Feline Friday: Where else?

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

It's easy to participate, just post a picture of a cat -- your cat, a cat picture from the internet, even draw a picture, it doesn't matter!  Post it and link up, and that's it.

Link, also known as LinkerStinker says, Where else would I sit?

Where else would I sit?  Here, I can make sure you pay attention to me!

He's right, too -- you can't sit down without having to get around him, and have him play with your feet!



And folks, i have to apologize that i cannot seem to link up with Steve over on his blog.  Mr. Linky will not let me log in, even though i've had them send me my username and password, and i'm putting both in correctly.  Yes, i will keep trying.

 

Today is:

Canterbury Provincial Anniversary Day -- Canterbury, New Zealand

Children in Need Day -- UK and Ireland (telethon begins)

Children's Day -- India

Christchurch Show Day -- Canterbury, NZ

Day of the Colombian Woman -- Colombia

Equorum Probatio -- Ancient Roman Empire (official cavalry parade of the equites)

Four Corner States Bluegrass Festival -- Wickenburg, AZ, US (an annual old-time fiddle, banjo, mandolin, flat-pick guitar championships, and general celebrations of bluegrass music; through Sunday)

Inasa Puppet Festival -- Hamamatsu, Japan (a rarity in Japan, 3 days of performances by professional puppeteers from around Japan)

International Girls Day -- for info, see confidencecoalition.org

Leftover Trading Day -- internet generated; trade your leftovers for the much more interesting ones in your neighbor's fridge

Loosen up, Lighten Up Day -- to remind us of the benefits of joy and laughter, begun by Stephanie West Allen of Denver, CO, US

Momentum World Day of Giving -- The More Projecthttps://www.themoreproject.org

National Donor Sabbath Weekend -- through Sunday, an initiative to encourage people of all faiths to consider organ donation; www.organdonor.gov

National Spicy Guacamole Day -- as opposed to National Guacamole Day back in September

National Pickle Day/Pickle Appreciation Day

National Teddy Bear Day -- US (anniversary of the day in 1902 that Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a cornered and tied bear, because it was unsportsmanlike)

Operating Room Nurse Day -- US, but feel free to celebrate those dedicated nurses around the world

Readjustment Movement's Day -- Guinea-Bissau

Salt Lake's Family Christmas Show -- Sandy, UT, US (through Sunday)

Spirit of NSA Day -- members of the National Speakers Association are encouraged to focus on giving back and mentoringhttp://nsaspeaker.org/

St. Dubricus' Day (the saint who crowned King Arthur)

St. Lawrence O'Toole's Day (Patron of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland)

Surin Elephant Round-Up -- Surin, Thailand (includes elephant football, elephant tugs-of-war, and parades; through Sunday)

Waterfowl Festival -- Easton, MD, US (includes world class artworks, calling contests, retriever demonstrations, a wine-tasting, and more, to benefit wildlife conservation; through Sunday)

Works Getting Into Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

World Diabetes Day -- UN (learn more about diabetes here)


Anniversaries Today:

Princess Anne of the UK marries Captain Mark Phillips, 1973


Birthdays Today:

Joseph "Run" Simmons, 1964
Laura San Giacomo, 1962
D.B. Sweeney, 1961
Condoleezza Rice, 1954
Yanni, 1954
Prince Charles, 1948
King Hussein of Jordan, 1935
McLean Stevenson, 1929
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 1922
Brian Keith, 1921
Veronica Lake, 1919
Barbara Hutton, 1912
Rosemary DeCamp, 1910
Joseph McCarthy, 1909
Harrison Salisbury, 1908
William Steig, 1907
Louise Brooks, 1906
Dick Powell, 1904
Aaron Copland, 1900
Mamie Dowd Eisenhower, 1896
Jawaharlal Nehru, 1889
Claude Monet, 1840
Robert Fulton, 1765


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Black or White"(Music video), 1991
"Murphy Brown"(TV), 1988
"Good Evening"(Revue), 1973
"Der Tapfere Soldat/The Chocolate Soldier"(Operetta), 1908
"The Girl of the Golden West"(Play), 1905


Today in History:

Conquistadors from Spain under the leadership of Francisco Pizarro arrive in Cajamarca, Inca empire, 1533
Samuel Pepys reports on the first blood transfusion (between dogs), 1666
Loius Timothee is hired in Philadelphia to be the first professional librarian in the US, 1732
Captain George Vancouver is the first Englishman to enter San Francisco Bay, 1792
John Mason debuts the first horse-drawn streetcar in NYC, with a route between Prince and 14th on 4th Ave., 1832
Herman Melville publishes "Moby Dick", 1851
The St. Andrews Golf Club, in Yonkers, NY, opens with 6 holes, 1888
New York World reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) began her attempt to surpass fictitious journey of Jules Verne's Phileas Fogg by traveling around world in less than 80 days; She succeeded, finishing the trip in January in 72 days and 6 hours, 1889
Albert Einstein presents his quantum theory of light, 1908
The first airplane flight from the deck of a ship takes place in Norfolk, Virginia, 1910
The BBC begins radio service in the United Kingdom, 1922
The first regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express, 1952
NASA launches Apollo 12, the second manned mission to the surface of the Moon, 1969
After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder-Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland, 1990
The last direct-current electrical distribution system in the United States is shut down in New York City by Con Edison, 2007
Scientists discovery the closest known rogue planet to Earth, about 100 light years away, 2012

The Light Going Off

"How could you do that?" Craig, a friend of #1 Son, was yelling into his phone.

As he kept up the conversation, from what i could hear, he was not very happy with his brother.

Finally, he hung up and looked at me.  "My brother," he said, "is a lot like a black light.  It glows, is sometimes fun to have around, but it's not too bright and mostly useless!"

Knowing his brother, that's about correct.

Speaking of light, how many baby sitters does it take to change a light bulb?  None, they don't make diapers small enough.

It's supposed to be back to work for me today, and i hope at least some of the children are feeling better.


Today is:

Ides of November -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also
     Epulum Iovis -- Festival of Feronia, Juno, Minerva, and Jupiter
     Fortuna Primigenia -- Fortune of the Firstborn

Lhabab Duechen -- Buddhism (Descending Day of Lord Buddha)
     a public holiday in Bhutan

National Indian Pudding Day

National Reread Old Letters and Magazines Day -- internet generated sentimentality

Runic Half Month Nyd begins (necessity)

St. Brice of Tours' Day (Patron against stomach diseases)

St. Homobonus' Day (Patron of business people, cloth workers/garment workers/tailors, cobblers/shoemakers, merchants)

St. Stanislaus Kostka's Day (Patron of aspirants to the Oblates of Saint Joseph, last sacraments; against broken bones)

Tooth Collection Days begin -- Fairy Calendar

World Kindness Day -- promoting a more compassionate world, on the anniversary of the first  World Kindness Movement® conference  (www.randomactsofkindness.org  http://www.kindness.com.au/)
     Kindness Day UK -- http://www.kindnessuk.com/


Anniversaries Today:

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated, 1982
The Holland Tunnel opens, 1927


Birthdays Today:

Monique Coleman, 1980
Gerard Butler, 1969
Steve Zahn, 1968
Tracy Scoggins, 1959
Jimmy Kimmel, 1967
Vinny Testaverde, 1963
Chris Nth, 1957
Whoopi Goldberg, 1955
Chris Noth, 1954
Shella E. Frazier, 1948
Joe Mantegna, 1947
Jean Seberg, 1938
Gary Marshall, 1934
Madeleine Sherwood, 1922
Oskar Werner, 1922
Nathaniel Benchley, 1915
Louis Brandeis, 1856
Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850
Edwin Thomas Booth, 1833
James Clerk Maxwell, 1831
Edward John Trelawney, 1792


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Lion King"(Play), 1997
"As the Girls Go"(Musical), 1948
Fantasia(Disney animated film), 1940
"Grand Hotel"(Drake play), 1930


Today in History:

English king Æthelred II orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St. Brice's Day massacre, 1002
Lady Jane Grey and Bishop Cranmer are accused of high treason, 1553
Patriot revolutionary forces under Col. Ethan Allen attack Montreal, Quebec, defended by British General Guy Carleton, 1775
Benjamin Franklin says, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” 1789
The first US anti-slavery party, the Liberty Party, convenes in New York, 1839
James Braid first sees a demonstration of animal magnetism, which leads him to study the subject and come up with what he later calls hypnosis, 1841
The Denny Party arrives at Alki Point, becoming the first settlers of what would become Seattle, Washington, 1851
The first shipment of canned pineapple leaves Hawai'i, 1895
French cyclist Paul Cornu flies the first helicopter, 1907
Russia completes development of the AK-47, one of the first proper assault rifles, 1947
A 150-mph tropical cyclone hits the densely populated Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated 500,000 people in one night. This is regarded as the 20th century's worst natural disaster, 1970
The Double Eagle V becomes the first hot air balloon to make it across the Pacific Ocean, 1981
Xavier Suarez is sworn in as Miami, Florida's first Cuban-born mayor, 1985
The High Court of Australia rules in Dietrich v The Queen that although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, in most circumstances a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay when an accused is unrepresented, 1992
In a referendum voters in Sweden decide to join the European Union, 1994
NASA announces that water has been discovered on the moon, 2009

When do i get a normal day?

Anybody home? i called out as i went into Ms. P's house.

It started as a busy enough day, and got busier.  #2 Son called at 5am for me to come get him from work.  He was being sent home because his stomach was hurting so badly he could barely stand up.  Once i got him home and started the laundry, i took Little Girl to school and then i called the doctor.  Could we have him there for 7:45am?

We were there by 7:20, before the office staff even showed up.  It's amazing what you can do when the doc agrees to work you in before the other patients.

It all boiled down to stress and too many energy drinks.  He's started burning that candle at both ends again, trying to work 4am to noon and yet stay up late with friends.  It doesn't work out too well for him.

Once i got him back home, i went to the store for milk and cat food and bananas, then came home and found that the car Grandpa had chosen to get #2 Son, an old Honda Civic, was being delivered.  Grandpa had made a mistake, though -- he put it in #2 Son's name.  He's only 18, and because the car is in his name instead of ours, he has to have his own insurance.

Guess how many companies will cover an 18-year-old on their own policy?  Very few.  Guess how much we finally had to pay?  $300/month.  He and i went to my insurance agent, because she was the only one who could cover him at all.  That, as i tried to remind Grandpa, is why we put Bigger Girl's car in our name instead of hers.  It makes a difference.

When we got back from that, and i finished the ironing, everything was breaking loose with The Big Boss and Ms. P.  They needed Sweetie to go pick up a parking pass, pick up one of the kids from school, and then i had to go meet them where the parking pass was being delivered.  From there, Sweetie would go get Little Girl from school, and i would take Middle Boy home, make sure the other three who were home sick were resting well, go get their dinner, and babysit for the rest of the evening.

So i went in, calling out to see if any of them were still extant.  They were, though all lying in bed, watching TV, and Youngest Boy was very upset at being awakened.  The boys requested beans and rice and biscuits from a local fast food place for dinner, and Daughter wanted an order from the sushi place next door to that, so i went and got what they wanted.

It was an evening.  The house was a wreck, and Littlest Boy is feeling much better -- he and Middle Boy misbehaved the whole night.  It took an act of Congress, and the threat of no hot cocoa, to get Middle Boy to do his homework.

There was lots of screaming, lots of sassing and back-talk, and three times i had to physically separate the boys because they were really hurting each other.  Times like this remind me of why some animals in the wild eat their young.

Eventually baths were taken and bedtime came, and while refereeing and doing everything else i managed to clean the kitchen, run the dishwasher, and do a load of laundry.

By the end of it all, Middle Boy was coughing up a storm and saying he didn't feel well.  He was starting a fever, i could tell.

When i get back on Thursday, i'll probably have a lot of work cut out for me, but at least i'll have one load of laundry out of the way.



Today is:

A&W Rootbeer Mug Day -- see if you can frost your mug like they did

Birth of Baha'u'llah -- Baha'i

Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, Doctors Day, and Cultural Renaissance Day -- Taiwan

Chicken Soup for the Soul Day -- "Changing the world, one story at a time."

Constitution Day -- Azerbaijan

Dia del Cartero -- Mexico (Postman's Day; postal carriers are shown appreciation with small gifts left in mailboxes)

Fancy Rat and Mouse Day -- the American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association wants you to know these little critters can give you a lot of love

Journee Nationale Maore -- Comoros (Admission to the UN Day)

Khalkeia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of smiths, associated with Hephaists and Athena; date approximate)

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

National Youth Day -- East Timor

St. Emillian's Day (Patron of Spain, finding lost objects)

St. Josaphat's Day (Patron of Edmonton, Alberta; Toronto, Ontario; Ukraine)

Tewa Buffalo Dance -- Native American Tewa of the Tesuque Pueblo rites on the feast day of their Patron, San Diego, to honor Mother Earth, Father Sky, the four directions, and the elements; through the 15th

Triple Crown of Surfing -- Oahu, HI, US (3 separate events, through Dec. 20)

World Pneumonia Day -- because we lose a million children a year to this preventable illness


Anniversaries Today:

The Arches National Park established, 1971
Ellis Island closes, 1954


Birthdays Today:

Anne Hathaway, 1982
Ryan Gosling, 1980
Sammy Sosa, 1968
Michael Moorer, 1967
David Schwimmer, 1966
Nadia Comaneci, 1961
Megan Mullally, 1958
Neil Young, 1945
Al Michaels, 1944
Wallace Shawn, 1943
Grace Kelly, 1929
Jo Stafford, 1918
Harry A. Blackmun, 1908
Sun Yat-sen, 1866
Auguste Rodin, 1840
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1815


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Grand Hotel"(Musical), 1989
"Irma la Douce"(Musical), 1956
"Paint Your Wagon"(Musical), 1951
Song of the South(Disney film), 1946
The first Sunday American-style football game is held in Philadelphia, 1933


Today in History:

Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days starting today, 764
Plymouth, England, becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament, 1439
Sir James Young Simpson, a British physician, is the first to use chloroform as an anaesthetic, 1847
Jules Leotard performs 1st Flying Trapeze circus act (Paris); he also designed garment that bears his name, 1859
World's Fair in Paris opens, 1900
The first movie stunt: man jumps into Hudson river from a burning balloon, 1910
Norway holds a referendum in favor of monarchy over republic, 1905
Robert Scott's diary & body are found in Antarctica, 1912
Austria becomes a republic, 1918
The first underwater tunnel, the Holland Tunnel connecting NY to NJ opens, 1927
The first photo of whatever is in Loch Ness is taken, 1933
Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia join the United Nations, 1956
Equatorial Guinea joins the United Nations, 1968
The Comoros joins the United Nations, 1975
The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn and takes the first images of its rings, 1980
The Space Shuttle Columbia becomes the first time a manned spacecraft launched into space twice, 1981
Crown Prince Akihito is formally installed as Emperor Akihito of Japan, becoming the 125th Japanese monarch, 1990
Tim Berners-Lee publishes a formal proposal for the World Wide Web, 1990
Shanghai Transrapid sets up a new world speed record (501 kilometres per hour (311 mph)) for commercial railway systems, 2003
The Comparative Toxicogenomics Database is launched on the web and revolutionizes chemical-gene-disease information for research scientists, 2004
Philippine volcano Mount Bulusan erupts again, 2010

Now for today's good news.

"Guess what!" Red-Headed Alec called out as he came in from spending a couple of days with friends in another town.  "I passed the driving test!  I can drive now, all legal!"

Good for you! i cheered.

"Yeah, it went great.  While I was taking the driving part of the test, someone took an illegal left turn right in front of me, and I was able to see what they were going to do, and I slowed down and so I didn't hit them.  Then, someone ran a stop sign right in front of me when I didn't have a stop sign at all, and I anticipated that they weren't going to stop, and so I slowed and didn't hit them!

"So then the instructor says, 'Well, I was going to make the test more difficult and take you through a couple of more turns, but you just anticipated two potential accidents and avoided them, so I'd say you've done more than enough.'  And we went back and I got my license!"

That's wonderful, i repeated a couple of times.

A few minutes later, he got a call from his Nana -- the grandmother who adopted him and raised him, and who is now not always in her right mind, but tries when she can remember to.

"Yes, Nana, I passed!" i heard him say.  "Yes, I did great!  How much?  It's only $20 to get the car put in my name if it's a donation?  Wow!  But what about the repairs?  Uh-huh, yeah.  Oh!  Great!  Thank you, Nana!"

"Guess what now!" he grinned.  "The car that my mom is supposed to give me is only going to cost $400 to fix, and only $20 to get it in my name!  So all I need now is more work!"

You will get that, i said.

"Yes, because on the way here I stopped at the McDonald's, and I walked straight in and asked for the manager.  When he came up, I grabbed his hand and said, 'Hello!  My name is Alec White, and I want to work here.  In fact, I'm ready to be put to work this moment if you wanted!  I have filled out the application, and you can call the four-star restaurant where I worked when I lived in that town, and they will tell you that I am a great, hard worker!'  And the manager said, 'Come in Wednesday at 9am for an interview.'  So I'm going to have a job. and then a car, and someday I'm going to get that GED and get into culinary school!  I haven't ever given up on that, and I won't!"

Good news and determination make a good mix.


Today is:

Armistice Day/Poppy Day/Remembrance Day/Veterans Day

Bonza Bottler Day

Constitution Day and King's Birthday -- Bhutan

Day of Remembrance of the Volhvs/Einherjar Feast -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (Norse "Feast of the Fallen")

Death/Duty Day

Fasching/Karneval -- Germany; Netherlands (official beginning of next year's pre-lent celebration starts on 11/11 at 11:11, when the Council of Eleven, in colorful fools caps, meet to plan the upcoming festivities)

Four Ones Day -- it is 11/11, after all

Hollantide Day a/k/a Hallow-tide -- Isle of Mann (season of All Saints, first day of Winter, celebrated in conjunction with Martintide, the Feast of St. Martin of Tours)

Independence Day -- Angola(1975); Poland(1918)

Independence of Cartagena City -- Colombia

Lacplesis -- Latvia (Remembrance Day)

Lunantishees Day -- Ireland (Fairies who guard the blackthorn trees, cutting a branch today, the old calendar's November 1, means bad luck.)

National Sundae Day

Old November Eve -- In the old calendar, this was actually All Hallow's Eve

Origami Day -- Japan

Pepero Day -- South Korea (similar to a Valentine's Day, when couples exchange Pepero brand cookie sticks)

Pocky and Pretz Day -- Japan (see Pepero day, but substitute the Japanese brand cookie sticks)

Republic Day -- Maldives

Singles Day -- China (Guang Gun Jie, literally "bare sticks day", celebrating the single life on the calendar date that has the most 1's)

St. Martin's Day a/k/a St. Martin of Tours's Day (Western), Martinmas (Old England) (Patron of beggars, cavalry, equestrians, geese, horses, innkeepers, Pontifical Swiss Guards, quartermasters, reformed alcoholics, riders, soldiers, tailors, vintners/wine growers and makers; against alcoholism, impoverishment; highly celebrated through Sweden, Switzerland, and the island of St. Martin/St. Maarten and Patron of over 25 diocese, cities, and countries around the world)
     Beggar's Day -- Netherlands (children act as beggars on St. Martin's Day, similar to trick-or-treat in English speaking countries)
     Martinigians -- Sursee, Switzerland (a celebration of the day in front of Town Hall)
     St. Maarten Day -- Sint Maarten

St. Menas of Egypt's Day (Patron of falsely accused people, peddlers, traveling merchants)

Veterans of Foreign Wars Day -- Federated States of Micronesia


Anniversaries Today:

Vietnam Women's Memorial is dedicated, 1993
Route 66 is established by the US Highway System, 1926
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetary is dedicated, 1921
Washington becomes the 42nd US State, 1889


Birthdays Today:

Leonardo DiCaprio, 1974
Peta Wilson, 1970
Calista Flockhart, 1964
Demi Moore, 1962
Marc Summers, 1951
Bibi Andersson, 1935
Jonathan Winters, 1925
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., 1922
Alger Hiss, 1904
Pat O'Brien, 1899
George Patton, 1885
Victor Emmanuel III, 1869
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, 1821
Abigail Smith Adams,1744


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Shadowlands"(Play), 1990An Early Frost(TV movie), 1985
"Prisoner of Second Avenue"(Play), 1971
 "La Plume de Ma Tante"(Revue), 1958
"God Bless America(Song, first public performance)", 1938
"The Tinker's Wedding"(Synge play), 1909
"Society"(Thompson play), 1865


Today in History:

The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius and Licinius to be Augusti, while rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul, 308
41 pilgrims land in Massachusetts, sign Mayflower Compact, 1620
Massachusetts passes 1st US compulsory school attendance law, 1647
Gottfried Leibniz demonstrates integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of y = ƒ(x), 1675
The F.H.C. Society, also known as the Flat Hat Club, is formed at Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia, as the first college society in the US, 1750
Chrysanthemums are introduced into England from China, 1790
British and Canadian forces defeat a larger American force, causing the Americans to abandon their Saint Lawrence campaign, 1813
Mary Edward Walker, the 1st Army female surgeon, is awarded the Medal of Honor, 1865
The Victorian Aboriginal Protection Act is enacted in Australia, giving the government control of indigenous people's wages, their terms of employment, where they could live, and of their children, effectively leading to the Stolen Generations, 1869
The 11/11/11 cold wave: Many cities in the U.S. Midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolled through, 1911
The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery, 1921
Prime Minister Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the first recognized Greek Republic, 1924
U.S. Route 66 is established, 1926
Patent number US1781541 is awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator, 1930
The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia is opened, 1934
Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait, 1962
NASA launches Gemini 12, 1966
Antigua and Barbuda joins the United Nations, 1981
The General Synod of the Church of England votes to allow women to become priests, 1992
New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is dedicated at the National War Memorial, Wellington, 2004
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveils the New Zealand War Memorial in London, United Kingdom, commemorating the loss of soldiers from the New Zealand Army and the British Army, 2006
The RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) sets sail on her final voyage to Dubai, 2008

Well, i was gonna do an Awww Monday...

...and then i met Jeff and Stan.

See, the first Sunday every other month our church has a Community Outreach Meal.  Pastor W. or Mr. Alfred cook up a big entree, and others bring desserts and bread, and a free meal is served to all who want to come.

Most of the people who show up are homeless, including homeless families.  Each volunteer has a name tag, and each person who comes is given a name tag and is escorted to a seat at a table, and served a meal.  Volunteers bring them whatever they need, and we sit with them and talk to them.

As i was plating up desserts, Jeff walked up to me and Mary, who was working with me.  He has been on the streets for many years, the pastors all know him, but i hadn't met him before.  He can barely speak, but he indicated to me and Mary that his side is hurting, his ribs and his lungs.  He asked for prayer, so we prayed over him, then made sure he sat down for a meal.  Jeff looks like what you typically think of when you think about a homeless person, and he does have many health issues, made worse by the years on the streets, and the fact that he can only stay sober occasionally.  He tries, though, and last night, he came for prayer and food, and for someone to actually lay hands on him and pray, because he probably doesn't get much physical contact with people.  He got it last night.

Once i was done setting all the desserts out on plates, i noticed a table with only one person sitting there, so i went over and introduced myself and sat down.

Stan and i started talking.  He asked if i had any brothers and sisters.  Yes, i told him, i have two younger brothers.

He asked if i loved them, and i told him that indeed i did.  He then told me, "I don't have any family except my father in Mississippi, who isn't in the best of health, and my sister, who hates me."

When i noted how sad it must be for him that his sister feels that way, he continued his story.

"When I was three years old, she tried to choke me to death with a pillow, and when I was eight she split the back of my head with a baseball bat.  Both times, she was trying to kill me.  After that, my mom kept me with her and sent my sister to live with my dad, so we wouldn't be near each other.

"Then, when our mother died, and we were at the funeral, she wouldn't even hug me.  She told me to stay away from her.  One of my uncles asked her why she treated me that way, and she told him she hated me because I was born, and that me being born meant she wasn't an only child any more, and so she would never like me because I was born!"

He and i commiserated about how awful it is to have such a hard, hateful heart.  We discussed family, and the importance of love, and a few other things.  When he left i made sure he got an extra plate of food to take with him for later, and i gave him my word i would pray for his sister's heart toward him to heal and be changed.

The evening was a long one, as we served meals, and packed meals for another pastor who works with the homeless every week to take out that evening.  He gave every one of them out that night, he goes into the woods, and behind the places in the city where most of us don't even think to go, and he fed the homeless who live there the meals we had packed.

After that, the youth group and the children's choir came in and had their dinners, too.  They had brought more food for their groups and all of the food got shared, and nothing went to waste as any extras will be given to people who come to the church during the week asking for help.

So i didn't get an Awww Monday picture, because of Jeff, and Stan, and the homeless children and their parents for whom we packed extra boxes, and our own children's choir and youth group, and thinking about how it all fits together that we need to raise our kids to be of service so that maybe someday there won't have to be people who wait for the Community Outreach Meal to get a good dinner, to find people who will sit and talk with them and hear their stories, to find someone willing to lay hands on them and pray.  We all need that stuff every day, not just once every couple of months.


Today is:

Area Code Day -- US (went into effect this day in 1951)

Day of Russian Militsiya -- Russia

Dia de la Tradicion -- Argentina (birth anniversary of Jose Hernandez)

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Beacon Lighting -- Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors, MN, US (memorial for the Edmund Fitzgerald and all who have lost their lives in Great Lakes shipwrecks)

First Cry of Independence Day / Los Santos Uprising Day -- Panama (an official flag day)

Forget-Me-Not Day -- informal day to spend a bit of time with relatives you don't see often

Goddess of Reason's Day (Revolutionary France)

Guinness World Records' Day -- celebrating ordinary people who do extraordinary things, go try for a record! anniversary of the day in 1951 that Sir Hugh Beaver got the idea to create a book supplying answers to much debated questions, such as which game birds are the fastest fliers
     The Guinness World Records Book now holds the title of the best-selling copyrighted book of all time, and is one of the most frequently stolen books from US libraries!

Hari Pahlawan -- Indonesia (Heroes' Day/Warrior's Day)

Heir to the Throne Day -- Tuvalu (Prince of Wales birth anniversary celebration)

Martini -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (beginning of winter festival that starts on Martinmas Eve)

Maputo Day -- Maputo, Mozambique

National Toothpaste Appreciation Day -- not official, but i'm sure the dentifrice industry loves this one

National Vanilla Cupcake Day

National Young Readers' Week -- US, sponsored by Pizza Hut's BookIt! Program and the Library of Congress; listen to a different celebrity read a book each day through the 14th

Sleep Dangerously Night -- internet generated, a night to switch sides of the bed with your spouse and see who falls out of bed first

St. Andrew Avellino's Day (Patron of apoplexics, for a holy death, stroke victims; Badlato, Naples, and Sicily, Italy; stroke victims; for a holy death; against apoplexy, strokes, and sudden death)

St. Martin's Eve -- Germany; Portugal (Martimas Eve)

Tori No Ichi -- Japan (a "rooster day" in which to wish good luck and prosperity at temple and shrine ceremonies around the country)

Tree Festival Day -- Tunisia (equivalent to Arbor Day, as well as an agricultural festival)

USMC Day -- US (anniversary of founding in 1775, includes the Marine Corps Birthday Ball)

Wish-Spoiling Sports Day -- Fairy Calendar (Imps, Gremlins, and grumpy Goblins)

World Orphans Day -- originally an initiative of The Stars Foundation; cannot find a current sponsor, although there is a Facebook page for this day, and a site where you can find out more about orphans in the developing world

World Science Day for Peace and Development -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

Establishment of Badlands National Park, SD, US, 1978
Establisnment of the United States Marine Corps, 1775


Birthdays Today:

Ellen Pompeo, 1969
Vanessa Angel, 1963
Neil Gaiman, 1960
MacKenzie Phillips, 1959
Sinbad, 1956
Roland Emmerich, 1955
Ann Reinking, 1949
Donna Fargo, 1949
Tim Rice, 1944
Russel Charles Means, 1940
Russel Means, 1939
Roy Scheider, 1932
Richard Burton, 1925
Jane Froman, 1907
Claude Rains, 1889
Friedrick Voon Schiller, 1759
Oliver Goldsmith, 1728
William Hogarth, 1697
Martin Luther, 1483


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Microsoft Windows, 1983 (sometimes so slow, it's called "win-doze")
"Sesame Street", 1969


Today in History:

Rene Descartes has the dreams that inspire his Meditations on First Philosophy, 1619
The Dutch formally cede New Netherlands to the English; it is renamed New York, 1674
France ends forced worship of God, substitute the Goddess of Reason, 1793
The US state of Kentucky outlaws dueling, 1801
Stanley presumes that he has met Livingston in Ujiji, Central Africa, 1871
The first Woman's Christian Temperance Union meeting is held in Boston, 1891
The first Gideon Bible is put in a hotel room, 1908
Hirohito ascends the throne as Emperor of Japan, 1928
The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston, 1958
The 729-foot-long freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks during a storm on Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew on board, 1975
A 106-car Canadian Pacific freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals from Windsor, Ontario, Canada derails in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada just west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, causing a massive explosion and the largest peacetime evacuation in Canadian history and one of the largest in North American history, 1979
The communist regime of Bulgaria falls, 1989
The "Codex Leicester", the only Leonardo da Vinci manuscript owned in the United States and the only one in the world still in private hands, was sold at auction to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates, who paid $30.8 million, 1994
Thousands of people people march toward the royal palace of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur to hand over a memorandum to the King demanding electoral reform, 2007
Vietnam evacuates about 600,000 citizens under the threat of Typhoon Haiyan, 2013

Silly Sunday: Sick

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.  It's the place to come for weekly laughs, and the rules are simple, just have fun!

It's easy to Laugh and Link Up!

He must not be feeling well, i thought to myself.  Seven-year-old boys don't ask for a bath out of the blue unless they just don't feel well.

At least, i don't ever remember mine doing that.

Saturday, and again i found myself at Ms. P's house.  The flaky ex had a good reason not to have the kids on his weekend this time, as his stepson has the flu.

Unfortunately, that seems to be what Youngest Boy has, also.  And here i only got my flu shot a few days ago.

The day was to be packed with doings, from morning until evening, with a very exciting football game capping it all off.  Because of that, they asked if i could come at 8am and stay the day, which i did.

Also, i went to the drug store for soda, blue "ade" of the kind they like, and Tamiflu, a prescription for each of the children.  Yes, the doctor went ahead and prescribed it for all of them, even though it's the Youngest Boy who is feverish, coughing (right in my face!), sneezing, and feeling so miserable he asked for a bath.  They will simply keep it here so that when the rest get sick, since they are all now exposed, they can start on it right away.

When he got hungry, he wanted beans and rice from Popeye's, so we went and got it.  He was so weak, he said, he couldn't get to the car.  "Could you carry me?" he asked in that pathetic, I'm-so-sick voice little ones have.  Yes, just like i used to do with my kids, i carried him.  He even asked me to sit next to him while he was lying on the couch, sniffling and coughing and comatose with junk on TV.

They can be so sweet when they don't feel well.  They don't have the strength to argue!

This reminds me of the time Boudreaux was sick, and he went to see Dr. Comeaux.

Boudreaux he be moanin', and groanin', an' when Dr. Comeaux come in he say, "Doc, I be so sick!"

"Flu?" ax Dr. Comeaux.

An' Boudreaux say, "Mais, no!  I din't fly here, my wife Clothile drove me!"



Today is:

Allama Iqbal Day -- Pakistan

Chaos Never Dies Day -- internet generated, and just look in my closets if you want proof that we need this one

Couch Beachcombing Day -- internet generated; also called sofa diving, you will be amazed what you will find!

Dia de los Natitas -- La Paz, Bolivia (Day of the Skulls, when skulls are decorated and then offered cigarettes, coca leaves, and other items)

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

Father's Day -- Estonia; Finland; Iceland; Norway; Sweden

Fiesta de Nuestra Senora de la Almudena -- Madrid, Spain (Feast of the Virgin of the Almudena, Patroness of the City)

Flag Day -- Azerbaijan

Go to an Art Museum Today Day -- it's a good idea, whoever started this one

Independence Day -- Cambodia (1953)

Lord Mayor's Day / Lord Mayor's Show -- London, England (traditional date, celebrated on the nearest Saturday; a traditional Show since 1215, when King John granted the people of London the right to elect their own mayor)

National Nibble Day -- as promoted by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith

National Scrapple Day

Neon Sign Day -- Georges Claude received a patent for the neon sign on this day in 1911

Night of Nicnevin (Gyre-Carling), Daughter of Frenzy, Banshee -- Scots Pagan (date approximate)

Paul is Dead Day -- Beatle's Conspiracy Theorists, who claim Paul died this day in 1966 and was replaced by Billy Campbell

Remembrance Sunday -- England

Schicksalstag -- Germany (Destiny Day or Fateful Day) anniversary of
     the execution of Robert Blum in 1848
     dethroning of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1918
     The Beer Hall Putsch in 1923
     Kristallnacht (Crystal Night, marks the beginning of the Holocaust), 1938
     the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989

Snakes and Ladders Tournament -- Mirano, Italy (a real life size Gioco dell'Oca [snakes and ladders] game dating back to the Medici period, in which competitors dress in medieval garb as the different areas of the city compete against each other)

St.Theodore the General's Day (Patron of soldiers; Brindisi, Italy; invoked for the recovery of lost objects)

Tag der Erfinder -- Austria; Germany; Switzerland (Inventor's Day; birth anniversary of Hedy Lamarr, who was an inventor as well as an actress)

Wish-Granting Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Sprites)

World Freedom Day -- US


Birthdays Today:

Nikki Blonsky, 1988
Nick Lachey, 1973
Chris Hericho, 1970
Thomas Quasthoff, 1959
Lou Ferrigno, 1951
Tom Weiskopf, 1942
Tom Fogerty, 1941
Mary Travers, 1936
Bob Gibson, 1935
Carl Sagan, 1934
Dorothy Dandridge, 1923
Spiro Agnew, 1918
Hedy Lamarr, 1913
James William Fullbright, 1905
Ed Wynn, 1886
Stanford White, 1853
Elijah P. Lovejoy, 1802
Benjamin Banneker, 1731 (first freeborn child of free African American parents)


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Wizard of Id"(Comic strip), 1964
"Omnibus"(TV), 1952


Today in History:

Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims, sentencing all Jews to slavery, 694
The Family de' Medici were expelled from Florence, 1494
Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower sight land at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1620
Hungarian parliament promises Protestants freedom of religion, 1681
The Rabbi Yehuda Hasid synagogue in Jerusalem is set afire by Arabs, 1720
Napoleon becomes dictator of France, 1799
The first US pharmacy college begins classes in Philadelphia, 1821
The NY Symphony Orchestra holds its first public performance, 1858
The first documented Canadian football game is held, at the University of Toronto, 1861
Ulyses Grant issues orders to bar Jews from serving under him, 1862
The Great Boston Fire destroys nearly 1,000 buildings, 1872
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first US president to visit other countries during his tenure, visiting Puerto Rico and Panama, 1906
The Great Lakes Storm of 1913, the most destructive natural disaster ever to hit the lakes, destroys 19 ships and kills more than 250 people, 1913
Albert Einstein is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with the photoelectric effect, 1921
Several U.S. states and parts of Canada are hit by a series of blackouts lasting up to 13 hours in the Northeast Blackout of 1965
First issue of Rolling Stone Magazine is published, 1967
Garry Kasparov 22, of the Soviet Union becomes the youngest World Chess Champion, 1985
The chemical element Darmstadtium is discovered, 1994
The Venus Express mission of the European Space Agency is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, 2005
The German Bundestag passes the controversial data retention bill mandating storage of citizens' telecommunications traffic data for six months without probable cause, 2007

Spying Out Fun

rEcess night!  Our theme was spies, and we all got spy names so we could play.  Everyone picked out of a ha.

Yes, that was my spy name!

Yes, i was assigned a sidekick.

Gracie got a way cool name!

There was fun for all with "lasers" for them to crawl under.

No, it's not string!  Use your imaginations!

My sidekick had her own sidekick to hold her flashlight when we went to spy out the playground.

It's Sorcerer Micky, and the flashlight for the dark playground.

We had 6 special needs kids, and only about a dozen siblings, and a ton of fun, and ended the evening watching Spy Kids.

Don't you wish you could be spies like us?



Today is:

Abet and Aid Punsters Day -- promoted by Punsters Unlimited, which seems to know better than to host a website

Cook Something Bold & Pungent Day -- especially for those who have had to close up the house for winter, we need to create a beautiful aroma for the house; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Dunce Day -- death anniversary of John Duns Scotus (one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of the Middle Ages, he was called the "Subtle Doctor" but his enemies turned his name into the word we use today for someone who isn't too bright)

Feast of the Four Crowned Martyrs (Patrons of cattle, masons, sculptors, stone cutters; against fever)

Festival of the Mania -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to placate the Manes)

Fuigo Matsuri -- Kyoto City, Japan (Bellows Festival, Shinto festival in honor of Inari, the kitchen hearth goddess)

Herring King Festival -- Etaples, France (Hareng Roi, a festival worth seeing at least once in your life; through tomorrow)

I Hate to Cook Day -- internet generated, and probably started by someone who wanted an excuse to go out to dinner!

National Cappuccino Day

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

National Parents as Teachers Day -- US

Pohnpei Constitution Day -- Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

Sadie Hawkins Day -- US (on the Saturday nearest Nov. 9, and based on the Li'l Abner comic, a day for women to ask out the man of their choice; also widely observed on Feb. 29 because of a law passed by Parliament of Scotland in 1288)

Saints, Doctors, Missionaries, and Martyr's Day -- Church of England

Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the other Bodiless Powers of Heaven -- Eastern Orthodox Church

The Lord Mayor's Show -- London, England (originally "The Lord Mayor's Day," according to the official website this show has marched, floated, trotted, and occasionally fught through almost 800 years of London history, making it one of the oldest civic pageants in the world)http://lordmayorsshow.london

Wish-Granting Championships -- Fairy Calendar (Leprechauns)

World Urbanism Day/World Town Planning Day

X-Ray Discovery Day / World Radiography Day -- commemorating the discovery, in 1895, of x-rays


Anniversaries Today:

Montana becomes 41st US State, 1889
Mount Holyoke Seminary for Women is founded, 1837 (considered by many to be the first true college for women in the US)
Opening of the Louvre, 1793


Birthdays Today:

Tara Reid, 1975
Masashi Kishimoto, 1974
Parker Posey, 1968
Courtney Thorne-Smith, 1967
Gordon Ramsay, 1966
Leif Garrett, 1961
Rickie Lee Jones, 1954
Alfre Woodard, 1953
Mary Hart, 1951
Bonnie Raitt, 1949
Virna Lisi, 1937
Morley Safer, 1931
Patti Page, 1927
Christiaan Barnard, 1922
Esther Rolle, 1920
Martha Gellhorn, 1908
Margaret Mitchell, 1900
Hermann Rorschach, 1884
Milton Bradley, 1836
Edmond Halley, 1656


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Six Degrees of Separation"(Guare drama), 1990
"Night and Day"(Stoppard play), 1978
"Days of our Lives"(TV), 1965
"Life With Father"(Play), 1939
Sister Carrie(Publication date), 1900
"Ruy Blas"(Victor Hugo drama), 1838


Today in History:

Emperor Theodosius declares Christianity to be the state religion, 392
Uprising against Piero de' Medici in Florence, Italy, 1494
First meeting of Montezuma and Hernando Cortez in Tenochtitlan, Mexico, 1519
The Bodleian Library at Oxford University is opened to the public, 1602
Benjamin Franklin opens the first US library, in Philadelphia, PA, 1731
Elijah Craig, of Bourbon, Kentucky, US, first distills Bourbon whiskey from corn, 1789
Sarah Bernhardt makes her US debut at NY's Booth Theater, 1880
The New Orleans general strike begins, uniting black and white American trade unionists in a successful four-day general strike action for the first time, 1892
Wilhelm Roentgen of Germany discovers X-rays, 1895
The New Testament Gospels are translated into Demotic Greek (as opposed to the Koine Greek of ancient texts), resulting in bloody clashes in Athens, 1901
The first Washington state elections in which women could vote take place, 1910
Operation Grapple X, Round C1: Britain conducts its first successful hydrogen bomb test over Kiritimati in the Pacific, 1957
Former Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke becomes the first African American elected to the United States Senate, 1966
Manolis Andronikos discovers the tomb of Philip II of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father), 1977
The UN Security Council demands that Saddam Hussein disarm or face serious consequences, 2002
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao releases pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridium, or Bay of Rainbows, taken during the Chang e-2 lunar mission, 2010