Sundays, Packing, and Christmas Tags, a Random and Happy Tuesday

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.) 

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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus.  

This past Sunday gave me a run for the money.  It started with one of my rare the-light-hurts-my-eyes headaches.

Got to church just in time to get #1 Son's call that his ride hadn't shown up and he was going to be late to work.

My nursery assignment was the 4-year-olds, and two of them ran away and had to be chased down.  They ran away again when their parents came to pick them up.  Those two are either going to grow up to be preachers or grow up and go to prison, and i'm not sure yet which way it will happen.

That afternoon, i crashed until it was time to light the luminaries for the neighborhood display.  We lit ours and then walked a bit to see the lights, and that was all i could do.

Monday was spent getting Dr. D ready to go out of town to visit family for Christmas.  An army preparing to invade another country has an easier time getting ready that preparing her for a one week trip.  

And that doesn't include the gifts, and running all over looking for bungee cords to tie it all down in the back of the truck.  After all, she had everything "right here, somewhere!"

Thank heaven she is taking the cats with her, there's no way i could work in cat care over the next week.

In other news, Paul from Redneck Latte Ravings was so kind as to Christmas Tag me.

The fact is i am going to thank the person who tagged me -- Thanks, Paul! -- and answer the questions, but i am not going to tag anyone else.  If you want to answer the questions, feel free to claim i tagged you, take the graphic and run.

Do you celebrate Christmas?  Yes, we do, with church on Christmas Eve and everything.

Which one of Santa's Reindeer is your favorite?  Rudolph, he took the high road.

Do you like snow?  In pictures, yes.  In person, not so much, i'm a creature of the swamps and swamps don't do snow well.

Do you have a favorite Christmas tradition?  Cooking with Grandma.

Least favorite part of Christmas?  Cleaning up after.  By that time, i'm worn out.

What is your favorite Christmas memory?  When i was five, i wanted a toy kitchen, and Grandpa built me a set of kitchen furniture, and i still have it in the attic, my kids played with it, too.

Favorite thing about Christmas when you were a kid?  Sugar, it's always been my drug of choice (which is why i have to completely avoid it now).

Do you have a favorite Christmas special?  That would be a tie between the original Grinch cartoon and the Charlie Brown Christmas.

Have a wonderful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Asarah B'Tevet -- Judaism (Tenth of Tevet, a minor fast day, in remembrance of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar)

Bake Cookies Day -- the holiday for everyone!

Eponalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (feast of Epona, goddess of fertility and horses, mules, and donkeys; during the Saturnalia and the only Roman honoring of a Celtic deity)

Flake Appreciation Day -- snow or human, your choice!

Hug a Soccer Player Day -- this "holiday" has a Facebook page, but no other history

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Hurdaskellir -- Door-Slammer, a noisy fellow who tries to keep everyone awake

International Answer the Phone like Buddy the Elf Day -- for fans of the film Elf, starring Will Ferrel

International Migrants Day -- UN

Khoiak Ceremony for the Sokar Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (falcon god; date approximate)

Let's See What We Find In the Fridge Day -- to bravely see if you've left anything in the back that you shouldn't have

National Day / Founder's Day -- Qatar

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

National Scrooge Week begins -- at least according to Mr. Ed

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad -- Oaxaca, Mexico (Our Lady of Solitude, Patron of the lonely, of Oaxaca, and of sailors who bring her pearls)

Republic Day -- Niger

St. Flannan's Day (Patron of Killaloe, Ireland)

Tulya's E'en -- Orkney Island (beginning of the Yule season when evil spirits roamed; date approximate, as we aren't sure if they equated Yule initially with Dec. 25 or the 22nd)

Wear a Plunger On Your Head Day -- observe this internet generated holiday at your own risk (and you will be one of the human flakes, i guess, that the rest of us appreciate)*

Anniversaries Today:

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif Ali Zardari, 1987

Capitol Reef National Park established, Utah, US, 1971

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, outlawing slavery, takes effect, 1865

New Jersey becomes the 3rd US State, 1787

Birthdays Today:

Christina Aguilera, 1980

Katie Holmes, 1978

Earl "DMX" Simmons, 1970

Rob Van Dam, 1970

Rachel Griffiths, 1968

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, 1964

Brad Pitt, 1963

Ray Liotta, 1955

Leonard Maltin, 1950

Steven Spielberg, 1946

Keith Richards, 1943

Ossie Davis, 1917

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, 1917

Douglas Fraser, 1916

Betty Grable, 1916

Willy Brandt, 1913

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., 1912

Ty Cobb, 1886

Joseph Grimaldi, 1778

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Sunshine Boys"(Play), 1972

"To Tell The Truth"(TV), 1956

"The Nutcracker"(Ballet), 1892

Today in History:

Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic, BC218

Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan", officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China, 1271

The Mayflower lands in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts with 102 Pilgrims on board, 1620

Abel Tasman becomes first European to land in New Zealand, 1642

Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children", 1719

Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia, 1774

The first celestial photograph (of the Moon) is made in US, by John Draper, NYC, 1839

William Bond obtains the first photograph of Moon through a telescope, 1849

Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Indian ruins of Mesa Verde, 1888

The Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in or 762 mm) Railway (now the Puffing Billy Railway) in Victoria, Australia is opened for traffic, 1900

The Piltdown Man, later discovered to be a hoax, is supposedly found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit, by Charles Dawson, 1912

Japan joins the United Nations, 1956

Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker, 1966

Dominica joins the United Nations, 1978

HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium, 1997

The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia, 2006

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II attends a meeting of the Cabinet for the first time, receiving a gift honoring her Diamond Jubilee; this was first time a Cabinet meeting was attended by a British monarch since the reign of Queen Victoria, 2012

*Unless this should have been Wear A Brand New, Never Before Used Plunger on Your Head Day, and was started by the plumbing supply industry

Gallivanting to Galveston: Do i or don't i?

Well.

Today i was supposed to be able to post a Wordless Wednesday picture of my packing skills.  Thanks to Grandpa, i have stealth ninja packing skills, and can stuff things in places where you didn't know there were places.

Life happened, as it often does.

Sweetie got laid off from work yesterday.  Then the A/C people came and figured out what the problem has been all this time.  Two months now, and we finally know.

Most of the time, this particular problem is not covered by the warranty company.  After waiting several hours, and calling more than once and holding for about 45 minutes each time, and then getting cut off when someone finally answered so i had to call back and hold again, the verdict was in.

Because it took the repair company three visits to figure out what was wrong, it will be covered, except the freon (or whatever they are using these days).

Yesterday was spent sweating buckshot over whether i was even going to be able to go on my trip, after all the planning and buying gumbo ingredients and everything.  If we'd had to pay for the repair, i would have had to stay home.

So, no pictures of my packing skills, in which i could show you how i can get everything, (almost) including a kitchen sink, into a Honda.

Which Honda, by the way, Sweetie also locked the keys into yesterday, necessitating a call to Pop-a-Lock.

When life happens around here, it's in spades.

Anyway, the repair to the A/C, instead of hundreds, will be manageable because of the warranty company, in spite of how long it took them to determine this and how long it took me to actually get a human on the phone at their company to confirm this fact.

Thus today, i am packed and everything is in Humphrey the Honda, and i'm cleaning the shelter, and leaving when it's all done.

Galveston, by G-d's grace, here i come!

Today is:

Blessed Father Jacques Leval Day -- Mauritius (physician turned priest who lived among and ministered to the poorest of the poor in Mauritius; people of all faiths make a pilgrimage to his tomb today)

Bonza Bottler Day

Chrysanthemum Day or Kiku no Sekku -- Japan

Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence -- Slovakia

Defeat of Jesse James Days -- Northfield, MN, US (a bank raid reenactment, plus parade, races, rodeo, and more; through Sunday)

Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee -- New Centerville, PA, US (steam engines, threshing the old fashioned ways, and fun; through Sunday)

Festivity of Our Lady of Aranzazu -- Oñati, Basque

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day -- spreading the word about the very preventable problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 

Independence Day -- Tajikistan

Karasu-zumo -- Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (a distinctive local festival where the Shinto priests imitate crows)

Liberation Ceremony -- Petange, Luxembourg

Milk-Bathing Festival -- Fairy Calendar

National Day -- North Korea(1948)

National Sports Day -- Indonesia

National Steak Au Poivre Day

Peach Days Celebration -- Brigham City, UT, US (delicious peaches and family fun; through Saturday)

St. Peter Claver's Day (Patron of African missions, inter-racial justice, race relations; Colombia; Lake Charles, LA; Shreveport, LA; Witbank, South Africa; against slavery)

Synaxis of Ss. Joachim and Anna -- Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

Teddy Bear Day -- internet generated, but since it's so much fun to have one, celebrate your old friend

Wienerschnitzel Day

Wonderful Weirdos Day -- we all have a few in our lives, they remind us to be true to ourselves, so thank them today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Anniversaries Today:

California becomes the 31th US State, 1850


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Williams, 1980
Michael Buble, 1975
Goran Visnjic, 1972
Rachel Hunter, 1969
Adam Sandler, 1966
Hugh Grant, 1960
Mario Batall, 1960
Angela Cartwright, 1952
Michael Keaton, 1951
Tom Wopat, 1951
Joe Theisman, 1949
Billy Preston, 1946
Otis Redding, 1941
Sylvia Miles, 1934
Cliff Robertson, 1925
James Hilton, 1900
Colonel Harland Sanders, 1890
Alf Landon, 1887
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
William Bligh, 1754


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Welcome Back, Kotter"(TV), 1975
"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"(TV), 1972
Imagine(Lennon album release), 1971


Today in History:

William I, The Conqueror, dies in a horseriding accident, 1087
The New England colonies declare war on the Wampanoag Tribe, 1675
The first steam engine arrives in the US colonies, 1753
The first recorded black to graduate from a US college, Alexander Lucius Twilight, receives a BA from Middlebury College, 1817
Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flies a balloon from Castle Garden, NYC to Perth Amboy, NJ, 1830
The first plate glass photograph is taken by John Herschel, 1839
California becomes the 31st state and the territories of New Mexico and Utah are created, 1850
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized, 1886
Orville Wright makes the first one hour plane flight, 1908
J. Verdrines becomes the first person to fly at over 100mph, 1912
First actual case of a computer bug being found: a moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University, 1947
Hurricane Betsy makes its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first hurricane to do over $1billion in actual unadjusted damages, 1965
The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, 1971
The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state, 1993
At exactly 01:46:40 UTC, the Unix billenium is reached, marking the beginning of the use of 10-digit Unix timestamps, 2001
The "Ophel Treasure", about 1,400 years old, is discovered near the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, 2013

Getting Close

Preparations to leave town are still underway, and getting more complicated by the moment.

Me leaving town alone is the equivalent, to my Sweetie and kids, to their being left alone on the tundra or in the wilderness to fend for themselves, with no supplies.

The first time i made a trip like this, to Albuquerque several years ago, they called me on average every two hours the first two days of the trip, and a little less after that.

While i try to leave detailed instructions:

Detailed lists, on the refrigerator.

It helps to a degree, but i still get a lot of phone calls.

The other complication is getting everything i'm taking packed and ready.  Because i don't know what ingredients i will or will not find anywhere outside of south Louisiana, i have to bring all the ingredients for gumbo with me.  This entails me having to mentally go through every step, imagine what i would grab from the cabinet or fridge or wherever, and bring it along.

Then there's the fact that i'm the weirdo vegan, so i pack a lot of food for me, because it can be difficult having my strange food preferences in places where the dominant cuisine is much more typical fare, with lots of meat.  Many a restaurant has had nothing on the menu that i would eat but an overpriced, soggy salad and steamed vegetables.  It can get old eating that meal after meal when i'm out a lot.

Today i am working, so when i get home, i have a ton to do so that i can be on the road tomorrow.  Lots of packing, lots of last minute laundry, and plenty of "how will we get along with you not here!" whining.  Yes, they really act that helpless, and they survive.  It makes them tough.

And it makes me grateful to be able to get away for a while, i need it!



Today is:

Agricultural Reform Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

Ask A Stupid Question Day -- teachers wanted to get students asking more questions, so they did, even if the questions were stupid; now, it's a holiday on the last school day of September each year!

Celtic Tree Month Gort begins (Ivy)

Day of Liberation of the Republic of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia (disputed territory on the Black Sea)

Do Something Wacky With A Grandparent Day -- just not the monkey bars, please; old bones don't knit fast enough

Durga Puja -- Hindu (start of the five day celebration of the goddess Durga)

Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (the Greater Mystery Rites, date approximate; mystery rites of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis, one of the most sacred times of their year)

Independence Day -- Botswana

International Translation Day -- International Federation of Translators

Kokkeisetsu -- Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan (Chinese National Founding Day in the largest Chinatown in Japan; through tomorrow)

Medetrinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival fruits offer to the goddess of medicine)

Monkey Bars Day -- a day to go see if you can still do tricks on the monkey bars, because the internet wants to kill us and let the machines that would never do anything so silly take over

National Mud Pack Day -- give yourself a facial

National Hot Mulled Cider Day

St. Gregory the Enlightener (or Illuminator; Patron of Armenia)

St. Jerome's Day (Patron of archaeologists, archivists, Biblical scholars, librarians, libraries, school children, students, translators; Saint-Jerome, Quebec)
     also an Apache celebration of Geronimo, the Native American who was named after this saint

World Dairy Expo -- Madison, WI, US ("Designer Dairy" is this year's theme; through Saturday)


Anniversary Today:

Haleakala National Park is established in Maui, Hawaii, 1960


Birthdays Today:

Dominique Moceanu, 1981
Marion Cotillard, 1975
Jenna Elfman, 1971
Crystal Bernard, 1964
Eric Stoltz, 1961
Fran Drescher, 1957
Deborah Allen, 1953
Victoria Tennant, 1953
Marilyn McCoo, 1943
Z.Z. Hill, 1935
Johnny Mathis, 1935
Angie Dickinson, 1931
Elie Wiesel, 1928
W. S. Merwin, 1927
Truman Capote, 1924
Deborah Kerr, 1921
Buddy Rich, 1917
William Wrigley, Jr., 1861
Rumi, 1207


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush(Publication date), 1990
"Murder, She Wrote"(TV), 1984
"Cheers"(TV), 1982
"Love Child"(Single release), 1968
"The Flintstones"(TV), 1960
"Tea and Sympathy"(Play), 1953
"The Red Skelton show"(TV), 1951
"Porgy and Bess"(Opera), 1935
Little Women(Publication date), 1868
"Les pecheurs de perles/The Pearl Fishers"(Bizet opera), 1863
"Die Zauberflote/The Magic Flute"(Mozart opera, K. 620), 1791
The Gutenberg Bible(first section, publication date), 1452


Today in History:

Rambam (Maimonides) authorizes Samuel Ibn Tibbon to translate the Guide of the Perplexed from Arabic into Hebrew, 1199
Anesthetic ether is used for the first time by Dr. William Morton, who extracted a tooth, 1846
German scientist Hermann von Meyer announces the discovery of the first fossil of an archaeopteryx, 1861
The first Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawai'i, 1878
The world's first commercial hydroelectric power plant begins operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, 1882
Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901
The first manned rocket plane flight, made by auto maker Fritz von Opel, 1929
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Yemen join the United Nations, 1947
The World Series, featuring the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, is televised for the first time, 1947
The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear reactor powered vessel, 1954
James Dean is killed in a road accident, 1955
Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the United Farm Workers, 1962
James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying segregation, 1962
General Suharto rises to power in Indonesia after an alleged coup by communists, and massacres over a million Indonesian people suspected of belonging to the Communist Party, 1965
BBC Radio 1 is launched and Tony Blackburn presents its first show, 1967
Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980
The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada's capital city of Ottawa, 1990
The first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat are taken 600 miles south of Tokyo, 2004
The controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, 2005

Leisure at the Lake Adventure: Preparing

Preparing to go anywhere means i have a lot to do ahead.  This includes leaving very explicit letters of instructions for everyone in the house.

These take the form of notes on the front of the fridge.  An example would be:

Every morning
     feed kittens (make sure tiny baby gets his special food)
     spray everyone with bleach water for ringworm (clean the sprayer after each use, if you need more bleach water it's 1 1/2c water to 1/4c bleach
     bail water from A/C area, spray bleach
     feed and water all cats
     school days, get Little Girl to school by 7am

Every day
     feed kittens (make sure tiny baby gets his special food)
     spray everyone for ringworm with water/grapefruit seed extract mix (1 1/2c water with 25 drops GSE)
     change kitten litter boxes
     scoop all other litter boxes, add litter as needed
     turn on small A/C in man cave before noon
     scrub all kitten bottles with soap

Every evening
     feed kittens (make sure tiny baby gets his special food)
     spray everyone for ringworm with half water / half apple cider vinegar 
     bail water from A/C area

As needed
     wash dishes
     trash out
     trash to curb on garbage night
     recycling to curb on recycling night
     do laundry, and that means everyone's laundry, and towels

If Mike-Next-Door wants to mow the lawn next week, tell him i'll pay him when i get back in town.

Little Girl has a youth group Fun Day on Saturday at 3:30pm, and regular youth group on Sunday evening

Sweetie has an ear doctor appointment on Friday afternoon

#1 Son and #2 Son may be out of town for a few days, too,

That is just a little of what i have to write out and post on the front of the refrigerator (which is normally totally empty, i post a few things on the side of the fridge, but it looks to cluttery to have anything on the front).

While i am gone, i know, from experience, that i will be getting calls from the family frequently.  (The first time i went, five years ago, it was about once an hour for the first two days.)  Right now, i am tempted to record a message for my voice mail and let it pick up every time they call.  It would say:

Thank you for calling, but the magic Blue Fairy is not available right now.  If you are noticing that things done by the magic of the Blue Fairy, such as clothes being washed and ironed, floors being mopped, meals being cooked and cleaned up after, bathrooms remaining clean, etc., are not currently being accomplished, and you wish to complain and demand the magic Blue Fairy come home early, you may refrain from leaving a message and go soak your head instead.  Thank you.

They will be just fine.  There's frozen pizza (which they don't get often) in the freezer.  And i am packing and getting out of here.

After the parent meeting at the school.  There's always one more thing to do.  



Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique

Black Walnut Festival -- Stockton, MO, US (tours of the world's largest black walnut processing plant, plus parade, crafts, carnival and entertainment; through Saturday)

Join a Cabal of International Bankers Today Day -- internet generated, and only for people without a conscience

Kamarampaka Day -- Rwanda (Republic Day, marks the 1961 abolition of the monarchy)

National Comic Book Day -- internet generated, but go read one, they are fun

National Crabmeat Newberg Day

National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims -- US

National Food Service Employees Day -- because everyone wants to eat out once in a while 

National One-Hit Wonder Day -- US, remembering those who had only one hit on the rock charts

National Women's Health and Fitness Day -- www.fitnessday.com

National Youth Day -- Nauru

Old Holy Rood Eve -- OS calendar Holy Cross Eve, the last day to pick blackberries (after this, the devil poisons them because when he fell from heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush)

Petit Jean Fall Antique Auto Swap Meet -- Morrilton, AR, US (swap meet and the Museum of Automobiles; through Saturday)

Shemini Azteret -- Judaism (Jewish completion of the annual cycle of reading of the Torah; begins at sunset, through sunset tomorrow)

St. Cadoc's Day (Patron of the deaf; against cramps, deafness, glandular disorders, scrofula)

St. Finbarr's Day (Patron of Barra, Scotland; Cork, Ireland)

Toad Tempting Day -- Fairy Calendar

World Ataxia Awareness Day



Birthdays Today:

Catherine Zeta-Jones, 1969
Will Smith, 1968
Scottie Pippen, 1965
Aida Turturro, 1962
Heather Locklear, 1961
Christopher Reeve, 1952
Mark Hamill, 1951
Cheryl Tiegs, 1947
Michael Douglas, 1944
Juliet Prowse, 1936
Glenn Gould, 1932
Barbara Walters, 1931
Shel Silverstein, 1930
Phil Rizzuto, 1918
Dmitri Shostakovich, 1906
William Faulkner, 1897
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, 1358 (Japanese Shogun)


Today in History:

St. Ferment is beheaded in Amiens, France, after voyaging there to preach the gospel, 303
The Battle of Stamford Bridge marks the end of the Anglo-Saxon era, 1066
Columbus begins his second voyage, with 17 ships, 1493
Vasco Nunez de Balboa becomes the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the west coast of the Americas, 1513
The first printing press in the Americas begins operations, 1639
Old Style date; two very accurate clocks are set in motion at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, England, the start of Greenwich Mean Time, 1676
Ethan Allan, American Revolutionary War hero, is captured, 1775
Benedict Arnold joins the British, 1780
The first all-black university in the US, Howard University, is created by Congress, 1867
Yosemite National Park is established by Congress, 1890
Charles Follis becomes the first black to play professional American football, 1904
Birth of the remote control -- Leonardo Torres Quevedo successfully demonstrates the invention of the "Telekino" and guides a boat from the shore in the port of Bilbao, 1906
Jimmy Doolittle performs the first blind flight from Mitchel Field proving that full instrument flying from take off to landing is possible, 1929*
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of United States Army troops, 1957
In a referendum, the people of Norway reject membership of the European Community, 1972
Belize joins the United Nations, 1981
The last of the Magdalene Asylums closes in Ireland, 1996
The Vitim event, a possible bolide (comet nucleus) impact in Siberia, Russia, 2002
China launches the spacecraft Shenzhou 7, 2008



*Personal family history:  He was a great man, and taught my brothers to hunt dove.

Leisure at the Lake Adventure

Just over 5 years ago, a wonderful friend named Farmer Pickles invited her internet friends to come and visit her.  Several of us did.

That began a tradition of a yearly gathering, what i call my sanity retreat.  It's the only time i get away  from home without kids, cats, and CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome -- remember, i'm not called a messy mimi for nothing, and yes, people come over anyway, they know not to expect the Taj Mahal and that my bathrooms and kitchen are sanitized daily, the rest can wait until i have time, and who ever has time with so many kids and kittens around, but i digress).

Anyway.  The first year was Albuquerque, which i had always wanted to visit, if only to find out why Bugs Bunny always missed his left turn there.  The next year, it was San Antonio.  Then up to a small town near the Quad Cities area.  Last year, my friends came here.  (See, i told you i have people over, i'm crazy that way.)

This year, Script has invited us to all gather at a rented lake home in the Finger Lakes area.

Today, i pack, including my cast iron.  It is a tradition, i go and i bring cast iron, and i cook a big Cajun meal.  Script will do an Italian meal.  FiveCat will make her famous chili.

There are plans afoot to perhaps visit Niagra Falls, as many of us from the South might not get a chance to be this close again any time soon.  There has been talk of nature trails and museums.  We have plans, but nothing in stone.

Ninja is driving here from Dallas.  She and i will head out very, very early tomorrow morning to drive as far as Ohio, where we will spend the night before driving the rest of the way.  We are taking her car, Cranberry.  Sweetie keeps asking me what kind of car it is.  What kind of question is that for me?  All i know is car, truck, SUV, minivan, sports car, and Beetle.  Cranberry is some kind of Toyota, a small SUV.  Very reliable, with A/C and a radio.  Nothing matters beyond that in transportation as far as i am concerned.

Another thing that matters to me is splitting the costs and goin cheap.  This is something i save up all year for, counting pennies.  It's worth it.

Today, i pack, as noted, and get all the last minute stuff done.  Make sure the family has food in the freezers.  Make sure Sweetie has clean clothes.  Make sure there's enough cat food and formula and everything else (80lbs. of cat litter, anyone?) here.  Make sure the bank knows i'm going so they don't cut off my debit card.

There's also, of course, a parent meeting at Little Girl's school tonight.  It would have to be tonight, when Ninja is here and we want to spend time together.  Oh, well, we will have time together on the road.

It's time, and i'm excited.  Grace will be there, and Eagle.  Ally, whom i haven't met yet.  Peppermint will be coming for a day trip, and so i get to meet her (and see the latest pictures of her husband, Hairy, and Little Hairy).   Blondie and Miss P might also be able to get away for a day and come visit, again, as they live only a short drive away.

Westie is flying in from the West Coast, and Farmer Pickles, who now lives in Maine (talk about a change from New Mexico!) might be able to come for a couple of days.

Ninja and i may also get to pick up another friend in Cincinnatti, if she can swing it.  It's never too late, i told her, until we have already passed the area.

Meanwhile, i can hardly wait.  Lists are being made, because i get excited, and forget stuff.  Can't forget the hot sauce, and the roux.  Or the charge cord for the computer.  My brain is all over the map.

it's okay, it's going to be a great time.

Breathe.



Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Mozambique; Peru

Constitution Day/Recoronation of King Norodom Sihanouk -- Cambodia

Do Impressions of Famous People Around the Office Day -- again, i wonder about the intentions of those who start these things

Feast of Our Lady of Mercy -- Catholic Christian
     Lady of Mercedes Day -- Dominican Republic
     La Merce -- Barcelona, Spain

Festival of the Latest Novelties -- an internet generated holiday to celebrate everything from traditional whoopie cushions to some of the more modern and weird novelty gifts out there; a great day for practical jokers

Gallbladder Good Health Day -- seems unsponsored, but there's information about keeping your gallbladder healthy here

Going Forth of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Heritage Day -- South Africa

Independence Day/National Day -- Guinea-Bissau(1973)

Mahidol Day -- Thailand (commemorates the passing of Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej, the "Father of Thai Modern Medicine")

Moose Day -- the day Bullwinkle J. Moose, from Frostbite Falls, MN, US, and his pal Rocky the Flying Squirrel debuted in 1959

National Bluebird of Happiness Day -- US (and no one knows why, but it's supposed to be a day to go spread some happiness)

National Cherries Jubilee Day

National Punctuation Day® -- make sure you are using those punctuation marks correctly! Jeff Rubin can help

New Caledonia Day -- New Caledonia

Republic Day -- Trinidad and Tobago

Santa Cruz Day -- Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Schwenkfelder Thanksgiving -- Pennsylvania Dutch followers of Silesian Reformation theology

St. Gerard's Day (Patron of Hungary)

St. Rupert's Day (Patron of Salzburg, Austria, where it is an official school and government holiday)

Transatlantic Telephone Day -- the first cable across the Atlantic was completed on this day in 1956



Birthdays Today:

Nia Vardalos, 1962
Phil Hartman, 1948
Linda McCartney, 1941
Jim Henson, 1936
Anthony Newley, 1931
Sheila MacRae, 1924
Jim McKay, 1921
F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1896
Horace Walpole, 1717


Today in History:

Prophet Muhammad completes his hijra from Mecca to Medina, 622
The last Emperor of the Komnenian restoration of the Byzantine Empire, Manuel I Komnenos, dies; the empire slips into terminal decline, 1180
The Dutch Republic surrenders New Amsterdam to England, 1664
The first autopsy and coroner's jury verdict is recorded in the state of Maryland, 1657
John Jay is appointed by George Washington as the first Chief Justice of the then six-person Supreme Court, which was instituted by the Federal Judiciary Act passed that same day, 1789
US Attorney General Office is created, 1789
The Northern Daily Times becomes the first provincial daily newspaper in London, 1853
Alexander Dey patents a dial time recorder, 1889
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints officially renounces polygamy, 1890
U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming as the nation's first National Monument, 1906
Cathay Pacific Airways is founded in Hong Kong, 1946
The Honda Motor Company is founded, 1948
Forest fires black out the sun over portions of Canada and New England, and a Blue moon (in the astronomical sense) is seen as far away as Europe, 1950
Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, is opened in Barcelona, 1957
President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce desegregation, 1957
The United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith, 1962
Swaziland joins the United Nations, 1968
Compu-Serve launches the first consumer internet service, which features the first public electronic mail service, 1979
Periodic Great White Spot observed on Saturn, 1990
Hurricane Rita devastates Beaumont, Texas, southwest Louisiana, and finishing off some of the parts of New Orleans and southeast Louisiana that Katrina missed, 2005
The G20 Summit in Pittsburgh, PA, US, marks the first use of LRAD for crowd control in the US, 2009