Saturday, July 11, 2026

Where to Start, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

***********************************






It's been a week of changes in some things and i've hit Thankful Day wondering where to start.


How about the beginning, or actually, late last week.


Because my Sweetie's phone died and had to be replaced last month, we'd put off our annual generator servicing, and i finally bit the bullet and called, making an appointment for the next afternoon.


The next morning, when i thought i had time to shop, i got a call, Mr. O was on his way!  My Sweetie was working for The Big Boss, so i was thankful #2 Son answered his phone and agreed to get the guy started until i could get there.


We pay a small monthly fee for them to monitor the generator through our wifi (man, what they can't do these days!) and i found out, very thankfully, it includes the annual service!  Oil changed, new oil filter, new spark plug, and it's all good, and no extra money out of pocket.


On the way home from NOLA Saturday, the A/C in Lawrence the Honda was struggling.  I was thankful it worked well enough, and i'm thankful #2 Son now knows what's wrong and it will be fixed.  Another reason to be thankful the generator did not cost, it's going to be eaten up by the A/C in the car!


Ms. A was out of town and Mr. J had a Sunday off work so he took Becca to a church in NOLA and they went to the zoo.  I missed her but was thankful to sleep a half hour later Sunday morning and still have time to do a few things around the house before going to church.


I'm very thankful i was called upon for grandchild duty Sunday night, not just with Annie, and not just for our usual playtime and visit with Ms. D, but also i got to hold our little Ben for quite some time.  He's a snuggler!






On Monday, i was thankful to first be able to get to the laundromat and get some big items i can't do at Grandma's house in the wash and started drying before i met with Ms. H, the head of the cat shelter.  They are moving to a new facility at the end of August and are looking for a once a week janitor to do the break room and bathrooms.  I'm thankful she showed me around and offered me the job.  This means, come September, i will have work again on Monday mornings.


After meeting with Ms. H, i went to Ms. D and i was thankful she let me so some dusting and cleaning blinds.  While there, #2 Son, Daughter-in-Law, and both kids stopped by so she could meet the baby and so #2 Son could talk to her about her "honey-do" list she wants someone to tackle.  They agreed he would do the work over the next few weeks, a few items at a time, and they agreed on pay, and i was thankful because sometimes the handy people you hire around here can be a bit questionable if you don't get the right one.


Tuesday is where a few things started to go sideways again, after a thankfully delightful morning with Annie, #1 Son called in the afternoon, someone speeding illegally down a left turn lane demolished his car.


We're thankful no one was hurt, and i'm thankful #2 Son has GusGus running well again so at least #1 Son has transport to work until we figure out what to do next.


Ms. G and i were both thankful i was back on duty Wednesday as Ms. Sassy Floofypants and Mr. Gray have been redecorating the whole house with long gray and black floofy fur, so the vacuuming was much needed.


I was most thankful not to miss our summer Bible study this week, and thankful Reba Rambunctious dog was there waiting, such a sweet pup.


Ms. SE's boys are doing much better about helping around the house, doing their own clothes and making our job easier, and we're very thankful.  Also, i'm thankful Emmie and Cookie both behaved, well Cookie dog always behaves but Emmie had peed on the couch the night before but she was a very good girl for us (it helps to take her outside every two hours like clockwork).


I was thankful to lie down for a short rest when we got home after doing Ms. SE's house and then Ms. GA's house.  Doubles always make me a bit shaky by evening now.


#1 Son was thankful his brother loaned him one of their cars with A/C for him to go out of town, as GusGus is fine for work but not much else in this heat.


Friday evening at the shelter went very well, we were thankful for an extra volunteer when my usual Friday evening volunteer partner, Ms. M, wasn't able to come.  There were even 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



***********************************



Today is:


Advice-to-the-Lovelorn-Day -- date, in 1896, the New Orleans Picayune first published the advice column of Dorothy Dix, Mother Confessor to Millions; it eventually ran in 300 papers for 55 years


All American Pet Photo Day


Bald In - Bald Out Day -- sponsored by Bald Girls Do Lunch; if men can be bald and brazen, then women and children who cannot grow hair should bring bald INto their lives, and never feel on the OUTs!  


Bonfire Night -- Northern Ireland (precursor to The Twelfth a/k/a Orangemen's Day)


Bowdler's Day


Carver Day -- George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO, US


China National Maritime Day -- People's Republic of China


Convenience Store Day -- the first Seven Eleven opened on this day in 1927 in Dallas, TX; it was open 7am to 11pm, thus the name


Day of the Flemish Community -- Flemish community of Belgium, commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302


Feast of Theano, Philosopher, Mathematician, wife of Pythagoras, patron of vegetarianism (date approximate, supposedly when she was born)


Feast of Min -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)


Free Slurpee Day at Seven-Eleven -- if you have these stores where you live, stop by between 11am and 7pm to get a free 11.7oz. Slurpee (TM) today


Galicnik Svadba -- Galicnik, Macedonia (wedding festival, when one lucky couple gets to be married in a traditional "Galichka" style wedding, through tomorrow)


Imamat Day -- Ismailism


Naadam Festival -- Mongolia (a/k/a Revolution Day/National Day, traditional sporting events nationwide, but best at Ulaanbaatar, through the 13th)


National Blueberry Muffin Day


National Cheer Up The Lonely Day -- begun by Francis Pesek of Detroit, Michigan; he chose to spend his birthday as a day to promote kindness, especially the forgotten at nursing homes and shut ins who have no visitors


Reading Guilt Day -- the day you are supposed to start reading that book you only read the Cliff's Notes on in school


St. Benedict's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, cavers/speleologists/spelunkers, civil engineers, coppersmiths, farm workers/farmers, Italian architects, monks, people in religious orders, people who are dying, school children, servants who have broken their masters belongings, students; Europe; Heerdt, Germany; Norcia, Italy; Subiaco, Italy; against erysipelas, fever, gall stones, inflammatory diseases, kidney disease, nettle rash, poison, temptations, and witchcraft)


World Population Day -- UN



Birthdays Today:


David Henrie, 1989

Marie Sernehold, 1983

Michael Rosenbaum, 1972

Justin Chambers, 1970

John Henson, 1967

Greg Grunberg, 1966

Rod Strickland, 1966

Al MacInnis, 1963

Lisa Rinna, 1963

Richie Sambora, 1960

Richie Sambora, 1959

Suzanne Vega, 1959

Mark Lester, 1958

Sela Ward, 1956

Leon Spinks, 1953

Stephen Lang, 1952

Bonnie Pointer, 1951

Beverly Todd, 1946

Giorgio Armani, 1934

Tab Hunter, 1931

Harold Bloom, 1930

Yul Brynner, 1920

E.B. White, 1899

John Quincy Adams, 1767



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Space Oddity"(Single release), 1969

"The Newlywed Game"(TV), 1966

To Kill A Mockingbird(Publication date), 1960



Today in History


Admiral Zheng He sets sail on his first exploratory expedition for the Ming Dynasty, 1405

Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec, 1616

Jews are expelled from Little Russia, 1740

Halifax, Nova Scotia is almost completely destroyed by fire, 1750

Captain James Cook begins his third voyage, 1776

Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille, 1789

French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery (he discovered 36 over the next 27 years, more than any other person), 1801

Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel, 1804

Waterloo railway station in London opens, 1848

Tijuana, Mexico, is formally founded, 1889

The Lumière brothers demonstrate film technology to scientists, 1895

Babe Ruth makes his Major League debut, 1914

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, 1960

The first U.S. space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, 1979

According to the UN, the Earth's population crosses the 5,000,000,000 mark, 1987

The United States announces it will reestablish full diplomatic relations with Vietnam, 1995

Colton Harris-Moore, the so-called "Barefoot Bandit", is caught in the Bahamas after a 2 year manhunt, 2010

The oldest stone tools outside of Africa are discovered in Lantian country, western China, estimated to be 2.12 million years old, 2018 

Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft lands on the Ryugu asteroid 300km (185 miles) from earth for a second time to collect samples, 2019

The final Volkswagen Beetle cars roll off the assembly line in Pueblo, Mexico, ending worldwide production of the vehicle after 80 years, 2019

Rare mass anti-government protests in Cuba because of economic hardship and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lead to widespread arrests, 2021

NASA reveals the first image from the Webb Space Telescope, cluster of galaxies called SMACS 0723 four billion light-years away, 2022

Tijuana, Mexico, sets new Guinness World Record for largest margarita at 34,419 liters (9,092.5 gallons), 2025

Friday, July 10, 2026

Sunshine (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins, and Nature Friday

 ***********************************







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!


This is Sunshine.  He was a neighbor's cat but decided he liked Ms. GA better and joined her semi-feral clowder years ago.  He's now the senior cat on the premises and he has been diagnosed with cancer.  While his days are numbered, he still likes to come up and sit on the swing and just take life easy.








***********************************





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. If I were to start a museum, it would be a museum of _______________________________.


2. If I see __________________one more time I am going to lose my mind.


3. _________ is the strangest thing I believed as a child.


4. If my life had a mascot, it would be a _________.




1. If I were to start a museum, it would be a museum of   old gadgets and gizmos and people would have to guess what they were used for and try to figure them out before the answer was revealed.


2. If I see   a certain person i know putting recyclables in the trash   one more time I am going to lose my mind.


3. That i might run out of books to read someday   is the strangest thing I believed as a child.


4. If my life had a mascot, it would be a   burro, the small kind with the cross on its back.



***********************************






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


We've had some beautiful sunsets lately.   







***********************************






Today is National Kitten Day!  Raising awareness of the plight of the many kittens which end up in shelters each year and to promote the adoption of kittens.


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


***********************************



Today is:


Armed Forces Day -- Mauritania


Capybara Appreciation Day


Clerihew Day -- in honor of the poetic form he invented, the clerihew:

     Edmund's middle name was Clerihew

     A name possessed by very few

     But verses by Mr. Bentley

     Succeeded eminently!


Collector Car Appreciation Day -- brought to you by the SEMA Action Network 


Don't Step On A Bee Day -- Wellcat Holidays wants to remind you, when going barefoot this time of year, watch out!


Feast Day of Knut the Reaper, Hela, Holda, and Skadi -- Norse deities whose celebration this day is due to their later association with Danish King Canute the Great


Gospel Day -- Kiribati


Independence Day -- Bahamas(1973)


Lady Godiva Day -- tradition says she took her famous ride on this day in 1040


National Kitten Day


National Pina Colada Day


Pick Blueberries Day -- variously set on different days in July depending on the website; with blueberries being so good for you, find a day to go gather or buy some soon


Silence Day -- followers of Meher Baba


St. Amalburga's Day (Patron of people with fever; Ghent, Belgium; against arm pain, bruises, and fevers)


Teddy Bear Picnic Day -- no idea why today, especially when the author of the song, Jimmy Kennedy, was born on July 20



Anniversaries Today


Wyoming becomes the 44th US State, 1890



Birthdays Today


Jessica Simpson, 1980

Andre Nolan Dawson, 1954

Arlo Guthrie, 1947

Sue Lyon, 1946

Ron Glass, 1945

Virginia Wade,1945

Arthur Ashe, 1943

Lawrence Pressman, 1939

Jerry Herman, 1933

David Norman Dinkins, 1927

Fred Gwynne, 1926

Jean Kerr, 1923

Jake LaMotta, 1921

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 1921

David Brinkley, 1920

Don "Mr. Wizard" Herbert, 1917

John Gilbert, 1897

Edmund Clerihew Bentley, 1875

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, 1875

Marcel Proust, 1871

Nikola Tesla, 1856

Adolphus Busch, 1839

James Whistler, 1834

George Mifflin Dallas, 1792

William Blackstone, 1723

John Calvin, 1509



Debuting/Premiering Today:


The Fox And The Hound(Animated film), 1981

"Your Hit Parade"(TV), 1950



Today in History


Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia at the Battle of Dyrrhachium, BC48

The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground, 1212

Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England, 1553

Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta, 1789

The Vellore Mutiny is the first instance of a mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company, 1806

The United States takes possession of its newly bought territory of Florida from Spain, 1821

Big Ben, the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, rings for the first time, 1859

The eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys the famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces of North Island, New Zealand, 1886

Meher Baba, self-declared Avatar of the Age, begins his silence of 44 years; his followers observe Silence Day on this date in commemoration, 1925

In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called "Monkey Trial" begins with John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act, 1925

Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world, 1938

Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit, 1962

Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia, 1991

In London scientists report the findings of the DNA analysis of a Neanderthal skeleton which supports the "out of Africa theory" of human evolution, 1997

Spain opens its first mosque since the Moors were expelled in 1492, in Granada, 2003

Frances O'Grady is appointed the first female General Secretary by Britain's Trade Union Congress, 2012

NASA's Juno spacecraft makes the closest ever pass over Jupiter's Great Red Spot at 9,000 kilometers overhead, 2017

An original sketch of Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood by E.H. Shepard sells for £430,000 in London, a record price for a book illustration, 2018

The journal Nature publishes an article about the earliest evidence of modern humans outside of Africa, a 210,000-year-old skull from Apidima Cave, southern Greece, 2019

A fourteenth century document by a civil servant asking for time off is finally identified as the only known handwriting by Geoffrey Chaucer, 2023