Flashback Kitty Photo (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

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Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats.

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

Today, a flashback kitty photo:

The Lorax, with a milk mustache!

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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. Whenever I _________________, I ____________________.

2. ________________ is not _____________. 

3. Good things come to those who _________.

4. _________ makes me grumpy.

1. Whenever I get in a bad mood, I make myself stop and name something for which to be grateful.

2. A pet is not a toy you can get rid of if you grow tired of it.

3. Good things come to those who work for them.

4. Lousy driving makes me grumpy.

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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

Christkindl Markt -- Canton, OH (fine arts and crafts sale for the benefit of the Canton Museum of Art; through Sunday)

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 Great American Beard and Moustache Championships -- Tinley Park, IL, US (check out some of the former competitors here; through tomorrow)    

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

National Parents as Teachers Day -- US

Pohnpei Constitution Day -- Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

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

Waterfowl Festival -- Easton, MD, US (includes world class artworks, calling contests, retriever demonstrations, a wine-tasting, and more, to benefit wildlife conservation; through Sunday)

Wish-Granting Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

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

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

Awww Monday: Happy Ending

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

The Lorax.

Giselle, Lorax's mother.

Laith, Lorax's father

We finally have a happy ending to the story of Lorax's mom and dad.

The lady upon whom they were foisted by her daughter couldn't keep them, so they were brought to the shelter to be adopted.

Laith, the male, was adopted right away.  Within a week he was returned, and the adopter given her money back, as she was covered with ringworm.

Turned out that, even though he had no hair loss typical of ringworm infection, he had it from nose to tail tip.  He was a symptomless carrier.

He was quarantined and put on two oral medications, and he was not happy about it, but there wasn't much else we could do.

Meanwhile, Giselle was adopted by a man who had previously owned two Persians.  They had grown old and died, and he was wanting another Persian.

When he found out we had Laith back at the shelter, he wanted to adopt both.

He had to wait two months while Laith finished his course of medication, to make sure he would be totally cleared.

Now Laith has been taken to his new owner's house, and has been reunited with Giselle.  They had never been parted until these last couple of months, and they are ecstatic to be back together.

The new owner is thrilled, too.  He and his wife have children over age 10, who dote on these cats.

It's a great thing for everyone, so a nice "Awww!" story all around.

Today is

Accounting Day -- promoting the profession of accounting and finance

Apollon Day -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of music, poetry, sunlight)

Battle of Las Piedras Day -- Uruguay

Discovery Day -- Cayman Islands

Flag and University Day --  Haiti

HerrinFesta Italiana -- Herrin, IL, US (a whole week of celebrating all things Italian, with a Midwest Pasta Sauce Contest, races, music, grape stomp, and more; through Memorial Day)

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day/World AIDS Vaccine Day 

I Love Reeses Day -- as voted in by lovers of the candy a few years ago

International Museum Day -- International Council of Museums (ICOM)

Moonbeam Hopping Gala -- Fairy Calendar

National Cheese Souffle Day

National Pike Festival -- Fayette County, Pennsylvania, US (through the 20th)

No Dirty Dishes Day -- spread around the internet by a mom who needed the break, possibly; go ahead, break out the paper plates just on this day

Restoration of Somaliland Sovereignty Day -- Somaliland Region, Somalia

Revival, Unity, and Poetry of Magtymguly Day -- Turkmenistan

St. Eric's Day (Patron of Sweden)

St. Theodotus' Day (Patron of hotel keepers and innkeepers)

Victoria Day -- Canada

Visit Your Relatives Day -- if they are great, go have fun; if awful, go remind yourself why you moved so far away!
World Goodwill Day -- commemorates the opening meeting of 26 nations in the First Hague Peace Conference, 1899

Anniversaries Today:

Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine, 1152


Birthdays Today:

Tina Fey, 1970
Jari Kurri, 1960
Chow Yun-Fat, 1955
Rick Wakeman, 1954
George Strait, 1952
James Stephens, 1951
Tom Udall, 1948
Reggie Jackson, 1946
Brooks Robinson, 1937
Dwayne Hickman, 1934
Robert Morse, 1931
Pernell Robers, 1930
Pope John Paul II, 1920
Margot Fonteyn, 1919
Perry Como, 1912
Big Joe Turner, 1911
Meredith Willson, 1902
Frank Capra, 1897
Wilhelm Steinitz, 1836
Omar Khayyam, 1048


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Le roi malgré lui / King in Spite of Himself"(Opera), 1887


Today in History:

The Principality of Antioch, a crusader state, falls to the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in the Battle of Antioch, 1268
Vasco da Gama reaches the port of Calicut, India, 1498
Playwright Thomas Kyd's accusations of heresy (under torture) lead to an arrest warrant for Christopher Marlowe, 1593
John Winthrop takes the oath of office and becomes the first Governor of Massachusetts, 1631
Rhode Island passes North America's first anti-slavery law, 1652
Fire destroys a large part of Montreal, Quebec, 1763
The first United Empire Loyalists reach Parrtown, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada after leaving the United States, 1783
Napoleon Bonaparte is proclaimed Emperor of the French by the French Senate, 1804
The destruction of Saturdays forever after:  Edwin Budding of England signs an agreement for manufacture of his invention, lawn mower, 1830
The Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland, 1843
The United States Supreme Court rules in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate but equal is constitutional, 1896
A mass panic on Khodynka Field in Moscow during the festivities of the coronation  of Russian Tsar Nicholas II results in the deaths of 1,389 people, 1896
Bram Stoker's Dracula is published, 1897
The Earth  passes through the tail of Comet Halley, 1910
Jackie Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier, 1953
Under project Smiling Buddha, India successfully detonates its first nuclear weapon, 1974
Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage, 1980
In France, a modified TGV train achieves a new rail world speed record of 515.3km/h (357.2 mph), 1990
Photos from the Hubble Space Telescope confirm the existence of two additional moons, Nix and Hydra, around Pluto, 2005
A landmark bill passes in Nepal curbing the power of the monarchy and making it a secular country, 2009

Awww Monday: Mom and Dad

Awww Mondays is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's a great way to start the work week, with a smile.

Just post a picture that makes you say, "Awww!" and link up!

Last year, we bottle raised a purebred Persian kitten named Lorax.  He turned out to have a severely cleft palate, but was adopted by a family that promised to love and care for him and pay for further surgeries if needed.

They've kept their promise, and are taking great care of him.  They haven't sent us any pictures, which is a bit disappointing, but it's nice to know he's happy, and they love him dearly.

Over the past several weeks, the lady who owns his parents has been having serious trouble in her own life, and cannot care for them any more.  They were dumped at her place by her daughter, she never signed up for purebred Persians with all the extra care they need.  She called our shelter and begged for help.

So Lorax's parents are now at the shelter and up for adoption  Two of the cutest Persians ever.

Mother cat Giselle.

His daddy, Lieth.

Just for good measure, a picture of Lorax when he was here:

The Lorax, snuggling with another foster kitten.

Today is:

Ancient Roman Calendar Celebrations on this date
     Day of Mouring -- leading up to the festival for Hilaria
     Invocation Day of Mars and Saturn
     Tubilustrium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (ceremony to purify the trumpets used in sacred ceremonies)

Cuddly Kitten Day -- because the cats can't let the dogs get all the attention

Dandelion Dance -- Fairy Calendar

Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship -- Hungary and Poland

Day of the Sea -- Bolivia (Dia del Mar)

Labour Day -- Christmas Island

Liberty Day -- today in 1775, Patrick Henry said, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Lieldienas -- Ancient Latvian Calendar ("Big Days" or "Long Days", four day celebration of spring, each day devoted to a different deity)

National Arts Advocacy Day -- US; through tomorrow

National Chip and Dip Day

National Melba Toast Day

National Puppy Day -- encouraging you to adopt a shelter pup today

Near Miss Day -- commemorates the mountain sized asteroid that was a near miss on this day in 1989

Otago Provincial Anniversary -- Otago, New Zealand

Rally for Decency Day -- Commemorates the first Rally for Decency, prompted on this day in 1969 by Jim Morrison

Republic Day -- Pakistan

St. Turibius de Mongrovejo's Day (Patron of Latin American bishops, native rights; Peru)

Toast Day -- supposedly for the invention of Melba toast; a recent article says it takes 6 steps to toast bread the "right" way; i say if you can't put bread in the toaster and butter it when it comes out and need long sets of instructions, you shouldn't be let loose in society!

World Meteorological Day -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

The University of California is founded in Oakland, California, 1868


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Monaghan, 1976
Keri Russell, 1976
Richard Grieco, 1965
Amanda Plummer, 1957
Chaka Khan, 1953
Louie Anderson, 1953
Roger Bannister, 1929
Wernher Von Braun, 1912
Akira Kurosawa, 1910
Joan Crawford, 1905


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Bold and the Beautiful"(TV), 1987
"Detective Story"(Play), 1950
"Truth or Consequences"(Radio), 1940


Today in History:

Eighteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 1066
The first dated edition of Maimonides "Mishna Torah" published, 1490
George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" premieres in London, 1743
Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech – "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" – at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, 1775
After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home, 1806
Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City, 1857
The Boers and Britain sign a peace accord that ends the First Boer War, 1881
President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22, starting a Land Run, 1889
The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of one of the first successful airplanes, 1903
Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world, 1956
NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young), 1965
Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans, 1980
Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President, 1996
The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji, 2001
In Tokyo, the Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks reports that radioactive iodine in city tap water is two times the recommended level for infants, 2011

Well, i wanted...

...to be able to make this post differently, but it is what it is, and it will have to do, and it's all good news even if it's not the way i planned it.

Yesterday someone reminded me that i haven't done my duty and reported what happened to our precious Lorax.

He had his surgery, and it was a doozy.  His cleft was worse than they thought, and he took a lot longer to recover than they thought.

The original plan was that he would come back here for a day or two before being taken home by his new owners.

Miss W. was on duty the day he was discharged from the vet, and she didn't know that, so she sent him straight to his new owners.

They are thrilled with him, and love him like crazy, and even though he had to have a second surgery about a month after he got out of the vet from the first one, they couldn't be happier.

They have also not answered our request for one last visit with him, to see how he is doing.

My plan was to post pics of him, ending with one of him with his new mistress, showing how happy he is now.

Instead, i will just report that he's doing great, and here is my favorite picture of the little guy, before we even knew he had the cleft palate.

The Milk Mustache Pic!

Since he's happy, i am, even if i would have loved one more chance to see him.


Today is:

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Touch a Heart Tuesday

Birthday of Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

First Thnork of the Year -- Fairy Calendar

Heroes Day -- Namibia

Ilmatar Day -- Finland (Water Mother, goddess of the heavens)

Make Your Own Luck Day -- for those who refuse to sit around and wait for it

National Cherry Popsicle Day

National Day of Repentance -- Papua New Guinea

National Dog Day -- sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation

St. Adrian of Nicodemia's Day (Patron of butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

Tvimanuor -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means "Double Month", and the origin is uncertain; perhaps because winter is coming and it's time to double up on the preparations)

Umhlanga -- Swaziland (Reed Dance for the Zulu King; a fascinating week long ritual with beautiful costumes, dancing and singing, culminating as well as in a speech in which the King addresses the people, on Sept. 1)

Women's Equality Day -- US (commemorates Women's Suffrage)

Yoshida no Hi Matsuri -- Yoshida, Japan (fest to mark the end of Mt. Fuji climbing season; through tomorrow)



Birthdays Today:

Chris Pine, 1980
Macaulay Culkin, 1980
Christopher Burke, 1965
Branford Marsalis, 1960
Ben Bradlee, 1921
Mother Teresa, 1910
Albert Bruce Sabin, 1906
Christopher Isherwood, 1904
Peggy Guggenheim, 1898
Lee de Forest, 1873
Albert "Bertie" von Saksen-Coburg-Gotha, husband of queen Victoria, 1819
Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, 1743
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, 1740


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Cincinnati Reds vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Doubleheader(first MLB games televised), 1939
"Lightnin'"(Play), 1918
"Elijah"(Mendelssohn Op. 70 MWV A25), 1846


Today in History:

Michelangelo is commissioned to carve the Pieta, 1498
The Pennsylvania Ministerium, the first Lutheran denomination in North America, is founded in Philidelphia, 1748
John Fitch is granted a US patent for his working steamboat, 1791
Charles Thurber patents a typewriter, 1843
The first news dispatch by telegraph is made, 1858
Major eruption of Krakatoa, 36,000 dead, 1883
19th Amendment to the US Constitution, granting women the vote, takes effect, 1920
The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, 1939
The USSR announces the first successful test of an ICBM, 1957
The Charter of the French Language is adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec, 1977
John Paul I is elected Pope, 1978
The agreement on how to divide the Czech Republic and Slovakia is signed, 1992
Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia, 2008
Israel requests that Germany arrest Klaas Carel Faber, a Nazi war criminal who killed 20 Jews at Westerbork concentration camp, 2010

Unsure

There are times, when July 12 rolls around again, when i'm not so sure whether to publicly acknowledge the anniversary or not.  This time, i will just say it's been 20 years, and if you really want to know 20 years since what, you can go here.  A fair warning, it's not an easy read to some.

Other than that, i will say Vacation Bible School went well.  Little Girl and i served the snacks to all of the other volunteers.  They enjoyed what we served, some things more than others.  The nachos were a hit, as were the chocolate lacey cookies.  The trail mix, to which i added more candy, went over very well  indeed.  The donut holes i brought the last day served to keep them from coming in looking for food before we even had it set out!

The Lorax is continuing to heal.  It seems the cleft was bigger than they thought so the surgery took longer, but he is healing and progressing faster than they expected.  He should come home early next week and he will finish out his recovery time here, then go to his forever home.

The cat shelter was busy yesterday, they did two adoptions while i was there!  One was a kitten, and the other an adult cat that was being chased by a dog.  The owner got the dog to stop in time, and found the cat trembling and hiding in his garage, and didn't know what to do.  We took her in, and she gifted us with 5 kittens!  Not any more she won't, though, we've taken care of that, and she has a great home.

And in "mom is vindicated" news from the world of teens, Little Girl came to me and said, "Mom, you know how you say that the music you listen to affects you for good or for evil?  Well, I think I now know what you mean.  When I'm around people listening to very heavy, very negative music, it's like it brings me down.  Now I know why you like to keep the music in the house positive!"

You become what you think about, kid.  That includes your music.



Today is

Art Fair on the Square -- Madison, WI, US (one of the Midwest's largest juried art fairs; through tomorrow)

Bald In - Bald Out Day -- sponsored by Bald Girls Do Lunch; if men can be bald and brazen, then women and children who cannot grow hair should bring bald INto their lives, and never feel on the OUTs!

Bohemian Club Annual Rites begin -- Bohemian Grove, CA US (if you are into conspiracy theories, this is supposedly when and where the male movers and shakers of the world meet for two weeks and decide the fate of the world for the next 12 months; the members of the club, including former presidents and other high level officials, do meet for a couple of weeks this time of year to have, among other things, a Cremation of Care ceremony)

Carver Day -- George Washington Carver National Monument, Diamond, MO, US

Circus City Festival -- Peru, IN, US (did you ever want to run off and join the circus?  This is the week kids age 7-21 get to do just that, so go watch and have fun with them!  through the 19th)

Different Colored Eyes Day -- people with heterochromia, celebrate!

Etch-a-Sketch Day -- the toy was first manufactured on this day in 1960, timed to hit toy shelves for Christmas that year

Fairfest -- Hastings, NE (a parade today, and starting on Monday a full week of traditional county fair fun plus world class stage entertainment)

Galicnik Svadba -- Galicnik, Macedonia (wedding festival, when one lucky couple gets to be married in a traditional "Galichka" style wedding, through tomorrow)

Independence Day -- Kiribati(1979; a/k/a National Day); Sao Tome & Principe(1975)

Kronia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate, a festival for Kronos, part of which included masters and slaves switching places for a meal)

National Pecan Pie Day

Omaha Railroad Days -- celebrating all things track and train, through tomorrow

Orangemen's Day (a/k/a Twelfth Day) -- Northern Ireland (Battle of the Boyne commemoration)

Pori Jazz Festival -- Pori, Finland (a major international music event with world class performances; through the 20th)

Rainmaker Day -- Salem, Oregon (while it is understood that in Salem, you are more likely to rust than sunburn, from 1892 until 2006, no measurable rain fell on this date in this normally wet city)

Simplicity Day -- sponsored by www.doonething.org on Thoreau's birthday, highlighting the concepts in the book Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, and advocating finding sustainable ways to live

Sodbuster Days -- Fort Ransom, ND, US (learn how rural North Dakotans lived in the early 1920s; through tomorrow)

Sourdough River Festival -- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Float Fest and a big water fight! with the famous Sourdough Raft Race tomorrow)

St. John Gualbert's Day (Patron of foresters and forest workers, park services and parks)

St. Veronica's Day (Patron of laundry workers and photographers)

Stone House Day -- Hurley, NY, US (tour of several 250+ year old stone houses within 150-yards of each other)


Anniversaries Today

Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr, 1543 (the lucky wife who outlived him)


Birthdays Today

Erik Per Sullivan, 1991
Michelle Rodriguez, 1978
Brock Lesnar, 1977
Anna Friel, 1976
Kristi Yamaguchi, 1971
Lisa Nicole Carson, 1969
Rolonda Watts, 1959
Mel Harris, 1957
Paul Guilfoyle, 1955
Cheryl Ladd, 1951
Jamey Sheridan, 1951
Richard Simmons, 1948
Denise Nicholas, 1945
Christine McVie, 1943
Bill Cosby, 1937
Van Cliburn, 1934
Andrew Wyeth, 1917
Curly Joe DeRita, 1909
Milton Berle, 1908
Pablo Neruda, 1904
R. Buckminster Fuller, 1895
Oscar Hammerstein II, 1895
George Washington Carver, 1861
George Ohr, 1857
George Eastman, 1854
Henry David Thoreau, 1817
Josiah Wedgwood, 1730


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Northern Exposure"(TV), 1990
"Family Feud"(TV), 1976
"Evening At Pops"(TV), 1970
"Baseball's Sad Lexicon (Tinker to Evers to Chance)"(Publication date), 1910


Today in History

England is unified by Athelstan of England, 927
Saladin's garrison surrenders to Conrad of Montferrat, ending the two-year siege of Acre, 1191
Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatan, burns the sacred books of the Maya, 1562
Ostrog Bible, the first printed Bible in a Slavic language, is published, 1580
The United States invades Canada at Windsor, Ontario, 1812
The Commonwealth Franchise Act, granting women's suffrage in Australia, is given royal assent and takes effect, 1902
Pune, India floods due to failure of Khadakvasala and Panshet dams; half of the city is submerged and the death toll exceeded 2000, 1961
A fire destroys the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States, 1973
Boris Yeltsin quits the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, 1990
Israel invades Lebanon in response to Hezbollah's kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, 2006
A ticket holder in Britain wins the largest EuroMillions jackpot in history, 161,653,000GBP, 2011
The Rolling Stones, English rock band, celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its first performance at the Marquee Club in Oxford Street, London, 2012

Good, Not so Good, and Weird

In the good/great news category, The Lorax came through his surgery very well.  He was neutered and his cleft palate fixed at the same time, so he is sore all over, but recovering at the veterinary hospital.  They will keep him on the IV until they actually see him eat, which they will begin encouraging him to do right away.  At four months of age, he will finally get to start eating solids!

In the not so good news category, we had a thunderstorm roll through yesterday that poured rain sideways because the wind was blowing so hard, and lightening knocked out the electricity for many of us.  The generator here had a hard time kicking on, so we turned off the central A/C, we really didn't need it because the temperatures weren't that bad, and we unplugged a lot of extraneous stuff and turned off every light possible.  After that it ran fine.

It did, however, in coming on when the electricity went out, then in shutting down and restarting, and then in having to come back on when the electricity shut down a second time, send some kind of surge that destroyed Sweetie's DVD player.  We don't watch TV, but he has an old, small one in his man cave, and he loves to watch his DVDs -- mostly old westerns, and old action flicks, and concerts that were recorded live of singers like Paul McCartney and Roy Orbison.  So i will hie me to the BigBoxStore once again to get him another cheap DVD player.  It's not worth it to buy and expensive one, they croak as quickly as the cheap ones.

And in the weird news category, #2 Son has come up with another way to eat leftover goulash.  He makes it into a sandwich.

Tomatoey, meaty, noodly goodness.

On whole wheat bread.  Yum!

Well, i guess i deserve to have kids who eat weird stuff.  It's generational and familial, Grandpa taught me to use ice cream as potato chip dip when i was a kid!



Today is

Armed Forces Day -- Mauritania

Clerihew Day -- in honor of the poetic form he invented, the clerihew:
     Edmund's middle name was Clerihew
     A name possessed by very few
     But verses by Mr. Bentley
     Succeeded eminently!

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo -- Vernal, UT, US (one of the top rodeos in the country; through Saturday)

Don't Step On A Bee Day -- Wellcat Holidays wants to remind you, when going barefoot this time of year, watch out!

Feast Day of Knut the Reaper, Hela, Holda, and Skadi -- Norse deities whose celebration this day is due to their later association with Danish King Canute the Great

Hodag Country Festival -- Rhinelander, WI, US (at the Hodag "50" Track, a large open-air country music festival; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- Bahamas(1973)

International Carthage Festival -- Tunis, Tunisia (the country's biggest arts event and music festival, through Aug. 16)

Lady Godiva Day -- tradition says she took her famous ride on this day in 1040

National Pina Colada Day

Oregon Trail Days -- Gering, NE, US (the oldest continuing celebration of the Oregon Trail; through Sunday)

Pick Blueberries Day -- variously set on different days in July depending on the website; with blueberries being so good for you, find a day to go gather or buy some soon

Pictou Lobster Carnival -- Pictou, NS, Canada (a tail gate party and more;through Sunday)

Silence Day -- followers of Meher Baba

St. Amalburga's Day (Patron of people with fever; Ghent, Belgium; against arm pain, bruises, and fevers)

Teddy Bear Picnic Day -- no idea why today, especially when the author of the song, Jimmy Kennedy, was born on July 20

Turkey Rama -- McMinnville, Oregon (family fun on "Oregon's Favorite Main Street" that includes the "World's Largest Turkey BBQ"; through Sunday)

Worshipful Company of Vintners (Winemakers) of the City of London Annual Procession


Anniversaries Today

Wyoming becomes the 44th US State, 1890


Birthdays Today

Jessica Simpson, 1980
Andre Nolan Dawson, 1954
Arlo Guthrie, 1947
Sue Lyon, 1946
Ron Glass, 1945
Virginia Wade,1945
Arthur Ashe, 1943
Lawrence Pressman, 1939
Jerry Herman, 1933
David Norman Dinkins, 1927
Fred Gwynne, 1926
Jean Kerr, 1923
Jake LaMotta, 1921
Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 1921
David Brinkley, 1920
Don "Mr. Wizard" Herbert, 1917
John Gilbert, 1897
Edmund Clerihew Bentley, 1875
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, 1875
Marcel Proust, 1871
Nikola Tesla, 1856
Adolphus Busch, 1839
James Whistler, 1834
George Mifflin Dallas, 1792
William Blackstone, 1723
John Calvin, 1509


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Fox And The Hound(Animated film), 1981
"Your Hit Parade"(TV), 1950


Today in History

Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia at the Battle of Dyrrhachium, BC48
The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground, 1212
Lady Jane Grey takes the throne of England, 1553
Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta, 1789
The Vellore Mutiny is the first instance of a mutiny by Indian sepoys against the British East India Company, 1806
The United States takes possession of its newly bought territory of Florida from Spain, 1821
Big Ben, the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, rings for the first time, 1859
The eruption of Tarawera volcano destroys the famous pink and white calcium carbonate hot-spring terraces of North Island, New Zealand, 1886
Meher Baba, self declared Avatar of the Age, begins his silence of 44 years; his followers observe Silence Day on this date in commemoration, 1925
In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called "Monkey Trial" begins with John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher accused of teaching evolution in violation of the Butler Act, 1925
Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world, 1938
Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit, 1962
Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia, 1991
In London scientists report the findings of the DNA analysis of a Neanderthal skeleton which supports the "out of Africa theory" of human evolution, 1997
Spain opens its first mosque since the Moors were expelled in 1492, in Granada, 2003
France O'Grady is appointed the first female General Secretary by Britain's Trade Union Congress, 2012