Rudolph and Holly (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins, Nature Friday and Pet Photo Fails

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Feline Friday was originally started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude (may he rest in peace), and i'm going to believe it's because he liked 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!

Rudolph and Holly recently went to their forever home.

Holly (yes, she has one eye)

Rudolph

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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. _________ was the highlight of my Christmas (or Hanukkah).

2. I ate too much _________ on Christmas (or Hanukkah).

3. Even though Christmas Day has passed, I _________.

4. I'd still like to _________ before this year is over.

1. Getting to see our little Annie on her first Christmas  was the highlight of my Christmas (or Hanukkah).

2. I ate too much   sautéed Brussels sprouts in chili-lime sauce with honey drizzle    on Christmas (or Hanukkah).

3. Even though Christmas Day has passed, I   have some goodies stashed away (alas, no more sprouts) for New Year's Eve.

4. I'd still like to   get some tidying up bookkeeping done  before this year is over.

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Nature Friday is hosted by LLB in Our Backyard.  Simply post a picture of the natural world, and link up!   

Autumn color, south Louisiana style.

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Pet Photo Fails is hosted by Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries & Meows.     

It's not easy to get a puppy to be still, and Emmie was especially wiggly this time.

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Today is:

Anniversary of Benazir Bhutto's Death -- Sindh, Pakistan

Calli (House) Day -- Aztec Calendar (a good day for all things hearth and home and family. a bad day to participate in public life; date approximate, but soon after the solstice)

Constitution Day -- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)

Festival of Nehebkau -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (Beginning of Eternity, celebrating the snake god and his role of binding the sun to the earth at the beginning of time; date approximate)

Kwanzaa, Day 2, Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

Make Cut Out Snowflakes Day -- internet generated, with Christmas over, you need to do winter decorations

Modern Medicine Day -- birth anniversary of Louis Pasteur

National Fruitcake Day -- unless, of course, you are like me and have spent your last several days with fruitcake relatives, at which point you get a day off from fruitcakes! ;D

Second Day of the Stanley Races -- Falkland Islands

St. Fabiola's Day (Patron of difficult marriages, divorced people, victims of abuse, victims of adultery, widows)

St. John the Divine's Day (Patron of art dealers, authors, bookbinders, booksellers, burn victims, compositors, editors, engravers, friendships, lithographers, painters, papermakers, printers, publishers, tanners, theologians, typesetters, writers; Asia Minor; Boise, Idaho, Borgo Santo Sepolcro, Italy; Cleveland, OH; Eger, Hungary; Milwaukee, WI; Morra, Netherlands; Saint-Jean – Longueuil, Québec; Sansepoicro, Italy; Sundern, Germany; Taos, NM; Umbria, Italy; Wroclaw, Poland; against burns, poisoning)

St. Stephen's Day -- Eastern Orthodox, a public holiday in Romania

Third Day of Christmas

Visit the Zoo Day -- don't know who put this one in the middle of winter, but there it is

Watch the Children Day -- internet generated, a day to take a page from the book of the young and remember how to play like a child

Birthdays Today:

Heather O'Rourke, 1975

Masi Oka, 1974

Bill Goldberg, 1966

Tovah Feldshuh, 1952

Gerard Depardieu, 1948

Cokie Roberts, 1943

John Amos, 1939

Oscar Levant, 1906

Marlene Dietrich, 1901

Sydney Greenstreet, 1879

Louis Pasteur, 1822

George Cayley, 1773

Johannes Kepler, 1571

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Knots Landing"(TV), 1979

"Howdy Doody"(TV), 1947 (first successful children's television show)

"Radio Roxyettes"(Now the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes), 1932

Today in History:

The Hagia Sofia of Constantinople is completed, 537

The Spanish Crown issues the Laws of Burgos, governing the conduct of settlers with regards to native Indians in the New World, 1512

The first public railroad using steam locomotive completed in England, 1825

Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, 1831

Worst English avalanche kills 8 of 15 buried in Lewes Sussex, 1836

Ether is first used in childbirth in US, in Jefferson, Ga., 1845

The world's first cat show is held at the Crystal Palace, London, 1871

Carrie Nation's first public smashing of a bar, at the Carey Hotel, Wichita, Kansas, 1900

Unsuccessful attempt on prince-regent Hirohito of Japan, 1923

Stalin's faction wins All-Union Congress in USSR, Trotsky is expelled, 1927

Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City, 1932

The Shah of Persia declares Persia is now Iran, 1934

The World Bank was created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations, 1945

Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean, ending the first orbital manned mission to the Moon, 1968

The People's Republic of China is granted permanent normal trade relations with the United States, 2001

Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet, 2004

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated, 2007

Toyota Motor Corporation agrees to pay $1 billion to settle over a dozen lawsuits related to sudden acceleration, 2012

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Pearl Harbor, offering “sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives” and adding, “[Japan] must never repeat the horrors of war again," 2016

Thousands of union members in Argentina protest deregulation and austerity measures meant to revive their economy, 2023