The Breakfast Club (Feline Friday) and Friendly Fill-Ins

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

He has handed hosting duties off to Sandee, of Comedy Plus, and it's simple to join, just follow the link to Sandee's page for the rules and the code.

This is The Breakfast Club, Grits, Bagel, and Hash, the three kittens who had escaped the other week and were roaming the shelter when i got there for my morning shift (a visitor the evening before hadn't latched their cage properly).

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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 Lorianne The Menagerie Mom of Four-Legged Furballs. 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!      

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

1. I don't like _________ in my _________.

2. My to-do list for December includes _________, _________, and _________.

3. I still need to _________ before _________.

4. To me, _________ is the most important part of the holiday season.

1. I don't like   anything  in my   regular morning coffee.  My first cup of the day is just coffee.  If i have some decaf later in the day, and i do once in so often, i like it with a bit of coconut milk.

2. My to-do list for December includes   work, cat-sit  and   cook another family meal.

3. I still need to   pay my quarterly estimated tax  before   the 15th.

4. To me,   Jesus  is the most important part of the holiday season.

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Today is:

Chichibu Yomatsuri -- Chichibu shrine, Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan (one of Japan's most impressive night parties; through tomorrow) 

Farmers' Day -- Ghana

Faux Fur Friday

Festival of the Finger Stalls -- Fairy Calendar

Flag Day -- Saba Island, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba

Gospel Day -- Marshall Islands (Kamolol, a day of Thanksgiving)

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery -- UN

National Day -- Laos; United Arab Emirates (trad.)

National Fritters Day

National Mutt Day -- US (because mixed breeds need an extra chance) 

Oshiroi Matsuri -- Fukuoka, Japan (Face Paint Festival, to ask for good harvest next year)

Safety Razor Day -- the first disposable razor blades were patented by King Gillette this day in 1901

Special Education Day -- US (anniversary of the first US special education law in 1975)

St. Bibiana's Day (Patron of epileptics, mentally ill people, single laywomen, torture victims; against epilepsy, hangovers, headaches, insanity, mental illness; and, appropriately considering the aforementioned list, Los Angeles, CA)

Walter Plinge Day -- UK (the British equivalent to George Spelvin, a name used to disguise the fact that an actor is playing more than one part in a production, but Walter was based on a real pub owner who was generous to actors)

Birthdays Today:

Britney Spears, 1981

Nelly Furtado, 1978

Monica Seles, 1973

Lucy Liu, 1968

Randy Gardner, 1958

Dennis Christopher, 1955

Dan Butler, 1954

Stone Phillips, 1954

Cathy Lee Crosby, 1948

T. Coraghessan Boyle, 1948

Gianni Versace, 1946

William Wegman, 1943

Julie Harris, 1925

Maria Callas, 1923

Randolph Hearst, 1915

Charles Ringling, 1863

Georges Seurat, 1859

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Naked Gun(Film), 1988

"Mystery of Edwin Drood"(Musical), 1985

"Imus in the Morning"(Radio), 1961

Dancing Lady(Film), 1933 (first appearance of Fred Astaire)

"The Adventures of Charlie Chan"(Radio), 1932

Model A Ford, 1927 (first sold on this date, for $385)

"Sie Versunkene Glocke/The Sunken Bell"(Hauptmann play), 1896

"Samson et Dalila/Samson and Delilah"(Saint-Saens opera, Op. 47), 1877

"La Favorite/The Favorite"(Donizetti opera), 1840

Today in History:

The University of Leipzig opens, 1409

Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what became the United States, 1763

Napoleon defeats the Russians and Austrians at Austerlitz, 1805

The first Savings bank in the US opens, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, 1816

US President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine", 1823

US President James K. Polk declares it is the "Manifest Destiny" of the US to expand into the West, 1845

Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the US, in NYC, 1867

King Camp Gillette patents the safety razor, 1901

Pu Yi (Hsuan-T'ung) became China's Last Emperor at age 2, 1908

Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A, 1927

A team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, 1942

Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the approval of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, 1947

The Granma yacht reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente province and Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution, 1956

Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates, 1971

Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state, 1988

A coalition led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl wins the first free all-German elections since 1932, 1990

The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive, 1999

NASA announces finding an arsenic based life form on Earth, 2010

Taxi service company Uber expands its presence in Latin America by partnering with Carlos Slim's cell phone company America Movil to place the Uber app on mobile phones throughout Mexico, 2014

A trade war truce is agreed upon between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 meeting in Argentina, 2018

The UK authorizes the use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, the first Western country to approve a Covid vaccine, 2020

Comes a Time (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day and Brian's Thankful Thursday

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The man's hollow eyes followed her, his look sad and despairing.

As she drove past, from within the car where only I could hear her she said, "Fred, get out of the road, I'm not giving you anything."

Turning onto the next street, she continued, "Do you remember the story I told you about Fred -- went through his parent's estate and spent up all of his children's part of the inheritance on crack?"

"Yes, I do remember, you used to hire him to work at your place, when he was supposedly trying to get clean."

"Well, he's living in that dump of a house back there, stolen electric meter, stolen water meter, no money, his family won't have anything to do with him, he blew the money from selling a huge house and almost a million in stock on his drugs and that's what's left of him and I'm not helping him any more."

Shaking my head, I said, "Comes a time when you just have to draw that line," and she agreed.

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Meter.      

     

(Based on a true story.)

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While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

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It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day!  This week's image and my poem:    

It's taken years but I can do this now.

If you want, I'll teach you how.

You start out small, just one on top,

someday you'll do it, not one will drop!

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Beautiful in

poise, grace, determination

she will get it done

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Brian of Brian's Home hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful Ms. G bought me lunch yesterday, a nice salad and sautéed Brussels sprouts.

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Today is:

A Colonial Christmas -- Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, VA, US (through Dec. 31; enjoy 17th- and 18th-century Christmas traditions, comparing those of England and the Colonies)

Antarctica Day -- celebrating the Continent of Peace and Science

Barbes Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebrates the fertility of sheep)

Basketball Day -- commonly seen as the day Dr. James Naismith invented the game; while we know it was early in December, 1891, i cannot find any credible source that says it was on this date

Becky Thatcher Day -- birthday of Laura Hawkins, in 1836, who inspired the character in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Bifocals at the Monitor Liberation Day -- if you can't see, feel free! sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Carnival of Celendonia -- Fairy Calendar (Celendonia is the Fairy City all Fairies want to retire to, by the way.)

Chia Pet Hunting Season begins

Christmas in Old Appalachia -- Clinton, TN, US (an old fashioned country Christmas; through Christmas Eve)

Christmas New Orleans Style -- New Orleans, LA, US (a full month of Christmas celebrations as only NOLA can do it)

Civil Air Patrol Day -- US (date of establishment in 1941; the US Coast Guard rescues you from peril on the water, the CAP on land)

Cookie Cutter Week begins -- sponsored by the Cookie Cutter Collectors Club

Crossing of the Cattle at Diafarabe -- Mali (celebrated through the month)

Damrong Rajanubhab Day -- Thailand (anniversary of the prince's death)

Day of the First President -- Kazakhstan

Eat A Red Apple Day

Freedom and Democracy Day -- Chad

Fullveldisdagurinn Islendinga -- Iceland (Self-governance Day)

     University Students' Celebration Day

International Prisoners for Peace Day -- a day to remember imprisoned conscientious objectors

Kalends of December -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also observed

     Festival for Neptune -- promiscuous god of the sea

     Festival for Pietas -- goddess of devotion, duty, and honor

Mindfulness Day -- Zen Buddhism (a day to mindfully see and act with compassion toward the poor and oppressed)

My Husband's Strung the Christmas Lights and Now I Can't Open the Garage Door Day -- commemorating an alleged real event, be glad this isn't your husband

National Pie Day

National Stress-Free Family Holidays Month -- sponsored by Parenting Without Pressure

National Transit Tribute to Rosa Parks Day -- American Public Transportation Association, on the anniversary of her arrest

Operation Santa Paws -- toy/treat/care drive to help local animal shelters, until the 21st; sponsored by Haute Dogs

Proclamation of the Republic -- Central African Republic

Restoration of Independence -- Portugal(1640)

Rosa Parks Day -- anniversary of her arrest in 1955

St. Eligius' Day (Patron of agricultural workers/farmers, blacksmiths/ horseshoe makers, boilermakers, cab drivers/taxi drivers, carriage makers, cartwrights, clock makers/watch makers, coin collectors/neumismatists, craftsmen, cutlers, farriers, garage workers and gas station workers -- because most of us don't use horses any more, gilders, goldsmiths, harness makers, horses/sick horses, jewelers, jockeys, knife makers, laborers, locksmiths, metal collectors/precious metal collectors, metalsmiths, miners, minters, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, saddle makers, tool makers, veterinarians, wheelwrights)

Surf Life Saving Summer Appeal -- New Zealand (Formerly National Jandal Day, now a three month campaign to raise money to support the Surf Lifeguards who keep you safe) 

Teachers' Day -- Panama

World AIDS Day -- WHO; related observance

     Day With(OUT) Art -- annual remembrance of the impact of AIDS on the visual arts, sponsored by Visual AIDS

Ziua Unirii -- Romania (National Day)

Anniversaries Today:

Yukon Order of Pioneers founded, 1894

US National Weather Service established, 1870

Napoleon marries Josephine, 1804

Birthdays Today:

Nestor Carbonell, 1967

Reggie Sanders, 1967

Carol Alt, 1960

Treat Williams, 1952

Bette Midler, 1945

John Densmore, 1944

Richard Pryor, 1940

Lee Trevino, 1939

Woody Allen, 1935

Lou Rawls, 1933

David Doyle, 1925

Mary Martin, 1913

Charles Finney, 1905

Robert Welch, 1899

Cyril Ritchard, 1897

Rex Stout, 1886

Julia A. Davis Moore, 1847

Anna Maria Grosholtz Tussaud (Madame Tussaud), 1761

Oliver Wolcott, 1726

Louis VI of France, 1081

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Happy XMas(War is Over)"(Single release), 1971

"Promises, Promises"(Musical), 1969

"Flower Drum Song"(Musical), 1958

"Candide"(Operetta), 1956

The Great Train Robbery(First Western film), 1903

Sherlock Holmes, in "A Study in Scarlet"(Published in Beeton's Christmas Annual), 1887

Dr. Pepper, 1885 (recognition by US Patent Office of first day of sale)

Today in History:

Henry V of England enters Paris, 1420

Pasha Muhammad ibn Farukh, governor, driven out of Jerusalem, 1626

Portugal regains independence from Spain, 1640

Massachusetts becomes first colony to give Statutory recognition to slavery, 1641

The first American school to offer manual training courses opens in Maryland, 1750

Charles and M.N. Roberts ascend 2,000' in a hydrogen balloon, 1783

Erie Canal closes for a month due to cold weather, 1831

Hans Christian Andersen publishes his first book of fairy tales, 1835

The first chartered mutual life insurance company opens, 1843

The first certified public accountants receive their certificates in New York, 1896

The first Israeli kibbutz is founded, Deganya Alef, 1909

Ford Motor Company introduces the first moving assembly line, 1913

The first drive-up gasoline station opens in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, 1913

Lady Nancy Astor is sworn in as the first female member of the British Parliament, 1919

The New York Daily News reports the news of Christine Jorgenson, the first notable case of sexual reassignment surgery, 1952

Opening date for signature of the Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, 1959

Malawi, Malta and Zambia join the United Nations, 1964

Lambda Theta Phi is established as the first Latino fraternity, in New Jersey, 1975

Angola joins the United Nations, 1976

The AIDS virus is officially recognized, 1981

At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart, 1982

Channel Tunnel sections started from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 metres beneath the seabed, 1990

Representatives from more than 150 countries gather at a global warming summit in Kyoto, Japan, and over the course of the next ten days forge an agreement to control the emission of greenhouse gases, 1997

The Treaty of Lisbon comes into effect,  which amends the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community, which together comprise the constitutional basis of European Union, 2009

In ceremonies held at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, the USS Enterprise, the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is officially inactivated after a 51-year career, 2012

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is declared King of Thailand, succeeding his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 2016

Japanese broadcaster NHK launches the world's first super-high definition 8K television channel, 2018

Syrian shadow puppetry is added to the UN's list of cultural activities in urgent need of saving, 2019

The Chinese robotic spacecraft Chang’e-5 lands on the Moon as part of two-day mission to retrieve rock samples, 2020

Tel Aviv is named the world's most expensive city for the first time, ahead of Singapore and Paris, with Damascus being the cheapest, 2021