Saturday, February 14, 2026

A Merry Pace, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Life goes  on in its merry pace and around comes Thankful Day again.


Last week we had a rental car and it worked out just fine getting it and then getting to rEcess and i was thankful the traffic cooperated as being late is not on my agenda if i can help it.


The next morning, we got a few of miles from home when i realized i'd forgotten something and we had to turn around.  I'm thankful the rental lady knows us so well and didn't charge us for the extra milage.


The weather was much better for walking Mr. Cal Sunday morning, and he was happy to meet up with his doggy friend.


#2 Son needed for me to switch my schedule this week and take care of our little Annie on Monday instead of Tuesday.  I'm thankful i was able to do it, and very thankful i have such understanding clients.


blurry enthusiasm!


I'm also thankful the little ladybug took a good nap that day, she's taken to not wanting to nap more than an hour and is cranky in the evenings.


While at Carl's on Tuesday, i'm very thankful i did not fall when i tripped over the blanket he had piled on the floor.


Later that day i was thankful to finally get to the shop to get the screen protector and case on my phone.  


I was thankful we didn't have to wait for one of the electric scooter shopping carts for Ms. G when she wanted to go to the bulk store, as sometimes it can be a long wait.


Friend West, the mechanic, checked out the work #2 Son and Daughter-in-Law did on Slow-Moe, and it's all good and we're thankful.


We're also thankful they will tackle the brakes next.


Thursday was a "double day," (two jobs, as were Tuesday and Wednesday, come to think on it) and i was thankful to get through it.


Because i'm usually gone so long on Thursday, i'm seldom home when the generator runs its test.  I'm extremely thankful:

     #2 Son was home and saw the motor oil spurting from the side of the generator

     he and i got in there and figured out the technicians who did the work last October left the oil dipstick unsecured!

     we let the engine cool completely and he checked it, it had almost no oil left, and we have oil so he put it in.


I'm thankful all should be well now with the generator, as there's no way we could have afforded to replace it if it had burned up.


Friday evening at the cat shelter was quiet and we're thankful there have been a lot of adoptions lately, most of the cages are empty as the new crop of spring kittens has not come in yet.  It's a nice time of year and we're thankful for the short break.





Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Clark and his co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.   




You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter



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It's Valentine's Day!  St. Valentine of Rome is the patron of apiarists/beekeepers, betrothed couples, greeting card manufacturers, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, travelers, young people; Bussolengo, Italy; against epilepsy, fainting, plague.


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



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Today is:


Bird Mating Season begins -- according to legend, in honor of St. Valentine


Blessing of the Salmon Nets -- Norham, Northumberland, England \& North Shields, Northumbria, England (just before midnight, nets are blessed and right after midnight, the first nets of the season are thrown out; anything caught is presented to the officiating vicar)


Day Sacred to Juno Lupa -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Juno of the Wolf)


Feast of Vali -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan (archer god, an Asatru answer to the Valentine celebration, which is really a thinly disguised Lupercalia)


Ferris Wheel Day -- birth anniversary of G.W.G. Ferris, Jr.


International Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day


International Quirkyalone Day -- a day to value your individuality, whether you are partnered or not; for those who prefer to be single and not dating just for the sake of dating 


League of Women Voter's Day -- US


Library Lovers Day -- for those whose favorite companion is a great book


National Call In Single Day -- what a lot of men who feel pressured to be romantic on this day wish they could do, i'm sure!


National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day


National Have-a-Heart Day -- to create awareness of the impact of our food choices on the environment, world hunger, animal welfare and human health—especially heart health


National Nest Box Week -- UK; US (begun in the UK, this is a week to build or put up a nest box in your yard to encourage our avian friends and give them safe places to raise their young)


National Organ Donor Day -- US, but no matter where you live, consider leaving instructions about this to your loved ones


Pet Theft Awareness Day -- you love them, protect them!


Race Relations Day -- originally on Lincoln's birth anniversary, now on the day promoting love


Rafik Hairi Memorial Day -- Lebanon


Read to Your Child Day -- to start their love of learning early (and do it daily!)


Sts. Cyril & Methodius' Day (Patrons of ecumenism, unity of Eastern and Western Churches; Bohemia; Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Europe; Moravia; the Slavic peoples)


Trifon Zarezan -- Bulgaria (Viticulturists' Day; since Thracian times, a day to celebrate Dionysus and wine)


Valentine's Day (St. Valentine of Rome, Patron of apiarists/beekeepers, betrothed couples, greeting card manufacturers, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, travelers, young people; Bussolengo, Italy; against epilepsy, fainting, plague)



Anniversaries Today:


Jerry Garcia weds Deborah Koons, 1994

US League of Women Voters formed, 1920

Arizona becomes the 48th US state, 1912

Oregon becomes the 33rd US state, 1859



Birthdays Today:


Drew Bledsoe, 1972

Jessica Yu, 1966

Zach Galligan, 1964

Enric Colantoni, 1963

Meg Tilly, 1960

Renee Fleming, 1959

Raymond Joseph Teller, 1948

Gregory Hines, 1946

Carl Bernstein, 1944

Michael Bloomberg, 1942

Andrew Prine, 1936

Florence Henderson, 1934

Vic Morrow, 1932

Hugh Downs, 1921

Mel Allen, 1913

Jimmy Hoffa, 1913

Jack Benny, 1894

George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., 1859

Winfield Scott Hancock, 1824

Frederick Douglass, 1817

Mary Ann "Aunt Mary" Prout, 1801



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Cloud Nine"(Play), 1978

"The Maltese Falcon"(Publication date), 1930

"Sinbad"(Musical), 1918

"Importance of Being Earnest"(Play), 1895



Today in History:


The annals of the monastery of Quedlinburg make the first known mention of Lithuania, 1009

Approximately 2,000 Jews are burned to death by mobs or forcibly removed from the city of Strasbourg, 1349

Roman Catholic emperor Leopold I chases the Jews out of Vienna, 1670

The United States Flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte rendered a nine gun salute to USS Ranger, commanded by John Paul Jones, 1778

James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii, 1779

John Jervis and Horatio Nelson lead the British Royal Navy to victory over a Spanish fleet in action near Gibraltar, 1797

The apple parer is patented by Moses Coats of Downington, Pennsylvania, 1803

US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall declares that any act of the US Congress that conflicts with the Constitution is void, 1803

The original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is formed in Kirtland, Ohio, 1835

In New York City, James Knox Polk becomes the first serving President of the United States to have his photograph taken, 1849

Esther Hobart Morris is appointed the first female Justice of the Peace in the US, in South Pass City, Wyoming, 1870

A.G. Bell and Elisha Gray both apply for a patent for a telephone; Bell first by only 2 hours, and is ruled the rightful inventor, 1876

The first trainload of California grown fruit, oranges, leaves L.A. for the east,1889

Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections, 1899

The Soviet Union adopts the Gregorian calendar, 1918

The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois, 1920

The Bank of England is nationalized, 1946

ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled, 1946

The Knesset (Israeli parliament) convenes for the first time, 1949

Element 103, Lawrencium, is first synthesized at the University of California, 1961

The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System are placed into orbit, 1989

Space probe Voyager 1 takes a photograph of the entire solar system , 1990

Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) spacecraft becomes first vehicle to land on an asteroid (433 Eros), 2001

Love letters written between poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning are published online by Wellesley College and Baylor University, 2012

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, now the world's largest solar energy plant, opens in the Mojave Desert; the $2.2 billion plant, owned by Google, NRG Energy, and BrightSource energy, spans five square miles and can provide power to 140,000 homes, 2014

JP Morgan becomes the first bank to create its own crypto-currency, JPM Coin, 2019

New Zealand declares a national state of emergency after Cyclone Gabrielle causes widespread flooding and devastation across the North Island, 2023

Korean scientists say they have created "meaty rice", with beef grown inside rice grains in a lab, adding 8% more protein, 2024

Friday, February 13, 2026

Ballet Cat (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins and Nature 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 has entrusted 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!


Link Linker the Stinker, we've noticed, stands like a ballet dancer with his toes pointed out.









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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. A Ted Talk that I found helpful was done by ______________________.


2. If I could make my own candy heart it would say ___________________.


3. I _________ early in the morning, but I _________ late at night.


4. _________ is what I love most about myself.



1. A Ted Talk that I found helpful was done by ______________________.  I've never listened to one.


2. If I could make my own candy heart it would say   Get Some Sleep (because i need to).


3. I   can concentrate rather well even on complex material  early in the morning, but I   am too sleepy and groggy to do so  late at night.


4. _________ is what I love most about myself.   While love is too strong a word, i do like my hair.




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


Mardi Gras is next week, so the "seasonal trees" will be disappearing soon.






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Today is:

Blame Someone Else Day -- the first Friday the 13th of the year is a day you get a free pass to blame someone else; begun in 1982 by Anne Moeller, of Clio, Michigan, on the Friday the 13th on which her alarm clock failed to go off leading to a cascade of increasingly bad luck events throughout the day


Break-Up Day -- if you are over him/her, don't go through tomorrow pledging love falsely, get out today


Dream of Your Sweetheart Day -- a reminder that if ,you aren't ready for Valentine's Day tomorrow, you'd better get cracking


Employee Legal Awareness Day -- Australia


Get a Different Name Day -- for those who hate their name; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Great Back Yard Bird Count begins -- a four day project for anyone from across North America; count birds for a few minutes a day today, or every day for the next four days, and report in, thus giving a real time idea of where the birds are now     


Ides of February -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also

    Parentalia begins -- through the 21st (honoring divi parentes -- the deified ancestors)

    Lupercalia begins -- through the 15th (to rid the city of evil spirits)

    Orgiastic festival of Juno Februa begins -- through tomorrow


I Value Your Friendship Day -- because you don't want to neglect your friends while we are remembering love this week


Madly in Love With Me Day -- because you have to love "me" before you can love "we"


National Tortellini Day


St. Catherine dei Ricci's Day (Patron of the ill)


Ta-asobi -- Akatsuka Suwa Shrine, Itabashi-ku, Japan (ceremony to pray for a good harvest)


Trndez or Tearnandarach -- Armenian Christian Church (fire celebration, begins in the evening and goes through tomorrow; originally a pagan sun worship celebration, it is now a Candlemas celebration by the OS Calendar)



Birthdays Today:


Mena Suvari, 1979

Robbie Williams, 1974

Kelly Hu, 1968

David Naughton, 1951

Peter Gabriel, 1950

Stockard Channing, 1944

Jerry Springer, 1944

Carol Lynley, 1942

Peter Tork, 1942

Bo Svenson, 1941

George Segal, 1934

Kim Novak, 1933

Chuck Yeager, 1923

Eileen Farrell, 1920

Tennessee Ernie Ford, 1919

Eddie Robinson, 1919

Grant Wood, 1892

Alvin York, 1887

Elizabeth "Bess" Virginia Wallace Truman, 1885

Randolph Henry Spencer Churchill, 1849

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Perigord, 1754

Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, 1682



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Merlin"(Musical), 1983

"Prince Valiant"(Comic strip), 1937



Today in History:


Baghdad falls to the Mongols, and the Abbasid Caliphate is destroyed, 1258

Jews are expelled from Burgsordf, Switzerland, 1349

The Disfida di Barletta (Challenge of Barletta); Frenchman Charles de la Motte accused Italians of cowardice, and thirteen Italians proceeded to rout 13 Frenchmen in a chivalrous horseback tourney, 1503

St. Augustine, Florida, is founded, becoming the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States, 1566

Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for trial before the Inquisition for professing belief that the Earth revolves around the sun, 1633

Treaty of Lisbon:  Spain recognizes Portugal, 1668

The Massacre of Glencoe: 78 members of the clan Macdonald are murdered for not promptly pledging allegiance to the new king, William of Orange (William III), 1692

Cholera appears in London, 1832

Work begins on the covering of the Zenne, burying Brussels's primary river and creating the modern central boulevards, 1867

The feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is first published in Paris by the activist Hubertine Auclert, 1881

Painter Thomas Eakins resigns from Philadelphia Academy of Art after controversial over use of male nudes in a coed art class, 1886

Auguste and Louis Lumière patent the Cinematographe, a combination movie camera and projector, 1894

English suffragettes storm British Parliament and 60 women are arrested, 1907

The Negro National League is formed, 1920

A jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, 1935

France tests its first atomic bomb, 1960

Black Sabbath, arguably the very first heavy metal album, is released, 1970

A series of sewer explosions destroys more than two miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky, 1981

An agreement is reached on a two-stage plan to reunite Germany, 1990

The last original "Peanuts" comic strip appears in newspapers one day after Charles M. Schulz dies, 2000

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white dwarf star BPM 37093. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", 2004

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd makes a historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations, 2008

At 23:31:30 UTC the Unix system time (time\_t) number reaches 1234567890 seconds, 2009

For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, were able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855, 2011

NASA confirms Mars Opportunity rover's mission, originally set to be 90 days, has ended after 15 years due to a sandstorm damaging communications, 2019

A study published in the journal Science of Arrokoth 2014 MU69 in the Kuiper Belt shows scientists are rethinking how planets are formed, not by violent collisions but by a more gentle clumping, 2020

Archaeologists announce the discovery of oldest known beer factory in Abydos, Egypt, from early Dynastic period 3150 B.C.- 2613 B.C, 2021

A humpback whale is filmed briefly swallowing a man on a kayak off Chilean Patagonia, before releasing him unharmed, 2025