Some weeks, it's the little things that matter the most.
The kittens went to the shelter for their first treatments (whether they need it or not, all cats/kittens get a first treatment for worms, ear mites, fleas, and coccidia, as well as get 4-in-1 shots to prevent disease, and get tested for FLV and FIV). Their test was negative, a great relief, and they didn't do too much squirming as they were treated. It might not matter much in the scheme of things that two stray bottle-fed kittens are healthy and will get adopted and grow to be someone's special pet, but i am thankful for it.
When you've had a particularly stressful day at work (Sweetie broke a flower pot and almost destroyed a vacuum cleaner), being able to come home and put your feet up in a room with a small air conditioner is a small thing and a delight, and i am thankful for it.
After being out in the heat, the fact that almost every one of my clients has a cold water dispenser in the door of their fridge, as well as ice, is a small thing, and i am thankful for it.
When you are the only person in Bible study who drinks decaf (after my one cup of regular, it's all i am allowed), it's a small thing that you get the pot to yourself and can bring the rest home for later in your big travel mug, and i am thankful for it.
Getting to sit for an hour and do the puzzles in the paper is a small thing, and i am thankful every time i have the chance to do it.
Having back scratchers in multiple places in the house so you can get one when you need it most is a small thing, and i am thankful for them. (The fact that everyone who uses them puts them right back is a bonus!)
Teeny Tiny Avocados from Trader Joe's are small things, and i am thankful they are small enough and inexpensive enough that i can have one every day.
Having two clothes racks so i can dry clothes indoors without using the electricity to run a dryer (or heating up the house any worse) is a small thing, and i am thankful for them as i no longer have to hang items over the stair rails.
Being given a few minutes to sit quietly and hear myself think is a small thing, and i'm thankful for those times even if i have to sneak out to the car to get them.
My favorite pillow is a small thing, just the right size and very squishy the way i like it, and i am thankful to have it.
If you have small things for which you are thankful, or big things, even if it's not ten of them, make a list and link up with Ten Things of Thankful. We will all be glad to rejoice with you in your blessings.
Today is:
Antique and Classic Boat Rendezvous -- Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (pre-1963 power and sailing yachts, river parade, and Rum Runners Rendezvous celebration; through tomorrow)
Aphrodisia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (bathing festival of Aphrodite and Peitho [Persuasion]; through tomorrow)
Casual Pi Day / Pi Approximation Day -- 22/7 (22nd day of month 7; 22/7 is the approximation of Pi)
Chincoteague Pony Round Up / Pony Swim -- Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, VA, US (lots going on here through the 28th, the actual swim day is the 26th)
Festival of Boredom and Reverie -- Fairy Calendar
Geneva Arts Fair -- Geneva, IL, US (a juried event that is becoming one of the top such events in the US; through tomorrow)
Hammock Day -- don't know who came up with this one, but at the height of the dog days, it seems appropriate; on some sites listed as Summer Leisure Day
Iowa Storytelling Festival -- Clear Lake, IA, US (come listen to professional and amateur storytellers in the scenic lakeside setting, and including a story exchange for novice storytellers)
International Childbirth Education Awareness Day -- can't find confirmation on this, but if you're going to have a kid, it's not a bad idea to get educated about what to expect!
King Father's Birthday -- Swaziland
Loveladies Fine Art Festival -- Loveladies, NJ, US (juried arts and crafts show, entertainment, food and more; through tomorrow)
National Day of the Cowboy -- US (celebrating the heritage, and those who still work as cowboys/cowgirls today)
National Penuche Fudge Day
Ratcatcher's Day -- celebrated by the British dating of the Pied Piper story; celebrated June 26 in Hamelin, Germany
Revolution Day -- The Gambia
Route 66 Summerfest -- Albuquerque, NM, US (a free celebration)
Soma-Nomaoi Festival -- Haramachi City, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (Wild-Horse Chasing, a four day festival in which a thousand horsemen, clad in ancient armor, compete for possession of three shrine flags, and along the Hibarigahara Plain, men clad in white costumes attempt to catch wild horses)
Sourdough River Festival -- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Float Fest and a big water fight! with the famous Sourdough Raft Race tomorrow)
Spooners Day (Spoonerism -- Named for William Archibald Spooner, English cleric and scholar who once fussed at a student because "You hissed my mystery lesson," told a groom it was "kisstomery to cuss the bride," and once accidentally referred to Queen Victoria as "the queer old Dean.")
St. Mary Magdalene's Day (Patron of apothecaries, contemplative life and contemplatives, converts, druggists, glove makers, hairdressers and hair stylists, penitent sinners, penitent women, people ridiculed for their piety, perfumeries and perfumers, pharmacists, reformed prostitutes, tanners, women; Anguiano, Spain; Atrani, Salerno, Italy; Casamicciola, Italy; Elantxobe, Spain; Foglizzo, Italy; La Magdaleine, Italy; against sexual temptation)
Stilt Dance Day -- Anguiano, Spain (a special stilt dance performed on the Feast of the city's patron, St. Mary Magdalen)
Virginia Lake Festival -- Clarksville, VA, US (fun for the family, including tethered hot air balloon rides; through Saturday)
Whitstable Oyster Festival and Blessing of the Waters -- Whitstable, Kent, England (celebrating the areas famed and protected oysers, Ostrea edulis, with the blessing ceremony at Reeves Beach, a ceremony held each year since 1657, to appease the cruel seas and give thanks for its bounty; the Oyster Festival istelf is today and Monday)
World Congress of Esperanto -- Seoul, South Korea; through next Saturday
Birthdays Today:
George Alexander Louis Windsor, His Royal Highness Prince of Cambridge, 2013
Madison Pettis, 1998
Selena Gomez, 1992
Scott Dixon, 1980
Daniel Jones, 1973
Rufus Wainwright, 1973
Irene Bedard, 1967
Rhys Ifans, 1967
Shawn Michaels, 1965
David Spade, 1964
John Leguizamo, 1964
Rob Estes, 1963
Keith Sweat, 1961
Willem Dafoe, 1955
Alan Menken, 1949
Albert Brooks, 1947
Don Henley, 1947
Danny Glover, 1946
Estelle Bennett, 1944
Bobby Sherman, 1943
Kay Bailey Hutchison, 1943
Alex Trebek, 1940
Terrence Stamp, 1939
Louise Fletcher, 1934
Oscar De la Renta, 1932
Orson Bean, 1928
Bob Dole, 1923
Amy Vanderbilt, 1908
Alexander Calder, 1898
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1890
William Archibald Spooner, 1844
Gregor Johann Mendel, 1822 (Note: some sources say July 20)
Debuting/Premiering Today:
Plan 9 From Outer Space(Film), 1959
Today in History
King Edward I of England and his longbowmen defeat William Wallace and his Scottish schiltrons outside the town of Falkirk, 1298
The Swiss decisively defeat the Imperial army of Emperor Maximilian I in the Battle of Dornach, 1499
A second group of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island off North Carolina to re-establish the deserted colony, 1587
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Pacific Ocean becoming the first Euro-American to complete a transcontinental crossing of Canada, 1793
In the Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Rear Admiral Nelson is wounded in the arm, and part of it is amputated, 1797
Death of Josef Strauss, Austrian composer, 1870
First ever motorized racing event is held in France between the cities of Paris and Rouen. The race is won by comte Jules-Albert de Dion, 1894
Wiley Post becomes the first person to fly solo around the world traveling 15,596 miles in 7 days, 18 hours and 45 minutes, 1933
Dezik and Tzygan become the first of Russia's Space Dogs, making a sub-orbital flight, which they both survived, 1951
Japan completes its last reparation to the Philippines for war crimes committed during WWII, 1976
Martial law in Poland is officially revoked, 1983
The second Blue Water Bridge opens between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, 1997
The Stonehenge World Heritage Site announces the discovery of a possible new henge, the biggest discovery at a major monument in over 50 years, 2010
Norway is the victim of twin terror attacks, on government buildings in Oslo and a youth camp at Utoya, 2011
Scientific studies reveal that dolphins have unique names for one another, much like humans do, 2013