We Auto Laugh and Someday We Will, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Yes, it’s the cars again.

We’re thankful for them, no matter what.  Life in this area wouldn’t be possible without one, the bus system is too badly broken and unreliable.

In the very thankful department:

I had vegetable sushi last Saturday.

Sunday was cold but Mr. Cal, Becca and i enjoyed our walk anyway.

The congregational meeting went well, our church has fully acquired the property next door, making future planning easier.

I got to see Ms. V before leaving Carl’s place the only time i’d be over there this week, sometimes i don’t as she sleeps late.

Ms. D’s company for Christmas tidied up after themselves remarkably well (and i got to visit with some of them before they left), so finishing cleaning the house was easy.  Also, her plumbing is fixed.

Speaking of plumbing, #1 Son unstopped our sink.  No more worrying the leaky faucet will flood the bathroom!  (The leaky faucet is for another day, we can’t afford to replace it right now.  One crisis at a time, please.)

Ms. G’s boat motor started, and i’m still able to climb ladders and duck under the canvas and move around under it enough to help get the cover in place.

My Sweetie and i got our double shift done Thursday faster than we’ve ever done it before.

Ms. GA needs me to tend cats twice this weekend, which means extra money.

Slow-Moe managed to get home after our shifts Thursday, no need for a tow truck.

Friend West got #1 Son’s car fixed, and it’s working better than ever.

I get to take care of, or even just see for a little while, our little Annie multiple times a week.

The shelter had several adoptions again and lots of people in looking while Ms. M and i were there for our volunteer shifts Friday evening.

As for what the future holds, we know, thanks to #2 Son having a car code reader, what is wrong with Slow-Moe, we just don’t know how much it will be or how long it will take.  It’s okay, we “auto” laugh about all our car troubles, and i’m thankful and certain someday we will.

Meanwhile, i’m more thankful than ever for prayer and for GusGus Die Fledermaus.

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 National Change a Pet's Life Day!  While the person or organization which began this celebration hasn't been traced, it's very popular and is fast becoming an international celebration, too.

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

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Today is:

Alasitis Fair -- Aymara Indians, Bolivia (offerings to the god of prosperity, now celebrated in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Feast of Our Lady of Peace, for whom La Paz is named)

Beer Can Appreciation Day -- the first canned beer went on sale today in 1935

Belly Laugh Day -- at 1:24pm local time, join the Belly Laugh Bounce Around the World!

Economic Liberation Day -- Togo

Eskimo Pie Day -- patented this day in 1921

Gasparilla Extravaganza -- Tampa, FL, US (the rum free version of the Pirate Festival celebration, with a kid's parade and lots of fun; the adult version is next Saturday)

Gold Rush Day -- US (gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill, sparking the California Gold Rush, in 1848)

National Compliment Day -- begun by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin, a day in which to compliment at least 5 people

National Peanut Butter Day

Paul Pitcher Day (So called because it is the eve of the Celebration of St. Paul's Conversion on the road to Damascus.  Cornish tin miners would traditionally set up a water pitcher in a public place and throw stones at it to destroy it.  A replacement pitcher was then bought and filled with beer, which was drunk and replenished through the day.  These miners were great inventors for reasons to celebrate, and they did this to rebel against the rule that only water was to be consumed during the work day.)

Sailing of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (people sailed the Nile to converge on Bubastis and celebrate the cat goddess; date approximate)

Sementivae, in honor of Ceres and Terra, begins -- Roman Empire (one of the few dating approximate items on the Roman Calendar, as each area of the Empire celebrated according to the timing of a local magistrate, but now through Feb. 2 was a typical time)

Social Sipping and Nibbling Rehearsal Day -- a day to practice cutting a piece of cake on a paper plate, using a plastic fork, and also balancing a napkin and punch in a paper cup; or practicing what clever thing you will say if you drop it all

St. Francis de Sales' Day (Patron of authors/journalists/writers, confessors, deaf people, educators/teachers; Champdepraz, Aosta, Italy; against deafness)

TV Game Show Day -- birth anniversary of Mark Goodson

Wakakusa Yamayaki -- Nara, Japan (Grass Burning on Mt. Wakakusayama, and fireworks; an annual New Year tradition)

Ziua Unirii -- Romania (Unification Day)

Anniversaries Today:

Popeye meets Olive Oyl, 1929 (in Elzie Segar's Thimble Theater comic strip)

Birthdays Today:

Mischa Barton, 1986

Tatyana Ali, 1979

Ed Helms, 1974

Matthew Lillard, 1970

Mary Lou Retton, 1968

Nastassia Kinski, 1960

Jools Holland, 1958

Yakov Smirnoff, 1951

John Belushi, 1949

Warren Zevon, 1947

Michael Ontkean, 1946

Sharon Tate, 1943

Neil Diamond, 1941

Aaron Neville, 1941

Ray Stevens, 1939

Maria Tallchief, 1925

Jerry Maren, 1920

Oral Roberts, 1918

Ernest Borgnine, 1917

Jack Brickhouse, 1916

Mark Goodson, 1915

Granny D, 1910 (formerly Granny Haddock, or Ethel Doris Haddock, political activist)

Edith Wharton, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"I, Puritani"(Bellini Opera), 1835

Today in History:

Caligula, known for his cruel despotism, is assassinated and succeeded by his uncle Claudius, 41

Connecticut colony organizes under Fundamental Orders, 1639

The first Jewish doctor in US, Jacob Lumbrozo, arrives in Maryland, 1656

Henry Knox arrives at Cambridge, Massachusetts with the artillery that he has transported from Fort Ticonderoga, 1776

The University of Calcutta is formally founded as the first full-fledged university in south Asia,1857

The Romania principality arises under King Alexander Cuza, with Bucharest as the capital, 1862

General Baden-Powell's publication of Scouting for Boys starts the Boy Scouts movement, 1908

The Gregorian calendar introduced in Russia by decree of the Council of People's Commissars effective from February 14(NS), 1918

Vincent Massey is sworn in as the first Canadian-born Governor-General of Canada, 1952

A bomber carrying two H-bombs breaks up in mid-air over North Carolina. The uranium core of one weapon remains lost, 1961

Jackie Robinson is elected to Baseball Hall of Fame, 1962

Japanese Sgt. Shoichi Yokoi is found hiding in a Guam jungle, where he had been since the end of World War II, 1972

Soviet satellite Cosmos 954, with a nuclear reactor on board, burns up in Earth's atmosphere, scattering radioactive debris over Canada's Northwest Territories. Only 1% is recovered, 1978

The first Apple Macintosh goes on sale, 1984

Voyager 2 passes within 81,500 km (50,680 miles) of Uranus, 1986

Japan launches Hiten, the country's first lunar probe,and the first lunar probe launched by a country other than Soviet Union or the United States, 1990

Lara Giddings becomes the first female Premier of the Australian state of Tasmania , 2011

European Bioinformatics Institute scientists announce they have successfully stored audio and text on fragments of DNA, and retrieved them with 99.99% accuracy - the first time in history DNA has been used for data storage, 2013

On this 10th anniversary of the Opportunity rover landing on Mars, NASA announces the rover has discovered clay minerals indicating water flowed on Mars early in the planet's history, 2014

Officials at the World Health Organization state that the number of new Ebola cases is rapidly declining, signaling a reversal of the epidemic, 2015

Seventeen temperature records are broken in South Australia, including the highest ever recorded for the capital Adelaide at 46.6C, 2019

The military of Burkina Faso announce they have overthrown President Roch Kaboré after his failure to stem an Islamic insurgency, 2022

Due in part to the war in Ukraine, the Doomsday Clock is set to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it has ever been, 2023

Sri Lanka passes a controversial law to regulate online content, with critics claiming it will limit free speech, 2024

April, Did You Do It? (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'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!

Ms. G's cats have boxes.

Boxes, and a toy.  There's also a piece of brown paper, not shown at this angle.

Ms. G needed two boxes for her purposes and had me put them by the pantry closet.

When we can back, some cat had claimed one of the boxes, even with all the others nearby.

Note the toy, put in there to claim ownership.

Wonder who it could be -- any ideas, April?

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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 feel like ______________________________ whenever I think about _______________.

2. January is a good month to _____________________.

3. _________ is nonnegotiable in my life.

4. I could give up _________ as long as _________.

1. I feel like   going back in time and giving myself a swift kick   whenever I think about   how much easier some things could have been if i'd taken the right college courses and gotten a good degree.

2. January is a good month to   stay in bed and keep warm if you are in the Northern Hemisphere.

3. Prayer, scripture study, and church   is are nonnegotiable in my life.

4. I could give up   me and my Sweetie having two cars and only share one   as long as   the one we had was newish and in great condition.

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

The Japanese magnolias/tulip trees are starting to flower.

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Today is:

Big Garden Birdwatch -- UK (sponsored by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; through Sunday)   https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch

Bounty Day -- Pitcairn Island (celebrates the burning of the HMS Bounty in 1790

Cold, Cold, Cold Day -- coldest temp ever recorded in the US, -79.8°F (-62.11°C), this day in 1971 at Prospect Creek Camp, Alaska

Day of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Lenaia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (three day Dionysian festival to arouse the sleeping vegetation and bring spring; date approximate)

Measure Your Feet Day -- one can only ask..."Why!?!"

National Pie Day -- US, sponsored by the American Pie Council

National Handwriting Day -- US, on the birth anniversary of John Hancock, to encourage the dying art of legible handwriting; sponsored by the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association 

National Rhubarb Pie Day

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti -- TR and WB, India (birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose)

Porri Month begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means Middle of Winter, and personifies him as Old Man Winter; often the harshest month, so greet him kindly, to soften his heart and hasten spring)

     Bondadagur (Husband's Day) -- first day of Porri (various traditions honoring the man of the house; these days, women often give the men flowers)

Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; plow drivers, see how far you can make those rural mailboxes go!

St. John the Almoner's Day (Patron of Knights Hospitaller; known for his generosity to the poor, "If we are able to enter the church day and night and implore God to hear our prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need.")

Vasant Panchami / Saraswati Puja  -- Hindu (celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge)

Women in Medicine Day -- Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman awarded the degree of Medical Doctor in 1849

Anniversaries Today:

The founding of Georgetown University, the first US Catholic college, 1789

Birthdays Today:

Tito Ortiz, 1975

Tiffani Thiessen, 1974

Mariska Hargitay, 1964

Gail O'Grady, 1963

Princess Caroline of Monaco, 1957

Antonio Villaraigosa, 1953

Pat Haden, 1953

Richard Dean Anderson, 1950

Rutger Hauer, 1944

Gil Gerard, 1943

Chita Rivera, 1933

Jeanne Moreau, 1928

Ernie Kovacs, 1919

John M. Browning, 1855

Edouard Manet, 1832

Stendhal(Marie-Henri Beyle), 1783

John Hancock, 1737

Joseph Hewes, 1730

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The A-Team"(TV), 1983

"Roots"(TV miniseries), 1977

"Barney Miller"(TV), 1975

"King Family Show"(TV), 1965

"After the Fall"(Miller's Play), 1964

"The Treasure of the Sierra Madre"(Film), 1948

Today in History:

Epoch (origin) of the Kali Yuga (Hindu Iron Age of the Gods), BC3102

In China, the war elephant corps of the Southern Han are soundly defeated at Shao by crossbow fire from Song Dynasty troops, 971

The first printing of Ramban's Sha'ar ha-Gemul, 1490

The first printing of the Pentateuch, 1492

The second version of Book of Common Prayer becomes mandatory in England, 1552

What is probably the most deadly earthquake in history kills 830,000 in Shensi Province, China, 1556

Queen Elizabeth I opens the Royal Exchange in London, 1571

Blaise Pascal publishes the first of his Lettres provinciales, 1656

Joseph Pease, a Quaker, is admitted to Parliament on his affirmation, 1833

Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first female physician in the US, 1849

The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens in what is now Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1855

Alesund Fire: the Norwegian coastal town Alesund is devastated by fire, leaving 10,000 people homeless an one person dead, 1904

Charles Curtis of Kansas becomes the first Native American US senator, 1907

Pianist Ignaz Paderewski becomes premier of the Polish government in exile, 1940

Duke Ellington plays at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time, 1943

The bathyscaphe USS Trieste breaks a depth record by descending to 10,911 m (35,798 feet) in the Pacific Ocean, 1960

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducts its first members: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley, 1986

Final communication between Earth and Pioneer 10, 2003

Six Venezuelan cable television channels are taken off the air by the Venezuelan government after refusing to transmit government messages, 2010

Chinese researchers report they have cloned two monkeys, using the same technology as Dolly the Sheep, 2018

The 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp is marked by an international forum in Jerusalem, Israel, 2020

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a speech to Parliament, says Japan is on the verge of not being able to function as a society because of the low birth rate and high life expectancy, 2023

The Doomsday Clock remains set 90 seconds to midnight by the by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, siting threat of a new nuclear arms race, the Ukraine war and climate change, 2024