"Mom, did you know there are people who now claim they believe in hobbits, just like they believe in the other legendary little people?" Bigger Girl remarked. Really? i noted. "Yes. It was on a discussion board about legendary creatures, and someone asked about dwarfs. I mean, really, isn't the Snow White story kind of creepy? Like how did all those old men know each other, and why did they all live together in one house? What were they planning? And why aren't there ever any dwarf women in any of the stories? I mean, did all dwarfs know each other automatically, like some weird fraternity?" Actually, i've never really heard the legend of how the dwarfs came to be, but all the legends about them have them as the miners and metal workers, and they all knew each other and were skilled in the work they did. They would make the armor and chain mail, and fabulous swords. They are among the little folk, so it doesn't do to ask too many questions. "Yes, I guess so. Also, I was reading in one of their discussions where one person was asking about the differences between hobbits, dwarfs and leprechauns!" And what is the difference? i asked. "That's simple," Sweetie answered, coming into the room. "Leprechauns all eat cereal that has magic horseshoe marshmallows in it!" "Oooo, so it's magically delicious!" Bigger Girl answered as we all laughed. They better hope there's no leprechauns around here. From what i gather, those shillelaghs of theirs are wicked, and they use them well!
Today is:
Anniversary Day -- Tristan da Cunha
Assumption Eve -- France; Holy See
Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival -- Bucyrus, OH, US (food and fun celebration of German heritage; through Saturday)
Day of Peace between Horus and Set -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Faradda di li candareri (Descent of the Candlesticks) -- Sassari, Sardinia (beginning of the celebration of the Assumption)
Festival for Fortuna Equestris -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Independence Day -- Pakistan(1947)
International Nagging Day -- ignore this one if you have any sense, the founder was smart enough to leave no trace
Jersey Battle of Flowers -- Jersey, Channel Islands, UK (two days of floats and family fun)
Kentucky State Fair and World Championship Horse Show -- Louisville, KY, US (if you love horses, it's the place to be since 1904; through the 24th)
La Torta dei Fieschi -- Lavagna, Italy (this city on the Italian Riviera comes to life with dance and music every year to commemorate the wedding, on this day in 1230, of Bianca de Bianchi and Count Opizzo Fiechi, as he had invited everyone in town to share the 30ft. high cake he had made for the occasion)
Liberty Tree Day -- Massachusetts, US
Little League Baseball® 2014 World Series -- South Williamsport, PA, US (through the 24th)
Mantoro Lantern Lighting -- Kasuga Taisha, Japan (through tomorrow; 3,000 lanterns light the shrine, and the main hall is open for visitors, with Bugaku and Kagura performed in the apple garden)
Milwaukee Irish Fest -- Milwaukee, WI, US (the world's largest Irish music and cultural event outside of the Emerald Isle; through Sunday)
National Creamsicle Day
National Financial Awareness Day -- can't find the history on who started this for which country, but it's wise to become financially literate no matter where you live
National Navajo Code Talkers Day -- Navajo Nation; US
Oued Ed-Dahab Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara (celebrating the recovery of this area from Spanish occupation in 1979)
Pramuka Day -- Indonesia (Scouting Day)
St. Maximillian Kolbe's Day (Patron of families, imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, recovering drug addicts, the pro-life movement; against drug addictions)
St. Werenfrid's Day (Patron of vegetable gardeners; Arnheim, Netherlands; Elst, Netherlands; Westervoort, Netherlands; against gout and stiff joints)
Sun Prairie Sweet Corn Festival -- Sun Prairie, WI, US (family fun with a carnival, midget auto races, parade, food, entertainment, and lots of hot, buttered sweet corn; through Sunday)
Wiffle Ball Day -- the wiffle ball was introduced this day in 1953
Tim Tebow, 1987 Terin Humphrey, 1986 Mila Kunis, 1983 Spencer Pratt, 1983 Jay Manuel, 1972 Catherine Bell, 1968 Halle Berry, 1966 Earvin "Magic" Johnson, 1959 Marcia Gay Harden, 1959 Gary Larson, 1950 Danielle, Steel, 1947 Antonio Fargas, 1946 Susan Saint James, 1946 Steve Martin, 1945 Lynne Cheney, 1941 David Crosby, 1941 Arthur Betz Laffer, 1940 Alice Ghostley, 1926 Buddy Greco, 1926 Russell Baker, 1925 John Ringling North, 1903 Ernest Everett Just, 1883 Ernest Lawrence Thayer, 1863 Doc Holiday, 1851 H.C. Oersted, 1777 Emperor Hanazono of Japan, 1297
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"The Front Page"(Play), 1928
Today in History
The young Emperor Antoku and three sacred treasures are taken by Taira no Munemori and the Taira clan, fleeing to western Japan to escape pursuit by the Minamoto clan, 1183 Kublai Khan's invading fleet disappears in a a typhoon near Japan, 1281 Three years after Gutenberg, the oldest known exactly dated printed book is published, 1457 Queen Elizabeth I refuses sovereignty of the Netherlands, 1585 Great Britain annexes Tristan da Cunha (remotest occupied island), 1816 Second Seminole War ends, with the Seminoles forced from Florida to Oklahoma, 1842 Oregon Territory created, 1848 Magazine "Field and Stream" begins publication, 1873 Construction of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, is completed, 1880 Japan issues its first patent, for rust-proof paint, 1885 A recording of English composer Arthur Sullivan's The Lost Chord, one of the first recordings of music ever made, is played during a press conference introducing Thomas Edison's phonograph in London, 1888 France begins requiring motor vehicle registration, 1893 The first claimed powered flight, by Gustave Whitehead in his Number 21, 1901 Mt. Rushmore project first proposed, 1925 United States Social Security Act passes, creating a government pension system for the retired, 1935 British troops are deployed in Northern Ireland, 1969 Longest game in softball history begins, as The Gager's Diner team takes on the Bend'n Elbow Tavern; the game was played to raise money for a new softball field in Monticello, NY, went to 365 innings over two days, and the Gagers won 491-467, 1976 Lech Walesa leads strikes at the Gdansk, Poland shipyards, 1980 Widescale power blackout in the northeast United States and Canada, 2003 More than 2,000 people found in Poland's largest mass grave during World War II are reburied in a military cemetery, 2009 As a sponsored event of the IOC, the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games, first ever Youth Olympics for athletes age 14-18, officially starts in Singapore, 2010 North and South Korea agree to reopen the jointly-operated Kaesong Industrial Region, 2013
#1 Son, age 23, had a weird "episode" i guess you could call it, just over a week ago. His heart started beating very, very rapidly, and he was short of breath and dizzy. This happened in the evening, and he hadn't been doing anything in particular to precipitate it. It was on a day off, so it wasn't a particularly strenuous day. He spoke to the doctor on the phone, and was reassured that he would be fine. Over the next several days, though, he had numbness in his extremities, sometimes some shortness of breath for no reason, and rapid heartbeat on occasion. He was simply planning to get a check-up soon. Then, yesterday morning, he had a dream right before he woke up. In the dream, he was running, breathing hard, and had chest pain. He also dreamed he put his left hand in the thorn bush, and was pulling thorns out of it. He woke up with shortness of breath, his left arm numb and painful, and with a rapid heartbeat and chest pain. It scared him enough that he came and got me to take him to the ER. After all, it's drilled into us that with those symptoms, you don't waste time asking questions, you just get up and "git goin'. They were efficient when we got there, i'll give them that. You say the words "chest pain" and next thing you are getting an EKG, even before they take any other vitals. He was poked and prodded and x-rayed and we spend about 3-4 hours in there all together, to find out that they can't figure the cause, but it can't be anything major. His heart is fine, his blood work is fine, his lungs look okay, and for heaven's sake, make that appointment for a full physical and let our regular doctor figure out what's up. That's his job. This one was precautionary i know, but it's a hit to the wallet more than an enlightened exercise, as part of the full physical is an EKG, as well as a spirometry test (to check lung capacity), an ankle brachial index assessment (to make sure you don't have blocked arteries in any of your limbs), and all of that blood work, plus more. All included.
Today is:
Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Right Foot -- Fairy Calendar
Crayfish Premiere -- Sweden (crayfish may be sold and served in restaurants, the day after the season opens)
Day of Battle between Horus and Set; Aset gains the Horns of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)
Festival of Aventine Diana / Nemoralia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (commemoration of the dedication of her temple; celebrated between now and the 15th, and rededicated as the Festival of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin after Christianization)
Festival of Xocotl Huetzi -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (first fruits of harvest festival; date approximate, but two weeks around the end of August)
Independence Day -- Central African Republic(1960)
International Tango Festival and World Championship -- Buenos Aires, Argentina (through the 26th)
Lao Issara -- Laos (Day of the Free Laos)
Lesser Festival of Flora -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Mae West Birthday Gala -- New York, NY, US
National Filet Mignon Day
Obon -- Buddhist (celebration to revere the ancestors; celebrated at different times even within Japan, but usually the biggest dates are in mid-August)
Perseids Meteor Shower peaks
Runic Half Month As begins (the gods)
Skinny Dipping Day -- funny t-shirt: I no longer skinny dip. I chunky dunk!
St. Cassian's Day (Patron of students and teachers; Brixen, Italy; Comacchio, Italy; Imola, Italy; Mexico City, Mexico)
St. Concordia's day (Patron of nursing mothers and wet nurses)
St. Hippolytus' Day (Patron of horses, prison guards/officers/workers; Bibbiena, Italy)
Wall Day -- anniversary of the day in 1961 that the Berlin Wall began going up; observe it by trying to break down a wall or communication barrier somewhere in your own life
Women's Day -- Tunisia
Birthdays Today
Shani Davis, 1982 Midori Ito, 1969 Quinn Cummings, 1967 Danny Bonaduce, 1959 Dan Fogelberg, 1951 Kathleen Battle, Philippe Petit, 1949 Kevin Tighe, 1944 Don Ho, 1930 Pat Harrington, Jr., 1929 Fidel Castro, 1926 George Shearing, 1919 Ben Hogan, 1912 Alfried Felix Alwyn Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, 1907 Alfred Hitchcock, 1899 Bert Lahr, 1895 Annie Oakley, 1860 Lucy Stone, 1818
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Zaire/The Tragedy of Zara"(Voltaire's "Tragedy in Verse"), 1732
Today in History
The English army under King Henry V lands at the mouth of the Seine River, 1415 Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs is conquered by the Spanish, 1521 Tenbun Hokke Disturbance, in which Buddhist monks from Kyoto's Enryaku Temple set fire to 21 Nichiren temples throughout Kyoto, 1536 John Smith submits the story of Jamestown's first days for publication, 1608 Christiaan Huygens discovers the Martian south polar cap, 1642 Founding of Litchfield, CT, 1651 Marie Antoinette and other French royals are imprisoned by Revolutionaries, 1792 Nat Turner sees the solar eclipse which he interprets as a sign from heaven to begin his ill-fated slave rebellion, 1831 Earthquake in Peru and Ecuador kills 25,000, 1868 Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his "Navigable Balloon", 1889 First production in the UK of stainless steel by Harry Brearley, 1913 Opha Mae Johnson is the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps, 1918 Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) is established as a public company in Germany, 1918 The first barbed wire fence that would become the Berlin Wall is erected, 1961 The Apollo 11 astronauts are released from a three-week quarantine to enjoy a ticker-tape parade in New York, 1969 Michael Phelps sets the Olympic record for most the gold medals won by an individual in Olympic history, 2008 Footage of the previously unseen Kawahiva tribe is released; the Kawahiva is an indigenous tribe living in Brazil's Amazon rainforest, and is thought to have had very little contact with the outside world, 2013
Gone are the days when school started the Tuesday after US Labor Day, meaning the first Tuesday in September. That's how it was when i was a kid.
Now, for some reason, we start back up in August! And they still go until the end of May, as we did. It doesn't make much sense to me, but it is what it is.
Thus yesterday was Little Girl's first day in 11th Grade. She still needs to do a couple of E2020 classes, as they are called, because they won't give her credit for what she did in the private school, but they did put her in 11th even without those.
When she came in yesterday, i asked how the first day had gone. (While i drive her to school, because it would be insane to make her catch a bus at 6am when i can drive her up there in about 6 minutes, she enjoys riding the bus home if it's not raining. She likes the bus driver, and a few of her friends on the bus.)
Her answer was, "Mom, they've moved me up to honors classes and I'm in Advanced Placement English! That's for some college credit!"
That's what happens, i told her, when you make all A's.
"But it's the same classes, just more work, like Festus said! I don't wanna do more work!"
You are good at it, honey, so you have to just dig in and do it. And you can do it, i told her.
She knows she can. And we are going to see about those E2020 classes, too, so that she can graduate on schedule.
Today is:
Aloha Day -- unofficial celebration of the annexation of Hawai'i by the US
Anniversary of Snick-Snacker's Left Foot -- Fairy Calendar
Awa Odori Festival -- Tokushima, Japan (through the 15th; one of Japan's largest dance festivals, Awa-dance is said to be a "fool's dance", and the saying is "It's a fool who dances and a fool who watches, so if both are fools, you may as well dance!")
Carnival Tuesday -- Granada
Defense Forces Day -- Zimbabwe
Festival for Hercules Invictus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through tomorrow; based on an even older Greek celebration of Heracles at the same time of year)
Festival for Venus Vitrix -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Victorius Venus)
Fox Hill Day -- Nassau, Bahamas (final day of their Emancipation celebrations)
Grouse Day/Glorious Twelfth -- England; Scotland (opening of grouse hunting season; because the 12th is a Sunday in 2012, it will actually be celebrated tomorrow)
Her Majesty the Queen's Birthday and National Mother's Day -- Thailand
International Sundance -- Manitoba, Canada (an extraordinary gathering of Elders from many Native traditions around the world, to perform the sacred Sundance of the Lakota people and sacred ceremonies of the other traditions represented; through Saturday)
International Youth Day -- UN
Julienne Fries Day
Lychnapsia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (celebration of the Birthday of Isis, instituted after the conquest of Egypt)
Machias Wild Blueberry Festival -- Machias, ME, US (blueberries and fun, in the place that has lobster, too; through Saturday)
Middle Children's Day -- on some sites, listed as Aug. 14; either way, Middle Children deserve a special day!
National Toasted Almond Bar Day
Osirian Mysteries; Feast of the Lights of Isis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate, but this is the date the Romans gave it, so who am i to quibble?)
PC Day -- no, not politically correct, personal computer; IBM introduced theirs this day in 1981
Put Peanuts in Your Coca Cola Day -- and no, i can't figure this one out, but they say don't shake it once you do it; if anyone else wants to experiment with why, let me know the results
Solar Alignment with Teotihuacan, City of the Gods -- ancient when the Aztecs found its ruins, this city's ritual cave aligns with the setting sun today and April 29, also the rising and setting dates of the Pleiades
South Mountain Fair -- Arendtsville, PA, US (celebrating agriculture, arts, crafts, and industry; through Saturday)
St. Gracilian's Day (Patron of Bassano Romano, Italy)
St. Murtagh's Day (Patron of Killaria, Ireland)
Vinyl Record Day -- celebrating the tremendous cultural influence of records, on the anniversary of the day in 1877 that Edison invented the phonograph
Casey Affleck, 1975 Pete Sampras, 1971 Peter Krause, 1964 Ann M. Martin, 1955 Pat Metheny, 1954 Sam J. Jones, 1954 Skip Caray, 1939 George Hamilton, 1939 William Goldman, 1931 George Soros, 1930 Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens, 1929 John Derek, 1926 Michael Kidd, 1915 Jane Wyatt, 1912 Cantinflas, 1911 Joe Besser, 1907 Alfred Lunt, 1892 Cecil B. DeMille, 1881 Christopher "Christy" Mathewson, 1880 Edith Hamilton, 1867 Katharine Lee Bates, 1859 "Diamond Jim" Brady, 1856 Robert Mills, 1781 Thomas Bewick, 1753
Debuting/Premiering Today:
Wings(Film, only silent film to win the Oscar for Best Picture), 1927
Today in History:
The last ruler of the Egyptian Ptolemaic Dynasty, Cleopatra VII Philopater, allegedly commits suicide by asp bite, BC30 A conjunction of Venus and Jupiter occurs which may have been what the Bible calls the Star of Bethlehem, 3 Crusaders win the Battle of Ascalon, 1099 Juan Ponce de Leon arrives in Puerto Rico, 1508 Praying Indian John Alderman shoots and kills Metacomet, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip's War, 1676 Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine, the first one to be practical for home use, 1851 Asaph Hall discovers Deimos, 1877 The last quagga, a subspecies of zebra once plentiful in South Africa, dies at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam, 1883 Hawai'i is annexed by the US, 1898 William Somerset Maugham published "Of Human Bondage", 1915 Alleged date of the first Philadelphia Experiment test on United States Navy ship USS Eldridge, 1943 The Soviet Union detonates its first thermonuclear weapon, 1953 Echo I, the first communications satellite, is launched, 1960 South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games because of its racist policies, 1964 The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, 1977 The IBM Personal Computer is released, 1981 Canada, Mexico, and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 1992 The Oscar class submarine K-141 Kursk of the Russian Navy explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, 2000 The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launches, 2005 Director of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, announces plans to release remaining Afghan War Diary documents from War in Afghanistan, 2010 President Obama's health insurance mandate from his Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is struck down by the U.S. court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2011 The International Olympic Committee announces it will punish athletes who support Russian LGBT rights at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, 2013
Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. Everyone can use a bit of cute to start the work week, so just post a picture that makes everyone say, "Awww!" and link up! Kida the Mosquito, the elderly, asthmatic Siamese who is always buzzing around, has been losing a bit of weight. Sweetie is worried, and has me putting her in his man cave 4-5 times a day with canned food to entice her. She eats most of it, and what she leaves in the bottom of the bowl i put out for the last two kittens that are waiting for formal adoption.
We share!
Yes, they really do both get their mouths in there and enjoy the treat!
Today is:
Alcatraz Day -- the first prisoners arrived this day in 1934
Carnival Monday -- Grenada
Day of Honor for Oddudua -- Santeria religion (cognate of the Roman Catholic St. Clare of Assisi; credited with the creation of humans)
Dog Days end -- yes, supposedly, in this heat
Fathers' Day -- Samoa; Tokelau (a public holiday in both countries)
Feast of St. Attracta -- Irish Catholic Saint (founded a hospice and convents, and supposedly slayed a dragon; Patron of Achonry, Ireland; Men of Lugna)
Gai Jatra -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (cow festival, celebrated in remembrance of all people who have died in the previous year)
Heroes Day -- Zimbabwe
Independence Day -- Chad(1960)
Ingersoll Day
National Raspberry Bombe Day or Raspberry Tart Day -- whichever one you like best, or both, if that's the way you roll
Perseid Meteor Showers -- in 2014, most visible in the next few days, if the full moon doesn't drown them out; the Celts believed these meteors were due to games being played by Lugh, their sun god
Play in the Sand Day -- as per many internet sites; yeah, like at the beach, nothing like sand in your shorts, i get enough of that on vacation, thank you
Presidential Joke Day**
Son and Daughter Day -- the day to give your son(s) or daughter(s) the gift of time
St. Clare of Assisi's Day -- (Foundress of the Order of Poor Ladies [Poor Clares] Franciscan nuns; Patron of embroiderers, eyes, gilders/gold workers/goldsmiths, good weather, laundry workers, needle workers, telegraphs, telephones, and television writers; Assisi, Italy; Santa Clara Indian Pueblo; against eye disease)***; related observance Fiesta de Santa Clara -- Santa Clara Pueblo, NM, US (Native American celebration of St. Clare of Assisi, their Patron saint, with a corn dance and prayers for rain)
St. Philomela's Day (Patron of babies, children, desperate causes, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes, orphans, poor people, priests, prisoners, sick people, students, test takers, toddlers, young people; against barrenness, bodily ills, infertility, mental illness, sickness, sterility)
Birthdays Today:
Will Friedle, 1976 Ashley Jensen, 1969 Viola Davis, 1965 Joe Jackson, 1955 Hulk Hogan, 1953 Stephen Wozniak, 1950 Marilyn vos Savant, 1946 Joanna Coles, 1944 Anna Massey, 1937 Arlene Dahl, 1928 Mike Douglas, 1925 (Note: he also died on this date in 2006) Alex Haley, 1921 Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond, 1862 David Rice Atchison, 1807 Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, 1667 (Last of the Medicis)
Debuting/Premiering Today:
Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Dream Child(Film), 1989 "Die Harmonie der Welt /The Harmony of the World"(Opera), 1957
Today in History:
First day of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar, used my the Maya and other pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations, BC3114 Traditional date of the defeat of Bel by Hayk, progenitor and founder of the Armenian nation, BC2492 Battle of Artemisium, naval battle of the Greco-Persian War, fought at the same time as the Battle of Thermopylae of the same war; Leonidas, King of Sparta, dies in the land battle, BC480* Papandayan Java volcanic eruption kills 3,000, 1772 Charles Lawrence gives expulsion orders to remove the Acadians from Nova Scotia beginning the Great Upheaval, 1755 The world's first roller rink opens in Newport, RI, 1866 The first civilian prisoners arrive at Alcatraz, 1934 Actress Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil receive a patent for a frequency hopping, spread spectrum communication system that later became the basis for modern technologies in wireless telephones and Wi-Fi, 1942 A bomb explodes on Pan Am Flight 830, en route from Tokyo to Honolulu, killing one teenager and injuring 15 passengers, 1984 NATO takes over command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year-history, 2003 A new species of a giant carnivorous plant, Nepethes attenboroughii, is discovered in the central Phillipines highlands, 2009 Jamaican runner Usain Bolt wins his third gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012
*some historians give different dates
**because presidents have a sense of humor, too, as shown this day in 1984 when Reagan thought the microphone was off and joked about Russia being outlawed
***why tv? because when she became too ill to attend mass at the end of her life, a miraculous image of the service would display on the wall of her room
Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus. It's a great way to start the week, so Laugh and Link Up and enjoy the fun! #2 Son loves to fish. From an early age he would fashion his own fishing poles with long, thin tree branches, string, and any hooks he could fashion from safety pins or find near the creek. He loves to catch, clean, and cook his own, and the best part about it was, before he turned 18, he didn't even need a license! This reminds me of a joke. Boudreaux, like so many Cajuns, resents having to get a license to fish or hunt. After all, ever since the Cajuns migrated to south Louisiana, they ate whatever they could grow or catch, just to survive. Having to go through the law just to get a bite to eat rubs them the wrong way. Well, one day Boudreaux be out fishin', an' de Game Warden sneak up on him. He gots several fish in his bucket, and de Game Warden say, "Boudreaux, this time I have you! You've got those fish in that bucket, and you know you can't fish without a license. So show me your license!" "Now Warden, you got dis all wrong!" Boudreaux protest. "Dese ain't fish I done caught! Dese is my pet fish. Ever' day I bring dem down here to this backwater where it be real quiet, an' I let dem out to swim aroun' fo' a while, an' den when I whistle, dey come an' jump back in de bucket, an' I bring dem back home an' put dem back in de big tanks!" "Nice try, Boudreaux," the Game Warden say, but Boudreaux interrupt him wit', "Wait! I's gonna prove it! I's gonna let dem in de water, and whistle, an' dey gonna jump back in de bucket! Jes' you watch!" With dat, Boudreaux dumps de bucket, and de Game Warden say, "Okay, Boudreaux, whistle and bring those fish back to the bucket." An' Boudreaux say, "Mias, what fish?"
Today is:
Banana Split Day Chung Yuan Festival -- China (Festival of Hungry Ghosts; according to legend, during this 7th lunar month the souls of the dead are released from Purgatory to wander the Earth, and so today is the day to appease those spirits with joss stick burning, prayers and food, "ghost money", and other offerings; dates of this vary in other countries)
Chemistry Set Volcano Day -- beat summer boredom, make a chemistry set volcano!
Day of Wandering -- Fairy Calendar
Dejada de Santo Domingo de Guzeman -- Managua, Nicaragua
Don't Wait, Celebrate! Week -- 2nd full week of August each year; because spontaneous and frequent celebrations are good for you
Feast of San Lorenzo -- San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
Full Sturgeon Moon a/k/a Full Red Moon, Green Corn Moon, or Grain Moon Nikini Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka (begins at sundown) Wahgaung Full Moon -- Myanmar
Ginza Holiday: Japanese Cultural Festival -- Midwest Buddhist Temple, Chicago, IL, US (experience the traditions of Japan, through Sunday)
Horse Racing Festival -- Nagchu, Tibet (through the 16th)
Independence Day / National Day -- Ecuador(1822)
Lazy Day -- internet generated, since it's so hot, though, make it a lazy day!
Melon Day -- Turkmenistan (the country that really loves its muskmellons)
National Duran Duran Appreciation Day -- anniversary of the 1985 near fatal accident of lead singer Simon Le Bon, when his yacht capsized during a race; the band acknowledges the declaration of this day on their website, and many years offer a free download of a song from one of their albums
National Peacekeepers Day -- Canada (obs. on Sunday closest to the 9th)
National S'mores Day
Opalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, festival of Ops (date approximate, there were several celebrations of Ops through August and September)
Puck Fair -- Killorglin, Ireland (one of Ireland's 3 oldest fairs, with a wild goat caught and crowned the Puck, and let go on the 3rd day, Aug. 12)
Prisoner's Justice Day -- Canada (prisoners fast and refuse to work in memory of those who have died in prison of murder, suicide, or neglect)
Raksha Bandhan -- GJ, RJ, UK, & UP, India; Nepal (the Hindu festival that celebrates the the love and duty between brothers and sisters)
Skyscraper Appreciation Day -- birth anniversary of architect William Can Alen, the genius behind the Chrysler Building
St. Lawrence of Rome's Day (Martyr roasted on a gridiron; Patron of archives and archivists, armories and armourers, brewers, butchers, chefs, comedians, confectioners, cooks, cutlers, deacons, glaziers, laundry workers, librarians and libraries, paupers and the poor, restauranteurs, schoolchildren, seminarians, stained glass workers, students, tanners, vine growers and vintners; of over 25 cities around the world; against fire and lumbago)
Anniversaries Today:
The Smithsonian Institution is chartered, 1846 Missouri becomes the 24th US state, 1821
Birthdays Today:
Angie Harmon, 1972 Antonio Banderas, 1960 Rosanna Arquette, 1959 Schim Schimmel, 1954 Ian Anderson, 1947 Betsey Johnson, 1942 Bobby Hatfield, 1940 Rocky Colavito, 1933 Jimmy Dean, 1928 Eddie Fisher, 1928 Rhonda Fleming, 1923 Leo Fender, 1909 George Crockett, 1909 Norma Shearer, 1902 Henri Nestle', 1890 Herbert Hoover, 1874
Debuting/Premiering Today:
"Candid Camera"(TV), 1948
Today in History:
Nineveh is destroyed and Sinsharishkun, King of the Assyrian Empire is killed, BC 612 Temple at Jerusalem is burned, 70 Ferdinand Magellan sets out with 5 ships to circumnavigate the globe, 1519 The foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is laid, 1675 Word of the US Declaration of Independence reaches London, 1776 Mozart completes "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik", 1787 First ascent of Finsteraarhorn, the highest summit of the Bernese Alps, 1829 Candid Camera makes its television debut after being on radio for a year as Candid Microphone, 1948 The Magellan space probe reaches Venus, 1990 The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.5*C (101.3*F) in Kent; it is the first time the UK has recorded a temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 2003 New Zealand's highest mountain, the south ridge of Aoraki/Mount Cook, is renamed Hillary Ridge after Sir Edmund Hillary, first to conquer Mt. Everest, 2011
Most weeks i do not work consecutive days. Since i am a janitor/housekeeper with some health considerations, it's better that i space out my work. That's because when i work, i really, really get into detail.
One of my female clients was amazed that i cleaned the insides of her make-up cases, and one gentleman was quite surprised that i commented that if he had me back the next week, i would do more to tackle the atrocious state of his baseboards. Being older and single, he didn't even know he had baseboards, much less that they needed attention.
This past week, though, i ended up working two days in a row. Most of that time was spent cleaning carpets with a large, heavy machine. Pour in three gallons of hot tap water and the cleaner formula, clean a small area of carpet, empty the dirty water tank, start again.
In some areas where children had been using markers on the carpets, i also had to stain treat, and clean the area multiple times for it to even fade them at all. Then there was the upholstery cleaning there, too. Kids are hard on upholstery, and one ottoman i simply had to declare a lost cause.
Hauling water to and from the machine, over and over, and even carrying the machine up and down stairs, as well as doing the regular cleaning at one of the houses, did my back in for the time being.
After the second house, where i only did carpets in the morning and the regular cleaning in the afternoon, as well as the laundry, i went and did the shelter caretaker shift alone, as the girls were both busy, but through miscommunication each thought the other would be helping me.
Today, after the funeral i will attend this morning, i am coming home to give my back some TLC.
It better recover quickly, i'm in the nursery for 3 1/2 hours at church tomorrow.
Today is:
Betty Boop Day -- she debuted in "Dizzy Dishes" on this day in 1930
Book Lover's Day -- internet generated, but if you love books, go sit under a shady tree with a cool drink and indulge!
Bud Billiken Parade -- Chicago, IL, US (second largest parade in the US, as well as the oldest and largest African-American parade in the US, begun in 1929)
Celebrate Your Lakes Day -- of unknown origin but worth celebrating
Clean Out the Kitchen Cupboards Day -- because someone, somewhere, thought it would be a good day to remind us to get rid of the junk in there we haven't seen since last year
Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival -- Coupeville, WA, US (one of the longest-running arts festivals in the Pacific Northwest, with only the best artisans, lots of entertainment, and proceeds donated to the community; through tomorrow)
Crater Lake Rim Runs and Marathon -- Crater Lake National Park, OR, US (one of the toughest and most spectacular runs ever, around the deepest lake in the US)
Dag der Inheemsen -- Suriname (Indigenous People's Day)
Elvis Week -- Memphis, TN, US (ten days of celebrating The King)
Ferry Fair Day -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (centuries old fair, the biggest day of the modern festival that was originally a way for farmers to find labour for harvest, but is now just for fun)
Festival for Sol -- Ancient Roman Calendar
Goblin Ugly Contest -- Fairy Calendar
Independence Day / National Day -- Singapore(1965)
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples -- UN
Jesse Owens Day -- the day he became the first American to win 4 gold medals
Leadville Trail 100 Bike Race -- Leadville, CO, US (100 miles of off-road bike racing over Colorado's high peaks)
Nagasaki Day / Moment of Silence -- Japan
National Garage Sale Day -- US (the goal, according to C. Daniel Rhodes, is to turn the nation into a giant shopping mall on the second Saturday of August each year)
National Hand Holding Day -- sponsored by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith of Chicago
National Rice Pudding Day
National Women's Day -- South Africa
Quad City Air Show -- Davenport, IA, US (large family aviation weekend; through tomorrow)
Remembrance for Radbod, King of the Frisians -- Asatru/Norse Pagan
Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross' Day (born Edith Stein, killed at Auschwitz; Co-Patron of Europe; Patron of converts, martyrs, those who have lost their parents, World Youth Day)
Smokey the Bear Day -- Smokey first appeared on a U.S. Forest Service poster on this day in 1944
Streetscene -- Covington, VA, US (car show, open to all types of vehicles; come show off your ride!)
Veep Day -- US (commemoration of the day in 1974 Richard Nixon's resignation let Gerald Ford succeed to the presidency)
Watermelon Festival -- Rush Springs, OK, US (fun all day and free watermelon for all)
Women's Day -- South Africa
Yosakoi Matsuri -- Kochi City, Japan (over 100 groups come up with their own Bon dance and costume and have dance competions in the streets, through the 12th)
Anniversaries Today:
Coronation of Albert II of Belgium, 1993
Birthdays Today:
Audrey Tautou,1976 Eric Bana, 1968 Gillian Anderson, 1968 Delon Sanders, 1967 Hoda Kotb, 1964 Whitney Houston, 1963 Michael Kors, 1959 Amanda Bearse, 1958 Melanie Griffith, 1957 Sam Elliot, 1944 David Steinberg, 1942 Robert Joseph (Bob) Cousy, 1928 P.L. Travers, 1899 Joseph Locke, 1805 Amedeo Avogadro, 1776 John Dryden, 1631 Izaak Walton, 1593
Battle of Pharsalus, in which Julius Caesar defeated Pompey, who fled to Egypt, BC 40 Bulgaria is founded as a Khanate on the south bank of the Danube after defeating the Byzantine armies of Emperor Constantine IV south of the Danube delta, 681 Start of construction of the Tower of Pisa, 1173* Sistine Chapel opens, 1483 First horses arrive in Hawai'i, 1803 The Webster-Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States-Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains, 1842 Thoreau's Walden is published, 1854 Thomas Edison receives a patent for a two-way telegraph, 1892 Betty Boop makes her debut in the cartoon, Dizzy Dishes, 1930 Mahatma Gandhi is arrested in Bombay by British forces, launching the Quit India Movement, 1942 The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time, 1944 Singapore is expelled from Malaysia and becomes the first and only country to date to gain independence unwillingly, 1965 Richard Nixon becomes the first President of the United States to resign from office, 1974 Wayne Gretzky is traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in one of the most controversial player transactions in ice hockey history, 1988 The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan loses a 38-year hold on national leadership, 1993 Tensions escalate between North and South Korea, when South Korea claims North Korea fired over 100 rounds of artillery into the Sea of Japan, 2010 David Rudisha of Kenya becomes the first athlete at the 2012 Summer Olympics to set a new world track record and secures the 800m gold medal, 2012
Feline Friday was started by Steve, The Burnt Food Dude, and i'm going to believe it's because he likes cats. It's fun to play along, just post a picture of a cat, yours or one you find on the internet, or even a drawing of a cat, and link up! Festus is 18 now and has graduated from high school. He's working two jobs while contemplating whether or not he wants to do a hitch in the military to earn money for college, or go a different route. Meanwhile, his parents have told him they will help him with school as much as they can, and he is moving out in about a month. He wants a cat, and has chosen one of the black kittens we bottle raised. Festus named the kitten Winston Churchill.
Winston Churchill.
He is fascinated with bugs, as you can see. In this picture, he's following a pesky fly that got in when Bigger Girl came through the door. Yes, later he caught it, but i didn't take that picture.
Today is:
Abbotsford International Airshow -- Abbotsford, BC, Canada ("Canada's National Air-show" and the leading air show in North America, attracting the world's top aeronautical performers; through Sunday)
Anjin Matsuri -- Ito City, Japan (commemorations William Adams (1564-1620), a naturalized British shipwright, called "Anjin Miura" in Japan, a great contributor to the early development of Japanese ship-building industry; through the 10th)
BaBa Day -- Taiwan (ba ba is Mandarin for both "father" and "8-8")
Bonza Bottler Day™
Burry Man Parade -- South Queensferry, Edinburgh, Scotland (a resident is elected to wear the Burry-Man costume and parade through the town so his burrs will collect all the bad luck, to be burned at the end of the day; followed tomorrow by the Ferry Fair)
Capitolfest -- Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY, US (showing rare silent and early films; through Sunday)
Constitution Day -- Anguilla
Cranham Feast -- Cranham, Gloucestershire, England (a three day traditional feast and fair that dates back to the 1700's)
Dalek Day -- on the birth anniversary of the creator of these Scifi baddies, Terry Nation
Edinburgh International Festival -- Edinburgh, Scotland (one of the world's most exciting venues for opera, dance, theater, classical music and the visual arts; through Sept. 1)
Festival for Venus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sunset to sunset)
Finest Fairy Finals -- Fairy Calendar (Do only the finest fairies take finals? How do the others get a final grade? :D )
Fourteen Holy Helpers' Day (Patrons against diseases)
Gals Night Out 2014 -- single or married, you need a night out!
Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival -- Grand Targhee Resort, Alta, WY, US (bluegrass music at its finest on a pristine mountainside in the Grand Teton Mountains; through Sunday)
Happiness Happens Day -- sponsored by the Secret Society of Happy People, to encourage sharing happiness and discourage parade raining; on the anniversary of their founding in 1997
Kool-Aid Days -- Hastings, NE, US (3 days of celebrating in the town where Edwin Perkins invented Kool-Aid over 80 years ago)
Kranti Diwas -- Mumbai (former Bombay), India (a/k/a Freedom Day or Quit India Day; anniversary of Gandhi's Quit India speech to the British authorities in 1942)
Ma and Pa Kettle Days -- Kettle River, MN, US (fun on the Kettle River; through tomorrow)
Namesday of the Queen -- Sweden (Queen Sylvia; an official Flag Day)
National Frozen Custard Day
National Huckleberry Festival -- Trout Creek, MT, US (a yummy good time; through Sunday)
Odie Day -- Garfield's pal Odie, who first appeared in the strip on this day in 1978
Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, and i love the stuff but can't grow plants to save my life, i'll leave the porch light on for you if you will bring me some!
St. Cyriacus' Day (Patron of the eyes; Altidona, Italy; against diabolical possession, eye disease, and temptations, especially temptations at the time of death)
St. Dominic's Day (Founder of the Dominican Order[Friars]; Patron of astronomers and astronomy, falsely accused people, scientists; Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines; Bayombong, Philippines; Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo; Valletta, Malta)
St. Mary MacKillop's Day (First native-born Australian saint; Patron of Australia; Wagga Wagga, Australia)
Tetonkaha Rendezvous -- Lake Benton, MN, US (come to the Hole in the Mountain County Park where they reenact the fur-trading atmosphere of the 1840s, complete with muzzle-loader contest, tomahawk and knife throwing, log sawing, and more; through Sunday)
The Date To Create -- can't find anything on this one, just listed at a couple of sites, but go have fun creating something!
Torneo dei Rioni (Tournament of the Districts) -- Oria, Italy (3 day reenactment of the tournament ordered by Frederick II in 1225; features jousting, processions, ceremonies, a Palio horse race, medieval fanfare, food and fun as the town's four districts battle it out for bragging rights)
Turku Music Festival -- Turku, Finland (music from medieval to modern, by world-famous artists in the historic venues of Finland's oldest city, in historic buildings all over the city; through the 23rd)
Wakulima ya Nane Nane -- Tanzania (Peasants' Day/Farmers' Day)
Roger Federer, 1981 Michael Urie, 1980 Drew Lachey, 1976 The Edge, 1961 Deborah Norville, 1958 Randy Shilts, 1951 Roberta Cooper Ramo, 1942 Keith Carradine, 1949 Connie Stevens, 1938 Dustin Hoffman, 1937 Mel Tillis, 1932 Esther Williams, 1923 Rory Calhoun, 1922 Dino De Laurentis, 1919 Russell Markert, 1899 Fredric March, 1897 Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, 1896 Emiliano Zapata Salazar, 1879 Matthew Henson, 1866 Emperor Horikawa of Japan, 1079
Today in History:
The Romans destroy the Tower of Antonia, 70 Otto I (The Great) crowned German king, 936 Vijayanagara Empire is rebegun with the crowning of emperor Krishnadeva Raya, 1509 The cornerstone for Tycho Brahe's Uraniborg observatory is laid on Hven, 1576 John Davis enters Cumberland Sound in search of the Northwest Passage, 1585 The first known ascent (indoors) of a hot-air ballon by Bartolomeu de Gusamao, 1709 Jacques Balmat and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard become the first to ascend Mont Blanc, 1786 Metal bullet cartridges are patented by Smith and Wesson, 1854 Mimeograph is patented by Thomas Edison, 1876 Wilbur Wright makes the brother's first public flight, at a racecourse in Le Mans, France, 1908 The millionth patent is filed in the United States Patent Office by Francis Holton for a tubeless vehicle tire, 1911 The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-the-world flight, 1929 The United Nations Charter is signed by the United States, the 3rd nation to join, 1945 The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is founded by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, 1967 Richard Nixon announces his resignation as President of the United States, effective the next day, 1974 The lights go on at Wrigley Field for the first time, making it the last stadium in the majors to host a night game (which was subsequently rained out!), 1988 Iraq occupies and annexes Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War to liberate Kuwait within a couple of weeks, 1990 Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley is raised to the surface after 136 years on the ocean floor, 2000 Archeologist excavating the Templo Mayor, one of the Aztec's main temples in their capital city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico city), make an unprecedented find - the skeleton of a young woman inside a burial, surrounded by piles of 1,789 human bones, 2012
