Trying Something New

For years i have posted one thing for which i am thankful daily on a gratitude list at a web forum.  For years, i have read the Ten Things of Thankful that many bloggers post.

My thought was always that i post a gratitude daily, why should i worry about posting ten at once?

The answer came to me -- to stretch me yet further, help me dig a bit deeper than the one gratitude i post each day.  It's easy to come up with one a day, seven a week.  To come up with ten will force me not to be superficial, which is so easy to do.

While i'm not so sure i will come up with ten, here is my attempt at a Ten Things of Thankful.

First, and i have to say it, i am thankful for Jesus my Savior.  If anyone wants to know the specifics about why, just ask.  (messymimi at live dot com)

Second, i am thankful for my Sweetie.  We have our moments (as do all marrieds), but the good outweighs everything.

Speaking of marrieds, i am thankful for #2 Son and Daughter-in-Law Becky.  They were having an argument the other day (yes, Sweetie and i kept our distance and said nothing), and even though they were not in agreement when it was time for him to go to work, they both said, "I love you!" before he left.  By the next day, they had come to an agreement, and it took him about 5 minutes to kiss her good-bye.  They've been married over a year, and so far, they are doing it right.

Red-headed Alec is helping me with some of my clients homes, and i am thankful for the help, and i know he is thankful for the money.  

There are two more possible clients in the works, one home, one office, and i'm thankful because that would put me at absolute capacity.

Bigger Girl, Little Girl, and #1 Son are all doing well, and i'm thankful for them.

Today i am going to see Grandma and Grandpa again, and i am thankful for them and for Humphrey the Honda to take me there and back.

Even though i generally use Humphrey to go on longer trips, i am thankful for The Jalopy getting me to work every day.

The cooler weather is back, and i'm very thankful for that.  It's way too early in the year to be thinking about using the A/C.

It may sound silly in this day and time, but i'm thankful for our newspaper.  Scanning the headlines (so i know which nut jobs are doing what crazy things), reading the local interest columns, and enjoying the funnies and the puzzles keeps me just informed enough not to be a hermit without overwhelming me and entertains me and exercises my brain at the same time.

There, that wasn't so hard to come up with ten, was it?




Today is:

Arizona Renaissance Festival -- Apache Junction, AZ, US (the official sister event to the Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood Forest, England; Saturdays, Sundays, and President's Day through Apr. 2)

Armed Forces Day -- Liberia

Be Electrific Day -- Edison's birth anniversary

Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day -- no history on the origin, but remember we all mess up once in a while, don't take small mess ups too seriously

Evelio Javier Memorial Day -- Panay Island, Philippines

Farm Toy Show and Auction -- Sauk Centre, MN, US (come watch the kids have fun with farm toys, and be one yourself again!)

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes/World Day of the Sick -- Roman Catholic Church (anniversary of the first appearance of Our Lady of Lourdes to Bernadette)

Galesburg Historical Society Chocolate Festival -- Galesburg, IL, US (home made and commercially made chocolates, all you can eat for the price of the low admission fee; through tomorrow)

Grandmother Achievement Day -- internet generated; call your grandmother, or someone's grandmother you admire, and tell her what she is doing right

Independence Day -- Vatican City (Holy See) (a/k/a Lateranensi Pact Day, for the pact that established it as an independent state)

Kenkoku Kenen-no-hi -- Japan (also called National Foundation Day or Empire Day)

Lemon Festival -- Menton, French Riviera (through Mar. 1)

Meringue Memorial Day -- don't know who came up with it, but it's the day to see if you remember how to make meringue

Musikahan sa Tagum Festival -- Tagum City, Phillipines (the areas signature festival which celebrates the Filipino excellence in musical composition, performance, and production, and giving young people more opportunities to excel in learning the music industry and Filipino musical culture; through the 18th)

National Inventors' Day -- US (Edison's birth anniversary)

National Peppermint Patty Day

National Shut-In Visitation Day -- some sites have it here, some in October; either way, go visit someone who can't get out of the house today, or make plans to see them this weekend

Nelson Mandela Day -- South Africa (celebrates his release from prison)

Nice Carnival -- Nice, France (dating back to the 14th century, this celebration is one of France's best; through Feb. 25)

Pro Sports Wives Day -- the annual recognition of those who truly are sports widows, wives of professional athletes, coaches, and support personnel prosportswives.com

Royal Hobart Regatta -- Queens Domain Hobart and Derwent River, Tasmania, Australia (Australia's largest aquatic event, includes an Australian Wooden Boat Festival; through Monday)

Satisfied Staying Single Day -- for those who aren't desperate to have someone by the 14th; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Scout Sabbath -- BSA (Boy Scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to synagogue and represent scouting to their congregations)

St. Caedmon's Day (Oldest English poet known by name.)

Tu B'Shevat -- Judaism ("New Year of the Trees", began yesterday at sunset, through sunset today)

White Shirt Day -- a recognition of the dignity of the working class

Youth Day -- Cameroon


Anniversaries Today:

Napoleon weds Marie-Louise of Austria, 1810
The founding of London University, 1826


Birthdays Today:

Taylor Lautner, 1992
Natalie Dormer, 1982
Kelly Rowland, 1981
Matt Lawrence, 1980
Brandy, 1979
Mike Shinoda, 1977
Jennifer Aniston, 1969
Sarah Palin, 1964
Sheryl Crow, 1963
Carey Lowell, 1961
Sergio Mendes, 1941
Bobby "Boris" Pickett, 1938
Burt Reynolds, 1936
Tina Louise, 1934
Leslie Nielsen, 1926
Paul Bocuse, 1926
Eva Gabor, 1921
Sidney Sheldon, 1917
Max Baer, 1909
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1909
Philip Dunne, 1908
Thomas Alva Edison, 1847
Lydia Marie Child, 1802


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The French Chef"(TV, with Julia Child), 1963
"Dynamo"(O'Neill play), 1929
"Salome"(Wilde Play), 1896
"La Fille du Regiment"(Donizetti Opera Comique), 1840


Today in History:

Traditional date for the founding of the Japanese empire under Emperor Jimmu, BC660
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome, which clears the way for Nero to become Emperor, 55
Henry VIII of England is recognized as supreme head of the Church of England, 1531
The Pennsylvania Hospital opens, the first in the US, 1752
Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, petitions U.S. Congress for abolition of slavery, 1790
Anthracite coal is burned experimentally as fuel for heating a home for the first time, by Jesse Fell in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 1808
Robert Fulton files a patent for improvements to steamboat navigation, 1809
Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a redistricting bill that leads to the first use of the term "gerrymander," 1812
The first public toilet facilities for women opens in London, on Bedford Street, 1852
The Meiji constitution of Japan is adopted, 1889
Emma Goldman is arrested for lecturing on birth control, 1916
BBC Television produces the world's first ever science fiction television program, an adaptation of a section of the Karel Capek play R.U.R., which coined the term "robot", 1938
Eighty-seven countries, including the US, UK, and USSR, sign the Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons in international waters, 1971
The People's Republic of China lifts a ban on works by Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens, 1978
Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released from Victor Verster Prison outside Cape Town, South Africa, 1990
The first wave of the Egyptian revolution culminates in the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, 2011

Tuesday Coffee Chat: Gratitudes

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this weeks topic is,  Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving.... so I'm in a turkey coma.   Let's all show 2 minutes of Gratitude.







There are so many reasons to be grateful.  Every evening, i list one thing for which i am grateful on a forum that has a gratitude list.  It keeps me looking for gratitudes throughout the day so i can list one, and some days more than one.

The weather has gotten cool enough on many nights to open the windows and turn off the A/C, which is currently not leaking!  That's a huge gratitude.  If we can get through this season, perhaps we can save up enough to do some major repairs in the spring, before we need the A/C again.

Bigger Girl got me to help her study for her microbiology test.  It was fun, and i was so grateful to be able to do that.

Yesterday, i had a day off!  That does not happen much.  Ms. S called on Sunday to cancel because she has plumbers all over her house cutting off the gas to her very dangerous gas wall heaters and she is stressed out.  By the time i go back, those will be history and she will again have hot water and a stove, and we will both be grateful for that.

Little Girl called me, and i am so grateful when i can hear her voice.  She's very excited, she has learned to start IVs!  They are doing the combat medic portion of her training, and we are approved to be allowed on the base for her graduation.  My friend Grace, who hosted us for Sanity-fest last month, has said Sweetie and i may stay in her guest room when we go there for the graduation.  That will save us money and i am thankful for that.  Now we just need gas and food money, which i am slowly gathering.

rEcess went well last week, and we only had 6 adult volunteers!  We were badly outnumbered, and are grateful that everything was like clockwork, all of the children had fun, everyone got medications or diapers or tube feedings on time even if we were short-staffed.  Also, a very kind couple from the church provided a meal for our volunteers, fried chicken and cole slaw and egg rolls, and everyone loved it and some of us brought leftovers home.  My boys were very grateful for the leftovers!

It can get as complicated or as simple as you want, and the list can go on and on, but right at this moment, i am just grateful that air and salvation are still free.



Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Abkhazia

Ashura -- Islam (optional day of fasting that begins at sundown, local observances and national holidays may vary)

Belfast International Arts Festival  -- Belfast, Ireland (International arts festival; through the 29th)

Cephalopod Awareness Days:  Myths and Legends Day -- celebrating the most intelligent invertebrates in the world; for all the cephalopods of legend, literature and movies

Durga Puja -- Hindu (celebration of the goddess Durga, final and biggest day of celebration)

Face Your Fears Day -- Stephen Hughes encourages you to use this as a day to try to do something you've always been afraid to do

General Pulaski Memorial Day -- US (celebrating Casimir Pulaski, "the father of American cavalry")

It's My Party Day -- so go have one!

Meditrinalia/Vinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (tasting of the year's new wine; in honor of Meditrina, goddess of health/medicine, longevity, and wine, and Bacchus, god of wine)

National Sausage Pizza Day

Navaratri Dusserha/Dasain/Dashain/Dasara -- Hindu (Festival of Dirva, wife of hiva, and a time to go back home and reconnect with family, especially in Nepal and parts of India; through the 13th; local dates and official government days off will vary)

Old Michaelmas Day -- Celtic Calendar

Revolution Day/Uprising Against Fascism Day -- Republic of Macedonia

St. Gomar's Day (Patron of childless people, courtiers, cowherds, glove makers, people in difficult marriages, separated spouses, woodcutters; Lier, Belgium; against hernias)

Sunbeam Sliding Sunday -- Fairy Calendar (only occasionally on a Sunday)

Warai Matsuri -- Kawanabe, Wakayama, Japan (a laughing festival, in which wine flows and this place earns its name as one of the happiest places on earth; one legend about the laughter is that one of the spirits of the shrine didn't wake in time for a meeting, and was laughed at, so now everyone laughs)

Yom Kippur -- Judaism (begins at sundown)

"You Go Girl!" Day -- in honor of Kathy Sullivan, first American woman to walk in space


Anniversary Today:

William Jefferson Clinton marries Hillary Rodham, 1975


Birthdays Today:

Emily Deschanel, 1976
Stephen Moyer, 1969
Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, 1969
Jane Krakowski, 1968
Luke Perry, 1966
Joan Cusack, 1962
Steve Young, 1961
Dawn French, 1957
David Morse, 1953
Daryl Hall, 1948
Robert Gale, 1945
Ron Liebman, 1937
Dottie West, 1932
Roscoe Robinson, Jr., 1928
Elmore Leonard, 1925
Art Blakey, 1919
Jerome Robbins, 1918
Charles Revson, 1906
Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884
Harlan Fiske Stone, 1872
Henry John Heinz, 1844
George Williams, 1821 (founder, YMCA)
Mason Locke "Parson" Weems, 1759


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"(Play), 1984
"Saturday Night Live"(TV), 1975
"Imagine"(Lennon single release), 1971
"Allegro"(Musical), 1947
"The Silver Tassie"(Play), 1929
The Comptometer (the first adding machine known to be accurate at all times, patented by Dorr Eugene Felt), 1887


Today in History:

Massive earthquake strikes Aleppo, Syria, 1138
Columbus' ship sites land on the horizon (the Bahamas), 1492
Huldrych Zwingli is killed in battle with the Roman Catholic cantons of Switzerland, 1531
Peter the Great becomes tsar of Russia, 1689
Explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee at the Grinder's Stand Inn, 1809
The first steam powered ferryboat, the Juliana, begins operation, 1811
Australia's oldest university, University of Sidney, is inaugurated, 1852
The Great Chicago Fire is finally extinguished, 1871
David Houston patents roll film for cameras, 1881
First female FBI "special investigator", Alaska Davidson, appointed, 1922
With the opening of store # 1252, in Milford, Delaware, J.C. Penney becomes a nationwide company, with stores in all 48 states, 1929
CBS's mechanical color system is the first to be licensed for broadcast by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, 1950
Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church in 92 years, Vatican II, 1962
NASA launches Apollo 7, the first successful manned Apollo mission, 1968
The NBC sketch comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live debuts with George Carlin as the host and Andy Kaufman, Janis Ian and Billy Preston as guests, 1975
The Mary Rose, a Tudor carrack which sank on July 19 1545, is salvaged from the sea bed of the Solent, off Portsmouth, 1982
The record high of the Dow Jones Industrial Average occurs at 14,198.10 points, 2007
A ban on fracking is upheld by the Constitutional Council of France, 2013

Perspective

The other day, i got home from work and Sweetie handed me the mail and a blue door hanger tag that had been left by the water company.

It said that one of the water lines in our neighborhood had broken that day and been repaired.  It went on to say that though they had flushed the lines and were sure it was okay, until the actual lab reports came back confirming the water was clean, we were under a boil advisory.

A part of me wanted to complain.  After all, i had worked two jobs that day and was tired, and now i couldn't put water in the cats bowls and refill the water filter we keep in the fridge or even just grab a quick cup of water or brush my teeth.

As i filled a couple of pots to boil, however, i knew it was silly to do that.  Here i was pouring water out of a tap, not traipsing down to the well, or a stream, with a bucket and faced with carrying the heavy water back again.  

Boiling it was as easy as turning on a burner, i didn't have to chop wood and bring it in and build a fire.

Waiting for it to cool off wasn't convenient, but a lot more convenient than the lives of millions of people around the world.

Also, i knew the boil advisory was temporary, probably just a few hours until we got an all clear, not a lifetime of living where running water is not even something anyone has.

No, i didn't complain, i took a deep breath and was grateful.  The temporary boil advisory reminded me of how precious it is to have clean, healthy water that i don't have to worry will kill my family coming right out of a tap right there in my house.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of water.

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Bangladesh

False Confessions Day -- internet generated, and not for the faint of heart

Family Volunteer Day -- to get families working together to better their communities and the world; info here

Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin -- Eastern and Roman Catholic Christian (those following the Gregorian Calendar)

Festival of Madonna della Salute -- Venice, Italy

Furniture Memory Day -- an internet generated test of your memory; see if you remember where you got each piece of furniture you own, how much it cost, and how its most precious scratch came to be; you are also encouraged to dust if you want to

General Framework Agreement Day -- RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Gerard d'Aboville Day -- marking the day, in 1991, he arrived in Ilwaco, WA, US, after departing Japan 4 months earlier in a rowboat!

Gingerbread Day

Holidays in the City Grand Illumination Parade -- Norfolk, VA, US (to kick off Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays)

International Games Day @ Your Library -- libraries in many countries are sponsoring a local Games Day, check with yours!

International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day -- www.survivorday.org
     National Survivors of Suicide Day -- US (by Congressional designation since 1999, and now an international movement; remembering those who have lost loved ones to suicide, especially as Thanksgiving and the holidays are coming)


Mother Goose Parade Day -- El Cajon, CA, US (kicking off the holiday season with good, family fun)

Natchitoches Festival of Lights -- Natchitoches, LA, US (over 350,000 lights go on every night from now until Jan, 6, with carolers on Friday and Saturday evenings downtown, festivals and events every weekend; come celebrate the season in the Oldest Settlement in the Louisiana Purchase)

National Adoption Day -- US (encouraging us to find a home for every child; many courts finalize thousands of adoptions of children from foster care on this day each year) 

National Stuffing Day -- various dates given on many sites, so if you enjoy stuffing, celebrate them all

No Music Day -- www.nomusicday.com for the explanation

Nordic Yulefest -- Nordic Museum, Seattle, WA, US (a Scandinavian holiday extravaganza; through tomorrow)

PCS Day and Homeplace Festival -- Waretown, NJ, US (a family affair with country, bluegrass, and traditional music)

St. Gelasius' Day

Surin Elephant Round-Up -- Surin, Thailand (includes elephant football, elephant tugs-of-war, and parades; through Sunday)

Ugly Day -- Fairy Calendar

World Hello Day -- recognizing the importance of communication in world peace, say hello to people you don't usually greet today 

World Television Day -- UN

World's Champion Duck-Calling Contest and Festival -- Stuttgart, AR, US (pageants for Queen Mallard and Junior Queen Mallard, carnival, and the best duck calling possible; through Nov. 30)


Anniversaries Today:

South Carolina becomes the 12 US State, 1789


Birthdays Today:

Tasha Schwikert, 1984
Ken Griffey, Jr., 1969
Troy Aikman, 1966
Bjork, 1965
Nicollette Sheridan, 1963
Cherry Jones, 1956
Cynthia Rhodes, 1956
Lorna Luft, 1952
Goldie Hawn, 1945
Harold Ramis, 1944
Marcy Carsey, 1944
Tweety Bird, 1942
Juliet Mills, 1941
Marlo Thomas, 1938
James DePreist, 1936
Laurence Luckinbill, 1934
Joseph Campanella, 1927
Stan Musial, 1920
Coleman Hawkins, 1904
Rene Magritte, 1898
Hetty Green, 1834
William Beaumont, 1785
Josiah Bartlett, 1729
Voltaire, 1694


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"(Single release), 1968
"A Tale of Two Kitties"(Warner cartoon, debut of Tweety Bird), 1942
"The Relapse, or, Virtue in Danger"(Vanbrugh play), 1696


Today in History:

Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family, restores the Temple in Jerusalem; this is the event commemorated each year by the festival of Hanukkah, BC164
The Pilgrims, aboard the Mayflower, reach what is now called Provincetown Harbor, Massachusetts, and sign the Mayflower Compact, 1620
Richard Johnson, a free black, is granted 550 acres in Virginia, 1654
In Paris, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent, Marquis d'Arlandes, make the first untethered hot air balloon flight, 1783
Colonel Napoléon Bonaparte is promoted to full general and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the French Republic, 1791
First Jewish Reform congregation in US forms, Charleston, SC, 1824
Moses F Gale patents a cigar lighter, 1871
Tom Edison announces his "talking machine" invention (phonograph), 1877
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office, becoming the first female United States Senator, 1922
First commercial crossing of Pacific by plane (China Clipper), 1935
The Alcan Highway is completed, 1942*
The British Natural History Museum announces that the "Piltdown Man" skull is a hoax, 1953
The first permanent ARPANET link is established between UCLA and SRI, 1969
Gerard d'Aboville completes his four-month solo journey to row across the Pacific Ocean, 1991
The Dayton Peace Agreement is initialed at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, ending three and a half years of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1995
NATO invites Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia to become members, 2002
Iran's President Ahmadinejad rejects the country's successful family planning program and tells Iranian girls they should marry at 16, 2010
The three most senior surviving members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime are charged with genocide and crimes against humanity, 2011
For the second time in four months, New Zealand's Mount Tongariro volcano, on the North Island, erupts, 2012


*Not opened to general vehicular traffic until the next year