So, you have decided, totally independently of the aggressive marketing of the florist industry, of course, to send flowers to your mother, stepmother, mother-in-law, stepmother-in-law, the mother of your children, grandmother, grandmother-in-law, stepgrandmother, great grandmother, or any other female in your extended family whom you feel is worthy of such attention on Mother's Day.
A few suggestions from those who have to deliver them, to make the experience one you, the recipient, and the deliverer will find fulfilling and joyful.
First, get the address right. There is nothing more frustrating, to you or to me, than us not being able to get the flowers there because you told the dispatcher 12237 instead of 12337, and there is no 12237 on that street.
Please tell us if the delivery address is a Street, Drive, Court, Circle, Avenue, Lane, Boulevard, Road, Way, Highway, or whatever such designation it happens to have. If Harrington Avenue, Lane, and Drive are all in your area, make sure we know which one your loved one is on.
This applies to everyone: Please make your address clearly visible from the street! Not just for us, the ambulance can find you more easily, too. This even applies to businesses, as when you call emergency services, and they want your location. Saying "It's the XYZ Bakery on Lee Drive" won't be good enough, they will ask for the actual number.
If the delivery is to a person at work, please give us the name of the business also. Having both helps.
Always leave a contact number. If you can, multiple contact numbers. Make sure they are numbers that will be answered during normal business hours, so we can call you or the recipient to ask for specific directions. Yes, you want it to be a surprise, but without this info it can end up being a surprise to you that it never arrived because we couldn't get proper directions or get into your gated community.
Finally, if you live in an area where it is at all possible, tell them when you call in the order that we can leave it on a back porch or other safe place away from the view of the street, and in the shade. That little note on my paper allowing me to do so has saved many a delivery from coming back to the shop with me.
Enjoy your flowers, and have a blessed and beautiful day.
Today is
Apple Blossom Festival -- Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, US
Astronomy Day -- Spring, celebrates the rising of the spring/summer constellations in the Northern Hemisphere.
Bark in the Park -- Chicago, Illinois, US, to wind up Be Kind To Animals Week
Beaufort Wind Force Scale Day
Birth Mother's Day
Cotton Pickin' Fair -- Gay, Georgia (come on down to see how people lived on cotton farms back in the early 1900's)
Experience the Awesome Stomach-Churning Wonder of a Thrill Ride Day
Feast of St. Nicola (Bari, Italy's patron of orphans and pirates)
Free Comic Book Day
Hamburg Harbor Day -- Hamburg, Germany (founding of the city)
Helston Furry Dance a/k/a The Flora -- Helston, Cornwall, England
Homespun History Day
International Migratory Bird Celebration
International Wildlife Film Festival -- Missoula, Montana, US
Join Hands Day -- get together with others in your area and volunteer; when we join hands, together we can accomplish anything!
Kentucky Derby
Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" Food Drive -- US
Mother Ocean Day -- celebrate the wonders of the ocean, wherever you happen to be
National Babysitter's Day
National Homebrew Day
National Roast Leg of Lamb Day
National Scrapbooking Day
National Tourism Day
Punch's Birthday -- St. Paul's Cathedral, London, England (Punch, of Punch and Judy, celebrates his birthday on the Saturday closest to May 9 by preaching at the cathedral to other puppets and their puppeteers, or "professors".)
Radio Day -- Bulgaria; Russia
St. John of Beverly's Day
Randwick Wap Cheese Rolling -- Randwick, Gloucestershire, England (Yes, they roll cheeses that were blessed last Sunday around the church; yes, they've been doing it for 700 years; no, no one is quite certain why, though many stories are told of the origin.)
St. Nicola's Day
World Fair Trade Day
Anniversaries Today:
Founding of Univerzita Karlova in Prague, the first university in Central Europe, 1348
Birthdays Today:
Owen Hart, 1965
Tim Russert, 1950
Johnny Unitas, 1933
Teresa Brewer, 1931
Darren McGavin, 1922
Eva Peron, 1919
Gary Cooper, 1901
Archibald Macleish, 1892
Gabby Hayes, 1885
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, 1840
Johannes Brahms, 1833
Robert Browning, 1812
Francis Beaufort, 1774
Today in History:
The dome of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople collapses, 558
Joan of Arc leads the final charge in the Battle of Orleans, 1429
Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles, 1664
The city of New Orleans is founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, 1718
Jews are expelled from Ukraine by Empress Catherine I of Russia, 1727
Chief Pontiac begins the "Conspiracy of Pontiac" by attacking British forces at Fort Detroit, 1763
The world premier of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, 1824
The independence of Greece is recognized by the Treaty of London, 1832
Georgen Eastman patents the "Kodak Box Camera," 1888
In Saint Petersburg, Russian scientist Alexander Stepanovich Popov demonstrates to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society his invention, the Popov lightning detector — a primitive radio receiver, 1895
German submarine SM U-20 sinks RMS Lusitania, 1915
England lowers age of women voters from 30 to 21, 1928
Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (later renamed Sony) is founded with around 20 employees, 1946
The Council of Europe is founded during the Hague Congress, 1948
The concept of the integrated circuit, the basis for all modern computers, is first published by Geoffrey W.A. Dummer, 1952
Canadian Patrick Morrow became the first person to climb each of the Seven Summits, 1986
The Space Shuttle Endeavour is launched on its first mission, 1992
Mercedes-Benz buys Chrysler for $40 billion USD and forms DaimlerChrysler in the largest industrial merger in history, 1998
The tomb of Herod the Great is discovered, 2007
My to do list is going to eat me.
At least, that's how it feels.
The shelter is overrun, five more barely weaned kittens were dumped there on Wednesday. They have been moved to a foster home to be socialized and finish with weaning.
Zeva, Emmie, and Petey have been adopted.
The rest of the names have not changed, and only Angel is sick. They think it is a staph infection.
The kittens are growing, and the mamas are growing tired of being in cages with only their babies for company.
Flower delivery Friday and Saturday will be interspersed with kid stuff, errands, and stopping by the house to feed kittens after every run. Talk about complicating matters!
The church was cleaned a day early, for all the good it did, as there were workers arriving as we were leaving, and someone has locked the janitor closet in the kid building and hidden the key where we can't find it. Not a smart move, hiding the janitor closet key from the janitor, but some people just don't have enough upstairs to realize that, i guess. Naturally, no one knows who did it.
Well, either way, it's time to face the weekend, one day at a time.
Today is
Beverage Day -- an internet holiday that encourages you to try a beverage you've never had before
Canadian Tulip Festival -- Ottawa, Ontario (through the 23rd)
Child Care Provider Appreciation Day
Dandelion May Fest -- Der Marktplatz, Dover, Ohio (through tomorrow)
Electra Goat BBQ Cook Off -- Electra, Texas (through tomorrow)
Eyvind Kelve -- Norse Calendar (pagan martyr)
Hidirellez -- Turkey (arrival of spring and a religious holiday for the Alevi peoples)
International No Diet Day
Joseph Brackett Day
Kansas Barbed Wire Swap/Sell -- La Crosse, Kansas (held by the Barbed Wire Collectors Association, and no, i'm not making that up!)
Lobster Race Day -- Aiken, South Carolina, US
Martyrs' Day -- Lebanon; Syria
Military Spouse Appreciation Day
National Crepe Suzette Day
National Tourist Appreciation Day
National Student Nurse Day
No Homework Day (So you can have time off to be with mom, right?)
No Pants Day -- International (really! More and more people are going without pants on the first Friday in May, from students to business leaders to respected community leaders; enjoy running around all day in colorful boxers or bloomers, and make sure your boss is okay with it!)
Shepherd's and Herdsman's Day -- Bulgaria
Space Day
Tuba Day
Anniversaries Today:
Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey (the first televised royal wedding), 1960
Birthdays Today:
George Clooney, 1961
Tom Bergeron, 1955
Tony Blair, 1953
Bob Seger, 1945
Willie Mays, 1931
Orson Welles, 1915
Stewart Granger, 1913
Rudolph Valentino, 1895
Gaston Leroux, 1868
Sigmund Freud, 1856
Robert E. Peary, 1856
Maximilian Robespierre, 1758
Today in History:
Spanish and German Imperial troops sack Rome, which many consider the end of the Renaissance, 1527
Mogol emperor Babur defeats the Afghans and Bengals, 1529
Henry VIII orders that English Bibles be placed in every church, 1536
Louis XIV of France moves his court to Versailles, 1682
The first African-American Masonic Lodge (African # 459) forms Prince Hall, Boston, 1787
John Deere produces the first steel plow, 1833
James Gordon Bennett, Sr. publishes the first issue of the New York Herald, 1835
The Glaciarium, the world's first mechanically frozen ice rink, opens, 1844
Dr John Gorrie patents a "refrigeration machine", 1851
Linus Yale patents the Yale lock, 1851
Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrenders to United States troops in Nebraska, 1877
The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris, 1889
George V becomes King of the United Kingdom upon the death of his father, Edward VII, 1910
George Herman "Babe" Ruth, of the Boston Red Sox, slams his first home run, against the New York Yankees, 1915
The German zeppelin Hindenburg catches fire and is destroyed, 1937
John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath, 1940
Bob Hope performs his first USO show, 1941
Roger Bannister becomes the first person to run the mile in under four minutes, 1954
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and French President François Mitterrand officiate at the opening of the Channel Tunnel, 1994
Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people, 2008
Doing the kitten shuffle means two different things in this house.
First, it means how we walk. Don't lift your feet. Shuffle like your mama told you not to when you were a child. Only when you are around the kittens, of course. That way, if you do accidentally catch one with your foot, you won't be actually stepping down on it full force, with all of your weight.
Second, it means kittens getting adopted or moved to other foster homes. Festival and Hinata have been moved t0 a foster home until they can go to their adoptive home over the weekend. So we "only" have 16 kittens in the house right now. Their new foster is thrilled with them, her son is having a ball, and they love being able to run around and explore a whole new place.
So, our first successful launches of kittens into the wide world for this year. Hope the rest go as smoothly, although this road is never really totally smooth.
In other news, i will be delivering flowers for Mother's Day both Friday and Saturday.
Bigger Girl, #2 Son, and Little Girl will be going to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the weekend. That will make the cooking lighter for Friday night, when Sweetie has to work anyway, and for Saturday. It will have no effect on Brother-in-Law The Mouth's demands for a huge meal on Sunday.
Today is
Bevrijdingsday (Liberation Day) -- Netherlands
Bonza Bottler Day
Cartoonists Day -- celebrates the first color cartoon ever published, The Yellow Kid, on this day in 1895.
Childhood Stroke Awareness Day
Children's Day -- South Korea
Cinco de Mayo -- Mexico, and anyplace that beer brewers want to make a minor battle into a big deal to increase beer sales today
Constitution Day -- Kyrgyzstan
Coronation Day -- Thailand (crowning of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950)
Europe Day -- Council of Europe
Fairy Ring Day -- Fairy Calendar
International Midwives Day
Kodomo-no-hi (Children's Day)-- Japan
Liberation Day -- Denmark
Lusophone Culture Day -- Community of Portuguese-speaking countries
Martin Z. Mollusk Day, Ocean City, NJ (if the hermit crab sees his shadow, summer comes a week early)
Martyr's Day -- Albania
National Chocolate Custard Day
National Day of Prayer -- USA, Interfaith
National Day of Reason
National Hoagie Day
Oyster Day
Patriot's Victory Day -- Ethiopia
Procession of the Snake Catchers -- Cocullo, Italy
Senior Citizens Day -- Palau
St. Judith's Day (patron of Prussia)
Totally Chipotle Day
Ziua Barbatului(Men's Day) -- Romania
Birthdays Today:
Danielle Fishel, 1981
Tina Yothers, 1973
Brian Williams, 1959
Tammy Wynette, 1942
Pat Carroll, 1927
Ann B. Davis, 1926
Alice Faye, 1915
Tyrone Power, 1913
James Beard, 1903
Nelly Bly, 1864
John Batterson Stetson, 1830
Karl Marx, 1818
Soren Kierkegaard, 1813
Today in History:
Rebel barons begin a chain of events that leads to King John of England's eventual signing of the Magna Carta, 1215
Kublai Khan becomes ruler of the Mongol Empire, 1260
Jews are expelled from Speyer Germany, 1430
Christopher Columbus lands at Jamaica and claims it for Spain, 1494
In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614, 1789
Citizenship is denied to Jews of Canton of Aargau Switzerland, 1809
Mary Kies becomes the first woman issued a US patent, for a method of weaving, 1809
The American Bible Society organizes in NY, 1816
Emperor Napoleon I dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena, 1821
In Belgium, the first railway in continental Europe opens between Brussels and Mechelen, 1835
The American Medical Association forms in Philidelphia, 1847
Cinco de Mayo in Mexico: troops led by Ignacio Zaragoza halt a French invasion in the Battle of Puebla, 1862
The first train robbery in the US occurs in North Bend, Ohio, 1865
Sitting Bull leads his band of Lakota into Canada to avoid harassment by the United States Army, 1877
The Music Hall in New York City (later known as Carnegie Hall) has its grand opening and first public performance, with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor, 1891
Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern baseball history, 1904
Coco Chanel introduces Chanel No. 5, 1921
John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee's Butler Act, 1925
West Germany gains full sovereignty, 1955
Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, 1961
Only in my house would there be a turtle in the mop bucket, because #2 Son already has a snake in the tub.
Only in my house can you hear a teenage girl say, "I can't put those shoes on, the kittens peed on my shoe inserts!"
Only in my house is the window wide open, allowing all of that expensive "conditioned" air to grace the neighborhood, because, "The cat likes the window open!" Sweetie really does spoil Horizon.
Only in my house do i have to ask why there is a dead snail on the counter. The answer? Because it was already dead when it dropped off of the gladiolas someone brought in.
Only in my house is there a pet IV set up next to the chest freezer, the top of which doubles as kitten treatment central.
Only in my house do crawfish platters (15 inch diameter plastic platters with 1 1/2 inch lips used to serve boiled crawfish) double as kitten food bowls, and routinely have kittens falling asleep in them on top of the food.
Only in my house does everyone have to say, "Duck!" before closing the upright fridge or freezer door because there is a heap of kittens sleeping on the floor in front of the unit where the heat comes out, and you have to teach them to duck when you close the door.
Only in my house can you find this much craziness and kitten love. We wouldn't have it any other way, either.
Today is
Bird Day
Cassinga Day -- Namibia
Declaration of Independence Day -- Latvia
Death of Shabdrung Day -- Bhutan
Dodenherdenking -- Netherlands (Remembrance of those in the armed forces who have died in war or peacekeeping missions.)
Great American Grump Out
International Firefighters' Day
May Fourth Movement
Literary Day -- Republic of China
Youth Day -- People's Republic of China
Memorial Day -- Curacaor9
Midori no hi -- Japan (Greenery Day)
National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day
National Candied Orange Peel Day
National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Occupational Safety and Health Professional's Day
Relationship Renewal Day
Remembrance Day for Martyrs and the Disabled -- Afghanistan
Respect for Chickens Day -- International
St. Florian's Day (patron of Poland, upper Austria, brewers, chimney sweeps, firefighters)
St. Gotthard's Day
Star Wars Day -- greet others with "May the 4th be with you!"
Birthdays Today:
Randy Travis, 1959
Pia Zadora, 1956
George F. Will, 1941
Audrey Hepburn, 1929
Heloise Bowles Cruse, 1919
Bartolomeo Cristofori, 1655
Today in History:
Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics at the Council of Constance, 1415
Peter Minuit becomes director-general of New Netherlands, 1626
A French manufacturer debuts the first folding umbrella, 1715
Rhode Island becomes the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III, 1776
Napoleon arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile, 1814
The Haymarket Square Riot takes place in Chicago, 1886
The United States begins construction of the Panama Canal, 1904
The Royal Canadian Navy is created, 1910
May Fourth Movement: Student demonstrations take place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, protesting the Treaty of Versailles, 1919
Al Capone begins serving an eleven-year prison sentence for tax evasion, 1932
Ernest Hemingway is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea, 1953
The "Freedom Riders" begin a bus trip through the South, 1961
The Don't Make A Wave Committee, a fledgling environmental organization founded in Canada in 1971, officially changes its name to "Greenpeace Foundation", 1972
An all-female Japanese team reaches the summit of Manaslu, becoming the first women to climb an 8,000-meter peak, 1974
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1979
Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after the Soviet occupation, 1990
The Scottish National Party wins the Scottish general election and becomes the largest party in the Scottish Parliament for the first time ever, 2007
Kittens, that is.
Yes, really.
The friend of #1 Son who brought us Gabriel, who is actually eating now, and Emma, decided that they could not handle the other two kittens from that litter. So we have two buff females and two smoke points in the house now.
Then, of course, there were the ones that showed up at the pet store. The lady left them for the mama, but it had been more than a day, there are several feral male cats in the area, and there are raccoons. So she scooped them up, and she first approached another rescue that doesn't work with tiny kittens. Anne saw that. knew what the answer would be, and went over, then called me.
So we have:
Maximus and Cinderheart, both weaned and on the schedule for surgery.
Hinata and Festival (new name, now that we know she's a she), both weaned and on the schedule also.
McCartney, Balthazar, Hannah, and Laura, weaned but barely, not quite ready for surgery.
Tara, sole survivor of a litter of 4, a feisty little gal who is trying to learn to eat dry food before she is even big enough to drink from a bowl.
Emma and Gabriel, who barely survived, and now their two sisters, who are looking good.
Jayden and Rosalie, being raised for an individual who wants them back, thus not part of any rescue group i work with.
Three new as yet unnamed barely 3 week olds.
Over the weekend, Hinata and Festival went to the adoption event for pre-adoption, just to get them used to being out there, and see if there was any interest. They were both adopted together, by a lady whose last cat was a stray that finally ran away and who couldn't separate sisters. They will stay here until their surgery date, then go to their new home.
Other people measure whether spring is truly here by the blooms on the trees or the grass needing to be mowed. In this house, we know it is spring when the kitten count changes almost daily.
Today is
Bent Wand-Straightening Day -- Fairy Calendar
Bona Dia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a women's festival)
Childhood Depression Awareness Day / Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
Constitution Day -- Poland
Constitution Memorial Day -- Japan
Dia de la Cruz -- Latin America
Garden Meditation Day
Iroquois Corn Planting Ceremony -- Iroquois Native Americans (through the 6th)
Lumpy Rug Day
National Teacher Day
National Raspberry Popover Day
National Two Different Colored Shoes Day (Be careful with this one.)
Paranormal Day (i have enough trouble with normal, thank you.)
Spring Fair -- Seville, Spain (through the 8th, Seville's premier party of the year)
St. James the Lesser's Day (patron of the dying, hatters, Uruguay)
St. Phillip's Day (patron of Luxembourg, Uruguay)
World Press Freedom Day -- International
Birthdays Today:
Christopher Cross, 1951
Mary Hopkin, 1950
Doug Henning, 1947
Frankie Valli, 1937
James Brown, 1933
Sugar Ray Robinson, 1921
Pete Seeger, 1919
Bing Crosby, 1903
Golda Meir, 1898
Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469
Today in History:
Christopher Columbus first sights Jamaica (Santiago), 1494
Francis Bacon is charged with bribery, 1621
A royal charter is granted for Connecticut, 1662
The last total solar eclipse to be observed from London for the next 900 years occurs as predicted by Edmund Halley; called Halley's eclipse as he predicted it to within 4 minutes accuracy and described its path to within 30km, 1715
The Constitution of May 3 (the first modern constitution in Europe) is proclaimed by the Sejm of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, 1791
Washington, D.C., is incorporated as a city, 1802
The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway is opened. It is the first steam hauled passenger railway to issue season tickets and include a tunnel, 1830
The Hudson's Bay Company gives up all claims to Vancouver Island, 1867
The Great Fire of 1901 in Jacksonville, Florida, destroys 1,700 buildings, 1901
Raja Harishchandra the first full-length Indian feature film is released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry, 1913
The poem In Flanders Fields is written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, 1915
Nellie Tayloe Ross becomes the first woman to head the United States Mint, 1933
Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is awarded the Pulitzer Prize, 1937
The Kentucky Derby is televised for the first time, 1951
Lieutenant Colonels Joseph O. Fletcher and William P. Benedict of the United States land a plane at the North Pole, 1952
The Anne Frank House opens in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1960
The first "spam" email is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States, 1978
The strongest tornado ever recorded, one of 66 tornadoes recorded that day,with winds of up to 313mph, strikes Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1999
The sport of geocaching begins, with the first cache placed and the coordinates from a GPS posted on Usenet, 2000
New Hampshire's famous Old Man of the Mountain collapses, 2003
It's official.
Little Girl, the youngest of my children, is now 13.
There are no more little kids in my house, or even tweens. Until #1 Son turns 20 in July, in fact, there are 4 teens in the house. Wow.
This birthday was better than the last one for her. Last year, her brother had built a bike ramp and helped her to a broken arm two days before.
This year, she got a spaghetti dinner and cake, the latter accompanied by the worst rendition of "Happy Birthday" i have ever heard. Sweetie, the musician, swears it was sung in 4 1/2 different keys. That wouldn't surprise me, with the crew we always have around here.
So no more baby around the house, except for the kitten babies, of course. That's okay, i'll wait for grandchildren, and i want college graduations and weddings first, please. Call me old fashioned, it's the responsible way.
Today is
Baby Day -- an internet originated holiday, and if you are so inclined, spend some time with a baby today
Brothers and Sisters Day (not to be confused with National Siblings Day on April 10 each year)
Day of Osiris going forth from his mountain -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar
Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference -- Fairy Calendar
Flag Day -- Poland
Holiday of the Region of Madrid -- Madrid, Spain
King's Day -- Lesotho
Melanoma Monday -- learn how to check yourself for skin cancer
National Education Day -- Indonesia
National Play Your Ukulele Day -- just because it's fun!
National Truffles Day
Roberts Rules of Order Day
St. Athanasius' Day
St. Zoe's Day
Teacher's Day -- Bhutan; Iran
Twelfth Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i
Birthdays Today:
David Beckham, 1975
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, 1972
Lesley Gore, 1946
Bianca Jagger, 1945
Engelbert Humperdinck, 1936
Roscoe Lee Browne, 1925
Theodore Bikel, 1924
Dr. Benjamin Spock, 1903
Baron Von Richthofen, 1892
Hedda Hopper, 1885
Henry M. Robert, 1837 (author of those Rules of Order we celebrate today)
Today in History:
Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft, 1536
John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation, 1559
Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle, 1568
The King James Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker, 1611
King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America, 1670
William Herschel discovers 1st binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris, 1780
Charles Fremantle founds the Swan River Colony in Australia, 1829
Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao, 1866
Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time, 1885
Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion, 1885
The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium, 1885
Hannibal W Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film, 1887
General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware, 1918
Pearl S. Buck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth, 1938
The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg, 1952
Tennessee Williams is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955
The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City, 1969
The 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, opens, 1986
The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy, 1998
President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military, 2000
Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless, 2008
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Barn homes are few and far between for cat rescue groups. Most are already overrun with cats that thoughtless and cruel people just dump out in the country figuring "someone" will give them a home, since they don't want to be responsible -- never mind, i was about to start a rant that i will save for another day.
So, anyway, when we went to clean the shelter this week, we were greeted with the great news that JuJu, who still hisses at everything, Buttercup, who still tries to bite everyone who cleans her cage, and Clint, whom i almost forgot to care for because i didn't know he was in a cage in the big room and who tried to get me as i fed him, are all headed for a barn home soon. Now we just have Baby, who has reverted to nasty status since being moved back to the store room, and Frieda, who wants attention only on her terms, to deal with. Prissy is really nice when you let her settle down and get to know her. She just despises other cats. Grady is the only one who tolerates her, either, and of course he tries to escape whenever he can. Maybe that's why he is so desperate to get out!
PittyPat, Zeppelin, Milky Way, Cassius, and Ringo have all been adopted, and no, i don't know who picks the names, except for my own fosters. Those come, of course, from the fertile imaginations of my own children, who are as crazy as i am.
Piper is back, with a vengeance it seems, like Grady, escaping at every turn. Candy is being nice, as she no longer has to put up with Baby. Dustie and Angel are loves as always.
The alien cats, staring at everyone who comes by with ET eyes, are all on eye drops. Maybe if DeeDee, Georgie, Jimmy, and Joey would blink once in a while, this wouldn't happen.
After a final scrub of the room with bleach and a scrub of themselves with ringworm shampoo, Maxwell, LuLu, Ginger, and Zeva have been declared clear of the despised infection and ready to be adopted. New friend Whiskers, very much a friendly thing, will be ready as soon as he gets back from the vet.
Precious is still upset, but seems to be calming a little. Her friend Harry, who came in with her, is finally having a settling influence on her. If we can get them into a room, that would help also.
The rooms however, are at a premium right now. Ellen, Gulliver, Portia, Devon, Henry, Neko, Katy, and Emmie are all taking the rest of the available space, and then there are the moms and babies.
All five mothers and all 22 babies are growing and thriving. One mama is hissing at everyone who passes, and is teaching her almost ready to be fixed kittens to do the same. We have to get people in to play with all of these kittens soon, maybe get them into rooms where they will get more interaction. Even the youngest are getting old enough to need more time with people so they will grow up friendly and trusting.
Miss W was busy with the final bleaching of the quarantine room when we went in, so i got the privilege of caring for the mamas and babies this time. Thus i have seen that all of these babies need interaction. They are doing well, though, and we will have our hands full getting homes for everyone.
Lucky, the shelter mascot now, is really showing his age. He has decided the floor is his favorite litter box. He still lives for treats, and takes his pills like a trooper if they are wrapped in something he loves to eat. Such a loving old guy, happy just eating and watching people and messing on the floor and getting petted whenever anyone has a moment to spare.
Speaking of full hands, my baker's dozen is still at that count. Gabriel continues to refuse to eat for hours at a time, during which he is plied with IV fluids and sugar water, then suddenly scarfs a whole bottle, only to refuse to eat again for another long stretch. If he makes it, it will be a miracle on the order of our own Hope, who by all rights should never have made it past her first day. Gabriel, however, shouldn't come out of it with brain damage like she did.
Today is
Amtrak Day
Beltaine / Samhain -- Wicca
Chimney Sweeps Day
Constitution Day -- Marshall Islands
Executive Coaching Day
Faint-Hearted Fairies May (or May Not) Ball -- Fairy Calendar
Gujarat Day / Maharashtra Day -- India
Holocaust Remembrance Day
International Labour/Workers Day -- celebrated by many nations
Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day (20-25mph in school zones, please)
Law Day, USA
Lei Day -- Hawai'i
Loyalty Day
May Day -- celebrated as the beginning of summer in some places, as a Labor Day in others
Mother Goose Day
Motorcycle Mass and Blessing the Bikes Day -- Patterson, New Jersey, US
National Chocolate Parfait Day
National Dance Day
National Infertility Survival Day
National Love Day -- Czech Republic (couples flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss)
New Home Owner's Day
'Obby 'Oss (Hobby Horse) Parade -- Padstow, Cornwall, England (every May 1 since 1502, if the records are correct)
People's Unity Day -- Kazakhstan
Riding of the Bounds -- Berwick-upon-Tweed, Casey, England (riders scour the countryside to be sure the Scots have not encroached upon English soil in this 5 century old tradition)
Rodonitsa -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (day to offer feasts to the ancestors, named for Rod, god of family and the cosmos)
Santacruzan / Flore de Mayo -- Philippines (lasts through the month)
Save the Rhino Day -- International
School Principals' Day
St. Efsio's Day
St. Joseph the Worker's Day
St. Peregrine Laziosi's Day (patron against cancer)
St. Tamenend's Day (aka Tammany's Day)
St. Walpurga's Day (The saint who banishes the evil from Walpurgis night.)
Virgen de Chapi -- Peru
Yom HaSho'ah -- Jewish
Yotaka Matsuri -- Fukuno, Toyama, Japan (enjoy floats, paper lanters, and mock battles in this two day festival)
Zuni Green Corn Dance -- Zuni Native Americans (welcoming back the Corn Maidens who fled during the winter, through the 4th)
Birthdays Today:
Tim McGraw, 1967
Ray Parker, Jr., 1954
Rita Coolidge, 1945
Judy Collins, 1939
Terry Southern, 1924
Jack Paar, 1918
Glenn Ford, 1916
Kate Smith, 1909
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Burke), 1852
King Kamehameha I of Hawai'i, 1738
Today in History:
The Wars of Scottish Independence end with a treaty recognizing the Kingdom of Scotland as a separate entity, 1328
The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, 1707
Species Plantarum is published by Linnaeus, marking the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, 1753
Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain, 1759
Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt establishes the Illuminati in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), 1776
Kamehameha, the king of Hawai'i defeats Kalanikupule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawai'i, 1785
Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Austria, 1786
The British colonies abolish slavery, 1834
The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom, 1840
Hong Kong Police Force, the world's second, Asia's first modern police force is established, 1844
Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition in London, 1851
The Empire of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance, 1865
The Folies Bergère opens in Paris, 1869
Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States, 1884
The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her two hundred and second, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic, 1915
The first cooked meals on a scheduled flight are introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris, 1927
The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named, 1930
The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City, 1931
The Summer Olympics are canceled due to war, 1940
The Salk vaccine is made available to the public, 1956
Fidel Castro proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections, 1961
Amtrak is formed to take over the U.S. passenger rail service, 1971
Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, 1987
On the same day, Rickey Henderson of the Oakland A's sets the record for stolen bases (his 939th), and Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers pitches his 7th career no-hitter, breaking his own record, 1991
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, , 2004
Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden, 2009
