Now It's Thankful Day, a Ten Things of Thankful A to Z Post

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To enjoy more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.     

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Are there plenty of things to be thankful for that start with the letter N?  Let's explore that question.

Naps.  They don't happen as often as i might like, but when they do, they are one of the best thankful things.

Nature.  This is an easy one.  In summer i have a problem with the great outdoors, it's not air conditioned and there are too many mosquitoes.  The rest of the year, i'm glad for walks among the trees and along the creek.

Nectar of the gods.  Most people call it coffee, but they didn't ask me what it should be called.

Neighbors.  We have great ones, and a great neighborhood, which is a big blessing.

Nephew.  My nephew Dre is a wonderful kid.  

Newspaper/newsprint.  Yes, most people don't get the paper any more.  We do, the comics and the local news, our favorite columnist, and all the puzzles are worth it, that's our entertainment budget right there.  The newsprint itself comes in handy for under the litter boxes and nothing cleans glass/mirrors better.

Niece.  Bryn is a rare gem.

Nip.  As in catnip.  As in, instant peace when Charismatic Enigma SissyCat decides she has to declare war on Dansig the Round and Link Linker the Stinker.

Nonfiction.  My favorite books that i go back to again and again are nonfiction.

Nuts.  The edible kind and the ones you use with bolts to hold things together.  The former are my best source of protein, the latter, well, i think i've lost most of mine because i'm falling apart, but that doesn't make me any less thankful for them!

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:

Day of Mushroom Encouragement -- Fairy Calendar

Dronningens Fodselsdag -- Denmark (Birthday of Queen Margrethe II)

Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US

Full Pink Moon -- a/k/a Full Sprouting Moon, Grass Moon, Egg Moon, White Moon, Virgin Moon, and Fish Moon; in other traditions

     Bak Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka

     Tagu Full Moon -- Myanmar

Hanuman Jayanti -- Hindu (celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman; local dates may vary)

Holiday of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Holy Saturday -- Christian (a/k/a Black Saturday, Holy Saturday, Easter Saturday, or Easter Eve)

Huband Appreciation Day

Jim Thorpe Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation in 1973)

Lazarus Saturday -- Orthodox Christian

     Lazarovden -- Bulgaria (along with celebrating the raising of Lazarus, there are fertility rituals, especially involving young maidens, and honoring the goddesses of spring and love)

Make a Quilt Day -- obviously begun by someone who has no idea how long the process really takes! not associated with National Quilting Day or Project Linus' Make a Blanket Day 

National Auctioneers Day -- recognizing the contribution of auctioneers to American commerce    

National Eggs Benedict Day

National Healthcare Decision Week begins -- US (to inspire, educate & empower the public & providers about the importance of advance care planning; "It always seems too early, until it's too late.")   

National Stress Awareness Day -- sponsored by the Health Resource Network (always on the first workday after paying taxes)

Offering to Demeter Khloe -- Ancient Greek Calendar (honoring Demeter as goddess of green shoots; date approximate)

St. Bernadette of Lourdes' Day (Patron of people ridiculed for their piety, poor people, shepherdesses, shepherds, sick people; Lourdes, France; against bodily ills, poverty, sickness)

St. Padarn's Day (Celtic peoples traditionally begin weeding crops on this saint's day)

Teach Your Daughter to Volunteer Day -- encouraging awareness of volunteerism, but the original sponsor of the day is no longer online

Theravada New Year -- Buddhist (through tomorrow; dates and length of celebration can vary locally)

World Elephant Day/Save the Elephant Day -- created by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand

World Entrepreneurship Day

World Voice Day -- if you've ever had laryngitis, you know how important it is to protect your voice   

Anniversaries Today:

Harry Connick, Jr. marries Jill Goodare, 1994

Founding of the University of Queensland, 1910

Birthdays Today:

Lilliana Mumy, 1994

Lucas Haas, 1976

Selena Quintanilla, 1971

Martin Lawrence, 1965

Jon Cryer, 1965

Ellen Barkin, 1955

Jay O. Sanders, 1953

Kareem Adbud-Jabbar, 1947

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 1940

Dusty Springfield, 1939

Bobby Vinton, 1935

Herbie Mann, 1930

Edie Adams, 1929

Pope Benedict XVI, 1927

Henry Mancini, 1924

Kingsley Amis, 1922

Peter Ustinov, 1921

Barry Nelson, 1920

Merce Cunningham, 1919

Charlie Chaplin, 1889

John Millington Synge, 1871

Wilbur Wright, 1867

Jose De Diego, 1866

Anatole France, 1844

John Franklin, 1786

Hans Sloane, 1660

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Brown Sugar"(Rolling Stones single release), 1971

"Fibber McGee and Molly"(Radio), 1935

"Mazeppa"(Symphonic poem, Liszt' S 100), 1854

"The Contrast"(Comedy), 1787 (First play by an American author, Royall Tyler, to be professionally produced on stage)

Today in History:

Calculated date of the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, BC1178

The Jewish fortress of Masada falls to the Roman Army, ending the Jewish revolt, 73

Martin Luther is called before the Diet of Worms, 1521

Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina, 1582

The United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada, 1880

The first passenger rail opens in India, 1853

Ebenezer Bassett, the first African-American diplomat, begins his service in Haiti, 1869 

US Marshal Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle, in Dodge City, 1881

Harriet Quimby becomes the first female pilot to cross the English Channel, 1912

Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British, 1919

Annie Oakley shoots a record 100 clay targets in a row, 1922

Dr. Albert Hofmann first ingests LSD, thus discovering its effects, 1943

Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1947

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation, 1963

The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean, 1992

The Queen Mary II embarks on her first transatlantic voyage, 2004

President of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo declares the First Ivorian Civil War to be over, 2007

Elizabeth Holmes, American entrepreneur, inventor, and founder and CEO of Theranos, is named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People" of 2015, 2015

Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album "Damn", 2018

The journal Science publishes a new study which claims a multi-year megadrought is already underway in the Western US, 2020

Raul Castro confirms he is resigning, ending his family's six decade rule of Cuba, 2021