messymimi's meanderings

(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.

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

Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts that encourages us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy. This week, the prompts are photos by Bill, and are posted by Elephant's Child.

The ride to the sea was not very scenic until you got right to the end of it, but he was a thoughtful child and always making up stories in his head.

When they came out of the tunnel and the water was finally visible, that’s when he would sit up and take notice. Once they were passing sandy beaches, he looked out for the birds, especially his favorites, the gulls.

“Look!” he called out when two especially fine specimens came into view. His mother glanced out of the window, said, “Yes, I see, gulls,” and went back to her book.

He knew better than to try to get anyone’s attention again, so he started making up a story about the two gulls.

They are cousins, he decided, cousins who pick on each other like Luke and I do, and then he went on to imagine out their conversation.

“It’s so hot today!” says Cousin 1.

“Of course it’s hot today, what do you expect! It’s summer!” replies Cousin 2.

“Well, I know that! It’s just, this sand is burning my feet,” Cousin 1 continues.

“You’re a bird, you bird-brain, if your feet are burning, why don’t you fly?” askes Cousin 2.

In his thoughts, he imagined Cousin 1 saying, “I believe I will!” and then flying off only to come around and peck Cousin 2 on the back of the head.

Smiling to himself, he continued to play out their antics in his mind for the remainder of the ride.

Yes, he always was a very thoughtful child.

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

Today is:

Biographer's Day -- anniversary of the day Boswell met Johnson in 1763

Hires Root Beer Day -- pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires created it on this day in 1866

Love a Tree Day -- and read about the love of a tree, in Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree

Middlesex Day -- Middlesex, England (although it is only a postal county now, many celebrate the heritage of what was once the county that included London)

National Coquilles St. Jacques Day

National Employee Health & Fitness Day -- US (originally the 3rd Wednesday in May, but now spreading around the world as Global Employee Health & Fitness Month) www.healthandfitnessmonth.com/about

Ramadan -- Islam (began sunset yesterday, through June 14)

Sing "Row Row Row Your Boat" in Rounds Day -- but not around me, please, or i might do something drastic

Sneeze Without Embarrassment Day -- because of pollen levels, as declared by Karen Richmond, of Eastport, MI, US

Spaghetti-Os Day -- they were first sold on this day in 1966

St. Brendan the Voyager's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, travellers, whales; Ardfert, Ireland; Clonfert, Ireland; Kerry, Ireland)

St. Honorius of Amiens' Day (Patron of bakers[especially bakers of communion wafers], cake makers, candlemakers, chandlers, confectioners, florists, flour merchants, oil refiners, pastry chefs; against drought)

St. John of Nepomuk's Day (Patron of bridges, bridge builders, confessors, discretion, good and right confession, running water, silence; Bohemia; Czech Republic; Slovakia; against calumnies, floods, indiscretions, and slander)

Sudan People's Liberation Army Day -- South Sudan

Teachers' Day -- Malaysia

Turn Beauty Inside Out Day -- the day to remember what really counts is who you are, not just what you look like

U.S.Nickel Day -- the first U.S. five-cent nickel was minted on this day in 1866

Wear Purple for Peace Day -- the idea being that until we become a peaceful species, the aliens won't visit

Anniversaries Today:

Louis-Auguste, Dauphin of France, marries Marie Antoinette, 1770

Edgar Allen Poe marries his cousin Virginia Clemm, 1836

Birthdays Today:

Megan Fox, 1986

Matt Ryan, 1985

Jim Sturgess, 1981

Tori Spelling, 1973

David Boreanaz, 1971

Gabriela Sabatini, 1970

Tracey Gold, 1969

Janet Jackson, 1966

Mare Winningham, 1959

Joan Benoit Samuelson, 1957

Olga Korbut, 1955

Debra Winger, 1955

Pierce Brosnan, 1953

Bob Edwards, 1947

Bill Smitrovich, 1947

Billy Martin, 1928

Liberace, 1919

Woody Herman, 1913

Louis "Studs" Terkel, 1912

Margaret Rey, 1906

Henry Fonda, 1905

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, 1804

William Seward, 1801

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Top Gun(Film), 1986

"McCartney II"(album release), 1980

"Listen to What the Man Said"(Single release), 1975

"Annie Get Your Gun"(Musical), 1946

"Dalibor"(Opera), 1868

Today in History:

The Florentines drive out the Medici for a second time and Florence is re-established as a republic, 1527

Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England, 1532

Samuel Johnson meets his future biographer, James Boswell, in London, 1763

Denmark abolishes slave trade, 1792

The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail, 1843

Charles Elmer Hires invents root beer, 1866

A naval Curtiss aircraft NC-4 commanded by Albert Cushing Read leaves Trepassey, Newfoundland, for Lisbon via the Azores on the first transatlantic flight, 1919

Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc, 1920

Chaim Weizmann is elected the first President of Israel, 1948

The first regularly scheduled transatlantic flights begin between John F Kennedy International Airport (then Idlewild Airport) in New York City and Heathrow Airport in London, operated by El Al Israel Airlines, 1951

Theodore Maiman operates the first optical laser, at Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California, 1960

China's Cultural Revolution begins, 1966

The Soviet Venera 5 spacecraft lands on Venus, 1969

India annexes Sikkim after the mountain state holds a referendum in which the popular vote is in favour of merging with India, 1975

Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1975

The Seville Statement on Violence is adopted by an international meeting of scientists, convened by the Spanish National Commission for UNESCO, in Seville, Spain, 1986

A report by United States' Surgeon General C. Everett Koop states that the addictive properties of nicotine are similar to those of heroin and cocaine, 1988

Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch to address the US Houses of Congress, 1991

Kuwait permits women's suffrage in a 35-23 National Assembly vote, 2005

The oldest water ever found is discovered in a Canadian mine; the water dates back 2.6 billion years, 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.)

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

"My love for you is constant, you know this much is true, for when I think of home-cooked meals, I only think of you!"

The face he made as he recited his poem made her laugh even as she said, "That's not very romantic, is that all I am, the chef?"

"No, but you do cook better than my mother does," he grinned, then added, "please don't ever tell her I said that!"

"Don't worry, I won't, especially since she invited us to her house for dinner tonight."

"Noooo," he wailed, "she'll probably make her Famous Company Spaghetti that isn't so famous and always gives me indigestion and do we have to go?"

His expression went from devastated to delighted when she answered, "Yes, we have to go, but I promise to make it up to you tomorrow night -- I have all the makings of your favorite pot roast ready!"

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Constant.

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

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.

The white flowers against the fence drew my eye:

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

Today is:

Birthday of the Raja -- Perlis, Malaysia

Brown Bag-It Thursday -- it's cheaper and healthier, and you might like it enough to start a new habit

Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee -- Calaveras Fairgrounds, Angel's Camp, CA, US (the "Super Bowl" of frog jumping contests; through Sunday)

Frog Jumping Day -- for those of us who don't live in Calaveras County, you can still celebrate Mark Twain's famous story and go play with a frog

Constitution Day -- Nauru; Norway; Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Dea Dia Festival -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of growth)

Dia de las Letras Gallegas -- GA, Spain (Galician Literature Day in Galacia, an autonomous region of Spain)

Falling Off a Log Night -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of Azamat(Grandeur) -- Baha'i

Grand Spring Festival -- Toshogu Shrine, Nikko, Japan (through tomorrow; includes horseback archery, processions in costume, and more)

International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Liberation Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo

Merry-Go-Round Day -- the first merry-go-round, powered by horses, opened this day in 1620

Miles City Bucking Horse Sale -- Miles City, MT, US (a celebration worthy of the city that inspired "Lonesome Dove;" through Sunday)

National Cherry Cobbler Day

National Walnut Day -- declared in 1949 by the Walnut Marketing Board

Navy Day -- Argentina (anniversary of the victory at the Battle of Montevideo in 1814)

Pack Rat Day -- come on out and admit it, you are a pack rat, too!

Rubber Band Day -- patented this day in 1845, and aren't we pack rats glad.

Shunki Reitaisai -- Toshogu Shrine, Nikko, Japan (Grand Festival of Spring, through the 18th)

St. Madron of Cornwall's Day (Patron against pain)

Syttende Mai -- Norway (Constitution Day)

Tell An Umpire "I Love Your Outfit" Day -- only if he has a sense of humor or you can duck quickly

Watch a Baby Fall Asleep Day -- because few things in the world are as funny and precious

World Hypertension Day

World Neurofibromatosis Awareness Day -- for information about neurofibromatosis click here or here

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day -- UN

Birthdays Today:

Nikki Reed, 1988

Tahj Mowry, 1987

Drew Roy, 1986

Andrea Corr, 1974

Sendhil Ramamurthy, 1974

Mia Hamm, 1972

Jordan Knight, 1970

Trent Reznor, 1965

Craig Ferguson, 1962

Enya, 1961

Sugar Ray Leonard, 1956

Bob Saget, 1956

Bill Paxton, 1955

Debra Winger, 1955

Christian Lacroix, 1950

Dennis Hopper, 1936

Maureen O'Sullivan, 1911

James "Cool Papa" Bell, 1903

Joseph Norman Lockyer, 1836

Edward Jenner, 1749

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Information Please!"(Radio), 1938

"Shéhérazade"(Ravel song cycle), 1904

Comic Cuts(Comic Paper, first publication), 1890

"Cavalleria rusticana/Rustic Chivalry"(Opera), 1890

Today in History:

Italian Jesuit Niccolo Zucchi becomes the first to see 2 belts on Jupiter's surface, 1630

Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve founds the Ville Marie de Montréal, 1642

Frontenac becomes governor of New France (Canada), 1672

Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River, 1673

England passes the Molasses Act, putting high tariffs on rum & molasses imported to the colonies from a country other than British possessions, 1733

The US Continental Congress bans trade with Canada, 1775

The New York Stock Exchange is founded, 1792

John Hawkins & Richard French patent the Reaping Machine, 1803

Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire, 1809

Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian, 1814

Antoine Joseph Sax patents the saxophone, 1846

Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language, 1863

Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby, 1875

Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer, 1902

The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the first-ever televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City, 1939

The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 1954

Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure, 1969

Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean, 1970

Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the Internal conflict in Peru, 1980

Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, 1983

After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac takes office as President of France, 1995

Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown, 1992

Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1997

Massachussetts becomes the first US State to legalize same-sex marriage, 2004

The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef, 2008

Dalia Grybauskaite is elected the first female President of Lithuania, 2009

The brightest lunar meteor impact ever observed is recorded by NASA, 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.)

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

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.

The Charismatic Enigma SissyCat, a/k/a Little Sissy or Quadpod, doesn’t stand still often for pictures.

To get her to hold still, it usually takes food.

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

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 the new cohost of the Fill-Ins, The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. 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:

1. Happiness is _________.

2. Ten years ago, I _________.

3. _________ is the best medicine.

4. Most people don't know that I _________.

Happiness is elusive, and what makes us happy changes with time. Right now, having two good working vehicles would make me happy.

Ten years ago, i was ten years younger than i am right now. Really, i was. Ten years ago, my eldest child was still a minor!

Gratitude is the best medicine. Try it and see.

Most people don't know that i had a lot of allergies as a child, including to cats!

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

Today is:

Apollon Day -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of music, poetry, sunlight)

Art Fair and Winefest -- Washington, MO, US (the largest tasting if state wines, juried art show, and more; through Sunday)

Asakusa Sanja Matsuri -- Tokyo, Japan (sake and processions of elaborate mini shrines celebrate the goddess of mercy and the three fishermen; through Sunday)

Battle of Las Piedras Day -- Uruguay

Bike to Work Day 2018 -- the League of American Bicyclists have urged you to celebrate this day the third Friday of May ever since 1956

Dermott's Community Fest -- Dermott, AR, US (formerly the Dermott Crawfish Festival, it still proves mud bugs aren't just for Cajuns any more! carnival, music, street dances, tons of crawfish and more through tomorrow)

Electra Goat BBQ Cook Off & Craft Show -- Electra, TX, US (with a salsa dance contest, Cow Patty Drop, live bands, games, a Jackpot Steak & Beans Competition, there is something here for everyone; through tomorrow)

Endangered Species Day

Fishing Has No Boundaries, Hayward Event -- Hayward, WI, US (sponsored by Fishing Has No Boundaries, Inc., a non-profit with the goal of opening the great outdoors through the sport of fishing to the disabled; the Hayward event is their biggest each year, and runs through tomorrow)

Flag and University Day -- Haiti

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day/World AIDS Vaccine Day

I Love Reeses Day -- as voted in by lovers of the candy a few years ago

International Museum Day -- International Council of Museums (ICOM)

International Virtual Assistants' Day -- acknowledging the dedication, experience, expertise, and determination of virtual professionals; no longer sponsored, but the The International Virtual Assistant's Association is still around

Magnolia Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cook-Off -- Magnolia, AR, US (all the usual fun, with a steak eating contest, live entertainment, and an art show;through tomorrow)

Maifest -- Mainstrasse Village, Covington, KY, US (celebrating German tradition and welcoming the first spring wines; through Sunday)

Moonbeam Hopping Gala -- Fairy Calendar

National Cheese Souffle Day

National Defense Transportation Day -- US (remembering the contributions of people working in the transportation industries)

National Pike Festival -- Fayette County, Pennsylvania, US (through the 20th)

National Pizza Party Day -- as declared by Garlic Jim's Famous Gourmet Pizza, on the 3rd Friday of May; Garlic Jim's holds a contest for school students to nominate their favorite teacher, and the winning teacher gets a free pizza party for the class on this day

No Dirty Dishes Day -- spread around the internet by a mom who needed the break, possibly; go ahead, break out the paper plates just on this day

Restoration of Somaliland Sovereignty Day -- Somaliland Region, Somalia

Revival, Unity, and Poetry of Magtymguly Day -- Turkmenistan

Rhododendron Festival -- Florence, Oregon, US (parades, flower show, car show, carnival and more; through Sunday)

Rhubarb Festival -- Intercourse, Pennsylvania (come on out and enjoy the music, games, rhubarb-inspired foods, and lots of family fun, including the Rhubarb Race Car Derby and best pie contest; through tomorrow)

St. Eric's Day (Patron of Sweden)

St. Theodotus' Day (Patron of hotel keepers and innkeepers)

Syttende Mai -- Stoughton, WI, US (come celebrate the Norwegian heritage of this town with a three day colorful gala named after Norwegian Constitution Day; through Sunday)

Visit Your Relatives Day -- if they are great, go have fun; if awful, go remind yourself why you moved so far away!

World Goodwill Day -- commemorates the opening meeting of 26 nations in the First Hague Peace Conference, 1899

Anniversaries Today:

Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1152

Birthdays Today:

Tina Fey, 1970

Jari Kurri, 1960

Chow Yun-Fat, 1955

Rick Wakeman, 1954

George Strait, 1952

James Stephens, 1951

Tom Udall, 1948

Reggie Jackson, 1946

Brooks Robinson, 1937

Dwayne Hickman, 1934

Robert Morse, 1931

Pernell Robers, 1930

Pope John Paul II, 1920

Margot Fonteyn, 1919

Perry Como, 1912

Big Joe Turner, 1911

Meredith Willson, 1902

Frank Capra, 1897

Wilhelm Steinitz, 1836

Omar Khayyam, 1048

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Le roi malgré lui / King in Spite of Himself"(Opera), 1887

Today in History:

The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch, 1268

Vasco da Gama reaches the port of Calicut, India, 1498

Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy (under torture) lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe, 1593

John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts, 1631

Rhode Island passes North America's first anti-slavery law, 1652

Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec, 1763

The first United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States, 1783

Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate, 1804

The destruction of Saturdays forever after: Edwin Budding of England signs an agreement for manufacture of his invention, lawn mower, 1830

The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland, 1843

The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional, 1896

A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people, 1896

Bram Stoker's Dracula is published, 1897

The Earth passes through the tail of Comet Halley, 1910

Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier, 1953

Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, 1974

Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage, 1980

In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3km/h (357.2 mph), 1990

Photos from the Hubble Space Telescope confirm the existence of two additional moons, Nix and Hydra, around Pluto, 2005

A landmark bill passes in Nepal curbing the power of the monarchy and making it a secular country, 2009

(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.)

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

Is there anything that can happen for which there is no silver lining?

Well, yes, there are a few things, we all know that, the devastating things that tear a world apart for a person, or for many people. (Moment of silence for ten slain and ten injured in Texas, please.)

Most events, even bad ones, do not fall into that category.

That’s why, when i found myself getting just a little bit too blue about the Jalopy, i decided this isn’t a life shattering event and i need to find reasons to be thankful.

Lunceford the Land Yacht and Jalopy

Here’s my list of reasons to be thankful, even when a car needs a major repair so you and your spouse have to share.

We have a second car to share. What a blessing!

It’s a car that needs fixing, not a marriage.

It’s a car that needs repair, not a family member facing serious illness.

We are working more closely together to coordinate where we have to be and how we are going to get there.

Other people who have always expected one or the other of us to show up at the drop of a hat are having to either wait for a turn or come get one of us, or make other arrangements.

We are taking turns driving each other around, meaning each of us gets a chance to feel a bit pampered in the passenger seat as the other deals with traffic.

Also we are getting more practice at being respectful of each other’s driving. (Most of the time, the only time we drive together is on Sunday to church, when there’s little traffic, or on long distance trips.)

He’s starting to appreciate how many hours she works, and how long she spends in traffic getting there.

She’s starting to appreciate more how many errands he can and is willing to run while she’s at work, instead of feeling like she has to do them all herself.

The mechanic will get started on it next week, so it’s not like this will be forever.

Some things are small stuff, and when you look through the lens of gratitude, a broken down Jalopy is small stuff. Of course, i am also going to be very thankful when she is up and running again, but that’s a different post.

Get some practice looking for the good things in your life. Make a list of things for which you are thankful and link them up at Ten Things of Thankful. Josie Two Shoes is our hostess, and we are not picky about it having to be ten. The point is to share the good things that are happening, brightening everyone’s days as we celebrate together.

 An InLinkz Link-up

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

Today is:

All Wright Housewalk -- Oak Park, IL, US (formerly called Wright Plus, The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust’s annual house walk features rare interior tours of privately owned homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries in the historic community of Oak Park)

Armed Forces Day -- US (honoring those currently serving in the US military)

Boy's Club Day -- founding in 1906

Celebrate Your Elected Officials Day 2018 -- unless you don't like them, then get to work electing better ones; if you know of a good one, take time today to thank her/him

Cheung Chau Bun Festival -- Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong (one of Hong Kong's liveliest and most coloorful festivals, coincides with Buddha's Birthday celebration, with the procession on the final day; celebration through the 23rd)

Circus Day -- the four Ringling Brothers opened their first circus on this day in 1884

Dance to Mark the Third of January -- Fairy Calendar (Third of January is when the Founding Fairy Fathers and Mothers arrived in what is now called Fairyland [no one knows where they lived before, or what lived in Fairyland before], so it is one of their most important days; no one knows why it is celebrated in May, either)

Do Dah Day -- Rhodes and Caldwell Parks, Birmingham, Alabama (fun while fundraising for local animal charities)

Greek Genocide Remembrance Day -- Greece

Iris Festival -- Greeneville, Tennessee, US (the community's major festival of the year, featuring artists, craftsmen, merchants, food vendors and entertainers from across the country; through tomorrow)

May Ray Day -- to celebrate being able to go out into the sun's rays as summer nears

Morel Mushroom Festival -- Muscoda, WI, US (the "Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin" celebrates the end of the peak morel season in style, with everything including an antique tractor pull, Fireman's Steak Feed, and even a parade; through tomorrow)

National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day -- US (information at Banyan Tree Project)

National Devil's Food Cake Day

National Learn To Swim Day -- US (with summer just around the corner, remember that drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages one to 14, so please, learn to swim and teach your kids!)

New England's Dark Day*

Peddler's Village Strawberry Festival -- Lahaska, PA, US (strawberries in every form imaginable; through tomorrow)

Plant Something Day -- because it's fun, and summer is coming so you can!

Praia Municipal Day -- Praia, Cape Verde

Preakness Stakes-- Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD, US (141st annual; the second jewel in horseracing's Triple Crown)

Shavuot -- Judaism (Feast of Weeks; begins at sundown, through sundown on May 21)

Skerpla Month begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Sharpness)

St. Dunstan of Canterbury's Day (Patron of armourers, blacksmiths, blind people, gold workers and smiths, jewellers, lighthouse keepers, locksmiths, musicians, silver workers and smiths, swordsmiths; Charlottetown, PEI, Canada)

St. Peter Celestine's Day (Patron of bookbinders; Aquila, Italy)

Wisconsin Dells Automotion -- Noah's Ark Waterpark, Wisconsin Dells, WI, US (showcase of more than 1,000 classic cars, music, food, and family fun; through tomorrow)

Youth and Sports Day / Commemoration of Atatürk -- North Cyprus; Turkey

Anniversary Today:

Eric Clapton marries Pattie Boyd, 1979

Birthdays Today:

Rachel Appleton, 1992

Jordon Pruitt, 1991

Eric Lloyd, 1986

Kevin Garnett, 1976

Kyle Eastwood, 1968

Grace Jones, 1952

Joey Ramone, 1951

Archie Manning, 1949

Andre the Giant, 1946

Pete Townshend, 1945

Nora Ephron, 1941

James Fox, 1939

Francis R. Scobee, 1939

David Hartman, 1937

James Lehrer, 1934

Malcolm X, 1925

Ho Chi Minh, 1890

Nancy Astor, 1879

Johns Hopkins, 1762

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith(Film), 2005

Smokey and the Bandit,(Film), 1977

"Room Service"(Play), 1937

Gone With The Wind(Publication date), 1936

"L'heure espagnole / How They Keep Time in Spain"(Ravel comédie musicale), 1911

Today in History:

Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America, 1535

Anne Boleyn is beheaded, 1536

Queen Elizabeth I orders the arrest of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1568

French forces under the duc d'Enghien decisively defeat Spanish forces at the Battle of Rocroi, marking the symbolic end of Spain as a dominant land power, 1643

The Long Parliament declares England a Commonwealth, and England remains a republic for the next 11 years, 1649

King George II of Great Britain grants the Ohio Company a charter of land around the forks of the Ohio River, 1749

*A combination of thick smoke and heavy cloud cover causes complete darkness to fall on Eastern Canada and the New England area of the United States at 10:30 A.M, 1780

Napoleon Bonaparte founds the Légion d'Honneur, 1802

Mexico ratifies the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo thus ending the Mexican-American War and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for $15 million USD, 1848

Jan Matzeliger begins the first mechanized shoe production, 1885

Oscar Wilde is released from Reading Gaol, 1897

White women win the right to vote in South Africa, 1930

Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind is published, 1936

Churchill and Roosevelt set May 1, 1944 as their goal date for D-Day (it had to be delayed over a month because of weather), 1943

The Soviet Venera 1 becomes the first man-made object to fly-by another planet by passing Venus, 1961

Croatians vote for independence, 1991

The Sierra Gorda Biosphere, the most ecologically diverse region in Mexico, is established as a result of grassroots efforts, 1997

Hundreds of Albert Einstein's scientific papers, personal letters and humanist essays were make available on the Internet. Einstein had given the papers to the Hebrew Universtiy of Jerusalem in his will, 2003

A rare 19th century torpedo is discovered off the coast of California by the US Navy dolphins, 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.)

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

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

Yesterday Sweetie and i went to see Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma was a bit subdued. She only wanted to run one errand, to the bookstore, where she found one book and then decided to sit and let us look around. Back at the house, we watched her favorite TV veterinarian show, commenting on pet owners and pet maladies.

Mostly, she just seemed to want to rest.

Boudreaux be wit’ his petit-garçon (grandson), Li’l Tee, one day. Li’l Tee be runnin’ ‘round de house, he bring his Grand-père a game to play. Dey get half t’rough playin’ an’ he get up, run an get a book. Dey read t’ree page, an’ he get up an go ride de rockin’ horse. Back an’ fort’ he go, from toy to toy, an’ book to book.

Den he look at Boudreaux an’ he say, “Grand-père, don’t it be time fo’ us go outside to play?”

An’ Boudreaux, who be gettin’ tired, say, “Non, it be too hot to go out.”

An’ L’il Tee say, “But Grand-père, don’ you want get out dere an’ soak up de sun fo’ a while?”

An’ Boudreaux say, “Mais, non, dis ol’ grand-père want to stay him in an’ soak up de shade!”

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

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.

Mother’s Day saw Grandma get flowers:

And i got flowers:

My children also got me this — they have quite a sense of humor:

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

Today is:

Aunt's Day -- you honored your mother last week, if you have an aunt who has been good to you and a good influence, call today and let her know

Bay to Breakers 12k Race -- San Francisco, CA, US (the oldest and largest footrace in the world, with 70,000+ runners, followed by a festival)

Be a Millionaire Day - now we all can go for that

Blue Jeans Day -- Levi Strauss and David Jacobs received the patent for their denim pants with riveted pockets on this day in 1873

Dainty-Four Remembrance Day -- Fairy Calendar

Eliza Doolittle Day* -- in honor of Shaw and his famous fictional character, to encourage proper use of one's native language

Emancipation Day -- Florida, US

Festival of Mjollnir -- Ancient Norse Calendar (feast of Thor's Hammer, date approximate)

Flying Solo Day -- Lindberg began his historic flight on this day in 1927

Frigga Blot -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (honoring Frigga)

Grudie Rosnoe -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (ten days of sacrifices to Rod for rain and good harvests)

Independence Day -- East Timor(2002)

Hari Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia -- Indonesia (Indonesian National Awakening Day)

Mecklenburg Day -- North Carolina, US (commemoration of the signing of a declaration of independence from England by the citizens of Mecklenburg County on this day in 1775)

Mifune Matsuri -- Kurumazaki Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (Boat Festival, with over 20 different kinds of traditional Japanese performing arts and costumes of the Heian Period)

National Day -- Cameroon

National Emergency Medical Services Week begins -- US (this year's theme is "Stronger Together")

National Geographic Geography Bee -- National Geographic Society Headquarters, Washington, D.C., US (through Wednesday, with the final round streamed on the 24th)

National Stationery Show -- NYC, NY, US (if you love beautiful paper, or quirky cards, or all forms of stationery, this is a show for you; through Wednesday)

National Quiche Lorraine Day

Neighbor Day -- Rhode Island, US (a "Day of Special Observance" here, and they encourage everyone, before summer starts, get to know your neighbors so you will have more people with whom to enjoy the season)

Norman Rockwell Day -- his first Saturday Evening Post cover appeared this day in 1916

Pick Strawberries Day

Stepmothers' Day -- the too often overlooked and unsung heroines of families; if you have one, and she has been there for you, thank her today

St. Bernadine of Siena's Day (Patron of advertising and advertisers, communications personnel, compulsive gamblers/gambling addicts, public relations work and personnel; Italy; Aquila, Italy; Capri, Italy; Castelspina, Italy; Trevignano, Italy; the diocese of San Bernardino, California; against compulsive gambling, chest, lung, and respiratory problems and hoarseness of the throat)

St. Ives' Day (an honest lawyer; in the Anglican tradition, Patron of abandoned children and orphans, advocates, canon lawyers, judges, lawyers, and notaries; in the Roman Catholic tradition, Patron of Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire, England)

T'veer Chong Kamhaeng -- Cambodia (Day of Remembrance, anniversary of Khmer Rouge regime takeover in 1975, a day to remember all who died at their hands and work for peace)

Weights and Measures Day / World Metrology Day -- anniversary of the treaty in 1875 which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sevres, France

World Autoimmune Arthritis Day -- The International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis sponsors an online virtual convention in all time zones around the world from today through Wednesday

*"One evening the King will say, "Oh, Liza, old thing,

I want all of England your praises to sing,

Next week on the twentieth of May,

I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."

Birthdays Today:

Tahmoh Penikett, 1975

Tony Stewart, 1971

Tony Goldwyn, 1960

Bronson Pinchot, 1959

Ronald Prescott Reagan, 1958

David Paterson, 1954

Cher, 1946

Joe Cocker, 1944

Stan Mikita, 1940

Anthony Zerbe, 1936

George Gobel, 1919

Jimmy Stewart, 1908

Henri Julien Felix Rousseau, 1844

William Fargo, 1818

John Stuart Mill, 1806

Honore de Balzac, 1799

Dolly Madison, 1768

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Elegie für junge Liebende / Elegy for Young Lovers(Opera), 1961

Norman Rockwell's First Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1916

Today in History:

The first Ecumenical Council in the Christian Church, the Council of Nicea, opens, 325

An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia, 526

John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship Matthew looking for a route to the west, 1497

Cartographer Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas, 1570

Shakespeare's Sonnets are first published in London, 1609

Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution, 1802

Otto is named the first modern king of Greece, 1835

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror with 134 men under John Franklin sail from the River Thames in England, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the Northwest Passage in which all hands are lost, 1845

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, 1862

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets, 1873

The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed, 1882

Krakatoa begins to erupt (the volcano's final and most notable explosion will occur on August 26), 1883

The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope, 1891

Cuba gains independence from the United States, 1902

The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage"), 1916

Montreal, Quebec radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America, 1920

By the Treaty of Jedda, the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1927

At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927

Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, 1932

In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1980

First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually, 1983

The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre, 1989

In a second referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a slight majority the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1995

The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976), 2002

Scientists at the Craig J. Venter Institute announce they have successfully created the world's first artificial lifeform by transplanting a synthesized genome into an existing cell, 2010

(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!

We have one kitten at the shelter who sleeps like this:

It never ceases to amaze me how easily cats can get comfortable almost anywhere.

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

Just because i am in the habit of doing it, here's an inspiring quote for the week:

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

Today is:

American Red Cross Founder's Day -- established by Clara Barton on this day in 1881

Anastenarides Feast -- Greece (feast to St. Constantine and St. Helen)

Battle of Las Piedras Day -- Uruguay

Buddha Day/Buddha's Birthday -- dates can vary by country

Circassian Day of Mourning -- Circassians

Día de la Afrocolombianidad -- Columbia (Afro-Colombian Day; commemorates Columbia's abolition of slavery on this date in 1851)

Dia De Las Glorias Navales -- Chile (Navy Day)

Discovery Day -- Cayman Islands

Festival for Vevodus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of the dead, swamps, and volcanic movements, and sometimes regarded as the king of the Di Manes)

HerrinFesta Italiana -- Herrin, IL, US (a whole week of celebrating all things Italian, with a Midwest Pasta Sauce Contest, races, music, grape stomp, and more; through Memorial Day)

Honvédelem Napja -- Hungary (Day of Patriots and Military)

Independence Day -- Montenegro

"I Need A Patch For That" Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which notes that since everything else has a patch, why shouldn't you?

Lilies and Roses Day -- London, England (memorial of the death of Henry VI on this day in 1471; held at the Tower of London with representatives of Eton College and King's College, which he founded.)

National Memo Day -- an internet holiday with no known origin, just take a memo

National Strawberries and Cream Day

National Waitstaff Day

Passion Play Day -- the first Oberammergau, Germany, Passion Play was staged this date in 1634

Shavuot -- Judaism (Feast of Weeks, through sundown today)

Sister Maria Hummel Day -- birth anniversary of the Franciscan nun and artist

St. Constantine's Day (Greek Orthodox Church; Patron of Greece)

St. Eugene de Mazenod's Day (Patron of disfunctional families)

St. Helen's Day (Greek Orthodox Church; Patron of Greece)

St. Helena Day -- St. Helena

Sovereign's Day Holiday / Commonwealth Day-- Belize usually24th

Victoria Day -- Canada

Whit Monday/Pentecost Monday

Dicing for Bibles -- All Saints Church, St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, England (a ceremony dating back to a bequest in 1675 that provides Bibles for poor children of the parish; they play a dice game, in which they try to win one of the 6 Bibles provided)

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development -- UN

Anniversary Today:

Humphrey Bogart marries Lauren Bacall, 1945

Birthdays Today:

Sarah Ramos, 1991

Ashlie Brillault, 1987

Lisa Edelstein, 1966

Judge Reinhold, 1957

Mr. T, 1952

Ian McEwan, 1948

Leo Sayer, 1948

Janet Dailey, 1944

Bobby Cox, 1941

Heinz Hollinger, 1939

Peggy Cass, 1924

Andrey Dmitriyevich Sakharov, 1921

Raymond Burr, 1917

Dennis Day, 1917

Harold Robbins, 1916

Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, 1909

Fats Waller, 1904

Armand Hammer, 1898

Glenn Hammond Curtiss, 1878

Elizabeth Gurney Fry, 1780

Alexander Pope, 1688

Albrecht Dürer, 1471

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Empire Strikes Back(Film), 1980

"Gypsy"(Musical), 1959

"Le Fils prodigue / The Prodigal Son"(Prokofiev ballet, Op. 46), 1929

"Pagliacci"(Opera), 1892

Today in History:

Syracuse, Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily, 878

The island of Saint Helena is discovered by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova, 1502

The nobility elect John Sobieski King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, 1674

The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky is instituted in Russia by the empress Catherine I; it would later be discontinued and then reinstated by the Soviet government in 1942 as the Order of Alexander Nevsky, 1725

Mary Campbell is abducted from her home in Pennsylvania by Lenape during the French and Indian War, 1758

Slavery is abolished in Colombia, South America, 1851

Russia declares an end to the Russian-Circassian War and many Circassians are forced into exile, 1864

French troops invade the Paris Commune and engage its residents in street fighting, 1871

The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton, 1881

The Manchester Ship Canal in England is officially opened by Queen Victoria, 1894

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is founded in Paris, 1904

Charles Lindbergh touches down at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927

Bad weather forces Amelia Earhart to land in a pasture in Derry, Northern Ireland, and she thereby becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, 1932

Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes the first municipality in the United States to fingerprint all of its citizens, 1934

A Soviet station becomes the first scientific research settlement to operate on the drift ice of the Arctic Ocean, 1937

The National War Memorial in Canada is unveiled by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa, 1939

Physicist Louis Slotin is fatally irradiated in a criticality incident during an experiment with the Demon core at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1946

The opening of the Ninth Street Show, otherwise known as the 9th Street Art Exhibition – a gathering of a number of notable artists, and the stepping-out of the post war New York avant-garde, collectively know as the New York School, 1951

Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome is damaged by a vandal, 1972

Democratic Republic of Yemen and North Yemen agree to a unity, merging into Republic of Yemen, 1990

The Ethiopian Civil War ends, 1991

Suharto, Indonesian president of 32 years, resigns, 1998

The clipper Cutty Sark is badly damaged by fire in London, England, 2007

JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, launches the solar-sail spacecraft IKAROS aboard an H-IIA rocket, 2010

The most active volcano in Iceland, Grimsvotn, erupts and triggers 50 small earthquakes, 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.)

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

Tuesday means random, and linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.

Jalopy is in the car hospital, and we do not know when she will recover. Maybe by the end of the week. Meanwhile, Lunceford is doing double duty, which right now includes taking care of Dr. D’s cats while she is out of town.

Helping her pack to leave was an adventure in itself. She packs like Grandma, and unfortunately, i find myself becoming the same way the older i get. Packing everything on earth you could possibly imagine needing makes for an overstuffed vehicle.

This also means i am back to stealth gardening. The tomato plants she is tending at her friend’s house are huge, and one has 22 tomatoes on it. She sprinkled them with Sevin dust before she left and told me to be careful when watering not to wash it off.

Little Girl has been pondering her chosen career path, and has been torn of late. She does still want to go to school; her superiors where she is working right now want her to apply for a job and promotion and be in school only part time. She would be an automatic E-5 if she gets the job.

Today i read her a quote that was sent to me: There is something to be said for the willingness to follow opportunity, even if it is not what you had planned.

She told me that is the best thing i’ve said to her in days.

Mr. Marvin, the generator guy, called to set up our annual generator check-up. It’s funny because about 2 weeks ago, i got a letter from him. It had a generic add for his business, two business cards, and $62 cash in it.

Knowing that he didn’t owe me any money, i set it aside and we have played phone tag since. He called yesterday and finally connected, he wanted to set up our annual visit. That’s when i told him about the letter with the money, and he said, “So that’s where it went! That was advertising money, and I wondered what happened to it! I must have put the wrong address on the envelopes.”

We had a good laugh over the whole thing, and he will be coming on June 1. The money will be waiting.

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

Tuesday is also fun day with Sandee of Comedy Plus.

The kittens got to playing in a sun puddle:

Dansig kept pretending he was not interested in watching:

No, I'm not watching you.

Yes, I turned to face you, that still doesn't mean I'm watching.

Okay, I'm watching!

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

Today is:

Abolition Day -- Martinique

Bear Waking Day -- Norway (traditionally said to be the day the bears awaken from their hibernation, at least according to many sites)

Buy a Musical Instrument Day -- even just a kazoo, and have some fun making music; maybe if this one spreads around the world and enough of us do it, it will foster some harmony in our lives

Harvey Milk Day -- The Harvey Milk Foundation

Independence Day -- Montenegro

International Day for Biological Diversity -- UN

National Maritime Day -- US (commemorating the first transoceanic voyage under steam power)

National Sovereignty Day -- Haiti

National Vanilla Pudding Day

RHS Chelsea Flower Show -- Chelsea, London, England (the world's greatest flower show celebrates its 104th anniversary; through Saturday)

St. Julia's Day (Patron of torture victims; Corsica, Portugal; Livorno, Italy)

St. Rita of Cascia's Day/La Abodada de Impossibles (Patron of desperate causes, difficult marriages, forgotten causes, illness, lost causes, parenthood, sick people, sterile people, victims of physical spousal abuse, widows, wounded people; against abuse, infertility, loneliness, sickness, sterility, wounds, unhappy marriages; Cascia, Italy; Dalayap, Philippines; Igbaras, Philippines)

Toad-Pinching Day -- Fairy Calendar (Pixies)

Toothpaste Tube Day -- the tube was invented on this day in 1892 by dentist Washington Wentworth Sheffield, who wanted to replace the unhygenic practice of dipping the brush into a jar of dental cream

Unity Day / National Day -- Republic of Yemen

World Goth Day -- Get your Goth on around the world!

Birthdays Today:

Apollo Anton Ohno, 1982

Ginnifer Goodwin, 1978

A.J. Langer,1974

Naomi Campbell, 1970

Morrissey, 1959

George Best, 1946

Paul Winfield, 1941

Michael Sarrazin, 1940

Frank Converse, 1938

Richard Benjamin, 1938

Susan Strasberg, 1938

Garry Wills, 1934

Peter Nero, 1934

Charles Aznavour, 1924

Judith Crist, 1922

Sun Ra, 1914

Sir Laurence Olivier, 1907

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859

Mary Cassatt, 1844

Richard Wagner, 1813

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"(TV), 1967

"Paulus / St. Paul"(Oratorio, Mendelsshon Op. 36), 1836

Today in History:

The Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus, BC334

The Hashshashin (Assassins) attempt to murder Saladin near Aleppo, 1176

Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of English theologian John Wycliffe, 1377

Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures King Henry VI of England, 1455

A grand jury indicts former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr on a charge of treason, 1807

On the second and last day of the Battle of Aspern-Essling (near Vienna), Napoleon is repelled by an enemy army for the first time, 1809

The SS Savannah leaves port at Savannah, Georgia, United States, on a voyage to become the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean; the ship arrived at Liverpool, England on June 20, 1819

HMS Beagle departs on its first voyage, 1826

The transporting of British convicts to the New South Wales colony is abolished, 1840

Farmers Lester Howe and Henry Wetsel discover Howe Caverns, 1842

The Blackwall Tunnel under the River Thames is officially opened, 1897

The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their "Flying-Machine", 1906

Lassen Peak erupts with a powerful force, and is the only mountain other than Mount St. Helens to erupt in the continental US during the 20th century, 1915

The most powerful earthquake ever documented, the Great Chilean Quake, measures 9.5 and strikes southern Chile, 1960

The nuclear-powered submarine the USS Scorpion sinks with 99 men aboard 400 miles southwest of the Azores, 1968

Ceylon adopts a new constitution, thus becoming a Republic, changes its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations, 1972

Namco releases the highly influential arcade game Pac-Man, 1980

Microsoft releases the Windows 3.0 operating system, 1990

Johnny Carson retires from The Tonight Show after 30 years, 1992

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia join the United Nations, 1992

A jury in Birmingham, Alabama, convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murders of four girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, 2002

Sarah West, a British naval officer Commander is appointed commander of HMS Portland, the Royal Navy frigate; she is the first female officer to take command of a major British warship, 2012

(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.

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

Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts that encourages us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy. This month, the prompts are being provided by Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton, with some pictures by her friend Bill, and are posted by Elephant's Child.

This week's words are:

Radiator
Football
Ballet
Electricity
Cooking
Debonaire

And/or

Mambo
Wrinkles
Transport
Suffocating
Beanie
Patisserie

“Mom, how much longer are you going to be working on that RADIATOR?" Tim stood at the door of the shop, knowing that his mother tended to lose track of time when she was working. "You didn't forget about the FOOTBALL awards banquet tonight, did you?"

"Would I ever forget an engagement that means I don't have to do the COOKING?" his mom, Marty, teased.

"Just let me put these tools away and I'm done. Also, Ms. Avery called me to ask if we could stop at the PATISSERIE on the way. She needed someone to TRANSPORT the special cake they ordered, it will fit on the floor in the back of the van."

"That means we need to leave earlier than I thought," Tim said. "Is that going to leave me time to iron my shirt?"

"It's already ironed," Marty answered. "This morning, while you were at school, the ELECTRICITY went out in the shop. While I was waiting for the electrical people to change out the transformer, I decided I didn't want my DEBONAIRE son to go to his banquet covered in WRINKLES. It's a good thing the house electricity is on a different circuit."

"It's a good thing they got the electric back on in the shop," Tim replied. "In this heat, we would be SUFFOCATING trying to work in there."

"That's for sure," Marty agreed as she locked the shop door and they headed back to the house.

"I am so proud of you, son. Heading to college on a football scholarship! Tonight when they call your name, I just might get up and dance the Mardi Gras MAMBO!"

"Well, I guess that would be better than you trying BALLET," Tim grinned at her.

"Behave yourself, boy, or in the 'graduation memories' pictures at church I'll include the one with you in a BEANIE!"

They both laughed, and Marty said, "Really, I am proud of you, and I'm going to miss having you in the shop with me."

"Mom, you know I love working on cars, just like you do. I may be going to college, but that's not going to end."

I hope not, Marty thought to herself. No matter what he said, though, she knew that after this summer, when he left for school, things would never be quite the same.

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

Today is:

Ancient Roman Festivities today:

Festival for Vulcan -- god of fire, volcanos, and smiths

Rosalia -- rose festival

Tubilustrium -- ceremony to purify the trumpet used in sacred rituals

Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival -- Windsor to Digby, Nova Scotia, Canada (lots of fun in apple blossom time; through the 28th)

Bluebell Day -- Fairy Calendar

Declaration of the Bab -- Baha'i

Elf Fest -- Lothlorien Nature Sanctuary (near Needmore, Indiana; through next Monday)

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day -- because children need different care, they aren't just tiny adults

Go For A Walk in Your Swim Fins Day -- no, i don't know who comes up with this stuff, and i don't want to

Linnaeus Day -- Stenbrohult, Sweden (birth anniversary of Carolus Linnaeus on the OS calendar)

Lucky Penny Day -- just a fun one, see if you find a penny today

National Labour Day -- Jamaica

National Taffy Day

Sacrifices to Leto, Pythian Apollon, Zeus, Hermes and the Dioscuri in the deme of Erchia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk's Day (Patron of Belarus)

Students' Day -- Mexico

St. William of Rochester's Day (Patron of adopted children)

World Crohn's and Colitis Day

World Turtle Day -- sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue

Anniversaries Today:

South Carolina becomes the 8th US state, 1788

Birthdays Today:

Kelly Monaco, 1976

Ken Jennings, 1974

Jewel, 1974

Mitch Albom, 1958

Drew Carey, 1958

“Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, 1954

Marvin Hagler, 1952

Charles Kimbrough, 1936

Robert Moog, 1934

Joan Collins, 1933

Barbara Barrie, 1931

Rosemary Clooney, 1928

Helen O'Connell, 1920

Scatman Crothers, 1910

Artie Shaw, 1910

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., 1883

Belle Aurelia Babb Mansfield, 1846

Margaret Fuller, 1810

Franz Mesmer, 1734

Carolus Linnaeus, 1707

Emperor Qinzong of China, 1100

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Tommy"(Album), 1969

"Shuffle Along"(Musical comedy revue), 1921

"Il bugiardo / The Liar"(Comedy), 1750

Today in History:

Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne, 1430

The marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon is declared null and void, 1533

The Netherlands declare their independence from Spain, 1568

The Second Defenestration of Prague precipitates the Thirty Years' War, 1618

After being convicted of piracy and of murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd is hanged in London, 1701

Benjamin Franklin announces his invention of bifocals, 1785

Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned King of Italy, 1805

South American independence leader Simón Bolívar enters Mérida, leading the invasion of Venezuela, 1813

The Báb announces his revelation, founding Bábism (the Baha'i Faith), 1844

Organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Battle Creek, Michigan, 1863

The Canadian Parliament establishes the North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, 1873

The fist transcontinental train arrives in Vancouver, BC, 1887

The first talking cartoon of Mickey Mouse, "The Karnival Kid", is released, 1929

American bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde are ambushed by police and killed in Black Lake, Louisiana, 1934

Tibetans sign the Seventeen Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet with the People's Republic of China, 1951

Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion announces that Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann had been captured, 1960

The first version of the Java programming language is released, 1995

The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes, 1998

The fastest roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka, opens at Six Flags Great Adventure, 2005

Alaskan stratovolcano Mount Cleveland erupts, 2006

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute, 2008

Fifteen months after President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in Egypt by a revolution, voters go to the polls for a presidential election, 2012

(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.)

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

“There is a time for being flexible, and a time to take a stand and be firm, and this is one of those times to stand and be firm!”

He had struck his best I-know-what-I-am-talking-about pose, which she always thought looked comical in their tiny galley kitchen, but she tried very hard not to smile.

Stirring the tomato sauce with her favorite wooden spoon, she simply said, “Well, if your sure...”

“Of course I am sure!” he bellowed a little louder than he had intended, considering that while this one of those situations that called for a firm decision, it was not one of those which called for bellowing, especially since they had agreed the only reason to ever yell was if the house was on fire.

“Of course I am sure,” he said again, his voice more moderate, “sometimes there are things that have to be a certain way!”

“Very well,” she said, and this time she did smile at his posturing, “no more ground beef in the tomato sauce, just meatballs!”

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Flexible.

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

A local fenced playground:

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

Today is:

Aldersgate Day -- Methodism

Battle of Pichincha Day -- Ecuador

Bermuda Day -- Bermuda

Brooklyn Bridge Day -- the most often sold bridge in the US (or so i've been told) opened on this day in 1883

Brother's Day -- celebrate all forms of brotherhood, biological, adopted, fraternity brothers, or members of your labor union

Day for the Naming of Rocks and Planets -- Fairy Calendar

European Day of Parks -- Europe

Feast of Hermes Trismegistus -- Hellenistic Egyptian Calendar (thrice-blessed Hermes, patron of alchemy, date approximate)

Hay Festival of Literature -- Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales (largest annual festival of literature in a beautiful market town in the Black Mountains of the Welsh marches; through 3 June)

Independence Day -- Eritrea(1993)

International Tiara Day -- ladies, celebrate your powers of leadership in your life; tiara wearing is optional, it's the fact that you rule that matters

Kodiak Crab Festival -- Kodiak, AK, US (there's more than bears up here, you know! through Monday)

La Fete des Saintes Maries -- Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, France (Roma [gypsy] festival, to honor St. Sara, St. Marie Jacobe, and St. Marie Salome, their patrons; through the 25th)

Little Lamb Day -- publication anniversary, in 1830, of the original poem "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

Lubiri Memorial Day -- Buganda Region, Uganda

Morse Code Day -- anniversary of Morse's first message in 1844 (Morse Code Day is also celebrated on his birth anniversary, April 27)

Mudbug Madness -- Shreveport, LA (festival of crawfish and Cajun heritage, arts, entertainment, and more; through Sunday)

National Escargot Day

Sara-la-Kali -- St. Sara, or St. Sara the Black's Day -- patron of the Roma (Gypsy) Peoples (pilgrimage)

Sts. Cyril and Methodius's Day (Orthodox Church celebration; Patrons of Macedonia) related observances

Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavonic Literature Day -- Bulgaria

Slavonic Enlighteners' Day -- Republic of Macedonia

St. Susanna's Day (Patron of martyrs)

World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest and Festival -- Oxford, MS, US (competition and festival of ragtime, honky-tonk and old-time music; through Monday)

Birthdays Today:

Billy Gilman, 1988

Alyson Hannigan, 1974

Joe Dumars, 1963

Kristin Scott Thomas, 1960

Rosanne Cash, 1955

Alfred Molina, 1953

Jim Broadbent, 1949

Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, 1945

Patti LaBelle, 1944

Gary Burghoff, 1943

Bob Dylan, 1941

Tommy Chong, 1938

Lilli Palmer, 1914

"Engineer Bill" Stulla, 1911

Samuel I. Newhouse, 1895

Lillian Moller Gilbreth, 1878

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, 1819

Emanuel Leutze, 1816

Abraham Geiger, 1810

Gabriel Fahrenheit, 1686

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Spy Hard(Film), 1996

Indiana Jones and Last Crusade(Film), 1989

View to a Kill(film), 1985

"Jumpin' Jack Flash"(Single release), 1968

"Mame"(Musical), 1966

"Le roi l'a Dit / The King Has Spoken"(Opera), 1873

Today in History:

The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt, 1218

Peter Minuit buys Manhattan, 1626

The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants; Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded, 1689

John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day, 1738

Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito, 1822

"Mary Had a Little Lamb" by Sarah Josepha Hale is published, 1830

The first passenger rail service in US, from Baltimore to Elliots Mill, Maryland, begins, 1830

Samuel FB Morse taps out the first telegraph message, "What hath God wrought", 1844

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction, 1883

The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State, 1900

Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, Northern Territory, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight), 1930

Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight, 1940

Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbana, 1956

Cyprus enters the Council of Europe, 1961

FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City, 1968

The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the Soviet Union, 1970

The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran, Iran, 1980

Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia, 1991

Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel, 1991

15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest, 2001

North Korea bans mobile phones, 2004

London's Metropolitan police remove belongings and sleeping bags of homeless people as part of 'a policy of reducing the impact of rough sleepers on the community', 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.)

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

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.

Sometimes when i'm on the computer in the evenings, i have company:

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

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 the new cohost of the Fill-Ins, Lorianne, The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. 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:

1. It is _________.

2. The best part of last week was _________.

3. Every summer, I _________.

4. Once upon a time, _________.

It is a good thing the mechanics repairing the Jalopy noticed two other things that need to be repaired in time for us to get them before they become major problems. Minor repairs will be done so major ones will not be needed.

The best part of last week was having half of Wednesday off and getting in a really good nap.

Every summer, i look forward to wearing “beach dresses” (as i call them) in the afternoons and evenings after work. Very cool and comfortable.

Once upon a time, i thought it would be fun to start and blog, and so i did, and it is fun!

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

Yes, i know where my towel is:

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

Today is:

Africa Day / African Liberation Day -- African Union; related observance

Heroes' Day -- Lesotho

President Yajya Jammeh's Birthday -- Gambia

Alma Highland Festival and Games -- Alma College, Alma, Michigan (annual celebration of Scottish heritage, with world class entertainment and fun; through Sunday)

Azalea Festival -- Brookings, OR, US (with a parade and street fair and bonsai, as well as azaleas and more; through Memorial Day)

Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day -- Waterloo, NY, US (the 149th observance at the National Birthplace of Memorial Day includes a car show, crafts, food, races, a biker rally and more; through observed Memorial Day, and again on the 30th, which is traditional Memorial Day)

Down East Spring Birding Festival -- Cobscook Bay, ME, US (through Memorial Day)

Don't Fry Day -- another day to raise awareness of the need for sun protection through the summer

First Patriotic Government / National Day -- Argentina (Dia de la Revolucion de Mayo)

Flitting Day -- parts of England; Scotland (traditional day on which leases were up for the year and people moved)

Florida Folk Festival -- White Springs, FL, US (a true celebration of Florida's folk heritage; through Sunday)

Geek Pride Day / Nerd Pride Day -- celebrate the geek / nerd in you! Geek culture is the obvious choice to laud when it's Glorious 25 May, Star Wars Day, and Towel Day at the same time; began in Spain as "Día del Orgullo Friki"

Glorious 25 May -- in Terry Pratchett's Discworld

Grubstake Days -- Yucca Valley, CA, US (parade, carnival, races, horseshoes tourney, beard growing contest, fun! through Memorial Day)

Heat Awareness Safety Day -- US (your guv'mint at work, and actually doing something right that you really should pay heed to)

Independence Day -- Jordan(1946)

Iris Festival -- Sumter, SC, US (fun, food, music, and beautiful flowers; through Sunday)

Last Bell -- Russia (tradition of closing schools for the year by having a formal ceremony with the children, and a first grader rings the school bell for dismissal)

Liberation Day -- Lebanon

Memory Days -- Grayson, KY, US ("This is MY Town!" is this year's theme, with a parade, art show, music, Firefighter's Dinner and more; through tomorrow)

National Brown-Bag-It Day

National Death Busters Day -- US, because the upcoming Memorial Day weekend in the US is the most dangerous for driving; be careful out there!

National Missing Children's Day -- US (promoting awareness of the problem of missing children)

National Polka Festival -- Ennis, TX, US (everyone is invited to enjoy this festival, through Sunday)

National Tap Dance Day -- US, birth anniversary of Mr. Bojangles

National Wig Out Day -- US (on the Friday before Memorial Day, don your wig and your alter ego and have fun! there are events around the country)

National Wine Day

Northwest Folklife Festival -- Seattle, WA, US (ethnic and traditional arts event celebrating world cultures; through Monday)

Offering to Demeter -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Pitlochry Festival Theatre -- Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland (plays, concerts, exhibitions, tours and talks; through mid-October)

Poetry Day -- Florida, US (since 1947, the state legislature declared this for all public schools in the state; if you don't live in Florida, enjoy a poem today, anyway)

Portland Rose Festival -- Portland, OR, US (over 50 events, including three parades, dragon boat races, and more celebrate a city full of roses; through June 10)

Procession of the Statue of Artemis -- Ancient Greek and Roman Calendars, at Ephesus (date approximate, but always near the Thargelia)

Self-Reliance Day -- an internet originated holiday, based on the idea that we should all become more self reliant in this day when it is a dying art.

Spoleto Festival USA -- Charleston, SC, US (a premier performing arts festival; through June 10)

Star Wars Day -- Part IV, A New Hope was released this date in 1977

St. Bede the Venerable's Day (Patron of lectors; Father of English History)

St. Mary Magdalen of Pazzi's Day (Patron of the ill; against illness and sexual temptation)

Tivoli Fest -- Elk Horn, IA, US (annual celebration of the area's Danish roots; through Sunday)

Towel Day -- Douglas Adams fans, unite! Always know where your towel is!

Week of Solidarity with the People Of Non-Self-Governing Territories begins -- United Nations

Anniversary Today:

Lord Guildford Dudley marries Lady Jane Grey, 1553

Birthdays Today:

Brian Urlacher, 1978

Ethan Suplee, 1976

Lauryn Hill, 1975

Justin Henry, 1971

Jamie Kennedy, 1970

Anne Heche, 1969

Stacy London, 1969

Mike Myers, 1963

Connie Sellecca, 1955

Jessi Colter, 1947

Karen Valentine, 1947

Frank Oz, 1944

Leslie Uggams, 1943

Ian McKellen, 1939

Raymond Carver, 1938

Tom T. Hall, 1936

K.C. Jones, 1932

Beverly Sills, 1929

Robert Ludlum, 1927

Miles Davis, 1926

Jeanne Crain, 1925

Claude Akins, 1918

James Joseph "Gene" Tunney, 1898

Igor Sikorsky, 1889

Philip Murray, 1886

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, 1878

John Alexander Dowie, 1847

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi(Film), 1983

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope(Film), 1977

"The Subject Was Roses"(Play), 1964

"H.M.S. Pinafore"(Comic Opera), 1878

Today in History:

First recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, BC240

Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo, Spain back from the Moors, 1085

Henry the Navigator is appointed governor of the Order of Christ, 1420

The Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw, 1521

Richard Cromwell resigns as Lord Protector of England following the restoration of the Long Parliament, beginning a second brief period of the republican government called the Commonwealth of England, 1659

Jews are expelled from Warsaw by Marshall Mniszek, 1784

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, delegates convene a Constitutional Convention to write a new Constitution for the United States, 1787

In the May Revolution, citizens of Buenos Aires expel the Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros during the Semana de Mayo, 1810

The Patriots of Lower Canada (Quebec) rebel against the British for freedom, 1837

The first telegraphed news dispatch is published in Baltimore Patriot, 1844

Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore opens at the Opera Comique in London, 1878

The Republic of Formosa is formed, with Tang Ching-sung as the president, 1895

John T. Scopes is indicted for teaching Charles Darwin's theory of evolution in Tennessee, 1925

Henry Ford stops production of the Model T to begin the Model A, 1927

Jesse Owens of Ohio State University breaks five world records and ties a sixth at the Big Ten Conference Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1935

The first ascent of Kangchenjunga (8,586 m.), the third highest mountain in the world, by a British expedition, 1955

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Organisation of African Unity is established, 1963

Star Wars (retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981) is released in theaters, inspiring the Jediism religion and Geek Pride Day holiday, 1977

Bangladesh is hit by a tropical cyclone and storm surge, which kills approximately 10,000 people, 1985

Israel withdraws its army from most of the Lebanese territory after 22 years of its first invasion, 2000

32-year-old Erik Weihenmayer, of Boulder, Colorado, becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 2001

Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, 2011

The first commercial spacecraft, SpaceX Dragon, docks with the International Space Station, completing the maneuver at 12:02pm EDT, 2012

(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 been a bit of a mixed bag of a week, but here's Saturday! Time to get my thankful on.

There were several moments of levity and joy along the way, and i am very thankful for them.

There are a few animal thankfuls, like the cute sign at the vet's office:

Then there was finding out at the vet's office Mikey has actually lost almost 1 1/2 pounds over the past year of being on the expensive diet cat chow. A bonus thankful on that, Mikey did not manage to take my hand off when i put him in the carrier to take him to said vet's office.

We have an acrobat cat at the shelter:

Yes, one of them is hanging upside down.

These two have a great story:

A new volunteer came, and she promised her husband she would not come home with any cats or kittens. She kept her word. He came over and took them home himself!

Our fosters are getting big, they will go up for adoption this coming week. We love them, then we let them go, and it's time.

Ms. S from Bible study called, someone had dropped a kitten on her and she had no idea what to do. (She is elderly and can barely care for the cat and dog she already has.) She called and i was going to help her apply to get the kitten into the shelter when Ms. GA and Mr. BA, also part of the Bible study and who live across from Ms. S, swooped in and scooped the little guy up. (Pictures soon, i am working for them today.)

In the fun at work category, we have my new client, Ms. R. This should give you and idea of what she is like:

She has my kind of sense of humor.

She and her husband sit out on their veranda and smoke cigars! Sweetie and i use to share a good cigar once in a while, so this brings back memories.

She and her husband have great taste in cigars.

They have three dogs, and Bella has already decided i am her best ball throwing buddy. (Sam and Jack are reserving judgment.)

Meanwhile, at Ms. SE's house, one of the children left me this sign:

do NOT itr!

While i did have to "itr" (enter) the area to clean it, i was very careful to leave it just as i'd found it, minus any dust and dirt.

The week was long and not always easy, but it was fun looking for funny and happy things along the way.

If you've had funny or happy things happen to you, and you want to share, link up with Ten Things of Thankful, where Ms. Josie Two Shoes is the hostess with the mostest. You don't have to have ten things, we won't count, we just want to share your joy and spread the thankfulness around.

 An InLinkz Link-up

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

Today is:

ARMAD: Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day -- US ("Ham it up for the troops!" is the motto of amateur ham radio operators on the Saturday before Memorial Day) armad.net

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

Bob Day -- an internet holiday i couldn't confirm, but if your name is Bob, you deserve a special day just for having that name!

Crown Prince's Birthday -- Denmark

Dracula Day -- Bram Stoker's Dracula went on sale this day in 1897

Dzien Matkl -- Poland (Mother's Day)

Festival of the Valley -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (celebration of the movement of Amun from the East Bank of Thebes to the West Bank; it involved giving flowers and sharing food with the dead)

Goblin Races -- Fairy Calendar

Holiday of the Receiving of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Georgia(1918); Guyana(1966)

International Blacksmith's Day

International Jazz Day -- date as originally set by the New Jersey Jazz Society, on the Saturday before US Memorial Day

Isle of Man Tourist Trophy -- Isle of Man (through June 8; two weeks of the finest road racing on earth)

Julia Pierpont Day -- US (she came up with Decoration Day, the precursor to US Memorial Day; spend time today to prepare veterans' graves for Memorial Day)

National Blueberry Cheesecake Day

National Cherry Dessert Day

National Day of Healing -- Australia (formerly called National Sorry Day; to express regret for the ill treatment of Aboriginal Peoples of Australia)

National Paper Airplane Day -- not an official holiday, but go make one, and have a blast; some people even organize contests

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day -- Hawai'i

Sally Ride Day -- US (birth anniversary of America's first woman in space)

St. Augustine of Canterbury's Day (First Archbishop of Canterbury and Patron of England; feast day in the Anglican Communion and most Eastern Churches)

St. Philip Neri's Day (Patron of Gravina, Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo, and Rome, Italy; the United States Army Special Forces)

Suigo Itako Ayame Matsuri -- Maekawa Ayame-en, Itako, Japan (Iris Flower Festival, with over a million blooms of 500 species, special dance and demonstrations on weekends; through the end of June)

Taste of Cincinnati -- Cincinnati, OH, US (6 blocks of Downtown Cincinnati is turned into a big food extravaganza; through Monday)

Thargelia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (birthday festival of Apollo and Artemis; through tomorrow, date approximate)

Utica Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Festival -- Utica, OH, US (local artisans, pony rides, antique gas engines, car show, motorcycle show, magic show, and more, plus tons of ice cream! through Monday)

War of Jenkin's Ear Living History Demonstrations -- Wormsloe State Historic Site, Savannah, GA, US (a colonial living-history event with musket demonstrations, military drills, tomahawk throwing and more; through Monday)

World Lindy Hop Day -- Frankie Manning's birth anniversary

Anniversaries Today:

Boston University is founded by the Massachusetts legislature, 1869

Birthdays Today:

Helena Bonham Carter, 1966

Lenny Kravitz, 1964

Genie Francis, 1962

Sally Ride, 1951

Pam Grier, 1949

Philip Michael Thomas, 1949

Hank Williams, Jr., 1949

Stevie Nicks, 1948

Brent Musburger, 1939

Miles Davis, 1926

James Arness, 1923

Peggy Lee, 1920

Jay Silverheels, 1919

Frankie Manning, 1914

Peter Cushing, 1913

Robert Morley, 1908

John Wayne, 1907

Dorothea Lange, 1895

Al Jolson, 1886

Today in History:

Armenian rebels battle the Sassanid empire and win the right to openly practice Christianity, 451

An earthquake strikes Kamakura, Japan, killing about 30,000, 1293

Geneva expels John Calvin and his followers from the city, 1538

Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, 1647

Lewis and Clark first see the Rocky Mountains, 1805

The Indian Removal Act is passed by the U.S. Congress, 1830

Dred Scott is emancipated by the Blow family, his original owners, 1857

The impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson ends with Johnson being found not guilty by one vote, 1868

Nicholas II becomes Tsar of Russia, 1894

Charles Dow publishes the first edition of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 1896

The first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made, 1908

The world's longest-lasting tornado, lasting for over 7 hours and traveling 293 miles, strikes Mattoon, Illinois, 1917

British Guiana gains independence, becoming Guyana, 1966

Apollo 10 returns to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the forthcoming first manned moon landing, 1969

The Soviet Tupolev Tu-144 becomes the first commercial transport to exceed Mach 2, 1970

Willandra National Park is established in Australia, 1972

George Willig climbs the South Tower of New York City's World Trade Center, 1977

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake strikes Japan, triggering a tsunami that kills at least 104 people, injures thousands. Many people go missing and thousands of buildings are destroyed, 1983

The European Community adopts the European flag, 1986

Zviad Gamsakhurdia becomes the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia in the post-Soviet era, 1991

The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York, 1998

Sherpa Lakpa Gelu climbs Mount Everest in 10 hours 56 minutes, 2003

The New York Times publishes an admission of journalistic failings, claiming that its flawed reporting and lack of skepticism towards sources during the build-up to the 2003 war in Iraq helped promote the belief that Iraq possessed large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, 2004

The May 2006 Java earthquake kills over 6,600 people, leaves 200,000 homeless, 2006*

The World Health Organization confirms that Ebola has reached Sierra Leone, 2014

Hackers steal personal data for about 100,000 taxpayers after breaking into a U.S. Internal Revenue Service system that allows taxpayers to retrieve previous tax returns, 2015

*Occurred 22:54 GMT May 26, 05:54 Local Time May 27, so some sources date it today, some tomorrow

(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, of Comedy Plus, has stopped hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, don't expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes.

One of the reasons this past week was difficult is that we lost a couple of very beloved elderly people in our community. Sometimes children especially have a hard time, and can say some rather interesting things.

Dat be what happen when Grand-père Boudreaux done pass. Tee Boudreaux, him's petit-garçon (grandson), come to de house a few day after de funeral an' see Grand-mère be packin' up Grand-père's clothes.

"Grand-mère, what you be doin' wit' Grand-père's clothes?" Tee ax.

Grand-mère look up wit' sad eyes an' say, "I be packin' de clothes for to take dem to de charity closet at de church."

"What fo' you be doin' dat?" Tee ax.

"Well," she say, "Grand-père not goin' be comin' back fo' dem, so we be goin' give dem to people who can use dem."

"But Grand-mère," say Tee, "you be goin' go to be wit' Grand-père real soon, you can take de clothes to him den!"

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

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.

Dr. D's stealth tomatoes are doing well:

Mr. BA and Ms. GA are out of town. Ms. GA has entrusted me again with the care of the cats, and Mr. BA has entrusted me with his plants. He has three prize ferns:

They have to be soaked in the pond three times a week. Poor ferns, pray they survive me.

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

Today is:

Abolition Day -- Guadeloupe; Saint Martin

Arbor Day -- Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire, England (a Poplar tree in town is decorated and left that way year round; probably associated with Oak Apple Day)

Buttercup Day -- an internet holiday that just sounds fun

Cape May Music Festival -- Cape May, NJ, US (world class music performances of many genres; through June 15)

Cellophane Tape Day -- patented this date in 1930

Children's Day -- Nigeria (a school holiday)

French Open Tennis Tournament -- Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France (part of the Grand Slam of Tennis, annually since 1925; through June 10)

FindleFritter's Stoat-Wheedling Event -- Fairy Calendar

Grand Prix de Monaco -- Monaco (premier Formula 1 race through the streets of Monte Carlo, run since 1929; through Sunday)

Indianapolis 500 -- Indianapolis, IN, US (the world's single largest one day sporting event)

Mother's Day -- Algeria; Dominican Republic; France; French Antilles; Haiti; Madagascar; Mauritius; Morocco; Senegal; Sweden; Tunisia

Mother's Day -- Bolivia

National Grape Popsicle Day

Palio Dei Balestrieri -- Gubbio, Italy (the last Sunday of May always sees a medieval crossbow contest between the town of Gubbio and the town of Sansepolcro, with medieval costumes and arms)

Pop-up Toaster Day -- Charles Strite applied for his patent on the first pop-up toaster on this day in 1919

Procession of the Golden Chariot and the Battle of Lumecon -- Mons, Belgium (a horse-drawn coach carrying the relics of St. Waudry circles the town to commemorate the delivery of Mons from plague in 1349, and in the afternoon, the Fraternity of St. George reenact the Battle, with St. George defeating the dragon)

St. Augustine of Canterbury's Day (Roman Catholic Church observance; Patron of England)

St. Melangell's Day (Patron of hares)

Sun Screen Protection Day -- an annual, and unsponsored, reminder to use that SPF protection, every day!

Throw the B*st@rds Out Day -- originally directed at politicians, (and if you want to do that, too, great!), and celebrated on various days on various sites, but whomever is making your life miserable, toss them out! or at least, toss them out of your thoughts for today.

Trinity Sunday -- Christian

World Hunger Day -- The Hunger Project

Birthdays Today:

Chris Colfer, 1990

André Benjamin, 1975

Jamie Oliver, 1975

Jack McBrayer, 1973

Joseph Fiennes, 1970

Jeremy Mayfield, 1969

Todd Bridges, 1965

Pat Cash, 1965

Adam Carolla, 1964

Peri Gilpin, 1961

Richard Schiff, 1955

Bruce Weitz, 1943

Louis Gossett, Jr., 1936

Ramsey Lewis, 1935

Lee Meriwether, 1935

John Barth, 1930

Henry Kissinger, 1923

Christopher Lee, 1922

Herman Wouk, 1915

Sam Snead, 1912

Hubert H. Humphrey, 1911

Vincent Price, 1911

Dolores Hope, 1909

Rachel Louise Carson, 1907

Dashiell Hammett, 1894

Isadora Duncan, 1878

Arnold Bennett, 1867

Wild Bill Hickock, 1837

Julia Ward Howe, 1819

Amelia Bloomer, 1818

Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1794

Debuting/Premiering Today

From Russia With Love(Film). 1964

"The Three Little Pigs"(Disney animated short), 1933

Today in History:

Habeaus Corpus Act, codifying how the writ of habeaus corpus is to be used, passes in UK, 1679

Peter the Great founds St. Petersburg, 1703

In Bolivia, the Battle of La Coronilla, in which the women from Cochabamba fight against the Spanish army, 1812

In Canada, American forces capture Fort George, 1813

Bubonic plague breaks out in San Francisco, California, 1907

The NC-4 aircraft arrives in Lisbon after completing the first transatlantic flight, 1919

The 1,046 feet (319 m) Chrysler Building in New York City, the tallest man-made structure at the time, opens to the public, 1930

Richard Gurley Drew receives a patent for his adhesive tape, later manufactured by 3M as Scotch tape, 1930

The Walt Disney Company releases the cartoon The Three Little Pigs, with its hit song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?", 1933

In California, the Golden Gate Bridge opens to pedestrian traffic, , 1937

Toronto's CHUM-AM, (1050 kHz) becomes Canada's first radio station to broadcast only top 40 Rock n' Roll music format, 1957

Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and to count them in the national census, 1967

In Culpeper, Virginia, actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed from the neck down after falling from his horse in a riding competition, 1995

Russian President Boris Yeltsin meets with Chechnyan rebels for the first time and negotiates a cease-fire, 1996

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands indicts Slobodan Milosevic and four others for war crimes and crimes against humanity, 1999

The May 2006 Java earthquake strikes at 5:53:58 AM local time (22:53:58 UTC May 26) devastating Bantul and the city of Yogyakarta killing over 6,600, 2006

Scientists in Canada bring 400 year-old bryophyte specimens left behind by retreating glaciers during the Ice Age back to life, 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.)

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

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!

Mr. E found a kitten in his flower bed and brought it to Ms. S from Bible study. She cannot keep another cat, so she wanted me to help get it into the shelter program. Then, Mr. BA and Ms. GA, who have hired me to care for their cats and plants this week as well as clean the house, stepped in.

His name is Big Red, and he is very shy still.

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

Sparks! is on hiatus, so here’s an inspiring quote for the week, this specifically for Memorial Day:

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

Today is:

Araw ng Watawat -- Philippines (Flag Day)

Armed Forces Day -- Croatia

Bolder Boulder 10k -- Boulder, CO, UK (a fun way to spend Memorial Day)

Contemplate Your Vicissitudes Day -- no, i still don't know who thinks up this stuff, i can think of much better things to contemplate, thank you

Day of Pin-Hiding and Button-Losing -- Fairy Calendar

Downfall of the Dergue Day/National Day -- Ethiopia

Memorial Day -- US and Territories (obs.)

Prayer for Peace, Memorial Day -- US (on observed Memorial Day, an interfaith encouragement to pray and work for permanent peace in the world)

National Brisket Day

National Hamburger Day

National Heroes' Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands

Republic Day -- Armenia; Azerbaijan

Slugs Return From Capistrano Day -- where they spent the winter, so don't go out on the patio barefoot until the first frost; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Spring Bank Holiday -- UK

Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling and Wake -- Cooper’s Hill, England (ancient tradition -- pre-Roman -- of rolling a large wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the hill; winner of the races to catch it wins the cheese, and the rolling is now always held on the Monday Spring Bank Holiday)

Tetbury Woolsack Races -- Gumstool Hill, Tetbury, England (this formerly important wool producing town still holds races up and down the hill, from the Royal Oak Pub up to the Crown Pub and back; part of traditional Whitsuntide folklore customs, which is now always held on the Monday Spring Bank Holiday)

St. Bernard of Montjoux's Day (Founder of Alpine hospices; Patron of Alpinists, the Alps, mountain climbers, mountaineers, skiers, and travellers in the mountains)

Tour of Somerville -- Somerville, NJ, US (the oldest continuously run major bicycle race in America, always on observed Memorial Day)

Whooping Crane Day -- US (birth anniversary of the first crane born in captivity; because those born in captivity refused to breed after they grew up, the attempt to restore numbers this way was discontinued, but these are beautiful birds worth saving)

Women in Trousers Day -- US (on this day in 1923, the US Attorney General announced his determination that it was indeed legal for women to wear trousers anywhere)

Anniversary Today:

Amnesty International is founded, 1961

Sierra Club is founded, 1892

Birthdays Today:

Joseph Cross, 1986

Carey Mulligan, 1985

Jesse Bradford, 1979

Sicily Yoder, 1969

Kylie Minogue, 1968

Glen Rice, 1967

Christa Miller, 1964

Sondra Locke, 1947

John Fogerty, 1945

Rudolph Guiliani, 1944

Gladys Knight, 1944

Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie, and Yvonne Dionne , 1934

Carroll Baker, 1931

Barry Commoner, 1917

Ian Fleming, 1908

Jim Thorpe, 1888

Louis Agassiz, 1807

William Pitt, 1759

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Magic Show"(Musical), 1974

"Lock Up Your Daughters"(Musical), 1959

Melody(Disney cartoon film, first ever in 3-D), 1953

"Zoo Parade"(TV), 1950

"Louisiana Purchase"(Musical), 1940

"Mathis der Maler / Matthias the Painter"(Opera), 1938

"L'Arianna / Ariadne"(Opera), 1608

Today in History:

A solar eclipse occurs, as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Cyaxares in the Battle of the Eclipse;this leads to a truce and becomes one of the cardinal dates from which other dates can be calculated, BC585

James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor are married according to a Papal Bull by Pope Alexander VI and a Treaty of Everlasting Peace (which lasted 10 years) between Scotland and England is signed, 1503

The Spanish Armada, with 130 ships and 30,000 men, sets sail from Lisbon heading for the English Channel (it will takes until May 30 for all of the ships to leave port), 1588

In the first engagement of the French and Indian War, Virginia militia under 22-year-old Lieutenant Colonel George Washington defeat a French reconnaissance party, 1754

Big Ben is drawn on a carriage pulled by 16 horses from Whitechapel Bell Foundry to the Palace of Westminster, 1859

In San Francisco, California, John Muir organizes the Sierra Club, 1892

In the Russo-Japanese War, the Battle of Tsushima ends with the destruction of the Russian Baltic Fleet by the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1905

John B Gruelle patents Raggedy Ann doll, 1915

The US Attorney General says it is legal for women to wear trousers, 1923

The first all color talking picture, "On With the Show", is shown in NYC, 1929

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California, is officially opened, 1937

Neville Chamberlain becomes British Prime Minister, 1937

The women of Greece are given the right to vote, 1952

The Palestine Liberation Organization is formed, 1964

Fifteen West African countries sign the Treaty of Lagos, creating the Economic Community of West African States, 1975

Eritrea and Monaco join the United Nations, 1993

NATO declares Russia a limited partner in the Western alliance, 2002

The Mars Odyssey finds signs of large ice deposits on the planet Mars, 2002

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty, 2008

'Le Monde' reports the Assad regime in Syria continues to use chemical weapons, 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.)

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

There’s so much going on, it’s the perfect time for linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.

One of the things i hoped would happen is that we would get some rain here so that i would not have to worry about watering quite so much for Mr. BA while he is gone.

On Sunday, we got a nice bit of rain at our place and not a drop on their end of town.

Monday i got a break, and the clouds delivered. Now i hope we continue to get one of those nice showers each afternoon.

He also asked me to do a bit of weeding, if i had time. Not only do i have a job or two or three besides his place each day this week, i only remember some of the plants he identified as intruders (or "volunteers", as Ms. S calls them). When i tried to get the weeds out of the iris bed, i got a new respect for the Biblical parable Jesus told about The Wheat and The Tares.

Jesus told a story of a landowner having his field sown with wheat, only to have an enemy come in and plant tares (weeds). The workers ask if they should pull up the tares, but the landowner notes that this would just tear up the roots of the wheat as well. He tells them to leave it to all grow together and harvest it all at the same time, separating it out then. This is referencing the end of the world, when the evil and good will be separated.

In the same way you can’t pull up the tares without damaging the wheat, it's very difficult to pull up the "volunteers" without tugging on and maybe damaging the roots of the irises.

Big Red the new kitten is precious. He’s very shy, i have to sit and wait a while, and once he is not scared, he comes out to visit. It takes about an hour to get him comfortable enough to play and allow petting. While he is not thrilled with being held, he does allow it.

He is also not using his litter box, preferring to "go" under the bed in the spare room where he is living. When i clean the house this Friday as usual, Sweetie and i will have to move him to the bathroom, move the furniture, and try to clean the floor thoroughly.

Dr. D and i spent the morning yesterday trying to track down all of her checkbooks and get all of her purses into one place. She has three banks, and since she orders more checks every time she misplaces the last set, we now have quite the collection. Her purses filled three paper grocery sacks, and she wants to go through them and get all of the "important" stuff out of them.

There was a small incident yesterday evening. Little Girl didn't have her key to the house, and Sweetie had already locked the door, as i hadn't gotten home from work yet and it was getting dark.

She knocked at the door, and he didn't hear her. She tried to call him, but he'd turned his phone off for the evening and put it on the charger. So she tried knocking on one of the windows.

These are old windows, the kind that shatter into long shards that will cut you to ribbons, and they shatter very easily. #1 Son once broke one by tapping it with a wooden spoon!

When i got home from work last night, i had to cut pieces of cardboard and fit them and tape up the kitchen window. Today, Sweetie is buying a sheet of clear plastic to go over it from the outside. We can't replace the window, and the glass is a very odd size and very costly to get into these old frames. Clear plastic will do for the time being.

Right now, i'm not sure what's going on with so many blogs iread. Many times i cannot comment, no matter if it's a Blogger or Wordpress or anything else. If you don't see me commenting on your blog, i promise i am trying. It's like pulling teeth, especially on Wordpress blogs.

If you end up with two or three comments, it's because they are showing on my end as not publishing, so i try more than once, and sometimes with more than one ID.

Finally, today is Red-headed Alec's birthday! He is 27.

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

Today is:

Ambarvalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (purification festival to Ceres, date approximate)

Ascension of Baha'u'llah -- Baha'i

Castleton Garland Celebration -- Derbyshire, England (a Garland King and Lady ride the bounds of the parish on white horses, after which the garland the King wore is placed on the church tower; possibly dating back to Oak Apple Celebrations)

Democracy Day -- Nigeria

End of the Middle Ages Day -- considered such by many historians because of the fall of Constantinople on this day in 1453

Feast of Mars -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Full Flower Moon / Corn Planting Moon / Milk Moon

Buddha Day/Vesak/Waisak -- Bhuddist's Buddha Day; date varies with many celebrating tomorrow, and some areas already started the celebrations yesterday; sometimes called "Buddha's Birthday"

Heavenly Sage Bao Sheng’s Birthday -- Taoism

Kasone Full Moon -- Myanmar

Vesak Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka

Waisak/Vesak Festival -- Borobudur Temple, Java, Indonesia (on the day of the full moon, a stunning and spiritual celebration of Buddha's birthday)

International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers -- UN

Learn About Composting Day -- can't find a sponsor for this day, but there is a week sponsored each year here; and you can learn about composting here, too

Lord Buddha's Parinirvana -- Bhutan

Mount Everest Day -- Nepal (declared on the anniversary of first ascent in 1953)

National Coq Au Vin Day

Oak Apple Day / Royal Oak Day -- England (celebration of the restoration of the monarchy; no longer officially recognized, but many localities have traditions that have grown up around this date which are still celebrated)

Pink Flamingo Day -- Don Feathersone created the first one on this day in 1957

Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day -- supposedly dating back, in Europe and the Americas, to the days when you put a piece of cloth in your larder for good luck; why it became a pillow no one knows

Runic Half-Month of Odal (home, possessions) commences

Squoosh an Ice Cream Sandwich Day -- rules say you must squoosh, not squish or squash!

St. Bona of Pisa's Day (Patron of couriers, flight attendants, guides, pilgrims, travellers; Pisa, Italy)

Anniversaries Today:

Rhode Island becomes the 13th US State, 1790

Wisconsin becomes the 30th US State, 1848

Birthdays Today:

Noel Gallagher, 1967

Lisa Whelchel, 1963

Melissa Etheridge, 1961

Adrian Paul, 1959

Rupert Everett,1959

Annette Bening, 1958

LaToya Jackson, 1956

Danny Elfman, 1953

Anthony Geary, 1947

Kevin Conway, 1942

Al Unser, Sr., 1939

Francis Thomas "Fay" Vincent, Jr, 1938

Paul Erlich, 1932

John F. Kennedy, 1917

Tenzing Norgay, 1914

T.H. White, 1906

Bob Hope, 1903

Oswald Spengler, 1880

G.K. Chesterton, 1874

Patrick Henry, 1736

Today in History:

Ottoman armies under Sultan Mehmed II Fatih capture Constantinople after a siege, ending the Byzantine Empire, 1453

Charles II (on his birthday) is restored to the throne of Great Britain, 1660

Treaty of Middle Plantation establishes peace between the Virginia colonists and the local Natives, 1677

The right of Canadians to keep Indian slaves is upheld at Quebec City, 1733

In Patrick Henry's historic speech against the Stamp Act, he answers a cry of "Treason!" with, "If this be treason, make the most of it!" 1765

Present constitution of Switzerland takes effect, 1874

Chemist John Pemberton places his first advertisement for Coca-Cola, the ad appearing in the Atlanta Journal, 1886

Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring receives its premiere performance in Paris, provoking a riot, 1913

Ocean liner RMS Empress of Ireland sinks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence with the loss of 1,024 lives, 1914

Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the best-selling Christmas single in history, for Decca Records in Los Angeles, 1942

Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay become the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1953

First of the annual Bilderberg conferences, 1954

Amputee Steve Fonyo completes cross-Canada marathon at Victoria, British Columbia, after 14 months, 1985

Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station, 1999

Olusegun Obasanjo takes office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule, 1999

A WWII Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., US, 2004

Scientists describe the 160-million year-old fossile of Aurornis xui as the most basal species of Avialae, possibly shifting the evolutionary position of the Archaeopteryx as the oldest known bird, 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.)

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

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

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

Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts that encourages us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy. This month, the prompts are being provided by Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulton, with some pictures by her friend Bill, and are posted by Elephant's Child.

This week we have a phrase:

Back to the drawing board

And/or

Another of Bill's photos.

Yes, it's a long road. It always feels longer when the product didn't go over so well.

There's a stark beauty out here that just becomes hot and sere and treacherous when we are heading back to home base to start over instead of to start production.

Today, it's back to the drawing board.

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

Today is:

Anguilla Day -- Anguilla

Arrival Day -- Trinidad and Tobago

BookExpo America -- Jacob K Javits COnvention Center, NYC, NY, US (publishers display fall titles; through Friday)

Dia de Canarias -- CN, Spain (Canary Island Day)

Dia de las Madres -- Nicaragua(Mother's Day)

Einherjar -- Asatru (Modern Norse Pagan) Calendar (a memorial for the war dead in Valhalla)

Feast Day of St. Joan of Arc (Patron of captives, martyrs, opposition of Church authorities, people ridiculed for their piety, prisoners, rape victims, soldiers, WACs, WAVES; France)

Heirloom Seed Day -- While i can't find the history of this one, it's a good one to celebrate, we need to raise awareness of and preserve heirloom seeds

Indian Arrival Day -- Trinidad and Tobago (anniversary of the 1845 arrival of the first Indian laborers to Trinidad)

Lod Massacre Remembrance Day -- Puerto Rico

Loomis Day -- because if we are going to honor Marconi, we should also honor the Washington, D.C., dentist Mahlon Loomis, who patented a wireless telegraphy system before Marconi was even born

My Bucket's Got a Hole In It Day -- this one may be listed on another day as well, since no two sites agree; mercy, just go get a new one already! or go get out your Hank Williams records

National Mint Julep Day

National Senior Health and Fitness Day -- US (don't let age get in the way of staying healthy!)

Scott Joplin Ragtime Festival -- Sedalia, MO, US (with a variety of free and paid venues, it's a good time for all; through Saturday)

St. Walstan of Bawburgh's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, farmers and farm workers, field hands, husbandmen)

This Day -- Fairy Calendar

Water a Flower Day -- no sponsor or reason given for this day, except that the spring rains are slowing and you don't want your garden to wilt

World MS Day

Anniversaries Today:

Henry VIII marries Jane Seymore, 1536

Birthdays Today:

Blake Bashoff, 1981

Trey Parker, 1972

Wynonna Judd, 1964

Tom Morello, 1964

Ted McGinley, 1958

Colm Meaney, 1953

Stephen Tobolowsky, 1951

Meredith MacRae, 1945

Gale Eugene Sayers, 1943

Michael J. Pollard, 1939

Keir Dullea, 1936

Clint Walker, 1927

Benny Goodman, 1909

Mel Blanc, 1908

Countee Cullen, 1903

Peter Carl Fabergé, 1846

Czar Peter the Great, 1672

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Paperback Writer"(Single release), 1966

"War Requiem"(Britten Op. 66), 1962

"Odisséia de uma raça / Odyssey of a Race"(Villa-Lobos Symphonic poem), 1954

"Prodana nevesta / The Bartered Bride"(Opera), 1866

Today in History:

Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem; the Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall, 70

19-year-old Joan of Arc is burned at the stake by an English-dominated tribunal, 1431

In Florida, Hernando de Soto lands at Tampa Bay with 600 soldiers with the goal of finding gold, 1539

Publication of La Gazette, the first French newspaper, 1631

The Pennsylvania Evening Post become the first daily paper in the US, 1783&

John Francis attempts to murder Queen Victoria, 1842

Westminster's Big Ben rang for the first time in London, 1859

Decoration Day (the predecessor of the modern "Memorial Day") is observed in the United States for the first time, 1868

New York City's Gilmores Garden is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public, 1879

The Treaty of London, 1913, ends the First Balkan War and Albania becomes an independent nation, 1913

In China protests erupt against the Great Powers infringing on Chinese sovereignty, 1925

A dike along the flooding Columbia River breaks, obliterating Vanport, Oregon within minutes, 1948

The Auckland Harbour Bridge, crossing the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, is officially opened, 1959

launch of Surveyor 1 the first US spacecraft to achieve landing on an extraterrestrial body, 1966

At the Ascot Park in Gardena, California, daredevil Evel Knievel jumps his motorcycle over 16 cars lined up in a row, 1967

Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: the 33-foot high "Goddess of Democracy" statue is unveiled in Tiananmen Square by student demonstrators, 1989

272 days after the September 11 attacks, closing ceremonies are held for the clean up/recovery efforts at the World Trade Center site in New York City. The last remaining steel beam is removed and transported to the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, 2002

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel pledges to end all nuclear power within 12 years, 2011

Former Chad dictator Hissène Habré is convicted of crimes against humanity by the Extraordinary African chambers, 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.)

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

“Have you ever had this close a brush with death?” he hissed in her ear, making sure she felt the cold steel on her neck.

She knew her life depended on keeping her voice steady, even cold, and she did so as she answered, “Yes, even closer.”

“Really?” he almost laughed, and as he shifted his weapon his lifted the hair on her neck and ran his fingers along her hairline, while she suppressed her shiver of disgust and simply said, “Yes, really.”

“You’re pretending not to be scared of me, but you should be very afraid,” his voice had become hard, and he tightened his grip.

Now or never, she thought, and she let her breath out as hard as she could while pulling herself down out of his grip with all her might and kicking backward with her left leg, just as she had been taught.

Caught off guard, he instinctively grabbed for the leg she had kicked and so she was able to knock the gun from his hand and get him to the floor; while he lay there writhing in agony from her second kick, which was to the groin, she said, “I’m not afraid of you, I’m a mother and I take karate with my children!”

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Brush.

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

This one is very pretty to me:

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

Today is:

Bicycle Race Day -- anniversary of what is supposed to have been the first bicycle race ever, at the Parc de Saint-Cloud, Paris, in 1868

Corpus Christi -- Catholic Christian

Dia de Castilla-La Mancha -- Castile-La Mancha, Spain

Doha Document for Peace in Darfur Commemoration -- Sudan

European Maritime Day -- European Council (this year's host for the conferences is Bulgas, Bulgaria, through tomorrow, with a lineup of activities for the general public at the Burgas Sea Festival)

Fardagar -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (time when farm workers moved from one farm to another, the time to settle debts, and until the 20th-Century, the day to start the fiscal year; always the Thursday through Sunday of the 7th week of summer)

Feast of the Visitation of Mary -- Christianity (Mary's visit of her cousin Elizabeth, chronicled in Luke 1:39-56)

Friendship Festival -- Lathrop, Missouri, US (including the super hero look-alike contest; through Saturday)

Great American Brass Band Festival -- Danville, KY, US (this year's theme is Brass Greats of American Jazz; through Sunday)

"Make My Day" Day -- birth anniversary of Clint Eastwood

National Macaroon Day

Royal Brunei Malay Regiment Day / Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day -- Brunei

Save Your Hearing Day -- because once it is gone, you will regret it; on the anniversary of the concert by The Who which set a Guiness World Record for loudest rock concert in 1976

Speak in Complete Sentences Day -- be a good example!

St. Petronilla's Day (Patron of mountain travellers; against fever)

Take This Job and Shove It Day -- birth anniversary of Johnny Paycheck

This Day (again) -- Fairy Calendar

What You Think Upon Grows Day -- Stephanie West Allen wants you to remember the power of positive thinking

World No Tobacco Day -- WHO

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Tucker, 1982

Colin Farrell, 1976

Phil Keoghan, 1967

Brooke Shields, 1965

Lea Thompson, 1961

Chris Elliot, 1960

Roma Maffia, 1958

Kyle Secor, 1958

Gregory Harrison, 1950

Tom Berenger, 1950

John Bonham, 1948

Sharon Gless, 1943

Joe Namath, 1943

Johnny Paycheck, 1941

Terry Waite, 1939

Peter Yarrow, 1938

Clint Eastwood, 1930

Patricia Roberts Harris, 1924

Prince Rainier of Monaco, 1923

Denholm Elliott, 1922

Don Ameche, 1908

Norman Vincent Peale, 1898

Fred Allen, 1894

Walt Whitman, 1819

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Survivor"(TV), 2000

"Seinfeld"(TV), 1990

"Beatlemania"(Musical), 1977

Today in History:

Rameses II (The Great) becomes pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, BC1279

A devastating earthquake strikes Antioch, Turkey, killing 250,000, 526

Mongol armies of Genghis Khan led by Subutai defeat Kievan Rus and Cumans, 1223

Citing poor eyesight, Samuel Pepys records the last event in his diary, 1669

The Godiva procession through Coventry begins, 1678

The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions, 1759

In Australia, Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth, reached Mount Blaxland, effectively marking the end of a route across the Blue Mountains, 1813

In the Fenian Invasion of Canada, John O'Neill leads 850 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario, as part of an effort to free Ireland from the United Kingdom. Canadian militia and British regulars repulse the invaders in over the next three days, 1866

Dr James Moore of the UK wins the first recorded bicycle race, a 2k velocipede race at Parc de St Cloud, Paris, 1868

Dr. John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes, 1884

Arrival at Plymouth of Tawhiao, King of Maoris, to claim protection of Queen Victoria, 1884

Over 2,200 people die after a dam break sends a 60-foot (18-meter) wall of water over the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1889

The Union of South Africa (predecessor of the Republic of South Africa) is created, 1910

The last Ford Model T rolls off the assembly line after a production run of 15,007,003 vehicles, 1927

A 7.1 magnitude Earthquake destroys Quetta in modern-day Pakistan, 1931

The Republic of South Africa is created, 1961

The Ancash earthquake causes a landslide that buries the town of Yungay, Peru, 1970

In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, observation of Memorial Day occurs on the last Monday in May for the first time, rather than on the traditional Memorial Day of May 30, 1971

The Muppet Movie, Jim Henson's Muppets' first foray into the world of feature length motion pictures, is released, 1979

The burning of Jaffna Library, Sri Lanka, is one of the violent examples of ethnic biblioclasm of the twentieth century, 1981

Forty-one tornadoes hit Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, leaving 76 dead, 1985

Athena 98.4 FM, the first legal private radio station in Greece, starts broadcasting, 1987

Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was Deep Throat, 2005

Asteroid 1998 QE2, an asteroid measuring nearly 1.7 miles across, and its moon, pass within 3.6 million miles of the earth, 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.)

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

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.

Somebody is getting bolder:

He's playing a lot more, too.

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

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 the new cohost of the Fill-Ins, Lorianne The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. 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:

1. My neighbors_____________________.

2. The last thing I purchased online was __________________.

3. I have never _________.

4. Anything is possible if _________.

My neighbors are great people, all of them. Yes, i know my neighbors, and not just next door.

The last thing i purchased online was a used book, The Gratitude Diaries.

I have never made it a habit to say "never". My saying is that "i hope suchandsuch does not ever happen", or "i pray i will never have to do thusandso", but i try very hard to not use the word never. A long time ago, i figured out that as soon as i say i have never done something or i have never had to do something, or worse, i would never do something, a few minutes later i am doing that very thing!

Anything is possible if you have enough bread. Let me explain. Years ago, there were philosophers, and they generally didn't make a very good living at it, so they turned to comedy. They can spout their philosophy and make a living because now their profundity is also funny. One of the greatest of these philosopher/comedians was Jonathan Winters. His best philosophic/comedic line was (edited for language) "Life is a crap sandwich. If you have enough bread, you don't have to taste the crap!"

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

Today is:

Arrival of the Swiss at the Port-Noir -- Switzerland

Beypazari Havuç Güveç -- Turkey (weekend festival celebrating a traditional carrot dish)

Buffalo Days Celebration (with Buffalo Chip Throw) -- Luverne, MN, US (parade, arts in the park, and the throwing contest; through Sunday)

Centralia Anchor Festival -- City Square, Centralia, MO, US (anchor driving, archery shoot, tractor show, carnival, crafts, softball and more; through Sunday)

Derby Festival begins -- Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey, England (today is Surrey Ladies Day, with Derby Day tomorrow)

Dia da Crianca -- Cape Verde (Youth Day)

Dia de la Marina -- Mexico (Day of the Navy)

Early Bird Day -- an internet derived day that reminds us the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese

Famadihana -- Madagascar (from now until November, various areas celebrate the Malagasay culture's "turning the bones," a fascinating reburial of the dead ceremony)

Farmington Country Days -- Farmington, MO, US (fun for the family, celebrated the old country way; through Sunday)

Feast of St. Justin Martyr (a/k/a Justin the Philosopher; Patron of apologists, lecturers, orators, philosophers, speakers)

Festival of Non-Linearity -- another one you find on the internet, no meaning or rhyme to it, but if you like to think in non-linear ways, enjoy today!

Festival of the Oak Nymph -- Celtic/Pagan (around this time of year, the Celts took a day to honor all hamadryads, the female nature spirits who inhabit oak trees)

Flip a Coin Day -- as noted by The Ultimate Holiday Site, which claims Julius Caesar invented it (doubtful, but the Romans did toss coins)

Gawai Dayak -- Sarawak, Malaysia (harvest festival begins today)

Global Day of Parents -- UN

Go Barefoot Day -- originally sponsored by Soles4Souls, which recycles shoes to those who have none; while i cannot find if they are sponsoring a day or week this year, it's a good reminder not to let your old shoes end up in a landfill

Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival -- Little Chute, WI, US (celebrate with other Cheeseheads; through Sunday)

Hari Lahir Pancasila -- Indonesia (Pancasila Day)

Harvard Milk Days Festival -- Harvard, IL, US (parade, carnival, food, fireworks, petting zoo, and more, all as a salute to hard working dairy farmers, and this year's theme is "Believe in the Future"; through Sunday)

Heimlich Maneuver Day -- Dr. Heimlich first published his suggestion for aiding choking victims with "subdiaphragmatic pressure" on this day in 1974

Helen Keller Day -- sponsored by the Lions Clubs

Hen-Peeler's Holiday -- Fairy Calendar

Independence Day/National Day -- Samoa

International Children's Day

International Horseradish Festival -- Collinsville, IL, US (lots of fun in the "Horseradish Capital of the World"; through Sunday)

Kalends of June -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances:

Day Sacred to Tempestas (goddess of storms)

Festival for Juno Moneta (Juno as goddess of money)

Festival of Carna (goddess of health and vitality, and also of doors and locks, which were to be repaired today)

Labour Day / Sir Randol Fawkes Day -- Bahamas

Madaraka Day -- Kenya (National Day or self-rule/responsibility day)

Mike the Headless Chicken Festival -- Fruita, CO, US (it all started with a chicken that kept trying to eat even after the farmer lopped off his head to prep him for the stew pot; Mike's indomitable spirit and will to live is a legend here and the basis of a two day festival celebrating the fact that you can live a normal life even after you have lost your mind!)

Mint Julip Day -- Oxford University, England (the drink was introduced there this day in 1845, and they liked it so well, they dedicated a day to it!)

Mothers' and Children's Day -- Mongolia

National Donut Day -- US (successor to the original Donut Day begun by the Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served doughnuts to soldiers during WWI and as a fundraiser in Chicago, and it is still used as a fundraiser there for Salvation Army projects; look for a doughnut shop to give out freebies near you)

National Hazelnut Cake Day

National Leave the Office Earlier Day -- sponsored by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro, who urges people to maximize productivity so they can leave the office earlier every day

National Tree Planting Day -- Cambodia

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

Oscar the Grouch Day -- according to the Sesame Workshop, today is his birthday

President's Day -- Palau

Route 66 Summerfest -- Rolla, MO, US (citywide kick off to summer, celebrating the famous roadway with a Route 66 cruise, Miss Route 66 Pageant, drummers competition, street dance, movie under the stars and much more! through Sunday)

Say Something Nice Day -- as declared by the mayor of a town in South Carolina who is tired of all the negative talk all the time

Shirone Takogassen -- along the Nakanokuchi river bank in Shirone, Japan (kite flying and kite fighting; through the 5th)

South Carolina Festival of Flowers -- Greenwood, SC, US (thirty-six events, something for everyone; through Sunday)

Stand for Children Day -- stand.org founded by a rally this day in 1996, seeking to ensure all children graduate from high school

St. Theobald Roggeri's Day (Patron of church cleaners, cobblers, porters, shoemakers; against fever and sterility)

Summer Farm Toy Show -- National Farm Toy Museum, Dyersville, IA, US (farm toys, parade, tractor rides, and more; through tomorrow)

Summer Library Book club Season begins -- anywhere that school is out, check your local library for a summer book club for children or adults; you never know what world you will discover when you read

Superman Day -- publication of the first Superman comic was this day in 1938

Telluride Balloon Festival -- Telluride, CO, US (volunteer to help with the festival and you may get a free balloon ride! through Sunday)

Victory Day -- Tunisia (anniversary of the Adoption of the Constitution of Tunisia in 1959)

Yobuko Otsunahiki -- Higashi Matsuura, Saga prefecture, Japan (two day Big Tug-of-War Festival, with one team representing the land and the other the sea; victory for the land means good crops, for the sea means good catches)

Anniversaries Today:

Charlie Chaplin marries Paulette Goddard, 1934

Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, is founded as the first US land-grant university, 1808

Tennessee becomes the 16th US state, 1796

Kentucky becomes the 15th US state, 1792

Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen Consort of England, 1533

Birthdays Today:

Justine Henin, 1982

Alanis Morissette, 1974

Heidi Klum, 1973

Mark Curry, 1964

Lisa Hartman Black, 1956

Ron Wood, 1947

Jonathan Pryce, 1947

Frederica von Stade, 1945

Robert Powell, 1944

Rene Auberjonois, 1940

Cleavon Little, 1939

Morgan Freeman, 1937

Colleen McCullough, 1937

Pat Boone, 1934

Edward Woodward, 1930

James Hadley Billington, 1929

Bob Monkhouse, 1928

Andy Griffith, 1926

Marilyn Monroe, 1926

Nelson Riddle, 1921

Brigham Young, 1801

Jacques Marquette (Père Marquette), 1637

Debuting/Premiering Today:

FX(TV channel), 1994

Gremlins(Film), 1984

Cable News Network/CNN(TV network), 1980

"Live and Let Die"(Song release), 1973

"The Prisoner"(TV), 1968

"Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"(Album release), 1967

Today in History:

Hugh Capet is elected King of France, 987

Beijing, then under the control of the Jurchen ruler Emperor Xuanzong of Jin, is captured by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, ending the Battle of Beijing, 1215

Friar John Cor records the first known batch of scotch whisky, 1495

Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England, 1533

Mary Dyer is hanged for defying a law banning Quakers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1660

The battle of the Glorious First of June is fought, the first naval engagement between Britain and France during the French Revolutionary Wars, 1794

U.S. President James Madison asks the Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom, 1812

James Lawrence, the mortally-wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, gives his final order: "Don't give up the ship!" 1813

James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole, 1831

American adventurer William Walker conquers Nicaragua, 1855

Treaty of Bosque Redondo is signed allowing the Navajos to return to their lands in Arizona and New Mexico, 1868

Thomas Edison receives a patent for his electric voting machine, 1869

Napoleon Eugene, the last dynastic Bonaparte, is killed in the Anglo-Zulu War, 1879

The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to count census returns, 1890

Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court, 1916

The First Conference of the Communist Parties of Latin America is held in Buenos Aires, 1929

Charles de Gaulle comes out of retirement to lead France by decree for six months, 1958

New Zealand's first official television broadcast commences at 7.30pm from Auckland, 1960

Kenya gains internal self-rule (Madaraka Day), 1963

The Heimlich maneuver for rescuing choking victims is published in the journal Emergency Medicine, 1974

The first black-led government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 90 years takes power, 1979

The Warsaw Pact officially dissolves, 1991

Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupts for the first time in 600 years, 1991

Air France Flight 447 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil, Killing all 228 passengers and crew, 2009

General Motors files for chapter 11 bankruptcy, 2009

Russia enacts a country-wide smoking ban, effecting most public places, 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.)

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

How much can happen on a Thursday? Also, how can we find ways to be thankful for what happened?

Let's explore this past Thursday, shall we? (Yes, i'm going to use that annoying "we" throughout this, because it's my blog and because it almost tricks my brain into thinking that maybe all of this happened to someone else, which it did not.)

We begin at 4:30am, and we are thankful to be able to get up and have quiet prayer time before the day begins. As we shall see later, this is essential and keeps us sane.

A few minutes before 6am, we start loading Lunceford the Land Yacht to drive to the A family house and we are thankful it is still early so the traffic is not backed up yet, the way it will be in about 1 1/2 hours.

Once there, we are thankful that Gussie, the very sick cat, is still alive. (We are praying she hangs on until the family gets back from vacation.)

At this point in the week, we have determined that Big Red is not using his litter box, and we are thankful that we figured out it's because he got scared of the type of litter. We got cheap regular litter at the Dollar Deal, but he wouldn't use it, either, because by now he just wanted to "go" under the bed. We are so thankful that moving him to the bathroom, with no bed to hide under, cured his litter box aversion.

By Friday we are also grateful that the A family, specifically Ms. GA, keeps a lot of Pet Oops around, and that it works. The bed being on gliders is a bonus. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?

At 7:15am, we are done with the morning watering of plants and feeding of cats and are grateful we are going the opposite direction from the traffic, so we get to the S family house by 7:30.

In the middle of the busy morning (after all, the S family home is a 9 hour job), a call comes in from Bigger Girl -- her brakes have failed on Cicero, what to do?

Now we are very thankful that she can be trusted to drive very slowly and carefully, with her hazard lights on, to Kevin and Lenny's, thankful that Sweetie is done with his work for The Big Boss and can meet her there, and so grateful that they can both come by the S family house so she can take Jalopy and he can take Lunceford.

Let us also pause to be thankful it was just two brake lines and was fixed the same day for only just under $300.

Bonus thankful, Bigger Girl called me later and said, "Mom, thank you for teaching me to be a safe and careful driver! It was so scary driving with brakes that hardly worked, thank you for showing me how to drive slowly and thoughtfully!"

Now let's see, where are we? Oh, yes, Bigger Girl has Jalopy so she can get on with her day, and she will meet us at Kevin and Lenny's just before close to retrieve Cicero and give Jalopy back to Sweetie.

Also, Sweetie has Lunceford, so he can go on with his day, which includes getting more of that expensive cat food that is the only thing Mikey will eat (and since he is losing weight on it, that's a good thing).

Dr. Bea's office is out of the cat food, their order hasn't come in. We are thankful she can write us a prescription and he can get it from another clinic. Several calls to many clinics and they find some for us. About an hour after Sweetie purchases it from the other clinic across town, Dr. Bea's office gets their shipment in, thankfully, so we can buy another bag next week and don't have to worry about the kids running out while we are on vacation.

Sweetie doesn't just find the cat food, he also finds that the temple of his glasses is broken. He stops at an optical shop where a very elderly person with shaking hands behind the counter gets a new screw in -- barely. We are thankful that barely holds, because a stop at another optical shop has them saying no one in the place can do it at all, even though there are five people behind the counter!

Nearing the end of my job at the S house, where we are thankful it only took 9 hours instead of ten (which their place could easily do, an essay for another time), Sweetie picks me up and we are grateful to barely get to Kevin and Lenny's before closing.

Everyone is now back in the proper vehicle, and thankful to get on with the evening. For me, that means back to the A house for watering the lawn and all of the plants, and feeding the cats. Although a bit of rain would have helped shorten this process, we are thankful that the sprinklers work, and that i get home by 9pm.

There, that should be at least ten things for which we are thankful, just in the mess that was last Thursday. We shall keep in mind that things could always be worse.

Ms. Josie Two Shoes is the wonderful hostess of the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, which you are welcome to join. We are not fussy about ten things, we are just glad when you share your thankfulness so we can all be thankful along with you.

 An InLinkz Link-up

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

Today is:

California Artichoke Festival -- Castroville, CA, US (lots of fun in the Artichoke Capital of the World; through tomorrow)

Capitol Hill People's Fair -- Denver, CO, US (arts, entertainment, and fun; through tomorrow)

Coronation Day -- United Kingdom

Coronation Day and Social Forestry Day -- Bhutan (anniversary of the coronation day of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the 4th Druk Gyalpo, in 1974, and the day children plant trees)

Dare Day -- Manteo, NC, US (a fun festival and unofficial kick-off for summer)

Derby Day -- Epsom Downs Racecourse, Surrey, England

Do-Dah Parade -- Kalamazoo, MI, US (a "Salute to Silliness" that is worth seeing)

Drawing Day/Pencil Day -- used to be sponsored on the first Saturday with the motto "Drop Everything and Draw", but even though no longer promoted by any specific group, you can still enjoy some time drawing today

Eel Festival -- Jyllinge, Denmark (through tomorrow; every restaurant and pub in town serves fried eel, and there's lots more fun around town)

Elfreth's Alley Day (Fete Day) -- Philadelphia, PA, US (one of the oldest continuously inhabited streets in the country)

Enshu Hamakita Hiryu Matsuri -- Hamamatsu City, Japan (honors the river god Ryujin; through tomorrow)

Festa della Republica -- Italy (National Day/Feast of the Republic)

Festival of Light and Dark Spots -- Fairy Calendar

Festival of Utter Confusion -- an internet declared holiday, and this is the one for me!

Hristo Botev Day -- Bulgaria (poet and national hero who fell fighting the Turks this day in 1876)

"I Love My Dentist" Day -- no one will claim starting this one, so it makes me suspicious

Isabel Province Day -- Isabel Province, Solomon Islands

Kaiko Kinenbi -- Yokohama, Japan (Yokahama Port Opening Festival; through tomorrow)

Maritime Gig Festival -- Gig Harbor, WA, US (parades, entertainment, and fun with the view of Mount Rainier to grace it all; through tomorrow)

National Bubba Day -- created by comedian T. Bubba Bechtol for Bubbas everywhere to have their day

National Family Recreation Day -- US (seems to have been started by the community of Arvada, CO, US, wanting families to enjoy the great outdoors together)

National Health and Fitness Day -- Canada

National Lemonade Days -- Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation wants everyone to either run or patronize a lemonade stand some time between now and June 10 to help fight childhood cancers, one cup at a time

National Rocky Road Day

National Trails Day -- US (be safe out there, if you want help becoming a hiker there's info here)

Nazul Al-Quran -- Brunei Darussalam; Malaysia (Quran Revelation Day)

Sjómannadagurinn -- Iceland (traditional Seaman's Day was alternately celebrated June 6 or the first Sunday of June, depending on which authority you ask, but is now a weekend long Festival of the Sea)

St. Blandina's Day (Patron of girls, people falsely accused, torture victims; Lyon, France)

St. Elmo's Day (a/k/a St. Erasmus; Patron of ammunition workers, boatmen, childbirth and women in labor, explosives workers, mariners, navigators, ordnance workers, sailors, watermen; Gaeta, Italy; against abdominal pains, appendicitis, birth pains, childhood intestinal disease, colic, danger at sea, intestinal disorders, seasickness, stomach diseases, storms)

Strawberry Festival -- Independence, MO, US (one of many such festivals all over as strawberries come into season -- look for one near where you live some time this month, and go have a good time)

Toppenish Mural Society's "Mural-In-A-Day" -- Toppenish, WA, US (professional artists work to paint a complete and historically accurate mural in one day, accompanied by an arts and crafts show and food fair)

Wicket World of Croquet® Day 2018 -- The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site, Indianapolis, IN, US (croquet tournament fundraiser, includes an Alice and Friends game for the little ones)

Yell "Fudge" at the Cobras in North America Day -- at noon, your local time, because according to Wellcat Holidays, cobras hate fudge and will not stay if we mention it

Anniversaries Today:

U.S. President Grover Cleveland marries Frances Folsom, 1886 (only president to wed in the executive mansion)

Elizabeth II is crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth, 1953 (the first major international event to be televised)

Birthdays Today:

Justin Long, 1978

Zachary Quinto, 1977

Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Queen consort of Lesotho, 1976

Wayne Brady, 1972

Wentworth Miller, 1972

Joel Tobeck, 1971

Dana Carvey, 1955

Gary Grimes, 1955

Dennis Haysbert, 1954

Diana Canova, 1953

Cornel West, 1953

Jerry Mathers, 1948

Marvin Hamlisch, 1944

Charles Haid, 1943

Stacy Keach, Jr., 1941

Charlie Watts, 1941

Sally Kellerman, 1937

Milo O’Shea, 1926

Johnny Weissmuller, 1904

Hedda Hopper, 1890

Sir Edward Elgar, 1857

Thomas Hardy, 1840

Marquis de Sade, 1740

Martha Dandridge Custiss Washington, 1731

Today in History:

The Vandals enter Rome and begin 2 weeks of plundering, 455

The First Siege of Antioch ends when Crusader forces take the city, 1098

The first Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France, 1615

Bridget Bishop is the first person to go to trial in the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692

The Derby horserace is held for the first time in Epsom, England, 1780

P. T. Barnum and his circus start their first tour of the United States, 1835

The Slavic congress in Prague begins, 1848

Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his early radio device, 1896

U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act, making Native American Indians withing US territories and states US citizens, 1924

Lou Gehrig begins his streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, 1925

In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic, and exile their king, Umberto II di Savoia, 1946

The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations, 1955

Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft land on another world, 1966

Pope John Paul II visits his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country, 1979

The Bhutan Broadcasting Service brings television transmissions to the Kingdom for the first time, 1999

Europe launches its first probe to voyage to another planet, Mars, 2003

The World Health Organization announces the E. coli strain responsible for the 2011 E.coli O104:H4 outbreak had never before been isolated from patients, 2011

The unity government is sworn into power in Palestine, agreeing to the following: recognition of Israel, compliance to diplomatic agreements, renunciation of violence, 2014

The US Congress passes new legislation to reform the National Security Agency’s procedures, restricting gathering of phone records, 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 here.)

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

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

Grandma had me take her to the orchid show yesterday, and wow! They had some beautiful specimens, and Grandma came home with three of them, plus instructions for care.

She asked if i wanted one, and of course for the sake of the poor plant, i refused. As i’ve noted before, if i had a nice box of herbs growing on my windowsill, it would be nicknamed “Death Row.”

Boudreaux be him a good gard’ner, an’ hims neighbor, Mrs. Trosclair, done be lookin’ over de fence one day an’ she see hims tomatoes, dey be pink.

So Mrs. Trosclair call out, “Boudreax! Where you done got seeds fo’ dem pink tomatoes?”

An’ Boudreaux say, “Oh, I don’ get special seed, I jes’ blush my tomatoes.”

An’ Mrs. Trosclair ax, “What you mean you blush you tomatoes?”

An’ Boudreaux say, “Ever’ mornin’, befo’ ennybody be up, you go out in you garden, you take off all you clothes, an’ you run you up an’ down de rows o’ de tomatoes, an’ it make dem blush dat purty pink.”

Den Mrs. Trosclair say, “Boudreaux, you done be foolin’ me!”

Boudreaux say, “Mais, non! Dat really be what I do, an’ you need try it.”

So de nex’ mornin’, befo’ ennybody be’s up, Mrs. Trosclair done go out in de garden, she take off her clothes, an’ she run up an down de rows o’ de garden.”

Since nobody seen her, she do it again de nex’ day, an’ de nex.

‘Bout two week later, Boudreaux done see Mrs. Trosclair headin’ out de door to go make de groceries, an’ he stop her an’ say, “Mrs. Trosclair, how’s you garden? Do your tomatoes be blushin’?”

An’ Mrs. Trosclair say, “Boudreaux, I done be doin’ jes’ what you say, runnin’ in de garden in de mornin’ wit’ no clothes, an’ my tomatoes don’ be blushin’, but mais! You should see my cucumbers, dey be ‘bout a foot long already!”

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

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.

The following are some of the plants i cared for last week (front yard only), and they survived!

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

Today is:

Broken Dolls Day -- Japan (all broken dolls are taken by their children to monks for burial)

Callynteria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (a service of atonement and cleaning Athena's temple; date approximate)

Celebration of the Arts -- Community Center, Yorba Linda, CA, US (fine arts and music festival for all ages)

Children's Awareness Memorial Day -- a day to remember children who have died from violence

Chimborazo Day -- to publicize that while Mt. Everest may be the highest, the top of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest from the center of the earth

Day of the Rice God -- Chiyoda, Japan (rice transplanting festival to honor Wbai-sama, the Shinto rice god)

Dr. Charles Drew Day -- honoring the man who made blood transfusions possible

English Riviera International Dance Festival -- Torquay, Devon, England (learn ballroom dance, or take a master class, all levels are welcome, with Gala Evenings where you can dance the night away; through the 7th)

Father's Day -- Lithuania; Switzerland

Festival to Bellona -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of war)

Impersonate Authority Day -- at your own risk, i will not bail you out just because i noted an internet holiday and you decided to celebrate it ;)

Jack Jouett Day -- Virginia (the "Paul Revere" of his day and place, rode to warn Governor Thomas Jefferson that the British were coming, 1781)

Mabo Day -- Australia

Martyr's Day -- Uganda

National Cancer Survivors Day -- US (National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation) www.ncsd.org

National Chocolate Macaroon Day

National Egg Day

Opium Suppression Movement Day -- Taiwan

Pull Your Pants Up Day -- internet generated, various dates given, and some are trying to make it a national movement; to encourage young men to pull up their pants for 24 hours and see if they enjoy having both hands free

Repeat Day -- i said, "repeat day" (no, i don't know who comes up with this stuff, sometimes; if i do, i try to place the blame appropriately)

St. Clotilde's Day (Patron of adopted children, brides, disappointing children, exiles, parenthood, parents of large families, queens, widows; against the death of children)

St. Kevin of Glendaulough's Day (Patron of blackbirds; Dublin, Ireland; Glendaulough, Ireland; Ireland)

Worst Day in the Fairy Year -- Fairy Calendar (must be nice to know when your worst day will be)

Anniversaries Today:

U.S. Air Force Academy first graduating class, 1959

The Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson, 1937

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo founded, 17

Birthdays Today:

Lalaine, 1987

Rafael Nadal, 1986

Anderson Cooper, 1967

Charles Hart, 1961

Scott Valentine, 1958

Deniece Williams, 1951

Suzi Quatro, 1950

Curtis Mayfield, 1942

Larry McMurtry, 1936

Norman Brinker, 1931

Raul Castro, 1931

Chuck Barris, 1929

Colleen Dewhurst, 1926

Allen Ginsberg, 1926

Tony Curtis, 1925

Leo Gorcey, 1917

Josephine Baker, 1906

Dr. Charles Drew, 1904

Ransom E. Olds, 1864

Jefferson Davis, 1808

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Dragnet"(Radio), 1951

“Casey at the Bat”(Publication date), 1888

Today in History:

French scholar Peter Abelard is found guilty of heresy, 1140

Hernando De Soto claims Florida for Spain, 1539

Construction of the oldest stone church in French North America, Notre-Dame-des-Anges, begins at Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, 1620

Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo is founded in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, 1770

President John Adams moves to Washington, D.C., to live in a tavern (the White House wasn't ready), 1800

In Humen, China, Lin Tse-hsü destroys 1.2 million kg of opium confiscated from British merchants, which prompts the First Opium War, 1839

In the last military engagement fought on Canadian soil, Cree leader Big Bear escapes the North West Mounted Police, 1885

The poem "Casey at the Bat", by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, is published in the San Francisco Examiner, 1888

The coast to coast Canadian Pacific Railway is completed, 1889

One thousand unemployed Canadian workers board freight cars in Vancouver, British Columbia, beginning a protest trek to Ottawa, Ontario, 1935

Launch of Gemini 4, the first multi-day space mission by a NASA crew, which included the first space walk by an American, 1965

A blowout at the Ixtoc I oil well in the southern Gulf of Mexico causes at least 3,000,000 barrels of oil to be spilled into the waters, the worst oil spill ever recorded, 1979

SkyDome is officially opened in Toronto, Ontario, 1989

Aboriginal Land Rights are granted in Australia in Mabo v Queensland (1988), a case brought by Eddie Mabo, 1992

USS Carter Hall engages pirates after they board the Danish ship Danica White off the coast of Somalia, 2007

A pageant on London's River Thames marks the highpoint of a series of events celebrating The Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, 2012

Three of the most extremely well-preserved and most complete triceratops specimens ever found are unearthed in Wyoming, 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.)

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

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!

Last week, it was house-sitting, cat-sitting, and plant watering for a family that was out of town.

This week, at our place, we are caring for Daughter-in-Law Becky's quail, two ducks, and four chickens. Plus grand-dog Pepe, of course.

The back yard was too sunny and hot, they are on the side porch and quite content.

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

Sparks! is on hiatus, so here's an inspiring quote for the week:

(That's Peggy, who comes to rEcess, out of her wheelchair and even if it's not easy, getting where she wants to go.)

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

Today is:

Audacity to Hope Day -- to encourage all to have the audacity to keep hope

Emancipation Day and Independence Day -- Tonga (end of serfdom in 1862, independence in 1970)

Festival for Hercules Custos -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Hercules the Custodian)

Flag Day -- Estonia

Flag Day -- Finland (Armed Forces observe the birth anniversary of Carl Gustaf Mannerheim)

Hug Your Cat Day -- yet another date for this noted on many sites; if you celebrate all of them, your cat will be well hugged!

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression -- UN

Jarila's Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (Festival of Jarila, god of the sun and fertility)

Lassie Day -- the first dog to play the role of Lassie, in the movie Lassie, Come Home, was born this day in 1940

National Cheese Day -- not to be confused with Cheese Lover's Day earlier in the year

National Cognac Day

National Frozen Yogurt Day -- not to be confused with the Frozen Yogurt Day celebrated on Feb. 6 in Los Angeles, where the temperatures make such a thing possible

National Unity Day -- Hungary

Old Maid's Day -- supposedly established after WWII, when there were so many eligible ladies who weren't getting any younger

Plynteria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival in Athens in honor of Athena; date approximate)

Queen's Birthday -- New Zealand; Niue

Sovereign's Birthday -- Cook Islands

St. Petroc's Day (Patron of Cornwall and Wales, as well as many locations in Cornwall, Wales, and England, and Saint-Meen, France)

Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day — International

Western Australia Day -- Western Australia (formerly called Foundation Day)

Birthdays Today:

Evan Lysacek, 1985

Russell Brand, 1975

Angelina Jolie, 1975

Noah Wyle, 1971

James Callis, 1971

Scott Wolf, 1968

Cecilia Bartoli, 1966

Sam Harris, 1961

Eldra DeBarge, 1961

Keith David, 1956

Parker Stevenson, 1953

George Noory, 1950

Bettina Gregory, 1946

Michelle Phillips, 1944

Joyce Meyer, 1943

Freddy Fender, 1937

Bruce Dern, 1936

John Drew Barrymore, 1932

Dr. Ruth Westheimer, 1928

Dennis Weaver, 1924

Robert Merrill, 1919

Rosalind Russell, 1907

George III, 1738

Aesop, BCE620 (not certain, but close enough)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Born in the USA"(Album release), 1984

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan(Film), 1982

"Cavalcade of Stars"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

Chinese astronomers make the first recording of a solar eclipse, BC781

Sir Walter Raleigh establishes the first English colony on Roanoke Island, old Virginia (now North Carolina), 1584

Forces under the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu take Osaka Castle in Japan, 1615

New England planters arrive to claim land in Nova Scotia, Canada taken from the Acadians, 1760

A transit of Venus is followed five hours later by a total solar eclipse, the shortest such interval in history, 1769

The Montgolfier brothers publicly demonstrate their montgolfière (hot air balloon), 1783

Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for the Kingdom of Great Britain, 1792

The Ottoman Empire cedes Cyprus to the United Kingdom but retains nominal title, 1878

Henry Ford test drives his first prototype automobile, the Ford Quadricycle, 1896

Massachusetts becomes the first state of the United States to set a minimum wage, 1912

A patent for the ATM is granted to Donald Wetzel, Tom Barnes and George Chastain, 1973

The Tiananmen Square protests are violently ended in Beijing by the People's Liberation Army, 1989

Solidarity's victory in the first (somewhat) free parliamentary elections in post-war Poland sparks off a succession of peaceful anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, 1989

Falcon 9 Flight 1 was the maiden flight of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket,2010

Shelter Kitten Names (Wordless Wednesday) and Thinking (Words for Wednesday)

The Way to a Man's Heart (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Food Does It (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

Share and Share Alike (Ten Things of Thankful)

Soakin' It Up (Cajun Joke) and Mother's Day Pretties (Sunday Selections)

Sleepyhead (Awww Monday) and Inspiring Quote of the Week

Tuesday is Randomly Fun

Now i wonder, too (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

Decision (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Company (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-ins, and Towel Day

Bright Spots in a Challenging Week (Ten Things of Thankful)

Take Them Yourself (Cajun Joke) and Sunday Selections

Big Red (Awww Monday) and an Inspiring Quote for Memorial Day

Really Random Tuesday

What and Why (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

Not Afraid (Six Sentence Story) and Good Fences

Big, Brave Red (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

We Are Thankful for Thursday

How Does Your Garden Grow (Cajun Joke) and Sunday Selections

Petsitter (Awww Monday) and Inspiring Quote of the Week