Saturday Doings

Another Saturday day, and i'm going to see Grandma -- that's going through my head to the tune of "Another Saturday Night."  Yes, i promise, i won't sing out loud.

We all know Sweetie sings in the church choir, and i help by not singing in the church choir.  No need to thank me for that.

Grandma has two pantry closets, and while she does usually rotate things well, they haven't been thoroughly cleaned out in quite some time.  Today they will get thoroughly cleaned out.

The smaller "bread cupboard" where she keeps some things (but not bread) is also going to be cleared.  At Christmas i peeked in there and saw items that expired a couple of years ago.  Their time is up!

We will also just visit and talk and have lunch together.  This routine of going to see Grandma and Grandpa every other Saturday is doing us all some good.  Grandma gets me to do projects her once a week housekeeper doesn't have time to do, and we can talk and reminisce and just enjoy each other's company.

She will also offer to take me shopping.  Every time i plan one of these trips, she asks me if we need to go buy me anything.  Every time, unless it happens to be my birthday or Christmas and they insist on getting me a gift, the answer is no.  She and Grandpa are generous to a fault, and i don't want to take advantage of that.

There's no way to stop Grandpa from going to Sam's Club and buying some things for me, though.  He does that for my brothers as well.

Getting back to the subject of housekeepers and housekeeping, it's an odd business.  People call me and act as if they are desperate to have my services, and then cancel or won't set an exact date but tell me to call in a week to set up a time.  Then when i do call, they don't answer and don't return the call.

The ones who do follow through most of the time are the older ones, the ones who just can't mop or vacuum or get down to the baseboards like they used to.  Women who can't physically get it all done any more now make up half of my clients, and they all love that i can clean baseboards.
  
Baseboards, by the way, are best dusted often, so they stay easy to clean.  If it's been too long, the dirt gets used to being there and doesn't want to leave.  That's your free housecleaning tip of the day.  Use the vacuum brush attachment at least once a month and, except in the kitchen where cooking grease makes everything harder to clean, you probably will have very nice looking baseboards all of the time.

In other news, today, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, will be coming over to have dinner with Sweetie as he does every Saturday, and i've told them they are on their own, as i'll be out of town most of the day.  Knowing them, they will just go to a local deli and get sandwiches.

Little Girl got the title to her car, and spent quite a bit of time jumping with glee and promising to put it in a safe place, then ran off to talk to Daughter-in-Law Becky and left it sitting on the counter.  For a member of the armed forces and an honor roll student, she is still a Little Girl in many ways.

Whatever you are doing on this Saturday the Fourteenth (which is quite an amusing horror movie spoof, by the way), i hope you enjoy it!

Today is:

Assembly Line Workers' Day -- listed on many sites but no particular reason for it to be this day; then again, why not today?

Ati-Atihan Festival -- Aklan, Kalibo, Panay Island, Philippines (main feast and final day of the vivid religious carnival/feast dating back to the 13th century to honor Santo Nino [Baby Jesus])

Augusta Futurity -- Augusta, GA, US (the top cutting horses and riders in the world to compete for purse and awards; through Saturday)

Azhirnikhua -- Abkhazia (Day of World Creation)

Bikaner Camel Festival -- Bikaner, India (colorful camel activities, including a beauty competition, and fun for people also in this gorgeous fortified desert town; through tomorrow)

Cakes and Ale Day -- emblems of the good life, a day to remember the good things we have, and be grateful

Celebration of the 2nd Week of Moonhopper -- Fairy Calendar

Daikoku Matsuri -- Kanda Myojin Shine, Tokyo, Japan (purification ceremony; through tomorrow)

Day of Defenders of the Native Land (Army Day) -- Uzbekistan

Feast of Divina Pastora -- Barquisimeto, Venezuela (religious procession attended by about 2 million people)

Feast of the Ass -- Medieval Christianity (commemorates the Flight Into Egypt)

International Kite Festival -- Jaipur and Ahmedabad, India

Makar Sandranti -- India/Hindu Calendar (part of the sidereal solstice festivals)

National Dress Up Your Pet Day -- do you really dislike your pet this much?

National Forest Conservation Day -- Thailand

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Niino no Yukimatsuri -- Izu shrine, Niino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (snow festival with offerings made to bring a good harvest in the coming year; through tomorrow)

Organize Your Home Day -- another one that i can't figure out who started it, but i will say s/he was nuts to think this could be done in one day

Orthodox New Year -- RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Serbia

Pongal continues -- Tamil New Year, among the Tamil People (multiple day thanksgiving festival at the end of harvest)
     Tamil Thai Pongal Day -- Sri Lanka
     Maghi Parba/Maghe Sankranti -- Western Nepal

Ratification Day -- US (anniversary of the Treaty of Paris that recognized the independence of the US from England)

Revolution and Youth Day -- Tunisia

Santos Tour Down Under -- Adelaide, Australia (a world class cycling event; through the 22nd)

Sidereal Winter Solstice Celebrations -- throughout South and Southeast Asia

St. Felix of Nola's Day (Patron of domestic animals, eyes; Nola, Italy; against eye diseases, false witness, lies, perjury)

St. Sava's Day (Patron of Serbia and all Serbs)

Take a Missionary to Lunch Day -- to honor Albert Schweitzer's birth anniversary



Anniversaries Today:

Joe DiMaggio marries Marilyn Monroe, 1954


Birthdays Today:

Kristin Cavallari, 1987
Jason Bateman, 1969
Emily Watson, 1967
Shepard Smith, 1964
Steven Soderbergh, 1963
Lawrence Kasdan, 1949
Carl Weathers, 1948
Nina Totenberg, 1944
Holland Taylor, 1943
Faye Dunaway, 1941
Jack Jones, 1938
Andy Rooney, 1919
William Bendix, 1906
John dos Passos, 1896
Hal Roach, 1892
Hugh Lofting, 1886
Albert Schweitzer, 1875
Thornton W. Burgess, 1874
Richard Felton Outcault, 1863
Matthew Fontaine Maury, 1806
Benedict Arnold, 1741


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Bionic Woman"(TV), 1976
"Sanford and Son"(TV), 1972
"Sinfonia Antartica"(Vaughan Williams' 7th symphony), 1953
"Today Show"(TV), 1952
"Tosca"(Puccini Opera), 1900


Today in History:

The Knights Templar are formally approved by the Roman Catholic Church, 1129
Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery, 1514
Spain annexes Cuba, 1539
The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut, 1639
Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly accusing "witches", 1699
Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War, 1783
The US Supreme Court rules that racial separation on trains is unconstitutional, 1878
An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills more than 1000, 1907
Henry Ford introduces the assembly line to the production of the Model-T, 1914
The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight, 1950
The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established, 1960
Toronto, Ontario Mayor Mel Lastman becomes the first mayor in Canada to call in the Army to help with emergency medical evacuations and snow removal after more than one meter of snow paralyzes the city, 1999
The national flag of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years, 2004
Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan, 2005
Tunisian President Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia after the Jasmine Revolution, 2012