Saturday, July 31, 2021

Prayer Request and There's Always Thankful Things, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Every week,  i make a stop for Thankful Day, and i'm so glad i do.


However, before i get to my own thankful things for this week (and despite our current challenges, there are many), i would like to ask prayers, good thoughts, good wishes, positive vibes, and at this point even purrs from your cats and POTP(Power of the Paw) from your dogs for a lovely church member whom i'll call Suzie.


Suzie and her husband were out of town visiting relatives when she got a call that her brother was being rushed to the hospital and was not expected to make it through the night.  While she was arranging to travel to be with him, she got another phone call.


Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were in a plane crash and are all rushed to separate hospitals to be treated for life-threatening injuries.


Thank you for sending prayers and anything else their way, they are going to need it.


My thankful things this week include, but are not limited to:


Little Girl got home from her duty.


#2 Son's Covid quarantine is over so she can stay with him while she waits for her apartment to become available.


She left Coda with me to keep me company.


Because #2 Son has a futon, Little Girl also left me her air mattress, which i can sleep on while Sweetie is quarantined in our bedroom.


Last Saturday when i was in NOLA, Grandpa let me go to the back of the store to get the orange juice for him instead of walking back there himself.  It means, at age 85, he's finally starting to see that yes, there are times when he does need help in spite of his chivalrous instincts to never let a female do what he can do himself.


Last Saturday when i was in NOLA, i found where the A/C was dripping onto the floor in Grandma's bathroom before she found it the hard way (a slip and fall at her age could be fatal).


Also last Saturday, Grandma ordered me a new keypad for my tablet, and i got the one i wanted, it's backlit, hooray!


My old phone, with lots of photos i want to keep, turned up after being AWOL for a short time.


Little Girl finally got on the First Responders phone plan, so i was able to drop her phone from our family plan.


Because Sweetie did not come up with his positive Covid test until Wednesday, i was at work Monday, and boy did the new light bulbs in Carl's room make a huge difference!


Then, too, i was at Ms. PA's house when her new sitter came and i was able to show her where everything is.  The new sitter is a go-getter, she asked me if she could do my vacuuming for me since she likes to stay busy!


Since being stuck at home with a not-very-sick-even-though-he-has-Covid husband, i've been catching up on rest and a few other things around here.


He, of course, is bored but he's mostly cooperative, which is a huge thing.


Bonus thankful of the week:  Every year for 4 years, a water company main has broken in front of our neighbor's house and washed "gazillions" of gallons of mud into the storm drain in front of our house.  This means our storm drain has been stopped up and overflows even when we aren't having a deluge of rain.  This Thursday, the nice guys from the city came and cleared it out!



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:


Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day


Cotton Candy Day


Cowes Week begins -- Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK (the largest, longest-running and most prestigious international sailing regatta in the world; through August 7)


Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola -- (Founder of the Jesuits, especially revered in Spain; Patron of retreats, soldiers, and the Society of Jesus which he founded; Basque country; Bilbao, Spain; Bizkaia, Spain; Gipuzkoa, Spain; Guipuscoa, Spain; Guipúzcoa, Spain; Spiritual Exercises (by Pope Pius XI); Vizcaya, Spain)


Hachinohe Sansha Taisai -- Hachinohe City, Japan (one of the most elaborate neputa festivals, through Aug. 4)


Jump for Jellybeans Day


Ka Hae Hawai'i Day -- Hawai'i (State Flag Day)


Lammas Eve / Lughnassad Eve


Lithasblot -- Norse harvest festival with a "blot", or offering, to the gods, celebrated through tomorrow


Loki and Sigyn's Day - Asatru / Norse Pagan (aka Devoted Couples Day)


Make Homemade Ice Cream/Hot Cocoa and Invite the Neighbors Over Day -- summer's almost over/winter's almost over, depending on h, make the most of the days we have left!


Moby Dick Marathon -- aboard the last US wooden whaler, the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (through tomorrow, from noon to noon, a marathon reading of Moby Dick in honor of Melville's birthday)


Mutts' Day -- because mutts deserve a day as much as purebreeds do!


National Dance Day -- US (begun by Nigel Lythgoe, now a congressionally recognized day to encourage dance education and physical fitness, so go out and bust a move on a Saturday night, but don't bust you, please)


National Raspberry Cake Day


St. Germanus' Day (Patron of Auxerre, France)


St. Joseph of Arimathea's Day -- Eastern Orthodox Church (Patron of funeral directors)


Uncommon Instruments Day    


World Ranger Day -- the International Ranger Federation wants us to honor wildlife rangers around the world as they work to protect the world's natural and cultural treasures, and remember those killed in the line of duty



Birthdays Today


Eric Lively, 1981

Dean Cain, 1966

J.K. Rowling, 1965

Jim Corr, 1964

Wesley Snipes, 1962

Bill Berry, 1958

Michael Biehn, 1956

Barry Van Dyke, 1951

Evonne Goolagong, 1951

Gary Lewis, 1946

Geraldine Chaplin, 1944

Susan Flannery, 1943

France Nuyen, 1939

Ted Cassidy, 1932

Don Murray, 1929

Curt Gowdy, 1919

Milton Friedman, 1912



Debuting/Premiering Today:


The Living Daylights(Film), 1987

"The Shadow"(Radio), 1930



Today in History


Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide, BC30

The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji, 781

Thessalonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city, 904

The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect, 1492

On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus 

becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad, 1498

Aurangzeb is proclaimed Moghul emperor of India, 1658

The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1667

Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers, 1703

The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Marquis de Lafayette  "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States," 1777

First U.S. patent is issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process, 1790

Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city, 1856

The first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Australia, 1865

The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time, 1930

Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius in Persepolis, 1938

First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, 1954

At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning because of rain, 1961

The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, 1970

Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover, 1971

NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, 1976

A rare, class F4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage, 1987

Georgia joins the United Nations, 1992

Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro, 2006

Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end, 2007

U.S. Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps wins a record 19th Olympic medal, with gold in the 4x200metres freestyle relay, 2012

Facebook discloses and removes a Russian-linked network of site pages that are attempting to interfere in American politics, 2018

Friday, July 30, 2021

A Bit of Spice (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.


The shelter has some cats that can play a little rough.












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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. Only someone with a ____________ would understand _________________.


2. I just started ___________________________.


3. I find it hard to believe that _________.


4. I should probably _________.



1. Only someone with a   degree in engineering  would understand   some of the instructions i've read over the years when putting things together.


2. I just started   to realize that air mattresses have their down sides, as in, once you get down, you need a plan for getting back up.


3. I find it hard to believe that   i have to go a whole week without working, just to be safe.


4. I should probably   go out and start Sweetie's car today, i need to remember to do that since he won't be driving for a while.



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Today is:


Dia del Amigo -- Paraguay


Father-in-Law Day -- unsponsored and unclaimed, but fathers-in-law deserve respect, too


Feast of the Throne -- Morocco; Western Sahara


Festival of Fortuna Huiusque Diei -- Ancient Roman Calendar ("Fortune of the Present Day")


Friendship Day/International Day of Friendship -- UN


Herbal Ballooning -- Fairy Calendar


Independence Day -- Vanuatu(1980)


Kronia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Kronos as god of the harvest; date approximate)


Martyr's Day -- South Sudan


Mary Prince Day -- Bermuda (Second Day of Cup Match)


National Cheesecake Day


National Support Public Education Day -- Change.org wants this to be an official day for support of US public education systems


Paperback Day -- anniversary of the 1935 publication of Penguin #1, Arial, A Life of Shelley, by Andre Maurois in London, the first successful series of paperback books


Schools Tree Day -- Australia (because National Tree Day is always a Sunday, the schools participate in planting trees the Friday before)


Sts. Abdon and Sennen's Day (Patrons of barrel makers and coopers; the ashes of ferns cut and burned on this day will keep away insects and unwanted guests)


Sumiyoshi Matsuri -- Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Osaka, Japan (Osaka's last major summer festival, through Aug. 1)


System Administrator Appreciation Day -- the day to thank your system administrator for keeping your computer up and running


Talk in an Elevator Day -- help break the taboo!



Anniversaries Today


Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, marries Michael Tindall, 2011



Birthdays Today


Hope Solo, 1981

Jaime Pressly, 1977

Misty May-Treanor, 1977

Hilary Swank, 1974

Tom Green, 1971

Simon Baker, 1969

Vivica A. Fox, 1964

Lisa Kudrow, 1963

Alton Brown, 1962

Laurence Fishburne, 1961

Kate Bush, 1958

Delta Burke, 1956

Ken Olin, 1954

Jean Reno, 1948

Arnold Schwarzenegger, 1947

William Atherton, 1947

David Sanborn, 1945

Paul Anka, 1941

Peter Bogdanovich, 1939

Buddy Guy, 1936

Allan Huber “Bud” Selig, 1934

Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, 1933

Thomas Sowell, 1930

Sid Krofft, 1929

Christine McGuire, 1926

Henry W. Bloch, 1922

Henry Spencer Moore, 1898

Casey Stengel, 1891

Henry Ford, 1863

Thorstein Bunde Veblen, 1857

Georg Wilhelm von Siemens, 1855

Emily Bronte, 1818



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Santa Barbara"(TV), 1984

"Death Valley Days"(Radio), 1930



Today in History


City of Baghdad is founded, 762

The First Defenestration of Prague, 1419

Christopher Columbus lands at Guanaja in the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras during his fourth voyage, 1502

At Ticonderoga (now Crown Point, New York), Samuel de Champlain shoots and kills two Iroquois chiefs, which set the tone for French-Iroquois relations for the next one hundred years, 1608

In Jamestown, Virginia, the first European style representative assembly in the Americas, the House of Burgesses, convenes for the first time, 1619

An earthquake in Naples, Italy kills 10,000 people, 1629

Baltimore, Maryland is founded, 1729

Bartolomeo Rastrelli presents the newly-built Catherine Palace to Empress Elizabeth and her courtiers, 1756

First ascent of Grand Combin, one of the highest summits in the Alps,1859

Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe signs the Treaty of Box Elder, agreeing to stop the harassment of emigrant trails in southern Idaho and northern Utah, 1863

In Montevideo, Uruguay wins the first Football World Cup, 1930

Premiere of Walt Disney's Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon short to use Technicolor and the first Academy Award winning cartoon short, 1932

A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress is signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, authorizing In God We Trust as the U.S. national motto, 1956

US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, establishing Medicare and Medicaid, 1965

David Scott and James Irwin on Apollo Lunar Module module, Falcon, land with first Lunar Rover on the moon, 1971

Six Royal Canadian Army Cadets are killed and fifty-four injured in an accidental grenade blast at CFB Valcartier Cadet Camp, 1974

Jimmy Hoffa disappears, 1975

In Mexico, the last 'old style' Volkswagen Beetle rolls off the assembly line, 2003

Israel and Palestinian officials agree to resume negotiations for a peace agreement, 2013

The first centenary of the WWI Battle of Passchendaele is marked at a ceremony at Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium, 2017

NASA launches to Mars its Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter aboard a V 541 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 2020