Awww Monday: Cute and Yummy!

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  Since we could all stand to start our week with a smile, this is the place to post those cute pictures that make you say, "Awww!"

#2 Son isn't the only one of my kids who knows his way around the kitchen, although he's the only one planning a career in cooking.

Little Girl loves to bake and decorate cookies, as well as make pies and other sweet treats.  Her Halloween cookies taste good and make you smile before you ever take a bite!

While decorating, and someone couldn't resist eating half a ghost!

Smile big1

Happy bat!

Don't you want one now?

Today is:

Birth of the Bab -- Baha'i

Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day -- actually a good idea

Deepavali/Diwali(Festival of Lights) -- Hindu; Jain; Sikh (second day of the festival0
     Kukur Tihar/Kukur Puja -- Day of Dogs

Feast of Agios Gerasimos -- Kefalonia, Greece (celebration of the patron saint of this Ionian island, with religious services followed by dancing and feasting)

Feast of No Excuse For A Feast Day -- internet generated, if you have no other excuse to celebrate something today, use this one

Festival of Ebisu -- Japan (the laughing god, who is the only one available this month, as the 8 million other gods of the pantheon gather at the Grand Shrine of Izumo; traditionally on 20th day of 10th month of the lunisolar calendar)

Hurricane Thanksgiving Day -- US Virgin Islands (only celebrated if no major storms have come through that year)

Installation of Scriptures as Guru Granth -- Sikh

International Adjust Your Chair Day -- because you need to check at least once a year to make sure your chair has you in an ergonomically correct position

International Juan Valdez Appreciation Day -- internet generated, yet as we sip our morning wake up brew, let's remember the hardy souls who pick the beans for us!

Mashujaa Day -- Kenya (National Day/Kenyatta Day)

Miss American Rose Day -- with online only pageants devoted to high achievement and community service for girls and women of all ages, Miss American Rose suggests treating all women in your life like beautiful roses and performing community service with them

National Brandied Fruit Day

National Day on Writing -- US (sponsored by National Council of Teachers of English)

National Heroes Day -- Jamaica

Revolution Day -- Guatemala

Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar

St. Acca's Day (Patron of learning)

Suspenders Day -- probably begun by the same people who wanted to see if you would observe Wear Something Gaudy Day and Dress Like A Dork Day

World Osteoporosis Day -- International Osteoporosis Foundation



Anniversaries Today:

Clint Black marries Lisa Hartman, 1991
William Shatner marries Marcy Lafferty, 1973
The Sydney Opera House opens, 1973
Aristotle Onassis marries Jacqueline Kennedy, 1968


Birthdays Today:

John Krasinski, 1979
Dann Gillen, 1967
Viggo Mortensen, 1958
Danny Boyle, 1956
Keith Hernandez, 1953
Tom Petty, 1953
Melanie Mayron, 1952
Tom Petty, 1950
Jerry Orbach, 1935
William Christopher, 1932
Mickey Mantle, 1931
Joyce Brothers
Art Buchwald, 1925
Fayard Nicholas, 1914
Bela Lugosi, 1882
Charles Ives, 1874
Charles Dewey, 1859
James Robert Mann, 1856
Arthur Rimbaud, 1854
Christopher Wren, 1632


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Six Million Dollar Man"(TV), 1973
"No Time for Sergeants"(Play), 1955
"Vor Sonnenaufgang/Before Sunrise"(Hauptmann play), 1889


Today in History:

The first Crusaders arrive at Antioch, 1097
The city of Nuestra Senora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace), Bolivia, is founded, 1548
Battle of sekigahara sets Tokugawa clan as Japan's Shoguns, 1600
Maria Theresa of Habsburg becomes ruler of Austria, Hungary, and Bohemia, 1740
Patent of Toleration, providing limited freedom of worship, is approved in Habsburg Monarchy, 1781
US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase, 1803
The U.S. and U.K. sign the Convention of 1818, which, among other things settles the U.S. - Canada border at the 49th parallel for most of its length, 1818
First Edition of London Sunday Times, 1822
Lincoln formally establishes Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the US, on the 4th Thursday of November each year, 1864
P.T. Barnum's Hippodrome featuring "The Greatest Show on Earth" opens in NYC, 1873
The hull of the RMS Olympic, sister-ship to the ill-fated RMS Titanic, is launched, 1910
The first Negro League World Series is held, the KC Monarchs shut out the Hilldales, 5-0, 1924
United States of America and Pakistan establish diplomatic relations for the first time, 1947
The Nepal Stock Exchange collapses, 1971
The Sydney Opera House opens, 1973
BM-PC DOS Version 2.1 released, 1983
US accuses Microsoft of violating law by forcing IE browser on computers, 1997
European astronomers announce the discovery of 32 extrasolar planets, 2009
Atronomers announce that galaxy UDFy-38135539 is the most distant object observed from Earth, around 30 billion light-years, 2010
Muammar Gaddafi, and his son Mutassim Gaddafi are killed shortly after the Battle of Sirte, 2011

Silly Sunday: Youthful Exuberance

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and it's easy to do.  Laugh and Link Up! and join the fun.

Last night was to be spent babysitting.

Then the whole day was shanghaied.  The lady whose house i clean needed someone to take the two youngest kids, so i went over.

The two youngest boys are 7 and 9.  When i ran errands with them, they got a huge kick out of Jalopy, my old van.  They had to shut the doors hard, which they aren't allowed to do with their own vehicles.  When they didn't shut the door hard enough, i would go to that side of the car and kick it to get it to close, which had them thrilled to see me kicking the van.  They'd never had an experience like that riding in the nicer vehicles their parents always have.

During dinner, they kept leaning toward each other and giggling and laughing.  When i asked what was going on, the younger said, "He's farting!" and they both laughed like they'd never heard anything funnier in their lives.

In fact the older was passing gas, "So hard it's lifting me out of the chair!" he said, bringing on more laughter.

 Their youthful enjoyment of bodily functions and giggling like mad ended up in a joke telling session, kid style.

What do you call a dinosaur that doesn't take baths?
Stink-o-saurus!

Why do fish live in salt water?
Because pepper makes them sneeze!

What do cows read with their breakfast?
The Mooospaper!

What did the toast wear to bed?
His pa-JAM-as!

What did one eye say to the other?
Don't look now, but something between us smells!

Why won't cannibals eat clowns?
Because they taste funny!

These kids know a lot of silly jokes, which reminds me of young Tee Boudreaux and his youthful exuberance.

Tee was just at the age where boys become interested in girls, a little older than these two.  He got a crush on his teacher, Ms. Melancon.

One day, after school, he got up the courage to go and tell Ms. Melancon how he felt, and he asked her to marry him.

"Oh, Tee," Ms. Melancon said, "that is so sweet of you!  But you are so young and you are my student, so I couldn't think of marrying you.  After all, at your young age you wouldn't want to be having children of your own!"

"Oh, dat won't be no problem, Ms. Melancon!" Tee said,  "I'd be careful!"





Today is:

Armilustrium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Mars)

Bettara-Ichi -- Ebisu Shrine, Tokyo, Japan (Pickle Market Fair, enjoy the pickled radishes, a specialty; through tomorrow)

Constitution Day -- Niue

Deepawali/Deepavali/Diwali/Divali(Festival of Lights) -- Hindu; Jain; Sikh (for the next five days; local dating customs and government holidays for this Lunar New Year/Festival of Lights can vary)
     Kag Tihar/Kag Puja -- Day of the Crows (day one of the festival)

Dita e Lumturimit te Nene Terezes -- Albania (Mother Teresa Day)

Evaluate Your Life Day -- a day to make sure your life is heading where you want, and course correct if it isn't; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Greasy Spoon Day -- internet generated, a day to go revel in the love of your favorite greasy spoon diner

International Human Rights Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands

National Seafood Bisque Day

Pastoral Care Week begins -- honoring all clergy who provide spiritual help and care, they need recognition and care themselves; this year's theme is "Spiritual Well-Being"

Respiratory Care Week begins -- recognizing the respiratory care profession and promoting awareness of lung health issues

Samora Machel Day -- Mozambique

Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar

St. Frideswide's Day (Patron of Oxford and the University of Oxford)

St. Rene Goupil's Day (Patron of anesthetists, anesthesiologists)

Sunday School Teacher Appreciation Day

Yabusame Festival -- Koyama, Japan (horseback archery, samurai costumes and dragons, oh, my!)


Birthdays Today:

Jason Reitman, 1977
Ty Pennington, 1965
Evander Holyfield, 1962
Jeannie C. Riley, 1945
John Lithgow, 1945
Patricia Ireland, 1945
Simon Ward, 1941
Michael Gambon, 1940
Peter Max, 1937
Robert Reed, 1932
John Le Carre, 1931
Jack Anderson, 1922
Auguste Lumiere, 1862
Annie S. Peck, 1850
Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson, 1748
Thomas Browne, 1605 (O.S. date)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Rothschilds"(Musical), 1970
"The Miracle Worker"(Play), 1959
"I Remember Mama"(Play), 1944
"Pomp and Circumstance Marches"(Elgar Op. 39), 1901
"Tannhauser und der Sangerkrieg auf Wartburg/Tannhauser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg"(Wagner opera), 1845



Today in History:

Battle of Zama, Scipio Africanus and his Roman legions defeat Hannibal Barca and the invading Carthagian army, BC202
King Gauseric and his Vandals take the city of Carthage, 439
The Thirteen Years' War ends with the Treaty of Thorn, 1466
Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology, 1512
The first general court is held in Boston, 1630
Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown at 2PM, end of the US Revolutionary War, 1781
Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow, 1812
Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to receive a medical degree, 1849
The first 4 blacks are elected to the US House of Representatives, 1870
The USPS first used an automobile to collect and deliver mail, 1914
Streptomycin, the first antibiotic which could treat tuberculosis, is isolated at Rutgers University, 1943
Black Monday - the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points, 1987
Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II, 2003
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity, 2005
Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb, 2005
Naheed Nenshi becomes the first Muslim in Canada to be elected mayor, in Calgary, 2010

Plenty of cat matters.

While i was grateful that my girls took care of the Friday night shelter duties the last two weeks, it was good to get back to the madhouse.

Yes, sometimes the place is a madhouse.

There's one room that has seven half-grown kittens isolated for sneezing.  They all sound like Kida when she has a stuffy nose, and those kittens have a bad tendency to climb on your back if you bend over.  In order to medicate them, you have to put your back to the wall and slide down, grab a kitten, come up and stand with your back against the wall and the kitten at your side on the shelf, and get the pill down its throat that way.  Or you can just take your chances, and get claws in your back just when you are getting another kittens mouth open.

One precious little darling is showing symptoms of feline leukemia virus.  She craves affection and attention, and we can't hold her for fear of passing that horrible virus on to other cats, and if her test comes back positive, she will have to be euthanized.  It's sad, and it's especially sad to have to tell teen workers who want to play with her that they can't.

There are two people who frequently come over with the special needs teens they care for during the week.  The teens like to help by washing out carriers and sweeping floors, and after each bit of work, they get to go into a room and pet all the cats in there.  It's a great deal for us, as work gets done and cats get socialized, and a great deal for the guardians of these teens, who see it as an easy and low cost way to keep them entertained.  Also the promise of getting to go "play with the cats" will often get these teens to cooperate more when they don't want to do their other therapies.  Yes, our cats are used as bribes!

Ringworm problems continue, but not at quite so great a scale as before.  There are fewer active cases, and only one of the large kitten cages has kittens who may have been exposed to ringworm.  Meanwhile, i think all of ours are over it, except for #1 Son's Enigma SissyCat.  She overgrooms anyway, and has a spot that i'm now treating for ringworm that she won't leave alone.  If she isn't better by Monday, she will get a vet appointment and, most likely, oral antifungal medication and a cone of shame.

The shelter has had and continues to have its share of spoiled cats, too.  Right now, Glenda is high on that list.  She was adopted from our shelter as a kitten back in 2006, and her owner is recently deceased.

(We have a policy that asks that if you ever can't care for your cat you adopted from us, return it.  Also we ask that you have in your final instructions that the cat is to come back to us in case of your demise.  Your next-of-kin may ask to keep the cat, but we want to make sure they will provide as good a home as you did.  We've never denied anyone yet.  Many next-of-kin don't want or can't take on another animal, as with Glenda, so they go back up for adoption.)

Glenda is very shy right now.  She went nuts when put in a colony room, so she is allowed to be out with the other three cats that roam most areas of the shelter.  She will only eat a specific brand and flavor of canned cat food, and it has to be the shredded kind.  She must be fed in one specific spot, and she hides under the isolation cages and darts out to snatch a bite from her bowl, then ducks back under.  Shy and spoiled rotten!  But she's also beautiful, so i hope she calms down and gets another good home.

Anyway, it was nice to be back in kitty central, with adoptions going on and volunteers in and out and even with the ringworm and sneezes and cats that hide, it's a good kind of busy.


Today is:

A Community Affair -- Menomonee Falls, WI, US (country lunch, arts, crafts, and collectibles, quilt raffle, and more)

Adai Caddo Indian Nation Pow Wow -- Robeline, LA, US (a fabulous way to learn about Native American culture in north Louisiana)

Alaska Day -- Alaska, US

Anti-Slavery Day -- yes, there are still slaves in this world, find out how to help them herewww.antislavery.org/english/

Autumn Historic Folklife Festival -- Hannibal, MO, US (Tom Sawyer's hometown celebrates the heritage and traditions of the 1800s; through tomorrow)

Bridge Day -- New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville, WV, US (world's biggest extreme sports event)

Clean Water Act Day -- US (considered by many a day to give thanks for water and open any who are grateful for clean water)

Deutsch Country Days -- Marthasville, MO, US (authentic recreation of early German life in Missouri; through tomorrow)

Hard Boiled Guy/B-Girl Day -- on the anniversary of the general release of The Maltese Falcon (initial release was in NYC on Oct. 3)http://hardnosedsleuth.blogspot.com/2010/10/hard-boiled-guyb-girl-day.html

Independence Day -- Azerbaijan(1991)

King Look Under Your Mattress's Unique Hiding Display -- Fairy Calendar (Finally! Proof, on the internet, that you do, indeed, need to look under the mattress!)

Monster Mash Day -- Bogue Falaya Park, Covington, LA, US (annual fundraiser for the St. Tammany Parish Hospital Parenting Center, with a day of fun for everyone)

Nagoya Festival -- Nagoya, Japan (biggest festival in the city; through tomorrow)

National Chocolate Cupcake Day

National Statistics Day -- Japan

No Beard Day -- internet generated, a day to shave, which is illogical in the northern hemisphere, with winter coming

Old Farmers Day -- Loranger, LA, US (through tomorrow; learn how farmers used to live)

Pandrosus Festival -- Ancient Greek Calendar (all-refreshing goddess, or all-dewy one; date approximate)

Persons Day -- Canada (Marking the ruling that women are persons in 1929.)

Procession of the Lord of Miracles (Senor de los Milagros) -- Lima, Peru (Christian celebration of the Lord's miracles, with song, dance, prayers, and parades; through tomorrow and again on the 28th)

Quincy Preserves Fall Architectural Tour -- Quincy, IL, US

Rattlesnake Festival and Gopher Races -- San Antonio, TX, US (wild animal fun, Texas style; through tomorrow)

Roseland Cottage Fine Arts & Crafts Festival -- Woodstock, CT, US (one of the leading juried shows in New England; through tomorrow)

Saint Mary's County Oyster Festival -- Leonardtown, MD, US (oysters served every style; through tomorrow)

St. Luke's Day (The Evangelist; Patron of artists, bachelors/unmarried men, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors/physicians/surgeons, glass makers/glasswrkers, gold workers/goldsmiths, lacemakers/lace workers, notaries, painters, sculptors, stained glass workers, Worshipful Company of Painters; Capena, Italy; Hermersdorf, Germany)

Sweetest Day -- begun by Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy company employee who decided it would be wonderful to distribute candy to the sick, shut-ins and orphans in Cleveland, OH; today is the day to do something for someone that makes him/her say, "Oh, that is so sweet!"

Watch a Squirrel Day -- internet generated, and different from squirrel appreciation day in January

Woolly Worm Festival -- Banner Elk, NC, US (woolly bear caterpillars race up 3-ft pieces of string, winner gets to predict the severity of the upcoming winter; through tomorrow)

World Menopause Day -- sponsored by the International Menopause Society

World Toy Camera Day -- originally sponsored here, but they seem to not have updated in 2014www.wtcd.org

Yorktown Victory Day -- VA, US


Anniversaries Today:

Women in Military Service for America Memorial is dedicated, 1997
University of Heidelberg opens, 1386


Birthdays Today:

Zac Efron, 1988
Freida Pintoo, 1984
Lindsey Vonn, 1984
Vincent Spano, 1962
Wynton Marsalis, 1961
Erin Moran, 1960
Jean-Claude Van Damme, 1960
Martina Navratilova, 1956
Pam Dawber, 1951
Terry McMillan, 1951
Ntozake Shange, 1948
Joe Morton, 1947
Laura Nyro, 1947
Mike Ditka, 1939
Dawn Wells, 1938
Peter Boyle, 1935
George C. Scott, 1927
Chuck Berry, 1926
Melina Mercouri, 1923
Jesse Helms, 1921
Melina Mercouri, 1920
Anita O'Day, 1919
Pierre Elliott Trudeau, 1919
James David Brooks, 1906
A.J. Liebling, 1904
Lotte Lenya, 1900
Henri Bergson, 1859
Salomon Auguste Andree, 1854
Giovanni Antonio Canaletto, 1697


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Once on This Island"(Play), 1990
"Roseanne"(TV), 1988
"Raisin"(Musical), 1973
The Jungle Book(Disney animated film), 1967
"The Apple Tree"(Musical), 1966
“The Yellow Kid Takes a Hand at Golf”(the first actual newspaper comic strip telling a continuing story, as opposed to a single cartoon panel, in American Humorist), 1897
"De Unges Forbund/The League of Youth"(Ibsen play), 1869
"Prometheus"(Liszt S.99), 1855


Today in History:

Pappus of Alexandria, Greek philosopher, observes an eclipse of the sun and writes a commentary on The Great Astronomer (Almagest), 320
Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah destroys the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, 1009
Battle of Assadun (Ashingdon), Danes defeat Saxons, 1016
Basel, Switzerland is destroyed by the Basel earthquake, the most significant historic seismological event north of the Alps, 1356
Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima -- Takeda Shingen defeats Uesugi Kenshin in the climax of their ongoing conflicts in feudal Japan, 1561
The shoemakers of Boston form the first labor organization in the Colonies/US, 1648
The Mason/Dixon line is agreed upon, 1767
Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London, 1851
The US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, for $7.2 million, 1867
Edison makes electricity available for household use, 1878
John Owen becomes the first formally timed person to run 100 yd dash in under 10 seconds, 1890
United States takes possession of Puerto Rico, 1898
The British Broadcasting Company (later Corporation) is founded, 1922
The Grand Ole Opry opens in Nashville, Tennessee, 1925
Texas Instruments announces the first Transistor radio, 1954
The Soviet probe Venera 4 reaches Venus and becomes the first spacecraft to measure the atmosphere of another planet, 1967
Azerbaijan becomes independent from the USSR, 1991
After 8 years in exile, Benazir Bhutto returns to her homeland Pakistan, 2007

Feline Friday: Your Attention Please

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

Kida the Mosquito, who is always buzzing around, is the Cat Emeritus here, and she would like your attention, please.

Attention, right here!

As you can clearly see, her favorite bowl is empty of the delectable canned morsels she has come to deserve because of her age and health status.  This cannot and must not be allowed to continue, and is to be dealt with immediately by the human servants, who are to fill this bowl NOW!

And she means it!





Today is:

Apple Butter Stirrin' --  Coshocton, OH, US (bluegrass music, crafts, family fun, and best of all, apple butter; through Sunday)

Black Poetry Day -- birth anniversary of the USA's first published black poet, Jupiter Hammon (some sites say this is on the 3rd Friday of October each year)

Dessalines Day -- Haiti

Doburoku Matsuri -- Oita Prefecture, Japan (one of the few sake festivals at a shrine; through tomorrow)

Fall Festival of Leaves -- Ross County, OH, US (celebrate the beauty of nature and of the arts of the region; through Sunday)

Fantasy Fest -- Key West, FL, US (a ten day costume party for grown-ups)

Festival of Hengest -- Asatru (approximate date of the Norse celebration of Hengest and Horsa, who fought to establish Norse settlements in Eastern Britain)

Four Prunes Day (only if you dare!)

Gaudy Day a/k/a Wear Something Gaudy Day

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty -- UN

Large Fairies Come First Day -- Fairy Calendar (because the rest of the year they let the little ones go first)

Loyalty Day -- Argentina

Mammography Day -- the third Friday of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Missouri Day Festival -- Trenton, MO, US (parade, baby show, flea market, entertainment, and fun; through Sunday)

Mulligan Day -- C. Daniel Rhodes wants you to give yourself or someone else a free do-over today

National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day -- because we really do need to make cleaner choices

National Pasta Day

Paint a Mural on a Sidewalk Day -- let your inner child go a bit wild

Stephen Foster Quilt Show and Sale -- Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, White Springs, FL, US (fun for quilters, and quilt lovers; through Sunday)

St. Ignatius of Antioch's Day (Patron of the Church in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa; against throat diseases)

St. Richard Gwin's Day (Patron of large families, parents of large families, torture victims)

Wisconsin Dells Autumn Harvest Fest -- Wisconsin Dells, WI, US (includes a scarecrow stuffing contest, pumpkin decorating, microbrew tasting, and more; through Sunday)

Work on Your Charisma Day -- because what else are you going to do today?

World Student Day -- International Fellowship of Evangelical Students


Anniversaries Today:

Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is founded, 1919
Composer Johann S. Bach marries his niece Maria Bach, 1707
Crown Prince Fernando of Aragon marries Princess Isabella of Castile, 1469


Birthdays Today:

Eminem, 1972
Ermie Els, 1969
Norm MacDonald, 1963
Richard Roeper, 1959
Alan Jackson, 1958
Mae Jemison, 1956
Howard Rollins, 1950
Margot Kidder, 1948
George Wendt, 1948
Michael McKean, 1947
Ronn Owens, 1945
Evel Knievel, 1938
Beverly Garland, 1926
Jimmy Breslin, 1930
Tom Poston, 1921
Montgomery Clift, 1920
Rita Hayworth, 1918
Arthur Miller, 1915
Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I, 1912
Jean Arthur, 1905
Spring Byington, 1893
Buck Ewing, 1859
Jupiter Hammon, 1711


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical"(Musical), 1967
"The Hollywood Squares"(TV), 1966
"On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"(Musical), 1965
"Chayka/The Seagull"(Chekhov play), 1896
"Don Sanche"(Liszt opera), 1825


Today in History:

King Cyrus the Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon and releases the Jews from their 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights Declaration, BC539
Battle of Neville's Cross, the defeat of King David II of Scotland by Edward III of England, 1346
German astronomer Johannes Kepler observes a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus, 1604
Boston blacks petition the legislature for equal school facilities, 1787
The political rights of Jews are suspended in the Duchy of Warsaw, 1808
Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie), 1888
Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, and Clifden, Ireland, 1907
Albert Einstein arrives in the US as a refugee from Nazi Germany, 1933
The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield,in Cumbria, England, 1956
Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies opens the artificial Lake Burley Griffin in the middle of the capital Canberra, 1964
Botswana and Lesotho join the United Nations, 1966
Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte murdered by members of the FLQ terrorist group, 1970
OPEC starts an oil embargo against a number of western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Syria, 1973
Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1979
The pinnacle is fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, making it the World's tallest highrise, 2003
Australia's first Saint, Mary MacKillop, is canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, 2010
Astronomers confirm the identification of the nearest planet outside of our solar system, orbiting Alpha Centauri B, 2012

Teen Boy All Over

"Did you know your son went shopping?" Sweetie asked as i walked in from work.

Well, since i was at work, no, i didn't know, i told him.  And which son? i added.

"#2 Son.  He said there's no 'real' food in the house, and went shopping!"

And by that i'm sure he meant...

"Yes, that's what he meant.  There's ice cream and pie in the freezer, and a pizza in the fridge.  What he really meant is 'food that mom doesn't buy!'" Sweetie said, laughing.

Indeed, there was all that, as well as the rapidly disappearing grapes, the salad that gets devoured each night, and a chicken with rice and gravy that has nothing left but a couple of bones to be boiled for stock.

He may eat junk, but he eats good stuff, too.  He knows what the "real" food truly is, even if he sometimes eschews it for those teen boy favorites.

On another note, to any who are worried about safety at Little Girl's school:  The young student who was shot was at his home after school, in a different neighborhood from where the school is located.  By that i mean, unfortunately, a more run-down area, with many people living at or below the poverty level.

The school itself is in a solidly middle class area, right next to the neighborhood pool and a Lutheran Church and one of the community parks.  It's as "safe" as any area can be these days, because really, there is no place that is totally safe.  It's an illusion to think so.

If i thought she were in danger at school, i would keep her home, but the school is in an area that is almost identical to our neighborhood.  The young man was safer at school than at home, in this case.  That's part of what makes it all so sad, too.


Today is:

Belfast Festival At Queen's -- Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland (International arts festival; through Nov. 1)

Biketoberfest -- Daytona Beach, FL, US (last chance to ride before winter, and enjoy concerts and shows, too; through Sunday)

Boss's Day -- either celebrate, or roll your eyes, both are acceptable responses (begun by Patricia Bays Haroski in 1958 in honor of her boss, who was also her father; this date was his birthday)

Chrysanthemum Festival -- Japan ("The Festival of Happiness", various shrines; through Nov. 15)

Clean Your Bug Zapper Day -- internet generated, and we're getting a bit overboard here, aren't we?

Conflict Resolution Day -- the group that started it no longer has the specific date listed, but you can learn more about conflict resolution from them here

Day of Pope John Paul II -- Poland

Dictionary Day / Learn a Word Day -- Noah Webster's birth anniversary

Dress Like A Dork Day -- does someone have it out for us with these "holidays"?

Elephantine Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (several such celebrations of elephants were held around this time of year in Egypt)

Ether Day (first demonstrated use, see History)

Feast of 'Ilm (Knowledge) -- Baha'i

Get Smart About Credit Day -- sponsored by the American Bankers Association

Get to Know Your Customers Day -- third Thursday of every quarter

International Credit Union Day -- World Council of Credit Unions

National Feral Cat Day -- US (sponsored by Alley Cat Allies. with information here also)

National Liqueur Day

Niihama Drum Festival -- Niihama, Japan (three day festival with two ton drum floats)

Preaching of the Lion Sermon -- St. Katherine Cree Church, London, England (Sermon dating back to the 1640's in commemoration of a gift for the poor made by Sir John Gayer, who was delivered from a lion while in Turkey)

Simchat Torah -- Judaism (day to celebrate the reading of the Law; begins at sunset, through sunset tomorrow)

Sennin Musha Gyoretsu -- Tochigi, Japan (procession of 1,000 warriors; through tomorrow)

St. Hedwig's Day (Patron of brides, duchesses, difficult marriages, widows; Bavaria; Berlin, Germany; Gorlitz, Germany; Silesia; against the death of children, jealousy)

Teachers' Day -- Chile

#Toronto Ski, Snowboard, and Travel Show -- Toronto, ON, Canada (Canada's largest show of this type; through Sunday)

World Food Day -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

The first birth control clinic in the US is opened, 1916
Brigham Young University is founded in Provo, Utah, 1875
Girton College, Cambridge is founded, becoming England's first residential college for women, 1869
Zion's Co-Operative Mercantile Institution, America's first department store, opens, 1868
The Collegiate School is established(forerunner of Yale University), 1701, Old Style Date


Birthdays Today:

John Mayer, 1977
Kellie Martin, 1975
Flea, 1962
Tim Robbins, 1958
Melissa Louise Belote, 1956
Barry Corbin, 1940
Bob Weir, 1947
Suzanne Somers, 1946
Gunter Grass, 1927
Angela Lansbury, 1925
William Orville Douglas, 1898
Eugene O'Neill, 1888
David Ben-Gurion, 1886
Oscar Wilde, 1854
Noah Webster, 1758


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Red Mill"(Musical), 1945
"Billy the Kid"(Ballet), 1938
Jane Eyre(Publication date), 1847


Today in History:

Jadwiga (yes, a she) is crowned King of Poland, 1384
Olivier van Noorts' ships reach the Philippines, 1600
George Washington takes Yorktown, 1781
Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, is guillotined, 1793
Sir William Rowan Hamilton comes up with the idea of quaternions, a non-commutative extension of complex numbers, 1843
Dentist William T. Morton demonstrates the effectiveness of ether, 1846
Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" is published, 1847
John Brown leads a raid on Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, 1859
The Cardiff Giant, one of the most famous American hoaxes, is "discovered", 1869
John Harwood takes out a patent on a self-winding watch, 1923
The Disney Company is founded, 1923
Benjamin O. Davis Sr. is named the first African American general in the United States Army, 1940
Fidel Castro is sentenced in Havana to 15 years in prison, 1953
The People's Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon, 1964
In response to the October Crisis terrorist kidnapping, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau of Canada invokes the War Measures Act, 1970
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1973
Pope John Paul II is elected after the October 1978 Papal conclave, 1978
Wanda Rutkiewicz is the first Pole and the first European woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 1978
Desmond Tutu is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1984
Reinhold Messner becomes the first person to summit all 14 Eight-thousanders, 1986
Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, a commemoration of the Library of Alexandria that was lost in antiquity, is officially inaugurated, 2002
A 1,255lb. portion of the Chelyabinsk meteor is recovered by divers in Russia, 2013

Real Life is Good and Bad

And i have had good and bad the last couple of days.

Because of Cicero's breakdown last week, i didn't get to work.  The lady for whom i clean has 4 kids, so skipping a week means i come in to a disaster.

Indeed, it was, when i got there yesterday.  It took me an hour just to gather and sort the laundry, and i still didn't get to the boys' bed linens.   So i'm going back today to finish up.  She really needs someone there like my parents had when we were growing up.  My mom's housekeeper, who also cooked and yes, did windows, came for 4-5 hours a day, four days a week.  Maybe someday they will want me to do that.

Meanwhile, one of the good things that happen in life, a comment from a child, came my way yesterday.  The youngest boy in the family, who just turned 7, told me, "I like it when you come, cause then I can find stuff!"

Now that, friends, is a compliment!

Then i came home to a washing machine that is giving me trouble, not wanting to fill correctly, and to some bad news from Little Girl.

"Mom," she said as soon as she saw me come in from work, "you might want to be praying for our school.  One of the kids died last night!"

Well, i pray for your school anyway, i said, but what happened?

"Drive by shooting," she answered.  "I knew him, but not well, he was a cool kid.  And he wasn't the target."

Will they bring in grief counselors? i asked.

"Yeah, I think they will," she answered.  "A lot of the kids were very upset, and one girl in my class broke down."

Oh, sweetheart, i'm so sorry that happened! i told her as i gave her a hug.

Real life is good and bad, and it can all happen in the same day.




Today is:

Cayenne Festival -- French Guiana (celebration of the capital city)

Circleville Pumpkin Show -- Circleville, OH, US (celebrating with over 100,000lbs of pumpkins, squash, and gourds; through Saturday)

Day of Homage for the late King Father -- Cambodia (Norodom Sihanouk)

Dine with TV Dinners on the Floor Night -- probably started by someone who wanted to see how many websites would be crazy enough to even list this

East Texas Yamboree -- Gilmer, TX, US (yam it up with the family at the carnival, watch them crown the Yamboree Queen, enjoy the livestock show, and more; through Saturday)

Election Day -- Mozambique

Feast of the Three Noble Ladies -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (female pharoahs; date approximate)

Fete Nationale de l'Evacuation -- Tunisia (Evacuation Day, celebrates the day all foreign military finally and fully left)

Global Handwashing Day -- International (scrub up! prevent the spread of germs)

Guangzhou Autumn Trade Fair -- Guangzhou, China (through Nov. 15)

Hagfish Day -- a day to celebrate the uniqueness and necessity of even the ugliest of sea creatures, like the hagfish

Ides of October -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also on this date
     Harvest Festival of Mars
     Ludi Capitolini (games in honor of Jupiter)
     Winter's Day

Mahakiki -- Hawai'ian New Year Season (a four month season where warfare is forbidden and many ceremonies take place; begins around the time of the first sighting of the Pleiades in the Northern Hemisphere)

Mertz of All Possible Mertzes -- internet generated and on the day "I Love Lucy" premiered; i guess Fred and Ethel were the definition of what a Mertz should be!

National Cake Decorating Day -- again, because every website gives a different date

National Chicken Cacciatore Day

National Fossil Day -- US (National Park Service information)

National Grouch Day -- sponsored by Alan Miller, chairman of the board of NAG (National Association of Grouches)

National Latino AIDS Awareness Day -- AIDS.gov

National Mushroom Day

National Roast Pheasant Day

National Support Your Local Chamber of Commerce Day

National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day -- somebody out there wants you to honor your parents, if you still have them

National Tree Planting Day -- Sri Lanka

Newspaper Week -- Japan

Poetry Day -- birth anniversary of the Roman poet Virgil

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day -- Canada; NSW, Australia; UK; US (information here)

Rectification Day -- Burkina Faso

Rainbow Pickling Day -- Fairy Calendar

Sewing Lovers' Day -- internet generated, as those who love to sew deserve a day to celebrate

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

St. Teresa of Avila's Day (Founder of the Reformation of the Discalces[Barefoot] Carmelites; Patron of lace makers/workers, people in need of grace, people in religious orders, people ridiculed for their piety, sick people; Amos, Canada; Berzano di Tortona, Italy; Pozega, Croatia; Spain; against bodily ills, headaches, sickness, the death of parents)

Teacher's Day -- Brazil

White Cane Safety Day -- US (celebrating the achievements of the blind/visually impared, and recognizing the white cane as the symbol of their independence)

Wishbones for Pets begins -- US program asking professional pet sitters to gather pet supplies and donations for homeless pets through Thanksgiving

World Rural Women's Day/International Day of Rural Women -- UN; related observance
     Mother's Day -- Malawi




Birthdays Today:

Paige Davis, 1969
Sarah Ferguson, 1959
Emeril Lagasse,1959
Tanya Roberts, 1955
Tito Jackson, 1953
Richard Carpenter, 1946
Victor Banerjee, 1946
Jim Palmer, 1945
Penny Marshall, 1942
Linda Lavin, 1937
Lee Iacocca, 1924
Mario Puzo, 1920
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., 1917
John Kenneth Galbraith, 1908
Marty Mann, 1904
P.G. Wodehouse, 1881
Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, 1872
John L. Sullivan, 1858
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844
Publius Vergilius Maro / Virgil, 70BCE


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Untouchables"(TV), 1959
"I Love Lucy"(TV), 1951
"Abe Lincoln in Illinois"(Play), 1938
To Have and Have Not(Publication date), 1937
"La Mer/The Sea"(Debussy orchestral composition), 1905


Today in History:

Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Vandals, 533
Commissioned by Catherine De Medici, the 1st ballet "Ballet Comique de la Reine," is staged in Paris, 1581
Asser Levy is granted a butcher's license for kosher meat in New Amsterdam, 1660
The Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon marks the first human ascent, by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, (tethered balloon), 1783
George Washington takes the first formal presidential tour, of New England, 1789
Napoleon Bonaparte is exiled to the Island of St. Helena, 1815
Child labor law takes 12 year olds out of the work force, 1874
Edison Electric Light Company is incorporated, 1878
Koln cathedral is completed, 633 years after it was begun, 1880
The German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin' lands in Lakehurst, NJ, 1928
LaGuardia Airport opens, 1939
Fortran, the first modern computer language, is shared with the coding community for the first time, 1946
The start of the 2500-year celebration of Iran, celebrating the birth of Persia, 1971
The Great Storm of 1987 hits France and England, 1987
Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL, 1989
Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, 1990
The first supersonic land speed record is set by Andy Green in ThrustSSC (United Kingdom), exactly 50 years and 1 day after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier in the Earth's atmosphere, 1997
The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn, 1997
NASA's Galileo spacecraft passes within 112 miles of Jupiter's moon Io, 2001
China launches Shenzhou 5, its first manned space mission, 2003
The final breakthrough occurs on the east bore of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps, now the world's longest railway tunnel, 2010

Have a Joe Potato

It's not often that i write a book review, but in this case, i can't help myself.

Joe Potato's Real Life Recipes:  Tall Tales and Short Stories by Meriwether O'Connor is one i'm going to keep on the shelf by the bed and reread and revisit.  In fact, i can't help but do so, as i can't get some of these characters out of my mind.

O'Connor has a voice that speaks of real people (and animals and plants!), even if she made up the stories.  You would expect to meet these characters in rural Appalachia, and to be served some of the recipes as well.

Some of the stories are dark and hard, but the characters are people i want to get to know.  There's enough humor here for even me, as i love books to laugh over.

As for the recipes, well, it might be hard to come by crow, but i'm sure you could come up with "apartment rabbit" quite easily.

While i'm glad i have the paperback version, some people may want the Kindle edition instead.



Today is:

Be Bald and Be Free Day -- Wellcat Holidays wants everyone who is "shiny" to be proud of it!

Chisinau Day -- Chisinau, Moldova

Dessert Day -- another one?

Doburoku Matsuri -- Shirakawago, Japan (unrefined sake festival and harvest festival; through the 19th)

Festival for the Penates -- Ancient Roman Calendar (gods of the storeroom)

First Fiddle of the Month -- Fairy Calendar

Flag Day/Jour de la Proclamation de la Premiere Republique -- Madagascar (flag adopted this day in 1958)

Liberation Day -- Yemen

Mega Kenka Matsuri -- Hyogo, Japan (Roughhouse Festival, wrestling for a blessing; through tomorrow)

Mother's Day -- Belarus

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Day -- Tanzania (climax of the Uhuru Torch Race)

National Chocolate Covered Insect Day -- i'll pass, sorry

National Education Day -- Poland

National Frump Day -- National FRUMPS of America (to honor the frugal, responsible, unpretentious, and mature people everywhere)

national lower case day -- someone wants us to not use all caps

Republic Day / October Revolution Day -- Yemen

St. Callistus' Day (Patron of cemetery workers)

St. Donatian of Rheims's Day (Patron of Bruges, Belgium; Rheims, France; West Flanders, Belgium)

St. Petca Paraskeva's Day (Patron of embroiderers, needle workers, spinners, weavers, and all who do needlework of any kind)related observance
     Petkouden -- Bulgaria

Svetitskovloba/Living Pillar Cathedral -- Georgia (celebration of the first Christian church in Georgia)

The NILE (Northern International Livestock Exposition) -- MetraPark, Billings, MT, US (rodeo, trade show, horse clinics, and livestock sales; through Saturday)

Vinternatsblot, a/k/a Haustblót -- Asatru (to bid Winter welcome; at the approximate date of the start of winter in the Old European Calendar of the Norse

World Standards Day -- International

Youth Day -- Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo)



Birthdays Today:

Usher, 1978
Natalie Maines, 1974
Greg Evigan, 1958
Harry Anderson, 1952
Sir Cliff Richard, 1940
Ralph Lauren, 1939
John Dean, 1938
Gary Graffman, 1928
Roger Moore, 1927
Charles Everett Koop, 1916
John Wooden, 1910
Eugene Fodor, 1905
e.e. cummings, 1894
Lillian Gish, 1893
Dwight Eisenhower, 1890
Eamon De Valera, 1882
Francis Lightfoot Lee, 1734
William Penn, 1644


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Rescue from Gilligan's Island(TV film), 1978 (the first TV film follow up of a TV series)
Winnie-The-Pooh(publication date), 1926


Today in History:

William the Conqueror wins England in the Battle of Hastings, 1066
Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence, 1322
Mary, Queen of Scots, goes on trial for conspiracy against Elizabeth I of England, 1586
Massachusetts enacts the first punitive legislation against the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), 1656
Rabbi Judah Hasid & Chayim Molocho arrive in Jerusalem, 1700
Henry Blair receives a patent for a corn planter, becoming the first black to obtain a US patent, 1834
The 15th and the last military Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate resigns in Japan, returning his power to the Emperor of Japan and thence to the re-established civil government of Japan, 1867
George Eastman patents paper-strip photographic film, 1884
Theodore Roosevelt is shot while campaigning in Milwaukee on the "Bull Moose" ticket, 1912
The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne, is first published, 1926
Ethel Merman makes her Broadway debut in "Girl Crazy", 1930
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Indian Untouchable caste leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 of his followers, 1956
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first Canadian Monarch to open up an annual session of the Canadian Parliament, presenting her Speech from the Throne in Ottawa, Canada, 1957
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when a U.S. Air Force U2 Reconnaissance pilot takes pictures of Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba, 1962
The city of Montreal, Quebec, begins the operation of its underground Montreal Metro rapid-transit system, 1966
The first live telecast from any manned spacecraft, the Apollo 7, 1968
The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, and the Foreign Minister of Israel, Shimon Peres, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in the establishment of the Oslo Accords , 1994
Indonesian rights groups applaud the end of a Suharto-era law that bans books deemed 'offensive' or a 'threat to public order,' 2010
A colony of stromatolites is discovered at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, 2011