Foil and Foiled (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, and Brian's Thankful Thursday

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(Two Sixes for the price of one today.)

Ms. G is out of town this week, trying to convince her niece to take her expert advice on a real estate deal before the niece makes a huge mistake, and Ms. G is the kind of real estate agent who generally knows exactly what she is talking about.

It was most convenient as i'd told her a few weeks ago i would not be able to work on that day anyway, as Bigger Girl, our eldest daughter, was coming in from Seattle for a few days and we'd be spending it at Grandma and Grandpa's house with her and as many other family members as could make it.

Getting to see and hug her in person was a delight, and almost as soon as i arrived she and i left to go by the bank where she's had an account since she was knee high to a grasshopper to get her debit card replaced and change her mailing address to Seattle so i no longer have to get her mail here and then resend it to her.

Then we went to an independently owned grocery we both like and she picked up ingredients to cook a meal for all of us, accommodating my vegetarian tastes and making sure she did not even look at the pepper shaker when cooking Grandma's portion.

She cooked, i tended Grandma and cleaned up the kitchen after, #2 Son, Daughter-in-Law, Annie and Little Ben came to enjoy the feast and make sure Bigger Girl could finally meet her niece and nephew, we all feasted and talked and had a great time, and a portion was set aside for #1 Son, who will go visit today as he couldn't get off work yesterday.

For a finish, she pulled out flavored chocolate bars in very fancy foil wrappers, espresso, chocolate truffle, and maple bourbon, a fitting sweet end to a lovely visit.

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Yesterday's post was of a car sporting a funny bumper sticker which read, "Got Blinker Fluid?"

For those who don't understand, the people around here very often do not and will not bother to use their "blinkers," or turn indicators, on their cars in order to signal to others their intent to turn or to change lanes.

In yesterday's comments, Java Bean pointed out, "It's like they think it's leaking secrets to the enemy or something," and sometimes it can feel like it actually is if you put on your blinker to move over and the person already in the lane surges forward to foil you and not allow you in.

I understand the spirit behind the question, though, it is simply asking people what in the world is wrong with using the doggone things and since it's so simple, why don't you just do it.

It's a tongue-in-cheek reminder you don't need to maintain them or keep them up, just use them, the bulbs last a long time and are easy to replace if one burns out, which seldom happens (especially as seldom as they are used here).

If you drive, and don't use yours, i leave it to you to answer the question, "Got Blinker Fluid?"

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Foil.     

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While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

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Angel Brian's Family of Brian's Home - Forever hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful for a wonderful day spent with Bigger Girl.

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Today is:

Birthday of Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala -- Tonga

Citizenship Day -- US

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 7, Women (sponsored by We, the World) 

Feast of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fundacion de Melilla -- ML, Spain

Hummer/Bird Celebration -- Rockport and Fulton, TX, US (ruby-throated hummingbirds and other avian species are the stars of this show; through Sunday)

International Country Music Day

National Apple Dumpling Day

National Heroes Day -- Angola

National Teach Ag Day -- US (streamed live from CHS Inc. headquarters)  

Niketeria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Operation Market Garden Remembrance -- Netherlands

Pledge Across America Day -- US (beginning of Constitution Week, every school is invited to join a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance across the whole nation, from 8am Hawaiian time to 2pm Eastern; schools are also encouraged to have an exercise of some kind about the US Constitution)

     on the anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, or on the school day nearest if it's a weekend

Responsible Dog Ownership Day -- sponsored by the AKC    

Stigmata of St. Francis' Day

St. Hildegard von Bingen's Day (author of treatises on natural healing and the first musical composer whose biography is known)

St. Lambert's Day (Patron of Middelaar, Netherlands)

Thimphu Tsechu / Thimphu Drubchen -- Thimphu, Bhutan (three-day Drukpa Buddhism tshechu festival, sacred masked dances dedicated to Bhutan's protective spirit which tourists may watch but are strictly prohibited from taking pictures; this is Bhutan's largest tshechu and has been held every year since 1867)

Time's Up Day -- created by Wellcat Holidays; time's up on holding that grudge, you need to make amends with people today, since you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow

VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day -- anniversary of founding in 1914

Anniversaries Today:

The Constitution of the United States is signed, 1787

American Professional Football League (later the NFL) founded (a/k/a the Swallowing Up of Weekends), 1920

Birthdays Today:

Patrick Mahomes, 1995

Chuck Liddell, 1969

Kyle Chandler, 1965

Rita Rudner, 1956

Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, 1951

John Ritter, 1948

David H. Souter, 1974

Ken Kesey, 1935

Maureen Conolly, 1934

Anne Bancroft, 1931

Roddy McDowall, 1928

George Blanda, 1927

Hank Williams Sr., 1923

Chaim Herzog, 1918

Warren E. Burger, 1907

Jerry Colonna, 1904

John Willard Marriot, 1900

Andrew "Rube" Foster, 1879

Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, 1730

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Home Improvement"(TV), 1991

"Head of the Class"(TV), 1986

"M*A*S*H"(TV), 1972

"McMillan and Wife"(TV), 1971

"Mission: Impossible"(TV), 1966

"Bewitched"(TV), 1964

"The Fugitive"(TV), 1963

"Car 54 Where are You?"(TV), 1961

"Outward Bound"(Play), 1923

Today in History:

The Battle of Thermopylae, fought between 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, and the Achaemenid Empire begins, BC480

Arabs conquer Alexandria, and destroy its library for the last time, 642

Netherland sailors discover Mauritus, 1598

Massachusetts Bay Colony gets a new charter, 1691

Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain, 1776

US Constitution is adopted by the Philadelphia convention, 1787

Sprinkler system for extinguishing fires is patented by Phillip W. Pratt, 1872

The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality, 1908

The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York to Pasadena, is completed after 82 hours 4 minutes, 1911

The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards 

of 2,500 people, the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1928

The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives, 1949

Television is first broadcast in Australia, 1956

Malaysia joins the United Nations, 1957

Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations, 1974

The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, is unveiled by NASA, 1976

The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt, 1978

Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America, 1983

Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations, 1991

The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet, 1991

Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years, 2006

A drill finally reaches the 33 Chilean miners trapped after the Aug. 5 Copiapó mining accident, 2010 

In an attempt to curb child marriages, Indonesia raises the legal marriage age of females to 19, the same as males, 2019

Seventy years after they were declared extinct in India, cheetahs are re-introduced to India from Namibia at the Kuno National Park in Madya Pradesh state, 2022

Aided by tax rebates, Norway becomes the first country to have electric vehicles outnumber petrol vehicles, 2024

Saturday Doings

Another Saturday day, and i'm going to see Grandma -- that's going through my head to the tune of "Another Saturday Night."  Yes, i promise, i won't sing out loud.

We all know Sweetie sings in the church choir, and i help by not singing in the church choir.  No need to thank me for that.

Grandma has two pantry closets, and while she does usually rotate things well, they haven't been thoroughly cleaned out in quite some time.  Today they will get thoroughly cleaned out.

The smaller "bread cupboard" where she keeps some things (but not bread) is also going to be cleared.  At Christmas i peeked in there and saw items that expired a couple of years ago.  Their time is up!

We will also just visit and talk and have lunch together.  This routine of going to see Grandma and Grandpa every other Saturday is doing us all some good.  Grandma gets me to do projects her once a week housekeeper doesn't have time to do, and we can talk and reminisce and just enjoy each other's company.

She will also offer to take me shopping.  Every time i plan one of these trips, she asks me if we need to go buy me anything.  Every time, unless it happens to be my birthday or Christmas and they insist on getting me a gift, the answer is no.  She and Grandpa are generous to a fault, and i don't want to take advantage of that.

There's no way to stop Grandpa from going to Sam's Club and buying some things for me, though.  He does that for my brothers as well.

Getting back to the subject of housekeepers and housekeeping, it's an odd business.  People call me and act as if they are desperate to have my services, and then cancel or won't set an exact date but tell me to call in a week to set up a time.  Then when i do call, they don't answer and don't return the call.

The ones who do follow through most of the time are the older ones, the ones who just can't mop or vacuum or get down to the baseboards like they used to.  Women who can't physically get it all done any more now make up half of my clients, and they all love that i can clean baseboards.
  
Baseboards, by the way, are best dusted often, so they stay easy to clean.  If it's been too long, the dirt gets used to being there and doesn't want to leave.  That's your free housecleaning tip of the day.  Use the vacuum brush attachment at least once a month and, except in the kitchen where cooking grease makes everything harder to clean, you probably will have very nice looking baseboards all of the time.

In other news, today, Brother-in-Law, The Mouth, will be coming over to have dinner with Sweetie as he does every Saturday, and i've told them they are on their own, as i'll be out of town most of the day.  Knowing them, they will just go to a local deli and get sandwiches.

Little Girl got the title to her car, and spent quite a bit of time jumping with glee and promising to put it in a safe place, then ran off to talk to Daughter-in-Law Becky and left it sitting on the counter.  For a member of the armed forces and an honor roll student, she is still a Little Girl in many ways.

Whatever you are doing on this Saturday the Fourteenth (which is quite an amusing horror movie spoof, by the way), i hope you enjoy it!

Today is:

Assembly Line Workers' Day -- listed on many sites but no particular reason for it to be this day; then again, why not today?

Ati-Atihan Festival -- Aklan, Kalibo, Panay Island, Philippines (main feast and final day of the vivid religious carnival/feast dating back to the 13th century to honor Santo Nino [Baby Jesus])

Augusta Futurity -- Augusta, GA, US (the top cutting horses and riders in the world to compete for purse and awards; through Saturday)

Azhirnikhua -- Abkhazia (Day of World Creation)

Bikaner Camel Festival -- Bikaner, India (colorful camel activities, including a beauty competition, and fun for people also in this gorgeous fortified desert town; through tomorrow)

Cakes and Ale Day -- emblems of the good life, a day to remember the good things we have, and be grateful

Celebration of the 2nd Week of Moonhopper -- Fairy Calendar

Daikoku Matsuri -- Kanda Myojin Shine, Tokyo, Japan (purification ceremony; through tomorrow)

Day of Defenders of the Native Land (Army Day) -- Uzbekistan

Feast of Divina Pastora -- Barquisimeto, Venezuela (religious procession attended by about 2 million people)

Feast of the Ass -- Medieval Christianity (commemorates the Flight Into Egypt)

International Kite Festival -- Jaipur and Ahmedabad, India

Makar Sandranti -- India/Hindu Calendar (part of the sidereal solstice festivals)

National Dress Up Your Pet Day -- do you really dislike your pet this much?

National Forest Conservation Day -- Thailand

National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Niino no Yukimatsuri -- Izu shrine, Niino, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (snow festival with offerings made to bring a good harvest in the coming year; through tomorrow)

Organize Your Home Day -- another one that i can't figure out who started it, but i will say s/he was nuts to think this could be done in one day

Orthodox New Year -- RS, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Serbia

Pongal continues -- Tamil New Year, among the Tamil People (multiple day thanksgiving festival at the end of harvest)
     Tamil Thai Pongal Day -- Sri Lanka
     Maghi Parba/Maghe Sankranti -- Western Nepal

Ratification Day -- US (anniversary of the Treaty of Paris that recognized the independence of the US from England)

Revolution and Youth Day -- Tunisia

Santos Tour Down Under -- Adelaide, Australia (a world class cycling event; through the 22nd)

Sidereal Winter Solstice Celebrations -- throughout South and Southeast Asia

St. Felix of Nola's Day (Patron of domestic animals, eyes; Nola, Italy; against eye diseases, false witness, lies, perjury)

St. Sava's Day (Patron of Serbia and all Serbs)

Take a Missionary to Lunch Day -- to honor Albert Schweitzer's birth anniversary



Anniversaries Today:

Joe DiMaggio marries Marilyn Monroe, 1954


Birthdays Today:

Kristin Cavallari, 1987
Jason Bateman, 1969
Emily Watson, 1967
Shepard Smith, 1964
Steven Soderbergh, 1963
Lawrence Kasdan, 1949
Carl Weathers, 1948
Nina Totenberg, 1944
Holland Taylor, 1943
Faye Dunaway, 1941
Jack Jones, 1938
Andy Rooney, 1919
William Bendix, 1906
John dos Passos, 1896
Hal Roach, 1892
Hugh Lofting, 1886
Albert Schweitzer, 1875
Thornton W. Burgess, 1874
Richard Felton Outcault, 1863
Matthew Fontaine Maury, 1806
Benedict Arnold, 1741


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Bionic Woman"(TV), 1976
"Sanford and Son"(TV), 1972
"Sinfonia Antartica"(Vaughan Williams' 7th symphony), 1953
"Today Show"(TV), 1952
"Tosca"(Puccini Opera), 1900


Today in History:

The Knights Templar are formally approved by the Roman Catholic Church, 1129
Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery, 1514
Spain annexes Cuba, 1539
The "Fundamental Orders", the first written constitution that created a government, is adopted in Connecticut, 1639
Massachusetts holds a day of fasting for wrongly accusing "witches", 1699
Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War, 1783
The US Supreme Court rules that racial separation on trains is unconstitutional, 1878
An earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills more than 1000, 1907
Henry Ford introduces the assembly line to the production of the Model-T, 1914
The first prototype of the MiG-17 makes its maiden flight, 1950
The Reserve Bank of Australia, the country's central bank and banknote issuing authority, is established, 1960
Toronto, Ontario Mayor Mel Lastman becomes the first mayor in Canada to call in the Army to help with emergency medical evacuations and snow removal after more than one meter of snow paralyzes the city, 1999
The national flag of Georgia, the so-called "five cross flag", is restored to official use after a hiatus of some 500 years, 2004
Landing of the Huygens probe on Saturn's moon Titan, 2005
Tunisian President Ben Ali flees to Saudi Arabia after the Jasmine Revolution, 2012

Random on Saturday

It's time for another visit to NOLA to see Grandma and Grandpa.  Two weeks ago, i took Little Girl and she and i cleaned out the kitchen cabinets.  Although i've offered to clean the pantry closets this time, i think Grandma just wants to visit.

There will be a quick errand first, and i hope to have pics of that later.

Meanwhile, a few days ago, the Jalopy was making noises that told me to get the power steering fluid checked.  It was very, very low, and they topped it off.

The noises are back, so while i'm in NOLA in Humphrey the Honda, Sweetie will take the Jalopy to Kevin and Lenny and see what they say.  My hope is that it's something easily (read, cheaply) fixed.

A good many people whose homes were flooded out are trying to be back in their places by Christmas.  This is keeping me (and Bigger Girl and even Red-headed Alec) very busy with cleaning empty houses, as well as all of the regular work.  If you've never had to get the mud from floating sheetrock off of windows where someone did it incorrectly, i don't recommend it.

On a completely different note, #1 Son went to see the new Star Wars movie, and he recommends it.  That's all i will say (he gave me details, he knows i don't take time to go to movies), if you want a spoiler, you can get it online.  If you don't want a spoiler, go see it soon.



Today is:

Birth of Prophet Mohammad and of Imam Sadegh -- Iran

Christmas Festival in Salvador -- Salvador, Brazil (one fun party, with many different activities, that begins around now, lasts until New Year's Day)

Clean Air Act Day -- US (passed this day 1963; a day to give thanks for the air we breathe

Cookie Cutter Day

Daniel the Prophet's Day -- Orthodox Catholic Feast Day

Feast of Babalu Aye -- Yoruba/Santeria (celebration of the healer of deadly diseases)

Feast of the Fairy Godmothers -- Fairy Calendar

Hagoita Ichi -- Sensoji Temple, Japan (sale of specially decorated paddles, called hagoita; through the 19th)

Hakidaore Ichi -- Tokyo, Japan (fabulous shoe festival; through tomorrow)

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Askasleikir -- Bowl-licker, who hides under the bed and snatches bowls set on the floor to lick them clean

Kasuga Wakamiya Festival -- Nara, Japan (rarely performed traditional dances at a festival held every year since 1136)

National Day -- Bhutan

National Maple Syrup Day

Procession of Agnios Dionysios -- Zakynthos, Greece (one of the biggest festivals of the year, when the relics of this island's patron saint is honored)

Saturnalia begins (through Dec. 23) -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival for Saturn, the planter god)

Sow Day -- Orkney Islands, Scotland (ritual slaughter of a sow for the Yule feast)

St. Lazarus of Bethany's Day

Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking -- the group that used to sponsor Tanyrtss doesn't have anything on its webpage any more, but there are many groups out there that can help you quit  

Wright Brother's Day -- US


Anniversary Today:

Tiny Tim weds Miss Vicky, 1969


Birthdays Today:

Milla Jovovich, 1975
Duff Goldman, 1974
Sean Patrick Thomas, 1970
Mike Mills, 1958
Bill Pullman, 1954
Wes Studi, 1947
Eugene Levy, 1946
Chris Matthews, 1945
Ernie Hudson, 1945
Bernard Hill, 1944
Tommy Steele, 1936
Bob Guccione, 1930
William Safire, 1929
Willard Frank Libby, 1908
Arthur Fiedler, 1894
John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807
W. L. Mackenzie King, 1874
Joseph Henry, 1797
Deborah Sampson, 1760
William Floyd, 1734


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Return of the King(Film), 2003
"The Simpsons"(TV), 1989
Turner Broadcasting System(Cable TV Network), 1976
"El Pessebre"(Casals' Oratorio), 1960
"On The Beach"(Film), 1959


Today in History:

The Ostrogoths of King Totila conquer Rome by bribing the Byzantine garrison, 546
Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur, 1398
Pope Paul III excommunicates England's King Henry VIII, 1538
Go-Yozei becomes Emperor of Japan, 1586
Shimabara Rebellion: Japanese peasants led by Amakusa Shiro rise against daimyo Matsukura Shigeharu, 1637
Congregation Shearith Israel of NY purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan, to build NY's first synagogue, 1728
France recognizes independence of English colonies in America, 1777
Aztec calendar stone discovered in Mexico City, 1790
NYC traffic regulation creates first 1-way street, 1791
Opening of the first legislative assembly of Lower Canada in Quebec city, 1792
The US state of Kentucky abolishes debtors prisons, 1821
General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky, 1862
First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert, 1865
Violent riots in Montreal, as workers demand work or bread,1875
France declares Madagascar a protectorate, 1885
George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine, 1895
A first prize of 100,00 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrialsbut Martians are excluded - considered too easy, 1900
The Wright Brothers make their first successful flights, 1903
First flight of the Douglas DC-3 airplane, 1935
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and dummy Charlie McCarthy first appear on TV, 1936
The SALT I talks begin, 1969
Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz In·cio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years, 1989
SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first supersonic flight, 2003
NASA completes its mission to map the Moon's gravity field, 2013

Sometimes you need to go on an adventure.

This past Wednesday, i had a rare opportunity to meet up with a friend who lives far away so i don't see her often.

Every autumn, a group of us who met on a website try to meet up together on what i call my yearly sanity retreat.  Script is one of the members of the group, but she hasn't always been able to get together with us.

When i found out she and her husband were going to be in Natchez, which is less than two hours from here, i had to try to get to see her.  Natchez is a lot closer than Toronto.

Wednesday morning i went to the cat shelter for my usual cat duty, then plugged in Carmen the Garmin for the drive up.  It's a four lane highway, but not an interstate, so the drive took me through small towns and past cow pastures and farms.

Those occasions when i travel and it's not on an interstate, i'm a stickler for staying at the speed limit.  This proved to be a very good thing, as it seems there are many small towns where the officers spend most of their time simply running speed traps.  It helps to slow down as you approach a town even before you see what speed limit they set.

Arriving in Natchez at 11am, i found Script and Mr. Script, whom i'd never met, in the lobby of the hotel waiting for me.  There were lots of hugs, and Mr. Script left to give us time to talk and catch up.

We did catch up a lot.  She showed me tons of pictures and told me about family doings.  Cruises, trips, events at her mother's senior residence, the best wedding anyone in the family had ever thrown (as she put it, when two gay men who both have taste and a bit of money put on a wedding, it's going to be a doozy!).  We talked about all the crazy things my kids are up to.

Script had made a reservation at a locally owned restaurant for our lunch, and as she and Mr. Script had eaten there before, the staff greeted her by name and said how glad they were she had come back.  The whole time we ate and talked locals were coming in and being greeted by name.  Yes, such places still exist.

The plan after lunch was to walk and perhaps see one of the beautiful homes for which Natchez is famous.  There was a specific one that is famous for its garden, and though the house was closed with no tours offered that day, the owner, as he was leaving, said we could take a peek in the garden.

We peeked for about 10-15 minutes, with Script snapping her beautiful pictures with her proper camera (she's an artist), and i took a few with my phone, because no matter what i use they mostly all turn out alike anyway.

Camelias were everywhere, with the prettiest always just out of reach.

Wisteria makes even the mundane lovely.

Fallen petals make a beautiful carpet!

This azalea hedge was so long, i couldn't get it all in.  At least 10 different colors of azaleas!

Another place we stopped was the cathedral.  Inside was grand and lovely, but the best thing i saw in there was a card that looked similar to this:

Every church needs these!

There was a prayer garden outside.  It looked like a beautiful place to sit and meditate, except at that moment when there was tree trimming going on at one side.  As Script did point out, that maintenance is part of working for the Lord, too.

Part of the prayer garden.  Tree trimming was too the right, next to the parking area.

After walking back to the car and then driving back to her hotel, we went up to find Mr. Script in the room.  It was nice to visit there a while as i drank some tea, then they walked me out to the car and i got back in town just in time to meet Sweetie at church for his choir practice.

Such a lovely day as i will remember for a long time.

Today is:

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Palestinian Territories

Day to Mourn Victims of Biological Weapons -- commemorates the day they were outlawed in 1975

Edinburgh International Science Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (massiver celebration of science and technology; through Apr. 10)

End of Zimbor-Quattor's Revenge Week and Day of Reconcilliation with All Those Whose Hats Have Been Damaged -- Fairy Calendar

Fiesta del Arbol -- Spain (Tree Festival or Arbor Day)

Holy Saturday -- Christian (a/k/a Black Saturday, Holy Saturday, Easter Saturday, or Easter Eve)

Independence Day and National Day -- Bangladesh(1971)

Khordad Sal -- Zoroastrian (Birth of the Prophet Zaranhushtra)

Legal Assistants' Day

Make Up Your Own Holiday Day -- Wellcat Holidays, which has made up a bunch, wants you to do the same today!

Martyr's Day / Democracy Day -- Mali

National Nougat Day

Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianole Day -- Hawaii, US (Hawaiian Royal who worked to preserve the Hawaiian culture)

Purple Day -- International (supporting epileptics around the world)

Spinach Day -- on this day in 1937, spinach growers in Crystal City, Texas, erected a statue of Popeye in honor of their favorite veggie

St. Braulio's Day (Patron of Aragon, Spain)

St. William of Norwich's Day (Patron of kidnap and torture victims)

Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel -- Eastern Orthodox Christianity (celebration of his role is the Annunciation)


Anniversaries Today:

Ricki Lake weds Rob Sussman, 1994
Founding of the University of Utrecht, 1636


Birthdays Today:

Keira Knightley, 1985
Amy Smart, 1976
T.R. Knight, 1973
Josh Lucas, 1972
Leslie Mann, 1972
Kenny Chesney, 1968
John Stockton, 1962
Marcus Allen, 1960
Jennifer Grey, 1960
Catherine Keener, 1960
Leeza Gibbons, 1957
Curtis Sliwa, 1954
Teddy Pendergrass, 1950
Martin Short, 1950
Vicki Lawrence, 1949
Steven Tyler, 1948
Diana Ross, 1944
Bob Woodward, 1943
Erica Jong, 1942
James Caan, 1939
Alan Arkin, 1934
Leonard Nimoy, 1931
Sandra Day O'Connor, 1930
Pierre Boulez, 1925
Tennessee Williams, 1911
Viktor Frankl, 1905
Robert Frost, 1874
Jane Arminda Delano, 1862
Nathaniel Bowditch, 1773


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Fences"(Play), 1988
"The Young and the Restless"(TV), 1973
"Cannon"(TV), 1971
"Funny Girl"(Musical), 1964
"Die Ehe des Herrn Mississippi/The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi"(Play), 1952


Today in History:

William Caxton prints his translation of Aesop's Fables, 1484
The first British Sunday newspaper is published (British Gazette & Sunday Monitor), 1780
The US Congress orders removal of Indians east of Mississippi to Louisiana, 1804
An earthquake destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela, leaves 20,000 dead, 1812
The Book of Mormon is published in Palmyra, NY, 1830
Eastman Film Co manufactures the first commercial motion picture film, 1885
New Delhi replaces Calcutta as capital of British-Indies, 1931
William H. Hastie becomes the first black Federal Judge in the US, in the US Virgin Islands, 1937
Jonas Salk announces the first successful test of his polio vaccine on a small group of adults and children, 1953
East Pakistan declares its independence from Pakistan to form People's Republic of Bangladesh, 1971
Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in Washington, D.C., 1979
The "Melissa worm" infects Microsoft word processing and e-mail systems around the world, 1999
A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man, 1999
The Taiwanese government calls on 1 million Taiwanese to demonstrate in Taipei, in opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China, 2005