Saturday, February 24, 2018

Laugh Lessons (Ten Things of Thankful)

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Ten Things of Thankful

Have you read the funny papers lately?

Last week i talked about how i am thankful for the daily newspaper, and i mentioned the funnies, or comics as some call them.  That is my favorite part of a paper, as i can count on a laugh or several while perusing them.

All week i’ve been thinking about the comic strips, old and new, that i enjoy, and i realize i am thankful for lessons learned from what people used to call “the funny papers.”

Thank you, Blondie, for starting your catering business and reminding me that you are never too old to start something new if it’s something you love and are passionate about.

Thank you, Garfield, for showing me that if you keep trying to do the same thing all of the time, you will become nothing but a poor parody of your own former self.

Thank you, Family Circus, for helping me keep my sanity and look for the funny parts in raising children.

Thank you, Baby Blues, for showing the hard parts of child rearing, like the days you just want to hide in bed, with humor, thus helping me get out of that bed and back into the game.

Thank you, Dennis the Menace and Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes, for reminding me, on days when my children did not behave, that it could always be worse.

Thank you, Dilbert, even when my work is hard (like cleaning baseboards with a toothbrush last Thursday!) you make me grateful i do not work in cubicle-land.

Thank you, Beetle Bailey, for showing me that when i get a chance to relax, i need to really stop and relax and enjoy it with relish.

Thank you, Leroy and Loretta of The Lockhorns, and Flo and Andy of Andy Capp, for the lessons in what not to do when you are married!

Thank you, Jump Start, for showing that family should stick by family even when it gets crazy.

Saving the best for last, thank you, Peanuts:  Charlie Brown, for never giving up but always going back to the pitcher’s mound; Lucy, for owning your crabbiness; Linus, for not caring what others thought of your need for a blanket; and Snoopy, for showing me that it’s okay to be Joe Cool, even if only in your own mind.

Our hostess Josie Two Shoes keeps the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, well, hopping!  If you are thankful for a lesson learned from an unlikely place, or anything else, come join the fun.  List your gratitudes and thankfuls and link up.  The more, the merrier!


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Today is:

Amun in the Festival of Raising Heaven -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Bear Tie Ball -- Chicago, IL, US (the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation's black tie fundraiser)

Chinese New Year Parade -- San Francisco, CA, US (North America's largest Chinese community celebrates the Lunar New Year in style)

Clam Chowder Cook-Off -- Santa Cruz, CA, US (if you love clam chowder of any variety, this is the place for you; through tomorrow)

Dragobete -- Romania (lover's day, and the day birds choose a mate, also considered by locals as the first day of spring)

Flag Day -- Mexico

Giving of Shoes -- Fairy Calendar

Gregorian Calendar Day -- Gregory XIII issued the Papal Bull requiring Roman Catholics to adopt his calendar reform on this day; the effective date of adoption was to be Oct. 4, 1582


Iseseisvuspaev/Independence Day -- Estonia(1918)

Katsuyama Sagicho -- Katsuyama, Japan (Chinese influenced fire festival held the last weekend of every February; large stages are built and decorated, then burned the next day)

National Artist Day -- Thailand

National Tortilla Chip Day

N'cwala -- Zambia (Thanksgiving festival, celebrated with traditional dance, music, and specially brewed beer)

Nylon Toothbrush Day -- the first ones went on sale this date in 1938

Obnoxious Day -- probably started as a joke, the only ones who benefit from this day are the ecard companies

Open That Bottle Night -- time to finally drink that bottle of wine you've been saving for a special occasion; after all, the final Saturday in February only comes once a year (sponsored by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher of The Wall Street Journal)   

Parke County Maple Fair -- Rockville, IN, US (pancake meals, a Covered Bridge Art Assn. show, and more; this weekend and next)

Regifugium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (flight of the king)

Showa-Shinzan International Yukigassen Tournament -- Japan; snowball fighting (yukigassen) at its best, through tomorrow

St. Æthelberht of Kent's Day (first Christian King of the Anglo-Saxons; some have his day listed tomorrow instead)

Swamp Cabbage Festival -- LaBelle, FL, US (also called Hearts of Palm, gear up for two days of food, entertainment, and family fun)



Anniversaries Today:

Hadassah is founded, 1912
Western Washington University is established, 1899
The American University is chartered by an act of the Congress of the United States of America, 1893


Birthdays Today:

Billy Zane, 1966
Kristin Davis, 1965
Eddie Murray, 1956
Paula Zahn, 1956
Steven Jobs, 1955
Alain Prost, 1955
Helen Shaver, 1951
George Thorogood, 1950
Edward James Olmos, 1947
Rupert Holmes, 1947
Barry Bostwick, 1945
Joe Lieberman, 1942
James Farentino, 1938
Renata Scotto, 1937
Michel Legrand, 1932
Mark Lane, 1927
Stephen Hill, 1922
Abe Vigoda, 1921
Chester W. Nimitz, 1885
Honus Wagner, 1874
Winslow Homer, 1836
Wilhelm Karl Grimm, 1786
Ibn Battutah, 1304
Emperor Toba of Japan, 1103


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Peer Gynt"(Play), 1876
"Rinaldo"(HWV 7), 1711
"L'Orfeo"(SV318), 1607


Today in History:

St. Francis of Assisi, age 26, receives his vocation in Portiuncula, Italy, 1208
In the first imperial coronation by a pope,Charles V is crowned by Clement V, 1530
Pope Gregory XIII, by decree, institutes what is now known as the Gregorian Calendar, correcting the older Julian Calendar, 1582
L'Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, one of the first works recognized as an opera, receives its première performance, 1607
The London première of Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel, the first Italian opera written for the London stage, 1711
The US Supreme Court first declares a law unconstitutional (Marbury v Madison), 1803
London's Drury Lane Theatre burns to the ground, leaving owner Richard Brinsley Sheridan destitute, 1804
The Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek, the first removal treaty in accordance with the Indian Removal Act, is proclaimed. The Choctaws in Mississippi cede land east of the river in exchange for payment and land in the West, 1831
William Otis of Pennsylvania patents the steam shovel, 1839
The first parade to have floats is staged at Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, 1868
Andrew Johnson becomes the first President of the United States to be impeached, 1868
The SS Gothenburg hits the Great Barrier Reef and sinks off the Australian east coast, killing approximately 100, including a number of high profile civil servants and dignitaries, 1875
China and Russia sign the Sino-Russian Ili Treaty, 1881
Chicago is selected to host the Columbian Exposition, 1890
Rudolf Diesel receives a patent for the diesel engine, 1893
Hudson Motor Car Company is founded, 1909
National Public Radio is founded in the United States, 1970
The United States Olympic Hockey team completes their Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal, 1980
Buckingham Palace announces the engagement of The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, 1981
A special commission of the U.S. Congress releases a report that condemns the practice of Japanese internment during World War II, 1983
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini offers a USD $3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie, 1989
The last occurrence of February 24 as a leap day in the European Union and for the Roman Catholic Church, 1996*
Japan launches its fourth spy satellite, stepping up its ability to monitor potential threats such as North Korea, 2007
Fidel Castro retires as the President of Cuba after nearly fifty years, 2008
Final launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery, 2011
Pope Francis creates a second Secretariat with the power to audit any Vatican agency at any time, 2014



*The Romans counted Feb. 24 twice in leap years, instead of adding Feb. 29; that continued in many places until 1996

13 comments:

  1. I am familiar with Garfield, Dennis the Menace, Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts! I enjoyed these funnies too!

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  2. The funnies are all just terrific. Nothing better than a good laugh to make your day just right. You all have a good day.

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  3. You continue to make me jealous because you receive an actual paper newspaper. I used to love the comics also.

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  4. You names some great comics there. I used to love the comics too. One of my favorites was Cathy. Don't read them anymore. Bucky Katt is what my old blog was designed about. I loved Bucky Katt.

    Have a fabulous weekend. ♥

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  5. (We all have our favorites... Calvin and Hobbes! best of all comic strips imo)

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  6. Fantastic idea for a list! I loved it. I have read Blondie, Family Circus, & Beetle Bailey for as long as I have been able to read. This just made my day.

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  7. WOW- i think it's great that you are thankful for the funnies- i had forgotten a lot of the ones you mention! thanks for the reminder!

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  8. Thank you so much for this delightful post that brought back so many memories. There were a few that you mentioned that maybe I didn't read, don't remember, or perhaps our paper didn't carry.
    Great TTOT!

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  9. Peanuts is certainly a classic, and one that is loved by all ages!

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  10. I used to love reading the comics every Sunday. It's one of the things I miss now that print newspapers aren't as popular these days.

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  11. That is a great theme for your thankfuls. I like your choices too :)

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  12. I love your posts. You always have a theme and put a wonderful spin on your thankfuls. Peanuts has a lot to teach us all.

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  13. Oh Mimi, you sure took me down memory lane with these. Being the first one to nab the colored comics section of the Sunday newspaper was always pure delight! Papa Bear never fails to read the comics of our online newspaper each night, and often shares the best ones with me. Not only do they make us smile and laugh, but just as you noted, there are life lessons to be learned and reasons to be thankful! You are the absolute best at finding the positives in everything, and I love you for that!! XOXO

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