Lost an Hour, Gained Much More, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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We had a bit of a storm this week, so the first thankful on Thankful Day is that we just had a regular old thunder storm, nothing horrible or out of the ordinary.

Last Saturday was tons of fun with Coda and Lulu, a big thankful.  They wear each other out really well.

When we got home, i remembered to set the clocks ahead right away, so i went to bed an hour early.  Yes, i know, lots of people cannot suddenly fall asleep an hour earlier, but i wear out pretty well, too, so i'm thankful i set the clocks ahead by mid afternoon and can fall asleep at what my brain thinks is the usual time.

It helps a little in the adjustment, too, although i'm still sleepy long before sunset any more.

On Sunday, i got Becca out of bed with the promise of donuts.  There's a new place in town, and Sweetie and Brother-in-Law have fond memories of that particular shop when they were growing up, so when a franchise opened here, we had to try it at least once.

Becca was thankful for donuts for breakfast (as was her sister) and Sweetie and Brother-in-Law were thankful for the rest of the donuts, which they enjoyed.

Monday was funny day, i got so many funnies from clients i had plenty of material for Tuesday's post. 

This Tuesday was Ms. S's Tuesday, so i didn't have to go in to work until 10am.  She doesn't like me coming early, that meant i got to have a slow morning, my first one in a while.

When i went shopping for Ms. S, everything she wanted from the MallMart was in stock that day, almost a miracle.

Also on Tuesday, Ms. GA called me to run by the house and get the guacamole she'd made that was too spicy for her.  Hooray for fresh guac on black bean burgers, it was a wonderful meal.

By Wednesday my back was not happy, but one muscle relaxer pill and i was able to get through without any missed work.

Thursday i was at Ms. V's house filling the bottle on the spray mop when the little rubber nipple on the inside of the bottle lid fell off.  Without that tiny piece of rubber, about the size of a green pea, the whole mop is useless.  For almost 20 minutes i searched, cleaning under the washer and dryer (thankful i figured out i need to do that more often!), getting into every corner where it could have bounced, all to no avail.  Giving up, i took the big mop bucket over to the sink to fill it up and as the water rose, guess what was floating there?

Yes, the rubber piece had fallen into the bucket, and i was so glad to see it!  Had it not turned up, i would have been buying a new spray mop for Ms. V (because if i break or ruin something, i replace it if it is at all possible).

Friday at the shelter was the best.  We had a family come in to adopt, mom and her four daughters (dad was at home cooking dinner).  They picked the perfect juvenile kitten, a six-month-old male who is not afraid of children and noise.  He's pretty fearless, and i think that will serve him well.  Over the phone, Dad said he'll be happy to have another man in the house!

Another lady showed up to see a precious and very shy adult cat that is mostly Siamese.  The previous owner was suddenly called out of the country and wept when surrendering the cat, and of course the cat just does not understand what's going on.  The adopter was standing at the cage, petting the cat and telling her, "I'm going to order you your very own litter box, and litter, and a bed, and toys, and a cat scratcher, and special food, and everything is going to be just fine!"

When someone absolutely cannot take care of a cat for reasons beyond their control, it's a joyful thing to be able to help rehome the cat with someone who will cherish it.

Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Dyanne and her co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.   

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Today is:

Big Bird Day -- it's his birthday, and he's still only 6 years old!  (wish i could figure out that trick)

Bockbier/Bock Beer Day -- bock is the German word for strong, so a day to honor very strong, very dark, sweet, heavy beer

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Day -- birth anniversary of children's author Bill Martin

Equinox -- (9:37am GMT); related celebrations 

     Akitu Festival begins -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar

     Chunfen -- China

     Festival of Dumuzi -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar (return of the god of life and death to be with the goddess of life and bring the spring)

     Festival of Iduna -- Ancient Norse Calendar (goddess of spring, keeper of the apples of youth for the gods)

     Haru-no-Higan -- Japanese Buddhist

     Harvest Festival and Coming Forth of the Great Ones from the House of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar

     Jare -- Old Slavic Calendar

     Kukulcan Snake God in Chichen Itza -- Yucatan (the snake shadow appears only at the equinox, and celebrations are held before and after)

     Maslenitsa -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar

     Ostara/Mabon -- Wicca/Pagan, Ancient Norse Calendar, Old Anglo-Teutonic Calendar

     Pacha Pucuy -- Ancient Inca Calendar ("Earth Ripening")

     Shunbun no Hi -- Japan

     Taoist festival of Shen -- Deities of water, East, and Spring

Extraterrestrial Abductions Day -- another silly made up one, but try telling that to the people who believe in it!

Great American Meat Out Day -- go vegetarian today!    

Independence Day -- Tunisia

International Day of the Francophonie /  Journée internationale de la Francophonie

International Day of Happiness -- UN

International Earth Day -- the traditional date, still observed in many countries

Kiss Your Fiance Day -- do you really need to be reminded to do this? a wedding planner thinks so, that you should stop today and focus on each other, not the wedding

Lajos Kossuth Day -- Hungary

Martyrdom of Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi -- Pakistan

National Cherry Blossom Festival -- Washington, DC, US (through April 14; Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival and parade on April 13)

National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day     

National Jump Out! Day -- sponsored by Discovery Girls Magazine and Fundex Games; encouraging kids to get out and get active

National Quilting Day -- US, sponsored by the Quilt Alliance     

National Ravioli Day

Nowruz/Nauruz/Novruz Bairam/Norooz (begins at sunset) -- Iranian diaspora, Kurdish diaspora, Zoroastrians; Afghanistan; Azerbaijan; Georgia; Iran (Persian New Year); Iraq; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan

     celebrations go on for up to seven days or more

     Naw Ruz -- Baha'i (New Year, and an end of the time of fasting; begins sunset)

Proposal Day® -- a day for singles to propose to their true love; on the equinox, equal night and day symbolizing equal commitment   

Save the Florida Panther Day -- FL, US

Shunki-Korei-Sai -- Shinto (rite to honor ancestral spirits, around the vernal equinox)

Smile Rejuvenation Day -- another one from the ecard companies, make someone smile today

St. Cuthbert of Lindisfane's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors, shepherds; England; Durham, England; Lancaster, England; Northumbria, England; against plague and plague epidemics)

Won't You Be My Neighbor Day -- in honor of Mr. Rogers' birth anniversary

World Frog Day -- an initiative, on the first day of spring, to remind people of our fragile ecosystems and the disappearance of our amphibian friends   

World Storytelling Day -- to celebrate the tradition of oral storytelling

Zipper Day -- the 'Separable Fastener' by Gideon Sundback was patented this day in 1917

Birthdays Today:

Louis "Louie" Vito, 1988

Fernando Torres, 1984

Kathy Ireland, 1963

David Thewlis, 1963

Holly Hunter, 1958

Spike Lee, 1957

Theresa Russel, 1957

Jimmie Vaughan, 1951

William Hurt, 1950

Bobby Orr, 1948

Pat Riley, 1945

Paul Junger Witt, 1943

Brian Mulroney, 1939

Lois Lowry, 1937

Hal Linden, 1931

Fred "Mr." Rogers, 1928

Carl Reiner, 1922

Marian McPartland, 1920

Bill Martin, Jr., 1916

Ozzie Nelson, 1906

B.F. Skinner, 1904

Frederick Winslow Taylor, 1856

Henrik Ibsen, 1828

Ovid, BC43

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Uncle Tom's Cabin"(Publication date), 1852

Today in History:

Sixth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, 141

Maximus Thrax, who never set foot in Rome, becomes the first of the Foreign or Barracks Emperors of the Roman Empire, 235

A Saturn/Jupiter/Mars-conjunction is thought to be the "cause of plague epidemic," 1345

Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment, 1616

France and Spain sign an accord for fighting protestantism, 1627

Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, 1739

The Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings, 1760

After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule, 1815

US and Siam sign commercial treaty, 1833

Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is published in Boston, 1852

An earthquake completely destroys Mendoza, Argentina, 1861

The first AC power plant in the US begins commercial operation, in Massachusetts, 1886

In the first known intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats Penn 32-10, 1897

The first international figure skating championship takes place, in New Haven, Connecticut, 1914

Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity, 1916

The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso's first United States showing, 1923

A test of a practical radar apparatus is made by Rudolf Kuhnold in Germany, 1934

The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organization) is established, 1964

Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, 1985

Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering, 1990

Stephen Harper wins the leadership of the newly created Conservative Party of Canada, becoming the party's first leader, 2004

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits Fukuoka, Japan, its first major quake in over 100 years, 2005

Cyclone Larry makes landfall in eastern Australia, destroying most of the country's banana crop, 2006

In Morocco, thousands rally to demand and end to corruption and more civil rights for the Moroccan people, 2011

The Indian rivers Yamuna and Ganges are declared to be "living entities" by a court in the state of Uttarakhand, 2017

Finland is the world's happiest country, South Sudan is world's least happy, according to annual World Happiness Report, 2019