As Close As I Get (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

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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.

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!

Ms. G's Angel cat is getting used to me, with me taking care of her so much lately.  I do not touch her, but she will now let me put my hand out and she'll sniff me.  That's as close as it gets.

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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. A Christmas pet peeve I have is _________.

2. I don't like spending money on _________.

3. I eat my fair share of _________ this time of the year.

4. I _________ when wrapping Christmas gifts.

1. A Christmas pet peeve I have is   the pressure some feel to have to give bigger, better gifts than last year.

2. I don't like spending money on   anything i already have around here but which i can't find the one i have at the moment and i need it now so i have to get another.

3. I eat my fair share of   pecans and satsumas   this time of the year.

4. I   KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)   when wrapping Christmas gifts.   Everything gets covered in tissue paper and stuffed in a gift bag (or better, it's flat and green and papery and gets put in a card!).

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Today is:

Alcyone -- Ancient Greek Calendar (kingfisher goddess; date approximate, but during the Halcyon Days)

Bill of Rights Day -- US

Cat Herders Day -- for those whose job or life is like trying to herd cats; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Consualia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Festival for Consus, god of granaries, with games and races in the Circus Maximus in his honor)

Coonskin Cap Day -- debut of "Davy Crocket" on TV's "Disneyland" in 1954 (and the original Davy Crockett hated the things, by the way)

Homecoming Day -- Alderney, UK

Human Rights and Peace Day -- Kiribati

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Pvorusleikier -- Spoon-licker, who tries to steal all the wooden spoons he can find

Kasuga Wakamiya on-Matsuri -- Nara Prefecture, Japan (dates to the 12th century, to pray against plague and for a good harvest; through the 18th)

Koninkrijksdag -- Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba; Sint Maarten (Kingdom Day)

National Lemon Cupcake Day

National Regifting Day -- be careful here!

Navidades begin -- Puerto Rico (traditional Christmas celebrations that last through Three Kings Day)

Setagaya no Bori Ichi -- Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan (a two day flea market that dates back to 1578)

St. Nino's Day (Patron of Georgia)

Trivial Pursuit Day -- honoring Canadians Chris Haney and Scott Abbott, who created the game on this date in 1979

Underdog Day -- the day to celebrate all the number two people who make the number ones what they are (as in Friday to Crusoe); day founded by the late Peter Moeller, THE Chief Underdog

Zamenhof Day -- International Esperanto Community

Anniversary Today:

Sylvester Stallone marries Brigitte Nielson, 1985

Birthdays Today:

Adam Brody, 1979

Garrett Wang, 1968

Helen Slater, 1963

Nick Beggs, 1961

Don Johnson, 1949

Dave Clark, 1942

Tim Conway, 1933

Edna O'Brien, 1931

Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1928

Uziel "Uzi" Gal, 1923

Jeff Chandler, 1918

Stan Kenton, 1911

J. Paul Getty, 1892

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof, 1859

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel,1832

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Gone With the Wind(Film), 1939 (Atlanta only, general release Jan. 1, 1940)

"Song of the Forests"(Shostakovich Op. 81), 1949

"Charlie Girl"(Musical), 1965

Today in History:

Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron, 533

Hulagu Khan captures and destroys the Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut in present-day Iran as part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia, 1265

Bartholomeus Diaz returns to Portugal after sailing round Cape of Good Hope, 1488

The State of Holland grants patent on a windmill with crankshaft, 1593

The first US law school is established at University of Pennsylvania, 1791

The first Irish magazine in US, Shamrock, is published, 1810

The first street-cleaning machine in US is used in Philadelphia, 1854

The King of Hawaii becomes the first reigning king to visit the Us, and is received by President Grant, 1874

The London Underground's Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway opens, 1906

Bandleader, Major Glenn Miller, is lost over English Channel, 1944

Gemini 6A, crewed by Wally Schirra and Thomas Stafford, is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida; four orbits later, it achieves the first space rendezvous, with Gemini 7, 1965

Samoa becomes a member of the United Nations, 1976

U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan, 1978

The 3rd reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is shut down, 2000

The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean, 2001

Boeing's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes its maiden flight from Seattle, Washington, 2009

The Mayor of Flint, Michigan declares state of emergency over contaminated water supplies amid calls for a criminal investigation, 2015

Egyptian Archaeologists announce the discovery of a 4,400-year-old tomb of Fifth Dynasty priest in the Saqqara pyramid complex near Cairo, 2018

Protests erupt across India against the new citizenship law that excludes Muslims, 2019

Tens of thousands of nurses go on strike in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the largest strike in NHS history, 2022