While at our janitorial job, i was having trouble keeping the bandages on my injured dominant hand. It's hard to get them to stick when you are working with lots of cleaning liquids.
#2 Son, when i said i was going to stop and change the bandages, said, "Wait, mom, let me do it for you. I know my way around a first aid kit!"
At the moment, i didn't bother to tell him that i have taught first aid, i just let him enjoy himself. He grinned as he pulled out his pocket knife to cut the tape, and had a good time slathering salve and telling me to hold still.
He chatted away as he did it. "Yep, i was taught first aid by a really great person. She used to be an EMT!"
Are you talking about the lady at co-op?
"No, she was a nurse, and she did a good job, too. This was another lady."
Where did you meet her?
"Oh, she's one of the moms of the guys we all wrestle with. She's cool with patching us up when we get injured, and not saying anything about it. She taught us all, cause sometimes we really hurt each other."
Well, that explains some of the scars he has.
At this point, i'm not sure what's worse. Is it that he wrestles with friends and they make their matches so realistic they hurt each other, or that one of the moms knows and is okay with that and with taking care of them after without a word?
Kitten Note: Gabriel is hanging in, by the hardest. He is still up and down, sometimes eating, sometimes not. Fluids and sugar water and hope will continue until further notice.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Don't marry for money. It's cheaper to borrow it.
Finally, at the end of National Humor Month, my all time favorite Cajun joke (which i'm sure i've told before, but i'm telling it again because i want to!):
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux be sittin' out in front Boudreaux's house, lookin' across the swamp at Thibodeaux's place, and Boudreaux get to t'inking, and he say, "Hey, Thibodeaux!"
"Mais, Boudreaux, what is it?" Thibodeaux answer.
"Now, Thibodeaux, what if, one day while you at work, if i call in sick, and i sneak over to you house and make out wit' you wife, and she come up pregnant, would that make us kin?"
Thibodeaux t'ink about dat for a bit and den he say, "Well, I don' know about kin, but it would sure make us even!"
Today is
Bob Wills Day -- Turkey, Texas, US
Bodega Bay Fish Festival -- Bodega Bay, California, US (through tomorrow)
Children's Day -- Mexico
Consumer Protection Day -- Thailand
Dia de Rincon -- Rincon, Bonaire
Fairy Queen's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar
Feriae Latinae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Jupiter Latiaris)
Hairstylist Appreciation Day
International Marconi Day
May Eve -- eve of the first day of summer in many traditions, including
Beltane/Samhain Eve -- Pagan traditions
Carodejnice -- Czech Republic; Slovakia
Maitag Vorabend -- Switzerland
Mange les Morts -- Haiti (festival of the dead)
Salus -- Portugal; Spain (festival of the dead)
Walpurgis Night -- Ancient Celtic/Nordic Calendars
National Go Birding Day
National Honesty Day (including Honest Abe Awards -- Abies -- and dishonorable mentions for those whose lies have been particularly public and egregious; to nominate someone for an Abie or a dishonorable mention, contact M. Hirsh Goldberg, mhgoldberg@comcast.net)
National Oatmeal Cookie Day
National Rebuilding Day
Queen's Day -- Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curacao, Netherlands, and Sint Maartin); Bonaire; Saba; St. Eustatius
Raisin Day
Sense of Smell Day (While celebrating, remember those with anosmia.)
St. Adjutor's Day (patron of swimmers, yatchsmen; against drowning)
St. James the Great Day -- Orthodox Christian
UHF Day
Taro Festival -- Maui, Hawai'i, US
Teacher's Day -- Paraguay
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
Anniversaries Today:
Louisiana becomes the 18th US state, 1812
Birthdays Today:
Kirsten Dunst, 1982
Jeff Timmons, 1973
Carolyn Dawn Johnson, 1971
Michael Waltrip, 1963
Isiah Thomas, 1961
Stuart Mathis, 1960
Stephen Harper, 1959
Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden, 1946
Jill Clayburgh, 1944
Burt Young, 1940
Willie Nelson, 1933
Cloris Leachman, 1926
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, 1909
Eve Arden, 1908
Today in History:
Supernova SN 1006, the brightest supernova in recorded history, appears in the constellation Lupus, 1006
Orbital calculations suggest that on this day, Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit until July 23, 1503, 1483
Columbus is given a royal commission to equip his fleet, 1492
On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States, 1789
The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France, 1803
Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation, 1838
Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to
make up time on the Cannonball Express, 1900
Honolulu, Hawaii becomes an independent city, 1907
Peru becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty, 1920
Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, 1927
The animated cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit (a prototype of Bugs Bunny, 1938
In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established, 1948
The Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom, 1963
Communist forces gain control of Saigon and the Vietnam War formally ends, 1975
Accession of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 1980
CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free, 1993
Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 1999
Two skeletal remains found near Ekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia and one of his sisters, 2008
Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 2009
Hailed as the largest World's Fair in history, Expo 2010 opens in Shanghai, China, 2010
The roller coaster continues.
Gabriel, the very sickly little guy, is hanging in. After a day of nothing but sugar water and IV fluids, he started eating. He's still getting fluids, as he is nothing but skin and bones, and the sugar water will continue a bit longer, too. He is walking, though, and showing a preference for a specific warm spot in front of the refrigerator.
His sister, Emma, is also holding her own. Tara is barely 3 weeks old and trying to imitate the big kittens, using the box and attempting to nibble the hard food! Never have i seen one try so young. When i can, i'll have to get her some Baby Cat, a special kibble sized for the tiniest ones.
Also, we have made a startling discovery. Hephaestus, nicknamed 'Festus, was busily playing when Bigger Girl snatched the kitten up and turned it over and -- well, we need a name change, because 'Festus won't work for a girl.
This does happen sometimes. It can be very hard to tell boy from girl when they are tiny-eyes-still-closed-little-things.
While caulking the bathtub, the nice young mother called back, and asked me to please raise the babies for her. So now there are 13 kittens in the house. Eight are weaned. We are still not stretched to capacity.
The burn on my hand is looking nasty, and now i have a very bad blister on one finger of that hand due to the scissors catching it when i cut the top off the caulk tube. Add the cut on another finger from the blender falling on it when i tried to balance it with one hand and move the IV kit with the other, and my right hand is covered in bandages. Could be worse. Could have had all that happen in winter.
My take on it all is, as long as i can hold a kitten to feed it, i'm doing just fine.
In honor of National Humor Month:
If a person gets amnesia and is then cured, will he remember that he forgot?
You might be a Cajun if:
You take a bite of Texas 5-Alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.
You think a lobster is a crawfish on steroids.
You start every recipe with, "First, you make a roux..."
You gave up Tabasco for Lent.
You think the four seasons are duck, rabbit, deer, and squirrel.
You know the difference between Zatarain's, Zapp's, and zydeco.
Today is
Arbor Day
Cheng Cheng Kung Landing Day -- Taiwan
Feast of the Secret Masters (can't find any real info on this one, but it is fun to think about)
International Dance Day
Milk-Curdling Sunday -- Fairy Calendar, Gremlins, and not always on a Sunday
National Hairball Awareness Day -- yes, really, because hairballs are not fun for cats
National Shrimp Scampi Day
New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival
Ninth Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i
Queen's Night -- Netherlands
Runic Half Month of Lagu (water) begins
Showa Day -- Japan, begins the Golden Week holiday period
St. Catherine of Siena's Day (patron of Italy; against fire)
Anniversaries Today:
Princess Irene marries Prince Carel Hugo de Bourbon Parma, 1964
Birthdays Today:
Andre Agassi, 1970
Uma Thurman, 1970
Michelle Pfeiffer, 1958
Daniel Day-Lewis, 1957
Kate Mulgrew, 1955
Jerry Seinfeld, 1954
Dale Earnhardt, 1951
Johnny Miller, 1947
Zubin Mehta, 1936
Lane Smith, 1936
Celeste Holm, 1919
Tom Ewell, 1909
Hirohito, 1901
Duke Ellington, 1899
William Randolph Hearst, 1863
Today in History:
The Moors arrive at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, 711
Joan of Arc arrives at Orleans to relieve the siege, 1492
Francis Drake leads a raid in the Bay of Cádiz, sinking at least 23 ships of the Spanish fleet, 1587
Eleven Dutch ships depart for the conquest of Peru, 1623
The Ming Dynasty occupies Taiwan, 1661
James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia, 1770
The French Fleet prevents Britain from seizing the Cape of Good Hope, 1781
Peter Roget publishes the first edition of his Thesaurus, 1852
The "Elektromote" – forerunner of the trolleybus – is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin, 1882
Gideon Sundbach of Hoboken, NJ, receives a patent for the zipper, 1913
The North Sea floodgate at Ijmuiden, the biggest in world, officially opens, 1930
The telephone connection of England-Australia goes into service, 1930
The first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast airs, and episode of "Space Patrol" shown over ABC affiliate KECA in Los Angeles, 1953
The first military nuclear power plant opens, in Ft. Belvoir 1957
A cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and leaving as many as 10 million homeless, 1991
Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production, 2004
It was supposed to be a rather quiet day.
Hah!
It began with the usual round of kitchen cleaning -- the elves are always busy and re-dirty it at night -- laundry sorting and kitten feeding, with me figuring out a moment in between to read email and brush my teeth.
Then it was time to take Bigger Girl to meet up with a friend and go to the nature center for a few hours.
There were errands on the way, and first was to swing past the vet's office to see if i could bring everyone in for a weigh in and get more lactated ringers solution. Tiff was there and said she was babysitting the office alone for a couple of hours, and it would be a great time to stop and weigh kittens, so i told her i would be back soon.
Then we stopped at the bank on the way so she would have money for the entry fee, and while there i asked what paperwork was involved in getting her account into her name now that she is 18.
All i did was ask about how long it would take, and the next thing i know we are sitting at a desk with a nice lady spending more time than we really had getting it sorted. At least it is done, except for the paper Sweetie has to sign and take back over there.
On to the friend's house, and Bigger Girl, by the way, is doing well with her driving lessons. She drove the whole way this morning. Back to the house after that so i could get the kittens.
The three new ones had a rough night, and i wasn't too hopeful for one of the females. As i scooped them into boxes and carriers, Cinderheart put on her cloak of invisibility and wouldn't take it off. So after a few minutes of fruitless searching, i loaded in 11 kittens and my kitten notebook, and headed out.
Tiff was answering a client's questions about flea meds and fielding phone calls when i went in, and just as that gentleman left another walked in. He wanted to visit Lucky, the cat he had left for surgery.
It was like looking at what my Sweetie will be like in about 30 years. The man sweet baby talked to his Lucky and apologized for having to leave him. He petted the cat, and promised to come back soon. It had me grinning, the guy just loves his cat.
While we were there weighing everyone, the very sickly female kitten died. Dr. P came in and looked at the male and just immediately offered to put him to sleep. When i told her the people who gave him to me want to keep him if he survives, she gave him fluids, antibiotics, prednisone, and some B12, and didn't charge me. She is so glad i took Maximus and Cinderheart and got them in the rescue program that she also gave me three recently expired but still perfectly good lactated ringers bags, so we are set for quite a while there.
We joked, the whole time, that as soon as i got home Cinderheart would take her cloak off, and it was true. She was coming out from behind the fridge the moment i walked in, and she had a "Where has everyone been?" look on her face. She was very surprised when i scooped her up, popped her in a box, let everyone else out, and raced back to the office for a weight with her. She protested loud and vigorously the whole time, but she's the one who missed the group trip, so it's her own fault she didn't have company.
Barely back in, and Bigger Girl calls for me to come get them. Home again, and as we are caring for babies and i'm fixing dinner, another kitten call.
Very nice young mother, trying to raise two that are about two weeks old. She intends on keeping them, and had them at the vet the day before. She was not happy with that visit, the vet seemed not very concerned about helping her with them.
They were not having BMs, and she was having trouble getting them to eat. So she brought them to the house and i broke out one of those new bags of fluids. They both got some, and ate for me, and i got the boy to poop. We talked at length about how much to feed them -- as much as they want -- and what to do for constipation, diarrhea, etc.
She had her two children, a babe in arms and a two year old with her, and they did well while i cared for the kittens and we talked. Apparently the boy had a good reason to behave. He dove right in to the car when i helped her carry the kittens and the stroller out, as he had been promised an Icee if he was good. He had earned it.
She has promised to call if she has any more trouble, or questions.
So back to my own babies and dinner and everything else going on around here. Teens tramping in and out, Bigger Girl still entertaining her friend, and this place hums like a hive of bees. That's okay, it keeps life interesting.
The remaining female kitten from the new litter, Emma, is doing well, as is little Tara. In fact, they are about the same age and weight, though Emma looks a bit bigger.
The boy won't eat. Absolutely refuses. He's living on fluids, and that's all i can get in him besides force feeding him sugar water. Whether he will recover or not i'm not sure yet. He is on that edge, but wants attention. Bigger Girl held him for a good while, and he just purred the whole time. We will continue with fluids and sugar water and hope.
Really, this is one of those time where, if it doesn't have a happy ending, i don't wanna know what's next.
In honor of National Humor Month:
A good pun is its own re-word.
I would gladly trade in my "Caller I.D." for a "Caller I.Q."
Louisiana State Police received reports of illegal cockfights being held in the area around Crowley, and duly dispatched the infamous detective Boudreaux to investigate. He reported to his sergeant the next morning.
"Dey is tree main groups in dis cock fightin'" he began.
"Good work. Who are they?" the sergeant asked.
Boudreaux replied confidently, "De Aggies, de Cajuns, and de Mafia."
Puzzled, the sergeant asked, "How did you find that out in one night?"
"Well," he replied, "I went down and done seen dat cock fight. I knowed the Aggies was involved when a duck was entered in the fight."
The sergeant nodded, "I'll buy that. But what about the others?"
Boudreaux intoned knowingly, "Well, I knowed de Cajuns was involved when summbody bet on de duck."
"Ah," sighed the sergeant, "And how did you deduce the Mafia was involved?"
"De duck won."
Today is
Buccaneer Days Celebration -- Corpus Christi, Texas; through May 8
Chicken-Tickling Day -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)
Feast of Jamal(Beauty) -- Baha'i
Festival of Floralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through the 28th)
Full Pink Moon/Sprouting Grass Moon/Egg Moon/Fish Moon
Great Poetry Reading Day
Hidaka Hibuse Matsuri -- Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan (through the 29th)
Kiss Your Mate Day -- guys, do not forget this one. Kiss her, then read her some poetry.
National Blueberry Pie Day
National Day of Mourning -- Canada
National Heroes Day -- Barbados
St. Peter Chanel's Day
St. Vitalis and Valeria's Day
Take Our Daughters & Sons To Work Day
Texas Wildflower Day
Workers Memorial Day -- International
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
Anniversaries Today:
Maryland becomes the 7th US State, 1788
Birthdays Today:
Jessica Alba, 1981
Penelope Cruz, 1974
Nancy Lee Grahn, 1958
Jay Leno, 1950
Ann-Margaret, 1941
Harper Lee, 1926
Oscar Schindler, 1908
Lionel Barrymore, 1878
James Monroe, 1758
Today in History:
Nichiren Buddhism is founded, 1253
Captain William Bligh and 18 crewmen from the HMS Bounty are set adrift, 1789
Chinese and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the First Transcontinental Railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day, a feat which has never been matched, 1869
Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union., 1920
The first night game in organized baseball history takes place in Independence, Kansas, 1930
A vaccine for yellow fever is announced for use on humans, 1932
Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki, 1947
The Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei, Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the Second Sino-Japanese War, 1952
Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France, 1969
The Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed, 1977
Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist, 2001
We finally got our share of the severe weather the other night. The storm raged over us, making sleep difficult, and by morning some parts of the city looked very much worse for the wear. Tree limbs down, taking electric lines with them, and some blocking streets. It could, of course, have been much worse.
Here, it was just rain and wind and lightning, no trees down, no big deal. Still, i managed to injure myself again. Before Sweetie left for work, i had to go get his umbrella from his trunk. Somehow i must not have opened it enough, because when i leaned in, the trunk lid fell on me and managed to whack me very hard right on the elbow. It not only still hurts to bend it, but a few hours later, putting something in the oven with it at an odd angle because of the pain, i managed to burn my elbow! Not as badly as the hand, and it is already better. Still, i'm going to have to be more careful.
Kitten Laura is fighting me tooth and nail over drinking out of the bowl. She does when she gets desperate enough, but it takes her a long time to get desperate enough. Meanwhile, i'm tripping over her several times a day as she whines for the bottle. She's not getting it. Meg has had litters that were more than old enough refuse to wean because she gives in, and i just can't do that. It sets a bad precedent.
Tara, the sole survivor of the smallest litter, is half the size of the others, but wants to sleep with them. For this, i cannot blame her, it's not normal for kittens to be alone in a box. So she is out with them as much as possible, when i can watch, or they are all sleeping. They seem to have ---
We interrupt this rather boring usual report to say that we now have 3 more kittens. While i was writing, the front door opened and in walked Al, #1 Son's friend, with his sister, friends, and 3 very sickly babies.
Apparently, they texted #1 Son, and he told them to just bring them. He knows the drill. Al began by asking if i had formula i could give him to take home, and maybe see how i thought they were doing. He should know better, i never turn them away.
They have had fluids, and only one is eating. One is a cream male who looks like he will have points. The two girls are buff color, and they look to be about 3 weeks old. Mama was likely run over, as the family lives near a busy highway, and she was caring for them well up until she disappeared a couple of days ago.
So, we are suddenly back up to a dozen, at least for the moment. This time, i hope it stays that way.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Long ago, a person who sacrificed his sleep, forgot his family, forgot his food, forgot laughter was called a "Saint".
But now they are called.. "IT professionals".
Ol' man Gautreaux watchin' T.V. one day an' see one o' dem hang gliders over in California what glide across dem valleys holdin' onto a kite.
"Man", he say, "I gotta get one o' dat, me."
So Gautreaux order one o' dem off da innernets an' he can't wait fo' dat t'ing to get der.
Well, da day come an' da pos' man brought dat glider to Gautreaux.
Now, south Louisiana don't got some mountain no, so Gautreaux made a decide he gonna clamb a big oak tree an' took off from der. He clamb up der an' jump...dat t'ing start to drop den catch some wind an' der he go glidin' across da tree tops. He hollerin, "Hey, look at me, I'm flyin fo' sho!"
Just bout den he come flyin' over a swamp an' Boudreaux an' Thibodeaux down der duck huntin'. Ol' Boudreaux look up an' say, Sacre Dieu!, look at dat Thibodeaux!"
He raise his shotgun and "Booooooooommmmm"
Ol' Gautreaux fall from dat glider down into da swamp wit' a big splash. The glider sails off behin' da trees.
Thibodeaux say, "man o' man, what in da worl' was dat Boudreaux?"
Boudreaux lower his gun an' say, "Me, I don't know, but I sho' made it turn ol' Gautreaux loose yeah!"
Today is
Administrative Professionals' Day
Babe Ruth Day
Day of the Uprising Against the Occupying Forces -- Slovenia
Floralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival to Flora, goddess of flowers and vegetation, through May 3)
Freedom Day -- South Africa
Independence Day -- Sierra Leone; Togo
Matanzas Mule Day
Morse Code Day
National D.J. Day
National Prime Rib Day
National War Veterans Day -- Finland
Poetry and The Creative Mind Gala -- Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
Polk County Ramp Tramp Festival -- Polk County, Tennessee (through the 30th, come out and celebrate with the 4-H club the ramp, a local wild leek, and enjoy the Bluegrass music and games)
Roger Ebert's Film Festival (Ebertfest) -- Virginia Theatre, Champaign, Illinois (through May 1, come see the 12 films he selected as a representative cross section of important cinematic works, and hear him discuss them with audience members)
St. Zita's Day (patron of housemaids, finding lost keys)
Tell a Story Day
world Graphic Design Day
Write An Old Friend Today Day -- a real letter, in the mail, remember how exciting it is to get those?
Anniversaries Today:
Cornell University is established as New York's land grant institution, 1865
Birthdays Today:
Patrick Stump, 1984
Sheena Easton, 1959
Ace Frehley, 1951
Cuba Gooding, Sr., 1944
Earl Anthony, 1938
Sandy Dennis, 1937
Anouk Aimee, 1932
Casey Kasem, 1932
Coretta Scott King, 1927
Jack Klugman, 1922
Walter Lantz, 1900
Sergei Prokofiev, 1891
Ulysses S. Grant, 1822
Samuel Morse, 1791
Mary Wollstonecraft, 1759
Suleiman the Magnificent, 1495
Today in History:
Ferdinand Magellan is killed by natives in the Philippines led by chief Lapu-Lapu, 1521
Re-founding of the city of Bogotá, New Granada (now Colombia), by Nikolaus Federmann and Sebastián de Belalcázar, 1539
Cebu is established as the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines, 1565
The blind and impoverished John Milton sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10, 1667
The British Parliament passes the Tea Act, 1773
Beethoven composes Für Elise, 1810
US troops capture the capital of Upper Canada, York (present day Toronto, Canada), 1813
The Foundation stone for new Palace of Westminster, London, is laid, 1840
The establishment of Jewish congregations in Lower Austria is prohibited, 1857
The steamboat Sultana, carrying 2,400 passengers, explodes and sinks in the Mississippi River, killing 1,700, most of whom are Union survivors of the Andersonville and Cahaba Prisons, 1865
In South Africa, the Group Areas Act is passed formally segregating races, 1950
Togo gains independence from French-administered UN trusteeship, 1960
Sierra Leone is granted its independence from the United Kingdom, 1961
Expo 67 officially opens in Montreal, Canada, 1967
Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse, 1981
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, comprising Serbia and Montenegro, is proclaimed, 1992
Betty Boothroyd becomes the first woman to be elected Speaker of the British House of Commons in its 700-year history, 1992
Russia and 12 other former Soviet republics become members of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, 1992
The first democratic general election in South Africa, in which black citizens could vote is held, 1994
The last successful telemetry from the NASA space probe Pioneer 10 is received, 2002
The superjumbo jet aircraft Airbus A380 makes its first flight from Toulouse, France, 2005
Construction begins on the Freedom Tower for the new World Trade Center in New York City, 2006
The big 8 kittens are all, finally, drinking from the bowl and nibbling dry food! Hooray!
It took little Laura until yesterday to figure out how to drink from the bowl, when her siblings had been doing it for a week. Whew. There is usually one hold out in each group, and it gets frustrating.
Of the four in the small litter, only one is left. She is very fussy because she is alone, and seems healthy. Then again, so did the others until they just quit eating and tanked quickly. It's been very sad, and i don't know what happened to them that they would get sick, seem to get well, do better a while, and then go downhill and be gone in a day.
My burn is doing better. The first night, i slept with it in a glass of icy water, which i refreshed several times in the night. Then i used vinegar, as Leah suggested. After that, coconut oil to help it heal.
#1 Son has learned that they really love him at his work. He pulled his first 10 hour shift, and was there alone, taking orders on the phone with one hand and trying to keep up with the pizzas coming out of the oven with the other. He came home worn out and glad that school starts again next week.
Little Girl has asked for a haircut. Her hair is not very long, she wants it shorter for summer, however. As a side note, i haven't cut my hair since June '94. Really.
#2 Son has been mostly quiet the last couple of days. Yes, of course i'm suspicious. He'll do something crazy before spring break is over, for certain.
Bigger Girl is making lots of plans with her friend this week. Looks like it will be just as busy as a school week, only at different times. So much for getting the library sorted out.
Oh, and for those who are still wondering where spring is, it's down here. The high temp today should be 84F/29C.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Two parrots were sitting on a perch when one said to the other, "Do you smell fish?"
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux are neighbors in Breaux Bridge, and Boudreaux is in need of a new milk cow.
He hears about a nice one for sale over in Lafayette. He drives over to Lafayette, looks at the cow, and reaches under to see if she gives milk.
When he grabs her closest teat and pulls, the cow farts. Boudreaux is very surprised, looks at the farmer who is selling the cow, and reaches under the cow to try again.
So, he grabs another teat, pulls, and the cow farts again. Milk does come out however, so after some discussion Boudreaux decides to buy the cow anyway and take it home.
Boudreaux calls his neighbor Thibodeaux over and says, "Come here and look at dis new cow I just bought. Pull her teat, and see what happens."
Well, Thibodeaux reaches under and pulls, and the cow farts. Thibodeaux looks up at Boudreaux and says, "Did you buy dis cow in Lafayette, Boudreaux?"
Boudreaux is very surprised and says, "Dats right, how did ya know that?"
Thibodeaux says, "My wife...she's from Lafayette, too!
Today is
Contraband Days Pirate Festival -- Lake Charles, Louisiana (through May 8, a celebration of the colorful life of Jean Lafitte)
Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl tragedy -- Belarus
Fairy Laughter Convention -- Fairy Calendar
Festival of Individual Sovereignty -- an internet holiday that i think is a good idea!
Hug an Australian Day
Mayan Rain Festival -- through May 3
National Pretzel Day
Remember Your First Kiss Day
Richter Scale Day
Shuffleboard Day
Static Cling Day
St. Marcellinus' Day
Union Day -- Tanzania
Vallenato Legend Festival -- Valledupar, Colombia (through the 30th)
World Intellectual Property Day -- International
Anniversaries Today:
Prince Albert (future George VI) marries Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Birthdays Today:
Jon Lee, 1982
Jason Earles, 1977
Tom Welling, 1977
Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, 1970
Kane, 1967
Jet Li, 1963
Michael Damian, 1962
Bobby Rydell, 1942
Duane Eddy, 1938
Carol Burnett, 1933
I.M. Pei, 1917
John James Audubon, 1785
Marcus Aurelius, 121
Today in History:
Copernicus makes his first observations of Saturn, 1514
William Shakespeare is baptized, 1564
English colonists of the Jamestown settlement make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia, 1607
Napoleon Bonaparte signs a general amnesty to allow all but about one thousand of the most notorious émigrés of the French Revolution to return to France, 1802
Paul von Hindenburg defeats Wilhelm Marx in the second round of the German presidential election to become the first directly elected head of state of the Weimar Republic, 1925
In Libya, amendments to the constitution transform Libya (United Kingdom of Libya) into one national unity (Kingdom of Libya) and allows for female participation in elections, 1963
Tanganyika and Zanzibar merge to form Tanzania, 1964
A Rolling Stones concert in London, Ontario is shut down by police after 15 minutes due to rioting, 1965
The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization enters into force, 1970
A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster, 1986
Physicists announce first evidence of the top quark subatomic particle, 1994
This will be short. Yesterday, i managed to burn my right hand while cooking dinner. So i can't take it out of the cold water for very long, it hurts too much. Typing with one hand gets tiring as well.
ANZAC Day is Australia's and New Zealand's remembrance of those who have fallen in war.
One particular verse of the Ode to the Fallen is recited on this day:
"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
Lest We Forget.
Freedom is not free, and today i pray for all who are serving or have served, their families, and those who grieve that most terrible of losses.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Every time i find the meaning of life, they change it!
Boudreaux's wife Clotile was always tol’ him, “I wanna a pair o’ alligator shoe, I wanna pair o’ alligator shoe.”
He go to bed at night he hear, “I wanna pair o’ alligator shoe.”
He wake up in da mornin’, she say, “I wanna pair o’ alligator shoe.”
Well it jus’ bout to run him crazy so one day he say to his wife, “Ok, dammit you gonna get you alligator shoe!”
So he head out an’ he drivin’ along tryin’ to figure dat t’ing out an’ here come a 10 foot alligator rat across da road. So he jump out an’ chase him t’rough da swamp fo’ miles an’ it hot like hell in der. Finally dat ol’ gator got tire an’ dis Cajun jump on him an’ you talkin’ 'bout a battle royale, I mean dey was fightin’! Dat gator got dat big tail swingin’ it back an’ fort’, whish wap whish wap. Finally he wore dat gator out an’ flip him ova on his back an’ look him up an’ down real good….Den he look up at da sky an’ look up at da sky an'say, “I jus’ be! .........not one shoe on dis alligator!!!”
Today is
Adonia -- Greece (women's festival)
ANZAC Day -- Australia; Cook Islands; New Zealand; Niue; Samoa; Tonga
DNA Day
Dyngus Day (always the Monday after Easter)
East Meets West Day
Emaishen -- Luxembourg (Popular traditional market and festival at the “Marche-aux-Poissons.” Young lovers present each other with earthenware articles, sold only on this day. Annually, Easter Monday.)
Festival of Robigalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to protect against corn blight)
Flag Day -- Faroe Islands
Freedom Day -- Portugal
Liberation Day -- Italy
Malaria Awareness Day
National Pet Parents Day
National Telephone Day -- call some old friends you haven't spoken to in a while
Red Hat Society Day
Robigalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Robiga and Rogibus, the brother and sister fertility gods)
Sinai Liberation Day -- Egypt
St. Mark's Day
World Penguin Day
20-Something Service Day
Birthdays Today:
Jacob Underwood, 1980
Jason, Lee, 1970
Renee, Zellweger, 1969
Hank Azaria, 1964
Talia Shire, 1946
Stu Cook, 1945
Bjorn Ulvaeus, 1945
Al Pacino, 1940
Meadowlark Lemon, 1932
Paul Mazursky, 1930
Albert King, 1923
Ella Fitzgerald, 1918
Edward R. Murrow, 1908
Guglielmo Marconi, 1874
Today in History:
Lysander's Spartan Armies defeated the Athenians and the Peloponnesian War ends, BC404
Highwayman Nicholas Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine, 1792
Charles Fremantle arrives in the HMS Challenger off the coast of modern-day Western Australia prior to declaring the Swan River Colony for the United Kingdom, 1829
The last survivors of the Donner Party arrive back in civilization, 1847
The Governor General of Canada, Lord Elgin, signs the Rebellion Losses Bill, outraging Montreal's English population and triggering the Montreal Riots, 1849
British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal, 1859
New York State becomes the first US state to require automobiles to be licensed, 1901
First DC Comic with Batman is published, 1939
Fifty nations gather in San Francisco, California to begin the United Nations Conference on International Organizations, 1945
Francis Crick and James D. Watson publish Molecular structure of nucleic acids: a structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid describing the double helix structure of DNA, 1953
The St. Lawrence Seaway, linking the North American Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, officially opens to shipping, 1959
Robert Noyce is granted a patent for an integrated circuit, 1961
Israel completes its withdrawal from the Sinai peninsula per the Camp David Accords, 1982
American schoolgirl Samantha Smith is invited to visit the Soviet Union by its leader Yuri Andropov after he read her letter in which she expressed fears about nuclear war, 1983
Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto's orbit, 1983
The Hubble Telescope is deployed, 1990
The Human Genome Project comes to an end 2.5 years before first anticipated, 2003
The final piece of the Obelisk of Axum is returned to Ethiopia after being stolen by the invading Italian army in 1937, 2005
Bulgaria and Romania sign accession treaties to join the European Union, 2005
"It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do."
~ Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)
Enjoy some idling today, and to those who celebrate, have a blessed and beautiful Easter.
In honor of National Humor Month:
On a second grader's math test was the math problem, "Tony drank 1/6 of a cup of juice. Emily drank 1/4 of a cup of juice. Emily drank more than Tony. Explain why."
Second grader's answer, "Emily was more thirsty."
Boudreaux suddenly quit drinking, regularly took a bath, quit chasing women, stopped cussin' and quit his poker games.
He started cutting the grass around the church, even painted the church building, and was faithful to attend on Sundays!
Father Thibodeaux asked him about this wonderful change.
Boudreaux explained, "I heard dem say on TV 'Crisis in the Gulf' -- and if He's dat close, I wanna be good to go!"
Today is
Bob Wills Day
Concord Day -- Niger
Democracy Day -- Nepal
Easter -- Christian
Eeyore's Birthday
Genocide Remembrance Day -- Armenia
Happenstance and Coincidendce Evening -- Fairy Calendar
Kapyong Day -- Australia
Pascha -- Orthodox Easter (based on the Julian Calendar, this year it coincides with Western Christian Easter, most years it's off by up to 5 weeks)
Pigs in a Blanket Day
Republic Day -- The Gambia
St. Egbert's Day
St. Mark's Eve*
World Day for Animals in Laboratories
*A young lady may eat a boiled dove's egg sprinkled with salt and place a tulip, sacred to St. Mark, in a vase next to her bed, and so she will dream of the man she will marry.
Birthdays Today:
Courtnee Draper, 1985
Kelly Clarkson, 1982
Chipper Jones, 1972
Cedric the Entertainer, 1964
Jean-Paul Gaultier, 1952
Doug Clifford, 1945
Barbra Streisand, 1942
Jill Ireland, 1936
Shirley MacLaine, 1934
Robert Penn Warren, 1905
Michael J. Dady, 1850
Anthony Trollope, 1815
Anniversaries Today:
Mary, Queen of Scots marries Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris, 1558
Today in History:
Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut, BC1479
Traditional date for the Greeks entering Troy using the Trojan Horse, BC1184
The appearance of Halley's Comet causes monks in England to predict evil happenings, 1066
"La Marseillaise" is composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, 1792
The Boston "News-Letter" becomes the first successful newspaper in the colonies, 1704
The Library of Congress is established, 1800
A patent is granted for the first soda fountain, 1833
William Price of the Washington Star becomes the first reporter to be specifically assigned to the White House, 1897
The fathometer, which measures underwater depth, is patented, 1928
Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, 1953
Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1, the first person to die during a space mission, 1967
Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations, 1968
The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched, 1970
Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine, 1990
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger is inaugurated as the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church taking the name Pope Benedict XVI, 2005
Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog is born in South Korea, 2005
Iceland announces that Norway will shoulder the defense of Iceland during peacetime, 2007
"Mo-om." The voice of Little Girl held the tell tale note that she was about do divulge something someone had done, probably #2 Son, i guessed. Turns out i had guessed correctly.
"He caught a water moccasin." Her voice had a bored, what-am-I-going-to-have-to-tell-about-next tone to it.
Is he crazy? Well, i can say he's probably only generally nuts, not clinically nuts. At least, nothing anyone has ever diagnosed.
Spring Break has sprung, or broken over us, or however you want to term it, and the next week will be filled with such things. He has a humane trap that he wants to use to get a raccoon. There will be fishing. There will be grilling on the BBQ. There will probably be pranks that involve water or mud. Certainly there will be friends in and out the door all day long.
Bigger Girl will read and write poetry, discuss philosophy, play piano, draw or paint, and generally talk my ears off most days, when she isn't out volunteering or saving the earth or something.
Little Girl will write stories, play with friends, and torment her older siblings.
#1 Son will probably work most of the week. The place where he works always wants to give him more hours, and he is limited only by his school schedule.
#2 Son, however, is the one who is turning my hair white. Well, i would ask for a break, but it might end up involving a bone, so i'll just ask for an extra guardian angel for him.
Hm, while i'm at it, i better remember that summer is around the corner, and he'll probably need double then, too.
In honor of National Humor Month:
What's round and bad tempered?
A vicious circle!
Poor ole Boudreaux up and died one day.
Upon arriving at the gates of Heaven, St. Peter greeted him, "Welcome to Heaven, dere Boudreaux!"
Boudreaux exclaimed "Mai, tank ya, cher!"
St. Peter explained to ole Boudreaux that there was one stipulation before he was allowed through the gates of Heaven....he had to answer one question and get it right.
Boudreaux scratched his head and said, "Mai, ok, cher. What dat be?"
St. Peter says "What is God's first name?"
Boudreaux answers, "Mai, cher, dat be easy, it's Howard."
St. Peter (laughing himself silly) "HOWARD? May I ask you, Boudreaux, how'd you come up with that name?"
Boudreaux, smiling proudly, says "Mai cher, dat be an easy one.....Our Fadda who art in Heavin, HOWARD be dy name."
St. Peter, still chuckling, says "I can't argue with that one, Boudreaux! Come on in!"
Today is
Black Saturday -- Christian
Book Day and Lover's Day -- Spain, especially Catalan (women give books to men, while men give flowers to the women. Celebrated in the Spanish city of Barcelona since 1714 to honor Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, and in observance of St. George's Day)
Chance Day -- Fairy Calendar
Children's Day -- Turkey
Feria Nacional de San Marcos -- Mexico, through the middle of May (feast of San Marcos, with rodeos, bull fights, folk dancing, parades, mariachi and muchos more)
Festival of Jupiter and Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Independence Day -- Turkey (a/k/a National Sovereignty Day)
Industry Day
Interstate Mullet Toss / The Gulf Coast's Greatest Beach Party -- FloraBama Bar, Gulf Shores, Alabama, US (through the 25th)
Lovers' Day
National Bulldogs are Beautiful Day
National Cherry Cheesecake Day
National Day of Puppetry
National Zucchini Bread Day - they hold this at a time when you are not sick of all that zucchini.
Oistins Fish Festival -- Barbados (through the 25th)
Peppercorn Ceremony -- Bermuda
Read To Me Day
Sigurd the Dragon Slayer's Day
St. Adalbert's Day (patron of Prussia)
St. George's Day -- Christian (patron saint of England, Portugal, Germany, the Boy Scouts, cavalry, equestrians, farmers, horses; against leprosy, syphilis; by the middle ages, St. George was revered in much of Europe as the personification of chivalry)*
Take a Chance Day
Talk Like Shakespeare Day
Vinalia Priora -- Ancient Roman Calendar (tasting the first wines of the year)
World Book & Copyright Day
*To save a Maid, St. George the Dragon slew
A pretty tale, if all is told to be true
Most say, there are no Dragons, and tis said
There was no George: pray God there was a Maid.
-- John Aubrey, Remains of Gentilism (1688)
Birthdays Today:
Dev Patel, 1990
John Cena, 1977
Scott Bairstow, 1970
George Lopez, 1961
Valerie Bertinelli, 1960
Craig Sheffer, 1960
Jan Hooks, 1957
Michael Moore, 1954
Joyce DeWitt, 1949
Sandra Dee, 1942
Lee Majors, 1940
Roy Orbison, 1936
Shirley Temple Black, 1928
Vladimire Nabokov, 1899
Sergei Prokofiev, 1891
James Buchanan, 1791
William Penn, 1621
William Shakespeare, 1564
Today in History:
The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St George's Day, 1348
William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I in attendance, 1597
The first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston, Massachusetts, 1635
Connecticut is chartered as an English colony, 1662
Canada issues its first postage stamps, 1851
The Vitascope system of movie projection debuts the first motion picture at Koster & Bial's Music Hall in NYC, 1896
Namibia becomes the 160th member of the UN and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations, 1990
Eritrians vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia, 1993
Beijing closes all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus, 2003
The gamma ray burst GRB 090423 is observed for 10 seconds. The event signals the most distant object of any kind and also the oldest known object in the universe, 2009
One of the mama cats at the shelter, the one that has been dubbed the "mean" mama, wasn't feeding the babies they put in with her. Turns out, hers were the oldest ones, and she didn't want to be starting over with tiny things. She became very nice when they put her own babies in with her, since they are old enough to eat mostly on their own.
All of the other mamas and babies are doing well, too. Only Clint, Mr. Hide-At-All-Cost, is still in the big room with them, and Miss W and Wren are taking care of that room. Thus i missed having to find him this week, but i've been told he's his usual self.
Since last week, Fireheart, Dixie, Cela, Sergio, Nancy, and Neo have been adopted. There is a new order coming, in which there will be adoptions at the shelter five nights per week beginning next month, instead of only one night per week. We are hoping this will see some of our longer term residents getting a better chance at a new home.
As for long term residents, Angel had something wrong with her nose, a scab on the outside of it that doesn't look good. Dustie is okay, and Angel seems find otherwise. A visit to the vet seems to be in order.
Cali, PittyPat, and Prissy are happy together. Now if only Prissy would be as sweet and loving with potential adopters as she is with us.
Grady and Candy are keeping each other busy. Gulliver, Portia, and Ellen are back in together and making mischief.
Jimmy, Joey, and DeeDee are happy enough, and Georgie was scheduled to get out of his cage in the room when he started showing symptoms of eye trouble again. Poor guy, but at least he is becoming friendlier.
Emmy, Flip, and Katy are having a bit of a "personality conflict." Flip thinks he owns the room, and Emmy begs to differ. They hissing gets a bit unnerving at times, and i hope they can learn to get along soon.
The room with the ringworm cats, Maxwell, Ginger, LeeLu, and Zeva looks like a bomb went off. They removed the cover from the chair in their room, turned over food, got the cover off a litter box, and just generally wreaked havoc in there. I'm glad only Miss W and Wren are covering that room, too!
Caplan and Raven are enjoying having a room instead of cages.
In the cages, JuJu was hiding in her domed bed. When Little Girl reached in there to clean the cage, JuJu baptized the bed. We had to turn it over, shake her out of it, and give her a new one. She decided she would be safer hiding under that one instead of in it.
Buttercup is still biting if you get too close. Neko and Stormy are recovering from vet work, as is poor Caliente, who, in spite of being male, needed abdominal surgery to be neutered due to what we will politely term an anatomical defect.
Harry and Precious arrived 2 days ago. Harry is adjusting okay, but Precious hisses if you even try to pet Harry!
Frieda seems to always be asleep when we come now. Probably because she gets plenty of attention during the day since the hiring of Bob the Executive Director.
Lucky will never get any better, but he doesn't seem any worse. He still takes his pills in a bit of Fancy Feast, and loves being petted. Baby is sharing the storage areas and kitchens with him, and probably eating his food and getting fatter. Not much we can do about that, his calories cannot be restricted at all.
So, the course of cat life, like that of true love, never does run totally smooth, but it's all going as well as can be expected.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Point to Ponder: Can you cry under water?
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were going fishing. Boudreaux wanted to check the boat trailer lights. So he told Thibodeaux to go in the back and check the lights.
Thibodeaux said press the brakes, both lights came on and he said, "It works".
Boudreaux put on the right signal and Thibodeaux said, "It works, it don't, it works, it don't, it works, it don't."
Today is
Chemists Celebrate The Earth Day
Discovery Day -- Brazil
Earth Day
Festival of Jupiter and Juno -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Girl Scout Leader Day
Good (Holy) Friday -- Christian
International Mother Earth Day -- UN
Lela's Holiday -- Ancient Slavic Pagan Calendar
National Jelly Bean Day
Queen Isabella Day -- Spain
St. Alexander's Day
Walpurgis celebrations begin -- through May 1, Norse Calendar
Birthdays Today:
Daniel Johns, 1979
Kim Elizabeth, 1978
Peter Frampton, 1950
John Waters, 1946
Jack Nicholson, 1937
Glen Campbell, 1936
Aaron Spelling, 1928
Yehudi Menuhin, 1916
Eddie Albert, 1906
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev, 1891
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1870
Immanuel Kant, 1724
Queen Isabella, 1451
Today in History:
Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil, 1500
President George Washington attends a performance of Rickett's, the first circus in the US, 1793
Thomas Stevens sets out from San Francisco on the first round the world journey by bicycle, 1884
The Oklahoma land rush begins at noon; thousands rush to claim land, and the towns of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed within hours with populations of over 10,000 each, 1889
Pravda begins publication in St. Petersburg, 1912
The Germans begin using poison chlorine gas as a chemical weapon, 1915
British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world, 1969
The first Earth Day is celebrated, 1970
The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. is dedicated, 1993
Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst single day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War, 2006
"Hey, mom, guess what i did today?"
Besides get so sick this morning that you had to stay home from school?
"Yeah, but I'm feeling better now. And remember how we were going to have a party at Fred's house today?"
Yes, and you took some of our chairs from your dad's man cave and the kitchen table. When will those come home?
"Oh, yeah, we're going to get those back, I promise. But guess what I did while I was at Fred's house!"
Am i sure i want to know?
"Maybe not, but anyway, i went in their guest bathroom, and remember how bad my stomach was this morning?"
Yes, the whole house remembers. We're not quite over it yet.
"Well, I did the same thing there! I stunk up their guest bathroom so bad that Fred's father told me it was gross and almost threw me out of the house! I told him 'Now the party can really start!'"
So, it's not a party until he destroys a bathroom. Figures.
In honor of National Humor Month:
What do you get if you cross poison ivy with a four leaf clover?
A rash of good luck.
Boudreaux goes to a local carpenter in his hometown and asks him if he could build a box two inches wide, by two inches high, by 50 feet long.
The carpenter, slightly confused by the request, says he could do it, but out of curiosity, he asks what the box will be used for.
Boudreaux says "Nothing really important; you see, my neighbor moved about a week ago, and he forgot a couple of things. He asked if I could mail his garden hose.
Today is
Administrative Professionals Day (original date)
Aggie Muster -- Texas A&M University
Alfred G. Packer Day, Colorado
Brasilia Day -- Brazil (Sometimes called Tiradentes Dia)
Feast of Wadjet (a/k/a Udjet or Buto) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar
Homecoming of the Elves -- Fairy Calendar
International Creativity and Innovation Day
John Muir Day -- US
Kartini Day -- Indonesia (honoring a leader who helped emancipate women)
Kindergarten Day -- Germany
Maundy Thursday -- Christian (a/k/a Holy, Green, Chare, Sheer, or Shere Thursday)
National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day
National High Five Day
National Teach Children to Save Day
National Tree Planting Day -- Kenya
Parilia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (shepherd's festival of Pares, goddess of herders)
San Jacinto Day -- Texas, US
Sumarda Gurinn-fyrsti -- Iceland (first day of summer)
Birthdays Today:
Robert Smith, 1959
Andie Macdowell, 1958
James Morrison, 1954
Tony Danza, 1951
Iggy Pop, 1947
Charles Grodin, 1935
Elaine May, 1932
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, 1926
Anthony Quinn, 1915
John Muir, 1838
Charlotte Bronte, 1816
Catherine the Great, 1729
Jan van Riebeeck, 1619
Today in History:
Traditional date for the founding of Rome by Romulus and Remus, BC753
Marc Antony continues to battle the senators who assasinated Julius Caesar in the Battle of Mutina, which he loses, BC43
Henry VIII ascends the throne of England, 1509
Hernan Cortez lands in Veracruz, 1519
The Maryland Toleration Act is passed, granting religious freedom to all in that colony, 1649
Catherine the Great ends noble privileges in Russia, 1785
Tiradentes, leader of the independence movement in Brazil, is executed, 1792
Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat Mexican troops under Santa Ana, winning the Battle of San Jacinto and the independence of Texas, 1836
The first train crosses the first bridge over the Mississippi River, crossing from Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa, 1855
Alexander Douglas patents the bustle, 1857
Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i' faith, declares his mission, 1863
The first firehouse pole is installed in a firehouse in NYC, 1878
The Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen)is shot down, 1918
The first Aggie Muster is held, a remembrance of fellow Texas A&M graduates who had died in the previous year, 1922
Brasilia is officially inaugurated as the capital of Brazil, 1960
In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang, 1989
Alexander Wolszczan announces his the discovery of extrasolar planets, 1994
Sweetie decided, over the weekend, that he needed to go see his out of town doctor.
Several years ago, he had surgeries in his ears to take care of infectious cysts in the mastoid bone. Ever since, he has to have his ears cleaned out every couple of months, and sometimes more often.
Well, he noticed a problem in his left ear, and he noticed right away when something is off. So he called the doctor and headed down on Monday.
Of course, he got all of the way down there (an almost 2 hour drive) and got the call that the doctor was taking someone into emergency surgery.
He tried again on Tuesday, and it worked out. An infection was beginning, and because it was caught early, it shouldn't cause any trouble. Sweetie has his head packed with antibiotic and gauze, and will go back next week to have it all removed.
In kitten news, we have decided that chicken skin is good. It took a while to figure out what to do with it, but eating it finally made sense.
In honor of National Humor Month:
Pun Time -- What happens when the smog clears in California?
U.C.L.A.
Boudreaux is driving down the big road in Houston, Texas, when all of a sudden this big ole Texan cuts him off and forces Boudreaux to the shoulder where Boudreaux immediately gets out his Country Cadillac (pick-up truck) and walks up to the Texan and begans screaming at the guy. The Texan, remaining calm, politely goes to his trunk, and pulls out a tire tool. He bends over and draws a circle in the concrete on the shoulder of the Interstate and tells Boudreaux to get in the circle and DON'T get out.
Well, the Texan walks over to Boudreaux's pick-up truck and bashes in his tail lights. Looking at Boudreaux, the Texan sees him laughing hard. Getting even more frustated, the Texan bashes in the back glass. Looking over at Boudreaux again, he sees him lying on the ground, rolling from laughing so hard. This really gets the Texan upset, so he bashes in the front windshield, the headlights, and the mirrors. Walking over to where Boudreaux was at, in the circle, he still sees ole Boudreaux on the ground, laughing so hard that he's turning blue in the face. Not understanding why, the Texan says to Boudreaux , " Man, I bash in your windows, and you laugh; I bash in your tail lights, and you laugh; I bash in your windshield, mirrors and headlights, and you can barely breathe because you're laughing so hard. What the hell is wrong with you?" Finally catching his breath, Boudreaux says, "You fool; you Texans think you're so much better than us; you know what? When you wasn't looking, I got out that circle three times!
Today is
Anniversary of Something That Happened So Long Ago Everyone Has Forgotten Day -- Fairy Calendar
Astronomy Day
Festival of Fabulous Wild Women (since the men get their day in January, I guess it is only fair)
Lima Bean Respect Day
Look Alike Day
National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
Oiran Dochu -- Bunsui, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
Radium Day
Ridvan -- Baha'i (begins at sunset)
Volunteer Recognition Day
Birthdays Today:
Joey Lawrence, 1976
Carmen Electra, 1972
Don Mattingly, 1961
Clint Howard, 1959
Luther Vandross, 1951
Jessica Lange, 1949
Ryan O'Neal, 1941
George Takei, 1937
Nina Foch, 1924
Lionel Hampton, 1908
Harold Lloyd, 1839
Joan Miro, 1893
Today in History:
The last naval battle in Byzantine history, 1453
Jews are expelled from Orange Burgundy, 1505
Jacques Cartier begins the voyage in which he will claim Canada and Labrador for France, 1534
Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam, 1657
Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1657
Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales, 1770
René Caillié becomes the first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou, 1828
Edgar Allan Poe's Murder in the Rue Morgue becomes the first detective story ever published, 1841
Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete their first pasteurization tests, 1862
Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride, 1902
Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking his final victories before his death the next day, 1918
Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film, 1926
Apollo 16, commanded by John Young, lands on the moon, 1972
Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performs in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years, 1986
Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race, 2008
The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion kills 11 and causes rig to sink, initiating a massive oil discharge in the Gulf of Mexico, 2010
We are in the middle of messy season. That's the time of kitten weaning.
Kitten weaning goes something like this.
Kitten is hungry. Ravenous. Remember, we haven't fed it in ages (at least an hour), so it is on the verge of starvation. It wants that bottle yesterday!
So you approach the kitten, which is big enough to start learning to drink from a bowl, with a bowl of formula, a spoon, and a full bottle.
First, you try to get the kitten to lick formula off the end of the bottle. Confused kitten doesn't understand, and starts to get frantic. You keep trying. Once it licks a bit off the end of the bottle, you lower the bottle toward the bowl. Kitten doesn't follow, instead looking up, mews and steps in the formula.
You grab the offending paw out of the bowl and make a futile attempt to wipe it off, and the other kittens walk through the bowl and spread formula all over the floor.
It's time to try a spoon. You pry the kittens mouth open a bit with the end of a spoon that has some formula on it. Kitten likes the taste but is still confused. Finally you convince it to lick from the spoon, and bring it toward the bowl. Kitten stops at the edge of the bowl and tried to bite the bowl You start over.
When you do finally get one to drink from the bowl, it has to put its from paws in, and then track the formula everywhere.
Continue to do this over and over, at every feeding, with four kittens.
The good thing is, once one of them really gets it, the others follow suit a few days later.
Until then, it's a mess. Please don't judge me by my floors. It's hard to mop that fast and that often.
In honor of National Humor Month:
What do you get if you cross an elephant and a kangaroo?
Big holes all over Australia!
Boudreaux had moved to Ireland, and one day he walked into a bar in Dublin, ordered three pints of Guinness and sat in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finished them, he came back to the bar and ordered three more.
The bartender said, "You know, Boudreaux, a pint goes flat after I pour it. Wouldn't you rather I pour fresh pints for you, one at a time?"
Boudreaux replied, "Well, you see cher, I have two brothers. One is now in Nova Scotia and the other in France, and me, mais, I'm from Louisiana. When we all left home, we promised we'd drink this way to remember the days when we drank together."
The bartender admitted that this was a nice custom and left it there.
Boudreaux became a regular in the bar and always drank the same way: He ordered three pints and drank them in turn. One day he came in and ordered two pints. All the regulars noticed and fell silent, speculating about what might have happened to one of the absent brothers.
When Boudreaux went back to the bar for a second round, the bartender said, "Hey, Boudreaux, I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss."
Boudreaux looked confused for a moment and then a light dawned in his eye, and he laughed and said, "Oh, no, no, no, arrybody's fine. I've just given up beer for Lent!"
Today is
Boston Marathon
Beginning of the Independence Movement -- Venezuela
Dutch-American Friendship Day
John Parker Day -- many US States
King Mswati III's birthday -- Swaziland
Landing of the 33 -- Uruguay
National Amaretto Day
National CPA's Goof Off Day (they deserve to!)
National Garlic Day
National Hanging Out Day
National Stress Awareness Day (appropriate for the day after paying taxes)
National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day
Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day
Pesach (Passover) -- Jewish
Primrose Day -- UK
Republic Day -- Sierra Leone
St. Alphege's Day
St. Leo IX's Day
Anniversaries Today:
Marie Antoinette marries Louis XVI by Proxy Marriage, 1770
Cheyney University is founded as The Institute for Colored Youth, 1837
Grace Kelly marries Ranier III of Monaco, 1956
Birthdays Today:
Maria Sharapova, 1987
Hayden Christensen, 1981
Kate Hudson, 1979
Luis Miguel Basteri, 1970
Ashley Judd, 1968
Al Unser, Jr., 1962
Paloma Picasso, 1949
Tim Curry, 1946
Dudley Moore, 1935
Jayne Mansfield, 1933
Dick Sargent, 1930
Hugh O'Brian, 1925
Eliot Ness, 1903
Today in History:
Sir Francis Drake sails to Cadiz and sinks the Spanish Fleet, 1587
Because he has no male heirs, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI issues the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713, assuring Habsburg lands and the Austrian throne would go to his daughter, Maria Theresa, 1713
Captain James Cook sights Australia, 1770
John Adams secures Dutch recognition of the United States, and his home in The Hague becomes the first American Embassy, 1782
Venezuela achieves home rule, 1810
The Treaty of London establishes Belgium as a kingdom and Luxembourg as a Grand Duchy, 1839
Charles Duryea claims to have taken the first automobile built in the US for a spin, 1892
The first Boston Marathon is won by John McDermott of NY in 2:55:10, 1897
Leslie Irvin of the United States makes the first successful voluntary free-fall parachute jump, 1919
The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published, 1928
Burma (now Myanmar) joins the United Nations, 1948
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ends in success for the defenders, 1961
Sierra Leone becomes a republic, 1971
India's first satellite, Aryabhata, is launched, 1975
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is bombed, killing 168, 1995
The German Bundestag returns to Berlin, the first German parliamentary body to meet there since the Reichstag was dissolved in 1945, 1999
Or maybe down in his back. My brother-in-law, The Mouth, that is.
Every few weeks, he gets like that. It's sciatica, and when it hits, it hits him hard.
He got hit Sunday morning. He didn't go to church, and he doesn't miss church if he can crawl into his truck and get there. Even when out of town he goes somewhere, or has chapel if he is camping.
He didn't come here for dinner that evening, either. He hasn't missed that in years, unless he was out of town, or we were.
In other news, i have to figure out a way to move the microwave to another circuit in the house. The circuit has the light in Sweetie's workshop/music room, the attic fan, the light over the kitchen sink, the outlet for the microwave, and the outlet for the mini-fridge in Sweetie's workshop. If someone uses the microwave, and the fridge compressor kicks on, it blows the circuit. We can either move the microwave, or continue to have to go into the workshop to unplug the fridge every time we want to use it.
Ah, the joy of an old house with crazy wiring. (insert eye roll here)
The eight big kittens still have "digestive trouble", and the two remaining tiny ones (yes, the little black one was doing great, then suddenly stopped eating and died) have the opposite problem. So 8 kittens on reglan and two getting enemas.
The best news is that Cinderheart, the oldest kitten, can now drink from a bowl. The first one is the hardest to teach. The others learn by watching the first one. Now to start putting dry food out for them to sniff and play in. They grow up so fast.
In honor of National Humor Month:
What do you call the best butter on the farm?
A goat!
Boudreaux had been married to Clotile for over 60 years, so it was rather a surprise to him when he woke up one morning with an urge he hadn't had in a while.
Boudreaux gently shook her and said, "Clotile!"
"Yes, Boudreaux?" she sleepily answered him.
"Hey, Clotile, want to mess around?" Boudreaux ax her.
"Mais, oui Boudreaux, I guess so, if you do," she answered.
A minute or so later, "Clotile?" Boudreaux say.
"Yes?" she answered.
"Do you remember how?"
Today is
Adult Autism Awarenes Day (I know the poster child!)
Army Day -- Iran
Boston Marathon -- 115th Running
Flag Day -- Denmark
Goddess Month of Maia begins
Hanuman Jayanti -- Hindu
Health Day -- Kiribati
Independence Day -- Zimbabwe
International Juggler's Day - also applies to multitasking office workers
Invention Day -- Japan
Look-Alike Day
National Animal Cracker Day
Newspaper Columnists Day
Patriot's Day -- Several US States
St. Aya's Day (patron against lawsuits)
Theravadin New Year -- Buddhist (through the 21st)
"Third World" Day -- the phrase was first used on this date in 1955
World Amateur Radio Day
Anniversaries Today:
The University of Alabama is founded, 1831
Birthdays Today:
America Ferrara, 1984
Melissa Joan Hart, 1976
Maria Bello, 1967
Conan O'Brien, 1963
Eric Roberts, 1956
James Woods, 1947
Hayley Mills, 1946
Leopold Stokowski, 1882
Clarence Darrow, 1857
Lucrezia Borgia, 1480
Today in History:
Boleslaw Chrobry is crowned the first king of Poland, 1025
The cornerstone of the current St. Peter's Basilica is laid, 1506
The Real Academia de la Historia (Royal Academy of History) is founded in Madrid, 1738
The British advancement by sea begins; Paul Revere and William Dawes, upon seeing two lanterns in the church steeple, set out to warn that "The British are coming!" 1775
Fighting ceases in the American Revolutionary War, eight years to the day after it began, 1783
Billy the Kid escapes from the Lincoln County jail in Mesilla, New Mexico, 1881
The St. Andrew's Ambulance Association is granted a Royal Charter by Queen Victoria, 1899
Denmark becomes the first country to formally adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals, 1902
Quetzaltenango, second largest city of Guatemala, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1902
The Great San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
The Los Angeles Times story on the Azusa Street Revival launches Pentecostalism as a worldwide movement, 1906
The RMS Carpathia brings the Titanic survivors to NYC, 1912
"The House that Ruth Built," Yankee Stadium, opens, 1923
Simon and Schuster publishes the first crossword puzzle book, 1924
The first "washateria" (laundromat) opens, in Ft. Worth, Texas, 1934
The League of Nations is formally dissolved, 1949
29 nations meet at Bandung, Indonesia, for the first Asian-African Conference., 1955
A United States federal court rules that poet Ezra Pound is to be released from an insane asylum, 1958
The Republic of Zimbabwe is officially established with the swearing in of Canaan Banana as its first President, 1980
My computer is an ice addict.
Or maybe i should say, a cold addict.
Here i am, someone who does not tolerate cold well. My hands become a mess when it is cold. In the middle of summer, i take a chill just going into a grocery store.
Then here is my computer, overheating and shutting itself off at the drop of a hat.
There are cold packs in the freezer, and i have to keep at least 3 of them under and next to and on the laptop at all times. Otherwise, it shuts itself off from overheating.
So my time on the computer is spend keeping my ice addict computer cold enough to function.
Sometimes it goes through ice packs faster than i can refreeze them, so i will have to buy more.
Never did i dream that i would have to spend so much time trying to hold an ice pack on the computer with one hand at such an angle that i can still read what's on the screen.
Meanwhile, i have to go. The kittens are hungry -- as usual -- and it's time to change the packs again.
More ice, baby.
In honor of National Humor Month:
If at first you don't succeed. blame someone else and seek counseling!
Thibodeaux was driving down the road one day when he saw a beautiful woman standing in the middle of it. Thibodeaux hit the brakes and axed the woman, "What's wrong Miss?"
The lady explained, "My life is over. Nobody cares about me. I want it all to end, so I'm just praying that someone will run over me on this road."
Thibodeaux begged her, "No Miss. Please don't do that. You are beautiful, obviously smart, and you have a full life ahead of you. I'll tell you what. Jump in my truck and I will sneak you onto the boat I am working on. We are heading to France, so you can hide during the journey and we will slip off together in Europe and live a wonderful life."
The lady agreed, and Thibodeaux snuck her onto the boat as promised. For over three weeks, he fed her three meals a day, brought her water, and romanced her in the life boat after the crew went to bed.
Eventually, the captain of the ship caught the lady and asked her, "Miss, why are you hiding down in that cabin?"
The lady explained, "I'm so sorry. One of your crew, Thibodeaux, has been hiding me here, feeding me, and romancing me at night on this whole journey to France."
The captain giggled and told her, "No, no. We're not on our way to France. This is just the Chalmette ferry!"
Today is
American Academy of Arts and Letters Charter Day
Blah, Blah, Blah Day
Constitution Day -- Canada
Ellis Island Family History Day
Evacuation Day/Independence Day -- Syria
Flag Day -- American Samoa
Ford Mustang Day
Full Pink Moon -- a/k/a Full Sprouting Grass Moon, Full Egg Moon, Full Fish Moon (because the shad swim upstream)
International Peasants Day
Mahavir Jayanti -- Jain
National Cheeseball Day
National Submarine Day -- founding of the U.S. Submarine Force in 1900
Nimble Fairies' Scattering -- Fairy Calendar
Nothing Like A Dame Day
Palm/Passion Sunday -- Christian
Pet Owners Independence Day
Rato Machhindranath Jarta -- Nepal (chariot races for the god of rain)
Record Store Day (remember those?)
St. Stephen Harding's Day
Verrazano Day -- New York, US (Celebrates discovery of New York harbor by Giovanni Verrazano, Florentine navigator)
Women's Day -- Gabon
World Hemophilia Day
Birthdays Today:
Victoria Backham, 1974
Jennifer Garner, 1972
Liz Phair, 1967
Olivia Hussey, 1951
Harry Reasoner, 1923
William Holden, 1918
Nikita Krushchev, 1894
J.P. Morgan, 1837
Today in History:
Geoffrey Chaucer tells his Canterbury Tales for the first time, at the court of Richard II, ten years to the day after the pilgrimage actually began, 1397
Christopher Columbus signs his contract with Spain to find the Indes, 1492
Martin Luther stands firm and refuses to recant before the Diet of Worms, 1521
Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America, 1797
The first Sino-Japanese War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, 1895
A one day record 11,747 immigrants are processed at Ellis Island, 1907
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios is formed by the merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company, 1924
Cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd & Petunia Pig, debut, 1937
At midnight, 26 Irish counties officially break with the British Commonwealth and form the Republic of Ireland, 1949
The Bay of Pigs Invasion fiasco begins, 1961
Ford Motor Company unveils the Mustang, 1964
Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air, 1964
The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely, 1970
Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, 1982
The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends, 1986
Yes, somewhat here at the house, but more so at the shelter.
We drove up to a parking lot full, when usually there are only a couple of cars. Hive of bees only begins to describe the whole situation.
A young man i didn't recognize, who looked to be about 18, was standing at the door. It turned out he was there to meet with Lee for a volunteer orientation. He is heading to college to major in pre-vet, and wants to start getting hands on experience with more than just the family pets. Good for him.
Also on hand was Bob the Executive Director's assistant. who seems to spend more time there than Bob the Executive Director now. Also Liz, who had quite a kitten story for us.
It seems that a few hours before we arrived, she was there doing some paperwork when the bell rang. She answered to see two nice older ladies, and her initial hopes that they had come to ask about adoption were dashed when the first said, "She's going into assisted living tomorrow, and can only take two of her cats, so she's taking the two males. I'm leaving town a couple of hours after she settles in. She has some cats, and if you can't take them, we'll have to take them to animal control. Can you come look? They are in the car."
She told them she wasn't authorized to accept animals into the program, but that she would call Miss W, who told her to just go take a look and call her back when she knew more. Liz walked out to the car with them, and they threw open the doors to show carriers with FIVE MOTHER CATS AND 22 KITTENS!
Liz shrieked, panicked, called Miss W, and the end result is we have five mother cats and 22 kittens in the big room. She and Miss W had to hold the kittens up and compare sizes to try to sort out which ones went with which mamas, as they had been in the carriers in groups.
So by the time we got there, the mamas were in cages with what we hoped were the right babies in the big room. Only Clint and Sophie are still in the big room now, and only Miss W and one other volunteer will be doing their care. That's to keep down the possibility of cross contaminating anyone with anything.
Meanwhile, Lee was showing the young man, Ben, around, and asking me how all the new procedures are working out. So we were trying to clean around them and answer questions.
So the whole place is turned upside down. Pitty Pat and Cali were out when we got there, trying to get Pitty, who looks like a long haired sausage on legs, some exercise. The two of them will share a room with Prissy for the present. Grady is in with Candy, and sticking his paws under the door any time anyone walks past. He wants out so badly!
Angel and Dustie are still together and doing well. Joey, Jimmy, and DeeDee are well, but Georgie is in a cage in the room so we can tell which orange tabby in there gets the eye meds.
Katie has been put in a room with Emmie and Rosie. Baby is being allowed to live in the storage room, as she would terrorize more than one roommate, can't be trusted around kittens, and believes it is her job to redecorate the nice furniture in the waiting area with her claws. It's okay, it's a big storage area, and open all day so she can run in and out when someone's there to keep her off the furniture.
The "storage" room is also where the cages are, the area everyone has to walk through to go to bathrooms or to the other half of the building. The cages right now have Stormie, JuJu, Kush, and Buttercup, who won't stop biting. JuJu won't let you clean her litter box, either, and Bigger Girl got a good scratch trying.
Necko, Raven, Tabasco, Jeremiah, and Flip are in rooms next to each other, and doing just fine. Lucky is still in his usual fine form, and won't leave me alone until i give him his canned food. His pill has to be wrapped in canned food, too. Frieda wanted to talk, but not be petted.
Since last week, Sendai and Pat have been adopted. The four cats in isolation in the back bathroom, LeeLu, Ginger, Zeva, and Maxwell, are almost over their ringworm -- yes, i guessed what they had correctly! -- and have a room set aside for them;
Note to all those who haven't had their cats spayed and will be calling over the next few weeks to ask us to take the kittens: We are full.
In honor of National Humor Month:
If a long dress is evening wear, what is a suit of armor?
Silverwear!
Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were driving on the highway, on their way to go bear hunting. They come upon this fork in the road, where there was a sign that said " BEAR LEFT".
So they turned around and went home.
Today is
Day of Mushroom Encouragement -- Fairy Calendar
De Diego's Birthday -- Puerto Rico (Dr. Jose de Diego, the "Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement)
Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US
Holiday of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar
Jim Thorpe Day
Lazarus Saturday -- Orthodox Christian
Munichia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Artemis, date approximate)
National Eggs Benedict Day
St. Bernadette's Day
St. Padarn's Day
Teach Your Daughter To Volunteer Day
Anniversaries Today:
Founding of the University of Queensland, 1910
Birthdays Today:
Lilliana Mumy, 1994
Selena Quintanilla, 1971
Martin Lawrence, 1965
Ellen Barkin, 1955
Kareem Adbud-Jabbar, 1947
Dusty Springfield, 1939
Bobby Vinton, 1935
Herbie Mann, 1930
Edie Adams, 1929
Pope Benedict XVI, 1927
Henry Mancini, 1924
Peter Ustinov, 1921
Barry Nelson, 1920
Merce Cunningham, 1919
Charlie Chaplin, 1889
Wilbur Wright, 1867
Anatole France, 1844
Today in History:
Calculated date of the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, BC1178
The Jewish fortress of Masada falls to the Roman Army, ending the Jewish revolt, 73
Martin Luther is called before the Diet of Worms, 1521
Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina, 1582
The United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada, 1880
The first passenger rail opens in India, 1853
Ebenezer Bassett, the first African-American diplomat, begins his service in Haiti, 1869
US Marshal Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle, in Dodge City, 1881
Harriet Quimby becomes the first female pilot to cross the English Channel, 1912
Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British, 1919
Annie Oakley shoots a record 100 clay targets in a row, 1922
Dr. Albert Hofmann first ingests LSD, thus discovering its effects, 1943
Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1947
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation, 1963
The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean, 1992
The Queen Mary II embarks on her first transatlantic voyage, 2004
The kittens' situation is a mix at the moment.
The four little ones we got on Sunday all stopped eating completely. Three of them started up again soon enough to be doing better. The tabby runt, despite subcue fluids and everything i could do, didn't start up again at all.
The 8 older kittens are eating like pigs, have the runs and aren't showing signs of it stopping, and have the kitten equivalent of diaper rash. Three of them are sneezing, four of them have weepy eyes, and Balthazar is starting to show signs of the same neurological problems that took little Tsula.
So eleven kittens, lots of meds, lots of litter, lots of love. That's what matters most.
In honor of National Humor Month:
If all is not lost, where is it?
One day Thibodeaux went up to Boudreaux. "You know Boudreaux, I think somethin' wrong wit me."
Boudreaux said, "Mais, Thibodeaux, tell me what's your problem.?"
"Well, Boudreaux," Thibodeaux said. "My whole body is in pain. Everywhere I press on my body it hurts."
"Thibodeaux, I think I know what's wrong with you." Boudreaux replied.
"Tell me Boudreaux, what could it be?"
"Thibodeaux, you need to see the doctor because your finger's broken."
Today is
Celtic Tree Month Saille (willow) begins
Dogwood Festival -- Atlanta, Georgia, through the 17th
Education and Sharing Day
Festival of Heru and Festival of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar
Fiesta San Antonio, Texas -- through the 30th*
Fordicalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (cow sacrifice to the earth mother)
Get to Know Your Customers Day (celebrated quarterly)
Global Youth Service Days -- through the 17th
Income Tax Pay Day (most years, US; this year, we have until Monday)
Kentucky Derby Festival begins
Jackie Robinson Day -- Major League Baseball
National Contest of Paso Horses -- Peru
National Glazed Ham Day
National Griper's Day (after all, you have to pay your taxes!)
Rubber Eraser Day
Semana Santa --
Seville, Spain (Holy Week, with hundreds of shuffling pointy-hooded penitents and torchlit processions, until the 24th)
Mexico, especially Chiapas (processions, costumes, fireworks, music, dance and weird rituals)
Spinach Festival -- Alma, Arkansas
St. Aristarchus' Day
Swallow Day -- England (traditional date of the return of chimney swallows)
Take a Wild Guess Day -- just not on your taxes, please
Tax Resistor's Day
Tellus Mater -- Ancient Roman Calendar (mother earth festival)
That Sucks Day (appropriate for tax day, I would say)
Tipsa Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebration of the start of plowing)
Titanic Remembrance Day
*Annual celebration that honors the memory of Texas heroes who fought in the Texas war for Independence. More that 150 events, with sporting events, fireworks, dances...all culminating with the traditional "Battle of Flowers" parade!
Birthdays Today:
Emma Watson, 1990
Seth Rogen, 1982
Patrick Carney, 1980
Emma Thompson, 1959
Claudia Cardinale, 1939
Roy Clark, 1933
Elizabeth Montgomery, 1933
Leon Schotter, 1922
Hans Conried, 1917
Bessie Smith, 1894
Sam Rodia, 1875
Henry James, 1843
Joseph E. Seagram, 1841
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452
Today in History:
Pope Innocent III refuses to grant permission to the Jews of Cordova, Spain, to build a synagogue, 1250
Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London, 1755
The first school for the deaf in the US opens in Hartford, Connecticut, 1817
The last day US silver coins are allowed to circulate in Canada, 1870
Harley Proctor begins producing Ivory Soap, 1878
General Electric Company is incorporated, 1892
The Titanic sinks, 1912
Insulin becomes available to diabetics, 1923
Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas, 1924
Jackie Robinson debuts with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947
White Rock, British Columbia officially separates from Surrey, British Columbia and is incorporated as a new city, 1957
Tokyo Disney Resort (and the Tokyo Disneyland park) opens in Tokyo Bay (Japan), 1983
Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in the People's Republic of China, 1989
Representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities sign the Marrakesh Agreements revising the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and initiating the World Trade Organization, 1994
Astronomers at San Francisco State University announce the discovery of the first multiplanet solar system besides our own, three planets around Upsilon Andromedaie, 1999
Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe, 2010
