Computer is acting up again, but my latest attempt at how to get organized is here.
Have a fabulous Sunday; by tomorrow, i should have another Timmy story.
Today is:
Agricultural Reform Day -- Sao Tome and Principe
Banned Books Week begins -- through Oct. 6, celebrate your right to read what you want!
Celtic Tree Month Gort begins (Ivy)
Chuseok / HanGawi -- Korea (a harvest festival and days to give homage to the ancestors and celebrate family)
Day of Liberation of the Republic of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia (disputed territory on the Black Sea)
Do Something Wacky With A Grandparent Day -- just not the monkey bars, please; old bones don't knit fast enough
Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (the Greater Mystery Rites, date approximate; mystery rites of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis, one of the most sacred times of their year)
Gold Star Mother's Day -- US (honoring mothers who have lost children who were serving in the US Armed Forces)
Independence Day -- Botswana
International Translation Day -- International Federation of Translators
Kokkeisetsu -- Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan (Chinese National Founding Day in the largest Chinatown in Japan; through tomorrow)
Medetrinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival fruits offer to the goddess of medicine)
Monkey Bars Day -- a day to go see if you can still do tricks on the monkey bars, because the internet wants to kill us and let the machines that would never do anything so silly take over
National Mud Pack Day -- give yourself a facial
National Hot Mulled Cider Day
St. Gregory the Enlightener (or Illuminator; Patron of Armenia)
St. Jerome's Day (Patron of archaeologists, archivists, Biblical scholars, librarians, libraries, school children, students, translators; Saint-Jerome, Quebec)
also an Apache celebration of Geronimo, the Native American who was named after this saint
Sukkot -- Judaism (begins at sundown; 7 day Feast of Tabernacles)
World Rivers Day -- International
Zhongqui Jie -- China; Macau; Taiwan (Mid-Autumn Festival, celebration of family, also called the Moon Festival, celebrated with mooncakes, matchmaking, sky lanterns, Fire Dragon Dances, and more)
Birthdays Today:
Eric Stoltz, 1961
Fran Drescher, 1957
Marilyn McCoo, 1943
Z.Z. Hill, 1935
Johnny Mathis, 1935
Angie Dickinson, 1931
Truman Capote, 1924
Deborah Kerr, 1921
Buddy Rich, 1917
Rumi, 1207
Today in History:
Rambam (Maimonides) authorizes Samuel Ibn Tibbon to translate the Guide of the Perplexed from Arabic into Hebrew, 1199
Mozart's last opera, The Magic Flute, premiers, 1791
Anesthetic ether is used for the first time by Dr. William Morton, who extracted a tooth, 1846
German scientist Hermann von Meyer announces the discovery of the first fossil of an archaeopteryx, 1861
The first Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawai'i, 1878
The world's first commercial hydroelectric power plant begins operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, 1882
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901
The first manned rocket plane flight, made by auto maker Fritz von Opel, 1929
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Yemen join the United Nations, 1947
The World Series, featuring the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, is televised for the first time, 1947
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear reactor powered vessel, 1954
James Dean is killed in a road accident, 1955
Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the United Farm Workers, 1962
James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying segregation, 1962
General Suharto rises to power in Indonesia after an alleged coup by communists, and massacres over a million Indonesian people suspected of belonging to the Communist Party, 1965
BBC Radio 1 is launched and Tony Blackburn presents its first show, 1967
Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980
The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada's capital city of Ottawa, 1990
The first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat are taken 600 miles south of Tokyo, 2004
The controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, 2005
...are there dried beans on the carpet?
"Because the vacuum cleaner bag is full," Little Girl responded.
Well, that certainly makes sense, at least around here. Turns out, when the bag is full, the vacuum cleaner doesn't pick up as much.
This, of course, doesn't answer why the beans, which should be in a bag in the kitchen awaiting their turn in the crock pot, ended up on the carpet in the hallway.
On second thought, i'm not sure i want to know the rest of the answers to "why," at least not in my house.
In other news, i note with sadness the passing of Andy Williams a few days ago. The young rockers who are ruining their voices with their screaming will never compare, and their pipes will give out long before age 84.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Williams.
Today is:
Battle of Boqueron Day -- Paraguay
Cabrillo Festival -- San Diego, CA, US (reenactment of Cabrillo's landing, a Spanish soldier and sailor encampment, Native Kumeyaay demonstrations, dances, crafts, and food; through tomorrow)
Chusok -- South Korea (Harvest Moon Festival, lasts several days)
Constitution Day -- Brunei
Eldon Turkey Festival -- Eldon, MO, US (top producer of turkeys has the top turkey festival in the world)
Everybody's Day Festival -- Thomasville, NC, US (and they do mean there's fun for everybody)
Family Health and Fitness Day USA
Festifall -- Friendship Hill National Historic Site, Point Marion, PA, US (celebrating traditions of the Allegheny Plateau; through tomorrow)
Festival of Tezcatzonctl -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (chief god of intoxication; date approximate)
Fukuro Matsuri -- Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan (a fun-for-tourists way to learn about Japanese culture, through tomorrow, and next weekend)
Full Harvest Moon a/k/a Full Corn Moon/Indigo Moon/Wise-Crone Moon (with so much food ripe for gathering, harvesting can go on well into the night by the light of the hugely full Harvest Moon)
Binara Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka
Taw Thalin Full Moon -- Myanmar
Geneva Area Grape Jamboree -- Geneva, OH, US (grapes, wine tasting, entertainment, rides, and food; through tomorrow)
Gwynn ap Nudd's Fest -- Celtic Calendar (god of the underworld; date approximate)
Indra Jatra -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Inventors Day -- Argentina
Make a List of the Top Ten Happiest Days in Your Life Day -- must have been started by an optimist
Marion County Country Ham Days -- Marion, KY, US (for those who love ham, and a PIGasus parade, and a Pokey Pig 5k, among other events; through tomorrow)
National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day -- attendingthebirth.com; a day to remind grandparents to be active in their grandchildren's lives (and if you need a reminder, i wonder about you; if you aren't allowed by bitter parents, i feel badly for you)
National Coffee Day -- what!?! this isn't every day!?
National Public Lands Day -- US (Helping Hands for America's Lands -- a day to volunteer on America's Public Lands)
National Mocha Day
Navajo Sing Festival -- Navajo Native Americans festival in thanksgiving for the harvest (through Oct. 7)
Quick Draw Day -- debut of Quick Draw McGraw and his side kick, Baba Looey, in 1959
Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and All Angels' Day (Michaelmas)
Archangel Gabriel, Patron of broadcasters, clergy, communication workers, diplomats, messengers, philatelists/stamp collectors, post offices and postal workers, radio and radio workers, secular clergy, telecommunication workers, telgraphers, telephones, television and television workers; Argentinian ambassadors; Seattle, Washington
Archangel Michael, Patron of artists, bakers, bankers and banking, barrel makers/coopers, battle, boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, dying people, emergency medical technicians/paramedics/ambulance drivers, fencers and fencing, grocers and greengrocers, haberdashers and hatmakers, knights, milleners, paratroopers, police officers, radiologists and radiotherapists, security guards, sick people, soldiers, swordsmiths; for a holy death and safety at sea; England, Germany, and over 25 cities around the world; against danger at sea and temptation
Archangel Raphael, Patron of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, blind people, doctors/physicians, guardian angels, happy meetings, love and lovers, mentally ill people, nurses, shepherdesses/shepherds, sick people, travelers, young people; Dubuque, Iowa; MacKenzie-Fort Smith, Northwest Territories; Seattle, Washington; against bodily ills, eye diseases/eye problems, insanity/mental illness, nightmares, sickness
related observances:
National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed -- Australia (St. Michael, Patron of police officers)
Payment of Quit Rent by London Royal Courts of Justice -- Michaelmas is a traditional English "Quarter Day", when rents come due
Taste of Morgan Hill -- Morgan Hill, CA, US (fine arts, entertainment, and plenty for the kids to do, too; through tomorrow)
Tri-State Band Festival -- Luverne, MI, US (high school bands from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa compete in four categories)
Wild West Show and Bullwhacker Days -- Olathe, KS, US (celebrate the Santa Fe Trail; through tomorrow)
World Heart Day -- International (to raise awareness of the signs and dangers of cardiovascular disease)
Birthdays Today:
Bryant Gumbel, 1948
Lech Walesa, 1943
Madeline Kahn, 1942
Jerry Lee Lewis, 1935
Anita Ekberg, 1931
Lizabeth Scott, 1922
Stanley Kramer, 1913
Greer Garson, 1908
Gene Autry, 1907
Enrico Fermi, 1901
Horatio Nelson, 1758
Miguel de Cervantes, 1547
Pompey the Great, BC106
Today in History:
Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumata, securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire, BC522
Battle of Salamis, at which the Greek fleet under Themistocles defeats the Persian fleet under Xerxes I, BC480
Pompey the Great Celebrates ending the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday, BC61
Saladin's army marches into Jerusalem, 1187
The First Congress of the US adjourns, 1789
"Scotland Yard", London's Metropolitan Police Force, goes on duty, 1829
The first practical public electric tramway ever opens in Blackpool, England, 1885
John D. Rockefeller becomes the first billionaire, 1916
The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed, 1954
Alouette 1, the first Canadian satellite, is launched, 1962
WGPR in Detroit, Michigan, becomes the world's first black-owned-and-operated television station, 1975
Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to set foot on Irish soil with his pastoral visit to the Republic of Ireland, 1979
The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth, 2004
The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day point loss in its history, 2008
An 8.0 magnitude earthquake near the Samoan Islands causes a tsunami, 2009
You know you are back in the swing of things when the texts start flying.
They came from Cindy, fast and furious. How close is Link to being big enough to neuter? (He's on the schedule for next Wednesday.) When did your babies have their last shots? (August 25, and i'll do another one today, getting the doses when i go in to clean the shelter.)
Then there was the typical, Can you take more babies? (What a silly question!)
This time it was a doozy. Acme Company. A name i have always loved, ever since Wile E. Coyote started getting stuff from that company to aid in his pursuit of the Road Runner. (Although i don't ever remember him ordering kittens.) They got a shipment of copper tubing in from Texas on Wednesday. It comes in the kind of boxes that have a coil of tubing in a square box with a square hole in the middle.
Thursday, while unloading the pallet, the workers heard cries coming from the middle of the boxes. Down in there, warm and snug and hungry as could be, were four kittens.
Mama apparently thought it a great place to have babies; she could not have been more wrong.
So these little ones. about 4-5 days old, hadn't eaten since Texas the day before. When i got there, i could hear them yelling in the warehouse from all the way up front in the main shop. It was a good thing i came prepared with a bottle, they went crazy eating. The warehouse workers, bless their hearts, gathered around and grinned as the babies ate and got settled into a carrier for the ride home.
Now they are snug in their carrier over a heating pad (they were a bit on the cold side, even in the non-air-conditioned warehouse), with a bottle ready for them every 2 hours.
It looks like we have 2 tortoiseshell females, a tabby female, and a dark, marbled tabby male.
Today is:
Ask A Stupid Question Day -- teachers wanted to get students asking more questions, so they did, even if the questions were stupid; now, it's a holiday!
Baltimore Book Festival -- Baltimore, MD, US (the mid-Atlantic’s premier celebration of literary arts; through Sunday)
Celtic Classic Highland Games & Festival -- Bethlehem, PA, US (US's largest highland games and Celtic Festival; through Sunday)
Chili Cook-Off and Fall Festival of the Arts -- Washington, MO, US (chili Friday night, juried art festival through the weekend, beer, specialty foods, music and fun; through Sunday)
Czech Statehood Day -- Czech Republic
Drink Beer Day
Fabulous 1890's Weekend -- Mansfield, PA, US (celebration of the first ever night football game in Mansfield in 1892; through tomorrow)
Feast of Hapi and Creation of the Nile -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Frances Willard Day -- Minnesota
Hug a Vegetarian Day -- i'm open!
Literally, A Haunted House -- Culbertson Mansion, New Albany, IN, US (each weekend through Hallowe'en; a haunted house in a literal haunted house with a history of some very weird stuff)
Love Note Day -- take pen and paper and send that special someone a love note today
Manit Day -- Marshall Islands (Culture Day)
Menkhet Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Michaelmas Eve -- Celtic celebration, bake your bannock bread tonight for eating on St. Michael and All Angel's Day tomorrow; tonight, build a bonfire and dine on roast lamb, and make sure the menfolk protect the horses, for anyone is allowed to "borrow" one for the celebration tomorrow
Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival -- Mount Pleasant, PA, US (a "front porch neighborhood" festival; through Sunday)
National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography -- Philippines
National Good Neighbor Day -- US (begun when Mrs. Becky Mattson from Lakeside, Montana, campaigned for this National Day in the 1970's; go greet the neighbors, and be a good neighbor yourself!)
National Strawberry Cream Pie Day
National Youth Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands
Neptune Festival -- Virginia Beach, Virginia (a Boardwalk Weekend; through Sunday)
New York Film Festival -- NY, NY, US (50th Annual, through Oct. 15)
North American Sand Sculpting Championship -- Virginia Beach, Virginia, US
Runic Half Month Gyfu begins (gift)
St. Wenceslaus' Day (Patron of brewers; Bohemia; Czech Republic; Moravia; Prague, Czech Republic)
Taca Fall Craft Fair -- Nashville, TN, US (the state's premier outdoor showcaswe for American fine crafts; through Sunday)
Tales of Kelp-Koli's Second Visit -- Fairy Calendar (through the 30th)
Teacher's Day -- Taiwan (on the traditional Western date of Confucius' birthday, of course)
Warrens Cranberry Festival -- Warrens, WI, US (tour a cranberry bog, enjoy the festival and food; through Sunday)
World Rabies Day
Birthdays Today:
Hilary Duff, 1987
Naomi Watts, 1968
Mira Sorvino, 1967
Janeane Garofalo, 1964
Koko Taylor, 1935
Brigitte Bardot, 1934
Arnold Stang, 1925
Marcello Mastroianni, 1924
Al Capp, 1909
Ed Sullivan, 1901
Confucius, BC551
Today in History:
Pompey the Great, member of the Triumvirate, is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy of Egypt upon landing in that country, BC48
King/Saint Wenceslas murdered by his brother, 935
William the Conqueror invades England, 1066
Sinking of the Spanish fleet during a hurricane off the coast of Florida, 1528
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo becomes the first European to reach San Diego Bay, 1542
Publication of "Pilgrim's Progress", 1678
Divorce is legalized in Maryland, 1701
American and French forces begin the siege of Yorktown, 1781
Napoleon Bonaparte, age 16, graduates from the Military Academy of Paris -- 42nd in a class of 51, 1785
Donati's comet becomes the first to be photographed, 1858
Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, 1867
Sir Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mould growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin, 1928
Indonesia joins the United Nations, 1950
Mali and Senegal join the United Nations, 1960
SpaceX launches the first ever private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit, 2008
Whereas once i believed there is nothing so over as Christmas, i now add that there is also nothing so over as S-fest.
Time to start planning for next year. Already there is talk, but it's just ideas being kicked around. Can't kick them into place quite fast enough for me.
Meanwhile, there is laundry and ironing and meals and dishes and the minutia of daily life to be dealt with.
Also, bank stuff. That's bad enough, but worse is that i take my head out of the clouds just in time to get slammed with all of the political jargon.
Gads, it's enough to make you want to hibernate permanently, having to listen to all of the blather, and that's on every side. Please, somebody, talk in something besides a partisan sound bite, something that shows you've been thinking.
Yes, i've been thinking, and my thinking would offend everyone from every side of every issue, most likely. That's one reason i don't discuss my views in polite company. Nor in impolite company where i would probably receive a sock in the nose for some of what i would say.
Let's hope that, very soon, there will be nothing so over as political campaigns.
Today is:
Ancestor Appreciation Day -- sponsored by the Ancestor Appreciation Day Association of Ann Arbor, MI, US
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival -- Barnesville, OH, US (pumpkins are just the start of the fun; through Sunday)
Crush a Can Day -- internet generated, so have fun seeing how many (safe) ways you can crush a can, and how flat you can get it!
Fairmount Museum Days/Remembering James Dean Festival -- Fairmont, IN, US (celebrating Dean and other famous people from Fairmont; through Sunday)
Feast of Mashíyyat (Will) -- Baha'i
French Community Holiday -- French community of Belgium
Haustmanuour -- Iceland (beginning of traditional Autumn Month, during which all the summer chores are finished, including livestock rounded up, before winter begins)
Meskel -- Ethiopian/Eritrian Orthodox Christian (True Cross Day)
National Milk Chocolate Day
National Corned Beef Hash Day
Preston County Buckwheat Festival -- Kingwood, WV, US (something for everyone at this fun annual event; through Sunday)
Shut Up and Let Somebody Else Talk Day -- begun by someone with an overly verbose spouse, perhaps?
St. Vincent De Paul's Day (Patron of charitable societies/charitable workers, charities, horses, hospital workers, hospitals, lepers, prisoners, spiritual help, volunteers; Brothers of Charity; Saint Vincent de Paul Societies; Sisters of Charity; Vincentian Service Corps; Madagascar; Richmond, Virginia; for finding lost objects; against leprosy)
Thanksgiving Day for Disappearance of Kelp-Koli Again -- Fairy Calendar
Virginia Peanut Festival -- Emporia, VA, US (and you thought all peanuts came from Georgia! come enjoy peanuts and carnival, quilt show and fireworks, the Virgina way; through Sunday)
World Maritime Day -- UN (this year's theme is “IMO: One hundred years after the Titanic”, remembering the reason the International Maritime Organization and its emphasis on safety was founded)
World Tourism Day -- World Tourism Organization, www.unwto.org
Birthdays Today:
Avril Lavigne, 1984
Gwyneth Paltrow, 1972
Sophia Milos, 1965
Shaun Cassidy, 1958
Mike Schmidt, 1949
Wilford Brimley, 1934
Greg Morris, 1934
Arthur Penn, 1922
William Conrad, 1920
Jayne Meadows, 1920
Thomas Nast, 1840
George Muller, 1805
Samuel Adams, 1722
Today in History:
Severe earthquake in the Gulf of Chili, China; reports of 100,000 killed, 1290
Jesuits founded by Ignatius Loyola, 1540
John Adams negotiates peace terms with Britain, 1779
Constitution submitted to the states for ratification, 1787
Jean-Francois Champollion announces that he has deciphered the Rosetta Stone, 1822
The Stockton and Darlington Railway opens, and begins operation of the world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains, 1825
The physics journal Annalen der Physik published Albert Einstein's paper "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc²,1905
The first production of a Ford Model T automobile rolls off the line at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan, 1908
First test of a twin engine airplane, in France, 1910
Native American Day is first celebrated, 1916
Democratic National Committee votes to allow female members, 1919
The first Santa Clause Training School opens in Albion, NY, 1937
The Balinese tiger is declared to be an extinct species, 1937
Sierra Leone joins the United Nations, 1961
Richard Stallman announces the GNU project to develop a free Unix-like operating system, 1983
Google is founded, 1998
East Timor joins the United Nations, 2002
CNSA astronaut Zhai Zhigang becomes the first Chinese person to perform a spacewalk while flying on Shenzhou 7, 2008
That was my first thought.
Yes, it really was Tuesday. Script and Ninja went to the airport from their hotels very early, and only WSS was still here. She wanted to explore on her own.
That morning saw the dishes and laundry piled, every litter box needing cleaning, leftover gumbo and cake and cold drinks cramming the fridge, and only one serving of kitten formula left in the house. First things first, kitten milk. You can't work with kittens screaming for food and climbing your legs. The trip took a bit longer than it should have from the accident on the interstate, but i was blessed with two back roads no one else had thought of using and made it around the mess.
While WSS enjoyed her time out and about, i puttered around, got kids to school, laundry done, leftovers frozen, dishes washed (multiple times), ironing, dinner, litter boxes, and the computer restarted about 10X. Ol' Bessy was being as cranky as Kida having an asthma attack.
It turned out that WSS got to see and learn a lot while she was out, and had a great time doing some things i wish i had thought to do with everyone else. Maybe next time, if there is a next time.
Scratch that. Whether i have to travel, or host here myself every year, there will be a next time.
Today is:
Black Walnut Festival -- Stockton, MO, US (tours of the world's largest black walnut processing plant, plus parade, crafts, carnival and entertainment; through Saturday)
Bureflux -- Discordian Calendar
Cobweb Pie Making Day -- Fairy Calendar
Davidson Fellowship Scholarship Award Reception -- Washington, D.C., US (students under 18 who have completed prodigious works in science, mathematics, technology, music, literature, philosophy, or "outside the box" are made Davidson Fellows and given large scholarships for college)
Dia de la Bandera Nacional -- Ecuador (Day of the National Flag)
Dominion Day -- New Zealand (trad.)
European Day of Languages -- European Union
Festival of Venus Genetrix -- Ancient Roman Calendar
International Tool Day -- internet generated, now gladly embraced by toolmakers
Johnny Appleseed Day
National Pancake Day
National Women's Health and Fitness Day -- www.fitnessday.com
Old Holy Rood Day -- OS calendar (the day blackberries become unsafe for picking) related observance
Mid-Autumn Day -- Scottish Highlands (traditional; considered the day harts begin to mate and a weather prognostication day)
Search for Your Baseball Cards Again Day -- on lots of trivia sites; recommended because you never know
September Revolution Day -- Yemen
Sts. Cosmas and Damian's Day (Patrons of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, barbers, blind people, chemical industry/manufacturers, doctors/physicians/surgeons, hairdressers, midwives, people with hernias; Alberobello, Italy; Ossimo, Italy; against blindness and pestilence) related observance:
Begin now to lay in supplies for your Michaelmas supper on the 29th
Yom Kippur -- Judaism (began sundown yesterday)
Birthdays Today:
Lawrence Leritz, 1962
Linda Hamilton, 1956
Olivia Newton-John, 1948
Anne Robinson, 1944
Kent McCord, 1942
Julie London, 1926
Jack LaLanne, 1914
George Gershwin, 1898
T.S. Eliot, 1888
Edmund Gwenn, 1877
John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman, 1774
St. Francis of Assisi, 1181
Today in History:
In keeping a vow he made at the Battle of Pharsalus, Julius Caesar dedicates a temple to his mythical ancestor Venus Genetrix, BC 46
Sir Francis Drake returns to England with Spanish treasure, 1580
In a battle between Venetians and Turks in Athens, the Parthenon and Acropolis are seriously damaged, 1687
New Jersey passes a bill requiring a license to practice medicine, 1772
Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first Secretary of State of the US, 1789
Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson proved tomatoes weren't poisonous by eating several on the steps of the courthouse in Salem, New Jersey, 1820
The Diamond Match Company patents book matches, 1892
New Zealand and Newfoundland each become dominions within the British Empire, 1907
Indonesia is admitted to the United Nations, 1950
Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time, 1973
The United Kingdom agrees to the handover of Hong Kong, 1984
An earthquake strikes the Italian regions of Umbria and the Marche, causing part of the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi to collapse, 1997
Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy becomes first person to fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel, 2008
We booked a swamp tour. It was quite comical, figuring out which one, but it turned out for the best that we went with the best in the business.
Monday morning's plan was easy: meet up for breakfast at 7am at Eagle's hotel. She had breakfast tickets from her stay that she had never used, enough for each of us. It would be the last time eight of us would be together for this trip, so we made the most of it.
Eagle left at the end of it to head to visit her son and granddaughter in Texas. Di went off to see her cousin who lives locally and then head back down to the coast where she lives. Ninja went back to her hotel to rest and decompress, and so WSS, Script, Grace, CanDo and i headed to the Atchafalaya River and its surrounding bayous and swamps.
Our guide was a man of 60 who looked no more than 40, but had grown up on the bayous with his father, who runs the business with him. He not only knew his way, his birds, his spots to find alligators, and his special spots in the spring to see the nesting birds, he also spots and picks up every bit of trash out there, along with his buddies. They call themselves the keepers of the area, and they do a great job.
We paid him only $50 for a two hour tour. He loves his work so much, and has so much to explain and teach about the area, that he kept us out there for almost 4 hours for no extra charge. He showed us the usual great blue herons and great egrets and kingfishers, but also ospreys, coots, ibis, cormorants, and roseate spoonbills. There were a couple of others as well, some juvenile of one species i can't remember, and the gators.
Oh, the gators. When he showed us a gator slide up to a nest, a sharp-eyed CanDo spotted a 1-year-old baby gator in the water nearby. He netted it and brought it up for us to hold and touch. That's a good thing, too, because it teaches them the fear of men and boats, so they are more likely to survive.
He also showed us the horrors of the invasive plants that have been dumped out there. People who dump their aquariums in the local waterways have unleashed what may some day destroy the very places they claim to love.
By the time we got back to the dock, we were hot, tired, and grateful beyond measure for the glimpse into the interior he had shown us. The TV shows, which overhype it all for dramatic effect and are actually torturing the animals to make them behave the way they do have nothing on this man and his buddies, who truly know and love the land.
While we wanted to make it all last forever, Grace had a plane to catch, so we all went back to respective abodes with plans for four of us to catch up again for supper.
What a supper it was. Thai again, at a different restaurant with lots of vegan options and it was wonderful, although all this cooked food is already making itself felt in the mornings (my diet is 98% raw vegan and 2% coffee, which is part of the state religion). We talked and laughed and had a beautiful time, and saying good-bye was hard.
When WSS and i headed back to my house after dropping off Ninja and Script, it began to hit me that our time together doesn't last long enough.
WSS will be in the area until Wednesday, and she has her rental now so she can wander to her heart's content. She is like me, and sometimes enjoys just being off by herself, discovering new things.
Today i get to start playing catch up with the laundry, dishes, cooking, and etc., that all got put on hold for several days.
The aftermath is worth the wonderful memories and good times.
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique
Join a Cabal of International Bankers Today Day -- internet generated, and only for people without a conscience
Kamarampaka Day -- Rwanda (Republic Day, marks the 1961 abolition of the monarchy)
National Comic Book Day -- internet generated, but go read one, they are fun
National Crabmeat Newberg Day
National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims -- US
National One-Hit Wonder Day -- US, remembering those who had only one hit on the rock charts
National Youth Day -- Nauru
Old Holy Rood Eve -- OS calendar Holy Cross Eve, the last day to pick blackberries (after this, the devil poisons them because when he fell from heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush)
St. Cadoc's Day (Patron of the deaf; against cramps, deafness, glandular disorders, scrofula)
St. Finbarr's Day (Patron of Barra, Scotland; Cork, Ireland)
Thimphu Tsechu -- Thimphu, Bhutan (Drukpa Buddhism festival; through Friday)
Toad Tempting Day -- Fairy Calendar
World Ataxia Awareness Day
Yom Kippur -- Judaism (Day of Atonement; begins at sunset)
Birthdays Today:
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 1969
Will Smith, 1968
Scottie Pippen, 1965
Aida Turturro, 1962
Heather Locklear, 1961
Christopher Reeve, 1952
Mark Hamill, 1951
Cheryl Tiegs, 1947
Michael Douglas, 1944
Juliet Prowse, 1936
Glenn Gould, 1932
Barbara Walters, 1931
Shel Silverstein, 1930
Phil Rizzuto, 1918
Dmitri Shostakovich, 1906
William Faulkner, 1897
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, 1358 (Japanese Shogun)
Today in History:
St. Ferment is beheaded in Amiens, France, after voyaging there to preach the gospel, 303
The Battle of Stamford Bridge marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon era, 1066
Columbus begins his second voyage, with 17 ships, 1493
Vasco Nunez de Balboa becomes the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the west coast of the Americas, 1513
The first printing press in the Americas begins operations, 1639
Old Style date; two very accurate clocks are set in motion at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, the start of Greenwich Mean Time, 1676
Ethan Allan, American Revolutionary War hero, is captured, 1775
Benedict Arnold joins the British, 1780
The first all-black university in the US, Howard University, is created by Congress, 1867
Yosemite National Park is established by Congress, 1890
Charles Follis becomes the first black to play professional American football, 1904
Birth of the remote control -- Leonardo Torres Quevedo successfully demonstrates the invention of the "Telekino" and guides a boat from the shore in the port of Bilbao, 1906
Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight from Mitchel Field proving that full instrument flying from take off to landing is possible, 1929*
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of United States Army troops, 1957
In a referendum, the people of Norway reject membership of the European Community, 1972
Belize joins the United Nations, 1981
The last of the Magdalene Asylums closes in Ireland, 1996
The Vitim event, a possible bolide (comet nucleus) impact in Siberia, Russia, 2002
China launches the spacecraft Shenzhou 7, 2008
*Personal family history: He was a great man, and taught my brothers to hunt dove.
The Jazz was lots of misunderstandings, and a great time anyway. As someone pointed out later, trying to organize us is like trying to herd cats.
Three of us made the early service at church. Grace, Di and i had coffee and a good sermon. When the collection plate was passed, Grace told me that she had no cash left, and that she had thought about waking up her roomie, CanDo, but didn't because she would feel awful about waking up her Jewish friend to ask for cash to throw in the plate at a Christian church! We inappropriately giggled right during the service over that one, especially since, CanDo being the sweet person she is, she would have turned her purse inside out to help. But we did stop after church where Grace could find an ATM and i could get more bottled water and ice for us to pack along on our trip.
We got back just in time to say goodbye to Dayeanu, who had to get back because of the animals and needing to help with her grandson.
As the rest of us gathered later and started to pull out of the driveway in two vehicles, Script was stung by a wasp inside the car. Our vehicle stopped, but CanDo had already pulled out and was around the corner and actually way ahead before she realized. A quick call and it was decided for them to go on ahead while we applied first aid. We would catch up in NOLA itself.
The drive fascinated Script and Eagle. They liked the "scenery," which is so common to me. Especially impressive to them was the 10 mile bridge over Lake Ponchartrain and the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Funny how what is to me so very common, to them is something to be exclaimed over.
Once we got down there, we knew it was time for lunch, so we decided on Franks. That was a bit of a trick, all of us catching up to each other. We try to meet at one place, but someone sees another interesting place to stop first, and anyway by the time we settled in at Franks all of us were more than ready to just plain sit. It was a good choice, as they accommodated us with regular, vegetarian, and vegan muffalettas.
After eating, we just walked, each of us heading out to see what we wanted to see most that was nearby. At one point i found myself in the Cathedral explaining some Catholic practices to Ninja, and at another in a rundown daiquiri shop so a couple of us could wet our whistles (not me, i fall asleep after half a glass of wine, so i don't bother). Right before we were to meet at Cafe du Monde, i ran up the street to the French Market Produce Stand for some real food -- fresh fruit.
The coffee and beignets were as good as usual, and it was nice to sit in the shade and have another nice talk with everyone. Dayeanu sent a text while i was there to say she had gotten home safely.
By this time, the sun was setting and we knew it was time to head home. One car was heading for the Garden District for a bit, the other to the airport to let WSS rent a car. My mistake was going to the Garden District because, at the airport, WSS got separated from everyone else. Di knows NOLA, but not the airport, as she drives in. So they couldn't find short term parking, and stopped on the highway to wait for her to rent her car and head back that way. After waiting quite a while, and lots of calls to her phone, they headed back, knowing that she could call me for directions.
She never called, and never answered, even though all of us tried many times to reach her. About an hour after i got home, she popped back up, having seen all of the scenery of our town trying to find my exit! She said she had fun going all over by herself, but it still makes me kick myself that i wasn't with her to make it easier.
Plans for Monday were finalized, and all of us settled down in our respective hotels or my abode, to eat and get some rest.
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Peru
Bicentenario de la Batalla de Tucuman -- Argentina
Constitution Day/Recoronation of King Norodom Sihanouk -- Cambodia
Do Impressions of Famous People Around the Office Day -- again, i wonder about the intentions of those who start these things
Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children(TM) -- sponsored by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University
Feast of Our Lady of Mercy -- Catholic Christian
Lady of Mercedes Day -- Dominican Republic
La Merce -- Barcelona, Spain
Festival of the Latest Novelties -- an internet generated holiday to celebrate everything from traditional whoopie cushions to some of the more modern and weird novelty gifts out there; a great day for practical jokers
Going Forth of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Heritage Day -- South Africa
Independence Day/National Day -- Guinea-Bissau(1973)
International Women's Ecommerce Days -- through Friday (celebrating women's buying power)
Mahidol Day -- Thailand (commemorates the passing of Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej, the "Father of Thai Modern Medicine")
Moose Day -- the day Bullwinkle J. Moose, from Frostbite Falls, MN, US, and his pal Rocky the Flying Squirrel debuted in 1959
National Bluebird of Happiness Day -- US (and no one knows why, but it's supposed to be a day to go spread some happiness)
National Cherries Jubilee Day
New Caledonia Day -- New Caledonia
Punctuation Day -- make sure you are using those punctuation marks correctly!
Republic Day -- Trinidad and Tobago
Santa Cruz Day -- Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving -- Pennsylvania Dutch followers of Silesian Reformation theology
St. Gerard's Day (Patron of Hungary)
St. Rupert's Day (Patron of Salzburg, Austria)
Birthdays Today:
Nia Vardalos, 1962
Phil Hartman, 1948
Linda McCartney, 1941
Jim Henson, 1936
Anthony Newley, 1931
Sheila MacRae, 1924
Jim McKay, 1921
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896
Horace Walpole, 1717
Today in History:
Prophet Muhammad completes his hijra from Mecca to Medina, 622
The last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Manuel I Komnenos, dies; the empire slips into terminal decline, 1180
The Dutch Republic surrenders New Amsterdam to England, 1664
The first autopsy and coroner's jury verdict is recorded in the state of Maryland, 1657
John Jay is appointed by George Washington as the first Chief Justice of the then six-person Supreme Court, which was instituted by the Federal Judiciary Act passed that same day, 1789
US Attorney General Office is created, 1789
The Northern Daily Times becomes the first provincial daily newspaper in London, 1853
Alexander Dey patents a dial time recorder, 1889
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy, 1890
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument, 1906
Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong, 1946
The Honda Motor Company is founded, 1948
Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England, and a Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe, 1950
Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona, 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation, 1957
The United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, 1962
Swaziland joins the United Nations, 1968
Compu-Serve launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service, 1979
Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn, 1990
Hurricane Rita devastates Beaumont, Texas, southwest Louisiana, and finishing off some of the parts of New Orleans and southeast Louisiana that Katrina missed, 2005
The G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, US, marks the first use of LRAD for crowd control in the US, 2009
Three plantations in one day make for a wonderful day, but getting home from them after a fabulous restaurant meal at almost 11pm makes for not much time to blog.
Early is as early does, and i early got up and found directions everyplace and went and bought cold drinks and made a picnic lunch for all of us.
Then we hit the river, first to Evergreen Plantation. It is the best preserved plantation in the country, with almost all of the original buildings still extant and in situ. The owner only recently opened it to the public, and it is still a working plantation, with sugar cane grown on about 400 acres if i'm remembering correctly.
Oak Alley came next. It is one of the more "commercial", touristy sites, but the double column of oaks out front and behind are magnificent. Oaks were planted that way, facing the river, so that they would act as a wind tunnel, funneling the cooling river breezes right to the house, which was kept opened up most of the time. We had our picnic on the grounds there, and very much admired the costumes of the tour guides.
Finally we went to Houmas House. Wow. We bought tickets, went in, and since the next tour was in 5 minutes, a nice gentleman in a golf cart offered us a ride. After we got to our tour guide, who was also in a period dress, she asked if we realized that man was the owner of the plantation! He loves this place, has restored it so fabulously it's amazing, and hangs around the grounds when he's not in his office.
He also lives there, and his bedroom, with the period furnishings like the rest of the house, is part of the tour. The tour guide told us that on this particular morning, he had overslept, and she had walked in around 9am and he said he thought it was around six. She informed him it was nine and she was on her way to get her first tour group and he needed to get out of there! He smiled and got up and was gone by the time the tour got to his room.
Houmas House is also the home of one of Esquire Magazines' 20 best restaurants in the country, and that's where we had dinner. We talked, and laughed, and had a blast, and as i said, by the time i got home it was late.
Of course, i walked in to hungry kittens and a messy kitchen, but a couple of hard looks from me and the kids helped out, so i could write.
Today, NOLA is on the docket, after those of us who feel the need to tend to our souls attend church.
Today is
Al-Yaom Al-Watany -- Saudi Arabia (National Day/Founding of the Kingdom)
Augustalia -- Roman Empire (birthday of Caesar Augustus, still the traditional New Year's Day in Constantinople and in the Eastern Orthodox Church)
Bunster Winding -- Fairy Calendar
Checkers Day/Dogs in Politics Day -- thanks to Mr. Nixon; and i'm tempted t further comment, but this one is too easy
Citua -- Ancient Inca Empire (feast to the Moon, and to banish disease, in the month of Coyaraimi, date approximate)
Clypping the Church Ceremony -- Painswick, Gloucestershire, England (since 1321, surrounding the church hand in hand for the Clypping Hymn and an open air ceremony)
El Grito de Lares -- Lares, Puerto Rico (anniversary of the first uprising against Spanish rule in 1868)
Innergize Day -- the day to take time for yourself!
National White Chocolate Day
Neptune Day -- planet discovered this day in 1846 by Johann Galle of Germany
St. Adamnan's Day (Patron of Donegal, Ireland; Raphoe, Ireland)
St. Padre Pio's Day
XTERRA Trail Run Nationals -- Ogden/Snowbasin, UT, US (finale of the series of extreme runs held across the country through the year, featuring 21k of extreme, off-road trail runs)
Anniversaries Today:
The University of Alberta in Alberta, Canada, is founded, 1908
Birthdays Today:
Jason Alexander, 1959
Bruce Springsteen, 1949
Mary Kay Place, 1947
Paul Petersen, 1945
Julio Iglesias, 1943
Tom Lester, 1938
Ray Charles, 1930
John Coltrane, 1926
Mickey Rooney, 1920
Walter Pigeon, 1897
William H. McGuffey, 1800
Kublai Khan, 1215
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, BC63
Euripides, BC480
Today in History:
Concord of Worms, 1122
The first major battle of the Wars of the Roses, at Blore Heath in Staffordshire, 1459
First commencement exercises of Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., 1642
Liechtenstein declares its independence from the German Empire, 1719
John Paul Jones' "Bon Homme Richard" defeats the HMS Serepis, 1779
Lewis and Clark arrive back in St. Louis from their explorations, 1806
The Knickerbockers Baseball Club, the first baseball team to play under the modern rules, is founded in New York, 1845
Neptune is discovered by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams, 1846
Nintendo Koppai, later known as Nintendo Company, Limited, is founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi; it produces and markets the playing card game Hanafuda, 1889
The Phantom of the Opera (original title: Le Fantome de l'Opera), a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux, was first published, 1909
The MS Princess of Tasmania, Australia’s first passenger roll-on/roll-off diesel ferry, makes her maiden voyage across Bass Strait, 1959
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos announces over television and radio the implementation of martial law, 1972
Juan Perón returns to power in Argentina, 1973
Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the United Nations, 1983
Qantas Flight 1 overruns the runway in Bangkok during a storm; some passengers only receive minor injuries, it is still the worst crash in Qantas's history, 1991
The first public version of the web browser Mozilla Firefox ("Phoenix 0.1") is released, 2002
Hurricane Jeanne strikes Haiti and leaves at least 1,070 dead, 2004
Morning came early as i got up to peel shrimp, make the shells into stock, and premake the roux. Then we put cooking on hold for a swamp tour.
When i tell people we live in a swamp, i do mean it. This area used to flood each year, for thousands of years, just like the Nile flooded Egypt. The plants grew in this wet, boggy environment, and rain kept it all lush and prolific year round.
Then levees were built, and roads, and the swamp down the street from us was cut off from the flooding, but is now just a rain fed swamp that does drain into the bayous a bit, but is not fed by them.
We saw tons of native plants, lots of different spiders and birds, and way too many invasive species. It's difficult to keep them out, but they do try.
Our tour guide pointed out the poison ivy early, so i think all of us were well warned to stay on the trails and behave, which we did.
After the walking tour, which was shorter than i remembered last time because parts of the trail are still impassible after the hurricane, we got to pet a snake and a baby alligator. We also got to watch a couple of the snakes being fed.
Lunch was Thai, and the Doberge cakes were ready on cue, and DiDreaming, WSS and i went back to the house to get the gumbo really going. The others went to their respective hotels to rest a bit.
It was while making the gumbo that we almost had a major snafu. We were making vegan, chicken and sausage, and seafood. We were partway through the seafood when Di happened to taste it and for some reason there was an undertone of plastic taste to it, it was awful! We have no idea how it happened, but we had to dump it out, run to the store for more ingredients, and make up for lost time.
Still, it got done. Script came and both played her recorder for us (she is a very talented musician) and made her home made Caesar salad, from her Italian cousin's special recipe. Ninja brought the party music for us. Dayeanu arrived! She was in plenty of time to enjoy the whole evening with us.
So the menu was the Caesar salad, gumbo, and Doberge cake. Of course there are tons of leftovers, of course since i only drink water and my smoothies i had to make tea last minute because we just don't keep soda in the house, and of course it all ended way too early because Saturday is plantation day.
Today is:
Aizu Byakko Matsuri -- Aizuwakamatsu-shi, Fukushima, Japan (ceremonial recreation of a march to war in 1868; through the 24th)
Aloha Festival Floral Parade -- Oahu, Hawai'i (part of the larger Aloha Festival celebrations this month and next on all the islands, celebrating native Hawai'ian culture)
American Business Women's Day -- US
Apple Saturday -- Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, New Gloucester, ME, US (tours of the Shaker orchard and exhibits, and bring your own apples to be pressed into cider with a hand press, or buy some grown there; also two Saturdays following)
Autumnal Equinox -- 10:49am EDT; related observances
Mabon -- Wicca/Pagan Northern Hemisphere
Ostara -- wicca/Pagan Southern Hemisphere
Alban Elfed -- Celtic Winter Finding
Chuseok -- Korean harvest festival
Feast of Carpo -- Greek Horae, goddess of autumn
Kukulcan Snake God Celebration -- Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico (the snake appears at the equinox, a time to honor this Mayan god)
Festival of the Sea Goddess -- Eskimo
Higan -- Japan
Mabon/Fallfest -- Asatru/Norse Pagan (harvest festival, time to make wine and mead for the next winter)
Oenach Carman -- Ancient Celtic Calendar
Sendai Great Tug-of-War -- Sendai, Japan (festival on the equinox that dates back over 400 years)
Svarog's Holiday -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (day to drink mead in honor of Svarog, god of fire and the sky)
Boidromia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; honor Apollon as god of rescue during war)
Breakfast, Snack, Elevenses, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Tea, Snack, Dinner, Snack, More Snacks, Supper, Snack, and Bilgewack Celebration Day -- Fairy Calendar (Borms; they are little known relatives of Goblins, given to being overweight and sedentary and lying around feeling ill; bilgewack is their term for having eaten too much and having to lie down.)
Buffalo Roudup and Arts Festival -- Custer, SD, US (buffalo round up, Western and Native American entertainment, arts and crafts; through tomorrow)
Car-Free Day -- this has spread to much of the world; try it for yourself!
Coya Raymi -- Inca Native Americans (festival to honor Moon Goddess Quilla, with a focus on purging sickness and evil; through tomorrow, dates approximate)
Dear Diary Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; get it down on paper!
Elephant Appreciation Day -- sponsored by "Elefunteria" and WildHeart Productions
Feast of Mikeli -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (harvest celebration; through the 24th)
Feast of the Ingathering -- UK traditional (also called Harvest Home; in Scotland, Kirn; in northern England, Mell-Supper. Celebrations will be held in rural areas for the next few weekends, celebrating the end of the harvest.)
Fish Amnesty Day
Gettysburg Fall Antique Show -- Gettysburg, PA, US
Hobbit Day
Ice Cream Cone Day -- Italo Marchiony patented an ice cream cone mold on this day in 1903
Independence Day -- Bulgaria; Mali
International Day of Radiant Peace -- www.radiantpeace.org
International Rabbit Day -- to promote responsible rabbit ownership
National Book Festival -- National Mall, Washington, D.C., US (the Library of Congress celebrates "Books that Shaped America"; through Sunday)
National Centenarians Day -- US
National Hunting and Fishing Day -- US
National Seat Check Saturday -- US (check it for what, sagging? i'm old, of course it is! Oh, make sure car seats are secured -- my kids finally outgrew those, phew)
Oktoberfest -- Germany (through Oct. 7)
OneWebDay
Princess Martha Louise's Birthday -- Norway (an official flag day)
R.E.A.D. in America Day -- sponsored by CheeREADing
Responsible Dog Ownership Day -- sponsored by the AKC
Rettir -- Iceland (around this time of year; a traditional sheep round up celebrated in Iceland during September, actual round up dates may vary from region to region)
Ritual of the Netjers of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
St. Maurice's Day (Patron of armies, cloth dyers, cloth makers, infantrymen, soldiers, swordsmiths, weavers; Austria; Manresa, Spain; Pianello Val Tidone, Italy; Piedmont, Italy; Sardinia; Stadtsulza, Germany; Pontifical Swiss Guards; against cramps and gout)
Thrue Bab/Blessed Rainy Day -- Bhutan
Xterra Wheeler Canyon Xduro -- Ogden, UT, US (nationals of the extreme, off-road half marathon; through tomorrow)
Birthdays Today:
Bonnie Hunt, 1964
Scott Baio, 1961
Joan Jett, 1960
Andrea Bocelli, 1958
Debby Boone, 1956
Shari Belafonte, 1954
Tommy Lasorda, 1927
Michael Farriday, 1791
Lord Chesterfield, 1694
Today in History:
Legion I Italica is created by Emperor Nero, 66
Switzerland becomes an independent state, 1499
The General Provincial Court at Patuxent, MD, US, empanels the first all female jury in the colonies to try the case of a woman accused of murdering her child, 1656
A final 8 people are hanged for witchcraft in Salem, Mass., 1692
Nathan Hale is hanged for spying during American Revolution, 1776
Russia establishes a colony at Kodiak, Alaska, 1784
City of Des Moines, Iowa, is incorporated as Fort Des Moines, 1851
Abraham Lincoln, by executive proclamation, declares that the slaves in the rebelling states shall become free on Jan. 1 of the upcoming year, 1862
Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold premieres in Munich, 1869
The first issue of National Geographic Magazine is published, 1888
Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather, King George III, as the longest reigning monarch in British history, 1895
Italo Marchiony granted a patent for an ice cream cone, 1903
The Duke of York's Picture House opens in Brighton, now the oldest continually operating cinema in Britain, 1910
Ralph J. Bunche becomes the first black winner of the Nobel Peace Price, 1950
The Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time by the Huntington Library, 1991
David Hempleman-Adams becomes the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an open-air, wicker-basket hot air balloon, 2003
Friends have slowly but surely trickled in.
DiDreaming drove in, then Grace called from her hotel. She had a rental, so she came over, and i took them on a pilgrimage to Whole Foods.
We headed back to the house after a call from Ninja, who stopped to say hello. (Yes, we consider her a real ninja.)
Script met us at the restaurant after Ninja picked her up.
CanDo and Eagle didn't make it in time for the restaurant and Cajun music, but the rest of us had fun.
And there was a surprise message from Daye -- she is trying to get her. She will have to sneak away from her 90-year-old terror of a mother, who is on the warpath yet again. (If you have a parent who is mentally ill, pray he/she doesn't get dementia added to the mix, it makes for a new kind of torture when you have to deal with that.)
Next up -- swamp tour, and gumbo, and home made Caesar salad, and Doberge cake. What a combo!
Today is:
Arbor Day -- Brazil
Breakfast, Dinner, and Supper Celebration Day -- Fairy Calendar (Goblins)
Chästeilet im Justistal -- Merlingen, Switzerland (dividing of the summer's cheese between the dairy farmers of the area)
Chili Cook-Off and Fall Festival of the Arts And Crafts -- Washington, MO, US (chili fest and contest, juried art festival, and fun; through Sunday)
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 11, Peace (to coincide with the International celebration; sponsored by We, the World)
Independence Day -- Armenia(1991); Belize(1981); Malta(1964)
International Day of Peace
Kharisteria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; feast of Aremis Agrotera[the huntress] that became a thankgiving for the victory of the battle of Marathon)
Kwama Nkrumah's Birthday/Founder's Day -- Ghana
Miniature Golf Day -- golf the fun way! (separate from National Miniature Golf Day in May)
Monterrey Jazz Festival -- Monterrey, CA, US (55th Annual; through Sunday)
National Pecan Cookie Day
National Tradesmen Day -- US
National POW/MIA Recognition Day -- US
New Hampshire Highland Games -- Loon Mountain, Lincoln, NH, US (everything highlands you can think of, and those of Scottish descent can even look up their clan connections; through Sunday)
Osage River Mountain Man Festival and Black Powder Shoot -- Lake Ozark, MO, US (reenactment of a pre-1840s wilderness rendezvous; through Sunday)
Seven Sweets and Sours Festival -- Intercourse, PA, US (celebrating all the flavors of fall, and pumpkin bowling; through tomorrow)
St. Matthew the Evangelist's Day (Patron of accountants, bankers, bookkeepers, customs officers, financial officers, guards, money managers, security forces, security guards, stock brokers, tax collectors; Salerno, Italy; Trier, Germany; Villa d'Ogna, Italy)
Student's Day and Spring Day -- Argentina
Throw Away Something Day -- you have the internet's permission to get rid of that hideous gift; if you can't bring yourself to throw it out, donate it
World Alzheimer's Day
World Gratitude Day
Birthdays Today:
Faith Hill, 1967
Darva Conger, 1965
Rob Morrow, 1962
David James Elliot, 1960
Dave Coulier, 1959
Bill Murray, 1950
Stephen King, 1947
Henry Gibson, 1935
Leonard Cohen, 1934
Larry Hagman, 1931
Chuck Jones, 1912
H.G. Wells, 1866
Maurice Barrymore, 1849 (family patriarch)
Today in History:
Richard the Lionheart captured, 1192
Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa orders Jews of Holland to wear a badge, 1451
John and Nicolaas van der Heyden patent a fire extinguisher, 1677
Nathan Hale arrested for spying, 1776
The Pennsylvania Packet & Daily Advertiser becomes the first successful US daily newspaper, 1784
Joseph Smith, Jr. claims that the Angel Moroni gives him the gold plates from which he translates the Book of Mormon, 1827
The Duryea Motor Wagon Company becomes the first auto manufacturer, 1895
"Kit Carson", the first cowboy film, premiers in the US, 1903
Publication of Tolkien's "The Hobbit", 1937
Bahrain, Bhutan and Qatar join the United Nations, 1971
Sandra Day O'Connor is unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate as the first female US Supreme Court justice, 1981
Brunei joins the United Nations, 1984
Deep Space 1 flies within 2,200 km of Comet Borrelly, 2001
The Galileo mission is terminated by sending the probe into Jupiter's atmosphere, 2003
Woke up Thursday morning to find out that #2 Son had not, in fact, cleaned the library, and that there were 5 loads of laundry backed up from the rain instead of 3, since the cats had again baptized Bigger Girl's bed when her back was turned and she had left the tarp off.
With a concerted effort we got most of it done, including all the litter boxes totally changed out and my van cleaned out some. The laundry is going to stay piled up, clean and dry, until i can get a group of volunteers to climb that mountain.
After dropping off the kids at school, i headed to NOLA to the airport to pick up WSS. When i got there, i about panicked when i parked, grabbed the piece of paper with her flight number and phone number on it and the peel from the banana i had snacked on, and accidentally threw the paper away with the peel. Had to go back to that trash can to find it.
It all worked out, WSS is here safely, and we drove home with no more than the usual nuttiness on the interstate.
At home, we set up the cot with the air mattress and pillow and cooked supper, and i got a surprise message from Daye, whom we hadn't heard from in a while. She decided, last minute, to work everything out and come down.
Altogether, a pleasant evening, to make up for the hectic morning.
Today is:
Birthday of the Sun -- Inca (date approximate; a few days before the Autumn
Equinox, all fires, including that at the Temple of the Sun, were
extinguished and 3 days later ceremonially relighted using only glass to
concentrate the sunlight on cotton; followed by 8 days of feasting)
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 10, Disarmament (sponsored by We, the World)
Feast of Orlog -- Scandinavian Deity of Destiny (date approximate)
Feast of Zywie -- Poland (goddess of longevity and health; date approximate)
Genesia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival to honor the dead, especially those who died in wars)
National Rum Punch Day
National Youth Day -- Thailand
Okuma-kabuto Festival -- Nakajima, Japan (Noto Peninsula's top autumn festival)
Paryushana Parva -- Jain (8-day festival signifying human emergence into new spiritual and moral refinement; through the 29th)
Rishi Panchami -- Nepal (another holiday only for female employees, and again, i haven't been able to find out why or exactly what it means)
St. Eustace's Day (Patron of difficult situations, fire prevention, firefighters, hunters, torture victims, trappers; Madrid, Spain; Poli, Italy; against fire and torture)
Birthdays Today:
Taro Aso, 1940
Sophia Loren, 1934
Anne Meara, 1929
Dr. Joyce Brothers, 1928
Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, 1890
Upton Sinclair, 1878
Rama V, King of Thailand, 1853 (eldest son taught by Anna, of "The King and I" fame)
Emperor Takakura of Japan, 1161
Today in History:
Atilla the Hun defeated at Chalons-sur-Marne by General Aetius, 451
Saladin begins the siege of Jerusalem, 1187
Ferdinand Magellan sets sail from Sanlúcar de Barrameda with about 270 men on his expedition to circumnavigate the globe, 1519
Galileo Galilei is tried before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun, 1633
Maryland passes the first "anti-amalgamation" law to stop English women from marrying black men, 1664
The Negro Convention of Free Men agrees to boycott slave-produced goods, 1830
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is created, 1848
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends with the recapture of Delhi by troops loyal to the East India Company, 1857
The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, 1891
The Otis Elevator Company unveils the first escalator at the Paris Exposition, 1900
Cunard Line's RMS Mauretania is launched, 1906
The first Cannes Film Festival is held, 1946
James Meredith, an African-American, is temporarily barred from entering the University of Mississippi, 1962
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 is launched, 1967
Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in The Battle of the Sexes tennis match, 1973
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam joins the UN, 1977
Walt Disney World hosts its 200 millionth guest, 1985
U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on terror", 2001
The US Military ends its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, 2011
The last minute stuff is getting done somehow. Some of it, anyway.
What isn't done, well, i tried. The rain delayed the laundry, but because it came already, it looks like we will have plenty of nice weather the rest of the week and into next.
Meanwhile, #2 Son doesn't have much time to get his junk out of the library. The girls have done a great job with the den, where none of us will be, probably.
The library, right next to the kitchen, will be where most of us hang out, i'm sure.
"No matter where i serve my guests, it seems they like my kitchen best!"
There are paper products available, so if most of the cups and bowls disappear (actually, i only have 4 bowls left!), we will get through it.
This morning will be spent getting an air mattress, and changing out all the litter boxes (again) among other things. This afternoon, i go pick up one friend from the airport.
Bigger Girl is having breakfast with Grandpa, and he will probably be calling me to ask what in the world is going on around here.
Wait until he hears my "retreat" this year is at my house. This could get fun.
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Chile
Chelsea Antique Fair -- Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, England (through Sunday)
Cosmetic Bridge Day -- seems internet generated, but i'm sure your dentist will approve
Day of the First Appearance of the Slovak National Council -- Slovakia
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 9, Freedom (sponsored by We, the World)
Ganesha Chaturthi -- Hindu (festival to honor the god of prosperity, prudence, and success)
Independence Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis(1983)
International Talk Like a Pirate Day -- www.talklikeapirate.com
Jubilee of the Moth Moons -- Fairy Calendar
National Butterscotch Pudding Day
Petit Jean Fall Antique Auto Swap Meet -- Morrilton, AR, US (swap meet and the Museum of Automobiles; through Saturday)
St. Januarius of Naples' Day (a/k/a Gennaro of Naples; Patron of blood banks; Naples, Italy; against volcanic eruption) related observance
Feast of San Gennaro -- NYC, NY, US (began on the 13th, continues to the 23rd; one of the highlights of the festival is this, the actual Saint's day)
Women's Suffrage Day -- New Zealand
Birthdays Today:
Jimmy Fallon, 1974
Jim Abbot, 1967
Trisha Yearwood, 1964
Joan Lunden, 1950
Leslie "Twiggy" Lawson, 1949
Jeremy Irons, 1948
Randolph Mantooth, 1945
"Mama" Cass Elliot, 1941
Bill Medley, 1940
Paul Williams, 1940
David McCallum, 1933
Adam West, 1928
Duke Snider, 1926
Joseph Pasternak, 1901
Today in History:
Edward, the Black Prince, commands the forces which defeat the French army and capture France's King John II, 1356
Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem Witch Trials, 1692
The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the US, 1778
Ephraim Morris patents the railroad brake, 1838
Bond and Lassell discover Hyperion, moon of Saturn, 1848
New Zealand becomes the first country to grant all of its women the right to vote, 1893
Funeral of assassinated President William McKinley, 1901
Mickey Mouse makes his screen debut as Steamboat Willie, at the Colony Theater in NYC, 1928
The Council of Europe is founded following a speech by Winston Churchill at the University of Zurich, 1946
Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland, 1959
Betty and Barney Hill claim that they saw a mysterious craft in the sky and that it tried to abduct them, 1961
The Solomon Islands join the United Nations, 1978
Scott Fahlman posts the first documented emoticons :-) and :-( on the Carnegie Mellon University Bulletin Board System, 1982
Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by German tourists, 1991
The BP oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was declared “effectively dead” by retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the government’s point man on the blowout disaster, 2010
Plans are being made. Personal messages being sent, and lots of messages on the board.
There are schedules being bandied about, and my brain is going haywire. It will be worked out, though.
Less certain is whether my home is habitable for overnight guests. The hot water heater is going wonky, and i haven't been able to do the amount of cleaning i wanted. If i have to, i will pay for those who wanted to stay here to have a hotel room. (Yes, i squirreled away a little bit for such a contingency.)
Meanwhile, #1 Son is still in town, doing lots of final stuff. We now have the license plates transferred, and he will finally get that A/C working tomorrow.
Oh, and while i'm going crazy trying to get it all done, the campus was evacuated because of a bomb threat. Sweetie was home most of the day yesterday.
If he retires and just stays home, i will commit hari kiri. He will have to find something to do with his time besides follow me around all day.
Today is:
Ear Wig Fitting Day -- Fairy Calendar
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 8, Human Rights (sponsored by We, the World)
Hari Taika (Teej) -- Nepal (a public holiday for female employees only, and i can't find an English explanation of why and what it means, but i will keep looking)
Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day
Independence Day -- Chile
National Cheeseburger Day
National Respect! Day(sm) -- US (encouraging abused women to respect themselves enough to get out)
Plataia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)
Opening of Parliament -- Netherlands (holiday in The Hague)related observance
Prinsjesdag -- Netherlands (technically translates "Prince's Day;" the day Parliament opens and the reigning sovereign, now Queen Beatrix, gives the Speech from the Throne and the Minister of Finance proposes next year's budget)
St. Joseph of Cupertino's Day (Levitating saint, and so Patron of air crews, air travelers, astronauts, paratroopers, pilots/aviators, students, test takers; Cupertino, Italy)
World Water Monitoring Day -- International
Anniversaries Today:
Hull House opens, 1889
Constantine II of Greece marries Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, 1964
Birthdays Today:
Lance Armstrong, 1971
James Gandolfini, 1961
Ryne Sandberg, 1959
Frankie Avalon, 1939
Robert Blake, 1933
June Foray, 1920
Jack Warden, 1920
Greta Garbo, 1905
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, 1905
Samuel Johnson, 1709
Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, Emperor Trajan, 53
Today in History:
Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his 4th and final voyage, 1502
Ft. Ticonderoga, NY opens, 1755
The British capture Quebec City, 1759
John Harris builds the first spinet piano in the US, 1769
President Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building, 1793
Royal Opera House in London opens, 1809
A horse beats the first US made locomotive, near Baltimore, 1830
Tiffany and Co. (first named Tiffany & Young) is founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young in New York City; the store is called a "stationery and fancy goods emporium", 1837
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is first published, 1842
First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which later becomes The New York Times, 1851
Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone, 1870
The banking firm of Jay Cooke & Co. in Philadelphia declares bankruptcy, which starts the Panic of 1873 and a severe economic depression, 1873
The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time, 1879
Riots break out in Montreal to protest against compulsory smallpox vaccination, 1885
In appreciation for all she had done for the tribe, Harriet Maxwell Converse, adopted as a member of the Seneca tribe, is made a chief of the Six Nations Tribe at the Tonawanda Reservation, 1891
Daniel David Palmer gives the first chiropractic adjustment, 1895
A typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10,000 people in Hong Kong, 1906
The Irish Home Rule Act becomes law, but is delayed until after World War I, 1914
The Netherlands gives women the right to vote, 1919
The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air, 1927
Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro crossing of the English Channel, 1928
Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the US Senate without completing another senator's term, 1948
Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations, 1960
U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash, 1961
Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations, 1962
The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations, 1973
Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people, 1974
Voyager I takes first photograph of the Earth and the Moon together, 1977
Soyuz 38 carries 2 cosmonauts (including 1 Cuban) to Salyut 6 space station, 1980
Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic, 1984
Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations, 1990
ICANN is formed, 1998
The 72 year run of the soap opera The Guiding Light ends as its final episode is broadcast, 2009
Timmy was very well behaved yesterday, as was Dana (who generally demands a great deal of attention and doesn't want to do what she is told).
From his usual upside-down headstand, when i talked about certain things in the Bible, like miracles, being mysterious, he labeled them "Awkward!" with his trademark grin.
That was an interesting word choice.
And Dana actually got off the swing when the timer went off and her turn was up, without fuss.
So a good class, with lots of running and fun and cinnamon streusel bread and learning about awkward miracles. Sometimes teaching this kind of class is an awkward miracle in itself.
Today begins the final stretch of trying to get this house into some semblance of better order before my guests arrive.
Let's just hope they understand that if there aren't any forks, it's because they are all outdoors or under someone's bed. If the cups are gone, go check in the cars. If the floors look like they haven't been mopped since last month, it's because they haven't been mopped since yesterday and the kittens have been busy.
Also, i need to warn them about driving around here. Streets change names when you cross intersections because the streets used to not be connected there. Little Old Ladies with blue hair and late model vehicles have the right of way at all times. And remember, the Chamber of Commerce considers a trip across town in terrible traffic, which will take a minimum of one hour because you can't get there from here, to be a scenic drive.
Maybe i should just rent a 15 passenger van and take them around myself. After all, our first rule is hold on and pray.
Today is:
Autumn Equinox Festival at Chichen Itza -- beginning today, thousands will gather for the amazing play of light and shadow each evening at sunset through the 27th)
Citizenship Day -- US
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 7, Women (sponsored by We, the World)
Feast of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
International Love Your Files Week -- the week to make sure your filing system is working for you
Keiro no hi -- Japan (Respect for the Aged Day)
National Apple Dumpling Day
National Heroes Day -- Angola
Niketeria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)
Operation Market Garden Remembrance -- Netherlands
Pledge Across America Day -- US (beginning of Constitution Week)
Return of Kelp-Koli Celebration -- Fairy Calendar (under duress, of course)
Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (began at sundown yesterday)
Stigmata of St. Francis' Day
St. Hildegard von Bingen's Day (author of treatises on natural healing and the first musical composer whose biography is known)
St. Lambert's Day (Patron of Middelaar, Netherlands)
VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day -- anniversary of founding in 1914
Woman Road Warrior Day -- to recognize the traveling businesswomen in today's world
Anniversary Today:
The Constitution of the United States is signed, 1787
American Professional Football League (later the NFL) founded (a/k/a the Swallowing Up of Weekends), 1920
Birthdays Today:
Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, 1951
John Ritter, 1948
Ken Kesey, 1935
Anne Bancroft, 1931
Roddy McDowall, 1928
Hank Williams Sr., 1923
Jerry Colonna, 1904
John Willard Marriot, 1900
Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, 1730
Today in History:
The Battle of Thermopylae, fought between 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, and the Achaemenid Empire begins, BC480
Arabs conquer Alexandria, and destroy its library for the last time, 642
Netherlander sailors discover Mauritus, 1598
Massachusetts Bay Colony gets a new charter, 1691
Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain, 1776
US Constitution is adopted by the Philadelphia convention, 1787
Sprinkler system for extinguishing fires is patented by Phillip W. Pratt, 1872
The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality, 1908
The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York to Pasadena, is completed after 82 hours 4 minutes, 1911
The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards
of 2,500 people, the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1928
The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives, 1949
Television is first broadcast in Australia, 1956
Malaysia joins the United Nations, 1957
Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations, 1974
The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, is unveiled by NASA, 1976
The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt, 1978
Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America, 1983
Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations, 1991
The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet, 1991
Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years, 2006
#1 Son came in to visit, see a home team game, and finish up the business with the auto transfer. That involved getting the proof of insurance in his name, and then a trip up to the local mom and pop grocery store to visit the notary public for the act of donation.
In Louisiana, notaries have to take a very long, complicated course and pass it, and can do many of the same things lawyers can do. They can't argue in front of the bar, but they are civil law notaries, commissioned for life, and can do many of the other things you need lawyers to do in other states. That is because back in the day when this was established, some parishes would only have a lawyer or two at the parish seat, and it was up to notaries to take care of legal matters for anyone who couldn't travel that far, or didn't want to. Sort of like us having public school text books, into the 1930s, that showed pictures of paved roads for the kids in the areas of the state that had never seen one.
Yes, it's true. But i digress, again.
So the fact that we can find a notary at the local mom and pop grocery across the highway is a good thing. Thus we went over for the paperwork, with licenses, title, insurance, and etc. in hand. And money. It always involved money.
The very nice notary up there asked what we were in for, and i said transferring title of a car to my son as an act of donation. That means he's not paying me for it, and there's no tax involved in the transaction. He looked up at my son and told him, "You're lucky they are giving it to you."
"Yes, but it's old, 130,000+ miles," he said.
"What's a young guy like you doing with such an old car?" he asked.
"It will do until I can get more settled up in Kansas," #1 Son answered. "Besides, it doesn't matter so much what it looks like if it drives well."
"What in the world is up in Kansas that you are going up there?"
"My new job and my fiancee," he grinned.
"Oh, a girl. You don't ever put her in the back of the car, do you?"
"No," he answered. "Her parents are strict, and I like that."
Besides, i interjected, my kids know i don't want to see any grandkids until there are rings on those fingers.
#1 Son smiled at me and the notary said, "Well, be careful. My wife got pregnant 7 times in the back of my Oldsmobile. Never trust an Oldsmobile. Here, sign this at the yellow x."
After all the signing, he said, "You should get your new title within 2 weeks. If not, come back here and I will redo the paperwork for free. If you wait more than 30 days, I have to charge you the fees again."
"Oh, one more thing," he said. "Be careful up there, tornadoes. And don't forget, stay out of the back seat."
"I will" my son answered.
Maybe he shouldn't drink the water while he's at it. Just in case.
Today is:
Anne Bradstreet Day -- Massachusetts, US (by Proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to honor Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet, who is also recognized as the first published woman poet in the English language)
Biosphere Day -- Noosaville, Australia
Cherokee Strip Day -- Oklahoma, US (anniversary of the last land run, in 1893, which opened Native American land to white settlers)
Collect Rocks Day -- i guess it means besides all the ones in my head
Crown Prince's Birthday -- Tonga
Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 6, Children & Youth (sponsored by We, the World)
Festival for Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Independence Day -- Malaysia(1963); Mexico(1910); Papua New Guinea(1975)
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer -- UN (commemorates the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer)
Martyrs' Day -- Libya
Mayflower Day -- the ship left England on this day
National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day
National Guacamole Day
National Heroes' Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis
National Play-Doh Day -- unofficial; get some anyway and be a kid again for a little while
Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales
Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (begins at sundown)
St. Cornelius' Day (Patron of cattle, domestic animals, earache sufferers, epileptics; Kornelimunster, Germany;against earache, epilepsy, fever, twitching )
St. Cyprian of Carthage's Day (Patron of Algeria, North Africa)
St. Euphemia's Day (Patron of Rovinj, Croatia)
St. Ludmilla's Day (Grandmother of St. "Good King" Winceslaus; Patron of converts, duchesses, widows; Bohemia; Czech Republic; against in-law problems)
Stepfamily Day -- US and others who choose to recognize it (if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live)
Tolkien Week begins
Wife Appreciation Day -- unofficially celebrated the 3rd Sunday in September
Women's Friendship Day -- created by Kappa Delta Sorority, meant to encourage women to celebrate their bonds with friends
Working Parents Day -- internet generated, enjoy if you are a working parent or have a working parent you want to thank
Birthdays Today:
Marc Anthony, 1968
Jennifer Tilly, 1961
David Copperfield, 1956
Mickey Rourke, 1956
Robin Yount, 1955
Ed Begley, Jr., 1949
Peter Falk, 1927
B.B. King, 1925
Lauren Bacall, 1924
Allen Funt, 1914
James Cash Penney, 1875
Hildegard of Bingen, 1098
Today in History:
The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston, 1630
Handel's "The Messiah" premiers in Dublin, 1741
The Great Seal of the United States is used for the first time, 1782
Russians set fire to Moscow shortly after midnight – the city burns down completely days later, 1812
Slavery is abolished in all French Territories, 1848
The Cherokee Strip, in Oklahoma, is opened, making land available to white settlers, 1893
Roald Amundsen discovers the magnetic south pole, 1906
William Durant, carriage-maker, founds General Motors Corp., 1908
Juan Perón is deposed in Argentina, 1955
Malaysia is formed, 1963
Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe join the United Nations, 1975
Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from the trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir, 1976
An earthquake measuring 7.5-7.9 on the Richter scale hits the city of Tabas, Iran killing about 25,000 people, 1978
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations, 1980
The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion, 1987
The Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark, 1992
Denmark elects its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011
