Wordless Wednesday: Food Web

Epic battle, timeless dance, life and death:

The bug stuck in the web was bigger; the spider still won.

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.





Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday

Columbia County Fair -- Chatham, NY, US (be a kid again at the 176th annual fair; through US Labor Day)

La Tomatina -- Buñol, Valencia, Spain (annual citywide food fight festival in which around 30,000 people take to the streets to pelt each other with tomatoes)

Day of Solidarity and Freedom -- Poland (Anniversary of the 1980 August Agreement)

Eat Outside Day -- as long as you won't pass out from the heat

Eleusinia Games -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate; 3 days of games with grain as prizes)

Festal Day -- Order of the Eastern Star

Invent A New Sandwich Day -- spread around the internet like good mayo; go ahead, have fun with this

Independence Day -- Kyrgyzstan(1991); Malaysia (Hari Kebangsaan/Freedom Day, 1957); Trinidad & Tobago(1962)

International Day of Blogs and Bloggers -- www.blogday.org

International Overdose Awareness Day -- prevention and remembrance 

Limba Noastra -- Moldova (Day of Our Language)

Love Litigating Lawyers Day -- yes, G-d tells us to love everybody, even litigation attorneys but He never said doing it would be easy; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

National Trail Mix Day

Nugget Best in the West Rib Cook-Off -- Sparks, NV, US (with rib cookers from across the country competing, this is a rib eater's delight, and even includes a rib-eating contest and free nightly concerts; through Labor Day)

St. Raymond Nonnatus' Day (Patron of babies, childbirth, children, expectant mothers, falsely accused people, infants, midwives, newborn babies, obstetricians, and pregnant women; Baltoa, Dominican Republic; against fever)

Umhlanga -- Swaziland (Reed Dance Public Holiday and final day, culmination of the Reed Dance Celebration begun last week and sponsored by the Royal Family)


Birthdays Today:

Jeff Hardy, 1977
Chris Tucker, 1972
Debbie Gibson, 1970
Glenn Tilbrook, 1957
Edwin Corley Moses, 1955
Richard Gere, 1949
Itzhak Perlman, 1945
Van Morrison, 1945
Jack Thompson, 1940
Marva Collins, 1936
Frank Robinson, 1935
James Coburn, 1928
Buddy Hackett, 1924
G.D. Spradlin, 1920
Alan Jay Lerner, 1918
William Saroyan, 1908
William Shawn, 1907
Arthur Godfrey, 1903
Maria Montessori, 1870


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Alice"(TV), 1976
"The Great Gildersleeve"(Radio), 1941
"The Threepenny Opera/Die Dreigroschenoper"(Play), 1928


Today in History:

Traditional date upon which Ayonwentah (Haiwatha) and Deganawidah (The Great Peacemaker) assist the Iroquois tribes in establishing the Confederation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy, or League of Five Nations), 1142
Lewis and Clark begin their expedition, 1803
A nuts and bolts machine is patented by Micah Rugg, 1842
The first professional football game is played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 1895
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetograph, 1897
Mrs. Adolph Landenburg, a horse rider, debuts the split skirt, 1902
Debut of Foghorn Leghorn, 1946
Solidarity Labor Union forms in Poland, 1980
Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul die in a car crash in Paris, 1997
Stolen on August 22, 2004, Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream is recovered in a raid by Norwegian police, 2006
In Sudan, the People's Liberation Army announces it will demobilize its child soldiers by the end of the year, 2010

Another Of Those Calls No Parent Ever Wants

When the phone rang at 1:47am, i opened my bleary eyes and seriously thought about ignoring it.  Seeing it was from #1 Son, and knowing what was probably coming next, i really wanted to ignore it.

No, i did not ignore it, i answered.  Yes, i'm probably stupid.

"Hey, mom, I'm okay, and I didn't get in a wreck, I didn't hit anything, but my car just completely shut down on the interstate and I don't know why, but I think it might be the starter or the alternator."

Okay, where are you, i'll get there as soon as i can, we can get it towed to Kevin and Lenny's and they can work on it Monday.

"I'm up north at the C exit."

All the way up there?

"Yes, I was -- wait, hold on, a police officer is pulling up behind me."

(Muffled conversation with the officer.)

"Okay, mom, the officer is going to push my car down the C exit."

As i said, i'll be there as soon as i can.

At that point, i hung up and got dressed.  As soon as i could was just over 15 minutes, because of course someone had left the Jalopy almost on empty.

The phone rings again as i'm on my way to the C exit, which is in a part of town where a lot of people won't go in the daytime, much less this time of the night.

"Mom, I've got good news and bad news.  I thought it was the starter or the alternator, which is fine because I can afford to pay for it, but now I realize it's neither of those, and I think I'm just out of gas!"

How did that happen?

"Well, Wayne was behaving like a jerk and getting drunk, and so I wanted to get Darla and her kids to a safe place.  Annie [age 2] and Ben [age 4 months] don't need to be around that, and neither does she, so I took her up to a friend in the next city, and I wasn't paying attention to how much gas I had, and I think I'm just totally out of gas."

That's a good thing, actually, because we can deal with that, and it means we don't have to figure out how to play musical cars tomorrow.

Upon my arrival to the empty parking lot in a bad area of town where he was waiting, the officer who had pushed him to safety pulled up and made sure i was actually his ride.  Thank you, Officer!

He jumped in and we got back on the highway, and realized too late that there was an open gas station at the next exit.  We went closer to town and found an open Circle K, where #1 Son purchased a one gallon gas can, and one gallon of gas.  Back up the highway we went, and back to his car.

It was his first time purchasing, filling, or trying to use a gas can.  Think Three Stooges funny, as it was one of the new types that i'd never used before, either, and it took us a while to get the gas into his car.

Blessedly it started right up, and we went straight up to the next highway exit where we had seen the other gas station too late the first time.  #1 Son went in to pay for gas, and the oddest thing happened.  He was pumping the gas, or thought he was, the numbers on the screen of the pump said he was, but no gas was dispensed.  His card had been declined, and i think the reason is the purchase at one Circle K in one part of town of a gas can, then the purchase of one gallon of gas to put in it (two separate transactions), then another attempt to purchase gas at a Circle K in an area further north, and i think the bank's computer freaked out and thought by that algorithm the card had been stolen.

He put the card straight into the pump, typed in our zip code, and it accepted the card and let him get gas.  While doing so, two fights almost broke out, one between two other customers, and another between a customer and the store attendant.  As i noted, this is not the area of town most people want to be in at that time of the night.

Heading back to the highway, we took a wrong turn, came back around, and finally got sorted out and back to the house.

Once there, he couldn't find his phone.  His new phone.  His brand new $749 plus tax iPhone that he had just bought two days before.

While we tore the car apart, he fumed, "Is this G-d's way of telling me I need to pay more attention to Him!"

Well, son, i won't tell you turning to The Lord will solve all of your problems, but it might make a lot of them easier to deal with.

He found the phone, finally, half way under his seat, in one of those places you can barely reach.

If you want to know why i had such a bad headache Sunday, that's why.



Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Touch a Heart Tuesday

Chatter Champion Announced -- Fairy Calendar

Constitution Day -- Kazakhstan

Day of Satisfying the Hearts of the Ennead (Nine Major Gods) -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of Charisteria -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a day to give thanks)

Frankenstein Day -- in honor of Mary Shelley (Interesting, when juxtaposed to the next entry.)

Huey P. Long Day -- Louisiana, US

International Day of the Disappeared -- Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of Detained-Disappeared

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances -- UN

International Whale Shark Day -- WiseOceans has more information

National Holistic Pet Day -- celebrating the growing interest in natural/holistic medicine for animals

National Toasted Marshmallow Day

Popular Consultation Day -- East Timor

Santa Rosa de Lima -- Peru

St. Fiacre's Day (Patron of box makers, cab drivers, costermongers, florists, gardeners, hosiers, pewterers, taxi drivers, tile makers; against barrenness, fistula, haemorrhoids, piles, sterility, syphilis, venereal disease)

Talk Intelligently Day -- holiday thought up by someone tired of non-intelligent conversations (maybe with co-workers?)

Victory Day -- North Cyprus; Turkey
     Turkey's Hellespont Swim -- one of the world's busiest shipping lanes is closed so that over 300 participants can swim the Hellespont from Europe to Asia, a Victory Day commemoration of winning the Turkish War of Independence in 1922 against the Greeks


Anniversary Today:

Roman Polanski marries Emmanuelle Seigner, 1989


Birthdays Today:

Cameron Diaz, 1972
Michael Michele, 1966
Michael Chiklis, 1963
David Paymer, 1954
Timothy Bottoms, 1951
Lewis Black, 1948
Peggy Lipton, 1947
Frank "Tug" McGraw, 1944
Jean-Claude Killy, 1943
Elizabeth Ashley, 1939
Warren Buffett, 1930
Kitty Wells, 1919
Ted Williams, 1918
Fred MacMurray, 1908
Roy Wilkins, 1901
Shirley Booth, 1898
Huey P. Long, 1893
Claire Straith, M.D., 1891
Ernest Rutherford, 1871
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, 1797


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Anna Lucasta"(Play), 1944


Today in History:

European leaders, in an attempt to end war "for all time", outlaw the crossbow, 1146
One of the largest naval battles in history, during the last decade of the ailing, Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty, begins between the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders, 1363
Capture of the entire Dutch fleet by British forces under the command of Sir Ralph Abercromby and Admiral Sir Charles Mitchell, 1799
Founding of Melbourne, Australian, 1835
Founding of Houston, Texas, 1836
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in south Louisiana, the longest bridge over water (continuous, not aggregate) that is not also a viaduct, opens, 1956
The Hotline between the leaders of the U.S.A. and the Soviet Union goes into operation, 1963
Thurgood Marshall is confirmed as the first African American Justice of the United States Supreme Court, 1967
Guion Bluford becomes the first African American astronaut in space, 1983
NATO launches Operation Deliberate Force against Bosnian Serb forces, 1995
A commercial expedition to raise part of the sunken British luxury liner Titanic ended in failure, 1996
Harley-Davidson celebrates its 100th anniversary in Milwaukee with a parade of 10,000 motorcycles, 2003
India and Pakistan agree to release hundreds of fishermen and other civilians in each other's jails as part of their ongoing attempts to negotiate peace between their nations, 2005
Sumatra's Sinaburg volcano continues to erupt, two people are killed and 21,000 are evacuated from the vicinity, 2010
In Chile, 33 miners trapped half a mile beneath the surface make contact with their families for the first time in three weeks since the incidentally, 2010

Awww Monday: Poor Pepe!

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

Pepe has one weakness -- cat food.  He gets as close as he dares when the cats are eating, and eyes them longingly.

Pepe always looks so longingly at the cat food!

Today is:

According to Hoyle Day -- death anniversary of Edmond Hoyle

Araw ng mga Bayahi -- Philippines (National Heroes' Day)

August / Summer Bank Holiday -- UK

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Motorist Consideration Monday

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

Chop Suey Day

Day of Loose Talk -- Fairy Calendar

Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist (Patron of baptism, bird dealers, converts, convulsive children, cutters, epileptics, farmers, French Canadians, lambs, monastic life, motorways, printers, tailors; over 70 cities and countries around the world; against convulsions, epilepsy, hail and hailstorms, spasms)
     Head Day -- Iceland (a weather omen day; whatever today's weather, it will stay the same for at least 3 weeks)

Individual Rights Day -- on the birth anniversary of John Locke, the first philosopher to argue that a human being has basic rights based on his status as a sovereign human being, and that people are not slaves of their government, but their human rights should be protected by government

International Day Against Nuclear Testing -- UN

Judgment Day -- according to "The Terminator"

Lemon Juice Day

Liberation Day -- Hong Kong (from Japan in 1945; no longer an official holiday, but still acknowledged by many)

More Herbs, Less Salt Day

National Old-Time Country, Folk, and Bluegrass Music Festival -- LeMars, IA, US (largest and oldest festival devoted to rural music, arts, and crafts; through Sept. 4)

National Sarcoidosis Awareness Day -- US (by presidential proclamation in 1991)

Ould Lammas Fair -- Ballycastle, Co. Antrim, Ireland (claims to be Ireland's oldest festival; through tomorrow)

Runic Half-Month Rad begins (Motion)

Slovak National Uprising Anniversary -- Slovakia

St. Medericus' Day (also called Saint-Merri or St. Merry, acclaimed as the Patron of the Right Bank of the Seine River in Paris)


Birthdays Today:

Lea Michele, 1986
Rebecca De Mornay, 1962
Mark Morris, 1956
Michael Jackson, 1958
`Richard Gere, 1949
Robin Leach, 1941
William Friedkin, 1939
Elliot Gould, 1938
John McCain, 1936
Richard Attenborough, 1923
Charlie "Bird" Parker, 1920
Isabel Sanford, 1917
Ingrid Bergman, 1915
Preston Sturges, 1898
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., 1809
John Locke, 1632


Today in History

Era of Diocletian (Martyrs), the last major time of persecution for the early Christian churches, begins with Gen. Gaius Aurelius V Diocletianus Jovius becoming emperor of Rome, 284
Japan mints its first copper coins, 708
The last Incan King of Peru, Atahualpa, is executed by order of Francisco Pizarro, 1533
The first Indian "reservation" is formed by the New Jersey Legislature, 1758
Michael Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction, 1831
The United Kingdom legislates the abolition of slavery in its empire, 1833
Treaty of Nanking signing ends the First Opium War, 1842
The first motorcycle is patented in Germany by Gottlieb Daimler, 1885
The chef of a visiting Chinese Ambassador invents "chop suey" in NYC, 1896
The Goodyear Tire Company is founded, 1898
The Quebec Bridge collapses during construction, killing 75 workers, 1907
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of northeastern California, 1911
The Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, 1949
Speedy Gonzales makes his debut, 1953
The Beatles perform their last concert before paying fans at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, 1966
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspends all activities of the Soviet Communist Party, 1991
Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast, 2005
Sumatra's Sinabung volcano erupts for the first time in 400 years, killing one and causing Indonesia to evacuate thousands of people, 2010
London holds the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, 2012
Austrian researchers announce they successfully grew 'cerebral organoids' or mini-brains, containing several distinct regions of the brain; the mini-brains will help scientists understand how brains develop, and what causes schizophrenia and autism, 2013

Silly Sunday: Of Beaters and Jalopies

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs.  The rules are simple, just have fun.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other bloggers and have a laugh or two in the process.

Here is how it works: Laugh and Link Up!

1. Post a joke.
2. Link Up with the URL to your joke in the Linky Tools Widget.
3. Read my joke.
4. Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
5. Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.
6. Go to Sandee's site, linked above, and get the Silly Sunday

Yesterday i again found myself sitting in Kevin and Lenny's shop, waiting for a diagnosis on the Jalopy.  She needs tie rods and tires, and an alignment while they are at it.  This will be done on Wednesday.

While in there, a gentleman came to the counter and said, "My car's two right tires are slowly leaking air.  My wife says I am slowly leaking air, too, but she will take care of me herself!"  As we laughed, he explained this was his "beater" car, so he wanted the tires patched if possible.

One time Boudreaux be out in his pirogue, givin' a tour to a man from Texas who be on vacation.  Boudreaux be showin' him de swamps an' de bayous, de allimagators an' de snakes, an' he take de man by his own house.  He tell de man from Texas, "Dat be my place!  I done built it myself, like we been doin' here since de Cajuns come to de swamps, wit' de bousillage.  An' next dat be where I grow my garden!  See how I gots me okra an' tomatoes an' peppers an' all kind stuff, growin' right here!"

The man from Texas said, "Is that all of your land?" an' Boudreaux say wit' pride, "Dat all de way to dat ol' oak way over dere be my land!  An' dis be where I catch me my fish an' alligators, an' over on dat side be where I go hunt rabbit an' possum an' squirrel."

The visitor, who was very wealthy, bragged, "If I get up in the morning and get in my car, and I start driving, by nightfall I still will not have made it to the other side of my land!"

"Mais, I know jes' what you mean!" Boudreaux say wit' a sigh.  "I done had me a car like dat once, too!"

Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week: Sacrifice Our Wants For others Needs Sunday

Birthday of Nephthys -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Burning Man 2016 -- Black Rock Desert, NV, US (through Sept. 5; a radical way to celebrate the arts through desert survival and building a 50-foot statue to be burned)

Crackers Over the Keyboard Day -- internet generated: are we supposed to go crackers over our keyboard, or tempt fate by eating crackers over our keyboard?

Festival for Luna -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Festival for Sol -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Go Topless Day -- US (on the Sunday closest to  Women's Equality Day, Aug. 26, stand up for women's right to go topless in public)http://gotopless.org/gotopless-day

Mariamoba -- Georgia (Assumption of the Virgin, celebrated based on the Julian Calendar followed by many Orthodox Churches)

National Cheese Sacrifice Day (Now you know why you purchased the cheese for the sacrifice! To let it age properly before the actual sacrifice. Still doesn't answer why we sacrifice it, anyway, or to whom.)

National Cherry Turnover Day

National Bow Tie Day -- US, as per Bow Tie Aficionado  (may i suggest bow tie pasta for dinner?)

Notting Hill Carnival -- Notting Hill, London, UK (through tomorrow's August Bank Holiday Monday, the 2nd largest street festival in the world)

Pony Express Festival -- Hollenberg Pony Express Station, Hanover, KS, US (reenacting life in the 1860's, including a real Pony Express ride)

Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day -- Wellcat Holidays suggests this to pep yourself up as you wait for things to come up on the screen 

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day -- taking time out to remember the pets that are gone but not forgotten

Radio Commercials Day -- the first paid radio commercial was broadcast over WEAF of New York on this day in 1921

St. Augustine of Hippo's Day (Patron of brewers, printers, theologians; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Carpineto Romano, Italy; Ida, Philippines; Isleta Indian Pueblo; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Ponte Nizza, Italy; Saint Augustine, Florida; Superior, Wisconsin; Tucson, Arizona; Valletta, Malta; against sore eyes)

St. Hermes of Rome's Day (Patron of Acquapendente, Italy; Forte dei Marmi, Lucca, Italy)

Subway Day -- this date in 1965, 17-year-old Fred DeLuca opened what became the first Subway Sandwich Shop


Birthdays Today

LeAnn Rimes, 1982
Jack Black, 1969
Jason Priestley, 1969
Shania Twain, 1965
Emma Samms, 1960
Scott Hamilton, 1958
Daniel Stern, 1957
Rick Rossovich, 1957
David Soul, 1946
Lou Piniella, 1943
Paul Martin, 1938
Donald O'Connor, 1925
Ben Gazzara, 1930
Roger Tory Peterson, 1908
Charles Boyer, 1899
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
Elizabeth Ann Seton, 1774
Johann von Goethe, 1749


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Lohengrin"(Opera), 1850


Today in History

The Third Crusade begins with the seige of Acre, 1189
6,000 Jews are killed in Mainz, accused of being the cause of the plague, 1349
St. Augustine, FL, founded, making it the oldest continuously occupied European city and port in the US, 1565
Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay, 1609
William Herschel discovers a new moon of Saturn, 1789
The first steam locomotive in the US, the "Tom Thumb", runs from Baltimore to Ellicotts Mill, 1830
The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published, 1845
The United States takes possession of the, at this point unoccupied, Midway Atoll, 1867
Caleb Bradham renames his carbonated soft drink "Pepsi-Cola", 1898
James E. Casey begins the United Parcel Service in Seattle, WA, 1907
WEAF in NYC airs the very first radio commercial, for Queensboro Realty, at a cost of $100 for ten minutes, 1922
Toyota Motors becomes an independent company, 1937
Nippon Television broadcasts Japan's first tv show and ad, 1953
Motown releases what would be its first #1 hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes, 1961
Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech; Emily Hoffert and Janice Wylie are murdered in their Manhattan flat, prompting the events that would lead to the passing of the Miranda Rights, 1963
The National Centers for Disease Control announce a high incidence of pneumocystis and Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men; these will soon be recognized as symptoms of an immune disorder, which will be called AIDS, 1981
Iraq declares Kuwait to be its newest province, 1990
Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales divorce, 1996
An electric blackout leaves 500,000 + without power and shuts down 60% of London's Underground, 2003
Hurricane Katrina begins to make landfall on the Gulf of Mexico, 2005
Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Special Envoy to Syria, says international law states that any action in response to Syria's use of chemical weapons must be decided by the UN Security Council, 2013

Back in Business

#1 Son's phone was as bad off as #2 Son's was a while back, as in, totally useless.  The only difference is that #1 Son didn't spill chocolate milk on his.  Because he relies on the GPS to get deliveries made for work, a new phone had become a necessity.

That always means a trip to the AT&T store, which can sometimes mean a long wait in line.  We were blessed this time, there was someone available to help right away.

He picked out his new phone, and i brought up the trouble i was having setting up my voice mail (our voice mailboxes were erased when they reset everything after the flood) and how i could suddenly no longer send pictures on my phone.

Since #1 Son was buying a nice, new phone, which means a nice, new commission for the rep helping us, she figured out what was wrong with my phone and got it working again, and told me how to get voice mail back.  (That advice did not work with the "spare" phone, the one we now use as our home phone numbers, but that's okay.)

Our only trouble was getting home to find out that the new phone had no service.  Something happened, so we went back and got it taken care of by the same nice lady.  She was very apologetic, in fact, although i told her i can't blame her, technology is sometimes a pain in the you-know-what that way.

And what's wrong with my phone?  It's old, that's what's wrong.  But it works again, although differently now, it wants to download the pictures instead of just displaying them as part of the text message.  This i can live with.

It means, also, i get to post a couple of pictures i've been wanting to post, but couldn't, because i couldn't send them to my email and get them into my web albums.  Here they are:

Post-flood, after you've removed the ruined drywall.

Our shelter celebrates 10,000 cat adoptions!

Today is:

Banana Lover's Day

Bartletide -- West Witton, Yorkshire Dales, UK (a/k/a Burning Bartle, a ceremony in which a straw effigy of Owd Bartle, a sheep thief of yore, is paraded, then burned after sunset, as a warning to the light fingered; always on the Saturday nearest St. Bartholomew's Day, which is August 24)

Be Kind to Humankind Week: Speak Kind Words Saturday

Birthday of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Corvette Crossroads Auto Show -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (show that includes a Corvette parade across the Mackinaw Bridge; through tomorrow)

Country Fair and Auction -- McHenry, MD, US (sponsored by the local Mennonite churches, a good old-fashioned time of family fun)

Day Sacred to Consus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of graineries, horses, and mules)

De Ducasse -- Ath, Belgium (Giants of Ath Festival or Wedding of the Giants, a celebration since medieval times in which "Goliath" marries, then goes to do battle with David; through tomorrow)

Feast Day of Pan -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Feast of Incandescent Rebellion -- on lots of websites, and supposedly something celebrated in China, but no detail as to what it is really celebrating

Hotter 'n H*ll Hundred Bike Race -- Wichita Falls, TX, US (cyclists of all ages in the largest sanctioned century ride in the US, in the Texas summer heat)

International Bat Night -- through tomorrow, go enjoy these wonderful creatures; www.eurobats.org or www.batcon.org

Just Because Day -- internet generated, enjoy something ordinary you like to do, just because!

Koenji Awa Odori Festival -- Suginami City, Tokyo, Japan (thousands dance in the streets, through tomorrow)

National Pots de Creme Day

Petroleum Day -- on the anniversary of the opening of the first commercial oil well in Titusvilla, PA, US, in 1859, a day set aside to work on figuring out how to do without petroleum

Schemitzun(Green Corn Pow Wow) -- Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation (through tomorrow, Pow Wow and presentations of Native heritage to all)

Sheep Market Fair -- Ho, Denmark (annual sheep market and family fair; through Sunday)

Sidewalk Art Festival -- Portland, ME, US

St. Caesarius' Day (Patron against fire)

St. Monica's Day (Mother of St. Augustine; Patron of abuse victims, alcoholics, difficult marriages, disappointing children, homemakers, married women, mothers, victims of adultery and unfaithfulness, victims of verbal abuse, widows, wives; Bevilacqua, Italy; Mabini, Bohol, Philippines)

"The Duchess" Who Wasn't Day -- birthday of Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, who wrote under the pseudonym "The Duchess" and first said, "Beaty is in the eye of the beholder" in her novel, Molly Bawn

Threethousandth Thnork of the Year -- Fairy Calendar

Usuki Stone Buddhas Fire Festival -- Usuki, Japan (torchlight at twilight lights the regions mysterious Buddha statues; includes a beach party!)

Volturnalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of water)

Ziua Republicii -- Moldova (Independence Day, 1991)


Birthdays Today

Sarah Chalke, 1976
Chandra Wilson, 1969
Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens, 1952
Barbara Bach, 1947
Tuesday Weld, 1943
Tommy Sands, 1937
Martha Raye, 1916
Mother Teresa, 1910
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1908
C.S. Forester, 1899
Samuel Goldwyn, 1882
Theodore Dreiser, 1871
Charles Gates Dawes, 1865
Hannibal Hamlin, 1809


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Sex! with Dr. Ruth Westheimer"(TV), 1984
Mary Poppins(Disney film), 1964
"Prométhée/Prometheus"(Fauré tragédie lyrique), 1900



Today in History

The Persian invasion of Greece is halted with Greek victories in two separate battles, BC479
Koreans battle and prevent Japanese invasion, 663
The first unmanned hydrogen balloom flight reaching 900 m altitude, 1783
Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well, 1859
The shortest war in world history occurs from 09:00 to 09:45 between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar, 1896
Edgar Rice Burroughs' publishes "Tarzan of the Apes", 1912
First flight of the turbojet-powered Heinkel He 178, the world's first jet aircraft, 1939
The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA, 1962
Turkish military diplomat Colonel Atilla Altikat is shot and killed in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 1982
The Rainbow Bridge, connecting Tokyo's Shibaura and the island of Odaiba, is completed, 1993
Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, 2003
Curiosity, the Mars rover, broadcasts its first audio recording of a human voice from the surface of another planet, 2012

Prima Donna and Missed Comfort Food

Feline Friday is hosted by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is..

1) post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute)
2) go to Steve's page, linked above, then on the menu bar click on the Feline Friday tab to get the code
3) paste the code under your cat picture
4) add your name and link

That’s all there is to it! Be sure to check back every so often and visit all the Feline Friday bloggers. Also, please leave a nice comment on their blogs. Nasty comments will be deleted!

Link, the prima donna:

Yes, these will do nicely.

Okay, now where's my stylist?

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Friendly Fill-Ins are easy to do. There are four statements: the first two statements are provided by Ellen of 15AndMeowing, and the final two are offered by McGuffy Ann Morris of McGuffy's Reader. They try to make sure the statements will be fun to both answer and share. The linky will be posted at or about 12:00 AM on Friday. Please head over to one of their sites, link up, and share your thoughts! 

My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 16: August 26, 2016

1. I wish Kraft would bring back their boxed spaghetti mix called Mild American flavor.  There were times when i was pregnant that was all i could hold down.  The Tangy Italian flavor was too spicy.

2. An act of kindness that i do often is when i'm driving, and i can move into a different lane so someone waiting to turn on the highway can do so a bit sooner, i move over and let them.

3. I still have school year books from my childhood.

4. If i didn't have my big calendar on the side of the refrigerator with all appointments, work assignments, and what's up at church, i'd be completely lost.



Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Forgive Your Foe Friday

Birthday of Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Daffodil Day -- Australia  (the Cancer Council's big fundraiser)

Fiesta La Ballona -- Culver City, CA, US (a tradition since 1951; through Sunday)

First Thnork of the Year -- Fairy Calendar

Heroes Day -- Namibia

Ilmatar Day -- Finland (Water Mother, goddess of the heavens)

Imilchil Marriage Festival -- Imilchil, Morocco (commonly translated as the Marriage Festival, it is more of a Betrothal Festival among the Berber people; a three day whirlwind of speed dating, exotic music, traditional costumes, and romance in which people from small villages can allow their children to find marriage partners from among their own peoples)

Make Your Own Luck Day -- for those who refuse to sit around and wait for it

Mexican Fiesta International -- Milwaukee, WI, US (fun, food, mariachi, and a jalapeño eating contest for the strong of stomach; through Sunday)

Morden Corn and Apple Festival -- Morden, MB, Canada (fun for all, lots of corn and apple cider; through Sunday)

National Cherry Popsicle Day

National Day of Repentance -- Papua New Guinea

National Dog Day -- sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation

St. Adrian of Nicodemia's Day (Patron of butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

Women's Equality Day -- US (commemorates Women's Suffrage)

Yoshida no Hi Matsuri -- Yoshida, Japan (fest to mark the end of Mt. Fuji climbing season; through tomorrow)



Birthdays Today:

Chris Pine, 1980
Macaulay Culkin, 1980
Christopher Burke, 1965
Branford Marsalis, 1960
Ben Bradlee, 1921
Mother Teresa, 1910
Albert Bruce Sabin, 1906
Christopher Isherwood, 1904
Peggy Guggenheim, 1898
Lee de Forest, 1873
Albert "Bertie" von Saksen-Coburg-Gotha, husband of queen Victoria, 1819
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, 1743
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, 1740


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Doubleheader(first MLB games televised), 1939
"Lightnin'"(Play), 1918
"Elijah"(Mendelssohn Op. 70 MWV A25), 1846


Today in History:

Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pieta, 1498
The Pennsylvania Ministerium, the first Lutheran denomination in North America, is founded in Philidelphia, 1748
John Fitch is granted a US patent for his working steamboat, 1791
Charles Thurber patents a typewriter, 1843
The first news dispatch by telegraph is made, 1858
A major eruption of Krakatoa leaves 36,000 dead, 1883
19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the vote, takes effect, 1920
The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, 1939
The USSR announces the first successful test of an ICBM, 1957
The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec, 1977
John Paul I is elected Pope, 1978
The agreement on how to divide the Czech Republic and Slovakia is signed, 1992
Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 2008
Israel requests that Germany arrest Klaas Carel Faber, a Nazi war criminal who killed 20 Jews at Westerbork concentration camp, 2010