Act creates the basis of US Civil Service system, 1883

The British explorer Ernest Shackleton finds magnetic south pole, 1909

The British House of Commons accepts Home-Rule for Ireland, 1913

Writer Maksim Gorki returns to Russia, 1914

The US ratifies the constitutional amendment on Prohibition, to take effect one year later, 1919

The League of Nations holds its first council meeting in Paris, 1920

The first photo finish camera installed at Hialeah Race track in Hialeah Florida, 1936

Benny Goodman plays the first jazz performance at Carnegie Hall, 1938

Crash of TWA Flight 3, killing all 22 aboard, including film star Carole Lombard, 1942

Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 perform the first-ever docking of manned spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another, and the only time such a transfer was accomplished with a space walk, 1969

Buckminster Fuller receives the Gold Medal award from the American Institute of Architects, 1970

The Shah of Iran flees Iran with his family and relocates to Egypt, 1979

First meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force., 1986

El Salvador officials and rebel leaders sign the Chapultepec Peace Accords in Mexico City ending the 12-year Salvadoran civil war , 1992

The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaida, and the remaining members of the Taliban, 2002

The Space Shuttle Columbia takes off for mission STS-107, but disintegrates 16 days later on reentry, 2003

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is sworn in as Liberia's new president, becoming Africa's first female elected head of state, 2006

The first ever flower is grown in space - a zinnia aboard the International Space Station using NASA Veggie system, 2016

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

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Words for Wednesday is a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts that encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy. This month, the prompts are being posted by Cindi at Letting The Words Escape.

birthday

robbery

earthquake

execution

Pooh

Paris

and/or

Hepburn

ferry

murder

rolling

ledger

Tobruk

You look rather forlorn this morning.

“I had the weirdest dream last night.”

What happened?

“I was in TOBRUK, Libya, right after the war making a film with HEPBURN...”

Be specific, which one?

“Katharine. Anyway, it was her BIRTHDAY, and for some reason I was determined to get her a Winnie-the-POOH decorated cake, and the baker kept pulling out a LEDGER and pointing to how much it was going to cost, and telling me it would take too long to bake.”

Maybe he didn’t know the character, it would seem odd for a baker in Libya to be familiar with an English children’s book character.

“Well, whether he knew about POOH or not, he kept talking about price and then someone else came in. The other person started to commit a ROBBERY, telling the baker to give him his money, so the baker chased him out with his ROLLING pin.”

Odder and odder.

“The baker smacked the would-be robber with the heavy pin and killed him, so he was put on trial for MURDER. I was a witness at the trial that he was just defending his shop, but they convicted him. By now, the director of the movie was mad at me for never being on the set while dealing with all this other stuff.”

Some directors are rather like that.

“Yes, well, so Katharine and I were going to take a FERRY back to PARIS, but I couldn’t abide seeing the EXECUTION of the baker. We were discussing how to save him and bring him with us when there was an EARTHQUAKE. In the confusion, we snuck the baker away, and I woke up just as I was about to kiss Katharine in celebration as we sailed out of the harbor.”

So that’s why you are so glum.

“Of course. It’s the only chance I would ever have gotten to kiss her, and I woke up!”

Well it’s a shame, but if it will make you feel better, I’ll kiss you.

“Oh, go soak your head!”

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Today is:

Apple Wassailing Day -- Carhampton, England (ancient tradition to bless the trees, waking the tree spirits and scaring away bad spirits)

Blessing of the Animals -- Hispanic Christian (in association with St. Anthony's Day)

Ditch Your New Years Resolutions Day -- no info on origin, but probably someone who gave up; will you?

Felicitas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (honoring the goddess of good luck)

Festival of Janus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (main festival for the god of beginnings, endings, and doorways)

Hot Heads Chili Day -- no clue what this one means, but i guess we can have chili for dinner

Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition -- Rockford, IL, US (frozen art fun, with this year's theme "Forgotten America"; through Saturday)

Kid Inventors' Day -- celebrating how inventive kids are; on the birth anniversary of Ben Franklin, who invented swim fins at age 12

Liberation Day -- Poland (liberation from the Nazis in 1945)

Make Your All-Time Top Ten Favorite TV Characters List -- because nothing says you can't make your own top ten lists

National Hot Buttered Rum Day

Patras Carnival -- Patras, Greece (the town crier announces the opening ceremony, with festivities through Clean Monday)

Patrice Lumumba -- Democratic Republic of the Congo (Heroes' Day)

Popeye Day -- The Sailor Man debut in the comics this date in 1929

Professional Boxer's Day -- Ali's birth anniversary

St. Anthony the Great's Day (a/k/a Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Patriarch of the Abbots; Patron of amputees, animals/domestic animals, basket weavers, brush makers, butchers, cemetary workers/grave diggers, epileptics, hermits, monks, relief from pestilence, swine/hogs, swineherds; Hospitaliers; Burgio, Sicily, Italy; Canas, Brazil; Castrofilippo, Agrigento, Italy; Fivizzano, Italy; Fontainemore, Italy; Mook, Netherlands; Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy; against eczema, epilepsy, ergotism, erysipelas, pestilence, Saint Anthony's Fire, skin diseases and rashes) related observance

Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral -- Church of San Antonio, Mexico City, Mexico (where this saint is San Antonio Abad)

Vancouver International Boat Show -- Vancouver, BC, Canada (with two venues in the city, there is sure to be enough to delight even the pickiest sailors; through Sunday)

Zirgu Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (Day of the Horses)

Anniversaries Today:

George Burns marries Gracie Allen, 1926

Octavian marries Livia Drusilla, BC38

Birthdays Today:

Kid Rock, 1971

Naveen Andrews, 1969

Michelle Obama, 1964

Jim Carrey, 1962

Susanna Hoffs, 1959

Anthony Glise, 1956

Andy Kaufman, 1949

Muhammad Ali, 1942

Maury Povich, 1939

Shari Lewis, 1934

James Earl Jones, 1931

Don Zimmer, 1931

Vidal Sassoon, 1928

Eartha Kitt, 1927

Betty White, 1922

Al Capone, 1899

Nevil Shute, 1899

Robert Maynard Hutchins, 1899

Mack Sennett, 1884

David Lloyd George, 1863

Anton Chekhov, 1860

Anne Bronte, 1820

Benjamin Franklin, 1706

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Frontline"(TV), 1983

"The Goldbergs"(TV), 1949

"Popeye the Sailor Man"(Comic character created by Elzie Segar, in the Thimble Theatre comic strip), 1929

"The Cherry Orchard"(Chekhov Play), 1904

"The Rivals"(Sheridan Play), 1775

Today in History:

Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon, 1377

Cesare Borgia returns in triumph to Rome from Romagna, 1501

Giovanni da Verrazzano begins his voyage to find a passage to China, 1524

The Edict of St Germain recognizes Huguenots in France, 1562

England's Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Addresses, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War, 1648

An avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland, kills 53, 1718

Capt James Cook becomes the first to cross Antarctic Circle (66° 33' S), 1773

The first cable car patented, by Andrew S Hallidie (begins service in 1873), 1871

Queen Liliuokalani is deposed, the Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic, 1893

Sir Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen, 1912

The first fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented, 1928

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews from the Nazis, is arrested by secret police in Hungary, 1945

The United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting, 1946

The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, first airs, 1949

The Great Brinks Robbery - 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company's offices in Boston, Massachusetts, 1950

The world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, makes its maiden voyage, 1955

A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea in the Palomares incident, 1966

Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V, 1991

The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union, 1996

Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people, 2002

Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, which resulting in at least 200 deaths, 2010

Japan unveils plans to build the world’s largest offshore wind farm near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, 2013

"Ouch!" he yelled as she ripped the bandage off with a suddenness that caught him totally off guard.

"It couldn't have hurt that much," she said, "the whole thing is totally healed up."

"Well, it was more the shock, I didn't expect you to do it right then, and besides," he added, "it did hurt some, that bandage was stuck to the hair!"

"It would have hurt more if you'd been tensing up in anticipation," she told him. As he frowned at her, she added in a sickly sweet voice, "Poor baby, do you want mama to come kiss your boo-boo?"

They both laughed as he held out the previously injured arm and said, "Pucker up!"

Linking up with Zoe's Uncharted Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Ripped.

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Good Fences

Gosia, of Looking for Identity, has taken over Good Fences, and it's now Good Fences Around The World. Post a picture of a fence or gate, link back to her blog, and go visit others to see what interesting fences there are out in this big world.

This iron fence caught my eye while i was driving. It was a cold day, and i liked the evergreens and blue sky contrasting with the brownish grass and leafless trees of the foreground.

Today is:

Anniversary of the Founding of Lima -- Lima, Peru

CHA Winter Convention and Trade Show -- Phoenix, AZ, US (largest Craft and Hobby Association show of the year; through the 23rd)

Confession of St. Peter -- Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, and Anglican Christian

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter -- Roman Catholic Church (celebrated as the founding of the papacy)

Feast of Neith -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of war and hunting)

Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo -- Espace de Fontvielle, Monte Carlo (the best circus acts and performers from five continents; through the 28th)

Four an' Twenty Day -- Scotland (24 days after Christmas)

Hair Dryer Appreciation Day -- no history on this, but if you love your hair dryer, more power to you

Jazz Day -- Jazz gets recognized, it plays the Met!

National Lay Awake and Whisper in the Dark Night -- another one i can't fathom or find out why it even exists

National Peking Duck Day

Revolution Day -- Tunisia

Royal Thai Armed Forces Day -- Thailand (former Siam)

Santa Prisca Day -- Taxco, Mexico

Sundance Film Festival -- Park City, UT, US (the premier US independent films festival; through the 28th)

Thesaurus Day -- birth anniversary of Peter Roget

UFO Day -- see the history section, 1644

Unsliced Bread Day -- from this day in 1943, until the war ended, US bakers sold only unsliced bread loaves so no steel had to be diverted from the war effort for slicing machine blades

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity -- Christian (from the celebration of the Confession of St. Peter to the celebration of the Conversion of St. Paul, Jan. 25)

Winnie the Pooh Day -- birth anniversary of Winnie's author A.A. Milne

Anniversaries Today:

Wesley College, Melbourne is established, 1866

Henry VII of England weds Elizabeth, daughter of Edward IV, 1486

Birthdays Today:

Jason Segal, 1980

Dave Batista, 1969

Jesse L. Martin, 1969

Jane Horrocks, 1964

Kevin Costner, 1955

Bobby Goldsboro, 1941

Davis Eli "David" Ruffin, 1941

Curtis Charles (Curt) Flood, 1938

Ray Dolby, 1933

Evelyn Lear, 1931

John Boorman, 1930

Constance Moore, 1920

Danny Kaye, 1913

Cary Grant, 1904

Oliver Hardy, 1892

A.A. Milne, 1882

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, 1856 (The African-American doctor who performed the first open heart surgery.)

Thomas A. Watson, 1854 ("Come here, Watson, I need you," said Bell)

Peter Mark Roget, 1779

Daniel Webster, 1782

Daigo, Emperor of Japan, 885

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Jeffersons"(TV), 1975

"Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour"(TV), 1948

"The Nose"(Shostakovich' opera), 1930

Today in History:

Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong, 1126

Francisco Pizarro founds Lima, Peru, 1535

The first documented UFO sighting in America, by some very perplexed pilgrims in Boston, 1644

Pirate Henry Morgan defeats the Spanish defenders and captures Panama, 1670

San Jose, California is founded, 1777

Captain James Cook stumbles upon the Sandwich Islands (Hawai'i), 1778

The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay, 1788

Electro-Magnetic Intelligencer, the first US electrical journal, begins publication, 1840

Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, J. C. Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom, 1884

Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England, 1886

The X-ray machine is exhibited for the first time, 1896

President Theodore Roosevelt sends a radio message to King Edward VII: the first transatlantic radio transmission originating in the United States, 1903

The first shipboard landing of a plane (Tanforan Park to USS Pennsylvania, flown by Eugene B. Ely), 1911

English explorer Robert F Scott & his expedition reach South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had gotten there before, 1912

Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia, 1915

A 611 gram chondrite type meteorite strikes a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri, 1916

The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden, 1944

Willie O'Ree, the first African Canadian National Hockey League player, makes his NHL debut, 1958

A Disengagement of Forces agreement is signed between the Israeli and Egyptian governments, ending conflict on the Egyptian front of the Yom Kippur War, 1974

Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease, 1977

Phil Smith and Phil Mayfield parachute off a Houston skyscraper, becoming the first two people to BASE jump from objects in all four categories: buildings, antennae, spans (bridges), and earth (cliffs), 1981*

The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals to his family, 1983

Boerge Ousland of Norway becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided, 1997

The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth, 2000

Sierra Leone Civil War is finally declared over, 2002

A bushfire kills 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia, 2003

The Airbus A380, the world's largest commercial jet, is unveiled at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, 2005

Hurricane Kyrill becomes one of Western Europe's deadliest storms, 2007

An amateur astronomer in Peterborough, England, discovers a new, Neptune-sized exoplanet, 2012

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

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

Enigma SissyCat was not amused at being interrupted at dinner to have a picture taken.

Do you mind? Can't you see I'm desperate for nourishment?

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Friendly Fill-Ins are easy to do. There are four statements: the first two statements are provided by Ellen of 15AndMeowing, and the final two are offered by McGuffy Ann Morris of McGuffy's Reader. They try to make sure the statements will be fun to both answer and share. The linky will be posted at or about 12:00 AM on Friday. Please head over to one of their sites, link up, and share your thoughts!

My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 89: January 19, 2018:

1. I have never been able to .

2. I wish I could still .

3. is my ideal winter night.

4. and .

I have never been able to sing, make music, dance, draw, paint, or do creative things like that. Other people's creative talents fascinate me, especially as i cannot emulate them at all.

I wish i could still go to school. Learning is such fun!

Keeping warm, enjoying a cup of hot tea or decaf coffee, and reading is my ideal winter night.

Sweetie has finally decided that, while he does enjoy colder weather, he does not enjoy bitterly cold weather and snow, so he does not want to move to Alaska or Montana, and i am very glad and relieved!

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Today is:

Annual Visit of the Poe Toaster -- the mysterious person who, for almost 75 years, dressed in black with a wide brimmed hat and scarf, annually visited Poe's grave on his birthday, leaving roses and cognac; has not been seen since 2009

Arbor Day -- Florida and Louisiana, US

Brew A Potion Day -- internet generated, no reasons given

Confederate Heroes Day -- Texas, US

Feast of Sultan (Sovereignty) -- Baha'i

Horror Novels Are Horrendous Day -- for Poe's birth anniversary

La Tamborrada -- San Sebastian, Spain (begins in the evening, a 24 hour drum jam session and the city's biggest fiesta)

Little Ricky Day -- marking the date of his arrival on "I Love Lucy"

Milwaukee Boat Show -- Milwaukee, WI, US (where boys can find their big toys; through the 21st and again the 24th-28th)

National Popcorn Day

Neon Sign Day -- patented this day in 1915

Porri Month begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means Middle of Winter, and personifies him as Old Man Winter; often the harshest month, so greet him kindly, to soften his heart and hasten spring)

Bondadagur (Husband's Day) -- first day of Porri (various traditions honoring the man of the house; these days, women often give the men flowers)

Sacrifices to Apollon -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Slamdance -- Park City, UT, US (an independent film festival by and for film makers; through the 25th)

St. Canute's Day a/k/a St. Knud (Patron of Denmark)

St. Henry of Uppsala's Day (Patron of the Catholic Cathedral of Helsinki; Finland; against storms)

Theophany/Epiphany -- Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians who still follow the Julian Calendar

Timket -- Ethiopian Orthodox Christian (with huge, colorful festivals through the whole country)

Blessing of the Waters -- Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia, Bayswater, London, UK

Tin Can Day -- patented this day in 1825

Tip-Up Town USA -- Houghton Lake, MI, US (Michigan's largest family winter festival, through Sunday and next weekend, Friday-Sunday)

Birthdays Today:

Shawn Johnson, 1992

Jodie Sweetin, 1982

Frank Caliendo, 1974

Drea de Matteo, 1972

Shawn Wayans, 1971

Wendy Moniz, 1969

Junior Seau, 1969

Paul McCrane, 1961

William Ragsdale, 1961

Thomas Kinkade, 1958

Simon Rattle, 1955

Desi Arnaz, Jr., 1953

Dewey Bunnell, 1952

Robert Palmer, 1949

Paula Deen, 1947

Dolly Parton, 1946

Shelley Fabares, 1944

Janis Joplin, 1943

Michael Crawford, 1942

Phil Everly, 1939

Richard Lester, 1932

Robert MacNeil, 1931

Tippi Hedren, 1931

Fritz Weaver, 1926

Jean Stapleton, 1923

Guy Madison, 1922

John H. Johnson, 1918

Lester Flatt, 1914

Edgar J. Helms, 1863

Paul Cezanne, 1839

Edgar Allan Poe, 1809

Robert E. Lee, 1807

James Watt, 1736 (O.S. date)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"48 Hours"(TV), 1988

"The Millionaire"(TV), 1955

"Woman of the Year"(Film), 1942

"Il Trovatore"(Verdi Opera), 1853

"Faust Part I"(Goethe tragic play), 1829

Today in History:

Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy, 1419

San Agustin Church in Manila is officially completed; it is currently the oldest church in the Philippines, 1607

The second group of ships of the First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, 1788

The United Kingdom occupies the Cape of Good Hope, 1806

Ezra Daggett and Thomas Kensett obtain a patent for a process of storing food in tin cans, 1825

Goethe's Faust Part I premiers, 1829

Verdi's Il Trivatore preniers in Rome, 1853

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey, 1883

Ibsen's play The Master Builder premiers in Berlin, 1893

Georges Claude patents the neon discharge tube for use in advertising, 1915

The US Senate votes against membership in League of Nations, 1920

Coopers Inc. sells the world's first briefs, 1930

For the only time in recorded history, snow falls in Miami, Florida, 1977

The last VW Beetle made in Germany leaves the plant, 1978

United States and Iranian officials sign an agreement to release 52 American hostages after 14 months of captivity, 1981

The Apple Lisa, the first commercial personal computer from Apple Inc. to have a graphical user interface and a computer mouse, is announced, 1983

Czech Republic and Slovakia join the United Nations, 1993

The New Horizons probe is launched by NASA on the first mission to Pluto, 2006

Calcium deposits are discovered on Mars by NASA’s Curiosity Rover, 2013

Yesterday as i was scrubbing someone’s bathtub, it came to me that it was not yet noon and already i had probably at least ten things for which i was thankful, if i’d just stop and count them up.

So i did, and sure enough, there were plenty.

It started with the fact that i woke up, could breath and see and hear and pray.

The highways were almost all open again and so i was on time for prayer group meeting at the church.

None of the coffee pots overflowed or made a mess when i made coffee for prayer group, and the elevator was working well. The coffee was good, too!

Mr. Al was at the church before i left, so i got a wonderful and much needed hug.

The one highway that was still closed did not prove as much an impediment to my progress as i thought it would and i was on time to work in spite of it.

At Ms. J’s house, her husband was still home and asked if we needed a very nice flat screen TV that he had replaced with a newer model. Yes! We don’t have cable or anything, but Sweetie loves to watch his DVDs and the computer monitor set up he’s been using is about 20 years old and on its last legs. This was a huge blessing for my Sweetie as he has always hoped we could get a flat screen someday.

One of my cleaning items that i thought i had lost turned up!

Bear the dog was his usual very well behaved self. He went outside when it was time, and came in when it was time, and very politely left any room that was being cleaned at the moment. (Bear is the best trained standard Poodle i’ve ever known, and his nickname is Mr. Manners.)

Ms. J didn’t want a package of spinach that was a day past its “best by” date, so i got to bring it home.

The work went very well, even the sheets cooperated and did not tangle up in the dryer and need extra time.

Even over as short a span of time as a morning, there are numerous things for which to be thankful. Ms. Josie Two-Shoes gives us a place to link up our lists at Ten Things of Thankful. If you’ve never linked up before, why not give it a try? You won’t regret it.

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mali

Bald Eagle Appreciation Days -- Keokuk, IA, US (through tomorrow)

Camcorder Day -- five companies agreed, this day in 1982, to cooperate and construct a camera with a built in VCR

Celtic Tree Month Beth (Birch) ends

Coffee Break Day

Day of National Mourning -- Azerbaijan (a/k/a Martyrs' Day)

Festival of Jubilation for Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, in Busiris)

Gasparilla Extravaganza -- Tampa, FL, US (the rum free version of the Pirate Festival celebration, with a kid's parade and lots of fun; the adult version is next Saturday)

Heroes Day -- Cape Verde; Guinea-Bissau (death anniversary of Amilcar Cabral)

Ice Fest -- Ligonier, PA, US (ice sculpture contest and lots of family fun; through tomorrow)

KidFilm Festival -- Dallas, TX (international children's film festival; through tomorrow)

La Tamborrada de San Sebastian -- San Sebastian, Spain (24 hours of drumming, begun last evening)

Learn to Ski Day -- always the 3rd Saturday of January, and you go right ahead

National Buttercrunch Day

National Cheese Lover's Day

National Granola Bar Day

National Disc Jockey Day -- listed lots of places, but no particular reason given for the choice of date

Penguin Awareness Day -- lots of celebrating, but no history of who started it

Sacrifices to Athena -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Sight-Saving Sabbath Weekend -- to alert synagoge and church members to the importance of regular eye exams

Stay Young Forever Day -- celebrate the child in all of us, do something fun

St. Sebastian's Day (Patron of archers, armorers, arrowsmiths/fletchers, athletes, bookbinders, diseased cattle, dying people, gardeners, gunsmiths, hardware stores, ironmongers, lace makers/lace workers, lead workers, masons, plague victims, police officers, Pontifical Swiss Guards, raquet makers, soldiers, stone masons/stone cutters; several cities, but especially of Rio de Janiero, Brazil and San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, where today is marked with celebrations; against cattle disease, enemies of religion, plague)

Take a Walk Outdoors Day -- unless it's storming, a good way to get some exercise

Tenmangu Kowakamai -- Setaka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan (festival of old style Japanese dances)

Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities -- Eatonville, FL, US (celebrating Hurston's work, hometown, and cultural contributions, and the contributions of all Africa-descended people; through the 28th)

Birthdays Today:

Skeet Ulrich, 1969

Rainn Wilson, 1968

Rainn Wilson, 1966

James Denton, 1963

Lorenzo Lamas, 1958

Bill Maher, 1956

David Lynch, 1946

Dorothy Provine, 1937

Arte Johnson, 1934

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, 1930

Patricia Neal, 1926

Otis Dewey "Slim" whitman, 1924

Federico Fellini, 1920

DeForest Kelley, 1920

Joy Adamson, 1910

George Burns, 1896

Harold Lincoln Gray, 1894

Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter, 1889

Carolus Linnaeus, 1778

André-Marie Ampère, 1775

Richard Henry Lee, 1732

Debuting/Premiering Today:

“Breaking Bad”(TV), 2008

"Meet the Beatles"(Album, US release), 1964

Today in History:

The first elected English Parliament called into session by the 6th Earl of Leicester, and meets in the Palace of Westminster (a/k/a Houses of Parliament), 1265

The present-day location of Rio de Janeiro is first explored, 1502

The Casa Contratacion (Board of Trade) is founded in Spain to deal with American affairs, 1503

The cornerstone of Amsterdam town hall laid, 1648

The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Botany Bay is unsuitable for the location of a penal colony, and decides to move to Port Jackson, 1788

China cedes Hong Kong to British, 1841

L.A. Thompson patents the roller coaster, 1885

The first full length talking motion picture filmed outdoors is released, "In Old Arizona", 1929

Nazi officials hold notorious Wannsee conference in Berlin deciding on "final solution" calling for extermination of Europe's Jews, 1942

The first atomic submarine, USS Nautilus, is launched at Groton, Connecticut, 1955

Witnesses report sightings of a Bottlenose whale swimming in the River Thames, the first time the species had been seen in the River Thames since records began in 1913, 2006

A three-man team, using only skis and kites, completes a 1,093-mile (1,759 km) trek to reach the southern pole of inaccessibility for the first time since 1958 and for the first time ever without mechanical assistance, 2007

Austria votes to maintain compulsory military service in a referendum, 2013

Just because Sandee at Comedy Plus is no longer hosting Silly Sundays does not mean i will quit telling Cajun jokes.

Yesterday Pastor JS at our church held a Marriage Seminar. Sweetie and i were supposed to be there, but he woke up with his back “out” again, so i went alone. It was a good time of learning and fellowship, and i’m sorry he missed it.

Clothile done got herself some pain in her back from de kidney stone. She be hurtin’ an’ hurtin’ from it, but it not want to pass.

Den, after she been down wit’ it for ‘bout a week, Boudreaux come down wit’ de same t’ing! He go to de hospital, an’ dey say he gots him a kidney stone, too, an’ den he pass it a few hour later.

Meanwhile, poor Clothile still be hurtin’ an’ she say, “Mais! Dis don’ be right at all! Even de Good Book say de one dat be wit’out sin should cast de first stone!”

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files. It has been hosted by River at Drifting Through Life but she is taking a blog break for now. Elephant's Child is keeping the meme warm for her.

Everyone has snow, and even we have had snow. We’ve had more than twice as many days below freezing as we are used to, and winter is only about half done.

Our “lawn” of grass covered with snow again.

The porch was icy and treacherous.

We’ve never gotten icicles under our cars, until now!

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Today is:

2018 Healthy Weight Week -- US

Anniversary of the Elf Wars -- Fairy Calendar

Ati-Atihan Festival -- Aklan, Kalibo, Panay Island, Philippines (main feast and final day of the vivid religious carnival/feast dating back to the 13th century to honor Santo Nino [Baby Jesus])

Camel Wrestling Championship -- Selcuk, Turkey (a medieval tradition, and the camels are not allowed to actually harm each other, so it's a spectacular sport to watch; through Sunday)

Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan) begins

Errol Barrow Day -- Barbados

International Bon Jovi Day -- they released their first album this date in 1983

Lady of Altagracia Day -- Dominican Republic

National Activity Professionals Week begins -- celebrating the contributions of Activities Professionals in all senior living communities

National Hugging Day™ -- includes the announcements of the Most Huggable People of the Year

New England Clam Chowder Day

Quebec Flag Day -- Quebec, Canada

Sinulog Grand Parade -- Cebu City, Philippines (biggest day of the very colorful festival about the pagan origin of the people, and their acceptance of Roman Catholicism)

Squirrel Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Christy Hargrove of the Western North Carolina Nature Center

Stephen Foster Day -- Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, White Springs, FL, US

St. Agnes' Day (Patron of betrothed couples, bodily purity/chastity, crops, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins; the Colegio Capranica of Rome; Manresa, Spain; Rockville Centre, NY)

St. Meinrad of Einsiedeln's Day (Patron of hospitality; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Swabia, Germany)

World Religion Day -- Baha'i

Zacchaeus Sunday -- Orthodox Christian

Anniversary Today:

Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, 1915

Birthdays Today:

Robby Benson, 1956

Geena Davis, 1956

Billy Ocean, 1960

Jill Eikenberry, 1947

Mac Davis, 1942

Placido Domingo, 1941

Jack Nicklaus, 1940

Wolfman Jack, 1939

Benny Hill, 1925

Telly Savalas, 1924

Benny Hill, 1924

Paul Scofield, 1922

Barney Clark, 1921

Karl Wallenda, 1905

Christian Dior, 1905

Roger Nash Baldwin, 1884

John M. Browning, 1855

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824

Ethan Allen, 1738

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Kid"(Film), 1921

"The Daily News"(first issue, edited by Charles Dickens), 1848

"Power of Sympathy"(publication date of WH Brown's novel, considered the first American novel), 1789

Today in History:

Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart initiate the 3rd Crusade, 1189

The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded, 1525

The first American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy," is published, 1789

After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine, 1793

Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced, 1799

The envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1853

The first US sewage disposal system that is separate from storm drains opens in Memphis, Tennessee, 1880

The first slalom ski race is run in Murren, Switzerland, 1922

The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec, 1948

A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete, 1968

The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts, 1971

Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes, 1976

Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, 1981

NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Eart, 2004

Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%, 2008

The last native speaker of the Eyak language dies, rendering the language extinct, 2008

In a referendum based on official figures, nearly 99% of South Sudanese people voted for independence from the north, 2011

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

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

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

My foster grandbaby came by for a visit:

He is finally gaining weight, too!

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The wonderful Annie of McGuffy's Reader has started the blog hop called Sparks as a way to put more positive energy into the world. Join her in combating the often negative influence of social media by adding your own Spark!

I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world! ~ McGuffy Ann Morris

My "Spark" for the day

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Today is:

Answer Your Cat's Questions Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; meditate on what your cat's question might be, then answer it

Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day

Celebration of Life Day

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

Come in From the Cold Day -- somebody at an ecard company decided today would be a good day to do that

Day of Unity and Liberty of Ukraine -- Ukraine

Dia de la Fundacion del Estado Pluinacional de Bolivia -- Bolivia

Elementary School Teacher Day

National Blonde Brownie Day -- i thought these were just called "blondies."

National Heroes' Day -- Cayman Islands

Polka Dot Day -- looking up why they are called "polka dots" gives lots of stories, but no concrete evidence; they were probably named after the dance craze that became fashionable around the same time the pattern appeared

St. Vincent of Zaragoza's Day (Spanish martyr and Patron of vine dressers, vinegar makers, vintners; Lisbon, Portugal; Portugal; vicenza, Italy; Vilamalla, Catalonia, Spain)

a sunny day today indicates a good wine crop next season

Wellington Province Anniversary Day -- Wellington, New Zealand (obs.; trad. date 22nd)

Birthdays Today:

Christopher Masterson, 1980

Balthazar Getty, 1975

Olivia D'Abo, 1967

Steven Adler, 1965

Diane Lane, 1965

Michael Kelland Hutchence, 1960

Linda Blair, 1959

Steve Perry, 1949

John Hurt, 1940

Joseph Wambaugh, 1937

Seymour Cassel, 1937

Sam Cooke, 1935

Bill Bixby, 1934

Piper Laurie, 1932

Ann Sothern, 1909

Robert E. Howard, 1906

George Balanchine, 1904

Rosa Melba Ponselle, 1897

D.W. Griffith, 1875

Grigori Rasputin, 1869

August Strindberg, 1849

Richard Upjohn, 1802

Nat Turner, 1800

Lord Byron, 1788

Andre Ampère, 1775

Sir Francis Bacon, 1561

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Emergency!"(TV), 1972

"Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"(TV), 1968

"The Crucible"(Miller play), 1953

"Our Town"(Wilder play), 1938

"Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District"(Opera; Shostakovich Op.29), 1934

Today in History:

The first contingent of Swiss Guards arrive at the Vatican, 1506

Postal service between NYC and Boston is inaugurated, 1673

The Native American Iroquois tribes renew their allegiance to the British against the French, 1690

Spain ceded the Falkland Islands to Britain, 1771

A severe earthquake in southern Syria kills thousands, 1837

The Zulus attack the British Army camp in Isandhlwana, South Africa, 1879

The Ancient Egyptian obelisk "Cleopatra's Needle" is erected in Central Park, 1881

After 63 years, England stops the sale of Queen Victoria postage stamps series and begins King Edward VII series, 1901

First live radio commentary of a football match anywhere in the world, between Arsenal F.C. and Sheffield United at Highbury, 1927

KTLA, the first commercial television station west of the Mississippi River, begins operation in Hollywood, California, 1947

Apollo 5 lifts off carrying the first Lunar module into space, 1968

The Boeing 747, the world's first "jumbo jet", enters commercial service, 1970

The Singapore Declaration, one of the two most important documents to the uncodified constitution of the Commonwealth of Nations, is issued, 1971

The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous "1984" television commercial, 1984

Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. is convicted of releasing the 1988 Internet Computer worm, 1990

Kmart becomes the largest retailer in United States history to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, 2002

Evo Morales is inaugurated as President of Bolivia, becoming the country's first indigenous president, 2006

Water vapour is detected on the dwarf planet Ceres, 2014

And now, some random items and bits of news from around here, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.

There is a quandary in my brain right now, the whole Blogger versus Wordpress issue.

Many people have been having trouble with Blogger. At first, it was the time that Blogger said they "cannot upload pictures to your blog." That's bad when the whole post is based on a picture, such as on a Feline Friday (which that was).

Then it was taking forever to post replies. That's okay, i have figured out that if i press reply and leave it alone, it posts the response.

There's no doubt that Blogger does not work very well with tablets, though. Over the years i have learned to work around it, and mostly i just adapt.

Last year i joined Wordpress just for the ability to more easily reply to Wordpress blogs. Now i see many friends moving to this platform, and i am not so sure that i want to go completely one way or the other.

For the last three days or so, i've been publishing at both. My Wordpress posts get no views or replies, and i could not post Sandee's linkup on the Wordpress blog.

(By the way, Annie from McGuffy's Reader, you asked me to email you about this issue, and i cannot figure out how to find your email address, i am that much of a tech klutz. Mine is my name - messymimi - at gmail.com, if you want to let me know how to get in touch with you!)

Right now i think i will post on both for a bit, see if i can figure out how to work Wordpress, and maybe eventually just put a teaser on Blogger pointing to my Wordpress blog the way The Chubby Chatterbox used to do with his first site. Or the other way around, i haven't decided yet.

On to other great topics. Last night was the annual Civic Association meeting. Madame President of the Association posted on our neighborhood website the agenda, answered a lot of questions there ahead of time, and said the meeting would last from 7pm to 8:15pm. It did, and we elected new officers with no objections or problems.

Our Fire Chief came and talked to us about fire safety and reminded us to replace our smoke detectors. The crime prevention district officers gave their report, we have fewer crimes in our district in a year than some places have in a week. It's a good neighborhood, but i could have told them that.

As a follow up to my "stolen" wallet, it turns out it was not stolen. My thought was i dropped it outdoors somewhere while at work on that Thursday and someone found and kept it. Turns out it was under one of the beds at Ms. SE's house. Maybe i need a wallet with a chain attached to a belt loop like #2 Son has.

Because i've already replaced everything in it, i was trying to update my card on Paypal. Turns out if your credit card has an expiration date of 2023, that's not a valid date and you can't use that card. Paypal has been contacted, but we all know how long it takes to get these things resolved, so i'm not holding my breath.

This last week or so has been quiet and i am not sure whether to call it boring or relaxing. The electricity did go out yesterday morning when a tree limb took out a power line, but that's about the most excitement we've had. Now that all of the children but Bigger Girl are moved out, and she is moving soon, it's rather a letdown from the constant racket and nuttiness i'm used to.

Then again, i'm sure something insane will happen soon enough, i seem to draw that sort of thing.

Today is:

Bounty Day -- Pitcairn Island (celebrates the burning of the HMS Bounty in 1790)

Cold, Cold, Cold Day -- coldest temp ever recorded in the US, -79.8°F (-62.11°C), this day in 1971 at Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska

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

Lenaia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (three day Dionysian festival to arouse the sleeping vegetation and bring spring; date approximate)

Measure Your Feet Day -- one can only ask...."Why!?!"

National Pie Day -- US, sponsored by the American Pie Council

National Handwriting Day -- US, on the birth anniversary of John Hancock, to encourage the dying art of legible handwriting by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association

National Rhubarb Pie Day

National Speak Up and Succeed Day -- become one of those people who aren't afraid of public speaking, practice! originally sponsored by Polished Presentations International, but they no longer have a website, but i'm sure Toastmasters International can help

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti -- TR and WB, India (birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose)

Ragwort Dance -- Fairy Calendar (Pixies only)

Rid The World of Fad Diets and Gimmicks Day -- always the Tuesday of Healthy Weight Week and includes the announcement of the Slim Chance Awards, highlighting the worst fad diets of the prior year

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

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; plow drivers, see how far you can make those rural mailboxes go!

St. John the Almoner's Day (Patron of Knights Hospitaller; known for his generosity to the poor, "If we are able to enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need.")

Women in Medicine Day -- Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman awarded the degree of Medical Doctor on this date in 1849

Anniversaries Today:

The founding of Georgetown University, the first US Catholic college, 1789

Birthdays Today:

Tito Ortiz, 1975

Tiffani Thiessen, 1974

Mariska Hargitay, 1964

Gail O'Grady, 1963

Princess Caroline of Monaco, 1957

Antonio Villaraigosa, 1953

Pat Haden, 1953

Richard Dean Anderson, 1950

Rutger Hauer, 1944

Gil Gerard, 1943

Chita Rivera, 1933

Jeanne Moreau, 1928

Ernie Kovacs, 1919

John M. Browning, 1855

Edouard Manet, 1832

Stendhal(Marie-Henri Beyle), 1783

John Hancock, 1737

Joseph Hewes, 1730

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The A-Team"(TV), 1983

"Roots"(TV miniseries), 1977

"Barney Miller"(TV), 1975

"King Family Show"(TV), 1965

"After the Fall"(Miller's Play), 1964

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"(Film), 1948

Today in History:

Epoch (origin) of the Kali Yuga (Hindu Iron Age of the Gods), BC3102

In China, the war elephant corps of the Southern Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song Dynasty troops, 971

The first printing of Ramban's Sha'ar ha-Gemul, 1490

The first printing of the Pentateuch, 1492

The second version of Book of Common Prayer becomes mandatory in England, 1552

What is probably the most deadly earthquake in history kills 830,000 in Shensi Province, China, 1556

Queen Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange in London, 1571

Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales, 1656

Joseph Pease, a Quaker, is admitted to Parliament on his affirmation, 1833

Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first female physician in the US, 1849

The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1855

Alesund Fire: the Norwegian coastal town Alesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless an one person dead, 1904

Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American US senator, 1907

Pianist Ignaz Paderewski becomes premier of the Polish government in exile, 1940

Duke Ellington plays at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time, 1943

The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 m (35,798 feet) in the Pacific Ocean, 1960

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, 1986

Final communication between Earth and space probe Pioneer 10, 2003

Six Venezuelan cable television channels are taken off the air by the Venezuelan government after refusing to transmit government messages, 2010

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is crowned King of Saudi Arabia, on the death of this half-brother King Abdullah, 2015

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

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frisbee
baseball
Winston
truce
Studebaker
diamond

and/or

vanish
message
Tokyo
Wanda
twist
maim

"FRISBEE golf or BASEBALL?" he asked as she packed the picnic box.

"Since BASEBALL is as close to a DIAMOND as I am likely to get for now, bring the bat and ball," she said with a wry smile.

He came over to where she was shutting the lid on the box and put his arms around her. "Would you really have preferred to be with WINSTON? He could give you a DIAMOND, and a STUDEBAKER to boot."

"No, no," she murmured, hugging him back, "I'd rather be with you."

"He could take you to TOKYO, Venice, all the places you've said you wish you could go to someday."

She leaned back and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to be with him any more than you want to be with WANDA now. They both need to VANISH into the mists of memory!"

"You don't need to TWIST my arm for me to get that MESSAGE," he answered. "Any more time with her and I would be mentally MAIMED for life."

He stepped away and headed for the closet where they kept the sports equipment and said, "TRUCE?"

She grinned and said, "Truce. Bring the bat and ball. I'd rather be on a picnic with you and catching your pop flies than anywhere else in the world."

"Pop flies!" he said with overdone mock chagrin. "We will see about that!"

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Today is:

Alasitis Fair -- Aymara Indians, Bolivia (offerings to the god of prosperity, now celebrated in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Peace, for whom La Paz is named)

Beer Can Appreciation Day -- the first canned beer, Krueger's Cream Ale, went on sale today in 1935

Belly Laugh Day -- at 1:24pm local time, join the Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World!

Economic Liberation Day -- Togo

Eskimo Pie Day -- patented this day in 1921

Fairy-Four Paganalia -- Fairy Calendar

Gold Rush Day -- US (gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill, sparking the California Gold Rush, in 1848)

National Compliment Day -- begun by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin, a day in which to compliment at least 5 people

National Peanut Butter Day

Opposite Day -- internet generated, and fun if you play it right

Paul Pitcher Day (So called because it is the eve of the Celebration of St. Paul's Conversion on the road to Damascus. Cornish tin miners would traditionally set up a water pitcher in a public place and throw stones at it to destroy it. A replacement pitcher was then bought and filled with beer, which was drunk and replenished through the day. These miners were great inventors for reasons to celebrate, and they did this to rebel against the rule that only water was to be consumed during the work day.)

Sailing of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (people sailed the Nile to converge on Bubastis and celebrate the cat goddess; date approximate)

Sementivae, in honor of Ceres and Terra, begins -- Roman Empire (one of the few dating approximate items on the Roman Calendar, as each area of the Empire celebrated according to the timing of a local magistrate, but now through Feb. 2 was a typical time)

Social Sipping and Nibbling Rehearsal Day -- a day to practice cutting a piece of cake on a paper plate, using a plastic fork, and also balancing a napkin and punch in a paper cup; or practicing what clever thing you will say if you drop it all

St. Francis de Sales' Day (Patron of authors/journalists/writers, confessors, deaf people, educators/teachers; Champdepraz, Aosta, Italy; against deafness)

TV Game Show Day -- birth anniversary of Mark Goodson

Ziua Unirii -- Romania (Unification Day)

Anniversaries Today:

Popeye meets Olive Oyl, 1929 (in Elzie Segar's Thimble Theater comic strip)

Birthdays Today:

Mischa Barton, 1986

Tatyana Ali, 1979

Ed Helms, 1974

Matthew Lillard, 1970

Mary Lou Retton, 1968

Nastassia Kinski, 1960

Jools Holland, 1958

Yakov Smirnoff, 1951

John Belushi, 1949

Warren Zevon, 1947

Michael Ontkean, 1946

Sharon Tate, 1943

Neil Diamond, 1941

Aaron Neville, 1941

Ray Stevens, 1939

Maria Tallchief, 1925

Jerry Maren, 1920

Oral Roberts, 1918

Ernest Borgnine, 1917

Jack Brickhouse, 1916

Mark Goodson, 1915

Granny D, 1910 (formerly Granny Haddock, or Ethel Doris Haddock, political activist)

Edith Wharton, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"21"(Adele Album), 2011

"American Dream"(Albee Play), 1961

Treasure of the Sierra Madre(Film), 1948

The Grapes of Wrath(Film), 1940

"Boris Godunov"(Opera), 1874

"I, Puritani"(Bellini Opera), 1835

Today in History:

Caligula, known for his cruel despotism, is assassinated and succeeded by his uncle Claudius, 41

Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders, 1639

The first Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland, 1656

Henry Knox arrives at Cambridge, Massachusetts with the artillery that he has transported from Fort Ticonderoga, 1776

The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first full-fledged university in south Asia,1857

The Romania principality arises under King Alexander Cuza, with Bucharest as the capital, 1862

General Baden-Powell's publication of Scouting for Boys starts the Boy Scouts movement, 1908

The Gregorian calendar introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective from February 14(NS), 1918

Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada, 1952

A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost, 1961

Jackie Robinson is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1962

Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II, 1972

Soviet satellite Cosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered, 1978

The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale, 1984

Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 km (50,680 miles) of Uranus and discovers new moons, 1986

Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe,and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States, 1990

Lara Giddings becomes the first female Premier of the Australian state of Tasmania , 2011

TV drama "The X-Files" returns after 13 years, reuniting lead actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and produced again by Chris Carter, 2016

State law supposedly said that any piece of property not on your local tax rolls after 10 years became part of the state capital city, and was taxed by and governed by the laws of that city.

The little bit of land had been ignored for years, and upon finding out this little known law while doing some research, he also looked for the owners of that property and found it to be, after all of this time in the possession of no one one particular, the capital city itself.

He bought the land for a song plus the bit of back taxes, because the capital city had no use for it, and began building, reminding the local council that this piece of land was actually part of the state capital city, over 200 miles away. They blustered and fussed, but found out he was right, they could not stop him.

He kept building, and told everyone they were going to be very happy with the results when he was finished.

Indeed, the day he opened his liquor store in the middle of that dry part of the state, people lined up for hours to get in.

Linking up with Zoe's Uncharted Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Dry. (The above is supposed to be a true story, although i have my doubts.)

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Please note that Gosia might be taking a blog break now, but i'm posting a fence anyway because i like to.

A fence above the waterfall at our favorite vacation spot.

Today is:

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

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

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

Clashing Clothes Day -- "officially" (although i'm not sure who declared it) on the 4th Thursday of January, but some people seem to celebrate it every day

Conversion of St. Paul -- Christian

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

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

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

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

Get to Know Your Customers Day -- on the 4th Thursday of each quarter

G. F. Betico Croes Day -- Aruba

IV Nurse Day -- US (sponsored by the Infusion Nurses Society)

January 25 Revolution Day -- Egypt

Luanda City Day -- Luanda City, Angola

Macintosh Computer Day -- debuted this day in 1984

National Irish Coffee Day

National Voters' Day -- India

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

Robert Burns' Night -- Scotland; Newfoundland (celebrated with a Burns' Supper and reciting poetry)

Dinner Party Day -- for Bobby Burns, of course

Sounkyo Ice Festival -- Hokkaido, Japan (snow and ice sculptures that are almost too good to be true, through March 20)

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

Winter Carnival -- St. Paul, MN, US (a tradition over 100 years in the making; through February 10)

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

Women's Healthy Weight Day -- on the Thursday of Healthy Weight Week, encouraging women to strive for a healthy weight and lifestyle

Anniversaries Today:

Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn, 1533 (secret wedding)

Moscow University is established, to coincide with St. Tatiana's Day, 1755

Birthdays Today:

Alicia Keys, 1981

Ana Ortiz, 1971

China Kantner, 1971

Dinah Manoff, 1958

Leigh Taylr-Young, 1945

Etta James, 1938

Corazon Aquino, 1933

Dean Jones, 1931

Edwin Newman, 1919

Florence Mills, 1896

Virginia Woolf, 1882

William Somerset Maugham, 1874

Robert Burns, 1759

Robert Boyle, 1627 (O.S. date)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Rent"(Musical), 1996

M*A*S*H*(Film), 1970

One Hundred and One Dalmatians(Cartoon film), 1961

"Metamorphosen, Study for 23 Solo Strings"(Strauss composition), 1946

"The Guiding Light"(Radio), 1937

"R.U.R./Rossum's Universal Robots"(Play), 1921 (the word "robot" enters the world lexicon)

"Wedding March"(Mendelssohn, Op. 61), 1858

"La Cenerentola"(Rossini Opera), 1817

Today in History:

Founding of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1554

Battle of Mikatagahara, in Japan; Takeda Shingen defeats Tokugawa Ieyasu, 1573

The Treaty of Utrecht marks the beginning of the Dutch Republic, 1579

Eliakam Spooner of Vermont patents the first seeding machine in the US, 1799

The first US engineering college opens, Rensselaer Polytechnic, Troy, NY, 1825

Sojourner Truth addresses the First Black Women's Rights Convention, in Akron, Ohio, 1851

Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" is first played, at the wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter Princess Victoria, to crown prince of Prussia, 1858

The soda fountain is patented by Gustavus Dows, 1870

Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form the Oriental Telephone Company, 1881

Bilu, a Russian Zionist organization, forms, 1882

Nellie Bly beats Phileas Fogg's time around world by 8 days (72 days), 1890

The first US transcontinental telephone call is made when Alexander Graham Bell in NY calls Thomas Watson in SF, 1915

The League of Nations is founded, 1919

The 1924 Winter Olympics opens in Chamonix, France (in the French Alps), inaugurating the Winter Olympic Games, 1924

At the Hollywood Athletic Club the first Emmy Awards are presented, 1949

The first scheduled transcontinental flight in the US takes place, an American Airlines flight from California to New York, 1959

The Clementine space probe launches, 1994

Russia almost launches a nuclear attack after it mistakes Black Brant XII, a Norwegian research rocket, for a US Trident missile, 1995

During a historic visit to Cuba, Pope John Paul II demands the release of political prisoners and political reforms while condemning US attempts to isolate the country, 1998

Three independent observing campaigns announce the discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb through gravitational microlensing, the first cool rocky/icy extrasolar planet around a main-sequence star, 2006

Tropical cyclone Oswald makes landfall in Queensland, Australia, causing mass flooding, 2013
A British rowing team becomes first female crew and first crew of four to cross the Pacific, San Francisco to Cairns in 257 days, 2016

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

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

How i know Horizon is not happy with me:

His back is turned, he's not asleep, and his ears are cocked -- he's angry i brushed him!

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My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 90: January 26, 2018:

1.The flu shot .

2. I think everyone should take _________ daily.

3. I (almost) always , because .

4. I (almost) never because .

1. The flu shot is about useless as far as i can see, but Grandpa makes me take one anyway.

2. I think everyone should take whatever vitamins or minerals or other supplements their own doctor recommends daily. Only your doctor knows if some medicine you are on could interfere with, or be interfered with by, a supplement.

3. I (almost) always get everywhere on time or early, because i believe it is rude to be late unless you are unavoidably delayed even though you left on time.

4. I (almost) never miss going to church because i really enjoy going to church!

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Today is:

Arizona Musicfest -- North Scottsdale, AZ, US (a winter classical music festival; through Mar. 16)

Australia Day -- Australia (National Day); Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Norfolk Island; (Commemorates Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival at Sydney Cove with the First Fleet, on January 26, 1778.)

Australia Day Cockroach Races -- Brisbane, Queensland (the greatest gathering of thoroughbred cockroaches anywhere, with competition proceeds going to charity)

Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo -- Rapid City, SD, US (everything you could want in such an event, including the stockman banquet and ball; through Feb. 4)

Carnaval de Quebec -- Quebec City, Canada (a vigorous winter celebration, where they have the cold around long enough to need it; through Feb. 11)

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

Dinagyang -- Iloilo, Philippines (huge religious and cultural festival celebrating Santo Niño[Baby Jesus], this year's festival theme is "Timeless Tradition, Culture and Devotion" and the religious theme is “Señor Santo Niño: Chaste, Poor and Obedient Son of God”; through the weekend)

Duarte Day -- Dominican Republic

Eagles Etcetera Festival -- Bismarck, AR, US (bald eagles in the wild, birds of prey demonstrations, and lots of outdoor fun; through Sunday)

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

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

Liberation Day -- Uganda

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

National Peanut Brittle Day

National Pistachio Day

National Preschool Fitness Day -- get kids to love staying fit and healthy early in life

Oregon Truffle Festival -- Eugene, OR, US (celebrating the high-end culinary delight that is the lowly truffle, with seminars, cooking demos, and more; through Sunday)

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

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

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

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

St. Paula's Day (Patron of widows)

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

St. Titus' Day (Patron of Crete)

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

Anniversaries Today:

Establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park, 1915

Michigan becomes the 26th US state, 1837

Birthdays Today:

Kherington Payne, 1990

Kirk Franklin, 1970

Andrew Ridgeley, 1963

Wayne Gretzky, 1961

Anita Baker, 1958

Ellen DeGeneres, 1958

Eddie Van Halen, 1955

Lucinda Williams, 1953

David Strathairn, 1950

Gene Siskel, 1946

Angela Davis, 1944

Scott Glenn, 1942

Bob Uecker, 1935

Father George Harold Clements

Jules Feiffer, 1929

Paul Newman, 1925

Anne Jeffreys, 1923

Jimmy Van Heusen, 1913

Maria Augusta von Trapp, 1905

Bessie Coleman, 1893

Douglas MacArthur, 1880

Mary Mapes Dodge, 1831

Julia Dent Grant, 1826

Emperor Go-Nara of Japan, 1497

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Phantom of the Opera"(Musical), 1988

"The Dukes of Hazzard"(TV), 1979

"Duchess of Padua"(Oscar Wilde play), 1891

"Cosi Fan Tutte"(Mozart Opera), 1790

"Esther"(Racine play), 1689

Today in History:

The fifth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, 66

Vicente Yáñez Pinzón becomes the first European to set foot on Brazil, 1500

The Council of Trent issues its conclusions in the Tridentinum, establishing a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, 1564

Isaac Newton receives Jean Bernoulli's 6 month time-limit problem, and solves the problem before going to bed that same night, 1697

The magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake took place off the west coast of the North America, as evidenced by Japanese records, 1700

The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on the continent of Australia, 1788

The Rum Rebellion, the only successful (albeit short-lived) armed takeover of the government in Australia, 1808

Tennessee enacts the first prohibition law in the United States, 1838

Hong Kong is proclaimed a sovereign territory of Britain, 1841

The first US income tax, passed to raise funds for the Civil War, is repealed, 1871

Muhammad Ahmed ("Mahdi") rebels conquer Khartoum, Sudan, 1885

The World's largest diamond, the 3,106-carat Cullinan, is found, 1905

The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield Mk III is officially introduced into British Military Service, and remains the oldest military rifle still in official use, 1907

Glenn H. Curtiss flies the first successful American seaplane, 1911

Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier receives its debut performance at the Dresden State Opera, 1911

Former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launches the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer, 1920

Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses, 1952

Danny Heater sets a worldwide high school basketball scoring record when he records 135 points for Burnsville High School (West Virginia), 1960

Ranger 3 is launched to study the moon, but misses its target by 22,000 miles (35,400 km), 1962

Hindi becomes the official language of India, 1965

The Great Blizzard of 1978, a rare severe blizzard with the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US, strikes the Ohio – Great Lakes region with heavy snow and winds up to 100 mph (161 km/h), 1978

Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations, 1980

An earthquake hits Gujarat, India, causing more than 20,000 deaths, 2001

President Hamid Karzai signs the new constitution of Afghanistan. 2004

Western Union discontinues its telegram service, 2006

The 41st World Economic Forum convenes in Davos, Switzerland, 2011

Libby Lane is ordained as the first female bishop of the Church of England, 2015

(Because some people like Blogger and some like Wordpress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked above.)

The other day i noticed a pattern. For some reason, i have been on the receiving end of things. Good things. Things which i needed and for which i am thankful.

Toting them up, i have been the recipient of enough items for a whole post, and it does not even count the TV i mentioned last Saturday.

For years now, we've had trouble keeping silverware in this house. The kids lose it, take it with them when they go, or it gets thrown away by accident, something happens, and our kitchen silverware drawer was almost always empty. Little Girl gave us a whole new set. Even if it starts to pull a disappearing act, i'm thankful to have it for now.

Ms. JAI gave me hand cream that smells delicious and makes my hands feel nice after work, and some music CDs she didn't want any more that Sweetie really enjoys.

Dr. D gave me books she did not want any more, my all time favorite things.

Ms. V gave me a set of sheets for Bigger Girl's bed. They were too flowery for her son to use but are right up my daughter's alley.

Ms. B gave me towels. This year, for some reason, several members of her family decided she needed new towels for Christmas. She kept some, but decided she didn't need them all. We haven't had new ones in a long time, and these are really good and should last a while.

Ms. G gave me cardboard cat scratchers that her cats ignored but our cats have decided are the best things on earth next to catnip.

Someone at church gave us a $25 gift card to Subway. Sweetie and i will use it for a lunch date soon.

People sometimes donate items to the shelter that we cannot use there. Many of these items are sold through a second hand shop that gives us a portion of the sales, but some of them are simply given to volunteers. In the past week i was given three things i can use: litter pan liners (because Tripod SissyCat has decided she wants to use newspapers instead of litter and i am using liners in her pan), a cat water fountain (because Link will not drink if the water is not moving, and running the water in the tub for him is getting expensive), and a big bag of the pricey diet cat food that prevents kidney trouble.

Have you been given something unexpected lately? Do you have other things you could list for which you are thankful? You don't have to have ten items to join Ms. Josie Two-Shoes and link up a list at Ten Things of Thankful. The only thing needed is gratitude and the desire to share what makes you grateful with the rest of us.

Today is:

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

Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show -- West Springfield, MA, US (8 1/2 acres of hobby train fun; through tomorrow)

Big Garden Birdwatch -- UK (sponsored by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; through Monday)

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

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

Chocolate Cake Day

Cordova Ice Worm Festival -- Cordova, AK, US (one of Alaska's zaniest festivals, and you have to be a bit zany to survive the winter here; through Sunday)

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

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

Eagle Days -- Little Platte Park, Smithville Lake, MO, US (learning about bald eagles in the environmental learning center, as well as eagle viewing over the lake and children's activities; through tomorrow)

Family Literacy Day -- Canada

Gasparilla Pirate Fest -- Tampa, FL (reenactment of the invasion of Tampa by pirates, this is the adult version of last weekend's celebration for kids)

Greater Springfield Garage Sale -- Springfield, MO, US (if you want to find it used, you can probably find it here at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds; through tomorrow)

Great Fruitcake Toss -- Manitou Springs, CO, US (what to do with leftover fruitcake? toss, hurl, or launch it for fun and prizes)

Hoggetowne Medieval Faire -- Gainesville, FL, US (jousting, birds of prey, medieval arts, food, entertainment; through tomorrow, and again next weekend)

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

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

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

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

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

Mozart Day

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

National Storytelling Week -- UK (the Society for Storytelling encourages you to celebrate one of the most ancient art forms)

Orange City Blue Spring Manatee Festival -- Orange City, FL, US (learn about the manatee and have fun doing it; through tomorrow)

Polar Bear Festival/Polar Bear Jump -- Seward, AK, US (lots of fun, if you want to freeze!)

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

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

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

Swamp Buggy Races -- Naples, Florida (the world famous swamp buggy races; through tomorrow)

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

Wakakusa Yamayaki -- Nara, Japan (Grass Burning on Mt. Wakakusayama, and fireworks; an annual New Year tradition)

Anniversaries Today:

Founding of the National Geographic Society, 1888

The first sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, is founded at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, 1870

The University of Georgia is chartered, the first state university in the US, 1785

Birthdays Today:

Julie Foudy, 1971

Jennifer LB Leese, 1970

Patton Oswalt, 1969

Alan Cumming, 1965

Bridget Fonda,1964

Cris Collinsworth, 1959

Mimi Rogers, 1956

Mikhail Baryshnikov, 1948

Nick Mason, 1944

Mairead Corrigan, 1944

James Cromwell, 1942

Troy Donahue, 1936

Donna Reed, 1921

David Seville, 1919

Skitch Henderson, 1918

Hyman George Rickover, 1900

Jerome Kern, 1885

Samuel Gompers, 1850

Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson), 1832

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 1756

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Laverne and Shirley"(TV), 1976

Tarzan of the Apes(Film), 1918

Today in History:

Trajan becomes Roman Emperor, 98

The Rashidun Caliphate ends with the death of Ali, 661

Song Dynasty General Yue Fei is wrongfully executed, 1142

Dante Alighieri becomes a Florentine political exile, 1302

The trial of Guy Fawkes and other conspirators begins, ending with their execution on January 31, 1606

The first American lime kiln begins operation in Providence, Rhode Island, 1662

Mustafa II becomes the Ottoman sultan in Instanbul, 1695

Czar Peter the Great sets the first Russian state budget, 1710

Abdication of Stanislas, the last king of Poland, 1736

The US Congress approves the opening of Indian Territory for settlement, which led to the forced relocation of Native Americans on the "Trail of Tears," 1825

Manitoba and the Northwest Territories are incorporated, 1870

Thomas Edison is granted a patent for the electric incandescent lamp, 1880

The National Geographic Society is organized, in Washington, D.C., 1888

"Tarzan of the Apes," the first Tarzan movie, premiers, 1918

The Harlem Globetrotters play their first game, 1927

Apollo 1 – Astronauts Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee are killed in a fire during a test of their spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center, 1967

More than sixty nations sign the Outer Space Treaty banning nuclear weapons in space, 1967

Through cooperation between the U.S. and Canadian governments, six American diplomats secretly escape hostilities in Iran in the culmination of the Canadian caper, 1980

The pilot shaft of the Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest sub-aqueous tunnel (53.85 km) between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido, breaks through, 1983

American-born sumo wrestler Akebono Taro becomes the first foreigner to be promoted to the sport's highest rank of yokozuna, 1993

Germany first observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 1996

Western Union delivers it's final telegram, 2006

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, unveils a new invention, a tablet PC called the iPad, at a press conference in San Francisco, 2010

Tunisia’s President Moncef Marzouki and the head of the National Assembly signed a new constitution, enshrining one of its last steps toward full democracy after a 2011 uprising that inspired the Arab Spring, 2014

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked above.)

Just because Sandee at Comedy Plus no longer hosts a Silly Sunday meme, don’t expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes.

The marriage seminar last weekend was very good although there was very little new information. One of the livelier discussions of course was the roles of husband and wife and the dreaded “S” word (Submission).

Boudreaux be him at de store an’ he be in line to check out, an’ Thibodeaux be right dere behin’ him when Boudreaux motion fo’ Thibodeaux to go firs’.

Thibodeaux say, “Be you sure, Boudreaux? I gots just as much stuff to buy as you.”

An’ Boudreaux say, “I be here wit’ Clothile, an’ she forgotted her a few t’ings, an’ so she tell me to stay right here an’ she go gets dem, an’ mais! I be goin’ do jes’ what she tell me!”

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files. It is now hosted by River at Drifting Through Life.

At Grandma’s house, i noticed that there are still a very few lingering reminders of Christmas that have just not managed to make it back into storage. They sit among the stuffs of everyday life, rather like delightful discoveries of a time past waiting to be noticed.

The snowman soap dish still graces the little used back bathroom.

The altar boys from the church in the Christmas village and a hand made rose ornament on the painted table.

Two tree ornaments have escaped and found a home on the coffee table.

The tiny tree is tucked in the corner of the patio by the holy candles.

Today is:

Army Day -- Armenia

Data Privacy Day -- International

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

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

Homeless Sunday -- UK (an opportunity to consider what action churches are being called to in addressing homelessness)

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

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

National Blueberry Pancake Day

National Kazoo Day -- because anyone can play one!

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

Rinkydinks Annual Snowball Fight -- Fairy Calendar

Runic Half-month Elhaz (elk) commences

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

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

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

Triodion begins -- Orthdox Christian (Publican & Parisee Sunday)

World Leprosy Day -- International

Anniversary Today:

Adoption of the Great Seal of the United States, 1782

Birthdays Today:

Elijah Wood, 1981

Nick Carter, 1980

Joey Fatone, Jr. 1977

Kathryn Morris, 1969

Sarah McLachlan, 1968

Harley Jane Kozak, 1957

Nicolas Sarkozy, 1955

Rick Warren, 1954

John Beck, 1943

Susan Howard, 1943

Alan Alda, 1936

Susan Sontag, 1933

Claes Oldenburg, 1929

Jackson Pollack, 1912

Robert Stroud, 1890 (The Birdman of Alcatraz)

Arthur Rubenstein, 1887

Auguste Piccard, 1884

Jean Felix Piccard, 1884

Colette, 1873

Jose' Marti, 1853

Henry Morton Stanley, 1841

Alexander Mackenzie, 1822

Peter the Great of Russia, 1775

St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Fantasy Island"(TV), 1978

"Barnaby Jones"(TV), 1973

"Symphony No. 1/Jeremiah"(Bernstein), 1944

Today in History:

The Walk to Canossa: The excommunication of Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor is lifted by Pope Gregory VIII, 1077

The first Crusaders begins siege of Hosn-el-Akrad Syria, 1099

Pope Alexander VI gives his son Cesare Borgia as hostage to Charles VIII of France, 1495

Edward VI, age nine, succeeds his father Henry VIII as king of England, 1547

By the Edict of Orleans, the persecution of French Huguenots is suspended, 1561

Articles of the Warsaw Confederation are signed, sanctioning freedom of religion in Poland, 1573

Sir Thomas Warner found the first British colony in the Caribbean, on St. Kitts, 1624

The Russian Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg by Peter the Great, and implemented in the Senate decree (it was called St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences until 1917), 1724

Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word serendipity, 1754

London's Pall Mall is the first street lit by gaslight, 1807

Pride and Prejudice is first published in the United Kingdom, 1813

The first locomotive runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean on the Panama Railway, 1855

In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, being 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick, 1887

Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent became the first person to be convicted of speeding in an automobile. He is fined 1 shilling, plus costs, for speeding at 8 mph (13 km/h), thus exceeding the contemporary speed limit of 2 mph (3.2 km/h), 1896

The Carnegie Institution is founded in Washington, D.C. with a $10 million gift from Andrew Carnegie, 1902

An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard, 1915

The first Jewish US Supreme Court justice, Louis Brandeis, appointed by Wilson, 1916

A symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to honor the unknown dead of World War I, 1921

The name Pakistan is coined by Choudhary Rehmat Ali Khan and is accepted by the Indian Muslims who then thereby adopted it further for the Pakistan Movement seeking independence, 1933

The Lego company patents the design of its Lego bricks, still compatible with bricks produced today, 1958

The current design of the Flag of Canada is chosen by an act of Parliament, 1965

Tropical Storm Domoina makes landfall in southern Mozambique, eventually causing 214 deaths and some of the most severe flooding so far recorded in the region, 1984

Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief, 1985

Space Shuttle Challenger breaks apart after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board, 1986

Hundreds of thousands of protesters filled up the Egyptian's streets in demonstrations referred to as "Friday of Anger" against the Mubarak regime, 2011

DNA analysis confirms that the 6th Century "Plague of Justinian" was caused by a variant of Yersinia pestis bacteria, the same bacteria that caused the Black Death, 2014

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

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

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

More of our adorable adoptables at the shelter:

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My "Spark" for the day

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Today is:

Auckland Province Anniversary -- Auckland, New Zealand

Blue and Pink Day -- Fairy Calendar

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

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

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

National Corn Chip Day

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

National Puzzle Day -- because they are just fun

Nelson Provincial Anniversary Day -- Nelson, New Zealand

Sahid Diwash -- Nepal (Martyrs' Day)

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

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

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

Anniversaries Today:

Establishment of The Seeing Eye, 1929 (first US guide dog school)

Kansas becomes the 34th US state, 1861

Birthdays Today:

Adam Lambert, 1982

Jonny Lang, 1981

Andrew Keegan, 1979

Sara Gilbert, 1975

Heather Graham, 1970

Bobby Phillips, 1968

Nick Turturro, 1962

Greg Louganis, 1960

Oprah Winfrey, 1954

Teresa Teng, 1953

Ann Jillian, 1950

Tom Selleck, 1945

Katharine Ross, 1942

Germaine Greer, 1939

John Forsythe, 1918

Victor Mature, 1913

Huddie William "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, 1885

W.C. Fields, 1880

Anton Chekhov, 1860

William McKinley, 1843

Henry Morton Stanley, 1841

Thomas Paine, 1737

Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Sweet Charity"(Musical), 1966

"Dr. Strangelove"(Film), 1964

"Sleeping Beauty"(Cartoon movie), 1959

"The Potting Shed"(Play), 1957

"All My Sons"(Play), 1947

"The Raven"(publication date), 1845

"Idomeneo"(Mozart Opera), 1781

"The Beggar's Opera"(Gay Ballad Opera), 1728

Today in History:

The first performance of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1595

John Beckley of Virginia is appointed the first Librarian of Congress, 1802

Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" is first published, 1845

The Victoria Cross is established to acknowledge bravery, 1856

Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile, 1886

Liliuokalani is proclaimed Queen of Hawaii, its last monarch, 1891

Walt Disney starts his first job as an artist, earning $40/week with the KC Slide Co, 1920

North America's first guide dog school, The Seeing Eye, is incorporated in Nashville, Tennessee, 1929

The first inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame are announced, 1936

The first inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced, 1963

Hungary establishes diplomatic relations with South Korea, making it the first Eastern Bloc nation to do so, 1989

President Jacques Chirac announces a "definitive end" to French nuclear weapons testing, 1996

La Fenice, Venice's opera house, is destroyed by fire, 1996

The first direct commercial flights from mainland China (from Guangzhou) to Taiwan since 1949 arrived in Taipei. Shortly afterwards, a China Airlines flight lands in Beijing, 2005

Archaeologists discover the oldest Roman Temple (6th C BC) at Sant’Omobono, 2014

Scientists announce they have discovered how to convert normal cells into stem cells in mice, 2014

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

It’s Random Tuesday time! This post is linking up with Stacy’s Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.

Little Girl just returned from her winter training. Some of the soldiers were assigned to tents, and it was so cold, she woke up one morning with ice in her hair. After that, the powers that be decided to cram everyone into the barracks whether they could really fit them all or not.

She passed all of her fitness tests and requalified as a sharpshooter, too.

#2 Son and Daughter-in-Law Becky have already filed their taxes. Show-offs. (Actually, i am quite proud of them for getting it done so soon. Our own are not so easy, owning a business complicates everything dreadfully.) The CPA has just gotten us our packets, so i now have no choice but to get going on our numbers.

Bigger Girl is chomping at the bit to move out early next month. She will have two roommates and be much closer to campus. That’s a great thing for her lab work with the bacteria, as she and her partner have to do a count every 12 hours to make sure the bacteria are growing and multiplying properly. The morning count is before classes, at 6:30am, so once she moves she won’t have to get up as early to get there.

It’s been interesting having posts at Blogger and Wordpress, and i’m not totally comfortable on the new platform yet. In fact, i cannot for the life of me figure out how to set up Wordpress so that i don’t have to approve all comments.

(By the way, Annie of McGuffy’s Reader, you asked me to email you but i still cannot for the life of me find your email address. If you want to write to me, i’m messymimi at live dot com.)

Other than the comment issue, i find it’s just as easy to copy to both as to one, so i may stick with it this way. People who are on Wordpress can read me there, and the same with the Blogger folks. All my writing is done as a note on the iPad anyway, so copying to two places instead of one doesn’t take long.

This is my busy week, and i have two extra jobs on Saturday, so please forgive me if i’m getting behind with my reading. Eventually i do catch up.

Today is:

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

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

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

Feast of King Charles the Martyr -- Anglican

Fred Korematsu Day -- US (honoring the civil rights activist who protested the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII)

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

King's Birthday -- Jordan

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

National Croissant Day

Pax -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Festival of Peace)

Puce and Ochre Day -- Fairy Calendar

School Day of Nonviolence and Peace -- sponsored by DENIP

Shiretoko Fantasia -- Shiretoko, Hokkaido, Japan (laser lights and music illuminate the drift ice and waves of the Okhotsk Sea each night; through Feb. 29)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Birthdays Today:

Johnathan Lee Iverson, 1976

Christian Bale, 1974

Brett Butler, 1958

Phil Collins, 1951

Charles Dutton, 1951

Steve Marriott, 1947

Marty Balin, 1942

Dick Cheney, 1941

Vanessa Redgrave, 1937

Boris spassky, 1937

Tammy Grimes, 1934

Louis Ruckeyser, 1933

Gene Hackman, 1930

Dorothy Malone, 1925

Dick Martin, 1922

Barbara W. Tuchman, 1912

Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882

Isaiah Thomas, 1749

Thomas Rolfe, 1615 (Only child of John Rolfe and Pocahontas.)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Yogi Bear Show"(TV), 1958

"Robert Montgomery Presents"(TV), 1950

"City Lights"(Chaplin Movie), 1931

Today in History:

The Jews of Freilsburg, Germany, are massacred, 1349

King Charles I of England is beheaded, 1649

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, is ritually executed after having been dead for two years, 1661

The Forty-seven Ronin, under the command of Oishi Kuranosuke, avenge the death of their master, 1703

Henry Greathead tests the first boat intended to be specialized as a lifeboat for rescue purposes, which he invented, on the River Tyne in England, 1790

The burned Library of Congress is reestablished, with Thomas Jefferson contributing, 1815

Edward Bransfield sights the Trinity Peninsula and claims the discovery of Antarctica, 1820

The Menai Suspension Bridge, considered the world's first modern suspension bridge, connecting the Isle of Anglesey to the north West coast of Wales is opened, 1826

A fire destroys two-thirds of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, 1841

The city of Yerba Buena is renamed San Francisco, for the nearby mission of the same name, 1847

William Wells Brown publishes the first Black drama, "Leap to Freedom," 1858

The US Navy's first ironclad warship, the Monitor, is launched, 1862

The pneumatic hammer is patented by Charles King of Detroit, 1894

The Canadian Naval Service becomes the Royal Canadian Navy, 1911

The House of Lords rejects the Irish Home Rule Bill, 1913

"The Lone Ranger" begins a 21 year run on ABC radio, 1933

Indian pacifist and leader Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is assassinated by Pandit Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist, 1948

American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s home is bombed in retaliation for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1956

The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police, 1969

Carole King's Tapestry album is released, it would become the longest charting album by a female solo artist and sell 24 million copies worldwide, 1971

Pakistan withdraws from the Commonwealth of Nations, 1972

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was established as the first United States National Marine Sanctuary, 1975

Richard Skrenta writes the first PC virus code, which is 400 lines long and disguised as an Apple boot program called "Elk Cloner", 1982

Peter Leko of Hungary becomes the world's youngest chess grand master at age 14, 1994

Workers from the National Institutes of Health announce the success of clinical trials testing the first preventive treatment for sickle-cell disease, 1995

Over half a million people participate in the world's largest wildlife survey after extreme cold drives exotic birds into Britain's back gardens, 2011

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

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Words for Wednesday

bloody
confidence
ranger
Apollo
submarine
Byron

and/or

dictionary
groundhog
dancing
rain
silent
Germany

"I love GROUNDHOG Day," Em said, apropos of nothing but the fact that February would bring the day they launched the SUBMARINE.

"In GERMANY it is Hedgehog Day," Carl noted. "Our German ancestors brought it to the New World with them, but had to pick a different critter."

"Sorry, you two," Allen chimed in, "but I have no BLOODY CONFIDENCE in the weather prognostications of any of those animals. We just need for the RAIN to stay away to make this successful."

"It's really a good theory," she continued. "If the weather is great and the animal sees its shadow, you are actually having a lull in the winter and it will come roaring back. If the day is overcast and nasty or has a cold RAIN so that it sees no shadow, winter is spending itself out already so the spring will come earlier. The British would say, 'If Candlemas Day is clear and bright, winter will have another bite.'"

"And if you believe that," Allen said with a grin, "the Greek god APOLLO will come to the launch and start DANCING with you!"

"Or our friend BYRON will become an Army RANGER," Carl joked as Byron came running in, his DICTIONARY tucked under his arm.

"What?" Byron asked as they all laughed. They were SILENT for a moment, none wanting to hurt his feelings.

"We were just talking about Groundhog Day coming up, and these two don't believe in it," Em said.

"It's a cool tradition," Byron said. "In fact, it's a great holiday because you celebrate it by doing nothing. No decorations, no foods to prepare, nothing to clean up after. Just watch the weather."

"You and I will celebrate together, then," Em said with a smile.

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Today is:

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

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

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

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

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

Full Snow Moon -- sometimes also called the Full Hunger Moon, as the most snow falls this month and finding food is hardest

Meaka Bochea -- Buddhist (celebration of the final sermon of Buddha)

Navam Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka

Spring Lantern Festival -- China (final day of the Chinese New Year celebrations)

Tabodwe Full Moon -- Myanmar (month of Hta-Ma-Ne Feast, the harvest festival of Thanksgiving)

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

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

Independence Day -- Nauru(1968)

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

National Brandy Alexander Day

National Bug Busting Day -- UK (this is one idea that needs export to the whole world! the aim is to have every child checked for head lice on the same day, and thus get rid of them in one fell swoop, so they don't circulate endlessly)

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

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

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

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

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

US National Snow Sculpting Competition and Championships -- Lake Geneva, WI, US (through Sunday)

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

Birthdays Today:

Justin Timberlake, 1981

Kerry Washington, 1977

Portia de Rossi, 1973

Minnie Driver, 1971

Kelly Lynch, 1959

John Lydon, 1956

Nolan Ryan, 1947

Charlie Musselwhite, 1944

Richard Gephardt, 1941

Jessica Walter, 1941

Stuart Margolin, 1940

Queen Beatrix, 1938

suzanne Pleshette, 1937

Philip Glass, 1937

James Franciscus, 1934

Ernie Banks, 1931

Jean Simmons, 1929

Carol Channing, 1923

Norman Mailer, 1923

Mario Lanza, 1921

Jackie Robinson, 1919

Thomas Merton, 1915

Garry Moore, 1915

Tallulah Bankhead, 1903

Eddie Cantor, 1892

Zane Grey, 1872

Franz Schubert, 1797

Robert Morris, 1734

Tokugawa Ieyasu, Shogun of Japan, 1543

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"These Are My Children"(TV), 1949 (first daytime TV Soap Opera)

"The Green Hornet"(Radio), 1936

"The Lone Ranger"(Radio), 1933

"Three Sisters"(Chekhov Play), 1901

"Hedda Gabler"(Ibsen Play), 1891

Today in History:

Guy Fawkes is executed for his plotting against Parliament and James I of England, 1606

The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital, 1747

The Corn Laws (tariffs on imported grains) are abolished in Britain, paving the way for more free trade, 1849

The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations, 1876

The Bulletin of Sydney is founded, publishes for 128 years, 1880

An automobile exceeds 100 mph (161 kph) for the first time, at Daytona Beach, driven by A. G. MacDonald, 1905

The Soviet Union exiles Leon Trotsky, 1929

Scotch tape is first marketed by the 3M Company, 1930

Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, US receives the first US Social Security monthly payment check, for $22.54, 1940

President Harry S. Truman announces a program to develop the hydrogen bomb, 1950

A North Sea flood causes over 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands, 1953

Explorer 1 – The first successful launch of an American satellite into orbit, 1958

James Van Allen discovers the Van Allen radiation belt, 1958

Mercury-Redstone 2 – Ham the Chimp travels into outer space, 1961

The Soviet Union launches the unmanned Luna 9 spacecraft as part of the Luna program, 1966

Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon, 1971

The first McDonald's in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow, 1990

Comet Hyakutake is discovered by Japanese amateur astronomer Yuji Hyakutake, 1996

NASA reveals the Regolith Advanced Surface Systems Operations Robot (RASSOR), a lunar mining robot which could be used to produce fuel and water directly on the Moon, 2013

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

“I’d rather dress in a gorilla suit!”

Oh, come now, doing our taxes isn’t that bad, especially now that you don’t have to mess with that book of instructions and try to figure it all up yourself.

“It’s easy from where you are sitting, you are on the other side of the computer desk!”

Yes, and it is where I want to stay, thank you; you know that I don’t have a head for numbers and I’d mess it up no matter how easy they make it.

Besides, I wouldn’t want to deprive you of the privilege of being in charge of the money around here.

“Okay, then I’ll put you in charge of wearing the gorilla suit!”

Linking up with Zoe's Uncharted Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is dress.

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A solid wall fence gives this courtyard a lot of privacy:

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Today is:

Air Force Day -- Nicaragua

Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery -- Mauritius

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

Candlemas Eve

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heroes' Day -- Rwanda

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

Independence Day -- Nauru

Kalends of February -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also

Festival of Helernus (god of vegetables and the underworld)

National Baked Alaska Day

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

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

Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri) -- Sapporo City, Japan (fun in the cold, ice sculping competitons, and hot springs with hot sake to take the edge off; through the 12th)

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

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

St. Brigid's Day (aka St. Bridget or Saint Brighid of Kildare; Patron of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen/mariners/sailors, cattle, chicken farmers, children of unwed parents, dairy workers, fugitives, midwives, nuns, poets, printing presses, scholars, travellers; Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland; Ivrea, Turin, Italy; Kildare, Ireland; Leinster, Ireland)

formerly celebrated on Feb. 2 as the Imbolc quarter day of the Irish pagan calendar

Tuppence's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

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

Working Naked Day -- dedicated to those who work from home without the support system an outside work environment provides

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

Birthdays Today:

Lauren Conrad, 1986

Michael C. Hall, 1971

Pauly Shore, 1970

Lisa Marie Presley, 1968

Pauly Shore, 1968

Sherilyn Fenn, 1965

Brandon Lee, 1965

Princess Stephanie of Monaco, 1965

Bill Mumy, 1954

Rick James, 1948

Bob Jamieson, 1943

Terry Jones, 1942

Sherman Helmsley, 1938

Don Everly, 1937

Garrett Morris, 1937

Boris Yeltsin, 1931

Stuart Whitman, 1929

S.J. Perelman, 1904

Langston Hughes, 1902

Clark Gable, 1901

John Ford, 1894

Louis Stephen St. Laurent, 1882

Hatty Wyatt Caraway, 1878

Victor Herbert, 1859

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Late Night with David Letterman"(TV), 1982

"Rich Man, Poor Man"(TV Miniseries), 1976

"The Secret Storm" (TV), 1954 (first TV soap opera)

"General Electric Theater"(TV), 1953

"You Are There"(TV), 1953

"La Boheme"(Puccini Opera), 1896

"The Corsair"(publication date), 1814

Today in History:

Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Isabella of France and her lover Roger Mortimer, 1327

The Colony of Roanoke Island is established by the landing of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1587

Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, is rescued from the uninhabited archipelago of Juan Fernandez, 1709

The Ottoman sultan orders the capture of his unwelcome guest, King Charles XII, resulting in the Kalabalik i Bender (Tumult in Bender), 1713

The first US steamboat patent is issued, by Georgia, to Briggs & Longstreet, 1788

The capital of Upper Canada is moved from Newark to York, 1796

The American Insurance Company of Philadelphia opens, the first such company managed by blacks, 1810

Volcano Mayon on Luzon, Philippines erupts killing 1,200, 1814

Slavery is abolished in Mauritius, 1835

The first US dental school, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, is incorporated, 1840

Auburn University is chartered as the East Alabama Male College, 1856

Morris Raphall of NYC becomes the first rabbi to open the House of Representatives, 1860

Julia Howe publishes the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," 1862

Jefferson Long of Georgia is the first black to make an official speech in the House of Representatives (opposing leniency to former Confederates), 1871

The first volume of A New English Dictionary, A to Ant,later called the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, is published, 1888

Thomas Edison completes the world's first movie studio, in West Orange, N.J., 1893

The first auto insurance policy is issued, by The Travelers Insurace Co., 1898

China's empress Tzu-hsi forbids binding woman's feet, 1902

The first US federal penitentiary is completed, at Leavenworth, Kansas, 1906

Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar, 1918

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police forms as Royal Northwest Mounted Police merge with Dominion Police, 1920

The United States Army launches Explorer 1, 1958

Four black students stage the first of the Greensboro sit-ins at a lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, 1960

The Hamilton River in Labrador, Canada is renamed the Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill, 1965

Canada's three military services, the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, are unified into the Canadian Forces, 1968

Director Roman Polanski skips bail and flees the United States to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl, 1978

The Ayatollah Khomeini is welcomed back to Tehran, Iran after nearly 15 years of exile, 1979

Lillian E. Fishburne becomes the first female African American to be promoted to rear admiral, 1998

Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard, 2003

Johanna Siguroardottir is elected as the first female Prime Minister of Iceland, 2009

Janet Yellen becomes Chair of the US Federal Reserve, succeeding Ben Bernanke, 2014

WHO declares a global public health emergency over the rapid spread of zika-linked conditions, 2016

Myanmar's first freely elected parliament in 50 years has its opening session in Nay Pyi Taw, 2016

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

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

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

Once again i am on Horizon's bad side.

i interrupted his bird TV viewing

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My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 91: February 2, 2018:

1. Trust .

2. I would protest .

3. I have since .

4. Right now, I .

Trust G-d and lock your doors.

I would protest cruelty and injustice. In fact, i do.

I have lived in this house since 1994.

Right now, i am sorry that i cannot do flower deliveries for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day any more. Not only am i concerned that the Jalopy is no longer up to it, i have clients to tend and cannot neglect them to take on side work. As i told the lady when she called to ask me, i will miss it, and the wonderful people i got to work with.

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Today is:

Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu -- Estonia

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

Bonza Bottler Day™

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

Candlemas / Presentation of Our Lord (f/k/a the Purification of the Virgin Mary) -- Christian; commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple and purification of Mary on the 40th day after the birth of Jesus. Candles have been blessed on this day since the 11th century, and this was the original forecaster, “If Candlemas is fair and clear, there’ll be two winters in the year.”

Bank Holiday -- Liechtenstein

Candelaria Festival -- Puno, Peru (Virgen de la Candelaria, through the 16th)

Dia de la Candelaria/Virgin of Candelaria -- Mexico; Spain

La Fete de la Chandeleur -- Canada; France

Matka Boska Gromniczna (Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle) -- Poland

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

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

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

Groundhog Day/Hedgehog Day/Badger Day -- what animal you looked to in order to predict the weather depended on where you lived

Hromnice -- Czech Republic (hrom = thunder, a weather forecasting day)

Imbolc/Sughnassad -- Pagan/Wiccan (Northern Hemisphere/Southern Hemisphere)

Brigmid -- Druid Calendar, also called Feast of Imbolc, celebrated later as St. Bridget's Day, but originally a festival for Brigid, (also known as Brighid, Bríde, Brigit, Brìd) goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft. It is always halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, so some years it is on Feb. 1 with St. Brigid's Day

Disting/Charming of the Plough -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan (a feast of new beginnings and spring)

Serpent Day -- Celtic (The tradition was that on this day, the Brigmid, snakes or badgers would come out of their winter dens and predict the weather; perhaps a precursor to North America's Groundhog Day.)

Wives' Feast Day -- Northern England (ancient celebration in association with Imbolc)

Inventors' Day -- Thailand

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

National Heavenly Hash Day

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

Presentation of Christ in the Temple -- Anglican Catholic Christian

Providence Boat Show -- Providence, RI, US (start of the boating season; through Sunday)

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

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

Tapati Festival -- Rapa Nui (Easter Island; a unique and exotic Polynesian festival, showcasing the island's culture and traditions; through Feb. 17)

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

Wand Dedication Day -- Fairy Calendar

Winterlude Festival -- Ottawa, ON, Canada (enjoy parades, dances, snow races, and more; through the 19th, with most of the festivities on weekends)

World Wetlands Day -- UN (the 2018 theme is "Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future")

Anniversaries Today:

Marina Ogilvy (daughter of Princess Alexandra) weds Paull Mowatt, 1990

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) marries Olivia Langdon in Elmira, NY, 1870

Birthdays Today:

Shakira, 1977

Michael T. Weiss, 1962

Christie Brinkley, 1954

Ina Garten, 1948

Farah Fawcett, 1947

Graham Nash, 1942

David Jason, 1940

Tom Smothers, 1937

Les Dawson, 1934

Stan Getz, 1927

Elaine Stritch, 1925

James Dickey, 1923

Liz Smith, 1923

Ayn Rand, 1905

George “Papa Bear” Halas, 1895

William Rose Benét, 1886

James Joyce, 1882

Solomom R. Guggenheim,1861

Toyotomi Hideyoshi,1536 (Japan's second "great unifier")

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Rich Little Show"(TV), 1975

"The Midnight Special"(TV), 1973

"And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little"(Play), 1971

"What's My Line?"(TV), 1950

"Le Dame aux Camelias"(Play, Dumas, fils), 1848

"Artaxerxes"(Opera, Thomas Arnes), 1762

Today in History:

Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths promulgates The Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum) a collection of Roman law, 506

Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1536

New Amsterdam (later New York) is incorporated as a city, 1653

The first leopard is exhibited in the US, in Boston (admission 25 cents), 1802

Russian settlers establish the Ft. Ross trading post north of San Francisco, 1811

Jonathan Martin sets York Cathedral afire, does £60,000 damage, 1829

The first Chinese workers arrive in San Francisco, 1848

The first public men's toilet in Britain opens, on Fleet Street in London, 1852

Samuel Clemens uses the pen name Mark Twain for the first time, 1863

James Oliver invents the removable tempered steel plow blade, 1869

The SS Strathleven arrives in London with the first frozen mutton imported from Australia, 1880

The Knights of Columbus forms in New Haven, Connecticut, 1882

The first official Groundhog Day is observed in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, 1887

The bottle cap with cork seal is patented by William Painter of Baltimore, 1892

The longest boxing match under modern rules takes place in Nameoki, Illinois; 77 rounds between Harry Sharpe and Frank Crosby, 1892

The first movie close-up, of a man sneezing, is made at the Edison Studio in West Orange, NJ, 1893

The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne, 1899

Queen Victoria's funeral takes place, 1901

Musher Gunner Kaasan and his sled team, led by Balto, finish the serum run from Nenana to Nome, Alaska, delivering the much needed diphtheria medication (inspiration for the Iditarod), 1925

Leonarde Keeler tests the first polygraph machine, 1935

The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada, 1976

F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to function legally and promises to release Nelson Mandela, 1990

Iran launches its first domestically made satellite, Omid, into orbit, 2009

In a speech directed at Japan's Self-Defense Forces, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, vows to defend the Senkaku Islands, 2013

Indonesian volcano Mount Sinabung erupts on Sumatra Island, shooting toxic clouds of ash into the air, 2014

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

Bigger Girl moved out yesterday, and so at least for now, our nest is empty. (Yes, if one of them needs to come home for a short time, they know they have a safe place to land. Things happen.)

These last couple of days i’ve been thinking about the memories and the good times and some of the reasons i am glad to be a parent, so i thought i would share some of the those. Of course, i am thankful for many more memories than i can list, but there are a few that stand out.

#1 Son singing “Oh Little Town of Destrehan” (the spoof song by a local artist) in church because his mother in her warped sense of humor didn’t teach him the correct words.

Bigger Girl simply picking up her sandwich and taking a bite as if nothing had happened after the dining table collapsed.

#2 Son coming home from the creek and saying, “Hey, mom! Guess what! I caught seven snakes today, and I only got bitten twice!”

Little Girl making her own mascot costumes and performing for a local school.

Summer vacations at the beach, swimming, castle building, fishing, watching the Blue Angels and going to the zoo to pet the lemurs and kangaroos.

#1 Son helping perform CPR on a friend when a motorcycle lost a wheel and the rider flew off the bike and crashed into her. (She and the rider recovered.)

Bigger Girl asking if we could volunteer to clean cages of cats up for adoption at a local pet store, thus beginning our years of volunteering with the current shelter.

#2 Son taking over the BBQ pit at age 9 when he said, “That’s not how Grandpa does it. Here, let me show you!”

Little Girl driving the Jalopy into the front of the house. (Yes, i thought it was funny then, and i think it’s funny now, and she is a very good, safe driver these days.)

Walt Disney World vacations that were all we dreamed they would be.

Sleepovers with friends, pizza nights, the slip-n-slide set up on the hill, summers at the pool, and #2 son getting up on the roof to practice his golf swing.

No matter how old they get, they are my babies, and i am grateful for the joy they’ve brought to my life.

If you have a list of things for which you are thankful (and it does not have to be ten, we aren’t picky), our hostess is Ms. Josie Two-Shoes and you can link up at Ten Things of Thankful. It is a great way to spread the joy around.

Today is:

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

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

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

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

Heroes' Day -- Mozambique

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

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

Magnolia and Fish Jubilee -- Fairy Calendar

Martyr's Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

National Carrot Cake Day

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

Orchid Festival -- Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO, US (through Mar. 25)

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

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

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

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

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

Veterans' Day -- Thailand

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

Anniversaries Today:

Jean-Claude van Damme weds Darcy Lapier, 1994

Wake Forest University is established, 1834

Birthdays Today:

Isla Fisher, 1976

Maura Tierney, 1965

Keith Gordon, 1961

Thmas Calabro, 1959

Nathan Lane, 1956

Morgan Fairchild, 1950

Dave Davies, 1947

Blythe Danner, 1943

Fran Tarkenton, 1940

Shelley Berman, 1926

Joey Bishop, 1918

Simone Weil, 1909

James Michener, 1907

Norman Rockwell, 1894

Gertrude Stein, 1874

Elizabeth Blackwell, 1821

Horace Greeley, 1811

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Victor BorgeShow"(TV), 1951

"The Three Caballeros"(Cartoon Film; US debut), 1945

"Face the Music"(Musical), 1932

"Le carnaval romain"(Berlioz, Op. 9), 1844

"Semiramide"(Opera, Rossini), 1823

Today in History

Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south, 1488

The first paper money in America is issued by the colony of Massachusetts, 1690

Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants, 1743

The Dutch States-General forbid the export of windmills, 1752

Spain recognizes US independence, 1783

The world's first commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland, 1815

The sovereignty of Greece is confirmed in a London Protocol, 1830

The Wisconsin Supreme Court declares the US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional,1855

Emperor Meiji becomes the 122nd emperor of Japan, 1867

The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, guaranteeing Black suffrage, is passed, 1870

Albert Spalding, with only $800, starts a sporting goods company, which eventually manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football (American style football), 1876

Circus owner P.T. Barnum buys Jumbo the elephant, 1882

The 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, the income tax, is ratified, 1913

Canada's original Parliament building, in Ottowa, burns down, 1916

Percival Prattis becomes the first African-American news correspondent allowed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate press galleries, 1947

A plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson and the incident becomes known as The Day the Music Died, 1959

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan speaks of the "a wind of change" of increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa, signalling that his Government was likely to support decolonisation, 1960

The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon, 1966

In Cairo, Yasser Arafat is appointed Palestine Liberation Organization leader at the Palestinian National Congress, 1969

New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption, 1971

John Buster and the research team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center announce history's first embryo transfer, from one woman to another resulting in a live birth, 1984

Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 1995

The New York Giants defeated the heavily favored and previously undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14, in what is known to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history, 2008

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both. If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.)

Just because Sandee at Comedy Plus is not hosting a Silly Sunday doesn't mean i'm going to quit telling Cajun jokes.

Sweetie was discussing going to the doctor -- the eye doctor. His eye doctor and his ENT are the only ones he will go to. He won't go get a check-up because if they can't find anything wrong, then nothing is wrong.

Boudreaux done listen to Clothile and get him to de doctor fin'ly. De doctor be checkin' him, an' she ax him, "Mr. Boudreaux, do you exercise?"

An' Boudreaux say, "Well, I try to do me 100 sit-ups and 100 push-ups ever' day."

De doctor, she say, "My, that's impressive!"

Den Boudreaux say, "Mais, I do try. I ain't been able to do it yet, but I try!"

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files. It is now hosted by River at Drifting Through Life.

Today i thought i would share a few of Grandma's artworks.

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Today is:

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

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

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

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

Four Chaplains Sunday -- Interfaith

General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day -- Poland (birth anniversary)

Homemade Soup Day

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

Independence Day -- Sri Lanka

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

Liberation Day -- Angola

National Stuffed Mushroom Day

Quacker Day -- for those who love Quacker Factory clothes

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

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

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

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

Super Bowl Sunday; related observance

National Popcorn Day

Souper Bowl of Caring (turn your Super Bowl Party into a way to help people in your community)

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

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

World Cancer Day -- International

Anniversaries Today:

United Service Organizations (USO) founded, 1941

The University of Wisconsin is established, with one classroom and 20 students, 1849

Birthdays Today:

Natalie Imbruglia, 1975

Oscar De La Hoya, 1973

Gabrielle Anwar, 1971

Michael Goorjian, 1971

Rod Corddry, 1971

Clint Black, 1962

Lawrence Taylor, 1959

Lisa Eichhorn, 1952

Alice Cooper, 1948

Dan Quayle, 1947

George A. Romero, 1940

Jhn Schuck, 1940

David Brenner, 1936

Gary Conway, 1936

Betty Friedan, 1921

Ida Lupino, 1918

Rosa Parks, 1913

Clyde W. Tombaugh, 1906

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906

Charles Lindbergh, 1902

Tadeusz Kosciuszko, 1746

Debuting/Premiering Today:

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

Today in History:

The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta, 211

The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries, 960

Maximilian I assumes the title Holy Roman Emperor without being crowned, 1508

Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague 1600

In Edo (now Tokyo), The 47 Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after avenging the death of their master, 1703

The worst earthquake in 8 years in Calabria, Italy, leaves 50,000 dead, 1783

The first Anglican bishops of New York and Pennsylvania are consecrated in London, 1787

George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College, 1789

The French National Convention proclaims the abolishment of slavery, 1794

An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, kills 41,000, 1797

J.W. Goodrich introduces his rubber galoshes to the public, 1824

The Mormons of Nauvoo, Missouri, leave to go west, eventually settling in Utah, 1846

The Codex Sinaiticus is found at the Greek Monastery of Mount Sinai, 1859

The first rolling lift bridge opens, in Chicago, 1895

The first Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France, 1924

The first tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks open, in New Orleans, 1930

Radium E is the first radioactive substance to be produced synthetically, 1936

The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops, 1941

Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft, 1967

After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections, 1997

Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, 2004

The Federal Court of Australia's ruling in Roadshow Films v iiNet sets a precedent that Internet service providers (ISPs) are not responsible for what their users do with the services the ISPs provide them, 2010

The remains found the previous year in a dig at Leicester are confirmed to be those of King Richard III of England, 2013

Random Rambling Tuesday

Cats, Books, Computer, Hibernate! (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

Poor Baby (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Excuse me! (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

Ten by Twelve (Ten Things of Thankful)

Marriage Matters and Sunday Selections

Big Boy! (Awww Monday) and Sparks!

Platforms and Meetings and The Same Old Stuff, a Random Tuesday Post

Contradiction (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

Satisfying Their Thirst (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Cranky Cat (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

On the Receiving End (Ten Things of Thankful)

To Love and Obey (Cajun Joke) and Christmas Escapees (Sunday Selections)

They Practically “Sell” Themselves (Awww Monday) and Sparks!

All the News (Random Tuesday)

File This Under Weird Stuff in Client Bedrooms (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

A Taxing Matter (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Always an Interruption (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

Blessed Memories (Ten Things of Thankful)

He's Trying (Cajun Joke) and Sunday Selections