Lasers On (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

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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.

Four of the cats were sharing the bed in peace, although lasers were on (just in case of a sneak attack, i guess).

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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 look forward to seeing ____________________ at the holidays.

2. I can see _______outside my ___________ window. 

3. _________ always puts me in a festive mood.

4. My favorite holiday tradition is _________.

1. I look forward to seeing the Live Nativity at the church at the holidays.

2. I can see into our neighbor's backyard outside my bedroom window.  (Our neighbors used to put up a creche in their backyard.  The neighbors are African American, and their creche reflected that, and i loved it.  They would put it up for their children to enjoy, and it always made me sad that they didn't feel comfortable for some reason putting it in the front yard, i always wished they had.  Now that their kids are grown and gone, they don't put it up any more, and i miss it.)

3. Holiday music always puts me in a festive mood.  (What really makes me grin are the silly songs, Santa and His Reindeer Usta Live Right Here; The Elves Finally Rap; Santa, I've Been Bad All Year; Oh Little Town of Destrehan; Rusty Chevrolet, stuff like that.)

4. My favorite holiday tradition is cookies and milk for Santa.  All the kids have outgrown Santa, and it takes the fun out of trying to eat the cookies if you aren't trying to sneak around and do it without the kids catching you.   (Yes, it was vegan cookies and almond milk, i even had the kids convinced Santa wouldn't eat any of our animal friends, so the cookies and milk had to be vegan!)

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Today is:

Akibasan Gongen Hibuse Matsuri -- Odawara, Japan (ritual giving thanks for fire and water)

Christmas Walk and House Tour -- Geneva, IL, US (with appearances by St. Lucia and Santa Claus, lighting the tree in the Courhouse Square, home tours, and special events sponsored by local businesses; through tomorrow)

Day of Quito -- Ecuador (founding of the city in 1534)

Days of Reckoning Begin -- Fairy Calendar (no, they will not tell us what they reckon)

Dia de la Constitucion Espanola -- Spain (Constitution Day)

Dickens on the Strand -- Galveston, TX, US (a Victorian Christmas presented by the Galveston Historical Foundation; through Sunday)

Electric Light Parade -- Lovington, NM, US (over 60 entries, all decorated with Christmas lights)

Farmers' Day -- Ghana

Faux Fur Friday

Flag Day -- Saba Island, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba

Give a Secret Gift Day -- obviously in honor of the original St. Nicholas

Gospel Day -- Marshall Islands (Kamolol, a day of Thanksgiving)

Independence Day -- Aland Islands(1917); Finland(1917)

Microwave Oven Day -- patented this day in 1945

Mitten Tree Day -- remembering when mittens, along with maybe a knit cap or scarf, were the big gift to find hanging from the Christmas tree

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women -- Canada

National Gazpacho Day

National Miner's Day -- US

Pawnbrokers' Day -- on St. Nicholas' Day, in his role as Patron Saint of pawnbrokers

Sindhi Topi and Ajrak Day -- Sindh, Pakistan

St. Nicholas of Myra's Day (Patron of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, archers, bakers, barrel makers, boatmen, bootblacks/shoe shiners, boys, brewers, brides, captives, children, coopers, dock workers/longshoremen, fishermen, grooms, judges, lawsuits lost unjustly, maidens, mariners/sailors, merchants, penitent murderers, newlyweds, old maids, parish clerks, paupers/poor people, pawnbrokers, perfumers, pilgrims, prisoners, scholars, schoolchildren, spinsters, students, penitent thieves, travelers, unmarried girls; Greek Catholic Church in America; Greek Catholic Union; University of Paris; Varangian Guard; Greece; Russia; also dozens of cities around the world; against imprisonment, robberies, robbers)

     Christkind -- Central and Southern Europe (the traditional gift giving day, instead of Christmas)

Winterfest -- Luverne, MN, US (winter fun for all, through Sunday)

Birthdays Today:

Andrew J. Howard, 1969

Macy Gray, 1969

Janine Turner, 1962

Andrew Cuomo, 1957

Peter Buck, 1956

Randy Rhoads, 1956

Steven Wright, 1955

Tom Hulce, 1953

JoBeth Williams, 1953

Craig Newmark, 1952

James Naughton, 1945

David Ossman, 1936

Wally Cox, 1924

Dave Brubeck, 1920

Agnes Moorehead, 1906

Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1898

Ira Gershwin, 1896

Lynn Fontanne, 1887

Joyce Kilmer, 1886

William S. Hard, 1870

John Singleton Mosby, 1833

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Star Trek VI- The Undiscovered Country(Film), 1991

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"(TV special), 1964

"Talent Scouts"(TV), 1948

"Du Barry Was a Lady"(Porter musical), 1939

"La damnation de Faust"(Berlioz opera, Op, 24), 1846

Today in History:

The Mongols under Batu Khan occupy and destroy Kiev, 1240

Don Alfonso V of Aragon grants Barcelona the right to exclude Jews, 1424

The first edition of the Encyclopedia Brittanica is published, in Scotland, 1768

Harriet Tubman escapes slavery, 1849

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, abolishing slavery, 1865

The first crematorium in the Us begins operation, in Washington, Pennsylvania, 1876

London becomes the first city to license taxicabs, 1897

One year to the day after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, the Irish Free State comes into existence, 1922

U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that the James Joyce's novel Ulysses is not obscene, 1933

The Vanguard rocket, the first US attempt to launch a satellite, fails, 1957

The Canadian province of Newfoundland is renamed Newfoundland and Labrador, 2001

NASA reveals photographs taken by Mars Global Surveyor suggesting the presence of liquid water on Mars, 2006

Belgium's new federal government is sworn in after 541 days of negotiations, 2011

Pope Francis gives his ascent to a proposal to create a permanent post on the Pontifical Commission on cases of sin and sexual abuse of minors, 2013 

President Trump officially recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announces plans to move the US Embassy there, 2017