Sometimes You're Also Thankful for What Didn't Happen, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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We're at Thankful Day and while i'm thankful for plenty of things, i'm also thankful for a couple of things which did not happen.

The first was after i thankfully got home safely from rEcess last Friday and then went to bed.  Almost two hours later, my Sweetie woke in the middle of a bad dream, convinced there was a snake in the room and it was after him.

I'm thankful he did not fall and get seriously injured when he jumped out of the bed and caught both feet on the bed frame somehow.  I'm thankful i was able to get the bleeding to stop where the bed frame removed some skin, and thankful we did get back to sleep.

It was a good day in NOLA for both of us Saturday, thankfully, despite the short sleep, and i'm very, very thankful i did not fall asleep on the drive home, although i was probably tired enough to.

On Sunday, after a great morning with Becca and Mr. Cal and church, i was most thankful for a nap.  Then Annie came and we played, then visited with Ms. D, and i'm always thankful for that.

My Monday started very early, i was thankful to get to Trader Joe's to get all the refrigerated and frozen stuff i could not buy the previous Friday because of their refrigeration system going down.  Then i was thankful to get to the Mom And Pop Shop where they sell the special pimiento cheese which i take to the ladies' meetings each month.

Ms. S's house went like clockwork, thankfully, and i was on the road to NOLA again early for a work day, and i'm thankful because Uncle J texted me and said, "By the way, I'll be out of town tonight so you need to get here before i leave at 2pm."

I'm thankful i was there for him to remind me how to feed Jack Dog, and i'm thankful he got to go as it's not often he gets out except for going to the gym.

Grandpa and i were thankful Grandma only got us up once in the night after i got her to sleep.

Tuesday morning, i headed back so i could go to the ladies' meeting and i was thankful to get home just in time to head to Ms. V's place.  Ms. V loathes driving and only does it because she has to, and she wants to run Carl's car as much as possible to keep it from simply breaking down between his infrequent visits, so she wanted us to take his car.

I'm thankful i had my tire inflator in Lawrence the Honda because one of the tires on Carl's car was very low.  It aired up and i brought the inflator along just in case, but we're thankful it was a slow leak (and she was thankful she found out so she could get it repaired).  Here's another thankful it didn't happen, i'm thankful we didn't get stranded on the way to a meeting with a flat tire.

Once home from the meeting Tuesday afternoon, i was thankful for time with Annie and for #1 Son coming in and telling me he was almost over his cold.

Tuesday wasn't finished with me yet, though, as i had some business to conduct over the phone with our insurance agent.  I'm thankful i didn't have to go without coverage, thanks to a phone call and a payment taken over the phone.

Wednesday i was thankful to be able to help Ms. G and line up what we would do if she were called to go to her sister in Florida, who was ill.  We're all thankful the sister's situation was brought under control and Ms. G didn't have to make a 700mi/1100km drive.

Bible study Wednesday night was excellent, i'm thankful we were able to cheer up our hostess, who has been feeling a bit isolated lately as her hearing gets worse (she's scheduled for a cochlear implant in January, thankfully).

I was thankful to get Ms. V's house done in very good time and even have time for some detail dusting.

Then came an errand.  A very good friend told me about a used car place where she got her daughter's car for college, and it was a good car, reasonable price and no high pressure selling, so i went to at least take a look.

I'm thankful i didn't agree to anything and had #2 Son go take a look at the one car on the lot which was closest to meeting our needs.  It turned out to have oil leaks out of the wazoo (or valve cover, and maybe a few other places) and so i was doubly thankful i did not do anything but look.

That evening, i was thankful #1 Son came in and introduced me to his new friend, Sue.  They looked very happy together.

#2 Son and Annie were to make a trip to their property in Arkansas for Friday and Saturday, so instead of taking care of Annie yesterday, i got to take care of Little Ben to give Daughter-in-Law time to work and have a break.  He's a doll, and i'm thankful i was able to see him smile again, he's starting to do so more regularly.

I couldn't quite get him to smile.

The Friday evening cat shelter shift went well, we're thankful for two adoptions.

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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Today is:

Alex Kivi Day a/k/a Kivi Day -- Finland (The Day of Finnish Literature)

Arbor Day -- Poland

Bonn Phchum Ben -- Cambodia (Ancestors' Day; official holidays through the 12th)

Bonza Bottler Day

Cephalopod Awareness Days:  Squid Day/Cuttlefish Day -- celebrating the most intelligent invertebrates in the world; today, celebrate the tentacular species

Curacao Day -- Curacao

Double Tenth Day/National Day -- China; Taiwan (In remembrance of the revolution against the Imperial Manchu Dynasty.)

Festival for Juno Moneta -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Juno as goddess of money)

Independence Day / Deed of Cession Day -- Fiji(1970)

Jack-O-Launch/Punkin Chunkin Colorado -- Aurora, CO, US (with the official Punkin Chunkin Contest, divisions include trebuchet, compressed air cannon, catapult, human power, and youth; a festival for the whole family, through tomorrow)

Journee Nationale de la Femme Marocaine -- Morocco (National Women's Day)

Kruger Day -- South Africa

KWP Foundation Day -- North Korea (1945)

Maroons Day -- Suriname (celebration of indigenous peoples)

Moi Day -- Kenya

National Angel Food Cake Day

National Cake Decorating Day -- some websites say today, some say the 17th

National Handbag Day -- started by www.PurseBlog.com

Naval Academy Day -- US

Ruler's Birthday -- Malaysia

St. Francis Borgia's Day (Patron of Portugal; Rota, Marianas; against earthquakes)

St. Paulinus of York's Day (Patron of Rochester, England)

Tag der Volksabstimmung -- Austria (Referendum Day)

Universal Music Day -- celebrate music as our universal language

Vegetarian Festival -- Phuket, Thailand (lots of purification rituals and a rigid vegetarian/vegan diet are observed for spiritual cleansing and ensuring good luck; through Oct. 18)

War of Independence Anniversary -- Cuba

World Day Against the Death Penalty -- International

World Homeless Day -- no one should be homeless   

World Mental Health Day -- International

World Porridge Day -- celebrating Scotland's traditional national dish    

Anniversaries Today:

Edward M. Kennedy, Jr., marries Katherine Anne "Kiki" Gershman, 1993

Richard Burton marries Elizabeth Taylor, 1975 (second time)

The United States Naval Academy opened with 50 midshipmen and 7 professors, 1845

Birthdays Today:

Adrian Grenier, 1976

Bob Burnquist, 1976

Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 1974

Mario Lopez, 1973

Brett Favre, 1969

Daniel Pearl, 1963

Tanya Tucker, 1958

David Lee Roth, 1955

Nora Roberts, 1950

Jessica Harper, 1949

Charles Dance, 1946

Ben Vereen, 1946

Harold Pinter, 1930

Richard Jaeckel, 1926

Thelonious Monk, 1917

Edward D. Wood, Jr., 1924

Helen Hayes, 1900

Giuseppe Verdi, 1813

Henry Cavendish, 1731 (discovered hydrogen)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Upstairs, Downstairs"(TV), 1971

"The Bob Newhart Show"(TV), 1962

"Milk and Honey"(Musical), 1961

"Porgy and Bess"(Folk opera), 1935

"Die Chinesische Mauer/The Great Wall of China"(Play), 1946

The Tuxedo, 1886 (introduced at The Tuxedo Club in New York)

Today in History:

The Great Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000 to 30,000 in the Caribbean, 1780

The first non-Native American settlement is founded in Oklahoma, 1802

William Lassell discovers Neptune's moon Triton, 1846

The first "Dinner Jacket" is worn to the Autumn Ball at Tuxedo Park, NY, 1886

President Woodrow Wilson triggers the explosion of the Gamboa Dike thus ending construction on the Panama Canal, 1913

Ho Chi Minh enters Hanoi after the French pull out of the city, 1954

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apologizes to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbdemah, after he is refused service in a Dover, Delaware restaurant, 1957

The Windscale fire in Cumbria, U.K. is the world's first major nuclear accident, 1957

The opening ceremony at The 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, is broadcast live in the first Olympic telecast relayed by geostationary communication satellite, 1964

The Outer Space Treaty, signed on January 27 by more than sixty nations, comes into force, 1967

In Montreal, Quebec, a national crisis hits Canada when Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte becomes the second statesman kidnapped by members of the FLQ terrorist group, 1970

Sold, dismantled and moved to the United States, London Bridge reopens in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, 1971

After having closed borders for about two hundred years, Armenia and Turkey sign protocols in Zurich, Switzerland to open their borders, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI adds Arabic to the languages in which the weekly Vatican address is broadcast, 2012

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi for their work in advocating children's rights; 17-year-old Yousafzai, who was shot by Taliban in retaliation for her activism, is the youngest recipient in history, 2014

For the first time since the Islamic revolution, 3,500 women in Iran are allowed to attend a football match for a World Cup qualifier in Tehran, 2019

The Nobel Prize for Economics is awarded to Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig for discoveries which can improve how society deals with financial crises, 2022

The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to South Korean author Han Kang, 2024

Venezuelan politician and democracy advocate Maria Corina Machado is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 2025

Peony (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!

At the cat shelter, the kittens in cages are free fed, meaning they always have kibble available, since they are young and growing, and mostly they self-regulate and only eat as much as they need.

Adult cats, not so much, they are supposed to be fed a measured amount twice a day to prevent weight gain.

There are two adult cats in extra large cages, because of lack of room space, and they are also supposed to be fed the measured amount.  Another volunteer keeps just filling Peony's food bowl all the way to the top instead of measuring.

Peony is a very good cat, and doesn't just gorge herself on it, she only eats as much as she needs and is keeping her girlish figure.

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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. _______________________________ is the strangest thing I ever researched online.

2. My wi-fi network is named _______________________.

          

3. _________ is both a blessing and a curse.

4. I _________ when life gets tough.

1. The Swahili words which are the opening of The Lion King   (is) are the strangest thing I ever researched online.

2. My wi-fi network is named   simply our family last name, which i generally do not share online.  Yes, i'm boring.

          

3. Being your own boss   is both a blessing and a curse.   There's no one to take up the slack if you miss work, you simply don't get paid because the work does not get done, and you'll never work for a meaner person, but you can often set your own hours and determine how much you want to work, and for whom.

4. I   pray   when life gets tough.   Cathy of Curious as a Cathy quotes her mom as saying, "Life's hard, pray harder!" and i agree.

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image

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

I don't get to go here often, but it's very nice when i can.

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Today is:

Abolition Day -- Saint Barthelemy

Cephalopod Awareness Days:  Nautilus Night -- celebrating the most intelligent invertebrates in the world; today, celebrate all of the lesser-known extant cephalopods

Community Day -- Valencia, Spain

Establishment of the Samitinget in Norway -- Sami People's Parliament

Feast of Abraham the Patriarch -- Christian

Festival for Fausta Felicitas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of good luck and joy)

Festival for Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Give Peace a Chance Day / Instant Karma Day -- in honor of the birth of John Lennon

Guayaquil Independence Day -- Ecuador

Independence Day -- Uganda(1962)

Korean Alphabet Day -- Korea (Hangul Nal)

Leif Erickson Day -- Iceland; Norway; Minnesota and Wisconsin, US

Messenger Appreciation Day -- 10/9 in radio talk is a request to repeat information

Moldy Cheese Day (sorry, but i do not like the stinky, moldy cheeses, at least not the heavier ones; if you enjoy them, then by all means you may have my share!)

Mop Fair -- Tewkesbury, England (through tomorrow; festival dating back to the 12th century, originally a fair in which prospective employers came to find laborers, now two days of fun, fairgrounds rides, traditional games and sideshows, and more)

National Chess Day -- US (declared by President Ford in 1976) 

National Day of Honor -- Peru (sometimes translated as Day of Dignity; commemorates the nationalization of the countries' oil fields)

National Submarine/Grinder/Hoagie/Hero/PoBoy/Pierogi Day -- each of these has its own special day, but today you get to pick which one you want

St. Denis' Day (Patron of possessed people; France; Paris, France; against frenzy, headaches, rabies, and strife)

St. Dionysius the Areopagite's Day (considered the first Bishop of Athens, mentioned in Acts 17; Patron of Zakynthos Island, Greece; against headaches and the devil)

St. Louis Bertrand's Day (Patron of Caribbean vicariates; Columbia; Dominican novices)

Takayama Matsuri Autumn Festival -- Takayama, Japan (ancient, elaborate floats parade through the old city; through tomorrow)

World Egg Day -- International (from the International Egg Commission) 

World Post Day / Universal Postal Union Day -- UN

Ziua Nationala de Comemorare a Holocaustului -- Romania (National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust)

Anniversaries Today:

Mission San Francisco de Asis, the oldest building in the city of San Francisco and now called Mission Delores, is founded, 1776

King Louis XII of France marries Mary Tudor, daughter of Henry VIII of England, 1514

Birthdays Today:

Zachary Ty Bryan, 1981

Brandon Routh, 1979

Eddie Guerrero, 1967

David Cameron, 1966

Michael Pare, 1959

Mike Singletary, 1958

Tony Shalhoub, 1953

Scott Bakula, 1954

Sharon Osbourne, 1952

Robert Wuhl, 1951

Jackson Browne, 1948

John Entwistle, 1944

Brian Lamb, 1941

Joe Pepitone, 1940

John Lennon, 1940

Russell Myers, 1938

Donald Sinden, 1923

Jacques Tati, 1908

Bruce, Catton, 1899

Alfred Dreyfus, 1859

Camille Saint-Saens, 1835

Mary Ann Shadd Cary, 1823 (with her husband, the first black newspaper publishers in the US)

Robert de Sorbon, 1201 (founded Sorbonne University, Paris)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"High Button Shoes"(Musical), 1949

"The Iceman Cometh"(Play), 1946

"June Moon"(Play), 1929

"Topaz"(Play)1928

Today in History:

Leif Ericson discovers "Vinland" (somewhere in New England or Nova Scotia, possibly?), 1000

Leif Ericson lands in L'Anse aux Meadows, Canada, a definitive European landing in the "New World", 1003

The Korean Hangual alphabet is devised, 1446

Founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a religious dissident after he speaks out against punishments for religious offenses and giving away Native American land, 1635

Collegiate School of CT (Yale University) is chartered in New Haven, 1701

Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California, 1776

City of Hobart, Tasmania, founded, 1804

Official opening of the University of Ghent, 1817

Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine motor, 1855

Joshua Stoddard of Worcester, Mass., patents the first Calliope, 1855

The first US underground pipeline for carrying oil is laid in Pennsylvania, 1865

Aaron Montgomery starts the mail order business that will later become Montgomery Ward, 1872

The Universal Postal Union is created as part of the Treaty of Berne, 1874

The first 2-way telephone conversation over outdoor wires occurs, 1876

Washington Monument opens to the public, 1888

Woodrow Wilson becomes the first US president to attend a World Series Game, 1915

National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) forms, 1926

Hoover Dam begins transmitting electricity to L.A., 1936

A day after being captured, Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara is executed for attempting to incite a revolution in Bolivia, 1967

The Khmer Republic is proclaimed in Cambodia, 1970

Abolition of capital punishment in France, 1981

A 13 kilogram (est.) fragment of the Peekskill meteorite lands in the driveway of the Knapp residence in Peekskill, New York, destroying the family's 1980 Chevrolet Malibu, 1992

North Korea allegedly tests its first nuclear device, 2006

First lunar impact of the Centaur and LCROSS spacecrafts as part of NASA's Lunar Precursor Robotic Program, 2009

Women's rights and education activist Malala Yousafzai is shot three times by a Taliban gunman as she tried to board her school bus in Swat district of northwest Pakistan, 2012

Producer Harvey Weinstein is fired from The Weinstein Company after allegations of sexual abuse, 2017

The Nobel Prize for Chemistry is awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for their work with lithium-ion batteries, Goodenough becoming the oldest-ever Laureate at the age of 97, 2019

The brightest cosmic explosion ever seen, a gamma ray burst 2.4 billion light years away, is thought to be a massive star collapsing to form a black hole, 2022

A world record is set for the heaviest pumpkin, a jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,749 pounds, grown by Travis Gienger from Anoka, Minnesota, weighing enough for 687 pies, 2023

Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida as a Category 3 storm, causing at least 23 deaths during one of the state's largest evacuations, 2024

Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, 2025