If i'm going to help, i need a longer reach.

How is it that things can be going so great and so awfully at the same time?

Di and i drove to San Antonio quite uneventfully, even stopping at Buc-ee's.  Meanwhile, on the home front, the A/C situation reached critical mass.

Sweetie called me multiple times and ended up having to sleep at Brother-in-Law, The Mouth's home.  The unit had tripped a breaker when someone didn't turn it off before emptying the drip pan, and it had frozen solid.

Friday i spent tons of time with my portable charger hooked up to the phone making calls to try to get someone, anyone, to schedule a service call through the home warranty company.  We were authorized to get a non-contracted provider, and we couldn't find one, so they got a regular provider who was too busy and wouldn't do it, and by the end of all of it i felt ready to throw away the central A/C and buy a window unit for every room in the house.

Finally the A/C was unfrozen and working if you nursed it along by taking pristine care of the drip pan and i had a promise that someone will come on Monday.

The time i didn't spend on the phone Friday was wonderful  We took one of the boats down by the Riverwalk, and went to the Mexican market (where i bought a sombrero for Pepe to wear when i get home), and had our gumbo feast.

It's one of my favorite things to do when we get together each year, i cook three big pots of gumbo, seafood, sausage and turkey, and vegan.  Yes, you can make vegan gumbo.  As i tell Grace, i'm going to blow up all over the kitchen and use almost every utensil and i promise you will have enough gumbo to feed all of us and all the rest of the family and put some in the freezer for later.  That's how it happened.

Today we are going to Fredricksburg, and i hope the A/C holds.  As i've told Sweetie, i can't fix it from here, and the worst thing that happens is you turn the whole unit off and go stay with a friend or at a hotel until someone comes to fix it.



Today is:

Arafat Day -- Afghanistan; Bahrain; Djibouti; Kuwait; Libya; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

Big Mac Shoreline Fall Scenic Bike Tour & Ride Across The Mackinac Bridge -- Mackinaw City, MI, US (a one-of-a-kind bike tour; through tomorrow)

Boonesborough Days -- Boonesboro, MD, US (living history, food, antiques, and a celebration of the original spelling of the town's name; through tomorrow)

Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day 2015 -- US (the Saturday after Labor Day, everyone is encouraged to volunteer in cleaning federal land, recreation areas, or waterways, to help do their part to keep these places beautiful)

Chadds Ford Days -- Chadds Ford, PA, US (Brandywine Valley traditional art celebration; through tomorrow)

Dia del Nino -- Honduras (Children's Day)

Farmer-Consumer Awareness Day -- Quincy, WA, US (a fun and tasty way to celebrate and learn how food gets from the farm to your table; through Sunday)

Hang Around Victor Day -- Victor, NY, US (come see why it's a great place to do just that!)

Harvest Home Nibbling Contest  -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

International Drive Your Studebaker Day -- an official event of the Studebaker Drivers Club Inc. (and i wish i could!)

Little Falls Arts and Crafts Fair -- Little Falls, MN, US (arts and crafts from hobbyists and pros; through tomorrow)

Mushroom Festival -- Kennett Square, PA, US (food, fun, and fungi in the Mushroom Capital of the World; through tomorrow)

Nanticoke Powwow -- Millsboro, DE, US (Native American gathering and celebration; through tomorrow)

National Day -- Gibraltar

Norwalk Seaport Oyster Festival -- Norwalk, CT, US (vintage ships, crafters, entertainment, oysters, and a Kids' Cove; through tomorrow)

Saint George's Caye Day -- Belize (National Day)

Sewing Machine Day -- date of issuance of an early sewing machine patent, to Elias Howe; some sites call this "Sew Be It! Day"

Sheriff's Ride Ceremony -- Lichfield, UK (dating back to 1553, the sheriff and his men ceremonially ride the circuit of the boundary of the city; originally on the 8th Sept. every year by order of Queen Mary, now held on the Saturday nearest)

Swap Ideas Day -- Robert L. Birch of Puns Corp wants people to explore ways in which their ideas can be put to work to benefit all humanity and develop incentives to encourage using our creative imaginations

St. Finian's Day (Patron of Ulster, Ireland)

St. Nicholas of Tolentino's Day (Patron of animals, baby, dying people, mariners/sailors, sick animals; Albi, Italy; Cabanatuan, Philippines; Guimbai, Philippines; Lambuna, Philippines; Mati, Philippines; Tandag, Philippines; Toentino, Italy)

Teacher's Day -- China

TV Dinner Day

Valparaiso Popcorn Festival -- Valparaiso, IN, US (dare i call it a popping good time?)

World Suicide Prevention Day -- a great resource is here


Birthdays Today:

Clark Johnson, 1964
Randy Johnson, 1963
Colin Firth, 1960
Amy Irving, 1953
Joe Perry, 1950
Judy Geeson, 1948
Jose Feliciano, 1945
Stephen Jay Gould, 1941
Karl Lagerfeld, 1938
Charles Kuralt, 1934
Roger Maris, 1934
Arnold Palmer, 1929
Rin Tin Tin, 1918
Fay Wray, 1907
Adele Astaire, 1896
Elsa Schiaparelli, 1890
Franz Werfel, 1890
Ian Fleming, 1888
Isaac Kauffman Funk, 1839
Marie Laveau, 1801
Carter Braxton, 1736


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The X Files"(TV), 1993
"Gentle Ben"(TV), 1967
"The Road Runner Show"(TV), 1966
"Gunsmoke"(TV), 1955
"Benvenuto Cellini(Berlioz opera), 1838


Today in History:

The Battle of Marathon takes places between the forces of the Persian Empire and those of Athens, BC490*
An earthquake known as "The Lesser Judgment Day" hits Istanbul, 1509
John Smith is elected president of Jamestown, Va., Colony Council, 1608
Nathan Hale answers the call of George Washington for a volunteer spy, 1776
Simón Bolívar is named President of Peru, 1823
Elias Howe is granted a patent for the sewing machine, 1846
George Mary Searle discovers the asteroid 55 Pandora, 1858
Lincoln Highway, the first paved coast-to-coast road in the US, opens, 1913
Austria and the Allies sign the Treaty of Saint-Germain recognizing the independence of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, 1919
20 African-American students enter public schools in Alabama, 1963
Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France, 1977
Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, joins the United Nations, 2002
The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in history is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland, 2008

*actual date disputed, but it was the 9th day of the 9th moon on their calendar

Feline Friday and Fill-ins

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!

Di and i drove to San Antonio yesterday, and this is how i feel:

Right now, i'm a bit tired, too!

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

Here are this week's statements with my responses underlined:

My fill-ins for the statements are underlined:

Week 18: September 9, 2016

1. I can't wait for the new season of ___________________________ on television. 

2. In my home, ____________________needs to be repaired.

3. I thought I lost ________, but ______.

4. Once, I found _______.

1. I can't wait for the new season of ____________________ on television.  This was left blank because i don't watch TV, so i have no idea what will be new and what will be old and what will be coming back.

2. In my home, the A/C, the back door, the front door, and the foundation need to be repaired.

3. I thought i lost my mind, but now i know i did!

4. Once, i found a wallet, and mailed it back to the owner who had dropped it while she was visiting in town.



Today is:

Arcola Broom Corn Festival -- Arcola, IL, US (includes a parade; through Sunday)

Banana Festival - An A-peeling Celebration -- Fulton, KY & South Fulton, TN, US (the fun starts tonight with The Banana Ball and continues through next Saturday)

Blessed Father Jacques Leval Day -- Mauritius (physician turned priest who lived among and ministered to the poorest of the poor in Mauritius; people of all faiths make a pilgrimage to his tomb today)

Bonza Bottler Day

Chrysanthemum Day or Kiku no Sekku -- Japan

Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence -- Slovakia

Festival of the Vine -- Geneva, IL, US (celebrating the flavors of fall, especially good food and wine from around the world; through Sunday)

Festivity of Our Lady of Aranzazu -- Oñati, Basque

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day -- spreading the word about the very preventable problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Fiesta de Santa Fe -- Santa Fe, NM, US (festivities include the burning of the Zozobra -- Old Man Gloom effigy -- on the first night, so bring your personal gloom written down before the burning, and watch it be destroyed, then enjoy one of the oldest fiestas in the US; through Sunday)

Great Canadian Beer Festival -- Victoria, BC, Canada (through tomorrow)

Independence Day -- Tajikistan

Karasu-zumo -- Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (a distinctive local festival where the Shinto priests imitate crows)

Liberation Ceremony -- Petange, Luxembourg

Milk-Bathing Festival -- Fairy Calendar

National Day -- North Korea(1948)

National Folk Festival -- Greensboro, NC, US (sponsored by the National Council for the Traditional Arts, a multicultural celebration of traditional native and folk arts in the United States; through Sunday)

National Hug Your Boss Day -- UK (also picked up in other countries, but no matter what nation you live in, be careful with this holiday!  website here)
 
National Sports Day -- Indonesia

National Steak Au Poivre Day

Ohio River Sternwheel Festival -- Marietta, OH, US (a three day riverfront extravaganza)

Olney Amputee Dove Hunt -- Olney, TX, US (a one-of-a-kind event, begun by two Texas politicians from Olney who were both amputees, they and the town of Olney invite every amputee or person who has lost use of a hand or arm to come to "The Friendliest Town West of the Mississippi River" for Texas food, fun, a glove swap, musical entertainment, one arm jokes and tales, one arm golf tournament, the famous 10 cents a finger breakfast, a Cow Chip Chunk'n, Amputee Vs. Politician, and the big dove hunt; through tomorrow)

Popeye Picnic -- Chester, IL, US (celebrate everyone's favorite cartoon sailor in the town where his creator, E.C. Segar, was born; through Sunday)

St. Peter Claver's Day (Patron of African missions, inter-racial justice, race relations; Colombia; Lake Charles, LA; Shreveport, LA; Witbank, South Africa; against slavery)

Synaxis of Ss. Joachim and Anna -- Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

Teddy Bear Day -- internet generated, but since it's so much fun to have one, celebrate your old friend

UCI Road World Championships -- Doha, Qatar (Union Cycliste International sponsors these races, through the 16th)

United Tribes International Pow-Wow -- Bismark, ND, US (over 70 Native American Tribes represented at the major cultural event; through Sunday)

Wienerschnitzel Day

Wonderful Weirdos Day -- we all have a few in our lives, they remind us to be true to ourselves, so thank them today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Anniversaries Today:

California becomes the 31th US State, 1850


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Williams, 1980
Michael Buble, 1975
Goran Visnjic, 1972
Rachel Hunter, 1969
Adam Sandler, 1966
Hugh Grant, 1960
Mario Batall, 1960
Angela Cartwright, 1952
Michael Keaton, 1951
Tom Wopat, 1951
Joe Theisman, 1949
Billy Preston, 1946
Otis Redding, 1941
Sylvia Miles, 1934
Cliff Robertson, 1925
James Hilton, 1900
Colonel Harland Sanders, 1890
Alf Landon, 1887
Leo Tolstoy, 1828
William Bligh, 1754


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Welcome Back, Kotter"(TV), 1975
"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"(TV), 1972
Imagine(Lennon album release), 1971


Today in History:

William I, The Conqueror, dies in a horseriding accident, 1087
The New England colonies declare war on the Wampanoag Tribe, 1675
The first steam engine arrives in the US colonies, 1753
The first recorded black to graduate from a US college, Alexander Lucius Twilight, receives a BA from Middlebury College, 1817
Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flies a balloon from Castle Garden, NYC to Perth Amboy, NJ, 1830
The first plate glass photograph is taken by John Herschel, 1839
California becomes the 31st state and the territories of New Mexico and Utah are created, 1850
The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized, 1886
Orville Wright makes the first one hour plane flight, 1908
J. Verdrines becomes the first person to fly at over 100mph, 1912
First actual case of a computer bug being found: a moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University, 1947
Hurricane Betsy makes its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first hurricane to do over $1billion in actual unadjusted damages, 1965
The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, 1971
The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state, 1993
At exactly 01:46:40 UTC, the Unix billenium is reached, marking the beginning of the use of 10-digit Unix timestamps, 2001
The "Ophel Treasure", about 1,400 years old, is discovered near the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, 2013

Six Sentence Story: Courage From a Bottle

What would be so bad about her finding out about you?" he asked, and the Djinn, a little too quickly to his mind, responded, "The fewer humans who know about me, the better!"

"That's one reason, but what is your real reason?" he persisted; he had the strange feeling this was important.

The Djinn heaved a sigh and said, "Like your grandmother, you aren't going to take the easy answers, I rather knew that, but I'd hoped we could go through a bit of the, ah, earlier history your family had with me before we delved into how your marriage came to be, and why no one but your blood family can find out about me."

He went through a range of emotions all in about 10 seconds, encompassing worry, confusion, anxiety, and mostly fear -- how much of all this did he really want to know, and how could he rid himself of what he was now worried might turn out to be a family curse, and do it without telling his wife, when he shared everything with her?

The Djinn continued, "That day she first looked you in the eye over the chemistry lab table and you worked up your courage and asked her out, you weren't out of your league at all; she was tired of self-absorbed overtly handsome jerks and was thrilled a nice young man like you asked, all I had to do was give you that shot of courage at your grandmother's request."

"And my wife can't find that out because..." he couldn't help but say, and the Djinn finished with, "...because that was also part of your grandmother's request, that she never, ever know."

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


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

"On the road again!  Just can't wait to get on the road again!"

Okay, okay, i'll stop singing.  But i'm excited because i am on the road again.

DiDreaming and i are driving to San Antonio for what i call the Sanity-fest, my yearly get away from the nuttiness that is my life.  (No, i don't need to watch any "stories" on TV, my life is crazier than anything they can come up with.)

We are meeting up with friends and staying at Grace's home, and i am, as i always do, bringing a ton of Community Coffee and the fixings for a huge gumbo dinner.  We will be doing lots of fun, touristy things and not having a care in the world (except when Sweetie calls, which, from experience, will be about a dozen times a day).

My posts for the next few days may be a bit adrenaline fueled.



Today is:

Community Day -- EX, O, Spain

Feast of Honor for Lada and Lela -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (harvest festival, a holiday of bread and farewell to summer)

Feast of 'Izzat(Might) -- Baha'i

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin -- Catholic Christian; related observances
     Jum il-Vittorja -- Malta (Feast of Our Lady of Victories)
     Matki Boskiej Zielnej -- Poland (Feast of Greenery, also harvest celebration)
     Public Holiday -- Liechteinstein
     Virgen de la Victoria -- Spain

Heritage Open Days -- UK  (What's on your doorstep?  Go find out, explore for free places that often charge admission or are not usually open to the public, castles to cottages to battlefields, all over the country; through the 13th)

Independence Day -- Macedonia

International Literacy Day -- UN

Jeune Genevois -- Geneva, Switzerland (Geneva festival, dating back to the 16th century)

Kosrae Liberation Day -- Micronesia

La Vierge de Meritxell -- Andorra (Feast of Our Lady of Meritxell, a National Day and official flag day)

Longs Peak Scottish/Irish Highland Festival -- Estes Park, CO, US (wonderful celebration of the heritage of the Highlands and Ireland; through Sunday)

Marion Popcorn Festival -- Marion, OH, US (performances by nationally renowned entertainers, races, parade, arts and crafts, and more popcorn than you could ever shuck; through Saturday)

National Date Nut Bread Day

Navy Day -- Pakistan

Pardon Me Day -- anniversary of the 1974 pardon of Nixon

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day

Rettir -- Iceland (around this time of year; a traditional sheep round up celebrated in Iceland during September and int October, actual round up dates may vary from region to region)

St. Adrian's Day (Patron of arms dealers, butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

St. Elizabeth's Day (Orthodox Churches; Mother of John the Baptist; Patron of expectant mothers; Fulda, Germany)

Toronto International Film Festival -- Toronto, ON, CA (through the 20th)

Tug of War World Championships -- Malmo, Sweden (hosted this year by Sweden's Tug-of-War Association, and fun whether you are an enthusiast or just looking to watch the fun; through Sunday)

World Physical Therapy Day 

Yellow Daisy Festival -- Stone Mountain, GA, US (annual arts and crafts festival and fun; through Sunday)


Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 1981
Pink, 1979
David Arquette, 1971
Henry Thomas, 1971
Alan Feinstein, 1941
Frankie Avalon, 1940
Guitar Shorty, 1939
Patsy Cline, 1932
Peter Sellers, 1925
Sid Caesar, 1922
Claude Pepper, 1900
Antonin Leopold Dvorak, 1841
Richard I (Lionheart), 1157


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Oprah Winfrey Show"(TV), 1986
"Star Trek: The Animated Series"(TV), 1973
"Star Trek"(TV), 1966
"Tarzan"(TV), 1966
"That Girl"(TV), 1966
"F Troop"(TV), 1965
The Old Man and the Sea(Publication Date), 1952
"Blondie"(Comic strip debut), 1930


Today in History:

The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Boleslaus the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland, 1264
Michaelangelo's David is unveiled in Florence, 1504
St. Augustine, FL, becomes the first permanent European settlement of the New World, 1565
The US "Pledge of Allegiance" makes its first appearance in print, in the Youth's Companion, 1892
Galveston, TX, is struck by a hurricane and tidal surge that kill 6,000, 1900
First appearance of the comic strip "Blondie", 1930
3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape, 1930
The original Star Trek series premiers, 1966
The Beatles perform their new hit "Hey Jude" as their last live TV performance on the David Frost show, 1968
Chinese athlete Wang Junxia sets a new women's 10,000 m world record of 29:31.78, breaking the former record by 42 seconds, 1993
Two EMERCOM Il-76 aircraft land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America, 2005
Pakistan and India announce plans to mutually ease visa requirements, 2012
The government of Hong Kong backs down on plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes in schools after weeks of protests, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Little Girlie, Invisible Cat!

You can't see me if I'm in the shadow!

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday. 


Today is:

Air Force Day -- Pakistan

Beer Lovers' Day -- ESPN began to broadcast on this day in 1979

Defeat of Jesse James Days -- Northfield, MN, US (a bank raid reenactment, plus parade, races, rodeo, and more; through Sunday)

Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee -- New Centerville, PA, US (steam engines, threshing the old fashioned ways, and fun; through Sunday)

Feel the Love Day

Grandma Moses Day

Independence Day -- Brazil

Lusaka Peace Agreement Day -- Mozambique

National Acorn Squash Day

National Attention Deficit Disorder Awareness Day -- US (by Senate proclamation in 2004)

National Napoleon Day (the dessert, not the general)

National Threatened Species Day -- Australia

Neither Snow Nor Rain Day -- celebrates the opening of the US Post Office in NYC on this day in 1914, which building has the famous inscription on it

Nijamati Sewa Divas -- Nepal (Civil Servants' Day)

Peach Days Celebration -- Brigham City, UT, US (delicious peaches and family fun; through Saturday)

Salami Day -- sponsored by salamiday.com

St. Cloud's Day (a/k/a Clodoald the Confessor; Patron of nail makers; St. Cloud, Minnesota)

St. Regina's Day (Patron of poor people, shepherdesses, torture victims)

Turn A Cartwheel in Public Day -- the internet has it out for us

Victory Day -- Mozambique

Welsh Fairies Bonnet-Hurling Competition -- Fairy Calendar


Anniversary Today:

Sergey Brin and Larry Page incorporate Google, 1998


Birthdays Today:

Evan Rachel Wood, 1987
Devon Sawa, 1978
Angela Gheorghiu, 1965
Michael Feinstein, 1956
Corbin Bernsen, 1954
Chrissie Hynde, 1951
Julie Cavner, 1951
Susan Blakely, 1950
Gloria Gaynor, 1949
Richard Roundtree, 1942
Cuneyt Arkin, 1937
John Phillip Law, 1937
Buddy Holly, 1936
Don Messick, 1927
Peter Lawford, 1923
Jacob Lawrence, 1917
Anthony Quayle, 1913
Elia Kazan, 1909
Michael E. DeBakey, 1908
Grandma Moses, 1860
Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Flying Nun"(TV), 1967
"Truth or Consequences"(TV), 1950


Today in History:

Traditionally, the solar eclipse date that marks the birth of Heracles of Thebes (Latin Hercules), BC1251
The Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem, 70
In the world's first submarine attack, the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor, 1776
The "Troy Post" of NY first uses "Uncle Sam" to refer to the US, 1813
Last hold-up of Jesse James, 1881
Edith Eleanor McLean becomes the first baby in the US to be put in an incubator for premature infants, 1888
The Boxer Rebellion in China officially ends with the signing of the Boxer Protocol, 1901
Eugene Lefebvre (1878–1909), while test piloting a new French-built Wright biplane, crashes at Juvisy, France when his controls jam. Lefebvre dies, becoming the first 'pilot' in the world to lose his life in a powered heavier-than-air craft, 1909
The first day of the first Miss America Pageant is held in Atlantic City, NJ, 1921
Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrates the first use of television in San Francisco, 1927
The last surviving member of the thylacine species, Benjamin, dies alone in her cage at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, 1936
Integration begins in Washington, D.c. and Baltimore, MD public schools, 1954
Desmond Tutu becomes the first black man to lead the Anglican Church in South Africa, 1986
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rocks Athens, rupturing a previously unknown fault, 1999
Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 hurricane, hits Grenada, killing 39 and damaging 90% of its buildings, 2004
The first presidential election is held in Egypt, 2005

Now about the Jalopy.

Last week, i believe it was on Thursday, i realized Sweetie needed to run an errand.  

(He's retired, and often bored, and he wants to be out doing things, and when he gets a little on the crabby side, i know he needs to run an errand, both to give him something to do and get him out from  underfoot.)

Thus i asked him to go put some gas in the Jalopy, and while he was out, go get some bread and milk and coffee.  He was thrilled to have something to do.

He came back and was in a much better mood, and i didn't have to be concerned about getting gas predawn on my way to Bible study the next morning.

The next morning, Friday, i got in the Jalopy to go to said Bible study, and my check engine light was on.  Yes, i just had the tie rods done on Wednesday, and also paid for an oil change and work on Bigger Girl's Cicero.  Now what, was all i could wonder.

Saturday morning, i hied myself to Kevin and Lenny's and asked Lenny, who had duty that day, to please find out what was wrong now while i sat and tried not to think the worst.

As the moments ticked on, i knew it couldn't be good.  It only takes them about 5 minutes to hook up the little gadget to the car's computer and figure out what a check engine light means.  Because i am in there all of the time, they do it for me on the fly sometimes, as i pull in, ask for a reading, arrange for the parts to be ordered, and drive off with an appointment to come back later.  They don't even charge me for it and most places do.

After about an hour and a half, one of the mechanics came in, handed me the keys, and said, "You're good to go!"

What?

Lenny smiled from behind his counter.  "It was registering a leak in the gas line somewhere, and I had a new gas cap sent over from my distribution warehouse, hoping that was it.  It was!"

How much? i asked.

"For a simple gas cap, nothing," he answered.  After thanking him, i left, glad it was so easy, and nothing awful after all.

Thinking back, too, i realized what had happened.  Sweetie doesn't mind pumping gas, but he does mind having to hold the lever on the gas pumps.  He went to the closest gas station to our house, which usually has a competitive price but is notorious for not keeping their pumps in the best order.  Most of them have very hard to read screens that they will not replace, and the little metal flaps that holds the levers up are missing on almost all of them.

When he uses that station to fill his tank, he takes his gas cap and crams it in the handle to hold the lever up, and about once a year he needs a new gas cap because this bends his out of shape.

He had bent mine out of shape, and thus the check engine light came on.

It won't be happening again, though.  Not because i fussed, although i did laugh with him over what happened and asked him not to abuse my gas cap that way again.  Not because i won't be asking him to get gas again, since it's such a convenient way to give him a quick errand that lightens his mood.

No, it won't happen again because, when Lenny got the cap sent over, it was the kind that has a plastic "strap" that hooks to the car.  Because of the strap, it can't reach to be used in that way.

Lenny's not just kind, he's smart.

Today is:

Another Look Unlimited Day -- sponsored by Envira Myntyl, a day to look around and see what you don't need and can donate to charity, to lessen the flow to landfills

Armed Forces Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

Concordia Fall Festival -- Concordia, MO (celebrating agriculture and the German heritage of the area; through Saturday)

Defense Day -- Pakistan

Ear and Trumpter Contests for Mice -- Fairy Calendar

Festa Della Rificolona -- Florence, Italy (one of Florences oldest and most colorful celebrations; through tomorrow)

Fight Procrastination Day/National Do It Day

Flag Day -- Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles

National Boss/Employee Exchange Day -- US (or anyone else who wants to foster understanding between bosses and employees, trade places for a day and see how the other half lives!)

National Coffee Ice Cream Day -- Sweetie swears the best ever was at Howard Johnson Restaurants back in the day

Paryushana Parva -- Jain (eight day festival signifying human emergence into a new world of spiritual and moral refinement, and a celebration of the natural qualities of the soul; local observances of the dates can vary)

Play Days -- sponsored by the HUMOR Project, add humor to your life; through Saturday 

Read A Book Day -- can't find the history on it, but enjoy!

Rhishi Panchami -- Nepal (continuation of the women's festival, a holiday for Female Employees Only)

Sacrifice to Hera Thelchinia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Somhlolo Day -- Swaziland (Independence Day)

South Carolina Apple Festival -- Westminster, SC, US (through Saturday)

St. Magnus of Fussen's Day (Patron of crops; against caterpillars, hail, lightning, reptiles, vermin)

Stillbirth Remembrance Day -- Canada (some Provinces); US

Unification Day -- Bulgaria


Birthdays Today:

Justin Whalin, 1974
Sarah Strange, 1974
Rosie Perez, 1964
Elizabeth Vargas, 1962
Jeff Foxworthy, 1958
Jane Curtin, 1947
Swoosie Kurtz, 1944
Jo Anne Worley, 1937
Billy Rose, 1899
Joseph P. Kennedy, 1888
Jane Addams, 1860
Catharine Esther Beecher, 1800
John Dalton, 1766
Marquis de Lafayette, 1757
Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, 1711


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp"(TV), 1955
Jack Dempsey/Billy Miske Boxing Match(First match broadcast on radio), 1920
"La clemenza di Tito/The Clemency of Titus"(Opera, Mozart K. 621), 1791


Today in History:

The Victoria, the only surviving ship of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, returns to Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the world, 1522
The Spanish "Silver Fleet" disappears off the Florida Keys, 1622
Founding of Salem, Massachussetts, 1628
The first US lighthouse is built in Boston, 1716
Hurricane hits Martinique and Guadalupe, hundreds of ships sink and thousands die on land and at sea, 1776
Thomas Blanchard patents the lathe, 1819
Oberlin Collegiate Institute of Ohio becomes co-ed, with 4 women and 30 men in attendance, 1837
Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807, 1870
Juliana becomes Queen of the Netherlands, 1948
Canada's first television station, CBFT-TV, opens in Montreal, 1952
Nine Israeli athletes are killed during a rescue attempt after being kidnapped at the Munich Olympic Games; two had died during the kidnapping the day before, 1972
The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic states: 
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and restores the name St. Petersburg to Russia's second largest city, 1991
Cal Ripken Jr of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that stood for 56 years, 1995
Diana, Princess of Wales is laid to rest in front of a television audience of more than 2.5 billion, 1997
China launches an investigation into its commercial pilots upon learning that more than 200 of them had falsified their resumes, 2010
Central Australia reports the first sighting since 1960 of a Central rock rat, 2013