Still Up To His Old Tricks (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

 ***********************************

Feline Friday was originally started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude (who no longer blogs), and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

He handed hosting duties off to Sandee at Comedy Plus, and now she's entrusting it to me.  Wish me luck!  

Feline Friday is simple to join.  All you have to do is: Post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (they may be silly or cute).  Then add your link!

One thing for sure is this is a fun and easy meme to do.  So come and join us in Feline Friday.

What better way to start the weekend than with a feline!

A bit ago, i introduced Sydney, the escape artist.  He's still at it.  I arrived one day to find someone hadn't quite pushed the chair up against the door the night before.

You can see he was trying.

He has mastered that innocent look.

***********************************

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 was pleasantly surprised to discover that _________.

2. I am disappointed with _________.

3. I _________ when I hear _________.

4. I didn't believe _________ until I saw it for myself.

1. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that   i enjoy some bitter tastes, including black coffee (and that one saves calories!).

2. I am disappointed with   most of the "As Seen on TV" things Grandpa buys, as he gets two of everything and gives me one, and while he enjoys using them, for me most of them don't work or aren't needed.

3. I   cringe inside just a little  when I hear   bad weather forecasts.

4. I didn't believe   the pregnancy test could be positive  until I saw it for myself.  (After six years of disappointment, i didn't want to hope too hard.)

***********************************

Today is:

Day of Cancelled Expectations -- according to William Least Heat-Moon in his autobiography, Blue Highways

Dita e Pavaresise -- Kosovo (Independence Day)(2008)

Feast of Shezmu -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (god of the winepress; date approximate)

February 17 Revolution Day -- Libya

Great Back Yard Bird Count begins -- a four-day project for anyone from across North America; count birds for a few minutes a day today, or every day for the next four days, and report in, thus giving a real time idea of where the birds are now     

Hachinohe Enburi Matsuri -- Hachinohe, Japan (festival with prayers for a good harvest; through Wednesday)

Lailat al Miraj -- Islam (observance of Mohammed's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem; begins at sundown, local customs and dates may vary)

Last day of Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan)

My Way Day -- today, determine your identity all by yourself, apart from what other people say you should be; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

National Cafe Au Lait Day

National Indian Pudding Day

National PTA Founders Day -- US

Practice Your Free Throws Day -- spread around the internet by someone who really loves basketball

Quirinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a/k/a Feast of Fools)

Random Acts of Kindness Day -- US (unofficial, but a great idea)   www.randomactsofkindness.org/

Snow Ice Cream Day -- internet generated; if you want to try it, and are sure your snow is reasonably clean, add sugar, milk, a touch of vanilla, and enjoy

St. Fortchern of Trim's Day (Patron of bell-founders)

Tanis Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (To honor pigs)

Anniversaries Today:

League of United Latin American Citizens (Lulac) Founded, 1929

Miami University is chartered by the State of Ohio, 1809

Birthdays Today:

Vanessa Atler, 1982

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 1981

Paris Hilton, 1981

Jerry O'Connell, 1974

Bryan White, 1974

Billie Joe Armstrong, 1972

Denise Richards, 1972

Michael Forbes, 1967

Ronald "Bell Biv" DeVoe, 1967

Michael Jordan, 1963

Lou Diamond Phillips, 1962

Richard Karn, 1959

Rene Russo, 1954

Brenda Fricker, 1945

Jim Brown, 1936

Alan Bates, 1934

Barry Humphries (Dame Edna Everage), 1934

Lee Holby, 1926

Hal Holbrook, 1925

Arthur Kennedy, 1914

Clarence Lindon “Buster” Crabbe, 1908

Red Barber, 1908

Dorothy Canfield Fisher, 1879

William Cadbury, 1867

Samuel Sidney Mcclure, 1857

Friedrich A Krupp, 1854

A. Montgomery Ward, 1844

Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec, 1781

Thomas Malthus, 1766

Arcangelo Corelli, 1653

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"A Prairie Home Companion"(Radio), 1979

"BC"(Comic Strip), 1958

"Madame Butterfly"(Puccini Opera), 1904

"Un Ballo in maschera"(Verdi Opera), 1859

"Siroe, re di Persia"(Handel HWV 24), 1728

Today in History:

Miles Standish is appointed the first commander of the Plymouth colony, 1621

The first volume of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" is

published, 1776

The first ship passes through the Suez Canal, 1867

Women's suffragist Esther Morris is appointed the first female justice of the peace in the US, in South Pass City, Wyoming, 1870

Sardines are first canned, by Julius Wolff of Eastport, Maine, 1876

Madame Butterfly receives its première at La Scala in Milan, 1904

The first minimum wage law in the US takes effect, in Oregon, 1913

Johnny Weissmuller sets the 100-yard freestyle record (52.4 seconds), 1924

The first telecast of a sporting event in Japan, a baseball game, 1931

The first issue of "Newsweek" magazine is published, 1933

Vanguard 2 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution, 1959

Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model-T, 1972

Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match, 1996

Kosovo declares independence, 2008

In racing, Danica Patrick becomes the first woman at the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to win pole position, 2013

The research journal GSA Today publishes an article in favor of reclassifying mostly underwater microcontinent Zealandia in the South Pacific as the 8th continent, 2017

India's Supreme Court grants equal rights to women in military service, 2020

Around 28,000 women apply for 30 jobs driving trains after they are advertised for women in Saudi Arabia for the first time, 2022