Minor Miracle (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!

A short while back, i was catsitting for Ms. GA and Mr. BA while they were on vacation and a minor miracle occurred.  First Missy, the most recent addition to the clowder, decided i was okay and let me pet her, especially when feeding her.

The Little Orphan Annie, who for the first five years i was here wouldn't ever let me see any portion of her except her tail disappearing around a corner or up the stairs, decided i was okay on a limited basis.

Those are the best photos i was able to take of me petting them, the rest are in the photo fails below.

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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. Lately, my main focus is ___________________.

2. I crave ______________________.

3. I get my best ideas _________.

4. I only trust _________ with my biggest secrets.

1. Lately, my main focus is   figuring out how to continue working and help my family when they need it.

2. I crave   a full day off, and i have one planned if it all works out.

3. I get my best ideas   when i'm about to fall asleep so i have to wake up and write them down so i won't forget and then it's hard to go back to sleep.

4. I only trust   Jesus  with my biggest secrets.  (He knows them anyway!)

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

I was concerned the crepe myrtles weren't going to bloom much because of damage from the unusual winter weather this past year.  I need not have worried, they are just a bit late.   

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

As noted above, when you are trying to take a picture of yourself petting a cat, it results in a lot of photo fails.

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Today is International Maltese Cat Day!

Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.        

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Today is:

Canadian Multiculturalism Day -- Cananda

Day of National Unity -- Tajikistan

Day of Turkmen Workers of Culture and Art -- Turkmenistan

Day Sacred to the Lares -- Ancient Roman Calendar (personal household gods); also

     Festival of Jupiter Stator -- Jupiter, Stayer of the Rout, god who helped soldiers especially to stand their ground

     Initium Aestatis -- three day festival for the goddess of summer, which season they saw as beginning on this day

Decide to Be Married Day -- sponsored by Barbara Gaughen-Muller; to focus on the joy of couples deciding to be married

"Happy Birthday to You" Day -- tune composed this day in 1859

Independence Day / National Day -- Djibouti

Industrial Workers of The World Day -- founded this day in 1905

Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum Smith -- Mormon

Mixed Races Day -- Brazil

National HIV Testing Day -- US 

National Indian Pudding Day

National Orange Blossom Day

National Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day -- US (by Senate resolution) 

Sacred Heart of Jesus -- Catholic Christian

Seven Sleepers Day (Siebenschläfertag) -- Germany (according to legend, today's weather determines the pattern for the next seven weeks)

St. Ladislaus' Day (Patron of Szekszard, Hungary)

Sunglasses Day -- a reminder to wear those shades, protect your eyes from UV damage!  Sometimes called National Sunglasses Day

Birthdays Today:

Gabi Wilson, 1997

Madylin Sweeten, 1991

Ed Westwick, 1987

Drake Bell, 1986

Tobey Maguire, 1975

J.J. Abrams, 1976

Jason Patric, 1966

Isabelle Adjani, 1955

Julia Duffy, 1951

James Daughton, 1950

Norma Kamali, 1945

Shirley-Anne Field, 1938

H. Ross Perot, 1930

Bob "Captain Kangaroo" Keeshan, 1927

Helen Keller, 1880

Patrick Lafcadio "Koizumi Yakumo" Hearn, 1850

Charles Stewart Parnell, 1846

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Live and Let Die(Film), 1973

"Dark Shadows"(TV), 1966

"Captain Video and His Video Rangers"(TV), 1949

Today in History:

General James Wolfe begins the siege of Quebec, 1759

Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his brother Hyrum Smith, are murdered by a mob at the Carthage, Illinois jail, 1844

George Dixon becomes the first black world boxing champion in any weight class, while also being the first ever Canadian-born boxing champion, 1890

The first solo circumnavigation of the globe is completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island, Nova Scotia, 1898

Sailors start a mutiny aboard the Russian Battleship Potemkin, denouncing the crimes of autocracy, demanding liberty and an end to war, 1905

Capt. Lowell H. Smith and Lt. John P. Richter perform the first ever aerial refueling in a DH-4B biplane, 1923

The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War, 1950

The world's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow, 1954

The world's first ATM is installed in Enfield, London, 1967

The President of Uruguay dissolves Parliament and heads a coup d'état, 1973

U.S president Richard Nixon visits the U.S.S.R., 1974

France grants independence to Djibouti, 1977

The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, ILO 169 convention, is adopted, 1989

Slovenia, after declaring independence two days before, is invaded by Yugoslav troops, tanks, and aircraft, starting the Ten-Day War, 1991

Bill Gates resigns from Microsoft to focus on his charity work, 2008

The first democratic election in the history of Guinea is held, 2010

Tests show radioactive cesium is present in small quantities in residents of Iitate and Kawamata, Fukushima, towns located 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 2011

NASA launches IRIS, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph, a space probe to observe the Sun, 2013

The European Union fines Google a record $2.7 billion for unfair competition practices, 2017

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa 2 arrives at asteroid Ryugu, 2018

The science journal Nature publishes an article describing carbon-based molecules, previously only seen on Earth or in meteorites, that were found by the Cassini spacecraft on Saturn's moon Enceladus, 2018

Apple's chief designer, Jony Ive, designer of the iMac and the iPhone, announces he is leaving Apple after 30 years, 2019 

A locust invasion is named "Swarmageddon" by The Times of India as it reaches Delhi, 2020

NASA launches a rocket from a commercial spaceport outside the US for the first time, at Arnhem Space Centre, Northern Territory, Australia, 2022

Archaeologists in the city of Pompeii uncover a fresco which shows a flatbread with toppings, possible evidence of "pizza" style foods as early as the first century, 2023