Feline Friday and Friendly Fill-Ins

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.) 

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

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

This place where we have our vacation is mostly devoid of felines.  Feral cats that end up on the island have to be trapped, fixed, and relocated to other feral colonies, and people are required to keep pet cats indoors to protect some endangered species.

That means no cat pictures from vacation, just one from back home at the shelter:

Yes, we had a pure Abyssinian at the shelter.

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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 Lorianne The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. 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!       

Here are this week's statements with my responses underlined:

1. I hope _________________________ never goes out of business.

2. So far, the highlight of my year has been__________________.

3. _________ takes up too much time.

4. If I didn’t have to sleep, I would spend that extra time _________.

1. I hope my favorite vegan restaurant never goes out of business, even though i don't get to go often.

2. So far, the highlight of my year has been this vacation.

3. Working takes up too much time, unless it's work you love.

4. If I didn’t have to sleep, I would spend that extra time reading.

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Today is:

Bachfest Leipzig -- Leipzig, Germany (celebrating the great composer in the city where he composed some of his best-known works; through the 23rd)

Blues on the Fox -- Aurora, IL, US (celebration of the historical blues recordings made in Aurora, with blues musicians from around the country performing; through tomorrow)

Dulcimer Days -- Coshocton, Ohio, US (enjoy the restored 19th Century Roscoe Village and the charming music of dulcimers; through Sunday)

Family History Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, urging people to brush up on family history during summer family reunions

Feast Day of Elisha the Prophet -- Christian

Fes Musiques Sacrees du Monde -- Fez, Morocco (Fez Festival of World Sacred Music, with all types of sacred music featured, from Spanish gypsy laments to Sufi chanting and everything between; through the 22nd)

Flag Day -- United States

Freedom Day -- Malawi

Fulton County Historical Power Show -- Rochester, IN (featuring tractors, engines, antique power equipment, and food, music, and fun; through Sunday)

Leinapaev -- Estonia (Mourning and Commemoration Day; remembering those deported under Soviet rule)

Liberation Day -- Falkland Islands

Missing Mutts Awareness Day -- to help families whose beloved pets have gone missing, the Missing Mutts Awareness Society was formed; it no longer seems to sponsor a particular day, though its Facebook Page is active    

Mourning and Hope Day -- Lithuania (remembering those exiled to Siberia under the Soviets)

National Bourbon Day -- celebrating America's "Native Spirit"   

National Day of Prayer for Law Enforcement Officers -- on the second Friday of June, sponsored the last couple of years by Wives Behind the Badge 

National Strawberry Shortcake Day

Old Fort Days and Billy the Kid Tombstone Race -- Fort Sumner, NM, US (fun for all, including a rodeo, dance, demonstrations by Native Americans, and a race through an obstacle course carrying an 80lb tombstone! through tomorrow)

Pause for the Pledge Day -- US, in conjunction with Flag Day, all citizens are asked to pause at 7pm EDT to recite the Pledge

Pig Callers' Day -- no clue where this came from, or why; any pig callers out there want to weigh in?

Pop Goes the Weasel Day -- and just as no one knows for sure the origins of the song or it's meaning, no one knows why it is celebrated on this day

Queen's Birthday -- Solomon Islands

Rice Planting Festivals -- Sumiyoshi Shrine, Osaka and Izawanomiya Shrine, Mie Prefecture, Japan (rice planting at sacred fields, some rites date back over 1,700 years)

Rumor Sunday -- Fairy Calendar (usually held on a weekday)

Runic Half-month Dag (day) commences

Sandpaper Day -- Isaac Fisher, Jr., of Vermont, was issued the first US patent for sandpaper on this day in 1834

St. Basil the Great's Day (traditional date in Roman Catholic Church, current date in Episcopal Church; Patron of education, exorcisms, hospital administrators, monks, liturgists, reformers; Cappadocia; Russia)

St. Castora Gabrielli's Day (Patron of difficult marriages, widows)

Texas Folklife Festival -- San Antonio, TX, US (the signature event of the Institute of Texan Cultures; through Sunday)

The Strawberry Festival -- Crawfordsville, IN, US (historic Lane Place hosts three days of fun, and all the city museums are open; through Sunday)

Versailles Poultry Days -- Versailles, OH, US (fun for the whole family, with parades, 5K, and even a Miss Chick contest; through Sunday)

Windsurfing Regatta/Unvarnished Music Festival -- Worthington, MN, US (windsurfing, swap meet, and music on the beach; through Sunday)

Work @ Home Fathers' Day -- special kudos to the dads who work from home by telecommuting, or care for house and kids while the wife works outside the home Jeff Zbar     

World Blood Donor Day -- International 

    Blood Type Awareness Day -- while donating, make sure you know your type, and that of your loved ones; in an emergency, it's good to know

Anniversaries Today:

The United States Army is founded, 1775

Munich, Germany is founded, 1158

Birthdays Today:

Daryl Sabara, 1992

Lucy Hale, 1989

Kevin McHale, 1988

Diablo Cody, 1978

Steffi Graf, 1969

Yasmine Bleeth, 1968

Traylor Howard, 1966

Boy George, 1961

Eric Arthur Heiden, 1958

Will Patton, 1954

Eddie Mekka, 1952

Donald Trump, 1946

John F. MacArthur, 1939

Jerzy Kosinski, 1933

Joe Arpaio, 1932

Marla Gibbs, 1931

Che Guevara, 1928

Pierre Salinger, 1925

Gene Barry, 1919

Burl Ives, 1909

Alois Alzheimer, 1864

John Bartlett, 1820

Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1811

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Cable Guy(Film), 1996

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(Film), 1991

"The Gong Show"(TV), 1976

Today in History:

Kublai Khan defeated the force of Nayan and other traditionalist Borjigin  princes in East Mongolia and Manchuria, 1287

Richard II in England meets leaders of Peasants' Revolt on Blackheath and the Tower of London is stormed by rebels who enter without resistance, 1381

Margaret Jones is hanged in Boston for witchcraft in the first such execution for the Massachusetts colony, 1648

The Stars and Stripes is adopted by Congress as the Flag of the United States, 1777

Bounty mutiny survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 7,400 km (4,000-mile) journey in an open boat, 1789

Whiskey distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig, who named it Bourbon because he lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky, 1789

Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Ismail Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom, 1821

The village of Henley, on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, stages its first Royal Regatta, 1839

Trade unions are legalised in Canada, 1872

Norway adopts female suffrage, 1907

John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown depart St. John's, Newfoundland on the first nonstop transatlantic  flight, 1919

Action Comics issue one is released, introducing Superman, 1938

The Canadian Library Association is established, 1946

UNIVAC I, the world's first commercial computer, is dedicated by the U.S. Census Bureau, 1951

The European Space Research Organisation is established in Paris – later becoming the European Space Agency, 1962

The Vatican announces the abolition of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, 1966

The 1994 Stanley Cup Riots occur after the New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup from Vancouver, 1994

The Wallow Fire becomes the largest wildfire in the history of the US State of Arizona, 2011

Australia announces its plan to create the largest marine reserve in the world, 2012