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We’ve reached Thankful Day after a banner week and it’s time to celebrate.
We’re thankful for Grandma, it was her birthday this past Thursday, she is 87.
I’m thankful i noticed Grandpa, who does a great job taking care of her overall but not so great at the little details, hadn’t been cleaning her ice maker and it needed help. It’s now on my weekly list to check.
We’re thankful for Carl’s move to his new place. I’m going to break this one down. He’s a special needs adult, his parents are getting to the age where he needs to be in a safe place because they won’t be able to take care of him forever, and the place has been found.
I’m thankful i was able to be there Monday as they madly rushed around packing for the move, cleaning, advising, repacking and doing chores Ms. V just didn’t have time to do.
We’re thankful the trip up was safe, and Ms. V, Rocket Scientist Brother and VetTech Sister-in-Law got back safely although they were delayed two hours while tornado debris was cleared from the freeway.
Other thankful things about it:
The place he moved had a banner on their administration building which said, “Welcome, Carl!”
The leader of each area of the campus met with them and gave them contact information.
The dietician went over what Carl may and may not have to eat (Ms. V needs him to limit sweets as he’s prediabetic and he won’t do it voluntarily).
The chief NP nurse (they have an infirmary staffed 24/7) went over his meds list, and they will hand him his meds daily at the times he needs them.
The vocational specialist interviewed him extensively about what he did in his job at Mall-Mart so as to match his skill level to a job he can do and enjoy, with work at the set hours of 8-noon Monday through Friday like everyone else.
He will have a set schedule, no more getting bored and sleeping a lot because he doesn’t have much else to do.
Like everyone there, he will be taught to keep his room clean and have it inspected daily!
Like everyone else, he will have a house chore each week so as to contribute to the house he’s in (his first chore was sweep the porch each day of this week).
He will have free time after work at the same time as everyone else and there are lots of activities he can choose to do, and there won’t be any impediments to him doing them (at home, he had to consider if friends were off work or not, or if he had work the next day, etc.).
There is compulsory PE every day and because he’s new, he will have to take the life-skills class.
Our little social butterfly made his first friend within an hour and as his family left, he was walking with his new friend to go watch the pickle-ball games!
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| Carl and friend, heading to the pickleball court. |
If any of his family and friends needed confirmation this was the right place and the right choice for Carl, thankfully, we have it.
Another big thankful event of the week, the pastor emeritus of our church has been noting for over a year my Sweetie and i are driving awful old cars and have no way to replace them, so when he and his wife moved he gave us his old car, a Honda with plenty of life left in it (at least several years).
He never said a word to us until three weeks ago, but it seems he and a handful of people have been praying over what to do for our car situation for a year! I’m thankful for our church.
I'm thankful #2 Son, the budding mechanic, looked it over. He suggests changing out the O2 sensor as it keeps making the check engine light come on, but that's not a big deal. He also sent a video to our friend Mechanic Wes to see if he recommends changing out the motor mounts, also not expensive when the work is done by family. #2 Son is impressed with how nice the car is and how well kept and maintained, and we're very thankful.
I'm thankful for our little Annie.
She continues to be a joy, we have fun walks, play and read, and each time she sees me, she greets me enthusiastically, calling out, "GG!"
Last but never least, the cat shelter is doing well. The kittens are being preadopted so fast it's hard to keep up with their surgeries and there were two more adoptions last night while i was there.
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
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Today is:
Birth Mother's Day -- the day before Mother's Day, for all the women who have made an adoption plan for their babies
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Awareness Day -- shedding light on this rare genetic condition
Europe Day -- European Union
Festival of Matsu/Mazu -- Southern China and Taiwan (Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors; often worshiped in sea-faring areas surrounding China as well, although some local dates will vary)
Ma Zu, Goddess of the Sea’s Birthday -- Buddhism; Taoism
Independence Day -- Romania (1877, from the Ottoman Empire)
Lawn Mower Day -- a rotary blade mower was patented this day in 1899
Lemuralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (first of 3 non-consecutive days dedicated to getting rid of the spirits of the malevolent dead; rituals performed today, the 11th, and the 13th)
Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive -- US (place non-perishable food items by your mailbox, and help stamp out hunger in your area)
Liberation Day -- Guernsey; Jersey
Lost Sock Memorial Day -- they go to the hozone layer!
National Babysitter's Day -- US, giving recognition to the babysitters who make your date nights possible
National Butterscotch Brownie Day
O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships -- Austin, TX, US (at the park behind the O. Henry Museum, presented by The P.U.N.Y. [Punsters United Nearly Yearly])
Olympieia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (spring festival for Zeus; date approximate)
Remembrance for Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (pagan martyr)
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Fairies Founded -- Fairy Calendar
Stay Up All Night Night -- as declared by George Mahood of Northampton, England, everyone needs to relive the excitement of staying up late like you always wanted to as a kid at least once a year
St. Beatus of Lungern's Day (Apostle of Switzerland)
St. Nicholas Albergati's Day (Patron of learning)
Sun Awareness Day -- like Melanoma Monday, a few days back, a day to remember the damage the sun can do to skin and stock up on sunscreen, if you haven't already
Tear Tags Off of Mattresses Day -- yes, you can! If you bought it, you're allowed to.
Victory Day / Victory and Peace Day -- countries that didn't celebrate V-E day yesterday, mostly Russia and former SSR's
Windmill Day -- Netherlands (on the second Saturday of May each year, more than 600 windmills, including many that are now national monuments, are open to the public)
World Belly Dance Day -- to celebrate the wonderful art of belly dance
World Fair Trade Day -- sponsored by the World Fair Trade Organization; this year's theme is "The future of responsible trade."
World Migratory Bird Day -- original date second Saturday in May, but the WMBD organization encourages you to celebrate when birds are migrating in your area; this year's theme is "Shared Spaces: Creating Bird-Friendly Cities and Communities"; one celebration that is on this date:
International Migratory Bird Celebration -- Chincoteague, VA, US (walks, talks, tours, art, and children's activities, all outdoors with the birds)
Xotira va Qadirlash Kuni -- Uzbekistan (Day of Remembrance and Honors)
Birthdays Today:
Rosario Dawson, 1979
Steve Yzerman, 1965
Tony Gwynn, 1960
Billy Joel, 1949
Candice Bergen, 1946
James L. Brooks, 1940
Charles Simic, 1938
Glenda Jackson, 1937
Albert Finney, 1936
Glenda Jackson, 1936
Richard Alonzo “Pancho” Gonzales, 1928
Mike Wallace, 1918
Howard Carter, 1873
J.M. Barrie, 1860
Belle Boyd, 1843
John Brown, 1800
Today in History:
The first battle recorded with what is considered historic accuracy and detail, the Battle of Megiddo between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Kadesh, BC1457
Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his 4th and final voyage, 1502
Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal England's Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, 1671
British inventor Joseph Bramah patents beer-pump handle, 1785
The city of Reno, Nevada, is founded, 1868
The Vienna stock market crash (Der Krach) heralds the Long Depression, 1873
The first horse-drawn bus makes its début in the city of Mumbai, 1874
Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opens in London, 1887
The first horseless carriage show in London opens, featuring 10 models, 1896
The lawn mower is patented, 1899
Australia opens its first parliament in Melbourne, 1901
The steam locomotive City of Truro becomes the first steam engine in Europe to exceed 100mph, 1904
The Australian Parliament first convenes in Canberra, 1927
Edgar Bergen and Charley McCarthy take to the airwaves, becoming an overnight radio sensation, 1937
Rainier III of Monaco becomes Prince of Monaco, 1949
Sam and Friends, with Jim Hensen and his muppets, debuts, 1955
The FDA announces it will approve birth control as an additional indication for Searle's Enovid, making Enovid the world's first approved oral contraceptive pill, 1960
Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian is executed by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the once 100,000 member strong Jewish community of Iran, 1979
The South African parliament chooses Nelson Mandela as president, 1994
Estonia ratifies the European Constitution, 2006
A report reveals that hackers using fraudulent ATM cards in February, 2013, stole $45 million, 2013
The fossil of a Chinese feathered baby dinosaur is formally given the identification of Beibeilong sinensis (baby dragon in Chinese), 2017
The discovery of the oldest viral DNA, a form of hepatitis B in 7,000 year old skeleton found in Germany, is reported, 2018
French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin (72) successfully crosses the Atlantic Ocean in a barrel arriving in Martinique; the journey took four months, 2019
A full published report of the contents of an Anglo-Saxon tomb found in 2003 in Prittlewell, England, is hailed by archaeologists as being Britain's equivalent of Egypt's tomb of Tutankhamen, 2019
Navajo-American composer Raven Chacon receives the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his work "Voiceless Mass", 2022
George Harrison’s “Here Comes The Sun" becomes the first Beatles song to register a billion streams on Spotify, 2023
Large Hadron Collider scientists manage to turn lead into gold for a fraction of a second, 2025
