Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's the place to come to have a laugh for the week. It's easy to do, just Laugh and Link Up!
How in the world do you described Homecoming?
It was a nice, peaceful morning, with coffee and fruit and a walk by the lake. The parade was just what a Homecoming Parade should be, little kids catching beads and candy, having a blast.
Then a bit of rest, and a walk around the campus. Finally, to the stadium for one of the toughest fought, most ground out games i have ever seen in my entire life.
Every minute was like pulling teeth. The first quarter lasted an hour, and the game that started at just after 6pm didn't end until almost ten.
It came down to the last play, too. There wasn't an easy moment, there wasn't an easy score on either side, and there were several calls by the referees that will be argued until doomsday.
Somehow, some way, the home team pulled it off. By that time, i'd had an SVT (heart palpitations) from nerves, and one friend said, "I was on blood pressure medicine for three years, and I eat right and exercise and I don't take medicine any more, but this game is going to put me back on it!"
But in the end, the home team won, and so Homecoming was a success.
All this, of course, reminds me of a football joke.
When Boudreaux was a young man, and very strong, he decided to try out for the college football team. He went out to the practice field and talked to the coach.
The coach asked him, "Can you tackle?" Boudreaux say, "Watch dis," and proceeded to run at a telephone pole, knocking it over!
"Wow!" the coach said. "Now, can you run?" Again, Boudreaux say, "Watch dis" and proceeded to run 100 yards in under 9 seconds.
"Glory!" the coach exclaimed. "And, can you pass a football?"
This time, Boudreaux stop to think about it. Finally, he say, "Mais, coach, I guess if I can swallow it, I can pass it!"
Today is:
A Family Halloween -- Billings Farm and Museum, Woodstock, VT, US (a great time for all)
Angam Day -- Nauru ("Day of Fulfillment"; a celebration of overcoming hardships)
Day of the Ancients -- Asatru/Pagan Slavic Calendar
Day of Mourning -- Libya
Exaltation of the Shellfish -- Pontevedra, Spain (while i can confirm they celebrate this each year, i cannot find confirmation on this specific date this year)
Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade -- Long Beach, CA, US (dress up your dog and have a howling good time)
Ludi Victoriae Sullanae -- Roman Empire (celebration of the victories of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, through Nov. 1)
Mother-in-Law Day -- a day to honor good Mothers-in-Law for their contributions to their families and for enduring all the bad jokes; if you have a lousy one, go listen to Ernie K-Doe's song
Mule Day -- anniversary of the first importation of donkeys to the US, which George Washington used to breed the first mules in the Americas
National Day -- Austria
National Gospel Day -- Cook Islands
National Mincemeat Pie Day
Pretzel Day
Pumpkin Day -- time to get one for the 31st, if you haven't already
Reformation Day/Reformation Sunday -- Protestant Christian (obs.)
St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki's Day (Patron of soldiers; Thessaloniki, Greece) Greek day to broach the wine barrels and taste the new season's wine in honor of this saint
Sts. Lucian and Marcian's Day (Patrons of converts, possessed people)
Toping Wagglegammon -- Fairy Calendar (no human knows what this means, but it sounds intriguing)
Visit a Cemetery Day
Workaholic Stop and Smell Something Day -- internet generated day to encourage workaholics to stop and consider what they might be missing
Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night -- some organizers even have howling parties
Anniversary Today:
Grand opening of the Erie Canal, 1825
Birthdays Today:
Sasha Cohen, 1984 Keith Urban, 1969 Tom Cavanagh, 1968 Natalie Merchant, 1963 Cary Elwes, 1962 Dylon McDermott, 1962 Jeff Probst, 1962 James Pickens, Jr., 1954 Lauren Tewes, 1954 Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1947 Pat Sajak, 1947 Jaclyn Smith, 1947 Ivan Reitman, 1946 Pat Conroy, 1945 Bob Hoskins, 1942 Jackie Coogan, 1914 Mahalia Jackson, 1911 Abby Greene Aldrich Rockefeller, 1874 Joseph Hansom, 1803 Georges Danton, 1759 Domenico Scarlatti, 1685
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"St. Elsewhere"(TV), 1982 Doonesbury(Comic strip), 1970 The Village Voice(newspaper, first issue), 1955 "Mourning Becomes Electra"(Play), 1931
Today in History:
Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches 0.0229 AUs of Earth (2.1 million miles and 3.4 million kilometers)--marking the third closest approach of any comet to our planet in recorded history, 1366 First use of lead pencils, 1492 William Penn accepts the area around the the Delaware River from the Duke of York, 1682 The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, and the Minute Men begin to organize in the colonies, 1774 King George III goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution, 1775 Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution, 1776 The first of the "Federalist Papers" are published, calling for ratification of the US Constitution, 1787 The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created, 1795 Hamilton Smith patents a rotary washing machine, 1858 Soccer football rules are standardized and rugby starts as a separate game, 1863 The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona, 1881 First use of a "getaway car" after a robbery in Paris, 1901 The first Soviet (worker's council) formed, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1905 Margaret Sanger arrested for the obscenity of advocating birth control, 1916 The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India, 1947 Mother Teresa founds her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, 1950 Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France, 1958 The world sees the far side of the Moon for the first time, in pictures taken earlier in the month by the Soviet Luna 3, 1959 The last natural case of smallpox is discovered in Merca district, Somalia, 1977 "Baby Fae," born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, receives a controversial heart transplant from a baboon, dies of kidney infection 21 days later, 1984 The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum, 1992 Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty, 1994 Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament, 1999 The water level at Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control and utilization project, reaches full capacity, 2010
Friday morning i figured out how to get Youngest Boy out of bed without a meltdown. There are two steps. Step one, don't wake him directly. Wake the others, with him in earshot. Step two, make a deal with him. When i asked him, after waking the others and noticing his eyes were open, if he would please get up, he said he didn't want to get out of bed until his pancakes were ready. So we made a deal: when i tell him the food is ready, he will pop right up and come down to eat. We did a pinky swear on it, and sure enough, when i called up that his plate was ready, he came down without a fuss. If i end up staying here again to babysit overnight, he and i are going to agree the night before on what will be for breakfast, and that he will pop up and come eat when it is ready, and that i won't call him until it is. They got to school without a hitch, and i came back to the house and finished cleaning and tidying and the last bits of laundry, dishes, etc. Then it was a waiting game to see when Ms. P would be home, as i needed to get home to tidy up and repack because it's homecoming weekend at the uni. That means a stay on campus for all of the festivities. As i figured, Ms. P ended up being later than she thought. Much later. As i told her son, as much as i love her, she's the kind of person who will be late for her own funeral -- he had never heard that one before, but agreed when he finished laughing. At noon i went to pick up Eldest Boy from his school, get him a lunch, and get him home. At 2pm i headed out to get the two younger boys. Then i crawled through "rush hour" traffic to get them back home. We pulled in just as Ms. P was emptying her vehicle. Because i was so much later than i expected, Bigger Girl picked up Little Girl from school and the two of them did the shelter -- i hated that they were stuck doing it, but sometimes it is what it is. By the time i got home and we got packed, Grandpa was already up on the campus waiting for us. It was a circus getting out of the house, but we finally made it, and checked in to the hotel, and got the stuff from Grandpa that he had brought us, and unloaded and ordered pizza for delivery. It's been a crazy couple of days, but at least i don't need to get up early tomorrow and cook -- i get to go down to the dining room and eat what someone else has prepared. No, i won't let it spoil me.
Today is:
Armed Forces Day -- Romania
Blue Ridge Folklife Festival -- Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, Ferrum, VA, US (a large celebration of authentic folkways)
Constitution Day -- Lithuania
Day of the Basque Country -- Basque Country Dia del Pais Vasco -- PV, Spain
Emma Crawford Festival and Memorial Coffin Race -- Manitou Springs, CO, US (spooky fun for the whole family)
Feast of Forty Martyrs of England and Wales -- Roman Catholic
Forgiveness Day -- a day to reconcile or forgive, for your own peace of mind; sponsored by Positive Peaceful Partners and the Center of Unconditional Love
Gormanudr -- Old Icelandic Calendar (beginning of "Innards Month," after all the animals have been butchered and fresh innards figure predominantly in the menu, as the rest of the meat has been preserved for winter)
Hijra -- Islam (New Year, began last night at the first viewing of the new moon crescent)
Hogeye Festival -- Elgin, TX, US (Road Hog Car Show, crowning of King Hog and Queen Sowpreme, Cow Patty Bingo, and more!)
London Bridge Days -- Lake Havasu City, AZ, US (come celebrate London Bridge, which was disassembled and moved here and put back together, with a parade and festivities; through tomorrow)
Make A Difference Day -- US (Whoopie Goldberg once said that if every American would donate 5 volunteer hours a week, it would be the equivalent of several million full time jobs; whether or not it's strictly accurate, volunteering is a great thing to do no matter where you live)
Munzipan Feast -- Fairy Calendar (a fairy delicacy, and you don't want to know how it's made)
National Greasy Foods Day
Pit Bull Awareness Day -- it's not the breed, it's the owner
Punk-for-a-Day Day -- internet generated; if you've always wanted to be a punk, try it out for a day
Republic Day -- Kazakhstan
Retrocession Day -- Taiwan
Romp in the Swamp Fun Walk -- Appleton, WI, US (plus hayrides, face painting, an outdoor movie, animal shows, a campfire with s'mores, and more)
Scared Silly: Halloween in Prospect Park -- Brooklyn, NY, US (hauntingly good fun all weekend)
Sourest Day -- as a balance, because we have so many days that emphasize sweet
Sts. Crispin and Crispian's Day (Patrons of cobblers/shoemakers, glovemakers, lace makers/lace workers, leather workers, saddle makers, tanners, weavers)
Texas Book Festival -- Austin, TX, US (one of the nation's most prestigious literary festivals, especially celebrating renowned Texas authors; through tomorrow)
Thanksgiving Day -- Grenada
World Beard and Moustache Championships -- Portland, OR, US (check out some of the former competitors here)
World Pasta Day -- as established by the first World Pasta Congress in 1995; a related website is here
Xterra Kapalua Trail Run -- Kapalua, Maui, HI, US (extreme trail runs of 5k and 10k; through tomorrow)
Birthdays Today:
Katy Perry, 1984 Midori, 1971 Tracy Nelson, 1963 Brian Kerwim, 1949 Jon Anderson, 1944 Anne Tyler, 1941 Helen Reddy, 1941 Bobby Knight, 1940 Marion Ross, 1936 Billy Barty, 1924 Minnie Pearl, 1912 Leo G. Carroll, 1892 Pablo Picasso, 1881 Georges Bizet, 1838 Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1800
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Victor/Victoria"(Musical), 1995 "Newhart"(TV), 1982 "Le Repetition"(Anouilh play), 1950 "The Time of Your Life"(Play), 1939
Today in History:
Seljuk Turks defeat the German crusaders under Conrad III at the Battle of Dorylaeum, 1147 Battle of Agincourt, in which the Welsh longbow defeats armored knights, 1415 Christopher Columbus, aboard the Santa Maria, lands at the Dominican Republic, 1492 Dutch sea-captain Dirk Hartog makes second recorded landfall by a European on Australian soil, at the later-named Dirk Hartog Island off the Western Australian coast, 1616 Governor Bradford of the US colony Plymouth disallows sport on Christmas Day, 1621 Wedding of future US President John Adams and Abigail Smith (the marriage lasted 54 years), 1764 Canadians and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of Chateauguay, 1813 Opening of the Erie Canal, 1825 Battle of Balaclava, memorialized as the "Charge of the Light Brigade", results in the deaths of 409 troops, 1854 The Toronto Stock Exchange is created, 1861 Traditionally understood date of the October Revolution in Russia, which corresponds to November 7 on the Gregorian Calendar, 1917 The Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounces swing music as "a degenerated musical system... turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people", warning that it leads down a "primrose path to hell", 1938 Adlai Stevenson shows photos at the UN proving Soviet missiles are installed in Cuba, 1962 Uganda joins the United Nations, 1962 Nelson Mandela is sentenced to five years in prison, 1962 The United Nations seated the People's Republic of China and expelled the Republic of China, 1971 Proceedings on the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction conclude at The Hague, 1980 Three months after the end of the Ten-Day War, the last soldier of the Yugoslav People's Army leaves the territory of the Republic of Slovenia, 1991 Fidel Castro announces that transactions using the American Dollar will be banned in Cuba, 2004 Sony removed the original cassette Walkman from the market, 2010 Scientists announce that the completion of the nuclear genome study of a 24,000 year old Siberian boy's remains shows 2/3 of today's Native Americans are of Eastern Asia origin, and the others from Western Eurasia, 2013
The plan for Saturday morning was to get to the shelter early to bathe Anna and Uriel and get them settled in a cage, and it started out just fine. The hitch came when i couldn't find the special shampoo i was supposed to use for them.
Many minutes were wasted looking high and low, and i finally gave in and called Carol to ask where she hid the stuff. It turned out to be right where it should have been, in the cabinet under the sink in which we wash them. In fact, Carol and i had washed the other 7 kittens i had brought up in that sink a couple of days before. It was in a gallon jug, not the regular size bottle such as i used to have at home, so i passed it over, thinking it was a bottle of bleach. Two kitty baths, plus the requisite 15 minutes of marinating time (the kittens have to have the stuff on them for 15 minutes to make sure it kills everything they may have carried in) later, i ran back home to pick up Bigger Girl and go back to the hotel for breakfast. We were about 5 minutes away when we were called, which i knew we would be. After breakfast, we had time to simply enjoy the fun atmosphere of homecoming until the parade started. Grandma and Grandpa were supposed to ride in the parade, but Grandma didn't want to, so Grandpa sweet talked them into letting Bigger Girl ride with him. It was fun to see them, sitting atop a yellow Corvette and smiling as they threw out candy, beads, and other fun things. The parade is typical for the area, and my main reason to go is the camaraderie, getting to hear the bagpipes, and watching the children catch stuff. Someone once told me that in some states, when there's a parade, it is illegal to throw things into the crowd. Here, it's expected. Cheap plastic beads have replaced the glass ones we used to get as kids, and now they will throw cups, mini plastic toys,small logo items like keychains, and candy. A local bank was this year's main parade sponsor, and they were even throwing rolled up t-shirts.
The parade itself only lasts about a half hour from where you are standing to watch, but it takes a good hour-and-a-half to two hours for the participants to actually go the whole route. Sweetie had gotten off work by then and headed home, so when Bigger Girl got back, she and i went to the house to rest and freshen up, then the three of us returned for the football game.
It was not one of our team's better nights. The other team came to win, ours simply came to not lose. At least, that's how it was until halftime, when i think the coach gave them a good talking to. The second half was much better, and i'm glad, because you really aren't supposed to lose the homecoming game.
Grandma actually attended, for the first time in years. She had grown weary of it long ago, but she did enjoy herself. Grandpa was out on the field during the halftime ceremony of crowning the new homecoming king and queen, representing the alumni association. It was all very nice, as it's supposed to be, and i don't know why we still even have such things, but i guess it's tradition and some tradition simply must be. Ours not to reason why, and etc.
Little Girl and #2 Son again stayed at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa after the game, while Bigger Girl, Sweetie and i went home. The next morning, we returned to again have breakfast with them and say our good-byes. From there, it was time to go to church, and before we left we firmed up the coming plans for this next weekend, when the kids will go to Grandma and Granpa's house. There is an insectarium visit in the works, and Grandma has threatened to boycott it and go to the shopping area next door instead. No matter what, though, they will have fun.
Just like we did this latest homecoming weekend.
Speaking of fun, if you celebrate Trick-or-Treating where you are, i hope you have a wonderful time tonight!
Today is:
Admission Day -- Nevada, US
Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security
Allantide -- Cornwall, England
All Hallows Eve -- Christian
Apple and Candle Night -- Wales
Books for Treats Day -- San Jose, CA, US (give gently used books to kids, not candy -- feed their brains, not their cavities!)
Chiang Kai-Shek Day -- Taiwan
Dias de los Muertos -- Mexico, esp. Michoacan and Oaxaca (through Nov. 2; ceremonies, sand sculptures, decorated altars, and parties through the nights in the cemeteries)
Dookie Apple Night -- Newcastle, England
Duck Apple Night -- Liverpool, England
Feast of Sekhmet /Bast/ Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Festival of Inner Worlds -- Pagan (fight between the old and new year)
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL, US (hosted at the "Yachting Capital of the World"; through Sunday)
Ghostwriter's Day
Hallowe'en or Beggar's Night
Increase Your Psychic Powers Day -- originated in England in the 19th century, some celebrated on the 30th
King Father Nordom Sihanouk's Birthday -- Cambodia
National Candy Apple Day
National Knock-Knock Joke Day Knock, Knock Who's There? Police. Police who? Police stop telling knock-knock jokes!
National Magic Day -- Society of American Magicians (in honor of Harry Houdini, who died on this day in 1926, and who was president of the SoAM)
National UNICEF Day
Nut-Crack Night -- England; Scotland
Old Celtic New Year's Eve
Out of the Broom Closet Day -- Pagan, Heathen, and all earth-based and ethnic religions
Punky Night -- Hinton St George, Somerset, England (a celebration for children and adults who carry candle-lit punkies -- the best one wins a prize -- made out of mangel-wurzels, a type of beet, and sing old punky songs asking for money or treats)
Reformation Day -- Protestant Christian (trad.) Dia de las Iglesias Evangelicas y Protestantes -- Chile Official Holiday -- BB, MV, SN, ST, & TH, Germany; Slovenia
Scare a Friend Day -- just not so much that he/she isn't a friend any more
Senior Absurdity Day -- Horace Mann School, Bronx, NY, US (a day the kids look forward to each year)
Sneak Some of the Candy Yourself Before the Kids Start Knocking Day
St. Quentin's Day (Patron against coughs)
St. Wolfgang of Ratisbon's Day (Patron of apoplexics, carpenters, paralyzed people, stroke victims; Regensburg, Germany; against apoplexy, paralysis, stomach diseases, strokes)
Thump-the-Door Night -- Isle of Mann
Trick or Treat Night
Vetmaetr -- Norse Calendar (Winter Nights; beginning of winter, the New Year, and the start of Odin leading the Wild Hunt)
Youth Honor Day -- Iowa, US
Anniversaries Today:
Mt. Rushmore is completed, 1941 Nevada becomes the 36th US State, 1864
Birthdays Today:
Adam Horovitz, 1966 Peter Jackson, 1961 Larry Mullen, Jr., 1961 John Candy, 1950 Jane Pauley, 1950 Deidre Hall, 1947 David Ogden Stiers, 1942 Michael Landon, 1936 Dan Rather, 1931 Michael Collins, 1930 Barbara Bel Geddes, 1922 Dale Evans, 1912 Ethel Waters, 1896 Chaing Kai-shek, 1887 Juliette Low, 1860 John Keats, 1795 Jan Vermeer, 1632
Debuting/Premiering Today:
Car Talk Radio Show, 1987 (national debut, ten years after their start as a local show in Boston)
Today in History:
Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites after their return to Jerusalem from exile, BC445 First All Hallows Eve observed to honor all the saints, 834 Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses on the Wittenberg church door, marks the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, 1517 Georg Ludwig van Hannover is crowned as the English King George I, 1714 Execution of Girondins at Paris during the Reign of Terror, 1793 Sir Humphrey Davy of London patents the miner's safety lamp, 1815 A standard uniform is approved for US Postal workers, 1868 A tropical cyclone hits Bengal, about 200,000 die, 1876 John Boyd Dunlop patents the pneumatic bicycle tire, 1888 Arthur Conan Doyle publishes "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", 1892 Dedication of the Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across United States, 1913 The Battle of Beersheba of WWI marks the last successful cavalry charge in history, 1917 The first of 160 consecutive days of 100°F + temps at Marble Bar, Australia, 1923 World Savings Day is announced in Milan, Italy by the Members of the Association at the 1st International Savings Bank Congress, 1924 Mt. Rushmore sculptures are completed, 1941 The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal, 1956 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated by two security guards, 1984 EgyptAir Flight 990 traveling from New York City to Cairo crashes off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing all 217 on-board, 1999 Yachtsman Jesse Martin returns to Melbourne after 11 months of circumnavigating the world, solo, non-stop and unassisted, 1999 Soyuz TM-31 launches, carrying the first resident crew to the International Space Station, which has been continually crewed since, 2000 Surfer Bethany Hamilton loses her left arm and 3 liters of blood in a tiger shark attack; within a month she would be back on her board, and competing again within the year, 2003
Little Girl and i went to the shelter without Uriel and Anna, because cats have that cloak of invisibility when they know something is up. The shelter was the usual afternoon business, with potential adopters looking at cats, volunteers cleaning and doing paperwork, and Miss W overseeing it all with her usual aplomb.
Since i had been there just a few hours earlier cleaning the kitten cages, i knew who needed medication, and which rooms needed extra attention, and by now Little Girl and i work the Friday afternoon shift like a well-oiled machine. She feeds and waters kittens while i feed and water the roaming cats and office cats. She feeds the ones in the colony rooms while i dispense medications. She sweeps floors while i change out the water bowls in the colony rooms. We almost always finish at the same time.
While there we got two phone calls. The first was from #1 Son, informing us that the decision was made to let Meatball go. Treatment with that level of heart worm infection would have been futile and cruel. Because the boys all live in a rented home, Cody's ex-girlfriend and her mother, who loved Meatball dearly, took him to their home to bury him in the back yard.
The second call was from Grandma, that she and Grandpa were on their way. We got everything done at the shelter and hurried home so Little Girl could pack. She, Bigger Girl, and i went in Cicero (Bigger Girl's car) to the hotel while #2 Son took Jalopy (the van) to go help Cody.
That evening was supposed to be spent at a big whiz bang event at the hotel, but Grandma didn't want to go. What Grandma wants, she usually gets, so we girls skipped the big whiz bang event and went out for a girl's night.
First stop, Hobby Lobby. Grandma never met a craft she didn't like and couldn't do. She's where my girls get their artistic talents from, as i can't craft my way out of a paper bag. We spent a pleasant hour looking at tons of fun things, and Grandma found a crafting stamp she had been seeking, a cute and happy pig. Then it was time to seek dinner.
Getting back into Cicero, Bigger Girl laughingly said, "Check the back seat for zombies first!" and Grandma shot back, "There's not much scarier than your mother in the back of a car!" We all laughed and decided to head to a bakery that specializes in vegan, gluten free pizza.
Over dinner, we talked and Grandma told stories about Nana, her mother. Listening to them, i was so glad that my children so look up to and love to spend time with Grandma and Grandpa. In the words of Little Girl, "They are cool to hang with!" Not many young people today take that attitude about the elders in their families, and i know i'm blessed.
When we got back to the hotel, Grandpa greeted us with, "Boy, did you guys miss a treat! I only went to this event because I was trying to be polite, but it was great! The speaker was hilarious and kept us wanting more. You should have been there!"
While he talked about the event, Grandma got out and cut the papaya she had brought. It was just over 7 pounds, and had grown on her own papaya tree in the back yard. "I have some 3 and 4 pounders, too," she said. "And more on the tree, about 30 or so, and more blossoms. We're going to be having a lot of papaya."
"How did you grow the papaya tree?" Little Girl asked.
"It was an accident, really," Grandma said. "I tried several times to plant the seeds from a papaya that I would buy from the market, but they never 'took.' Then, about two years ago, I noticed something growing in a place in the yard where I had never planted any trees, and I almost pulled it up, but I decided to leave it and see what it was. And it was a papaya tree! It's at least 15 feet tall now, too, maybe more."
"If it gets any bigger, I'm going to need to climb on the roof to pick them," Grandpa said.
"Don't do that!" #2 Son said, walking in for the evening. "If you need someone to climb on the roof to do that, call me and let me do it!"
This, from the kid who has to be bribed to do chores. See, i know he loves Grandma and Grandpa if he's willing to go do that for them! i laughed, and so did everyone else.
Bigger Girl and i then headed home, while #2 Son and Little Girl stayed the night at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa. We would be back the next morning for breakfast, at least, that was the plan. We all know about plans, though.
Today is:
Anniversary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation -- Slovakia
Buy A Doughnut Day -- any wonder who started this one? (insert eye-roll here)
Checklists Day -- prevent tragedy, create great checklists; in honor of the development of the first well known checklist following a B-17 prototype's crash due to pilot error
Create a Great Funeral Day -- don't make your family choose the plans in the midst of grief, plan your sending away party now, it's more fun when it's done -- in advance!
Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions -- most former Soviet Republics
Edgar Allan Poe Evermore -- Mount Hope Estate, Manheim, PA, US (nights of suspense with the stories from the master, acted by professionals; through Nov. 10)
Look in the Back of Your Refrigerator Day / Haunted Refrigerator Night (And hope the old hamburger isn't grazing on the moldy salad.)
Mischief Night, a/k/a Goosey Night, Devil's Night, Cabbage Night -- US
National Candy Corn Day
Practice Winter Snuggling Night -- when it gets really cold, you'll be glad you practiced
St. Dorothy of Montau's Day (Patron of brides, difficult marriages, dying children, parents of large families, widows; Pomerania; Prussia)
St. Marcellus' Day (as a Roman centurion who threw down his armor and refused to take part in pagan worship, he is Patron of conscientious objectors)
The Rhyne Toll -- Chetwode Manor, UK (through Nov 7) -- the Lord of the Manor may tax any cattle he finds on his Liberty (free pasture) on these days
Try on Your Hallowe'en Costume Early Day -- to see how goofy you look, and make sure you have everything you need
Birthdays Today:
Gavin Rossdale, 1967 Diego Armando Maradona, 1960 Harry Hamlin, 1951 Henry Winkler, 1945 Grace Slick, 1939 Claude Lelouch, 1937 Robert Caro, 1935 Louis Malle, 1932 Ruth Gordon, 1896 Charles Atlas, 1893 Ezra Pound, 1885 Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1821 John Adams, 1735
Today in History:
Antioch surrenders to Rashidun Caliphate and his Muslim forces after the Battle of the Iron Bridge, 637 End of the 8th Crusade, 1270 King Henry VII, Tudor, crowned, 1485 Queen Isabella bans violence against Indians, 1503 The first Methodist church in the US is initiated (Wesley Chapel, NYC), 1768 Dr. Richard Gatling patents the machine gun, 1862 Founding of Helena, Montana (capital city), 1864 John Willis Menard, of Louisiana, becomes the first black elected to the US Congress (by special election, he was challenged by the loser, but was allowed to address Congress from the lectern), 1868 Daniel Cooper patents the time clock, 1894 Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah becomes the first woman US Senator, 1896 The first US Automobile Show opens in Madison Square Garden, NYC, 1900 Czar Nicholas II of Russia grants Russia's first constitution, creating a legislative assembly, 1905 Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 John Logie Baird creates Britain's first television transmitter, 1925 Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing anxiety in some of the audience in the United States, 1938 Anne Frank and sister Margot Frank are deported from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 1944 Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signs a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the baseball color barrier, 1945 Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 1960 The Soviet Union detonates the hydrogen bomb Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya; at 58 megatons of yield, it is still the largest explosive device ever detonated, nuclear or otherwise, 1961 The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time, 1973 The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman takes place in Kinshasa, Zaire, 1974 Prince Juan Carlos becomes Spain's acting head of state, taking over for the country's ailing dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco, 1975 In Japan, NEC releases the first 16-bit home entertainment system, the TurboGrafx-16, known as PC Engine, 1987 Quebec sovereignists narrowly lose a referendum for a mandate to negotiate independence from Canada (vote is 50.6% to 49.4%), 1995 The last Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) early time-sharing operating system is shut down at the Canadian Department of National Defense in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2000
"Meatball is very sick and I have to go to work and Cody's car is broken -- help?"
This particular morning, i had dropped Little Girl at school, then gone to the shelter to clean kitten cages. It was homecoming weekend, Grandma and Grandpa were going to be in town, everything was shaping up to be busy as could be, and i got the above text from #1 Son just as i was leaving the shelter.
The shelter is two blocks from where he, Cody, and Justin live, so i called and told him i was on my way. He said they would get Meatball out, to just pull in the driveway.
When i got out of the van, they were carrying Meatball on a makeshift stretcher using an old piece of wood covered with his blanket. He had obviously lost weight, couldn't walk without falling over, had a bloated abdomen, and looked absolutely miserable.
To be blunt, he had that introspective look that means the animal has lost hope because of something that is going on inside that we cannot see, but he can sense.
"Make sure they know he's dehydrated and to give him fluids right away!" #1 Son said as i drove off, and i had to smile. He does know some things, after spending all those years helping bottle raise kittens. He can spot dehydration in a heartbeat.
Between the two of them, #1 Son and Cody hefted Meatball onto the back seat of the van, and Cody climbed in next to him, thanking me continually.
Meatball, a 7-year-old terrier mix, was certainly not himself, as he didn't growl once. His love for Cody was legendary, as he had once fought off someone who was trying to rob Cody's workplace. He tolerated strangers when told to, but his protectiveness was amazing.
When we got to the vet, Cody and i had to lift Meatball out of the van and carry him in. We set him on the floor at the threshold and he collapsed, legs splayed, with the look that said, I really don't care what happens to me right now.
The vet's regular office hours hadn't even begun, but the vet was there, and the assistant helped haul Meatball off the floor and onto the scale. 63 lbs -- down at least 15 from his regular fighting weight.
The vet asked about symptoms, and Cody described four days of decreasing appetite, increasing lethargy, and some vomiting beginning the day before. Treated for fleas a few days back with Hartz flea treatment. That worried me and the vet, and i explained to Cody how Hartz flea treatment could kill pets (one of #1 Son's friends lost her cat Bastet to the stuff, i'm the one who took them to the vet, too). He had no idea.
Dr. Rob, the vet, gave us some options. For the time being, we decided we could afford to give him fluids and medication to prevent the throwing up, and come back the next day when we had scratched up more funds.
Meatball was obviously feeling a bit better very soon after, but was still weak as we went to Cody's workplace to try to get him a replacement pay card. (Many places now pay you with a prepaid Visa card, apparently. The rant about that is fodder for another post, which will happen later, i'm sure.) We couldn't get the replacement, and Cody still needed help getting his car battery replaced.
It had been hours since i left the house, no breakfast, nothing but coffee, and i was feeling a bit ill myself. So we went back to my house, and #2 Son took Cody and Meatball home, then was supposed to help him get his car going.
On days like this, not much goes as planned, though.
Cody called his ex-girlfriend, who adored Meatball. Her mother was also a big fan of the dog, and agreed to pay for more medical care. She even agreed to run them to other vets for opinions, since #2 Son eventually had to get the car back to me.
After them running around all afternoon, and three opinions, including that his stomach was twisted and it was going to take a $4,000 surgery to correct it, the final diagnosis was that he had heart-worms, and wouldn't recover.
During that time, i was supposed to find Anna and Uriel so i could take them to the shelter, bathe them, and leave them so they could have their spay and neuter surgeries at Spay Day. Of course, they decided to put on invisibility cloaks, so i left to pick up Little Girl from school and go do the afternoon shelter shift.
On the way, we got the call about Meatball. All of us are sad, and i'm even more sad that it happened on a day when i was so busy i couldn't even take time out to process much. We had to get the shelter chores done and get back home to be ready to meet Grandma and Grandpa at the hotel. The day wasn't over.
Today is:
Candies Day -- they have to be kidding -- this close to Hallowe'en?!
Coronation Day -- Cambodia (anniversary of King Norodom Sihamony, in 2004)
Cumhuriyet Bayrami -- Turkey (Republic Day)(1923)
Hermit Day / Hide From Everyone Day -- internet generated, for those who would rather have a peaceful day today than celebrate the other holidays listed; look up how to be a hermit on wikihow
Internet Day -- it's predecessor went live today, see Today in History for detail
Laugh Suddenly For No Reason A Lot Today Day (And end up either getting yourself and everyone around you in a good mood, or yourself being observed at the hospital in a padded room.)
Naming Day -- Tanzania
National Cat Day -- US (with the goal of getting 10,000 cats adopted from shelters today)
National Disgusting Little Pumpkin-Shaped Candies Day
National Oatmeal Day
Republic Day -- North Cyprus; Turkey
Second Fiddle of the Month -- Fairy Calendar (a very poorly attended event -- who wants to play second fiddle?)
St. Mary of Edessa's Day (Patron against sexual temptation)
World Psoriasis Day
Birthdays Today:
Winona Ryder, 1971 Kate Jackson, 1948 Richard Dreyfuss, 1947 Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 1938 Bill Mauldin, 1921 Fanny Brice, 1891 James Boswell, 1740 (wrote the biography of Samuel Johnson) Edmund Halley, 1656 (O.S. Date) (yes, that Halley, found the comet)
Debuting/Premiering Today:
The Internet, 1969 (the first connection between computers that would become the Internet someday was made on this date when bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute; this grew into ARPANET, and is now the Internet we know and yell at.)
Today in History:
Cyrus the Great entered the city of Babylon, BC539 First trial for witchcraft in Paris, 1390 Sir Walter Raleigh, adventurer, writer, and courtier, is beheaded, 1618 A severe earthquake shakes New England, 1727 Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague, 1787 The first Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans, 1811 Queen Victoria grants Cecil Rhodes rights to Zambezia, 1889 The first intercity trucking service, from Colorado City to Snyder, Texas, begins running, 1904 Turkey declares its independence as the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, 1923 Israeli forces invade the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal, 1956 Cassius Clay wins his first professional fight, 1960 Syria exits from the United Arab Republic, 1961 Montreal's World Fair, Expo 67, closes with over 50 million visitors, 1967 The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid, 1991 In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its report, which condemns both sides for committing atrocities, 1998 Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space, 1998 In Rome, European heads of state sign the Treaty and Final Act establishing the first European Constitution, 2004
Sunday, November 15, 2009
The swelling in my face is no better yet. We are finally back from "celebrating" homecoming, and I feel awful.
It's time to sleep.
Today is:
American Enterprise Day
America Recycles Day
Dynasty Day, Belgium
George Spelvin Day
I Love to Write Day
National Bundt Pan Day
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
National Philanthropy Day
National Spicy Hermit Day
Nativity Fast begins (through Dec 24) -- Orthodox Christian
Republic Day, Brazil
Shichi-Go-San (Shrine Visiting Day) and the Seven-Five-Three Festival, Japan
St. Albertus Magnus' Day (patron of science students, scientists, and technologists)
St. Gertrude's Day
St. Leopold's Day (patron of Austria)
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
Birthdays Today:
Kevin Eubanks, 1957 Sam Waterston, 1940 Petula Clark, 1932 Ed Asner, 1929 Bill "C.W. McCall" Fries, 1928 Joseph Wapner, 1919 Georgia O'Keeffe, 1887 F. William Herschel, 1738 William Pitt the Elder, 1708
Today in History:
Christopher Columbus notes the first recorded reference to tobacco, 1492 The NY General Assembly permits Jews to omit the phrase "Upon the faith of a Christian" from adjuration oaths, 1727 Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon begin surveying the Mason-Dixon Line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, 1763 The Articles of Confederation are adopted by the Continental Congress, 1777 Georgetown University, the first Catholic college in the US, opens, 1791 Zebulon Pike gets his first sight of Pike's Peak, Colorado, 1806 Isaac Pitman introduces his steno/shorthand system of writing, 1832 Union Major General Sherman burns Atlanta, Georgia, 1864 King C. Gillette patents the Gillette razor blade, 1904 The first telecast of an unscheduled event, a fire, takes place on W2XBT, in NY, 1938
It is homecoming day at the university, and the kids and I are up here at the on campus hotel for the alumni. We are going to the parade and game, etc. We do this every year.
I woke with a portion of my face swollen, and I don't know why.
It has me very nervous.
My doctor is one of the people who will be up there today, and I'm hoping to snag a moment with him.
I also hope this does not interfere with the kids getting to enjoy homecoming.
ETA -- My doctor was just here at the on campus hotel, looked, asked a couple of questions, said I have a staph infection (read zit, of all things) that needs an antibiotic. I will leave the kids here on campus with their dad while he works, and go pick up the Rx. I'm 46, not 16! Zits! Only me.
Today is:
Children's Day, India
Independence Day, Jordan
Inuit Asking Festival
Kalamazoo Russian Festival begins, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day
Moccas -- Celtic (pig goddess festival)
National Guacamole Day (yummm!!!)
Operating Room Nurse Day
St. Dubricus' Day (the saint who crowned King Arthur)
World Diabetes Day
Birthdays Today
Condoleeza Rice, 1954 Yanni, 1954 Prince Charles, 1948 King Hussein of Jordan, 1935 McLean Stevenson, 1929 Brian Keith, 1921 Veronica Lake, 1919 Barbara Hutton, 1912 Rosemary Decamp, 1910 Joseph McCarthy, 1909 Dick Powell, 1904 Aaron Copeland, 1900 Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889 Claude Monet, 1840 Robert Fulton, 1765
Today in History:
Samuel Pepys reports on the first blood transfusion (between dogs), 1666 Louis Timothee is hired in Philidelphia to be the first professional librarian in the US, 1732 Captain George Vancouver is the first Englishman to enter San Francisco Bay, 1792 John Mason debuts the first horse-drawn street car in NYC, with a route between Prince and 14th on 4th Ave., 1832 Herman Melville publishes "Moby Dick", 1851 The St. Andrews Golf Club, in Yonkers, NY, opens with 6 holes, 1888 New York World reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) began her attempt to surpass the fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg by traveling around the world in fewer than 80 days, 1889 (Note: she succeeded, finishing the trip in January 1890 in 72 days and 6 hours.) Albert Einstein presents his quantum theory of light, 1908 The first airplane flight from the deck of a ship takes place in Norfolk, Virginia, 1910
