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Saturday, November 8, 2025

The Great Neighborhood Candy Exchange and More, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

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Picking up from last Friday, it was the night of The Great Neighborhood Candy Exchange, which many call Halloween and on which all the moms (and grandmoms) in the neighborhood exchange candy through their children.


I am thankful for my habit of buying a small bag of candy with every trip to the store starting in September so the cost never becomes a problem.


I’m thankful for the fun costumes and smiles of the kids, the fact I always have candy with no nuts available for children who need it (one family brings their three allergic children to our house every year because they know we have stuff) and this year I am thankful for clear tape.  One young man’s costume, which was a “blow up” wearable with a fan in the back, had a tear it it.  A nice piece of clear tape over the tear and the costume worked well enough to get him through the evening.


Our biggest problem on Saturdays when Sweetie comes with me and we are driving back from NOLA in a rental is having to go all the way to the house to let my Sweetie follow me to the rental place in our car so we will have a ride home.  We have to drive through a very frustrating construction zone for the next several months and i thought we could eliminate that by having Brother-in-law meet us at the rental place and give us a ride home.


I’m thankful I survived and am glad to have finally met someone whose driving is worse than my Sweetie’s or my Bigger Girl’s, I won’t worry so much about either of them any longer.  (Yes, I’m thankful my Sweetie lets me drive whenever we are together.)


Becca and her family are out of town two Sundays in a row.  I am sad to miss our walk with Mr. Cal and Becca’s and my time at worship together, but thankful for a chance to sleep a little later and get to church in my own sweet time.  I’m also thankful the headache i got from sleeping late went away quickly, sometimes you can’t win everything so you take what you get!


Because my week was shaping up to be busy (again), i was thankful my Sweetie did agree after i got done with work to meet me at the Mall-Mart so i could buy all the stuff for the rEcess dinner and he could take it to the church and I wouldn’t have to worry about it later in the week.


Monday night we got the word our teacher for the monthly Tuesday ladies’ meeting was ill, i was thankful i’d already prepared as if i was going to teach (i like to be very ready to contribute to discussions) and i was able to step in, and she will teach next month.


Tuesday i was also thankful for a long stretch through the afternoon and evening with my little Annie.




Several weeks ago, our generator had developed a major problem, and then another, and the fix was a whole new panel for the electricals in the house, and it was set to be done this past Wednesday.


The moment of truth came, they showed, were able to get it done, and we’re thankful for a fixed generator with a new and improved panel and switched that work and best of all, it came in at less than the cost estimate!


We're also thankful, when the parish (county in most places) worker came to inspect it, it passed easily, so we are up to code.


Thursday was another two job day, Ms. V as well as Kevin and Lenny.  I’m thankful i got through it with only minimal soreness by the end of the day, remembered to flip the mattresses at Ms. V’s, and we have worked off all of our car repairs (they do small repairs and oil changes in exchange for a certain number of cleanings).


Which brings us up to rEcess, where we always have a good time and are thankful for a meal together, plenty of art and gym time, and non-stop action (and for those who don’t know, it’s a church ministry where a group of us volunteer to take care of special need kids and their siblings for free so the parents get a night out).




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:


Abet and Aid Punsters Day -- promoted by Punsters Unlimited, which seems to know better than to host a website


Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day -- especially for those who have had to close up the house for winter, we need to create a beautiful aroma for the house; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Dunce Day -- death anniversary of John Duns Scotus (one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of the Middle Ages, he was called the "Subtle Doctor" but his enemies turned his name into the word we use today for someone who isn't too bright)


Feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs (Patrons of cattle, masons, sculptors, stone cutters; against fever)


Festival of the Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to placate the Manes)


Fuigo Matsuri -- Kyoto City, Japan (Bellows Festival, Shinto festival in honor of Inari, the kitchen hearth goddess)


I Hate to Cook Day -- internet generated, and probably started by someone who wanted an excuse to go out to dinner!


National Cappuccino Day


National Harvey Wallbanger Day


National Parents as Teachers Day -- US


Pohnpei Constitution Day -- Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia


Sadie Hawkins Day -- US (on Nov. 9 or the Saturday nearest, and based on the Li'l Abner comic, a day for a woman to ask out the man of her choice; also widely observed on Feb. 29 because of a law passed in Scotland in 1288)


Saints, Doctors, Missionaries, and Martyr's Day -- Church of England


Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers of Heaven -- Eastern Orthodox Church


The Lord Mayor's Show -- London, England (originally "The Lord Mayor's Day," according to the official website this show has marched, floated, trotted, and occasionally fought through almost 800 years of London history, making it one of the oldest civic pageants in the world)


World Urbanism Day/World Town Planning Day


X-Ray Discovery Day / World Radiography Day -- commemorating the discovery, in 1895, of X-rays





Anniversaries Today:


Montana becomes 41st US State, 1889

Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women is founded, 1837 (considered by many to be the first true college for women in the US)

Opening of the Louvre, 1793



Birthdays Today:


Tara Reid, 1975

Masashi Kishimoto, 1974

Parker Posey, 1968

Courtney Thorne-Smith, 1967

Gordon Ramsay, 1966

Leif Garrett, 1961

Rickie Lee Jones, 1954

Alfre Woodard, 1953

Mary Hart, 1951

Bonnie Raitt, 1949

Virna Lisi, 1937

Morley Safer, 1931

Patti Page, 1927

Christiaan Barnard, 1922

Esther Rolle, 1920

Martha Gellhorn, 1908

Margaret Mitchell, 1900

Hermann Rorschach, 1884

Milton Bradley, 1836

Edmond Halley, 1656



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Six Degrees of Separation"(Guare drama), 1990

"Night and Day"(Stoppard play), 1978

"Days of our Lives"(TV), 1965

"Life With Father"(Play), 1939

Sister Carrie(Publication date), 1900

"Ruy Blas"(Victor Hugo drama), 1838



Today in History:


Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity to be the state religion, 392

Uprising against Piero de' Medici in Florence, Italy, 1494

First meeting of Montezuma and Hernando Cortez in Tenochtitlan, Mexico, 1519

The Bodleian Library at Oxford University is opened to the public, 1602

Benjamin Franklin opens the first US library, in Philadelphia, PA, 1731

Elijah Craig, of Bourbon, Kentucky, US, first distills Bourbon whiskey from corn, 1789

Sarah Bernhardt makes her US debut at NY's Booth Theater, 1880

The New Orleans general strike begins, uniting black and white American trade unionists in a successful four-day general strike action for the first time, 1892

Wilhelm Roentgen of Germany discovers X-rays, 1895

The New Testament Gospels are translated into Demotic Greek (as opposed to the Koine Greek of ancient texts), resulting in bloody clashes in Athens, 1901

The first Washington state elections in which women could vote take place, 1910

Operation Grapple X, Round C1: Britain conducts its first successful hydrogen bomb test over Kiritimati in the Pacific, 1957

Former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke becomes the first African American elected to the United States Senate, 1966

Manolis Andronikos discovers the tomb of Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father), 1977

The UN Security Council demands that Saddam Hussein disarm or face serious consequences, 2002

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao releases pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, taken during the Chang e-2 lunar mission, 2010

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao releases pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, taken during the Chang e-2 lunar mission, 2010

The potentially hazardous asteroid 2005 YU55 passed 0.85 lunar distances from Earth (about 324,600 kilometres or 201,700 miles), 2011

Mikhail Gorbachev warns that tensions between America and Russia over Ukraine have put the world on the brink of a new Cold War, 2014

Louvre Abu Dhabi is inaugurated, the largest art museum on the Arabian peninsula, 2017

Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa breaks the world record for surfing the biggest-ever wave at 24.4m at Nazaré, Portugal, 2017

Richard Branson's Virgin Hyperloop in Las Vegas, Nevada, US, runs its first test of a high-speed levitating pod system to carry people and cargo, 2020

Archaeologists announce the most significant find of Etruscan and Roman bronze statues in the past 50 years while excavating an ancient spa in San Casciano dei Bagni, Italy, 2022

European Space Telescope Euclid releases its first images - first telescope able to capture an entire galaxy in one single exposure, also built to explore dark matter and dark energy, 2023

The bells of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris ring out for the first time since the 2019 fire, 2024

Friday, November 7, 2025

Link Linker the Stinker is Still Unsure (Feline Friday), Friendly Fill-Ins and Nature Friday

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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!


Link Linker the Stinker is still unsure about this new tiny human who comes to play at his house.









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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. My November to do list includes _________ and _________.


2. I find the song _________ annoying.


3. Currently, I'm ahead on _________ but behind on _________.


4. I'm unbeatable at _________.



1. My November to do list includes   work  and   coordinate, procure, cook, serve, and clean up from a Thanksgiving meal (as well as drive an hour to and from).


2. I find the song _________ annoying.   I'm not going to answer because then you will have an earworm.


3. Currently, I'm ahead on   worrying (already into next year!)  but behind on   deciding which places to order some of our holidays meals, as no one place has all the things everyone likes.


4. I'm unbeatable at   absolutely nothing, Becca even routinely skunks me at Candyland.



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


Ms. G's flowers are still blooming.






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Today is:


Arbor Day -- Samoa


Ashi Vanguhi -- Ancient Persian Calendar/Zoroastrian (celebration of Ashi Vanguhi, or Holy Blessing; date approximate, always two days after a full moon around this time of year)


Commemoration Day -- Tunisia


Day of Accord and Reconciliation -- Russia (formerly Great October Socialist Revolution Day, with the date determined by the Gregorian Calendar)


Feast of Blessed John Duns Scotus (the Subtle Doctor, known for merging the views from many philosophies)

     Dunce Day -- from the word Dunse, a name for the followers of the philosophy of John Duns Scotus


Feast of Stolen Fire -- find it listed on several sites, but none have any background; maybe celebrate that Prometheus stole fire for us?


International Tongue Twister Day -- internet generated


Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Awareness And Appreciation Day -- US


National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day


October Revolution Day -- Belarus; Kyrgyzstan (also called Days of History and Memory); Transdniestria


Stay Away from Anyone named Honest John Day -- internet generated; no comment


St. Florentius' Day (Patron against gall stones, ruptures)


St. Willibrord's Day (Patron of epileptics; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Utrecht, Netherlands; against convulsions, epilepsy)


World Community Day -- sponsored by Church Women United to focus on justice and peace through non-violent means;  this year's theme is "All Things New:  New Beginnings, New Perspectives"     



Anniversary Today:


The Old Stoughton Musical Society, the oldest choral society in the US, is founded, 1786




Birthdays Today:


Jeremy London, 1972

Keith Lockhart, 1959

Joni Mitchell, 1943

Johnny Rivers, 1942

Barry Newman, 1938

Joan Sutherland, 1926

Al Hirt, 1922

Billy Graham, 1918

Albert Camus, 1913

Dean Jagger, 1903

Leon Trotsky, 1879

Madame Marie Curie, 1867

Captain James Cook, 1728



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"America Hurrah"(van Itallie play), 1966

"Face the Nation"(TV), 1954

"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century"(Radio),1932

The Republican Elephant, as drawn by T. Nast in Harper's Weekly, 1874

"The Conscious Lovers"(Steele play), 1722

The Oxford Gazette(first edition), 1665 (Now The London Gazette)



Today in History:


The oldest meteorite with a known date of impact, the Ensisheim Meteorite, strikes around noon in a wheat field near the village of Ensisheim, Alsace, France, 1492

Pierre Gassendi observes the transit of Mercury as predicted by Kepler, 1631

Anne Hutchinson is banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a heretic, 1637

The first edition of the "London Gazette", the oldest surviving journal, is published, 1665

Lewis and Clark first sight the Pacific Ocean, 1805

The first Thomas Nast cartoon depicting the Republican Party Elephant is published, 1874

Edward Bouchet becomes the first black to receive a PhD from a US college (Yale), 1876

Women in the U.S. state of Colorado are granted the right to vote, 1893

The first air freight shipment is undertaken by the Wright brothers and department store owner Max Moorehouse (from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio), 1910

Mao Tse Tung proclaims the "Chinese People's Republic", 1931

Fiorello H. La Guardia is elected the 99th mayor of New York City, 1933

Carl B. Stokes is elected as Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, becoming the first African American mayor of a major American city, 1967

Douglas Wilder wins the governor's seat in Virginia, becoming the first elected African American governor in the United States, 1989

Mary Robinson becomes the first woman to be elected President of the Republic of Ireland, 1990

NASA launches the Mars Global Surveyor, 1996

U.S. voters in the state of Massachusetts approve a referendum legalizing the use of medical marijuana; Colorado and Washington approve the legalization of recreational use of the drug, 2012

Sierra Leone is declared free of Ebola by the World Health Organization (death toll 4,000), 2015

Extreme smog in Delhi, India, leads Indian Medical Association to declare "a state of medical emergency", 2017

The world's oldest figurative painting of an animal, at least 40,000 years old, is identified in Lubang Jeriji Saléh cave, Borneo, 2018

Queen Elizabeth II confirms that she is no longer buying any clothing that contains real fur, 2019

Chinese taikonaut Wang Yaping becomes the first Chinese female to walk in space, completing a 6 hour space walk as part of the Shenzhou 13 mission, 2021

Cherelle Parker is elected 100th Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania becoming both the first woman and first Black woman mayor of the city, 2023