Friday was a long, long day.
Worth it, though. It started as usual, with kitten feedings and tons of laundry and dishes. Fielding kid questions. Making sure lunches got packed and groceries got purchased.
After dropping the kids at school, i took the three biggest kittens to the shelter to go up for adoption. Their combo test was negative, and they will be scheduled for surgery next week.
Meanwhile, i also arrived there to find out that in addition to my usual duties feeding, watering, and medicating, the morning caretaker hadn't come in and hadn't called until 11am to say she was sick, so the litter boxes hadn't been taken care of, either. Usually, Little Girl is there to help me, but i had to go early while she was still at school. Still i managed to do it alone, which was fine. Only 3 kitties in isolation, too, so that helped.
Back home to feed kittens, throw together some leftovers for supper, and as soon as Sweetie got the kids home from school, Little Girl and i headed to the church for my favorite night, rEcess.
Little Girl had never volunteered before, and even though i didn't get a chance to check it out ahead of time to make sure it was okay to bring her, i figured she's so good with kids it would only help to have an extra set of hands.
Never in my wildest dreams could i have imagined how right i would be.
We had 5 special needs kids and 10 siblings. We also had several volunteers not show up. Lack of communication, they somehow thought it had been cancelled.
It was a wild and crazy night. Often we couldn't concentrate on one child only, so i often ended up carrying one while chasing another. Our regular nurse wasn't there to do medical, and it took Brad a while to figure out where the rest of Ginny's feeding tube was, and Emmy, poor baby, pulled hers out (her parents say she's been doing that a lot lately). Lana's tubes got tangled, too, so we had a time with it and it's a good thing her older sister knows the machinery inside and out.
Little Girl stayed in the big room where most of the playing and the arts and crafts are done and just manned the room. Whatever was going on, she was playing, helping, carrying, and just generally taking care of whatever or whoever was in there, while the adults traded off being in there with her, depending on which kids wanted to do what activity. She was the constant in that room.
My night was traded off between trying to get Grace to eat and chasing her everywhere, following Emmy, and making sure Jack settled down long enough to eat. Speaking of Jack, the last time, one of his legs was in a cast. He healed, and grew an inch! He may not be able to walk, but he rolls wherever he needs to go and doesn't let anything slow him down.
A few times, i was also carrying Grace and chasing Thomas, the two-year-old sibling of Emmy, or carrying Thomas and chasing Grace. It works both ways.
Even short handed we had a lovely night. The parents all came back from their respective nights off to find we had helped the kids pot some impatiens for them, and make Mothers' Day cards, and use glitter glue to decorate hats. Everyone also got a special backpack with some summer supplies, thanks to a generous donor who wanted them to remember us through the summer.
It's going to be a long time until September, and i miss all these kids already. Giving parents of extreme special needs kids a night off once in a while is so much fun, that even with the wildness of having so many to supervise at once on her first night Little Girl can't wait to come back with me.
Today is
Apple Blossom Festival -- Gettysburg, PA, US (58th annual; through tomorrow)
Bark in the Park -- Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL, US (in recognition of Be Kind to Animals week which begins tomorrow; sponsored by The Anti-Cruelty Society)
Bird Day -- anniversary of the first Bird Day declared in 1894 by the Superintendent of Schools in Oil City, PA, Charles Babcock
Bladder Cancer Awareness Day -- see this site for details
Cassinga Day -- Namibia
Clun Green Man Festival -- Clun, Shropshire, England (spring festival ending with the Clun Green Man battling and defeating the Frost Queen to end winter and bring in spring, along with a May Fair; through the 7th)
Compliment Someone's Smile Day
Cotton Pickin' Fair -- Gay, GA, US (a fabulous two days of Southern family fun)
Declaration of Independence Day -- Latvia
Dodenherdenking -- Netherlands (Remembrance of those in the armed forces who have died in war or peacekeeping missions.)
Fairy Ring Day (Giving) -- Fairy Calendar
Free Comic Book Day -- for the full line up of comics that will be given away today, check here
Frustrating the Fairies Day -- Ireland (a day to confuse the fairies so they may not cause any mischief)
Galveston Historic Homes Tour -- Galveston, TX, US (Galveston Island’s great treasures of Victorian and post-Victorian architecture that are privately owned are opened for tours this weekend and next)
Giro D'Italia -- Naples to Brescia, Italy (one of cycling's three Grand Tours; through the 26th)
Herb Day -- an international celebration of herbs and all the flavor they add to our lives; try a new herb to season a dish today
Holland Tulip Time Festival -- Holland, MI, US (one of the best small town festivals in the US, with visitors from around the world; through next Saturday)
Holy Saturday -- Orthodox Christians following the Julian Calendar
International Firefighters' Day
International Space Day
Join Hands Day -- uniting young people and adults to do community service projects
Kansas Sampler Festival -- Liberal, KS, US (a living brochure of the state of Kansas, with over 100 communities, hiking trails, historic sites, off-the-beaten-track places, and more represented in one place, highlighting all the great things there are to do in the state of Kansas; through tomorrow)
Kentucky Derby Day -- Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY, US (the longest continually held sporting event in the US)
Low Country Shrimp Festival -- McClellanville, SC, US (seafood, arts, crafts, civic displays, entertainment, and the blessing of the fleet)
May Fourth Movement
Literary Day -- Republic of China
Youth Day -- People's Republic of China
Memorial Day -- Curacao (military ceremonies to honor victims of WWII, not a government holiday)
Midori no hi -- Japan (Greenery Day/Arbor Day)
National Candied Orange Peel Day
National Homebrew Day
National Kids Fitness Day -- this one doesn't seem to have any particular sponsor or organization behind it, but please get those kids outdoors to do something fun, any time you can!
National Orange Juice Day
National Scrapbooking Day -- begun by Creative Memories, now celebrated by scrapbookers everywhere
National Travel and Tourism Week begins -- US
National Weather Observers Day -- another fun day not sponsored by anyone; as good a day, though, as any other to learn a bit more about meteorology
Orthodox Holy Saturday -- Orthodox Christians following the Julian Calendar
Peddler's Village Strawberry Festival -- Lahaska, PA, US (strawberries in every form imaginable; through tomorrow)
Relationship Renewal Day -- because someone, somewhere, wants you to stop taking the ones you love for granted
Remembrance Day for Martyrs and the Disabled -- Afghanistan
Respect for Chickens Day -- International (United Poultry Concerns)
Sagami Giant Kite Festival -- Sagami, Japan (through tomorrow; giant kite that requires a team of 100 people is flown on the banks of the Sagami River)
St. Florian's Day (Patron of brewers, chimney sweeps, coopers, drowning victims, fire prevention, firefighters, harvests, soap-boilers; Austria; Chur, Switzerland; Linz, Austria; Poland; against battle, drowning, fire, and flood)
a recognized holiday in Austria
St. Venerius of Milan's Day (Patron of lighthouse keepers)
Star Wars Day -- greet others with "May the 4th be with you!"
Towsontown Spring Festival -- Towson, MD, US (four stages of continual entertainment, food, art and photography exhibit, and more; through tomorrow)
Virginia State Championship Chili Cook-Off -- Roanoke, VA, US (the best chili from around the country, and much more)
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
A few weeks ago, it seems like yesterday, i posted a Feline Friday about Treasure.
The Treasure is All Growed Up now, and heading to the shelter today to go up for pre-adoption.
This was Iris, JetStar, and Scorj, or however #2 Son spells that last name, when they arrived, so little.
Today:
He's happy, and loves to play with his sister's tail.
The two big girls, laying on top of and among the "littles," which are only a bit bigger than they were in the first picture.
The adventure continues.
Today is
Bats Day in the Fun Park -- Anaheim, CA, US (includes The Bats Day Happy Haunts Swinging Wake: A Costumed Celebration, a Bat's Day Holiday Black Market, and a Spooky Trip to Disneyland; through Sunday)
Bent Wand-Straightening Day -- Fairy Calendar
Bona Dia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a women's festival)
Canadian Tulip Festival -- Ottawa, O (the largest tulip festival in the world; through the 2oth)
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta -- Portland, Oregon (the sister city to Guadalajara, Mexico, has a multicultural party; through Sunday)
Constitution Day -- Poland
Constitution Memorial Day -- Japan (Part of the Showa Golden Week Festivities)
Dandelion May Fest -- Der Marktplatz, Dover, OH, US (if a food or drink can be made with dandelion, you will find it here, along with fun and entertainment galore; through tomorrow)
Dia de la Cruz -- Mexico (Day of the Holy Cross, a festive day for construction workers, with parties and a flower decorated cross placed on every piece of new construction through the country)
Exaltation of Wine -- Ribeiro, Spain (wine, fruit, music and dance, what more could you ask? through Sunday)
Florae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (ceremony at the temple of Flora)
Garden Meditation Day -- let go your concerns and center your attention on your garden
Great American Lobster Race Day -- Aiken, South Carolina, US (come adopt a lobster and have a great time!)
Good Friday/Holy Friday -- Orthodox Christians following the Julian Calendar
Hug Your Cat Day -- sponsored by Apricat
International Tuba Day -- yes, here for details
Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival -- Fernandina Beach, FL, US (celebrating the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry; through Sunday)
Lumpy Rug Day -- the tongue-in-cheek day to tease bigots about shoving unwanted facts under the rug
Magic Dragon Street Meet and Generation Next Magic Dragon -- Historic Bagnell Dam Strip and Prewitt's Point, MO, US (if you like car shows, this is the place for you! through Sunday)
May Day Fairie Festival -- Spoutwood Farm, Glen Rock, PA, US (celebrate the beginning of spring and the return of all the nature spirits to the warm world with musicians, dancers, storytellers, a Maypole dance, fairie arts and crafts activities and vendors, education about healthy eating and organic farming, fairie and gnome habitat tours, fairie tea parties, and guest appearances by the Green Man, the Mossmen, Sweet Pea, and others; through Sunday)
National Raspberry Popover Day / National Raspberry Tart Day
National Two Different Colored Shoes Day -- celebrate your uniqueness, take a risk, and step outside of your routine today
No Pants Day -- first Friday in May, and not to be confused with the annual No Pants Subway Ride in NYC
Orangeburg Festival of Roses -- Orangeburg, SC, US (celebrating flowers on the banks of the Edisto River, the longest black water river in the world; through Sunday)
Orthodox Good Friday -- Orthodox Christians following the Julian Calendar
Paranormal Day -- i have enough trouble with normal, thank you
Pregnancy Fitness Awareness Day -- can't confirm this is still sponsored by Karen Bridson
Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Festival -- Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, McCalla, AL, US (through tomorrow)
Specially-Abled Pet Day -- to learn more about caring for disabled pets, www.disabledpetday.com
St. James the Lesser's Day (Patron of apothecaries, druggists, the dying, fullers, hatters and hatmakers, milliners, pharmacists; Frascati, Italy; Monterotondo, Italy; Nemi, Italy; Uruguay; Venegono Inferiore, Italy)
St. Phillip the Apostle's Day (Patron of hatmakers and hatters, milliners, pastry chefs; Luxembourg; Monterotondo, Italy; Nemi, Italy; San Felipe Indian Pueblo; Uruguay; Venegono, Inferiore, Italy)
Toad Suck Daze -- Conway, AR, US (toad-jumping contests, carnival, parade, concerts, arts and crafts, softball tournament, and more; through Sunday)
Wordsmith Day
World Press Freedom Day -- International/UN
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
"Do you happen to have any bandages?"
Those are words that often send a chill to my heart. This time, they were spoken by Young Jacob, friend of both #1 and #2 Son and co-worker of Sweetie. He is part of maintenance staff.
What happened?, i asked, turning to see him holding up the little finger of his right hand, and i headed for the cabinet and pulled down the first aid kit.
"I was using a sledgehammer to beat out a dent in my car, and I broke the sledgehammer and my hand kept going and hit the car and the finger split open."
That's going to need more than a bandage, i told him.
"Nah, I turned the hose on it when it happened, and rinsed it out. You can see to the bone, it really opened up, but all it needs is to be bandaged."
Are you sure? It looks bad to me, i really think you need to have it stitched.
Little Girl walked in at this point and began pulling the stuff out of the first aid kit i had pulled from the cabinet. Young Jacob didn't answer, and i knew it was no use, so i made sure he slathered it with Neosporin.
You do need to keep a close eye on that, i told him, you don't want an infection that could lead you to lose the use of your finger, or worse.
"No, I sure wouldn't want that, it would be bad -- I need that finger to play my sax!"
Really, i do know he didn't want to go to a doctor and get it sewn closed because he can't afford it. But it has reminded me, some of these kids are made of some pretty tough stuff.
Today is
Anniversary of the 3rd Druk Gyalpo -- Bhutan
Baby Day -- birth anniversary of Dr. Spock
Badminton Horse Trials -- Badminton, Gloucestershire, England (international horse trials of show jumping, cross-country, and dressage; through Monday)
Brothers and Sisters Day/Sibling Appreciation Day -- an internet generated holiday, not to be confused with National Siblings Day on April 10 each year
Day of Osiris going forth from his mountain -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)
Festa Del Serpari -- Cocullo, Italy (The Procession of the Snake Catchers, in honor of the city's patron, St. Dominick, whom they believed could cure snakebite)
Festival of Matsu/Mazu -- Southern China and Taiwan (Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors; often worshiped in sea-faring areas surrounding China as well)
Festival of Nations -- St. Paul, MN, US (cultural exhibits, food, dance, and folk art from 90 ethnic groups in a celebration held each year since 1932; through Sunday)
Flag Day -- Poland
Holiday of the Region of Madrid -- Madrid, Spain
International Scurvy Awareness Day -- because yes, some people do still get this disease of Vitamin C deficiency; www.limestrong.com
Kansas Barbed Wire Swap/Sell -- La Crosse, Kansas (held by the Barbed Wire Collectors Association, and no, i'm not making that up! through Saturday)
King James's Day -- marking the publication in 1611 of the King James Version of the Bible
Make-a-Book Day -- the Thursday of Family Reading Week
Martin Z. Mollusk Day -- Ocean City, NJ (if the hermit crab sees his shadow, summer comes a week early)
National Day of Prayer -- US / Interfaith
National Day of Reason -- US Humanist alternative to the National Day of Prayer
National Education Day -- Indonesia
National Play Your Ukulele Day -- just because it's fun!
National Truffles Day
Richmond Mushroom Festival -- Richmond, MO, US (arts and crafts, carnival, barbecue contest, bike and car show, bands, and stage shows, all to celebrate the fun fungus; through Sunday)
Roberts Rules of Order Day -- birth anniversary of Henry M. Robert, author of the standard parliamentary guide Robert's Rules of Order
Rowdy Friends Day -- go look up the ones you haven't seen in a while
St. Athanasius the Great's 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
After all the hullabaloo, we did it! We did actually manage to sign all the documents and refinance the house!
They send the notary to you, so we met up at Sweetie's workplace early yesterday morning, grabbed a couple of his co-workers to sign the witness documents, arranged to meet later so i could give him a check (there wasn't supposed to be anything due at signing, and the lady handling it didn't inform me that had changed), and got it all done in time for the documents to go out by FedEx yesterday.
It was worth all of that. We are cutting 8 years+ off the term and lowered the interest rate from 6.5% to 3.125%.
Sometimes these banks do everything to make it harder, and i don't know why, but after 3 attempts, it's over.
New month, new mortgage, lots of smiles.
Enjoy Mayday, everyone!
Today is
Agriculture Day and Labor Day -- Haiti
Amtrak Day -- the train service began this day in 1971
Anxiety Disorders Screening Day -- if you have symptoms, get checked, there is help
Beltaine / Samhain -- Wiccan/Pagan
Calends of May -- Ancient Roman Calendar; related observances
Day sacred to Maia
Feast for Lares Praestites (household gods)
Chimney Sweeps Day -- the boys as young as 4 trained to help master sweeps got Mayday off each year
Constitution Day / National Day -- Marshall Islands
Executive Coaching Day -- a reminder, on what is most countries' Labor Day, that workers deserve great leaders
Faint-Hearted Fairies May (or May Not) Ball -- Fairy Calendar
Feast of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage -- Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines (pilgrimages to the shrine of Nuestra Sra de la Paz y Buen Viaje; through the month)
Festival of Saint Efisio -- Cagliari, Italy (one of the most colorful religious festivals anywhere in the world; through the 4th)
Garland Dressing -- Charlton on Otmoor, England (a wooden cross is bedecked with yew and box leaves)
Go Fetch! National Food Drive for Homeless Animals -- PALS Foundation
Great American Grump Out Day -- encouraging everyone to avoid grumpiness and rudeness for 24 hours; who knows, you might enjoy it so much it will stick!
Gujarat Day / Maharashtra Day -- India
Journée Internationale de la Guérilla Tournesol / International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day -- begun in Belgium, now celebrated worldwide, guerrilla gardeners are encouraged to plant sunflowers (or an appropriate plant for their climate) in a neglected public place or shabby flower bed
Keep Kids Alive! Drive 25 Day -- 20-25mph in school zones, please
Law Day, USA
Lei Day -- Hawai'i (where you celebrate Mayday with a lei instead of mayflowers)
Loyalty Day -- US
May Day / Labor Day / Worker's Day -- International; celebrated as the beginning of summer in some places, as a Labor Day in others
Mother Goose Day -- as declared by the Mother Goose Society
National Chocolate Parfait Day
National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy -- US (here for details)
National Love Day -- Czech Republic (couples flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss)
New Homeowner's Day -- can't find confirmation on this one, listed at a few sites but no history or records of why this day
'Obby 'Oss (Hobby Horse) Parade -- Padstow, Cornwall, England (every May 1 since 1502, if the records are correct)
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 -- Asatru/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, with the biggest celebratory days being May 26-27 this year)
Save the Rhino Day / Rhino Mayday -- International
School Principal's Day -- since teachers get a day, so should the principal
Stepmother's Day -- sponsored by secondwivesclub.com
St. Joseph the Worker's Day -- Holy See
St. Peregrine Laziosi's Day (Patron of AIDS patients, cancer patients, and the sick; against cancer, open sores and skin diseases)
St. Walpurga's Canonization Day (The saint who banishes the evil from Walpurgis night.)
Sunfest -- West Palm Beach, FL, US (Florida's largest music, art, and waterfront festival; through Sunday)
Tammany's Day / St. Tamenend -- US soldiers in the Revolution wanted a patron saint to rival St. George of the British Army, and chose Delaware Indian chief and wise man Chief Tamenend, also called Tammany
Unity Day -- Kazakhstan
Virgen de Chapi Festival -- Peru
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; dating approximate as many Native ceremonies are closed to outsiders)
Anniversaries Today:
Empire State Building Ribbon Cutting, 1931
Cheerios go on sale, 1941
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
The first wagon train leaves from Independence, MO, bound for California, 1841
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 cancelled 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
Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, 2011
It's going to be a Zippity Doo Dah kind of Day!
It's Little Girl's birthday. She is 15 today. Hard to believe it's been so long since she was such a tiny thing.
School is out today because of a special event that my two managed to test out of, and the Youth Group has scheduled a trip to a baseball game, so she will be doing that and going to lunch with her sister.
This is also another excuse to make Coca-Cola cake, and just have a great day all around.
May all of us have a fun, Zippity Doo Dah kind of day today!
Today is
Armed Forces Day -- Georgia
Birthday of the King / Konungens födelsedag -- Sweden (HM King Carl XVI Gustav; an official flag day)
Camarón Day -- French Foreign Legion
Consumer Protection Day -- Thailand
Contraband Days Pirate Festival -- Lake Charles, LA, US (through the 12th)
Dia de Rincon -- Rincon, Bonaire
El Dia del Nino -- Mexico (Children's Day)
Fairy Queen's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar
Faeriae Latinae -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Feast of the Latin League, a festival to honor Jupiter)
Hairstylist Appreciation Day -- if you have a good one, let him/her know
International Jazz Day -- UNESCO
Liberation/Reunification Day -- Vietnam
May Eve -- eve of the first day of summer in many traditions, including
Beltane/Samhain Eve -- Pagan traditions
Carodejnice -- Czech Republic; Slovakia
Maitag Vorabend -- Switzerland
Mange les Morts -- Haiti (festival of the dead)
Salus -- Portugal; Spain (festival of the dead)
Valborgsmässoafton -- Sweden
Walpurgis Night -- Ancient Celtic/Nordic Calendars
Mr. Potato Head Day -- the classic toy went on sale this day in 1952, and you used your own potato
National
Honesty Day -- including Honest Abe Awards (Abies) and dishonorable
mentions for those who have been particularly publicly egregious;
celebrated today because we began the month with April Fooling and lies,
so today is to celebrate the opposite*
National Raisin Day
Queen's
Day / Koninginnedag -- Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curacao,
Netherlands, and Sint Maartin); Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba
St. Adjutor of Vernon's Day (Patron of drowning victims, sailors, swimmers, yatchsmen; Vernon, France; against drowning)
St. James the Great's Day -- Orthodox Christian
Teacher's Day -- Paraguay
*to
nominate someone for an Abie or a dishonorable mention, contact M.
Hirsh Goldberg, founder and author of The Book of Lies,
mhgoldberg@comcast.net)
Anniversaries Today:
Louisiana becomes the 18th US state, 1812
Birthdays Today:
Kirsten Dunst, 1982
Jeff Timmons, 1973
Carolyn Dawn Johnson, 1971
Michael Waltrip, 1963
Isiah Thomas, 1961
Stuart Mathis, 1960
Stephen Harper, 1959
Carl XVI Gustav, King of Sweden, 1946
Jill Clayburgh, 1944
Burt Young, 1940
Willie Nelson, 1933
Cloris Leachman, 1926
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands, 1909
Eve Arden, 1908
Today in History:
Supernova SN 1006, the brightest supernova in recorded history, appears in the constellation Lupus, 1006
Orbital calculations suggest that on this day, Pluto moved inside Neptune's orbit until July 23, 1503, 1483
Columbus is given a royal commission to equip his fleet, 1492
On
the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George
Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected
President of the United States, 1789
The United States purchases the Louisiana Territory from France, 1803
Nicaragua declares independence from the Central American Federation, 1838
Casey Jones dies in a train wreck in Vaughn, Mississippi, while trying to
make up time on the Cannonball Express, 1900
Honolulu, Hawaii becomes an independent city, 1907
Peru becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty, 1920
Douglas
Fairbanks and Mary Pickford become the first celebrities to leave their
footprints in concrete at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, 1927
The animated cartoon short Porky's Hare Hunt debuts in movie theaters, introducing Happy Rabbit (a prototype of Bugs Bunny, 1938
In Bogotá, Colombia, the Organization of American States is established, 1948
The
Bristol Bus Boycott is held in Bristol to protest the Bristol Omnibus
Company's refusal to employ Black or Asian bus crews, drawing national
attention to racial discrimination in the United Kingdom, 1963
Communist forces gain control of Saigon and the Vietnam War formally ends, 1975
Accession of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, 1980
CERN announces World Wide Web protocols will be free, 1993
Cambodia joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 1999
Two
skeletal remains found near Ekaterinburg, Russia are confirmed by
Russian scientists to be the remains of Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of
Russia and one of his sisters, 2008
Chrysler automobile company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, 2009
Hailed as the largest World's Fair in history, Expo 2010 opens in Shanghai, China, 2010
Also known as a ginger tom. This one is just over 5 weeks old, and now laps milk from a bowl instead of needing a bottle. His name, which #2 Son chose in honor of some Dubstep band, is "Skorge."
From another litter, three as yet unnamed yellow kittens, also all boys.
Everyone needs a yellow kitten to pet once in a while.
Today is
Arita Ceramic Fair -- Arita, Japan (finest porcelain in Japan; during Golden Week until May 5)
Cheng
Cheng Kung Landing Day -- Taiwan (352nd anniversary of the landing in
Taiwan of Ming Dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng Kung to oust the Dutch
colonists)
Feast of the Secret Masters -- can't find
any real info on this one, and why should i if it's such a secret, but
it is fun to think about
Fish Cleaning Night -- sponsored by David Letterman (it's okay if you don't have an audience, or Mariel Hemingway)
International Dance Day -- International Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), a UNESCO partner
Jouvert Jump-Up -- Sint Martin (Break of Dawn Parade and Festival)
Milk-Curdling Sunday -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)
National
Adult Public Skipping Day -- because somebody out there either wants
you to feel like a kid again, or make a fool of you
National Shrimp Scampi Day
Remembrance of Victims of Chemical Weapons -- on the day chemical weapons were outlawed in 1997
Ridvan, Ninth Day -- Baha'i (one of the festival days on which work and school should be suspended)
Runic Half Month of Lagu (water) begins
Showa
No Hi -- Japan (Showa Day, the birth anniversary of Emperor Showa,
begins the Golden Week holiday period of four major national days,
through May 5)
Solar Alignment at Teotihuacan, City
of the Gods -- Teotihuacan, Mexico (the ritual cave opening aligns to
the sunset on Aug. 12 and Apr. 29, the same horizon position of the
setting of the Pleiades)
St. Catherine of Siena's Day
(Patron of fire prevention, firefighter, nurses, nursing services,
people ridiculed for piety, sick people; Europe; Italy; Theta Phi Alpha
Sorority; Allentown, PA, US; Siena, Italy; Verazze, Italy; against
bodily ills/sickness, fire, miscarriages, sexual temptation)
Zipper Day -- patented today in 1913
Anniversaries Today:
Princess Irene marries Prince Carel Hugo de Bourbon Parma, 1964
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, marries Catherine "Kate" Middleton, 2011
Birthdays Today:
Andre Agassi, 1970
Uma Thurman, 1970
Michelle Pfeiffer, 1958
Daniel Day-Lewis, 1957
Kate Mulgrew, 1955
Jerry Seinfeld, 1954
Dale Earnhardt, 1951
Johnny Miller, 1947
Zubin Mehta, 1936
Lane Smith, 1936
Celeste Holm, 1919
Tom Ewell, 1909
Hirohito, 1901
Duke Ellington, 1899
William Randolph Hearst, 1863
Today in History:
The Moors arrive at Gibraltar to begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, 711
Joan of Arc arrives at Orleans to relieve the siege, 1492
Francis Drake leads a raid in the Bay of Cádiz, sinking at least 23 ships of the Spanish fleet, 1587
Eleven Dutch ships depart for the conquest of Peru, 1623
The Ming Dynasty occupies Taiwan, 1661
James Cook arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia, 1770
The French Fleet prevents Britain from seizing the Cape of Good Hope, 1781
Peter Roget publishes the first edition of his Thesaurus, 1852
The "Elektromote" – forerunner of the trolleybus – is tested by Ernst Werner von Siemens in Berlin, 1882
Gideon Sundbach of Hoboken, NJ, receives a patent for the zipper, 1913
The North Sea floodgate at Ijmuiden, the biggest in world, officially opens, 1930
The telephone connection of England-Australia goes into service, 1930
The
first U.S. experimental 3D-TV broadcast airs, and episode of "Space
Patrol" shown over ABC affiliate KECA in Los Angeles, 1953
The first military nuclear power plant opens, in Ft. Belvoir 1957
A
cyclone strikes the Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh
with winds of around 155 mph, killing at least 138,000 people and
leaving as many as 10 million homeless, 1991
Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production, 2004
Syria completes withdrawal from Lebanon, ending 29 years of occupation, 2005
...one of three things:
Weird things cats do, or
Why you should make your cat an indoor only cat, or
Why your cat needs a microchip.
It is probably not all that unusual for South Wood Humane Society workers to go in to work on a Tuesday morning and find an animal abandoned on their doorstep.
It is unusual, though, for the animal to be in a brand new carrier.
It's even more unusual to eventually track down the cat's owner in Tuscon, Arizona, 1800 miles away from the Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, area.
Ace had been reported missing months earlier, and no one, except perhaps the person who dropped him at the Humane Society, knows how he ended up that far from home.
Well, Ace knows, but he's not telling.
Southwest Airlines is flying him home free, with an escort, good for them. And Ace's owner says he's grounded after that.
Today is
Chicken-Tickling Day -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)
Cubicle Day -- ??? we celebrate this because...?
Feast of Jamal(Beauty) -- Baha'i
Festival of Floralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (three day festival to Flora, goddess of flowers and vegetation)
Great Poetry Reading Day -- make sure you read some great poetry today
Hidaka
Hibuse Matsuri -- Mizusawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan (through the 29th;
floats, child musicians, traditional costumes, and fun)
James Monroe Birthday Celebration -- Charlottesville, VA, US (at his home, Ash Lawn-Highland)
Kiss
Your Mate Day -- guys, do not forget this one, in case she reads it
somewhere on the internet; kiss her, then read her a great poem
Lag B'Omer -- Judaism (began sunset yesterday)
Landsgemeinde
-- Appenzell, Inner Rhoden Canton, Switzerland (one of the last
examples of direct democracy left; the final Sunday of each April all
voters in the canton age 18 and older, wearing traditional swords,
gather for a church service and then vote directly on all affairs of the
canton for the year; no secret ballots, all raise their hands to vote
yea or nay; festival follows. This tradition dates back to the 14th
century.)
Mother, Father Deaf Day -- to honor deaf
parents and recognize the gifts of culture and language they give to
their hearing children; sponsored by CODA (Children of Deaf Adults
International)
National Blueberry Pie Day
National
Day of Mourning -- Canada (In conjunction with Workers' Memorial Day
and World Day for Safety and Health at Work, honoring those injured or
killed on the job)
National Heroes Day -- Barbados
Palm Sunday -- Orthodox Christian
Pet Parent's Day -- honoring those who consider pets a part of the family final Sunday
Rip
Cord Day -- the first successful jump with a parachute that used a rip
cord was this day in 1919 by Leslie Erwin of the U.S. Army Air Corps
Sa die de sa Sardinia -- Sardinia, Italy (Sardinia Day, celebrating the uprising of 1794)
Sense
of Smell Day -- listed on different days on many websites; While
celebrating, remember those with anosmia (diminished ability or total
inability to smell)
St. Peter Chanel's Day (Patron of Oceania)
Saint Pierre-Chanel Day -- Wallis and Fortuna
Sts. Vitalis and Valeria's Day (Patrons of Thibodeaux, Louisiana)
Turkmen Racing Horse Festival -- Turkmenistan
Victory Day -- Afghanistan
Workers
Memorial Day / World Day for Safety and Health at Work -- International
(remembering all who have lost their lives or been injured on the job)
Anniversaries Today:
Maryland becomes the 7th US State, 1788
Birthdays Today:
Jessica Alba, 1981
Penelope Cruz, 1974
Nancy Lee Grahn, 1958
Jay Leno, 1950
Ann-Margaret, 1941
Harper Lee, 1926
Oscar Schindler, 1908
Lionel Barrymore, 1878
James Monroe, 1758
Today in History:
Nichiren Buddhism is founded, 1253
Captain William Bligh and 18 crewmen from the HMS Bounty are set adrift, 1789
Chinese
and Irish laborers for the Central Pacific Railroad working on the
First Transcontinental Railroad lay 10 miles of track in one day, a feat
which has never been matched, 1869
Azerbaijan is added to the Soviet Union., 1920
The first night game in organized baseball history takes place in Independence, Kansas, 1930
A vaccine for yellow fever is announced for use on humans, 1932
Thor Heyerdahl and five crew mates set out from Peru on the Kon-Tiki, 1947
The
Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty (Treaty of Taipei) is signed in Taipei,
Taiwan between Japan and the Republic of China to officially end the
Second Sino-Japanese War, 1952
Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France, 1969
The
Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of
Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure is signed, 1977
Millionaire Dennis Tito becomes the world's first space tourist, 2001
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