Awww Monday: Best Part

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

The best part about back to school?  rEcess!

Peggy, who scoots instead of walking, having a race with two of the volunteer kids.

Today is:

Be Late For Something Day -- sponsored by the Procrastinators' Club of America, Inc. (if they can get around to mentioning it in their newsletter, of course)

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta's Day

Dia de Santiago Iglesias Pantin -- Puerto Rico

Ganesha Chaturthi -- Hindu (festival to honor the god of prosperity, prudence, and success, Ganesha; local customs and dates can vary, as can official government holiday status)

Genesia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (a day of the dead; date approximate)

Hassaku-sai -- Matsuo-taisha Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (rituals to ask the gods for mild weather, good harvests and safe homes)

International Day of Charity -- UN

Jupiter Stator Festival -- Ancient Roman Calendar (commemorates that Jupiter helped Romulus to stop the Sabine invasion under Titus Tatius)

Jury Rights Day -- marking the decision by a jury, in 1670, to not convict William Penn of laws which they considered unjust which would have prohibited him from the practice and preaching of his religion to a peaceably assembled congregation; this decision became the basis of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the US

Kshamavani -- Jain (Forgiveness Day)

Labor Day/Labour Day -- Bermuda; Canada; Palau; U.S. and Territories

Luxembourg City Kermesse -- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg (the capital city gets a day off to enjoy the country's biggest fun festival)

National Cheese Pizza Day

National Stearman Fly-In Days -- Galesburg, IL, US (the largest gathering of Stearman bi-planes in the world, with flying, seminars, and exhibits; through Saturday)

Organ Donation Week begins -- UK (join the organ donor registry, when you don't need your parts any more, someone else will!)

Samvatsari -- Jain (final and most important day of the Paryushana Parva, the day focused on forgiveness)

St. Giles Fair -- Oxford, England (dates back to 17th century; through tomorrow)

St. Laurence Gustiani's Day (First Patriarch of Venice)

Sts. Zechariah and Elisabeth's Day -- Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches

Teacher's Day -- India

Wag and Carrot Fancying Day -- Fairy Calendar


Anniversaries Today:

John Travolta marries Kelly Preston, 1991


Birthdays Today:

Kim Yu-Na, 1990
Rose McGowan, 1973
Dweezil Zappa, 1969
Kristian Alfonso, 1964
Cathy Guisewite, 1950
Dennis Dugan, 1946
Raquel Welch, 1940
William Devane, 1939
Carol Lawrence, 1934
Bob Newhart, 1929
Arthur C. Nielsen, 1923
John Cage, 1912
Arthur Koestler, 1905
Darryl F. Zanuck, 1902
Morris Carnovsky, 1897
Jesse James, 1847
Johann Christian Bach, 1735


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy"(TV), 1966
"No Mother To Guide Her"(Play), 1905


Today in History:

Peter the Great of Russia imposes a tax on beards, in an attempt to Westernize his people, 1698
The First Continental Congress is assembled in Philadelphia, 1774
The French National Convention initiates the Reign of Terror, 1793
Napoleon surrenders Malta to Great Britian, 1800
Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas, 1836
The First Opium war begins in China, 1839
James Glaisher, pioneering meteorologist and Henry Tracey Coxwell break world record for altitude whilst collecting data in their balloon, 1862
Sioux Chief Crazy Horse is killed, 1877
The First Labor Day Parade is held in NYC, 1882
The first gasoline pump is delivered to a gasoline dealer in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 1885
The first legal forward pass in American football is thrown by Bradbury Robinson of St. Louis University to teammate Jack Schneider in a 22–0 victory over Carroll College (Wisconsin), 1906
The French Upper Volta is broken apart between Ivory Coast, French Sudan, and Niger, 1932
The first conference of the Non Aligned Countries is held in Belgrade, 1961
A Palestinian terrorist group called "Black September" attack and take hostage 11 Israel athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. 2 die in the attack and 9 die the following day, 1972
Voyager 1 is launched after a brief delay, 1977
The St. Gotthard Tunnel opens in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel, 1980
The current international treaty defending indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989, came into force, 1991
Tuvalu joins the UN, 2000
For the first time, a browsable, analysable overview of four million functional elements of the human genome discovered to date are made available to the public, 2012

Silly Sunday: They Learn Young and Grow Fast

Silly Sunday is hosted by Sandee, of Comedy Plus.

Silly Sunday is the place to come for weekly laughs.  The rules are simple, just have fun.

This is a great opportunity to get to know other bloggers and have a laugh or two in the process.

Here is how it works: Laugh and Link Up!

1. Post a joke.
2. Link Up with the URL to your joke in the Linky Tools Widget.
3. Read my joke.
4. Leave a comment to tell me how much you enjoyed my joke.
5. Try and visit a few others participating in Silly Sunday.
6. Go to Sandee's site, linked above, and get the Silly Sunday code for your blog, too!

Yesterday at Kevin and Lenny's with the Jalopy, i noticed one of the mechanics had his 7-year-old son with him.  It's something we've been seeing since the flood, parents who had no place to send the kids because schools and some day cares are flooded or not reopened yet, and/or regular caregivers are unable to be there because they are dealing with their own flooded homes or businesses.  Even on Saturdays parents are working extra shifts for colleagues using the day for flood clean-up, meaning they have no one to watch the child/children.  Everyone is being very understanding about it.

The young man was apparently already being well trained by dad in the mechanics trade, as he was handing dad tools and was able to talk knowledgeably about what was being done to that particular vehicle.

Boudreaux know how dem boys want to be jes' like dey Pères.  When Tee Boudreaux be about t'ree years, he seen Boudreaux helpin' wit' de clearin' up after one de storms we get.  Dat boy be wantin' to do more dan jes' pick up li'l pieces o' wood.

Fin'ly Boudreaux done give him a "sharp" knife an' tell him he can carry dat back to de tool shed.  Tee done dat an' he be so proud he yell, "Dere now, Père!  Be I ready to use de chainsaw now?"

Today is:

Animals' Day -- Curacao

Ceremony of Transformation through Anubis -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Eat An Extra Dessert Day -- internet generated, you have the WWW's permission to indulge today
     note that some sites also list this day, instead of July 7, as World Chocolate Day, so celebrate either one!

Father's Day -- Australia; Fiji; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea

Freddy Mercury Montreaux Memorial -- Montreaux, Switzerland (annual tribute to the work of Freddie Mercury)

Hari Taika/Teej -- Nepal (special holiday for Female Employees Only, to celebrate a special, traditional women's festival)

Harvest Wine Celebration -- Livermore, CA, US (open-house visits to over 40 wineries)

Immigrant's Day -- Argentina

Ludi Romani -- Ancient Roman Calendar (through the 19th; a festival to Jupiter Optimus Maximus, also called Circensian games)

National Macadamia Nut Day

National Wildlife Day -- US

Newspaper Carrier Day -- US (anniversary of Benjamin Day, publisher of the New York Sun, hiring Barney Flaherty as the first newspaper carrier in 1833)

Regata Storical (Historical Regatta) -- Venice, Italy (competition among two-oar racing gondolas, preceded by Venetian ceremonial boats)

Running of the Sheep -- Reed Point, MT (matched only by the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, hundreds of sturdy Montana bred woolies charge down the six blocks of the main street in town, plus there is a parade!)

St. Ida of Herzfeld's Day (Patron of brides, widows)

St. Rose of Viterbo's Festival -- Viterbo, Italy (actual feast day of the saint is March 6)


Anniversaries Today:

Ford Motor Company introduces The Edsel, 1957


Birthdays Today:

Beyonce Knowles, 1981
Ione Skye, 1970
Mike Piazza, 1968
Damon Wayans, 1960
Judith Ivey, 1951
Tom Watson, 1949
Jennifer Salt, 1944
Mitzi Gaynor, 1930
Dick York, 1928
Paul Harvey, 1918
Henry Ford II, 1917
Richard Wright, 1908
Nigel Bruce, 1895
Daniel Hudson Burnham, 1846
Anton Bruckner, 1824
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, 1768


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Captain Midnight"(TV), 1954
"Beetle Bailey"(Comic strip), 1950
"London Calling"(Musical revue), 1923
"Adonis"(Burlesque musical), 1884


Today in History:

Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor in the West, is formally deposed, 476
Edmund Halley, English astronomer, first observes the comet that now bears his name, 1682
The City of Los Angeles is founded in Bahia de las Fumas (Valley of Smokes), 1781
Robert Fulton begins operating his steamboat, 1807
Barney Flahery, age 10, is hired to be the first newsboy, by the NY Sun, 1833
Although he had demonstrated their use before, the first major lighting with electricity comes online as 400 bulbs are lit in offices on Spruce, Wall, Nassau, and Pearl streets in lower Manhattan by Thomas Edison, 1882
The last major US-Indian war ends with the surrender of Apache Chief Geronimo, 1886
George Eastman patents the first roll-film cameral and registers the trademark name "Kodak", 1888
Beatrix Potter first tells the story of Peter Rabbit, 1893
Comic strip "Beetle Bailey" first appears, 1950
The Ford Motor Company introduces the Edsel, 1957
Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games, 1972
Google is founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two students at Stanford University, 1998
A 7.1 earthquake strikes the South Island of New Zealand, causing widespread damage, 2010
Scientists announce the creation of a 'magic carpet' using optical fibers to help prevent elderly people from falling by detecting when unusual footsteps are taken, 2013

Which will get me first?

Of the seven cats in this house, Dansig and Link are actually overweight, Mikey and SissyCat(a/k/a Tripod) are at their upper limit and do not need to gain more, and EnigmaSissy, Horizon, and Little Girlie are right where they should be.

Have you ever tried to put a cat on a diet?  If you can get away without ever having to do it, take advantage of and enjoy that.

Danisg is doing pretty well, as he was already on a special food for his kidney function, and is now on the same thing but the lower calorie version.  He likes it just as well, in fact i don't think he's even noticed a difference.

The rest of them are convinced they are dying.  The normal weight cats are being fed in a separate room, and given the same food in the same amounts as before, but they don't have free access to the food bowls all of the time.  The rest are being given only a certain amount a day of their regular food, enough that they won't gain more and may lose a bit, and i think they are going to stage a revolution before too long.

If you want to know how sneaky a cat can be when it wants food it knows it should not have, EnigmaSissy, who is still getting the same amount of the same food as before, has decided she loves Dansig's very expensive food that is for his kidney function and tries to sneak it away from him whenever she can.  Yesterday i had given him some, and he had left a bit in the bowl.  Because leaving it out is an invitation for another cat to come get an treat, and i didn't feel like getting up from the table that moment to put the rest away, i picked up the bowl and put it in my lap.  EnigmaSissy snuck up on a chair beside me and tried to sneak the food while i was holding it in my lap!

Add to all of this the fact that Pepe loves cat food of any kind, and also tries to sneak bites whenever he can, and i may just be driven around the bend.

Then again, i'm probably already there, considering that i just had the Jalopy worked on twice in the last few weeks, the latest time just this past Wednesday, and yesterday the check engine light came on yet again.

Also Cicero has had two visits to Kevin and Lenny in the last two months, and goes in for a third next week.  A seatbelt quit working, of all things.

If the cats don't get me, the cars will.



Today is:

Aloha Festivals Royal Court Investiture and Opening Ceremonies -- Oahu, Hawai'i, US (opening events of the Aloha Festivals, a month long series of free events on every Island celebrating Hawai'ian culture)

Armed Forces Day -- Taiwan

Braemar Royal Highland Gathering -- Braemar, Scotland (one of the largest gatherings and Highland Games, celebrated for the last 900 years)

Buffalo Wing Festival -- Buffalo, NY, US (two days of celebrating one of this town's favorite foods!)

Cromwell's Day -- The Cromwell Association holds a service at his statue on his death date

Day to Mourn All Manifestations of Sexism -- in honor of passage of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

Day of Universal Alarm -- Fairy Calendar (no one remembers what to be alarmed about, which is what is so alarming, at least to the Fairies)

Feast of San Marino and the Republic -- San Marino

Festival of Children -- Costa Mesa, CA (weekends through Sept.; a community-wide charity outreach with over 100 stage and hands-on activities through the month)

Flag Day -- Australia

International Bacon Day -- good day for a double decker BLT with grilled onions and Swiss cheese

Japanese Festival -- St. Louis, MO (celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan at the Missouri Botanical Garden; through Monday)

Macchina di Santa Rosa -- Viterbo, Italy (St. Rose, patron of the city, celebration begins this evening at 9pm sharp)

Merchant Navy Remembrance Day -- Canada
National Beard and Moustache Championships -- Nashville, TN, US (check out some of the former competitors here)

National Hummingbird Day -- not official, but someone loves them enough to have started this

National Welsh Rarebit Day

National Wilderness Day -- US (commemorates passage of The Wilderness Act in 1964)

National Writing Date Day -- a day to make a date with yourself to go to a coffee shop or library or someplace and get some writing done; sponsored by Natalie Marie-Collins)

Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight -- celebrating the food and drink of this beautiful land, through the 18th

Skyscraper Day -- birth anniversary of Louis H. Sullivan in 1856, architect credited with some of the first skyscrapers

St. Gregory the Great's Day (Inventor of Gregorian Chant; Patron of choir boys, educators, masons, musicians, papacy, Popes, schoolchildren, singers, stone masons, stonecutters, students, teachers; England; Kercem, Malta; Legazpi, Philippines; Montone, Italy; San Gregorio nelle Alpi, Italy; West Indes; against gout and plague)

St. Marinus' Day (Patron and founder of San Marino; also Patron of bachelors, deacons, and falsely accused people)

Tokehega Day -- Tokalau (remembrance of the Treaty of Tokehega)


Birthdays Today:

Shaun White, 1986
Kiran Desai, 1971
Charlie Sheen, 1965
Valerie Perrine, 1943
Pauline Collins, 1940
Eileen Brennan, 1937
Alison Lurie, 1926
Anne Jackson, 1926
Mort Walker, 1923
Kitty Carlisle Hart, 1914
Alan Ladd, 1913
Edward Albert Filene, 1860
Louis Henry Sullivan, 1856
John Humphrey Noyes, 1811
Prudence Crandall, 1803
Anna, Duchess of Bedford, 1783 (in 1840, she began the tradition of afternoon tea)
Nicolo Amati, 1596


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Search for Tomorrow"(TV), 1951
"Poppy"(Musical), 1923
"Funf Orchestrerstucke/Five Pieces for Orchestra"(Schoenberg Op. 16), 1913
"What Every Woman Knows"(Play), 1908
The New York Sun(Newspaper, first of what was to become the Penny Press newspapers), 1833
"Uncle Sam"(Image first used), 1813


Today in History:

Sextus Pompeius, son of Pompey, is defeated in the Battle of Naulochus by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, admiral of Octavian, which ends the resistance to the Second Triumvirate, BC36
Saint Marinus founds San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, 301
Consecration of Pope Gregory the Great, 590
King Richard I (the Lionheart) crowned, and 30 Jews are massacred as part of the celebration, 1189
Richard Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, 1658
The first large group of Swiss and German colonists reach the shores of North and South Carolina areas, 1709
The Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time, 1777
Signing of the Treaty of Paris, end of the US Revolutionary War, 1783
John Dalton, English scientist begins using symbols to represent different atomic elements, 1803
The first daily newspaper, a "penny paper", that actually succeeded, The Sun (New York), begins publication, as well as employing the first paper boys, 1833
Outbreak of the Greek revolution against the autocratic rule of King Otto, 1843
William, Prince of Albania, leaves the country after six months because of opposition to his rule, 1914
Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph, 1935
68th and final transport of Dutch Jews, including Anne Frank and her family/friends, leaves for Auschwitz, 1944
Wally Gator premiers, 1962
Dagen H in Sweden: traffic changes from driving on the left to driving on the right overnight, 1967
The Viking 2 spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars, 1976
Russia and the People's Republic of China agree not to target each other with nuclear weapons, 1994
An 87-automobile pile-up happens on Highway 401 freeway just East of Windsor, Ontario, Canada after an unusually thick fog from Lake St. Clair, 1999
Iran's Parliament approves the first woman minister in 30 years, confirming the appointment of Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi as Minister of Health, 2009
The mobile division of Nokia is purchased by Microsoft for $7.2billion, 2013

Vet Visit Aftermath and Needing a "Piece of Quiet"

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

Feline Friday is simple to join. All you have to do is..

1) post a picture, drawing, cartoon or video of a cat (They may be silly or cute)
2) go to Steve's page, linked above, then on the menu bar click on the Feline Friday tab to get the code
3) paste the code under your cat picture
4) add your name and link

That’s all there is to it! Be sure to check back every so often and visit all the Feline Friday bloggers. Also, please leave a nice comment on their blogs. Nasty comments will be deleted!

Link is not happy after his routine yearly vet visit yesterday.  (He's healthy, but has been hitting the food bowl a little too much for his own good.)

No, I will not look at the camera!  You took me to the vet and said I'm overweight and I'm mad!

************************************************

Friendly Fill-Ins are easy to do. There are four statements: the first two statements are provided by Ellen of 15AndMeowing, and the final two are offered by McGuffy Ann Morris of McGuffy's Reader. They try to make sure the statements will be fun to both answer and share. The linky will be posted at or about 12:00 AM on Friday. Please head over to one of their sites, link up, and share your thoughts! 

My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 17: September 2, 2016

1. My favorite way to exercise is ____________________________.

2. Something I learned last week was ____________________________________.

3. I am sentimental about                                   .

4. Some people might find it surprising to know                                 .

1. My favorite way to exercise is to exercise caution.  No, really, i always did see exercise as punishment.  When i was able to go to a women's fitness center and take some dance classes i enjoyed it, but that's out of the question now and i am back to resenting having to do it at all.

2. Something i learned last week was how well Ring King cleaner works to remove stains from porcelain and fiberglass.

3. I am sentimental about items passed down to me from both of my grandmothers, which includes some letters, pictures, a vase, a cookie jar, and several pieces of cast iron cookware which i use regularly.

4. Some people might find it surprising to know how much peace and quiet i really do need, especially since so many people and animals live here.  It works out, though.
 
The "piece of quiet" referred to in the blog title is from a Family Circus comic where the daughter, Dolly, claims to need one.  That always did tickly my funny bone.



Today is:

Bison-Ten-Yell Day -- celebrating the imaginary Bison-Ten-Yell, inventor of 10 battle yells now used as American football signals

Blackpool Illuminations -- The Promenade, Blackpool, Lancashire, England (five miles of spectacular lighting; through Nov. 6)

Bring Your Manners To Work Day -- sad that we even have to have this one, isn't it?

Celtic Tree Month Muin (Vine) begins

Coughing and Spluttering Convention -- Fairy Calendar

Dri-jerbal -- Marshall Islands (Labor Day)

Feast of Osiris -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Transdniestria

Lazy Moms Day -- a day for mom to be lazy, and let the kids do the housework!

National Blueberry Popsicle Day

National College Colors Day -- US (win money for your favorite college by sporting your colors today and following the rules on this site)

National Day -- Vietnam

Petersfield Antiques Fair -- The Festival Hall, Petersfield, Hampshire, England (one of the best in the nation; through Sunday)

Pierce Your Ears Day -- does a Chihuahua barking loudly in my ear count?  oh, since the person who decided we should celebrate this today didn't leave a trace, i guess it's okay to interpret any way we want

Puyallup Fair -- Puyallup, WA, US (one of the top ten fairs in attendance in the world; through the 25th)

Sacrifice to Hekate and Artemis -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Sedantag -- Germany

St. Agricola of Avignon's Day (Patron of rain -- for or against, whichever you need! -- of good weather and storks; Avignon, France; against misfortune and plague epidemics)

VJ Day -- Surrender Ceremony took place on this date aboard the USS Missouri

Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw And Festival -- Prairie du Sac, WI, US (come try to break the state record of 248 feet; through tomorrow)

World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-Off -- Brady, TX, US (through tomorrow)

Labor Day, shmabor day!
What a dumb day!
You hire some jerk,
Then send him away,
To celebrate work,
By playing all day!

Garfield the Cat

While i may not agree with his assessment of the importance of Labor Day, Garfield is right in that this weekend has become a time for play, as evidenced by the following celebrations that always occur on this weekend around the US*:

Benton Neighbor Day -- Benton, MO
Britt Draft Horse Show -- Britt, IA
Bumbershoot: Seattle's Music & Arts Festival -- Seattle, WA
Cal Farley's Boys Ranch Rodeo -- Boys Ranch, TX
Central City Rock 'n' Roll Cruise-in & Concert -- Central City, KY
Cleveland National Air Show -- Cleveland, OH
Clothesline Fair -- Prairie Grove, AR
Colombia River Cross Channel Swim -- Hood River, OR
Colorado Balloon Classic -- Colorado Springs, CO
Commonwheel Labor Day Weekend ARts and Crafts Festival -- Manitou Springs, CO
Daniel Boone Pioneer Days -- Winchester, KY
Eastern Idaho State Fair -- Blackfoot, ID
Fort Bridger Rendezvous -- Fort Bridger, WY
Great Bathtub Race -- Nome, AK
Great Grove Bed Race -- Coconut Grove, FL
Harvest Wine Celebration -- Livermore, CA
Hog Capital of the World Festival -- Kewanee, IL
Hoisington Celebration -- Hoisington, KS
Hopkinton State Fair -- Contoocook, NH,
Iroquois Arts Festival -- Howes Cave, NY
Johnson City Field Days -- Johnson City, NY
Jubilee Days Festival -- Zion, IL
Lifelight Outdoor Music Festival -- Worthing, SD
Mackinac Bridge Walk -- St. Ignace, MI
National Championship Chuckwagon Races -- Clinton, AR
National Hard Crab Derby and Fair -- Crisfield, MD
National Sweetcorn Festival -- Hoopeston, IL
Oatmeal Festival -- Bertram/Oatmeal, TX
Odyssey - A Greek Festival -- Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Orange, CT
Old Threshers Reunion -- Mount Pleasant, IA
On the Waterfront -- Rockford, IL
Oregon Trail Rodeo -- Hastings, NE
Payson Golden Onion Days -- Payson, UT
Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Colonial Festival -- Greensburg, PA
Santa-Cali-Gon Days Festival -- Independence, MO
Scandinavian Fest -- Budd Lake, NJ
Sta-Bil Nationals Championship Lawn Mower Race -- Delaware, OH
Snake River Duck Race -- Nome, AK
Taste of Colorado -- Denver, CO
Taste of Madison -- Madison, WI
Totah Festival -- Farmington, NM
Waikiki Roughwater Swim -- Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, HI
West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival -- Clarksburg, WV
Westfest Czech Heritage Festival -- West, TX
Wisconsin State Cow-Chip Throw -- Prairie du Sac, WI
Woodstock Fair -- Woodstock, CT
World Championship Barbecue Goat Cook-Off and Arts & Crafts Fair -- Brady, TX

*Note:  Some of these begin today, some begin tomorrow or Saturday, and most go through US Labor Day, this coming Monday


Anniversary Today:

Beginning of the Marathon Runs during the Persian War, Sept. 2-9, 490BC


Birthdays Today:

Cynthia Watros, 1968
Salma Hayek, 1966
Lennox Lewis, 1965
Keanu Reeves, 1964
Linda Purl, 1955
Jimmy Connors, 1952
Mark Harmon, 1951
Eric Dickerson, 1950
Christa McAuliffe, 1948
Nathaniel “Tiny” Archibald, 1948
Terry Bradshaw, 1948
Peter Victor Ueberroth, 1937
Marge Champion, 1923
Cleveland Amory, 1917
Lili'uokalani, 1838
James Forten, 1766


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Rose-Marie"(Operetta), 1924
"East of Suez"(Play), 1922
Ordinance on the Danish Church(Publication Date), 1637


Today in History:

Cicero's first Philippic (oratorical attack) on Marc Antony, BC44
Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion, BC44
Octavian's troops win the Battle of Actium which ends the Final war of the Roman Republic, BC31
The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days; it ends with 8 dead and 13,000 houses destroyed, 1666
Great Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of Western Europe, 1752
US Treasury Dept. is established by Congress, 1789
The solar super storm continues to affect electrical telegraph service, 1859
Theodore Roosevelt adivses the US to "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." 1901
President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia, 1957
The Principality of Sealand is established, ruled by Prince Paddy Roy Bates, 1967
Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia; all 229 people on board are killed, 1998
Pope Benedict hosts an eco-festival, "Save Creation Day," in Loreto, Italy, to encourage Catholics to live an eco-friendly lifestyle, 2007
Ending a 50-year ban on veiled female news presenters, Egypt's state television gives its female presenters a choice of wearing, or not wearing, a veil, 2012
Swimmer Diana Nyad makes history, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage, 2013
The public learns about AT&T's The Hemisphere Project, which gives telephone call data to law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, 2013

Six Sentence Story: Too Close

Corking the bottle just as the Djinn finished disappearing into it and stuffing it behind a pile of old LP records to block it from view, he turned just as his wife opened the door and gently inquired, "Honey, are you in here?"

"Yes, I'm just poking around," he answered, picking up a stack of picture frames and blowing on them, causing a cloud of dust, then adding with a cough, "and wondering again what in the world we've let ourselves in for by moving here."

"Well, you know your grandparents always wanted us to move back here; since now we can afford to stay I think it will be wonderful to raise the children in a smaller town, and face it, you really always did want to move back, anyway, you loved growing up in this house."

"You know me so well," he said with a smile, "although it is bittersweet to have to go through all of their things, and decide how much we are going to keep, and what to do with the rest of it, right now it's like living in one of those antique and flea market places!"

Laughing with him over that, she then asked, "Are you going to come down while the pancakes are still hot?" and he said, "I'll come down for more coffee in a few minutes, I think I saw some of our old high school yearbooks up here."

"That was too close, you can't let her find out about me," the Djinn told him as soon as he pulled the bottle back out and opened it, reminding him that he might be more than the few minutes he had promised.

Linking up with Uncharted Blog and Six Sentence Stories, where the cue is Block.



Today is:

Bahti Meskerem -- Eritrea (Revolution Day)

Blue Hill Fair -- Blue Hill, ME, US (beautiful "down to earth" country fair; through Labor Day)

Bonnat Pig Fair -- Bonnat, France

Building and Code Staff Appreciation Day

Chicken Boy's Day -- the mascot of the now defunct restaurant by that name, the 22 foot statue of a boy with a chicken's head was saved from destruction and is now a pop icon in L.A. on Route 66

Constitution Day/National Day -- Slovakia

Day of Knowledge -- Estonia (an official Flag Day); Russia

Disaster Prevention Day/Kanto Earthquake Memorial Day -- Japan

Ecclesiastical Year begins -- Orthodox Christian

Festival of Juno Regina and Jupiter Liber -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Hassaku Oshi-tsuki -- Tsuma, Oki Island, Japan (bull sumo, with bulls pushing each other out of the ring)

International Day of Awareness of the Dolphins of Taiji/Save Japan's Dolphins Day -- the drive and hunt begins today in Japan, and protest events are held around the world 

Jeune Genevois -- Geneva, Switzerland (Genevan fast, dates back to the 16th century; now a flower and garden show also)

Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival and Fair -- Morgan City, LA, US (celebrating the importance of the shrimping and petroleum industries in Louisiana, it includes one of the most unique children's villages among such events and a Blessing of the Fleet; through Labor Day)

Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials -- Stamford, England (within the beautiful parklands of Burghley House, Stamford in Lincolnshire; through Sunday)

Mustaqillik Kuni -- Uzbekistan (Independence Day, 1991) 

National Cherry Popover Day

National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day -- the day to celebrate the amazing words in the English language that do not rhyme with any other words

Nutt Day -- for Emma M. Nutt, the first female telephone operator

Oyster Season begins

Partridge's Day -- patridge hunting season begins in UK

Presidential Message Day -- Mexico

Random Acts of Kindness Day -- New Zealand

Sing A Silly Song in Bed Day -- now, this one has no real rhyme or reason

Sneeze-Wobbling Festival -- Fairy Calendar

St. Fiacre's Day -- Ireland and France (the rest of the church celebrates this Patron of gardeners on August 30)

St. Gideon the Judge's Day (Patron of Saint-Gedeon-de-Beauce, Canada)

St. Giles' Day (Patron of the beggars, blacksmiths, breast feeding, cancer patients, disabled/handicapped people, epileptics, forests, hermits, horses, lepers, mentally ill people, noctiphobics, paupers and the poor, rams, spur makers, woods; Edinburgh, Scotland; Toifa, Italy; against breast cancer, epilepsy, fear of the night, insanity, leprosy, mental illness, noctiphobia, sterility)

St. Simeon Stylites' Day -- Eastern Orthodox Christian

Teacher's Day -- Singapore

The Masters -- Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB, Canada (The international horse show jumping competitions; through Saturday)

Wattle Day -- Australia


Anniversary Today:

Benjamin Franklin marries Deborah Read, 1730


Birthdays Today:

Timothy Duane "Tim" Hardaway, 1966
Gloria Estefan, 1957
Dr. Phil McGraw, 1950
Barry Gibb, 1946
Lily Tomlin, 1939
Alan Dershowitz, 1938
Don Stroud, 1937
Seiji Ozawa, 1935
Conway Twitty, 1933
"Boxcar" Willie, 1931
Rocky Marciano, 1923
Yvonne DeCarlo, 1922
Vittorio Gassman, 1922
Walter Philip Reuther, 1907
Edgar Rice Burroughts, 1875
Englebert Humperdinck. 1854 (composer, esp of opera Hansel and Gretel)
Johann Pachelbel, 1653


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Art Linkletter's House Party"(TV), 1952
"Androcles and the Lion"(Play), 1913


Today in History:

Rabbi Moses Ben Nachman establishes a Jewish community in Jerusalem, 1267
Adi Granth, now known as Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs, was first installed at Harmandir Sahib, 1601
The first yacht race is held, between England's King Charles I and his brother James, 1661
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa forms in California, 1772
Juno, one of the largest main belt asteroids, is discovered by German astronomer Karl Ludwig Harding, 1804
Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white women to settle west of the 
Rocky Mountains, arrives at Walla Walla, Washington, 1836
The first Pullman sleeping car is put into service, 1859
The Solar Superstorm/Carrington Event: a huge solar sunspot and solar flare storm that disrupted telegraphy and allowed the Aurora Borealis to be seen as far south as the Caribbean occurs, 1859
Joseph Lister performs the first antiseptic surgery, 1865
Robert T. Freeman becomes the first African American to graduate from the Harvard Dental School, 1867
The first underground rapid transit system in North America, the Boston Subway, opens, 1897
One of the first science fiction films ever, A Trip To The Moon, opens in France, 1902
Alberta and Saskatchewan become the 8th and 9th Canadian provinces, 1905
Martha, the last passenger pigeon, dies at the Cincinnati Zoo, 1914
The United States, Australia and New Zealand sign a mutual defense pact, called the ANZUS Treaty, 1951
In Reykjavík, Iceland, American Bobby Fischer beats Russian Boris Spassky and becomes the world chess champion, 1972
Canada adopts the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as part of its Constitution, 1982
A joint French-American expedition locates the wreckage of the RMS Titanic, 1985
Luxembourg becomes the first nation to complete the transition to all digital tv broadcasting, 2006
After four Israeli settlers are shot at the Israeli settlement Beit Hagai, the Palestinian Authority arrested 250 members of Hamas, 2010
To avoid further fighting, Libya's Transitional Council extends the deadline to surrender for tribal leaders in Sirte, 2011
U.S. National Park officials notify 3,100 recent visitors of an outbreak of Hantavirus sourced to tent cabins in Yosemite National Park, 2012
In southwestern China, at least four people are killed by a 5.9-magnitude earthquake, 2013