Saturday, June 9, 2018

Hooray for Time Away (Ten Things of Thankful)

(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.)


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Ah, Saturday!  First day of vacation!  How am i thankful, and for what?  Let me list the ways.

We had a hugely busy two weeks behind us which included house-sitting, pet care, and anywhere from 8-12 hours of work most days, and i am thankful that this extra busy season is over for the moment.

Also, i am grateful i did not have but one small heart episode in all of it, and it ended very quickly.

Yesterday, i woke up with one of those sensitive-to-light-and-sound headaches, and i am thankful i was able to work anyway and now it is gone.

Having our seven cats plus a visiting dog, quail, two ducks, and four chickens was quite a handful.  As much as i enjoyed our guests, i am thankful they do not live here permanently.  (If i were retired it might be a different story.)

For Mr. Quail, i am very grateful to the helpful Petco person who showed me what kind of sand to get him for his dust baths.  It's calcium sand, very bright yellow.  Mr. Quail looks like a running neon sign now.

The chickens and ducks decided they love cut up grapes, and i am grateful i was able to give them a whole bunch that was about to go bad faster than i could eat it.

There's a beautiful rental car on this trip with us, and i am so thankful for that, as there is no way we can put our vehicles on the road for more than about an hour distance.

Little Girl has been left in charge of the homestead, and i am grateful she is able and willing (and responsible enough!) to make sure the cats get fed and the home fires, or should i say air conditioners, are tended.

Seven days of no one to take care of but us, not much on the agenda but what we want to do, oh, i am so thankful for that.

Best of all, i am thankful to Grandpa, who makes this opportunity available to us each year.  If it were not for his generosity, i would be at work today instead of on the road.

Counting your blessings is good for your health and well-being.  Why not join the lovely Josie Two Shoes, hostess of Ten Things of Thankful, with a list of your own.  It doesn't have to be fancy, it doesn't even have to be ten.  Just share your thankfulness with us, and we will be thankful along with you.

Happy Saturday, everyone!



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Today is:

Accession Day -- Jordan (King Abdullah's accession to the throne in 1999)

Belmont Stakes -- Belmont, NY, US (150th Annual, the third jewel of the Triple Crown)

Betty Picnic -- the Betty Club, founded by Betty Wilder and Betty Patterson of Grant's Pass, Oregon; they began hosting a picnic for all with their name in 1987, and want Bettys all over the world to have a Betty Picnic on the second Saturday of June each year

Big Mac Shoreline Spring Scenic Bike Tour -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (weekend bike tours of varying lengths along the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, with a concluding ride over the Mighty Mackinac Bridge; through tomorrow)

Billy the Kid Tombstone Race -- Fort Sumner, New Mexico (racers carry an 80 pound tombstone through an obstacle course! a tribute to the number of times the tombstone has been stolen over the years; there is also a triathlon)

Community Day -- LO, MU, Spain

Donald Duck Day -- his screen debut was today in 1934

International Young Eagles Day -- Experimental Aircraft Association members and chapters focus on providing introductory flights to children 8-17   

La Rioja Day -- La Rioja, Spain

Murcia Day -- Murcia, Spain

National Heroes Day -- Uganda

National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day

Profess Your Love Day -- promoted by ecard companies which think you need to say "I love you" more often

Purple People Eater Day -- Sheb Wooley's hit reached #1 this date in 1958

Remembrance for Sigurd the Dragonslayer -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan (in some traditions called Siegfried)

Sjalvstyrelsedagen -- Aland Islands (Self-Governing Day)

Sovereign's Day/Queen's Birthday -- British Virgin Islands; Pitcairn Island; Tuvalu

St. Columbia of Iona's -- Celtic Christian, today is one of the luckiest days of the year to superstitious Highland Scots, especially propitious if it's a Thursday (Apostle to the Picts; Patron of bookbinders, poets; Ireland; Scotland; Pemboke, Ontario, Canada; against floods)

St. Ephraem's Day (creator of hymns; Patron of spiritual directors, spiritual leaders; Syria)

Torigoe Matsuri -- Torigoe Jinja Shrine, Tokyo, Japan (festival and highlighting of Tokyo's largest Mikoshi[portable Shinto shrine]; through tomorrow)

Trooping the Colour -- UK (military celebration of the monarch's birthday, one of London's biggest and most colorful celebrations))

World APS Day -- spreading awareness of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome   


World Wide Knit in Public Day -- better living through stitching together!    


Anniversaries Today:

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito marries Masako Owada, 1993
Nero marries Claudia Octavia, 53

Birthdays Today:

Natalie Portman, 1981
Johnny Depp, 1963
Michael J. Fox, 1961
Dick Vitale, 1940
Jackie Mason, 1928
Les Paul, 1915
Robert Cummings, 1910
Cole Porter, 1891


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Congo(Film), 1995
What's Love Got To Do With It(Film), 1993
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier(Film), 1989


Today in History:

Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide, 68
Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Moors in the Battle of Toulouse, 721
Jacques Cartier is the first European to discover the Saint Lawrence River, 1534
The Harvard Corporation is established as the first corporation in the Americas, 1650
James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia, 1732
The Congress of Vienna, forerunner of the League of Nations and the UN, ends with much of Europe's borders redrawn and settled, Switzerland's neutrality confirmed, and free navigation guaranteed on many rivers, 1815
Five hundred Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa and head west for Salt Lake City carrying all their possessions in two-wheeled handcarts, 1856
Alexandra Palace in London burns down after being open for only 16 days, 1873
China agrees to lease Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years, 1898
Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, becomes the first woman to drive across the United States, 1909
Queen Elizabeth II officially opens London Gatwick Airport, 1958
Israel captures the Golan Heights from Syria, 1967
Secretariat wins the Triple Crown, 1973
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) opens its priesthood to black males after 148 years, 1978
The British lease of Hong Kong expires, 1997
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO sign a peace treaty, 1999
In Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, six women were arrested for practicing driving in an empty car lot; women are banned from driving on the road, 2011

18 comments:

  1. Enjoy your totally deserved holiday time.

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  2. Sure sounds like you are going to have one very nice vacation. So hope it is a very nice trip. Take care.

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  3. I *love* the idea of a Betty Picnic!
    I loved it so much, in fact, that I got all wrapped up with background processing how to initiate a Jz Picnic and completely misread - I thought St. Ephraem was being touted as the creator of hymens...
    I'm gonna go pour more coffee and try to settle down now.

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  4. Have a fantastic vacation. The week before you leave is always so busy and stressful. It makes the time off even sweeter.

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  5. Have a fabulous time. I know you will. You work so hard doing for others. It's time you do for yourselves.

    Have the best vacation ever. ♥

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  6. I hope you have a wonderful vacation, you truly deserve it. XO

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  7. I just realized that I am thankful you have such a nice week to look forward to!!

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  8. Thankful that you managed your busy week well. I wouldn't know whether I could manage baby sitting for so many critters!

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  9. You have earned and deserve this time off...enjoy!

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  10. Wow - that is a lot of animals to take care of. I had no idea that quails had dust baths. Fascinating. Enjoy your time off :-)

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  11. I highly recommend vacations! Hope you have a great time!

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  12. What a nice Grandpa who makes this vacation possible. I hope you have a wonderful day and all goes well on the home front while you are gone.

    Purple People Eater Day was quite the hit once upon a time. :-)

    Picturing your bright yellow quail makes me laugh.

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  13. Except for the ghost crabs, this post made me smile. It's Monday and you and hubby are on vacation watching the sun rise over the ocean. Fabulous.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday. Big hug. ♥

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  14. Great share with lots of photos. ALways my pleasure to be here. Have a fabulous week. HUGS

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  15. A heart episode sounds terrifying. I am glad it ended well. Relax and renew your spirit and energy.

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