It must be a miracle, the kitten is still with us.
She is getting stronger, no longer going into the type of choked respiration that usually precedes death.
She is eating more at each feeding (although she still gets some up her nose when she eats too fast and then sneezes for several minutes), her "system" is working (euphemism for the plumbing), and she is being carried around in my shirt to keep warm most of the time (can we say "spoiled rotten"?).
She was the hit of Sunday school today, almost upstaging the baptisms!
Should she make it, we will have to come up with a unique name. Anybody know how to say "miracle" in Hawai'an or Japanese or something?
Today is:
Daughters' and Sons' Day
Junoalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Juno)
Masaryk Day, Czech Republic and Slovakia
National Be Heard Day
National Crown Roast of Pork Day
St. Drausius' Day
St. Felicity's Day (patron of mothers; against infertility)
St. Perpetua's Day
Birthdays Today:
Ivan Lendl, 1960
Rik Mayall, 1958
Tammy Faye Bakker, 1942
Daniel J. Travanti, 1940
Willard Scott, 1934
Lord Snowdon, 1930
Maurice Ravel, 1875
Piet Mondriaan, 1875
Luther Burbank, 1849
Rob Roy MacGregor, 1671
Henry Purcell, 1659
Kano Tanju, 1602
Today in History:
Roman Emperor Constantine I decrees that the dies Solis Invicti (sun-day) is the day of rest in the Empire, 321
King Henry VIII's divorce request is denied by the Pope; Henry then declares that he, not the Pope, is supreme head of England's church, 1530
Massachusetts enacts the first bicameral legislature in the colonies, 1664
The French army enters Rome, marking the birth of the Roman Republic, 1798
Shrigley Abduction: Ellen Turner is abducted by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a future politician in colonial New Zealand, 1827
Charles Miller patents the first US sewing machine to stitch buttonholes, 1854
Roald Amundsen announces that, on Dec. 14, 1911, his expedition had reached the South Pole, 1912
An 8.0 earthquake strikes Tango, Japan, 1927
Bloody Sunday: Alabama state troopers and 600 black protestors clash in Selma, 1965
He was the head basketball coach for a university who happened to be visiting Germany. While on a US army base there, he saw a few guys playing a pick-up game. Being a coach ever mindful of looking for new talent to recruit for his team, he stopped to watch.
One very tall young man stood out, and it wasn't just his height. He was playing an excellent game indeed, and showed all the signs of being very good, if he got the right coaching.
As some of the young men left, the coach approached the player and in a conversational tone called out, "Hello, soldier! What's your name?"
The young man replied, "Oh, I'm not a soldier, sir; I'm only in 7th grade. My dad is stationed here."
"I want to meet your parents!" the coach said. He became a friend of the family, encouraging the young man to do well in school and develop his talent.
That is how Dale Brown, who coached Shaquille O'Neal in college basketball, met his future team star.
Happy Birthday, Shaq.
Kitten Update:
She is still hanging on somehow. She keeps going into the labored breathing that usually precedes death, then waking up an hour later to eat. I've seen a few miracles in this business, and while it's too soon to say, I may be witnessing another. I can only pray so.
Today is:
Dentist's Day (Yes, I know how most of us feel about dentists, but try getting along without them!)
Festival of Mars -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of war)
Independence Day, Ghana
March Goblins' Galumphing Gala and Display -- Fairy Calendar
Narcissus Day
National Chocolate Cheesecake Day
National Frozen Food Day
US Snowshoe Day
Stoneware Pottery Appreciation Day
St. Thomas Aquinas' Day
Birthdays Today:
Shaquille O'Neal, 1972
D.L. Hughley, 1963
Tom Arnold, 1959
David Gilmour, 1946
Rob Reiner, 1945
Kiri Te Kanawa, 1944
Willie Stargell, 1941
Lorin Maazel, 1930
Alan Greenspan, 1926
Ed McMahon, 1923
Lou Costello, 1906
Ring Lardner, 1885
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619
Michelangelo Bounarroti, 1475
Today in History:
Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam, 1521
The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island (an external territory of Australia) in order to found a convict settlement, 1788
After a thirteen day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort is captured, 1836
Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society, 1869
Bayer registers "aspirin" as a trademark, 1899
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins, 1951
After 19 years of presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time, 1981
We really were not expecting kitten season to start this soon because of how harsh the winter has been. So I was very surprised to receive a call last night.
Margaret met me up at the shelter when we went to clean up there. The kitten was left on the roof of a house by the mama, and by the time the family was able to get a ladder and try to get up there, she had fallen two stories to the ground below.
They rushed her to the local vet school, where they were told she was fine, to call the cat rescue.
The moment I laid eyes on her I could tell by her breathing that she had some type of injury. I really didn't expect her to make it through the night, but she did.
She is still with us, but growing weaker. Her breathing is labored. It is very hard dealing with these little ones when you hold out no hope, and are just doing palliative care.
A sad start to the kitten season.
Today is:
Crispus Attucks Day*
Employee Appreciation Day
Feast of Excited Insects, China, Korea
Feast of Fools
Hemlock Day
Mother-In-Law's Day
Multiple Personality Day
Nametag Day
National Cheese Doodle Day
National Salesperson Day - first Friday in the month
Ploiaphaesia: The Festival of Navigation aka Navigium Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (Sailing Festival)
Shabbat Across America/Canada
St. Piran's Day
Stop the Clocks Day
World Day of Prayer
Birthdays Today:
Jake Lloyd, 1989
Niki Taylor, 1975
Kevin Connolly, 1974
Eva Mendes, 1974
Andy Gibb, 1958
Michael Warren, 1946
Samantha Eggar, 1939
Dean Stockwell, 1936
James Noble, 1922
Rex Harrison, 1908
Zhou Enlai, 1898
Heitor Villa-Lobos, 1887
Howard Pyle, 1853
James Merrit Ives, 1824
Today in History:
Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death, 363
Naser Khosrow begins the seven-year Middle Eastern journey which he will later describe in his book Safarnama, 1046
English king Henry VII hires John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) and his sons to explore unknown lands for England, 1496
Smoking tobacco is introduced in Europe by Francisco Fernandes, 1558
Copernicus' "de Revolutionibus" is placed on Catholic Forbidden index, 1616
Antonio de Ulloa, the first Spanish governor of Louisiana, arrives in New Orleans to take possession of the Louisiana territory from the French, 1766
*Boston Massacre: British troops kill 5 in a crowd, including a young boy and Crispus Attackus, the first black to die for American freedom, in an event that would contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War five years later, 1770
The Dutch city of Leeuwarden forbids Jews to go to synagogues on Sundays, 1820
George Westinghouse Jr patents the triple air brake for trains, 1872
Nikola Tesla, in Electrical World and Engineer, describes the process of the ball lightning formation, 1904
I've always said, when mom is cold, everyone needs a sweater, when mom is tired, we all need a nap, and when mom is irregular... Well, never mind.
I have not been posting in as timely a fashion as I have wanted. Too much goes on around here, and it seems that the more I hurry the worse it gets. We need less of the irregular and more timeliness.
Today I put it off for a good reason, though. We stopped at the vet's office to give Taia a hug. She needed it.
Today is:
Courageous Follower Day
Festival of Pirate Utopias
Holy Experiment Day
Hug a GI Day (A good idea any day! I always did have a soft spot for a person in a uniform.)
International Scrapbooking Industry Day
March Dryads' Festival -- Fairy Calendar
March Forth - Do Something Day
National Grammar Day
National Poundcake Day
St. Casmir's Day
This Way To the Egress Day
Anniversaries Today:
Vermont becomes the 14th US state, 1791
Birthdays Today:
Patsy Kensit, 1968
Jason Curtis Newsted, 1963
Patricia Heaton, 1958
Chris Squire, 1948
Paula Prentiss, 1938
Miriam Makeba, 1932
Charles Rudolph Walgreen, Jr., 1906
Knute Rockne, 1888
Garrett Morgan, 1877
Antonio Vivaldi, 1678
Prince Henry the Navigator, 1394
Today in History:
Croatian Duke Trpimir I issued a statute, a document with the first known written mention of the Croats name in Croatian sources, 852
Ramathibodi becomes King of Siam, 1351
Christopher Columbus arrives back in Lisbon, Portugal, from his first voyage, 1493
Hernan Cortez arrives in Mexico in search of Aztec gold, 1519
The Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a royal charter, 1629
France is divided into 83 départements, which cut across the former provinces in an attempt to dislodge regional loyalties based on noble ownership of land, 1790
The first Jewish member of the US Congress, Israel Jacobs of Pennsylvania, takes office, 1791
In the first ever peaceful transfer of power between elected leaders in modern times, John Adams is sworn in as President of the United States, succeeding George Washington, 1797
In the Castle Hills Rebellion, in New South Wales, Australia, Irish convicts (some of whom had been involved in Ireland’s Battle of Vinegar Hill in 1798) lead the colony’s only significant convict uprising, 1804
Carlo Alberto di Savoia signs the Statuto Albertino that will later represent the first constitution of the Regno d'Italia, 1848
The day without a US president -- Zachary Taylor refuses to be sworn in on the Sabbath (Sunday), so there is, technically, no president on this day, 1849
The longest bridge in the Great Britain, the Forth Bridge (1,710 ft) in Scotland is opened, 1890
The great fire of Shanghai damages over 1,000 buildings, 1894
Victor Berger of Wisconsin becomes the first socialist congressman in the U.S., 1911
Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of the United States House of Representatives, 1917
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia's renunciation of the throne is made public, and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia publicly issues his abdication manifesto, 1917
Frances Perkins becomes the United States Secretary of Labor, the first female member of the United States Cabinet, 1933
Today's "holidays" are a mixed bag, as are most of them.
I guess we should drink mulled wine to help us mull over what would happen if our pets had thumbs.
Well, I have mulled it over in the past. I am convinced that we are the dominant species on the planet not because we are bigger, smarter, stronger, faster, better, or more interesting than any of the Lord's other creatures, but because we have thumbs so we can make the coffee.
I would hope, if they did have thumbs, that they would also at least have the sense to not make, much less celebrate, cold cuts.
Today is:
Aegir, Celtic Sea Festival
Bonza Bottler Day
Free Pass Day
Heart-Accelerating Sodium-Enriched Cold Cuts Day (no, thank you!)
Hina Matsuri, Japan (Dolls Festival)
I Want You to be Happy Day
If Pets Had Thumbs Day
Liberation Day, Bulgaria
National Anthem Day
National Mulled Wine Day
Peach Blossom Day
Stop Bad Service Day
St. Cunegund (patron of Luxembourg, Lithuania)
St. Guignole (patron against impotence, infertility)
St. Winnal's Day
Birthdays Today:
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 1962
Herschel Walker, 1962
Ira Glass, 1959
Doc Watson, 1923
Diana Barrymore, 1921
James Doohan, 1920
Jean Harlow, 1911
Alexander Graham Bell, 1847
Anniversaries Today:
Florida becomes the 27th US state, 1845
Today in History:
The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates the Principality of Wales into England, 1284
The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza, 1585
The first US Jewish governor, David Emanuel, takes office in Georgia, 1801
The US declares war on Algeria for taking US prisoners and demanding tribute, 1815
The Battle of Pelee Island takes place, Ontario, Canada, 1838
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group, opens, 1865
The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Canada as recorded in The Montreal Gazette, 1875
Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood becomes the first female attorney to argue before the US Supreme Court, 1879
Anne Sullivan arrives to begin teaching Helen Keller, 1887
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly, the Duma, 1905
Toronto's Dr Banting & Dr Best announce discovery of insulin, 1921
In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India, 1939
It's a good thing Girl Scout Cookies aren't available year round.
No matter how many boxes I buy, they do not last more than 2 days in this house. I literally watch them disappear, and hear the cries of "But I only got 3 of those!" and "What do you mean we are out of this kind? I haven't had any yet!"
I have tried to outbuy their appetites, and I just can't do it, even in years when money is not so tight.
My mother used to dedicate half of a freezer to a few cases of thin mints, and they would last several months.
Around here, they would be gone in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes my chowhounds still astound me.
In honor of Dr. Suess:
My family eats them in the house,
They leave no crumb for any mouse.
They eat them over here and there,
They eat those cookies anywhere.
They do so love the vast array,
It's a shame they don't last even a day.
Today is:
Ceadda -- Celtic (god of healing waters)
Holy Wells Day
Independence Day, Morocco
Namesake Day
National Banana Cream Pie Day
NEA's Read Across America Day
Old Stuff Day
Peasants' Day, Burma
Texas Independence Day
Birthdays Today:
Bryce Dallas Howard, 1981
Chris Martin, 1977
Daniel Craig, 1968
Jon Bon Jovi, 1962
Laraine Newman, 1952
Karen Carpenter, 1950
Lou Reed, 1944
Mikhail Gorbachev, 1931
Jennifer Jones, 1919
Desi Arnaz, 1917
Mel Ott, 1909
Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), 1904
Bedrich Smetana, 1864
Today in History:
The Loves of Mars and Venus becomes the first ballet performed in England, 1717
A semaphore machine that will speed communication is introduced in Paris, 1791
The Republic of Texas declares its independence from Mexico, 1836
Aleksandr Romanov becomes the tsar of Russia, 1855
The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace, 1888
Battle of Aduwa, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) defeats invading Italians, 1896
The original film version of King Kong premiers, 1933
Miss Jan was one of my mentors.
She had been bottle raising orphaned kittens, as well as orphaned wild animals that she would then have rehabbed back into the wild, for a good ten years longer than I have.
She helped me so many times I cannot even count. I could run by the office, or call, anytime. She always had a great hint or tip. She taught me to bottle raise even the kittens that are lactose intolerant and can't have the formula.
She worked with my veterinarian, as the office manager/head tech/adviser/etc.
Their office has no computers, and only two years ago did they get a fax machine. Every office visit for the cat rescue was recorded in "Miss Jan's notebook." She kept such spotless records that when the end of the month came, and all the vets' offices would send their totals for the month to the rescue for reimbursement, the only one with no errors was always Miss Jan's.
Miss Jan had several health problems, including a thyroid/pituitary problem that caused her to battle her weight all of her life.
She had been in the hospital more than once in recent months. This time it was a cold that became bronchitis, then pneumonia. When she just could not get her breath, her heart stopped and they couldn't revive her.
The knowledge and experience she took with her is only eclipsed by the loss of her beautiful self.
She has left behind weeping coworkers (I went over to the office this morning to hug Taia, and she is so distraught she can barely function), tons of clients/friends, a husband and sons in their early 20s, her parents, and her pets.
Rest in peace, Miss Jan.
Today is:
Beer Day
Chalanda Marz (Calends of March), Engadine, Switzerland (School children drive away winter and welcome spring with bells and songs.)
Elves, Woodworkers, and Mechanics' Day -- Fairy Calendar
Heroes' Day, Paraguay
Holi -- Hindu
Hollow Earth Day
Independence Day, Bosnia
International Day of the Seal
Matronalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (marriage festival)
National Fruit Compote Day
National Pig Day
Omizutori, Japan, through the 14th (water drawing festival)
Peace Corps Birthday
Peanut Butter Lovers' Day
Plan a Solo Vacation Day
Refired, Not Retired Day
Rice Festival, Thailand
St. David's Day (patron of Wales)
Whuppity Scoorie Day, Lanark, Scotland (Spring festival, children run around the church and pick up coins thrown for them.)
Anniversaries Today:
Ohio becomes the 17th US State, 1803
Nebraska becomes the 37th US State, 1867
Howard University in Washington, D.C., is chartered, 1867
Birthdays Today:
Russell Wong, 1963
Nik Kershaw, 1958
Ron Howard, 1954
Alan Thicke, 1947
Dirk Benedict, 1945
Roger Daltry, 1944
Robert Conrad, 1935
Harry Belafonte, 1927
Pete Rozelle, 1926
Ralph Ellison, 1914
Harry Caray, 1914
David Niven, 1910
Glenn Miller, 1904
Watsuji Tetsuro, 1889
Frederic Chopin, 1810
Today in History:
Romulus, first king of Rome, celebrates the first Roman triumph after his victory over the Caeninenses, following the Rape of the Sabine Women, BC752
Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army, enters Athens, BC86
Hulagu Khan, grandson of Genghis, conquerors Damascus, 1260
The Uppsala Synod is summoned to confirm the exact forms of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, 1593
Samuel de Champlain reclaims his role as commander of New France on behalf of Cardinal Richelieu, 1633
Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba are arrested for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692
"The Spectator" begins publishing, in London, 1711
The first US census is authorized, 1790
Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first African-American female to earn a medical degree, 1864
Yellowstone becomes the world's first national park, 1872
E. Remington and Sons in Ilion, New York begins production of the first practical typewriter1873
Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from an airplane, 1912
The March 1st Movement, demonstrations for independence from Japan, begins in Korea, 1919
Charles Lindbergh, Jr., is kidnapped, 1932
The Hoover Dam is completed, 1936
US Steel raises workers wages to US$5/day, 1937
Chiang Kai-shek resumed the presidency of National China on Formosa, 1950
