There's always at least ten things.

After a long week, which included helping one client pack to move as the movers were in the house grabbing it as fast as we got it ready, it's time to stop and count my thankfuls!

Let's start with that client and that situation, i'm glad Sweetie noticed that the movers forgot her safe and that he was there to help me load it into the Jalopy.

She also gave us everything that was left in her refrigerator, which was mostly soft drinks i could bring to rEcess, and i'm thankful for that because it meant i didn't have to buy more.

Speaking of which we had rEcess night last night.  Sweet Erin, the special needs child i'm assigned to assist, always comes to a point in the evening where she is overwhelmed and starts to cry.  Last night, i noticed we had root beer for the volunteers among the soft drinks that were given to us by my client, and i remembered how much Erin loves root beer.  It turns out to be a magic elixir that stops tears.  Now i'm thankful for root beer, and will make sure i always have some available when rEcess starts up again in the fall.

Sweetie braved the terrible traffic (several traffic lights out, most of the city locked up) to bring the meal for the rEcess volunteers, and i can't thank him enough for that.

Grandpa is coming to town to take Bigger Girl, #2 Son, Daughter-in-Law Becky, and Little Girl to a baseball game today, and i am so grateful he is still able to do this, and that they love to go with him.  (The kids, age 19-26, still think Grandma and Grandpa are the coolest people on the planet!)

The first veterinarian visit for well pet check-ups is over, and i'm counting that as a blessing for now (and ignoring that i have to do the rest of the animals next month).

Mangos and avocados.  Best breakfast ever.

My heating pad is one of my best friends, and i'm thankful i found the ones that don't shut themselves off after a certain amount of time at the CVS.  (Packing and moving stuff and then deep cleaning an empty house all in the same day means sore muscles, and heat helps.)

There was a tornado touch-down here yesterday.  It mostly damaged traffic lights, and i'm thankful because it touched down two blocks from the cat shelter, went up a block, jumped over the block the shelter is on, touched down again for a short distance, and was done.  Because of how it happened, the shelter was not only untouched, the electricity there didn't even go out so they didn't even have a chance to check out if the new generator works.  (That's a pleasure we can defer to another day, thankyouverymuch!)

Our generator is in good condition, it was serviced this week, and i'm so glad to know it's good for another year.

Count your blessings, everyone!  It's good for you.  Then list them and come join up at Ten Things of Thankful.

Today is:

Albany Tulip Festival -- Albany, NY, US (celebrate spring and Albany's Dutch heritage; through tomorrow)

Arlington National Cemetary Day -- US (the first serviceman to be interred here was Private William Henry Christman, on this date in 1964

Armed Forces/Amateur Radio Crossband Test Day -- US (today and tomorrow, ham operators and the US military team up to test ham operators ability and expertise in contacting appropriate military radio stations in an emergency) 

Birth Mother's Day -- the day before Mother's Day, for all the women who have made an adoption plan for their babies

Bun Bung Fai (Rocket Festival) -- Yasothon, Thailand (through the 14th, teams compete to build the highest flier, with no regard for safety!)

Celtic Tree Month Huath (hawthorn) commences

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Awareness Day -- shedding light on this rare genetic condition 

Fairy King and Queen Jumping Competition -- Fairy Calendar

Frog Jumping Day -- original date for celebrating Twain's short story

Garland Day -- Abbotsbury, Dorset, England

International Migratory Bird Day -- original date second Saturday in May, but the IMBD organization encourages you to celebrate when birds are migrating in your area; this year's theme is "Stopover Sites:  Helping Birds Along the Way"; one celebration that is on this date:

     International Migratory Bird Celebration -- Chincoteague, VA, US (walks, talks, tours, art, and children's activities, all outdoors with the birds)

Jamestown Day -- Jamestown, Williamsburg, VA, US (special demonstrations and programs for the anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English colony)

King Norodom Sihamoni's Birthday -- Cambodia

Lag B'Omer -- Judaism (begins at sunset)

Lemuralia -- Ancient Roman Empire (third day)

Leprechaun Day -- spread around the internet, presumably by the little people themselves, as since St. Patrick gets a day, so should they!

Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive -- US (place non-perishable food items by your mail box, and help stamp out hunger in your area)

Martin Z. Mollusk Day -- Ocean City, NJ (if the hermit crab sees his shadow, summer comes a week early)

National Apple Pie Day

National Babysitter's Day -- US, giving recognition to the babysitters who make your date nights possible

National Bake Sale Day -- US (recognizing the tradition of raising money and expanding waistlines through the old fashioned bake sale)

National Fruit Cocktail Day

National Miniature Golf Day -- this one should be in every country, mini golf is too much fun to hog!

National Train Day -- US (it used to be a day to explore why trains matter, with events sponsored by Amtrak, but budget cuts mean you have to celebrate this one on your own now)

O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships -- Austin, TX, US (presented by The P.U.N.Y. [Punsters United Nearly Yearly]) 

St Julian of Norwich's Day (Author of what is believed to be the first book written by a woman in the English language, Sixteen Revelations of Divine Love, around 1393)

St. Servatus' Day (3rd Ice Saint, Patron for success; against foot problems, lameness, leg problems, mice, rats, rheumatism, vermin)

Stay Up All Night Night -- as declared by George Mahood of Northampton, England, everyone needs to relive the excitement of staying up late like you always wanted to as a kid at least once a year

Sun Awareness Day -- like Melanoma Monday, a few days back, a day to remember the damage the sun can do to skin and stock up on sunscreen, if you haven't already

Windmill Day -- Netherlands (on the second Saturday of May each year, more than 600 windmills, including many that are now national monuments, are open to the public)

World Belly Dance`Day --  to celebrate the wonderful art of belly dance 

World Fair Trade Day -- sponsored by the World Fair Trade Organization; this year's theme is "Human Chains for Fair Trade and the Planet" 

Birthday Today:

Debby Ryan, 1993

Robert Pattinson, 1986

Samantha Morton, 1977

Darius Rucker, 1968

Darius Rucker, 1966

Stephen Colbert, 1964

Julianne Phillips, 1962

Dennis Rodman, 1961

Frances Barber, 1957

Stevie Wonder, 1950

Bobby Valentine, 1950

Franklyn Ajaye, 1949

Tim Pigott-Smith, 1946

Mary Wells, 1943

Ritchie Valens, 1941

Harvey Keitel, 1939

Beatrice Arthur, 1923

Joe Louis, 1914

Arthur Sullivan, 1842

Maria Theresa, 1717

Debuting/Premiering Today;

Let It Be(Film), 1970

"Paint It Black"(Single release), 1966

"The Pajama Game"(Musical), 1954

Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque for Violoncello and Orchestra (Bloch concerto), 1917

"Apollo et Hyacinthus"(opera, Mozart K 38), 1767

Today in History:

The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother, 1568

A major earthquake in Santiago, Chile, kills 1/3 of the population, 1643

Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England  with eleven ships full of convicts (First Fleet) to establish a penal colony in Australia, 1787

Ecuador  gains its independence from Gran Colombia, 1830

The first performance of Finland's national anthem, 1848

Queen Victoria declares Britain neutral in the US Civil War, 1861

The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, 1861

Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway, 1880

The Royal Flying Corps (now the Royal Air Force) is established in the United Kingdom, 1912

Igor Sikorsky becomes the first man to pilot a four-engine aircraft, 1913

The first commercial FM radio station in the United States (WDRC-FM) is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut, 1939

Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons, 1940

The trade mark Velcro is registered, 1958

The Free Speech Movement is born at UC Berkeley, 1960

Dr. Zakir Hussain becomes the third President  of India and the first Muslim President of Indian Union, 1967

Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike, 1989

Johnny Carson makes his last television appearance on Late Show with David Letterman, 1994

A 33 years old British mother Alison Hargreaves, became the first woman to conquer Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas, 1995

Star Trek: Enterprise broadcasts its final show in the U.S., 2005

Construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge between Romania and Bulgaria begins, 2007

In Belize, a construction company requiring road fill gravel destroys a 2,300 year-old Mayan pyramid, 2013