Scratch That Idea (Cajun Joke), Sunday Selections and Sunday Selfie

 ***********************************

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.

Grandpa doesn't cook much.  Oh, he can do a few things, makes a grilled shrimp all the shrimp lovers drool over, but cooking isn't his bag.

Yesterday, Grandma wanted a grilled cheese sandwich and she told me to make it, looking at Grandpa and saying, "He doesn't make it right."  He just shook his head and let me have at it, since he only cooks things at her insistence.

Boudreaux done be pullin' de tray o' biscuits out de oven when hims fille(daughter), Aline, walk in.

"You want you a biscuit, Aline?" he ax.  "I jes' made dem from scratch!"

Knowin' Boudreaux don' usually cook, Aline say, "You done made dese from scratch, Père?"

An' befo' he could say him ennyt'in', Clothile call from de nex' room, "Mais, he mean he done have to 'scratch' off de label to get the tube to pop open!"

***********************************

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.  

Ms. G is finishing up with renovations on a house she will put on the market soon.  It is one of the happiest and most cheerful houses I've ever been in and i am sad i did not take pictures inside the one time i was there.  This week we went only to pick up one item in the back, so i took photos of the yard.

***********************************

This week, Mr. Cal wants to join the Kitties Blue at The Cat On My Head for their Sunday Selfies Blog Hop.  He calls this his, "Peeking around the corner selfie."

***********************************

Today is:

Day of the Airborne Forces -- Russia; Ukraine

Day of Azerbaijani Cinema -- Azerbaijan (anniversary of the 1898 showing of the first motion pictures taken in Azerbaijan)

Ferry Fair -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (centuries old fair, a modern festival that was originally a way for farmers to find labour for harvest, but is now just for fun, through Saturday)

Festival of Amen and Hapi -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (offerings to the god of transcendent powers and the god of the Nile to assure the flooding of the Nile; date approximate)

Festival of Domhnach Chrom Dubh -- Ireland (also called Festival of Lughnasa or Garland Sunday, Black Chrom's Sunday, associated with the god Lugh and connected to the festival of Lammas; also connected to John Barleycorn, the personification of the grain, who is killed by being harvested at this time; many honor St. Patrick's Fast by making a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick, where he fasted until he overcame the pagan deity Crom Cruach [Crom of the Reek])

Grand Magal de Touba -- Touba, Senegal (commemoration of the departure into exile of Ahmadou Bamba to Gabon, a Sufi religious festival, begins at sunset and runs through nightfall tomorrow)

Lincoln Penny Day -- US (the Lincoln Cent entered circulation on this day in 1909, and is one of the longest running coins in continual production in history)

    Take a Penny/Leave a Penny Day -- if the US is really determined to keep the littlest coins, the least we can do is pool them together in the trays so conveniently found in stores and restaurants

Loch-mo-Naire Pilgrimage -- Loch mo Naire, Scotland (tonight from midnight to 1am tomorrow is the magical hour, complete the ritual there to be healed by the waters because of magic stones in the water that a Celtic priestess put there) 

Make Some Old Fashioned Lemonade Day

National Coloring Book Day

National Doll Day -- US (another with its own Facebook page) 

National Friendship Day -- US (designated by Congress in 1935)

National Ice Cream Sandwich Day

Nuestra Senora de los Angeles -- Costa Rica (Feast of Our Lady of the Angels)

Shimizu Minato Matsuri -- Shimizu City, Japan (through the 4th, commemorates the reopening of Shimizu Port to international trade)

Sisters' Day® -- celebrating the bond between sisters, as begun by Tricia Eleogram; a wiki page on how to celebrate this day 

St. Elias' Day (Elijah the Prophet) related observance

     Iliden -- Bosnia-Herzegovina; Ukraine; other Slavic countries where he is titled St. Ilia 

     Republic Day -- Macedonia

St. Eusebius of Vercelli's Day (Patron of Vercelli, Italy)

Worldwide Forgiveness Day -- sponsored by the Worldwide Forgiveness Alliance    

Anniversary Today:

The first US Census is recorded, 1790

Birthdays Today:

Edward Furlong, 1977

Michael Weiss, 1976

Sam Worthington, 1976

Mary-Louise Parker, 1964

Victoria Jackson, 1959

Butch Patrick, 1953

Kathryn Harrold, 1950

James Fallows, 1949

Joanna Cassidy, 1944

Wes Craven, 1939

Lamar Hunt, 1932

Peter O'Toole, 1932

James Baldwin, 1924

Carroll O'Connor, 1924

Myrna Loy, 1905

Jack L. Warner, 1892

Elisha Gray, 1835

Pierre "Peter" Charles L'Enfant, 1754

Today in History:

Philip II of Macedon leads his army to defeat the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, which secured Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean, BC338

Hannibal leads his Corinthian army to defeat the superior forces of Rome, BC216

Henry Hudson sails into what it is now known as Hudson Bay, thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage and reached the Pacific Ocean, 1610

First United States Census, 1790

First parachute jump in the US, 1819

Japan's samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms, 1869

Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, 1870

Andrew Hallidie tests the first cable car system in San Francisco, 1873

Wild Bill Hickok meets his death; shot in the back while playing poker, his hand, a pair of Aces and a pair of eights, is now called "Dead Man's Hand", 1876

Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary) dies, 1903

Typhoon in China kills about 60,000, 1922

The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson, 1932

Pakistan is re-admitted back into the Commonwealth of Nations, 1989

Iraq invades Kuwait, setting the stage for the Gulf War, 1990

Two previously unknown works by Mozart - a concerto movement and a prelude, are performed in Salzburg, Austria, 2009

The U.S. Government estimates the Deepwater Horizon oil spill dumped nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, 2010

The first footage of white giraffes (giraffes with leucism) is posted by the Hirola Conservation Program in northeastern Kenya, 2017

Great Britain’s Prince Philip, age 96, makes his final solo public appearance before retiring from public engagements, 2017

Apple becomes the first American publicly listed company to reach $1 trillion in value, 2018

Archaeologists confirm they have found the oldest library in Germany, in Cologne, dating back to 2AD and possibly holding as many as 20,000 scrolls, 2018

Saudi Arabia announces it is enacting news rules for women including allowing them to travel independently abroad without a male guardian's permission, 2019

SpaceX safely completes its first crewed mission when NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken splash down in the Gulf of Mexico in their Dragon capsule, 2020

Scientists confirm fossils found in the Ica desert in Peru are from a creature heavier than a blue whale, making this Perucetus colossus the heaviest creature which ever lived, 2023

In a rare podium sweep, France wins the men's BMX with Joris Daudet, Sylvain André, and Romain Mahieu going 1-2-3 at the Paris Olympics, 2024

Full and Good, a Ten Things of Thankful Post

***********************************

It's been a full week, so it's full of Thankful things!

Although it hasn't been quite so crazy as last week, there's a thankful right here.

Grandma did not fall when i was there Saturday, and Grandpa went out to a meeting but got back just as we needed to leave.  We're thankful for both of these.

I received a text from Mr. J, Becca's father, asking me not to come until 8:30.  It seems Ms. A's side of the family has 8 birthdays in the last two weeks of July and first two weeks of August, so they plan one huge party, and she was out well past her bedtime.  I was thankful to get caught up on a few things around the house Sunday morning before going over there to bring her to church, and yes, Mr. Cal got his walk, he was thankful, too.

I was thankful we convinced Mr. Cal to stay in the shade since the walk was later in the morning than usual.

That evening, Annie and i were thankful for a good time visiting Ms. D, and of course as now seems to be the norm #2 Son, Daughter-in-Law and Little Ben came along to visit for a while, too.  Ms. D seems to enjoy the company.

With no work early Monday mornings until September, i was thankful this past Monday morning to take care of a few things online which i'd been dreading having to do.  There's still more, but it's a start.

I'm thankful Ms. S has a great sense of humor and when it's her Monday, we do laugh a lot.

Annie and i had a good Tuesday together and i was thankful the phone calls which kept interrupting our naptime did not actually wake her up (since we listen to music on my phone while she sleeps, i can't silence it).

I'm also thankful to get to hold little Ben at every opportunity.

On Tuesday, with much frustration and fretting and one screw which tried to go AWOL, #2 Son managed to get a new compressor into GusGus die Fledermaus (the Ford).  We're very thankful #1 Son's wheels now come with A/C.

Also on Tuesday, i once again confirmed my decision to only be a volunteer with pet organizations, not get involved in decision making or "being somebody" in any capacity.  There are four catio cages of cats/kittens up for adoption at a local pet store, and on Tuesdays i call to make sure there are some cats there (sometimes there aren't) and if there are, i go tend to them on Wednesday morning before going to Ms. G's place.

Imagine my surprise when i called this past Tuesday and the worker on the phone said, "I'm so glad you called, you have a cat here in obvious respiratory distress with open mouth panting and gasping."

Please note, it was after 7pm and they have the number to call if there's a problem with any of the cats.  I was thankful to be able to call the lady in charge and let her take it from there, as if i were the one in charge, i'd have been running to a pet store right before close to get a cat and take it to the emergency vet, but instead the lady in charge did it.

Ms. G decided at the last minute Wednesday she was going to her retirement house in the country, "Just for tonight to drop off the boat and I'll drive back with the camper tomorrow."  I'm thankful i was able to help her get ready to leave (all but the packing her clothes, which she did after i left), and thankful we are good enough friends she feels she can call me and ask me to stop by because she's going to be another day up there -- twice.  I'm thankful both cats were behaving on Thursday and Friday when i stopped over, and very thankful i saw the slick cat barf on Friday and so did not step in it and slip.

While working for Ms. V on Thursday, i was thankful to be able to use the speaker phone to make a couple of phone calls when i was in a part of the house where she and Mr. L weren't.  Some of it was a continuation of what i did online Monday morning.  Then there was a call where i got so frustrated trying to type in numbers for the virtual assistant, i finally hung up, then called back.  It seems when you do that to this organization, they automatically route you to speak to a person, for which i was most thankful as it meant i did not accidentally pay a bill twice.

I got a notice in my email about a new message from my doctor, so i got on to check and noticed some of my prescriptions were renewed, but one was not.  I was thankful a message back got it taken care of and all four will be available at the same time, making it much easier to get the errand done.

#2 Son and i had a good talk Friday morning about the plan for this weekend with him and Friend West changing the timing chain in Lawrence.  I'm thankful we got most of it squared away, with only the question of whether or not i will need to help with Annie on Sunday morning left open.

This, of course, means a conflict with Becca, but when i texted Ms. A to tell her there might be a schedule crisis, she texted back, "I was about to call you, Brandon is in town and you have this Sunday off!"

I'm thankful Becca's brother came to town and loves taking her to church on Sunday mornings when he's here.

Friday evening the shelter was busy, two cats went home and one lady came in too late to start a new adoption but said, "My 17-year-old cat just died and if I don't get a new cat soon, they're going to have to lock me up."  She spent some time visiting cages and talking to me, and she will be back today to have a longer visit and see if there isn't a kitty who is the right fit for her (I'm sure there is).  Again, i'm so thankful to be a volunteer.

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

***********************************

Happy Dogust!

August 1, or Dogust, is the universal birthday for shelter dogs whose birthdays are unknown.  It gives them a day to celebrate and was the idea of the North Shore Animal League.

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

***********************************

Today is:

Air Force Day -- US (declared by President Truman in 1947)

Andorra La Vella Festival -- Andorra (through Monday)

Anniversary of the Founding of Scouting -- first day of Brownsea Island Camp in 1907, where Robert Baden-Powell began Scouting

Armed Forces Day -- Lebanon

Cowes Week begins -- Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK (the largest, longest-running and most prestigious international sailing regatta in the world, this year celebrating its 200th Anniversary; through August 7)

Emancipation Day -- Barbados; Guyana; Jamaica; St. Lucia; St. Vincent and Grenadines; Trinidad and Tobago; Turks and Caicos Islands (Trad.)

Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Jesus / Procession of the Cross and Dormition Fast -- Orthodox Christian

Feast of Kamal (Perfection) -- Baha'i

Fiesta de Santo Domingo -- Managua, Nicaragua (patron saint; through the 10th)

Girlfriends' Day -- a day to celebrate the women who enrich your life

Harriet Quimby Day -- first woman to earn a pilot's license, this date in 1911

Hirosaki Neputa Matsuri -- Hirosaki, Japan (through the 7th, parade and purification ritual to rid the the town of future illness and bad fortune)

Homowo -- Ghana (a festival of thanksgiving and remembrance, among various groups of Ga peoples, all through August and September.)

Independence Day / National Day -- Benin(1960)

Kalends of August -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances

     Feast of Spes (personification of hope)

     Festival for Victoria (goddess of victory)

Lammas Day / Lammac Tide -- Christian, a Cross Quarter Day (called the Gule of August in Wales, and known as August Eve and Lady Day Eve)

Liberation of Haile Selassie -- Rastafari

Lughnassad / Imbolc -- Wicca and Pagan (based in the Northern Hemisphere on the Celtic Feast of Bread, beginning of the harvest season)

Minden Day -- British Armed Forces

Nagaoka Festival -- Nagaoka, Japan (through the 3rd, samurai procession, traditional music and dances, fireworks)

National Day -- Switzerland (where it is also called Swiss Confederation Day, when Switzerland became a single unit in 1291)

National Minority Donor Awareness Week -- US (bringing awareness to the fact that there are fewer minorities who are organ donors) 

National Mustard Day -- US, sponsored by the National Mustard Museum 

National Non-Parent Day -- sponsored by The National Alliance for Optional Parenthood and No Kidding!

National Raspberry Cream Pie Day

Parents' Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo

Respect For Parents Day -- with information here 

RSPCA Cupcake Day -- a fun and delicious way to raise funds to stop animal cruelty; it used to be held on a Monday in mid-August, but is now encouraged on any day you want to participate 

Rounds Resounding Day -- sponsored by Rounds Resounding Society (Grab your friends and sing a few songs that go in rounds, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Frere Jacques".)

Social Resistance Day -- North Cyprus

Spiderman Day -- he first appeared today in Amazing Fantasy #15, released Aug. 1, 1963

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori's Day (Founder of the Redemptorists, a/k/a Ligourians; Patron of confessors, final perseverance, moralists, scrupulous people, theologians, vocations; Pagani, Italy; Sant'Agata de' Goti, Italy; against arthritis, scrupulosity disorder)

World Breastfeeding Week begins -- International (the theme this year is "Step Up for Breastfeeding: Educate and Support") 

World Lung Cancer Day -- International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer  

World Scout Scarf Day -- wear your Scout Scarf in public today 

World Wide Web Day -- what would become our current ability to waste time reading blogs and doing other fun stuff was begun as an idea at CERN during August back in 1990

Yorkshire Day -- Yorkshire, England

Anniversaries Today:

Colorado becomes the 38th US State, 1876

Birthdays Today:

Tempestt Bledsoe, 1973

Robert Cray, 1953

Giancarlo Giannini, 1942

Jerry Garcia, 1942

Yves Saint Laurent, 1942

Ronald Harmon "Ron" Brown, 1941

Dom DeLuise, 1933

Tom Wilson, 1931

James Hill, 1916

Herman Melville, 1819

Maria Mitchell, 1818

Francis Scott Key, 1779

William Clark, 1770

Debuting/Premiering Today:

M2(TV Network), 1996

"The Rush Limbaugh Show"(Radio), 1988

MTV(TV Network), 1981

Today in History:

The future Caesar Augustus, Octavian, enters Alexandria, Egypt, and brings it under the control of Rome, BC30

Japan sends Ono no Imoko to the Sui court in China as envoy, 607

The Swiss Confederation is formed with the signature of the Federal Charter, 1291

Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile drive the Jews out of Spain, 1492

Henry Tudor, soon to be Henry VII, sails with his army to England, 1495

The first black Americans arrive in Jamestown, Virginia, 1619

Oxygen is "discovered" for the 3rd time, by Priestly, 1774

The Act of Union is passed in which merges the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1800

Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire, 1834

First coast to coast automobile trip, from San Francisco to New York, is completed, 1903

The first Jeep is produced, 1941

Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary, 1944

The United States and Canada form the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), 1957

Israel annexes East Jerusalem, 1967

Peat cutters discover Lindow Man, Lindow Moss, Cheshire, England, 1984

CERN physicists begin discussing building what would eventually become the World Wide Web, 1990

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia join the European Environment Agency, 2001

King Fahd of Saudi Arabia dies and is succeeded by Prince Abdullah, 2005

Buddhist treasures buried during the Mongolian Communist Purge in the 1930's are rediscovered in the Gobi Desert, 2009

Russia grants NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden one year of temporary political asylum; Snowden leaves Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, 2013

Two crowns and an orb from the Swedish crown jewels are stolen from Strängnäs Cathedral, Stockholm, 2018

Italian Gianmarco Tamberi and Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar avoid a jump-off by agreeing to share the long jump gold medal after tying on 2.37m at the Tokyo Olympic Games, 2021

South America experiences a winter heatwave, with temperatures in some places reaching up to 100°F/37.7°C, 2023

Tanzania opens East Africa's first electric rail line between its commercial hub Dar es Salaam and capital Dodoma, 2024

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, tasked with distributing government funding to public television and radio broadcasters announces that it will begin shutting down, weeks after Congress canceled previously approved funding, 2025