Another Waif In From the Cold (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins, Nature Friday, and Flashback Friday

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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!

My Wednesdays at the cat shelter start very early, and once i've been there a while, and it's light out, i step out to bring out some of the trash i've accumulated so far.

Day before yesterday, when i did just that, i saw something which wasn't there when i arrived.

Yes, indeed, some flower of humanity had once again dumped a box containing an animal or animals on our doorstep.

My protocol is to take a peek and figure out if we're dealing with an adult cat or kitten(s), get a carrier of the right size, set it on a clean towel on the floor, put in a disposable litter box and small bowls with food/water, bring whatever container the animal(s) are in and set it on the towel, then transfer the critter(s) to the carrier.

Once done, i throw away my gloves and scrub up, since we never know if the abandoned cat has something contagious.

She was shivering and very thirsty.

Later, the kitten was moved by an employee to a pop-up cage, and she went to town on the canned food.

It was just the one this time, thankfully, and another little waif has been brought in out of the cold and will be vetted and, if appropriate, have a home found.

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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. I still need to _________________ before Christmas.

2. Don’t forget to acknowledge ___________________ at Christmas.

3. _________ is my Christmas miracle.

4. I _________ on Christmas Eve and _________ on Christmas Day.

1. I still need to   do the grocery shopping   before Christmas.

2. Don’t forget to acknowledge   the birthday of Jesus   at Christmas.

3. Getting everything done at all, and continuing to work, and not losing my mind in the middle of it all   is my Christmas miracle.

4. I   go to the Christmas Eve Service   on Christmas Eve and   go to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the meal with family   on Christmas Day.

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

We have camellias, and some trees sporting sparkles this time of year.

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Flashback Friday is hosted by FiveSibes.  Come hop along memory lane with us!  

Mikey gave his opinion of the food he was being offered.

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Today is:

Build a Snowman Day -- occupy your mind, as Christmas seems too far away still; if you have no snow, make snowball cookies

Chocolate Pizza Day -- yes, really

E-Mail Santa Claus Just in Case He Didn't Get Your Letter Day -- send your emails to northpole.com/Mailroom/

Festival for Juventas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of youth, protector of young soldiers)

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Skyrgamur -- Curd-glutton, who loves skyr (milk curd) so that he sneaks in the pantry to try to get it all

I've Got My Big Fat Guy Pants On Day -- someone tired of tight clothes started this, a day to wear whatever you like, so long as it is comfortable -- and roomy

Look for an Evergreen Day -- although if you haven't bought your tree by now, you may have waited too long

National Hard Candy Day -- this time of year, it probably means candy canes

National Heroes and Heroines Day / National Jollification Day -- Anguilla

National Oatmeal Muffin Day

National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day -- any country that dares to celebrate may claim this one, and you can order your ugly sweater here  

Opalia -- Roman Empire (feast of Ops, goddess of abundance; 3rd day of the Saturnalia)

Robinson Crusoe Rescue Day (1686)

Sarsodaw Pwe -- Myanmar (Writers' Day/Literati Day, especially celebrated by the press, and includes The National Literary Award Presentation Ceremony as well as public lectures, essay contests, and story-telling events)

St. Bernard Valeara's Day (Patron of Teramo, Italy)

St. Samthann (Samantha) of Meath's Day (Patron of the spiritual life)

Underdog Day -- the day to celebrate all the number two people who make the number ones what they are (as in Friday to Crusoe); day founded by by the late Peter Moeller, THE Chief Underdog

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation -- UN

Anniversary Today:

First radio broadcast from space, a Christmas greeting from President Eisenhower, 1958

Birthdays Today:

Jake Gyllenhall, 1980

Alyssa Milano, 1972

Tyson Beckford, 1971

Amy Locane, 1971

Kristy Swanson, 1969

Criss Angel, 1967

Jessica Steen, 1965

Jennifer Beals, 1963

Kevin Edward McHale, 1957

Janie Fricke, 1952

Robert Urich, 1946

Richard Leakey, 1944

Alvin Lee, 1944

Tim Reid, 1944

Cicely Tyson, 1939

Al Kaline, 1934

David Susskind, 1920

Leonid Brezhnev, 1906

Ralph Richardson, 1902

Carter Godwin Woodson, 1875

Minnie Maddern Fiske, 1865

Mary Ashton Livermore, 1821

William Edward Parry, 1790

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Titanic(Film), 1997

The Man with the Golden Gun(Film), 1974

"Homecoming A Christmas Story"(TV introduction of "The Waltons"), 1971

"The Music Man"(Musical), 1957

"A Christmas Carol"(publication date), 1843

"American Crisis"(publication date of the Thomas Paine essay in which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls."), 1776

"Poor Richard's Almanack" (publication of first issue by Benjamin Franklin), 1732

Today in History:

Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor, 324

The Seldjuken under Toghril Beg occupy Baghdad, 1055

The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who found, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States, 1606

The Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, and Connecticut colonies combine forces and attach the Great Swamp Fort of the Narragansetts during King Philip's War, 1675

Benjamin Franklin, under the name Richard Saunders begins publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack", 1732

Thomas Paine publishes his first "American Crisis" essay, in which he wrote that "These are the times that try men's souls," 1776

Chinese troops occupy the capital Thang Long Vietnam, 1788

The US state of Kentucky becomes the first to appropriate money for road building, 1795

The US state of Georgia becomes the first to pass a birth registration law, 1823

Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents a sewing machine that can sew a curved seam, 1854

Albert L. Jones patents corrugated cardboard, 1871

The first black US Catholic priest, Charles Uncles, is ordained in Baltimore, 1891

The first city ordinance requiring separate neighborhoods for blacks and whites is passed, in Baltimore, 1910

Robert Ripley begins his "Believe It Or Not" column in the NY Globe, 1918

The British Broadcasting Corp begins transmitting overseas, 1932

The US Earth satellite Atlas transmitted the first radio voice broadcast from space, 1958

The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, returns to earth, 1972

The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People's Republic of China, in 1997, would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, is signed, 1984

Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky, 1986

A record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia, 2001

The Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-07M is launched in Kazakhstan, with cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Chris Hadfield and Thomas Marshburn aboard for the ISS Expedition 34 and 35 crews, 2012

The journal Current Biology publishes a study of the earliest fossilized trees ever found, dated to be 386 million years old, discovered at a quarry in Cairo, New York, 2019

Former student activist Gabriel Boric wins Chile's Presidential election, to become the country's youngest president at 35, 2021

The journal "Science" names anti-obesity medications that mimic the hormone GLP-1 as the breakthrough of the year, 2023

Every Verse, Same as the First (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day, and Brian's Thankful Thursday

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Note:  To those asking about yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo, yes, our little Annie will be a big sister soon, "If God says the same" as my grandmother used to say.

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Every time i go to Ms. G's lately, i feel as if i should hear, "Same bat time, same bat channel," as they used to say at the close of every TV Batman episode.

She says she wants to start doing things around her house, and we often start this project or that, but it doesn't last long as there's always some emergency, some appointment with a doctor or client (she sells real estate), someone who needs her help or her time or both.

Last week, in yet another attempt to help friends, she went to Mississippi to haul this puppy back because a friend here wanted to buy it from her friend there, or so they thought; the friend here has changed his mind, so it has to be hauled back and she tried to do so yesterday, and the trailer, which is borrowed, lost a wheel.

Several hundred dollars later ("I'm bleeding money on this!" she fussed), the wheel is on but the tires themselves need to be replaced, which she doesn't feel is her responsibility, so we were seeing how much air the tires can hold and will she be able to use it for hauling, or will she be running the borrowed trailer back up there, then renting a good trailer on which to haul the actual 4-wheeler vehicle, because she has to get it back up there somehow.

While out there with her portable air pump, she was insistent she had to air up the tires while i simply held the valve stem covers or handed her parts, even though she knows i am capable of using the equipment just fine by myself, but when she decided to check the tires on her car and her truck, "Just to be safe," and found all of them were low, she finally let me take over and air up all of them while she sat outside and nursed her sore back and watched me.

Yes, she could have gone back inside to do some of the many other things, but she is a micromanager extraordinaire and it's hard for her to let go, thus since she has to be in the middle of every doing, very little gets done, especially as she has to run off to yet another appointment almost every day, the cycle continues.

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

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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:    

(Two poems this week, a short and a longer.)

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We know we didn't make your day,

but we had fun, what can we say?

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You're not going to believe this,

but it started with a bug.

The silly thing invaded our house

and was crawling 'cross the rug.

The critter was really moving fast

and we gave it merry chase,

it even went on up the wall,

 and all over the place!

It finally went into the wrapped

gifts beneath the tree,

and we had to track it down,

and the results you see.

But the good news is we got it,

'cause Benny ate the thing,

and then he went to your bedroom,

and threw up on your bedspring!

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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 Ms. G and i tested out the tires on her car and truck, all eight tires were low and she's been on the road, so we used her portable pump to get all her tires inflated where they should be.  I like for my friends to be safe, especially as she will travel to see family for the holidays.

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Today is:

Bake Cookies Day -- the holiday for everyone!

Eponalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (feast of Epona, goddess of fertility and horses, mules, and donkeys; during the Saturnalia and the only Roman honoring of a Celtic deity)

Flake Appreciation Day -- snow or human, your choice!

Hug a Soccer Player Day -- this "holiday" has a Facebook page, but no other history

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Hurdaskellir -- Door-Slammer, a noisy fellow who tries to keep everyone awake

International Answer the Phone like Buddy the Elf Day -- for fans of the film Elf, starring Will Ferrel

International Migrants Day -- UN

Khoiak Ceremony for the Sokar Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (falcon god; date approximate)

Let's See What We Find In the Fridge Day -- to bravely see if you've left anything in the back that you shouldn't have

National Day / Founder's Day -- Qatar

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

National Scrooge Week begins -- at least according to Mr. Ed

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad -- Oaxaca, Mexico (Our Lady of Solitude, Patron of the lonely, of Oaxaca, and of sailors who bring her pearls)

Republic Day -- Niger

St. Flannan's Day (Patron of Killaloe, Ireland)

Tulya's E'en -- Orkney Island (beginning of the Yule season when evil spirits roamed; date approximate, as we aren't sure if they equated Yule initially with Dec. 25 or the 22nd)

Anniversaries Today:

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif Ali Zardari, 1987

Capitol Reef National Park established, Utah, US, 1971

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, outlawing slavery, takes effect, 1865

New Jersey becomes the 3rd US State, 1787

Birthdays Today:

Christina Aguilera, 1980

Katie Holmes, 1978

Earl "DMX" Simmons, 1970

Rob Van Dam, 1970

Rachel Griffiths, 1968

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, 1964

Brad Pitt, 1963

Ray Liotta, 1955

Leonard Maltin, 1950

Steven Spielberg, 1946

Keith Richards, 1943

Ossie Davis, 1917

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, 1917

Douglas Fraser, 1916

Betty Grable, 1916

Willy Brandt, 1913

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., 1912

Ty Cobb, 1886

Joseph Grimaldi, 1778

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Sunshine Boys"(Play), 1972

"To Tell The Truth"(TV), 1956

"The Nutcracker"(Ballet), 1892

Today in History:

Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic, BC218

Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan", officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China, 1271

The Mayflower lands in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts with 102 Pilgrims on board, 1620

Abel Tasman becomes first European to land in New Zealand, 1642

Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children", 1719

Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia, 1774

The first celestial photograph (of the Moon) is made in US, by John Draper, NYC, 1839

William Bond obtains the first photograph of Moon through a telescope, 1849

Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Indian ruins of Mesa Verde, 1888

The Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in or 762 mm) Railway (now the Puffing Billy Railway) in Victoria, Australia is opened for traffic, 1900

The Piltdown Man, later discovered to be a hoax, is supposedly found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit, by Charles Dawson, 1912

Japan joins the United Nations, 1956

Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker, 1966

Dominica joins the United Nations, 1978

HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium, 1997

The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia, 2006

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II attends a meeting of the Cabinet for the first time, receiving a gift honoring her Diamond Jubilee; this was first time a Cabinet meeting was attended by a British monarch since the reign of Queen Victoria, 2012

A meteor explodes in huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima atomic bomb, 2018

The international community establishes Covax to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-and-middle-income countries, announcing deals with vaccine manufacturers and methods for countries to share excess vaccines, 2020

The Icelandic volcano on Reykjanes peninsula erupts, a mere 40km from the country's capital of Reykjavik, 2023