There’s Long and There’s Long (Cajun Joke), Sunday Selections, and Sunday Selfie

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Just because Sandee of Comedy Plus is no longer hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, do not expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes, especially as it has now become a habit.

Grandma was talking to #2 Son yesterday about the property he and Daughter-in-Law bought in Arkansas.  "The temperature was 17 degrees a couple of days ago up there!" #2 Son said.

"Whooo!" Grandma said.  "It's sure winter up there."

Boudreaux an' Clothile done had dem de arguin', an' when Tee done come home from school he see Boudreaux be settin' out on de po'ch, even tho' it be's cold.

An' Tee say, "Père, guess what we done learn in school!  Today be's de winter solstice, dat mean it be de shortes' day an' de longes' night o' de year."

An' Boudreaux say, "Mais, garçon, when you grows up, you be goin' fin' out after you done be arguin' wit' you wife be de longes' nights!"

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files.  The rules have been relaxed, and it is now simply a showcase for your photos, new or old, good or bad, although nothing rude, please.  Our friend River is hosting, and other participants often include Charlotte/Mother Owl, Andrew, and WiseWebWoman.              

Scenes of holiday cheer.

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This week, Echo wants to join the Kitties Blue at The Cat On My Head for their Sunday Selfies Blog Hop.   

She was one of the cats adopted this past Friday, and she wanted to take an, "I'm going to my new home!" selfie.

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Today is the Solstice!  In the Northern Hemisphere Winter begins and in the Southern Hemisphere Summer begins at 15:03UTC.

Here are a few other celebrations associated with the Solstice:

     Anne and Samantha Day -- celebrating the lives of Anne Frank and Samantha Smith, a day to work and pray for world peace

     Alban Arthuan -- Druid Festival, 4th Station; through the solstice

     Bruma -- Ancient Roman Calendar

     Dongzhi Festival -- East Asia (literal meaning, "Extreme of Winter")

     Festival of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (celebration of the seeking of Osiris by Isis and her resurrection of him)

     National Haiku Poetry Day -- US (because haiku is traditionally about the seasons, it's celebrated on the first day of winter)

     Wild Hunt reaches its peak -- various Norse traditions

     Soyala New Year Festival -- Hopi and Zuni Native Americans (a festival of purification as well as celebration, with homes cleaned, fires doused, and personal restraint observed)

     Yalda -- Iran (Persian/Zoroastrian winter solstice festival; to celebrate the longest night of the year, many stay up for the fight against dark and evil.)

     Yule/Jul/Jol Festivals begin -- various calendars, religions, countries and observances, both ancient and modern

          Yule -- Wicca/Pagan, northern hemisphere

          Litha -- Wicca/Pagan, southern hemisphere

          from the Old Norse Hjol, meaning "wheel" to signify the year is at its lowest point and ready to rise again

     Ziemassvetki -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (birth of Dievs, highest of the gods; modern Latvians celebrate this on Christmas Eve/Christmas, but it was originally a three day solstice festival)

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

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Today is:

Divalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (part of Saturnalia; feast of Angerona, goddess of secret sorrows)

Flashlight Day -- what better day, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, when dark is with us longest, to make sure you have one in good working order

Forefathers' Day -- Plymouth, MA, US (celebrates the landing of the Pilgrims)

Fourth Sunday of Advent -- Christian

    Lighting the Candle of Love/Adoration

Homeless Persons' Memorial Day -- US

Humbug Day -- those frustrated with their holiday preparations are allowed up to 12 humbugs today, just to help vent their frustrations; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Gluggagaegir -- Peeper, who peeps through the windows and will come steal toys he likes the look of

Kiwi Fruit Day -- California, US (celebrate with them, these are good!)

Look At the Bright Side Day -- Northern Hemisphere, and why not; after all, each day after this will have more sun!

National Hamburger Day

Pancha Ganapati -- India (through the 25th, a modern Hindu festival honoring of Lord Ganesha, Patron of Arts and Culture)

Phileas Fogg Wins A Wager Day (1872)

Poseidea -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival to honor Poseidon; date approximate)

St. Peter Canisius' Day (Patron of Catholic press, Germany, writers of catechisms)

St. Thomas' Day, the Doubting Thomas (old date, now celebrated on July 3, but many of the superstitions related to it are still observed at this time)

     Mumping Day a/k/a Gooding Day -- UK (traditional day on which beggars beg for, or "mump", good things for Christmas, always on old St. Thomas' Day)

     Sao Tome Day -- Sao Tome e Principe (Dia de Sao Tome e Principe)

Birthdays Today:

Jackson Rathbone, 1984

Jack Noseworthy, 1969

Kiefer Sutherland, 1966

Andy Dick, 1965

Florence Griffith Joyner, 1959

Ray Romano, 1957

Jane Kaczmarek, 1955

Chris Evert, 1954

Tina Brown, 1953

Samuel L. Jackson, 1948

Michael Tilson Thomas, 1944

Frank Zappa, 1940

Jane Fonda, 1937

Phil Donahue, 1935

Joe Paterno, 1926

Paul Winchell, 1922

Heinrich Böll, 1917

Josh Gibson, 1911

Joseph Stalin, 1879

Henrietta Szold, 1860

Benjamin Disraeli, 1804

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Billion Dollar Baby"(Musical), 1945

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs(Disney animated film), 1937

Tillie's Punctured Romance(Silent Film, first full length comedy), 1914

The Crossword Puzzle(First one ever published, 1913

Basketball, 1891 (first game under the direction of James Naismith, by the rules he had published)

Today in History:

A hurricane hits Holland/Friesland, destroying villages with widespread flooding, 1163

The Battle of Curalaba: The revolting Mapuche Native Americans, led by cacique Pelentaru, inflict a major defeat on Spanish troops in southern Chile; all Spanish cities south of the Biobio river are eventually taken by the Mapuches, and all conquest of Mapuche territories by Europeans practically ceases, until the 1870s "Pacification of Araucania", 1598

William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1620

Hue Tay Son becomes emperor Quang Trung of Vietnam, 1788

The Rochdale Pioneers commence business at their cooperative in Rochdale, England, starting the Cooperative movement, 1844

The first Permanent Force cavalry and infantry regiments of the Canadian Army are formed: The Royal Canadian Dragoons and The Royal Canadian Regiment, 1883

The first Word-Cross puzzle, which the printer mislabeled as a Cross-Word (the name that stuck), is published in the New York World, 1913

The first feature length color and sound cartoon, Disney's Snow White, premiers, 1937

Rondane National Park is established as Norway's first national park, 1962

Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew performs the first ever manned Trans Lunar Injection and become the first humans to leave Earth's gravity, 1968

The United Nations adopts the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 1969

Mexican volcano Popocatepetl, dormant for 47 years, erupts gases and ash, 1994

The city of Bethlehem passes from Israeli to Palestinian control, 1995

Scientists studying the Sutter's Mill Meteorite announce it contains the oldest material in the Solar System, 2012

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar reaches the date 13.0.0.0.0, 2012

Hawaiian vocalist Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's official music video for his rendition of "Over the Rainbow" reaches a billion views on YouTube, 2020

The JET Laboratory, UK, has a major breakthrough in fusion energy research, producing a record 59 mega joules of energy over 5 seconds, 2021

Caitlin Clark ties Elena Delle Donne as the fastest Division I women's player to reach 2,000 career points, 2023

The Closer Christmas Comes, the Busier We Get, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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This is the most wonderful craziest time of the year.

Of course, it's wonderful, too, which is why we have so many thankful things.

#2 Son continues his schedule with going to the store he manages in NOLA each Saturday so we can carpool, i'm very thankful to not have to rent a car each week most of the time.

While down there last week, Cousin J brought some other cousins to visit us.  Please remember on this blog, Grandma and Grandpa are actually my parents and my children's grandparents.  So these relatives, my grandfather (Grandpa's dad) was their father's uncle, which is supposed to make us second cousins.

I'm thankful to meet them as i know nothing about my extended family on that side, although if i ever get to retire i want to research it.

This past Sunday was the Christmas Cantata, which meant Ms. A would be singing at both the 9am and 11am services.  We decided i would go get Becca up as usual, take her and Mr. Cal for a walk, then we would skip the 9am and go at 11.  I'm thankful it worked out well, sometimes special needs people do not take well to changes in routine, but she was perfectly okay to stay home and play Candyland.  She's probably thankful she skunked me 3 times (yes, she beats me at every game, even Candyland).

That evening, we met at the church again for Pilgrimage and this time we sat in the balcony, which gave us a different view of the performance.  We were thankful it went well, then my Sweetie and i went home to drive around and see the luminaries in our neighborhood (a short drive, we were getting a bit tired).

Monday was P-day (Phone-day).  My phone broke months ago, i've been using a very cheap spare on which we have a different phone number and it didn't have all my contacts, and i have no clue how many calls, texts, or anything else i've missed, all while different repair places tried to figure out how to retrieve anything off of my old phone.

I'm thankful #2 Son got a new phone when he and Daughter-in-Law switched plans so he gave me his one-year-old phone (that's still new to me!), and i took it to the repair shop for my appointment.

I was most thankful they managed to get everything from my old phone!  All my photos, contacts and notes, so the important stuff.  It's wonderful having it all back again and on a newer phone.

Sweetie's passenger rear tire was needing air every few days (sound like a familiar saga here?  it is) and he took it to Kevin and Lenny's.  Because we buy our tires there, repairs are free, so it's fixed and we're thankful.

As usual, i was able to take care of our little Annie a couple of times this week.  Next week, it won't work out so well, we've all got a different schedule, so this week i savored the time.

Somebody has been scarfing down avocado at a rapid rate, and wants more, please.

#2 Son and Daughter-in-Law have told us they are cooking the Christmas dinner!  I'm thankful they want to take charge, and they want to cook, not buy the pre-made dishes, so we're going to let them.  I'm thankful to not need to do it all myself as i have the last few years.

The Christmas cards finally got done and mailed, and i'm very thankful.

All the Christmas stuff is ordered, thankfully, except more cookies for Grandma.  She is a sugar addict, but she's 85 and homebound, let her eat what she wants, right?

My back has been a bit grumbly lately, especially after Ms. G and moving all the birdseed, but i'm thankful it seems to be settling.

Ms. V does not have exercise class again until after the New Year, so i'm thankful she was up by 10:30 so i didn't have to work too late.

On the way home from Ms. V's place, i got a call from my Sweetie telling me The Big Boss wanted the two of us to go out to dinner on him as a Christmas treat.  I'm thankful for a delightful meal we wouldn't normally enjoy, plus leftovers, and thankful The Big Boss tends to be generous this time of year.

The best part of the week was the Friday evening shift at the shelter.  It was wild.  People everywhere, asking about cats, asking about kittens, and adoptions all over the place.  At least five cats went home just in the few hours i'm there in the afternoon!  We're so thankful for adopters and thankful to be busy.

A fun story, one man who came in said, "I asked my wife if I could have a cat for Christmas and she said, 'Yes,' so I got on Google, it sent me to Petfinders, and now I've found my cat!"  He was so excited, he had just asked early in the afternoon and had his cat by 5pm.  I've never seen a big, strong guy like him actually giggle with excitement.

Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Clark and his co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.   

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Today is:

50 Ways To Leave Your Lover Day -- marking the debut of the song, think of 50 ways to stay with the one you love, and do one!

BPT Remembrance Day -- try to remember what breakfast was like BPT (before Pop-Tarts)

Cathode Ray Day -- the kinescope (cathode ray tube) was patented by Vladimir Zworykin on this day in 1938

Fete des Cafres -- Reunion (Abolition Day)

Go Caroling Day -- if you have the voice for it, enjoy

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Bjugnakraekir -- Sausage-pilferer, who will steal any kind of sausage you don't manage to hide from him

International Human Solidarity Day -- UN

Louisiana Purchase Day -- US

Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day -- Macau

Mudd Day -- for Samuel Mudd, the doctor who accidentally treated a disguised John Wilkes Boothe after he assassinated Lincoln; don't hang your head in shame if your name is Mudd!  Today is your day.

National Fried Shrimp Day

National Sangria Day (If you still aren't ready for Christmas, you might need it.)

Old St. Thomas' Eve -- St. Thomas, whose feast is now in July, was formerly on Dec. 21, and the evening before used for prognostication; related observance

     Tammasmass E'en -- Orkney Islands, UK (from tonight until Yule, no work was undertaken or amusements enjoyed after sunset; all alemaking for the Yule celebrations had to be done by this day

Solstice Eve

St. Dominic of Silos' Day (Patron of captives, pregnant women, prisoners, and shepherds; against hydrophobia, insects, mad dogs, and rabies)

Try to Remember Where You Hid The Christmas Gifts Day -- it's getting close, and you don't want to have to go out at the last minute and buy more; sponsored by "Marlar in the Morning," QFL-101 Radio, Rockford, Illinois

Anniversary Today:

Donald Trump weds Marla Maples, 1993

Montgomery Bus Boycott ends, 1956

Birthdays Today:

Jonah Hill, 1983

David Cook, 1982

Billy Bragg, 1957

Jenny Agutter, 1952

Uri Geller, 1946

Peter Criss, 1945

William Julius Wilson, 1935

John Hillerman, 1932

David Levine, 1926

George Roy Hill, 1922

Irene Dunne, 1898

Susanne K. Langer, 1895

Robert Gordon Menzies, 1894

Hazel Virginia Hotchkiss Wightman, 1886

Wesley Branch Rickey, 1881

Harvey Firestone, 1868

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Sunshine Boys"(Play), 1972

"The Dating Game"(TV), 1965

It's a Wonderful Life(Film), 1946

Today in History:

Vespasian enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor, 69

Richard the Lionheart is captured in Vienna, 1192

Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta, 1522

Peter the Great orders the Russian New Year changed from Sept 1 to Jan 1, 1699

The Louisiana Purchase is formally transferred from France to US for $27M, 1803

The international cantilever railway bridge opens at Niagara Falls, 1883

North America's longest railway, at 50,000km, the Canadian National Railways, is established, 1919

The first international dogsled mail leaves Minot, Maine for Montreal, Quebec, 1928

The cathode-ray tube is patented by Russian immigrant Vladimir Zworykin, 1938

Cardiff is proclaimed the capital city of Wales, United Kingdom, 1955

Djibouti and Vietnam join the United Nations, 1977

NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X, 1996

US District Court Judge John E. Jones III rules against mandating the teaching of "intelligent design" in his ruling of Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, 2005

Queen Elizabeth II becomes the oldest ever monarch of the United Kingdom, surpassing Queen Victoria, who lived for 81 years, 7 months and 29 days, 2007

Intercontinental Exchange purchases the New York Stock Exchange, the largest in the world, for USD $8 billion, 2012

Great Britain agrees to help Syria destroy over 165 tons of chemical weapons; the stockpile includes substances that could be used to make highly toxic nerve agents, 2013

United States Space Force is founded, an armed forces branch dedicated to space warfare, 2019

The first Hong Kong legislative elections with only 'patriot' candidates has a low turnout of 30%, 2021

Multinational company 3M says it will stop making and using "forever chemicals", linked to health problems, 2022