Minor Miracle (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins, Nature Friday and Pet Photo Fails

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Feline Friday was originally started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude (may he rest in peace), and i'm going to believe it's because he liked cats.

He handed hosting duties off to Sandee at Comedy Plus, and now she's entrusting it to me.

Feline Friday is simple to join.  All you have to do is: Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (they may be silly or cute).  Then add your link!

One thing for sure is this is a fun and easy meme to do.  So come and join us in Feline Friday.

What better way to start the weekend than with a feline!

A short while back, i was catsitting for Ms. GA and Mr. BA while they were on vacation and a minor miracle occurred.  First Missy, the most recent addition to the clowder, decided i was okay and let me pet her, especially when feeding her.

The Little Orphan Annie, who for the first five years i was here wouldn't ever let me see any portion of her except her tail disappearing around a corner or up the stairs, decided i was okay on a limited basis.

Those are the best photos i was able to take of me petting them, the rest are in the photo fails below.

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Friendly Fill-Ins are easy to do. There are four statements: the first two statements are provided by Ellen of 15AndMeowing, and the final two are offered by 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!      

Here are this week's statements with my responses underlined:

1. Lately, my main focus is ___________________.

2. I crave ______________________.

3. I get my best ideas _________.

4. I only trust _________ with my biggest secrets.

1. Lately, my main focus is   figuring out how to continue working and help my family when they need it.

2. I crave   a full day off, and i have one planned if it all works out.

3. I get my best ideas   when i'm about to fall asleep so i have to wake up and write them down so i won't forget and then it's hard to go back to sleep.

4. I only trust   Jesus  with my biggest secrets.  (He knows them anyway!)

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Nature Friday is hosted by LLB in Our Backyard.  Simply post a picture of the natural world, and link up!

I was concerned the crepe myrtles weren't going to bloom much because of damage from the unusual winter weather this past year.  I need not have worried, they are just a bit late.   

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Pet Photo Fails is hosted by Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & Meows.     

As noted above, when you are trying to take a picture of yourself petting a cat, it results in a lot of photo fails.

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Today is International Maltese Cat Day!

Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.        

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Today is:

Canadian Multiculturalism Day -- Cananda

Day of National Unity -- Tajikistan

Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art -- Turkmenistan

Day Sacred to the Lares -- Ancient Roman Calendar (personal household gods); also

     Festival of Jupiter Stator -- Jupiter, Stayer of the Rout, god who helped soldiers especially to stand their ground

     Initium Aestatis -- three day festival for the goddess of summer, which season they saw as beginning on this day

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

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

Independence Day / National Day -- Djibouti

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

Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum Smith -- Mormon

Mixed Races Day -- Brazil

National HIV Testing Day -- US 

National Indian Pudding Day

National Orange Blossom Day

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

Sacred Heart of Jesus -- Catholic Christian

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

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

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

Birthdays Today:

Gabi Wilson, 1997

Madylin Sweeten, 1991

Ed Westwick, 1987

Drake Bell, 1986

Tobey Maguire, 1975

J.J. Abrams, 1976

Jason Patric, 1966

Isabelle Adjani, 1955

Julia Duffy, 1951

James Daughton, 1950

Norma Kamali, 1945

Shirley-Anne Field, 1938

H. Ross Perot, 1930

Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan, 1927

Helen Keller, 1880

Patrick Lafcadio "Koizumi Yakumo" Hearn, 1850

Charles Stewart Parnell, 1846

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Live and Let Die(Film), 1973

"Dark Shadows"(TV), 1966

"Captain Video and His Video Rangers"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

General James Wolfe begins the siege of Quebec, 1759

Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail, 1844

George Dixon becomes the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion, 1890

The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia, 1898

Sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian Battleship Potemkin, denouncing the crimes of autocracy, demanding liberty and an end to war, 1905

Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane, 1923

The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War, 1950

The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow, 1954

The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield, London, 1967

The President of Uruguay dissolves Parliament and heads a coup d'état, 1973

U.S president Richard Nixon visits the U.S.S.R., 1974

France grants independence to Djibouti, 1977

The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, ILO 169 convention, is adopted, 1989

Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before, is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft, starting the Ten-Day War, 1991

Bill Gates resigns from Microsoft to focus on his charity work, 2008

The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held, 2010

Tests show radioactive cesium is present in small quantities in residents of Iitate and Kawamata, Fukushima, towns located 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 2011

NASA launches IRIS, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun, 2013

The European Union fines Google a record $2.7 billion for unfair competition practices, 2017

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 arrives at asteroid Ryugu, 2018

The science journal Nature publishes an article describing carbon-based molecules, previously only seen on Earth or in meteorites, that were found by the Cassini spacecraft on Saturn's moon Enceladus, 2018

Apple's chief designer, Jony Ive, designer of the iMac and the iPhone, announces he is leaving Apple after 30 years, 2019 

A locust invasion is named "Swarmageddon" by The Times of India as it reaches Delhi, 2020

NASA launches a rocket from a commercial spaceport outside the US for the first time, at Arnhem Space Centre, Northern Territory, Australia, 2022

Archaeologists in the city of Pompeii uncover a fresco which shows a flatbread with toppings, possible evidence of "pizza" style foods as early as the first century, 2023

Dealing With Ms. G (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy’s Poetry Day and Brian’s Thankful Thursday

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Ms. G is a force with which to reckon in many ways, and when she wants something done, she is well able to micromanage you down to the most minute detail.

When i got to her place yesterday well ahead of her (she was on an errand of mercy), i knew the drill and was careful to do everything exactly as she would have wanted as she notices even the minutiae.

She'd told me she'd not be long, but i know her well enough to know she isn't going to go anywhere quickly if she has people there to whom she wants to talk as she says, "I'll just be a minute," and then talks for 30.

Ms. G can turn a short conversation into a long, drawn out affair with minutely focused question after question, she never runs out of questions.

She also knows the "right" way to do everything and it better be done her way, she will give me instructions down to the minutest things, including in what order to pick up certain objects she wants carried to the other room.

I like working for her, she is quite amusing to watch especially when she is confronting people she has decided are doing things wrong, they have no idea what they are in for as she starts her questions and homes in on why the person is in the wrong, and she takes her time about it, she is not in any way a minute(wo)man.

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

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While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

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It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day!  This week's image and my poem:    

My goodness me

what do I see?

A huge treat jar

right here on the bar.

For a hunger attack,

it's the best snack.

I'll snag two,

one for me, one for you!

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Angel Brian's Family of Brian's Home - Forever hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful i got to stop and talk to Ms. GA about a matter, as some changes in my schedule are afoot and we have come to an agreement going forward.

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Today is:

Alexandra Rose Day -- anniversary of the tradition started by Queen Alexandra on this day in 1912, in which roses and rose emblems were sold in London and the UK, with the money going to smaller charities that are not usually in the national spotlight; also by tradition, the Lord Mayor of London bought the first rose

     Alexandra Rose Charities still exists, but uses other forms of fundraising and now supports healthy eating initiatives among lower income mothers and children

Armed Forces Day -- Azerbaijan

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

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

Hijra -- Islam (New Year, began last night at the first viewing of the new moon crescent)

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

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

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking -- UN

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -- UN

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

National Canoe Day -- Canada

National Chocolate Pudding Day

National Handshake Day -- US; sponsored by professional development companies on the last Thursday in June, encouraging everyone to develop a good, professional handshake

Rath Yathra & Bahuda Jatra-- Puri, India (the first is the Chariot Festival, pilgrims pull huge chariots across the city, and the second is 8 days later, the Return Festival; one of the most awaited Hindu festivals in the state and country)

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

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

Ziua Tricolorului -- Romania (Flag Day)

Birthdays Today:

Jennette McCurdy, 1992

Jason Schwartzman, 1980

Derek Jeter, 1974

Gretchen Wilson, 1973

Chris O'Donnell, 1970

Paul Thomas Anderson, 1970

Sean P. Hayes, 1970

Harriet Wheeler, 1963

Greg LeMond, 1961

Chris Isaak, 1956

Claudio Abbado, 1933

Eleanor Parker, 1922

Charlotte Zolotow, 1915

"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, 1914

Colonel Tom Parker, 1909

Peter Lorre, 1904

Pearl S. Buck, 1892

Sir Robert Laird Borden, 1854

Lord Kelvin, 1824

Abner Doubleday, 1819

Arthur Middleton, 1742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

For Your Eyes Only(Film), 1981

"Absurd Person Singular"(Play), 1972

"A Hard Day's Night"(Album, US version, release), 1964

"The Valkyrie"(Opera, WWV 86B), 1870

Today in History:

Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire; General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield, 363

The legendary Pied Piper leads 130 children out of Hamelin, German, 1284

Richard III is crowned king of England, 1483

Francisco Pizarro is assassinated in Lima, 1541

W. K. Clarkson patents the first bicycle, 1819

The Christian  holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States, 1870

The Science Museum in London comes into existence as an independent entity, 1909

The United Nations Charter is signed in San Francisco, 1945

William Shockley files the original patent for the grown junction transistor, the first bipolar junction transistor, 1948

The Berlin Airlift begins, 1948

The Saint Lawrence Seaway opens, opening North America's Great Lakes to ocean-going ships, 1959

The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, 1974

Indira Gandhi establishes emergency rule in India, 1975

The CN Tower, the world's tallest free-standing structure on land, is opened to general public, 1976*

Biologists J. Craig Venter and Francis S. Collins announced that their research groups had mapped the human genome, 2000

Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, the four thousand year-old ridge-top monastery in Bhutan catches fire and is destroyed; no relics were lost in the fire because the monastery was under renovation, 2012

Following the military coup in Thailand, people are warned that anyone calling for protest on social media will be prosecuted for sedition, 2014

The city of Falluja is freed from Islamic State control after a month-long campaign by Iraqi forces, 2016

Iceland’s presidential election is won by history professor Guðni Jóhannesson, 2016

The Panama Canal's third set of locks opens for commercial traffic, doubling the Canal’s capacity, 2016

A polio outbreak is confirmed in New Guinea by the World Health Organization, 18 years after it was declared free of the disease, 2018

More than 5,000 smuggled turtles are discovered in luggage at the Kuala Lumpur Airport, Malaysia, bound for India, 2019

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou declares a water emergency for Montevideo due to drought, 2023

As part of a project to learn ways to build a base on the Moon, the European Space Agency creates Lego-style 'space bricks' by 3D printing blocks out of meteorite dust, 2024

*It is still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere