Feline Friday: Lord of all he surveys.

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!

This is what i get when i tell Dansig to get off the table.

I'm too good looking to have to obey!

Today is:

Anniversary of the Arengo and the Feast of the Militants -- San Marino

Annunciation of the Virgin Mary -- Roman Catholic Christian
     Lady Day/Quarter Day -- England; Ireland; Wales (traditional New Year's Day)
     Varfrudagen -- Sweden (waffle day)

Daylight Saving Time begins -- Israel; Syria

Day of the Shining Ones of Heaven move Upstream -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Festival of King Amenhotep I -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (rituals depicting his death and burial, performed for the Deir-el-Medina workforce; date approximate)

Good Friday/Passion Friday -- Christian (remembrance of the crucifixion of Jesus)
     Via Crusus (Way of the Cross) -- San Fernando, Philippines (reenactment of the Passion)
     Procession of the Mysteries -- Taranto, Italy

Hilaria -- Ancient Roman Empire ("Day of Joy", honoring Attis)

Independence Day -- Cyprus; Greece(1821)

International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade -- UN

International Day of Solidarity with Detained and Missing Staff Members -- UN

International Waffle Day -- based on Sweden's tradition of having waffles on Annunciation Day

Lord's Evening Meal -- Jehovah's Witness

Medal of Honor Day -- US (first one awarded this date in 1963)

Mother's Day -- Slovenia

National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy -- Greece; US

National Hot Cross Bun Day -- always on Good Friday

National Lobster Newburg Day

National Pecan Day -- anniversary of George Washington's planting of Pecan trees at Mt. Vernon in 1775

National Waffle Day -- possibly also International Waffle Day, depends on the site you search

Numbskulls and Clodhoppers' Dance -- Fairy Calendar (i know a couple of people who qualify on both counts; i need to find out how to buy tickets!)

Old New Year's Day -- until 1751, British Empire

Revolution Day -- Greece (anniversary of the revolt against the Ottoman Empire in 1821)

Sacrifice to Kronos -- Ancient Greek Calendar (private sacrifices to Kronos; date approximate)

St. Dismas' Day ("Dismas" is the name given to the unnamed "Thief on the Cross", crucified next to Jesus according to Biblical accounts, and who repented; Patron of condemned/death row prisoners, funeral directors/undertakers, penitent criminals, prisoners, reformed thieves; Merizo, Guam)

Struggle for Human Rights Day -- Slovakia

The Tichborne Dole - in Alresford, Hampshire, UK; since 1150, a gallon of flour is given to every resident by the Tichborne family head on this day, to avoid a curse

Tolkien Reading Day -- sponsored by The Tolkien Society on the anniversary of the fall of Sauron


Birthdays Today:

Danica Patrick, 1982
Lee Pace, 1979
Sheryl Swoopes, 1971
Sarah Jessica Parker, 1965
Marcia Cross, 1962
John Stockwell, 1961
Mary Gross, 1953
Paul Miles, 1952
Bonnie Bedelia, 1948
Elton John, 1947
Bonnie Bedelia, 1946
Paul Michael Glaser, 1943
Aretha Franklin, 1942
Anita Bryant, 1940
Gloria Steinem, 1934
James Lovell, 1928
Eileen Ford, 1922
Simone Signoret, 1921
Howard Cosell, 1920
Norman Borlaug, 1940
David Lean, 1908
Bela Bartok, 1881
Arturo Toscanini, 1867
Gutzon Borglum, 1867


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Barrymore"(Play), 1997
"Cagney & Lacey"(TV), 1982


Today in History:

The first Easter, according to calendar-maker Dionysius Exiguus, 31
According to legend, Venice, Italy is born today at noon, 421
Richard I is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting France, leading to his death on April 6, 1199
Robert the Bruce becomes King of Scotland, 1306
Sir Walter Raleigh renews Humphrey Gilbert's patent to explore North America, 1584
Henry Hudson embarks on an exploration for Dutch East India Co., 1609
Lord Baltimore founds Catholic colony of Maryland, 1634
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is discovered by Christian Huygens, 1655
Mount Etna in Sicily erupts, destroying Nicolosi, killing 20,000, 1669
The Slave Trade Act becomes law, abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire, 1807
The Swansea and Mumbles Railway in England, then known as the Oystermouth Railway, becomes the first passenger carrying railway in the world, 1807
Percy Bysshe Shelley is expelled from the University of Oxford for publishing the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism, 1811
Greeks revolt against the Ottoman Empire, beginning the Greek War of Independence, 1821
In New York City, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 garment workers, leading to factory reform laws, 1911
The Georgian Orthodox Church restores its autocephaly abolished by Imperial Russia in 1811, 1917
The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 1948
The European Economic Community is established (West Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), 1957
Canada's Avro Arrow makes its first flight, 1958
Civil rights activists led by Martin Luther King, Jr. successfully complete their 4-day 50-mile march from Selma to the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, 1965
The first fully functional space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, is delivered to the John F. Kennedy Space Center to be prepared for its first launch, 1979
The world's first wiki, a part of the Portland Pattern Repository, is made public by Ward Cunningham, 1995
The European Union's Veterinarian Committee bans the export of British beef and its by-products as a result of mad cow disease, 1996
Protesters demanding a new election in Belarus, following the rigged Belarusian presidential election, clash with riot police, 2006
In southwest China, environmental and health concerns among residents are raised when 1,000 dead ducks pulled from the Sichuan River, 2013

Six Sentence Story: Rubber Ducky, You're The One!

When she was little, she had plenty of tub toys, but never one of those rubber duckies that would squeak, and she always wanted one, especially when she would watch Ernie on Sesame Street having so much fun with his.

Whether it was because her mother didn't want another noise-making toy in the house, or just never thought the request was sincere, or simply never thought to look for one in the store, she didn't get one as a child.  

After she grew up, people would ask what she wanted for various occasions, and her answer that she still had always wanted a rubber ducky made people laugh, but none believed she meant it.

Then one day, all grown up and with grown children (who had all had rubber duckies of their own when they were little, she made sure), she saw the perfect rubber ducky, on clearance for only eighty-eight cents.

Should she, she asked herself, waste that bit of money on something she clearly did not need but just wanted, especially as money was tight enough that there might be a question of which bills to pay at the end of the month?

The ducky still sits proudly where she gets to see it every day, and the smiles it brings are worth much more than the price she paid.

Best $0.88 ever spent.

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

Today is:

Commonwealth Covenant Day -- Northern Mariana Islands

Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice -- Argentina

Dies Sanguines -- Ancient Roman Calendar (sacrifices to the war goddess Bellona)

Hola Mohalla -- Sikh (3 day grand festival)

Holi -- Hindu (Festival of Color, where everyone gets doused with colored water, or powder, or paint, or all of them; it's been described as an iridescent madhouse)
     officially recognized holiday in Guyana; India; Nepal; Suriname
     Phagu Purnima / Basanta Utsay -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Houdini Day -- see if you can pull a disappearing act in his honor

International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims -- UN

Kazimiras Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (return of the larks)

Komoeditsi -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calandar (honors the great Bear God, Meveshii Bog and includes sacrifices to the Great God of Honey)

Left-of-Field Fanciers' Fortnight begins -- Fairy Calendar

Maundy Thursday -- Christian (a/k/a Holy, Green, Chare, Sheer, or Shere Thursday; commemoration of the Last Supper)
     Procession of the Addolorata -- Taranto, Italy

National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day

National Letting Go of Stuff Day -- see lettinggocafe.com for details

National Revolution Day -- Kyrgyzstan

Pandia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Zeus that immediately followed the Greater Dionysia; date approximate)

Purim -- Judaism (began sundown yesterday, through sundown today)

St. Catherine of Sweden's Day (Patron against miscarriages)

St. Gabriel the Archangel's Day (traditional date, now usually celebrated in September; Patron of childbirth, diplomats, messengers, postal workers, stamp collectors, telephone workers)

St. MacCairthinn of Clogher (St. Patrick's "Strong Man" and fellow worker; Patron of Clogher, Ireland)

Wear a Hat Day -- UK (a brain tumour awareness event and fundraiser)

World Tuberculosis Day -- UN & WHO


Birthdays Today:

Peyton Manning, 1976
Alyson Hannigan, 1974
Lara Flynn Boyle, 1970
Sharon Corr, 1970
Mase, 1970
Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway, 1965
Annabella Sciorra, 1964
Star Jones, 1962
Donna Pescow, 1954
Louie Anderson, 1953
Alan Sugar, 1947
R. Lee Ermey, 1944
Bob Mackie, 1940
Steve McQueen, 1930
Byron Janis, 1928
Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 1919
Dorothy Height, 1912
Joseph Barbera, 1911
Clyde Barrow, 1909
Ub Iwerks, 1901
Dorothy Constance Stratton, 1899
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, 1887
Edward Weston, 1886
Harry Houdini, 1874
Andrew W. Mellon, 1855
William Morris, 1834
John Wesley Powell, 1834
Fanny Crosby, 1820


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Nightline"(TV News), 1980
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"(Play), 1955
"Native Son"(Play), 1941
"Letter from America"(Radio), 1946


Today in History:

Turko-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus, 1401
James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England, 1603
The first game law passed in American colonies, by Virginia, 1629
Roger Williams is granted a charter to colonize Rhode Island, 1664
Britain enacts Quartering Act, required colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers, 1765
Benjamin West of the US becomes president of Royal Academy of London, 1792
In Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Jr., 1832
Canada gives African men the right to vote, 1837
Robert Koch of Germany announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis), 1882
Oscar Straus is appointed the first Jewish ambassador from US (to Turkey), 1887
A. A. Popov makes the first radio signal transmission in history, 1896
"Census of the British Empire" shows England rules 1/5 of the world, 1906
Greece becomes a republic, 1923
U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth, 1934
The longest game in NHL history is played between Detroit and Montreal; Detroit scored at 16:30 of the sixth overtime and won the game 1-0, 1936
In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III, 1944
The British Cabinet Mission arrives in India to discuss and plan for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership, 1946
Elvis Presley joins the army (serial number 53310761), 1958
NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash landing, 1965
The United Kingdom imposes direct rule over Northern Ireland, 1972
In Argentina, the armed forces overthrow the constitutional government of President Isabel Perón, 1976
Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed while celebrating Mass in San Salvador, 1980
In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground, 1989
Discovery of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, 1993
Apple Inc. releases the first version of the Mac OS X operating system, 2001
Bhutan officially becomes a democracy, with its first ever general election, 2008

Wordless Wednesday: How to keep up with things...

...when you are out of the house most of the day.

Strong magnets and a small calendar on the back of the door --the one place you are sure to see them!

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

Today is:

Ancient Roman Calendar Celebrations on this date
     Day of Mouring -- leading up to the festival for Hilaria
     Invocation Day of Mars and Saturn
     Tubilustrium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (ceremony to purify the trumpets used in sacred ceremonies)

Commemoration of the Birth of Lao-Tzu -- Taoist (15th day of 2nd lunar month)

Cuddly Kitten Day -- because the cats can't let the dogs get all the attention

Dandelion Dance -- Fairy Calendar

Day of Hungarian-Polish Friendship -- Hungary and Poland

Day of the Sea -- Bolivia (Dia del Mar)

Doljatra/Holika Dahan -- regions of India (a festival of colors, similar to Holi)

Full Worm Moon -- also called Leaf Moon, Seedling Moon, Crow Moon, Crust Moon, Sap Moon, Light Snow Moon, or Lenten Moon; considered the last full moon of winter
     Medin Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka
     Taubaung Full Moon -- Myanmar

Liberty Day -- today in 1775, Patrick Henry said, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.”

Lieldienas -- Ancient Latvian Calendar ("Big Days" or "Long Days", four day celebration of spring, each day devoted to a different deity)

Magha Puja Day -- Buddhist (celebrations of the teachings of Buddha to an assembly of holy men)

National Chip and Dip Day

National Melba Toast Day

National Puppy Day -- encouraging you to adopt a shelter pup today http://www.nationalpuppyday.com/about.htm

Near Miss Day -- commemorates the mountain sized asteroid that was a near miss on this day in 1989

Purim -- Judaism (begins at sundown)

Rally for Decency Day -- Commemorates the first Rally for Decency, prompted on this day in 1969 by Jim Morrison

Republic Day -- Pakistan

St. Turibius de Mongrovejo's Day (Patron of Latin American bishops, native rights; Peru)

Toast Day -- supposedly for the invention of Melba toast; a recent article says it takes 6 steps to toast bread "right"; i say if you can't put bread in the toaster and butter it when it comes out and need long sets of instructions, you shouldn't be let loose in society!

World Meteorological Day -- UN


Anniversaries Today:

The University of California is founded in Oakland, California, 1868


Birthdays Today:

Michelle Monaghan, 1976
Keri Russell, 1976
Richard Grieco, 1965
Amanda Plummer, 1957
Chaka Khan, 1953
Louie Anderson, 1953
Roger Bannister, 1929
Wernher Von Braun, 1912
Akira Kurosawa, 1910
Joan Crawford, 1905


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Bold and the Beautiful"(TV), 1987
"Detective Story"(Play), 1950
"Truth or Consequences"(Radio), 1940


Today in History:

Eighteenth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. 1066
The first dated edition of Maimonides "Mishna Torah" published, 1490
George Frideric Handel's oratorio "Messiah" premieres in London, 1743
Patrick Henry delivers his famous speech – "Give me Liberty, or give me Death!" – at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, 1775
After traveling through the Louisiana Purchase and reaching the Pacific Ocean, explorers Lewis and Clark and their "Corps of Discovery" begin their arduous journey home, 1806
Elisha Otis's first elevator is installed at 488 Broadway New York City, 1857
The Boers and Britain sign a peace accord that ends the First Boer War, 1881
President Benjamin Harrison opens Oklahoma to white settlement starting on April 22, starting a Land Run, 1889
The Wright Brothers apply for a patent on their invention of one of the first successful airplanes, 1903
Pakistan becomes the first Islamic republic in the world, 1956
NASA launches Gemini 3, the United States' first two-man space flight (crew: Gus Grissom and John Young), 1965
Archbishop Óscar Romero of El Salvador gives his famous speech appealing to men of the El Salvadoran armed forces to stop killing the Salvadorans, 1980
Taiwan holds its first direct elections and chooses Lee Teng-hui as President, 1996
The Russian Mir space station is disposed of, breaking up in the atmosphere before falling into the southern Pacific Ocean near Fiji, 2001
In Tokyo, the Metropolitan Government Bureau of Waterworks reports that radioactive iodine in city tap water is two times the recommended level for infants, 2011

Tuesday Coffee Chat: What's New?

Rory Bore at Ink Interrupted hosts the Tuesday Coffee Chat, and this week she asks the question, What's New With You?

"I'm heading out to go rent a gorilla suit -- don't ask!  Bye!" Bigger Girl said.

Have fun, i told her, and no, i did not ask.  Renting a gorilla suit is a new one in our world, and if she pulls it off, i'll probably have a story to tell.

She has also decided that her new favorite place to read is on the roof.

Little Girl has a new boyfriend, and he's an old friend.  He's the son of the lady who taught all of my children their very first music lessons.  They are fabulous friends, and i remember when this youngest of their children was born.  They are wandering around holding hands and looking all goofy.

Red-headed Alec is newly trying to get himself off of caffeine.  It's been an uphill battle, but he's getting there.

#1 Son is trying to find a different job.  He's good at what he does, but he and the manager don't see eye to eye, so he's on the lookout.

#2 Son and DIL Becky are enjoying new dog ownership, and Pepe is happy because they take him everywhere with them.

Sweetie has discovered a new talent -- he can iron his own clothes, and do it very well.    He's becoming so good at it, i might encourage him to take in other people's ironing for pay.  That's because there is nothing new on the job front for him yet, and it's frustrating.

Right now i'm wracking my brains trying to think if there's anything really new with me, besides that there might be a new client on the horizon.

It's funny, this discussion of new things.  There's really nothing new, just things that are new to us when it comes down to it.

There's a new tenor in the choir at church, the head baker from our bakery.  Humphrey the Honda has a brand new air filter and inspection sticker and registration.  The Jalopy needs all two of the three of those, too, and she will get them soon.  There's a new magazine on the table.

No, none of it is exciting, but it's all the little things that make life go on, sweet, simple things that make today different from yesterday, and keep it from being exactly the same as tomorrow.

Hope you have some fun, new things happening in your world, even if they are small.

Today is:

American Diabetes Association Alert Day -- a day to remind people about how serious the illness is, and what the risk factors are 

As Young As You Feel Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which encourages you to stop acting your chronological age and go act peppy!

Banned in Boston Day -- see history for 1630 for explanation of why today

Coq Au Vin Day

Día de la Abolición de la Esclavitud (Emancipation Day) -- Puerto Rico

Einmanudur Month Begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Lone Month, the month dedicated to young men)
     Yngismannadagur -- Young Men's Day

International Goof-off Day -- sponsored by Monica A. Dufour and A.C. Vierow, who think everyone needs a special day each year to goof off.

International Day of the Seal -- drawing attention to a disappearing species

Laser Day -- the first patent on a laser was granted this day in 1960 to Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes

National Bavarian Crepes Day

National Sing-Out Day -- begun by an anonymous person who must love singing; and yes, i promise, i won't sing where anyone has to listen to me

St. Darerca's Day (reportedly the sister of St. Patrick; Patron of Valentia Island, Ireland)

World Day for Water -- UN


Anniversary Today:

The Tuskegee Airmen are activated, 1941


Birthdays Today:

Cristen Powell, 1979
Reese Witherspoon, 1976
Elvis Stojko, 1972
Matthew Modine, 1959
Stephanie Mills, 1957
Lena Olin, 1955
Bob Costas, 1952
Andrew Lloyd Webber, 1948
James Patterson, 1947
George Benson, 1943
Bruno Ganz, 1941
Marvin Yagoda, 1938
M. Emmet Walsh, 1935
J.P. McCarthy, 1933
William Shatner, 1931
Pat Robertson, 1930
Stephen Sondheim, 1930
Allen Neuharth, 1924
Marcel Marceau, 1923
Karl Malden, 1912
Louis L'Amour, 1908
Chico Marx, 1887


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Conversations with My Father"(Play), 1992
"Brighton Beach Memoirs"(Play), 1983
"All You Need is Cash"(TV movie), 1978
"I Can Get It For You Wholesale"(Musical), 1962
"Mr. Wonderful"(Musical), 1956
"This Year of Grace"(Musical), 1928
"El maleficio de la mariposa/The Butterfly's Evil Spell"(Play), 1920


Today in History:

Hugo de Groot escapes imprisonment in Loevenstein Castle in a book case, 1621
The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony sign a peace treaty with Massasoit of the Wampanoags, 1621
Algonquian Indians kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown, Virginia, a third of the colony's population, 1622
Massachusetts Bay Colony outlaws the possession of cards, dice, and gaming tables, 1630
Joseph Priestly invents carbonated water (seltzer), 1733
The Parliament of Great Britain passes the Stamp Act, which introduced a tax to be levied directly on its American colonies, 1765
The Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current place in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand, 1784
The three protecting powers (Britain, France and Russia) establish the borders of Greece, 1829
Cornstarch is patented by Orlando Jones, 1841
Slavery is abolished in Puerto Rico, 1873
The Edmunds Act adopted by US to suppress polygamy in the territories (especially aimed at the Mormons), 1882
August and Louis Lumiere privately screen the first "motion picture" ever made, of workers leaving their factory three days earlier, 1895
World's first airline, St Petersburg Tampa Airboat Line, begins, 1914
The Arab League is founded when a charter is adopted in Cairo, Egypt, 1945
Arthur Leonard Schawlow and Charles Hard Townes receive the first patent for a laser, 1960
Karl Wallenda of The Flying Wallendas dies after falling off a tight-rope between two hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1978
The Intel Corporation ships the first Pentium chips, 1993
Cosmonaut Valeriy Polyakov returns after setting a record for 438 days in space, 1995
The Comet Hale-Bopp has its closest approach to earth, 1997
Tara Lipinski, age 14 years and 10 months, becomes the youngest women's World Figure Skating Champion, 1997
ETA, the armed Basque separatist group, declares a permanent ceasefire, 2006
Mount Redoubt, a volcano in Alaska began erupting after a prolonged period of unrest, 2009

Awww Monday: Meeting Sam

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!

Amos the Donkey was ill and could not come for Palm Sunday.

Meet Sam the Miniature Donkey, who took Amos' place.

Sam is rather sedate, and very handsome.

Animals draw crowds of children, so i broke up the carrots i brought and gave them to the kids to feed him.

He's not very big, but he has a big heart.

Today is:

Act Happy Week begins -- acting happy releases the body chemicals that aid health, mental and physical

Aizu Higan Shishi/Sanbiki Shishimai -- Aizu Wakamatsu, Japan (lion dances to mark the end of winter)

Back Badge Day -- Gloucestershire Regiment, British Army

Common Courtesy Day -- commonly listed on this day on many sites, with no origin given, but it's not a bad idea!

Dia de Benito Juarez -- Mexico (a Fiestas Patrias)

Fragrance Day and Flower Day -- the first full day of spring

Harmony Day -- Australia (managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship)

Human Rights Day -- South Africa

Independence Day -- Namibia(1990)

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination -- UN

Memory Day -- internet based, to examine the use of memory aids throughout history

Mother's Day -- most Arabic nations

National Common Courtesy Day -- guess it's not so common any more, someone had to declare a holiday to try to foster some

National French Bread Day

National Single Parent Day -- US (by Presidential designation in 1984)

National Tree Planting Day -- Lesotho

Otago Provincial Anniversary -- Otago, New Zealand

Paper Dress Day -- the paper dress was introduced as part of an ad campaign by the Scott Paper Co. on this day in 1966

Save the Florida Panther Day -- FL, US

Shunki-Korei-Sai -- Shinto (rite to honor ancestral spirits, around the vernal equinox)

Single Parents' Day -- sponsored by Parents Without Parners, on the date of their inception in 1957

Spring Fairy Fun Day -- Fairy Calendar

St. Nicholas of Flue's Day (Patron of councilmen, difficult marriages, large families, magistrates, parents of large families, Pontifical Swiss Guards, separated spouses, Switzerland)

Wellderly Day -- and the start of Wellderly Week, focusing on the health of the elderly

World Down Syndrome Day -- UN

World Forest Day/International Day of Forests and the Trees -- UN

World Puppet Day

World Poetry Day -- UNESCO

Youth Day -- Tunisia


Birthdays Today:

James T. Kirk, 2233
Ronaldinho, 1980
Kevin Federline, 1978
Matthew Broderick, 1962
Rosie O'Donnell, 1962
Ayrton Senna da Silva, 1960
Gary Oldman, 1958
Eddie Money, 1949
Timothy Dalton, 1944
Peter Brook, 1925
Julio Gallo, 1910
John D Rockefeller III, 1906
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, 1882
Florenz Ziegfeld, 1867
Modest Mussorgsky, 1839
James Jesse "King Strang" Strang, 1813
Benito Juarez, 1806
Francis Lewis, 1713
Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Annie(Film), 1982
"Stop the Music"(Radio show), 1948


Today in History:

The Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the "True Cross" to Jerusalem, 630
Accession to the throne of Japan by emperor Antoku, 1188
3,000 Jews are killed in the Black Death riots in Efurt, Germany, 1349
n Oxford, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake, 1556
Czar Peter the Great begins his tour through West, 1697
Fire destroys 856 buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana, 1788
With the church leadership driven out of Rome during an armed conflict, Pius VII is crowned Pope in Venice with a temporary papal tiara made of papier-mâché, 1800
Code Napoléon is adopted as French civil law, 1804
The Bahá'í calendar begins, 1844
An earthquake in Tokyo, Japan kills over 100,000, 1857
The Zoological Society of Philadelphia, the first in the US, is incorporated, 1859
Journalist Henry Morton Stanley begins his trek to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone, 1871
Loretta Walsh becomes the first female US Navy Petty Officer, 1917
Charles Lindbergh is presented the Medal of Honor for his first trans-Atlantic flight, 1928
Shah Reza Pahlavi formally asks the international community to call Persia by its native name, Iran, which means 'Land of the Aryans,' 1935
Alan Freed presents the Moondog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert, in Cleveland, Ohio, 1952
Martin Luther King Jr. leads 3,200 people on the start of the third and finally successful civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 1965
The first Earth Day proclamation is issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto, 1970
Canadian paraplegic athlete and humanitarian Rick Hansen begins his circumnavigation of the globe in a wheelchair in the name of spinal cord injury medical research, 1985
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones become the first to circumnavigate the Earth in a hot air balloon, 1999
The first full face transplant is performed by surgeons at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, 2011
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard formally apologizes to people affected by forced adoptions during the 1950s through 1970s, 2013

Silly Sunday: Ushering in Holy Week

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!

Palm Sunday is one of the most fun days at our church all year.  Instead of our usual multiple services we have only one, and it begins with a Palm Procession down the boulevard.

First one of the pastors blows the ram's horn -- yes, a real ram's horn, just like they talk about in the Old Testament -- then Amos the donkey on his rope leads the way (no one riding him, Amos has never been ridden in his whole 10 years and wouldn't take kindly to it now, i think) and the congregation follows, singing songs and waving palm fronds.  Actually, only some of us sing, as the music being played over the loudspeakers is usually from the local contemporary Christian radio station that plays the more modern stuff.

(You might hear some of the older members who usually attend the 7:45am service, where they only sing traditional hymns, grumble about the music, but if they don't like it they need to find some hymns they do like on CD and get that to the sound guys who set all of this up.  The sound guys are the ones who do the contemporary service where we sing stuff like what's on the radio, so unless you give them something different and tell them to do it, they won't!)

After we process into the church for the service (Amos staying outside, of course, he's never been in a building besides a barn in his 10 years, either, and i think it would scare him to death), we go back out to the boulevard for a picnic and egg hunts and pony rides and face painting and a good time.

Boudreaux done had him a good time at church las' week, too.  See, Boudreaux done become a usher, an' las' week it were his turn to take up de collectin'.

Well, dere be one in de congregation who don' like dat Boudreaux be a usher, an' dat be Gautraux.  Gautraux don' never done liked Boudreaux in all his born days, since dey been in school all dem year back.  Gautraux ain't never got a nice word 'bout Boudreaux.

Las' week, on de way home from de service, Boudreaux be grinnin', and Clothile say, "Boudreaux, what fo' you be grinnin' like de Chessy Cat?"

"Mais, I done got Gautraux now!" Boudreaux say.

"What done happen?" Clothile ax.

"You know dat Gautraux allus try make ever'body t'ink he better 'n me, an' tryin' get a story he can tell make me look bad.  Well, dis time I got him!  When de collectin' plate got to him, he be 'bout half asleep, an' he see de plate an' it startle him, so he reach in his pocket an' get him his wad o' money, an' peel off a five dollar an' den he be so confuse he drop de wad in de plate an' keep de five!  Den his eyes get big an' he reach back in de plate an' take out de wad o' money an' drop in de five!

"Dat mean, now I got de story on him, how cheap he is wit' de church collectin' he take back what he put in!"

Today is:

Big Bird Day -- it's his birthday, and he's still only 6 years old!  (wish i could figure out that trick)

Bockbier/Bock Beer Day -- bock is the German word for strong, so a day to honor very strong, very dark, sweet, heavy beer

Buzzard Day -- Hinckley, OH, US (a day to celebrate the returning buzzards)

Camp Fire USA Birthday Week

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Day -- birth anniversary of children's author Bill Martin

Equinox -- at 11:02 UTC; related celebrations 
     Akitu Festival begins -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar
     Chunfen -- China
     Festival of Dumuzi -- Ancient Sumerian Calendar (return of the god of life and death to be with the goddess of life and bring the spring)
     Festival of Iduna -- Ancient Norse Calendar (goddess of spring, keeper of the apples of youth for the gods)
     Haru-no-Higan -- Japanese Buddhist
     Harvest Festival and Coming Forth of the Great Ones from the House of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar
     Jare -- Old Slavic Calendar
     Kukulcan Snake God in Chichen Itza -- Yucatan (the snake shadow appears only at the equinox, and celebrations are held before and after)
     Maslenitsa -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar
     Ostara/Mabon -- Wicca/Pagan, Ancient Norse Calendar, Old Anglo-Teutonic Calendar
     Pacha Pucuy -- Ancient Inca Calendar ("Earth Ripening")
     Shunbun no Hi -- Japan
     Taoist festival of Shen -- Deities of water, East, and Spring

Extraterrestrial Abductions Day -- another silly made up one, but try telling that to the people who believe in it!

Great American Meat Out Day -- go vegetarian today!

Independence Day -- Tunisia

International Day of the Francophonie /  Journée internationale de la Francophonie

International Day of Happiness -- UN

International Earth Day -- the traditional date, still observed in many countries

Kiss Your Fiance Day -- do you really need to be reminded to do this? a wedding planner thinks so, that you should stop today and focus on each other, not the wedding

Lajos Kossuth Day -- Hungary

Martyrdom of Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi -- Pakistan

National Cherry Blossom Festival -- Washington, DC, US (through April 14; Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival and parade on April 13)

National Native American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day -- nnaapc.org

National Jump Out! Day -- sponsored by Discovery Girls Magazine and Fundex Games; encouraging kids to get out and get active

National Ravioli Day

Nowruz/Nauruz/Novruz Bairam/Norooz (begins at sunset) -- Iranian diaspora, Kurdish diaspora, Zoroastrians; Afghanistan; Azerbaijan; Georgia; Iran (Persian New Year); Iraq; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Tajikistan; Turkmenistan; Uzbekistan
     celebrations go on for up to seven days or more
     Naw Ruz -- Baha'i (New Year, and an end of the time of fasting; begins sunset)

Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday -- Christian/Orthodox Christian
     Semana Santa -- Holy Week in Spain and Spanish speaking areas; special celebrations:
          Mexico -- through the country, but especially in Chiapas, with processions, costumes, and even fireworks, music, dance, and syncretic rituals
          Seville, Spain -- with hundreds of shuffling penitents in their hoods making the torch lit processions through the town; through Easter)

Proposal Day® -- a day for singles to propose to their true love; on the equinox, equal night and day symbolizing equal commitment; www.proposalday.com

Smile Rejuvenation Day -- another one from the ecard companies, make someone smile today

Snowman Burning Day  -- Lake Superior State University, Sault Ste. Marie, MI, US (celebration of the start of spring; cannot confirm date, but always on or near the first day of spring)

St. Cuthbert of Lindisfane's Day (Patron of boatmen/mariners/sailors, shepherds; England; Durham, England; Lancaster, England; Northumbria, England; against plague and plague epidemics)

Won't You Be My Neighbor Day -- in honor of Mr. Rogers' birth anniversary

World Frog Day -- an initiative, on the first day of spring, to remind people of our fragile ecosystems and the disappearance of our amphibian friends
 
World Storytelling Day -- to celebrate the tradition of oral storytelling

Zipper Day -- the 'Separable Fastener' by Gideon Sundback was patented this day in 1917


Birthdays Today:

Louis "Louie" Vito, 1988
Fernando Torres, 1984
Kathy Ireland, 1963
David Thewlis, 1963
Holly Hunter, 1958
Spike Lee, 1957
Theresa Russel, 1957
Jimmie Vaughan, 1951
William Hurt, 1950
Bobby Orr, 1948
Pat Riley, 1945
Paul Junger Witt, 1943
Brian Mulroney, 1939
Lois Lowry, 1937
Hal Linden, 1931
Fred "Mr." Rogers, 1928
Carl Reiner, 1922
Marian McPartland, 1920
Bill Martin, Jr., 1916
Ozzie Nelson, 1906
B.F. Skinner, 1904
Frederick Winslow Taylor, 1856
Henrik Ibsen, 1828
Ovid, BC43


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Uncle Tom's Cabin"(Publication date), 1852


Today in History:

Sixth recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, 141
Maximus Thrax, who never set foot in Rome, becomes the first of the Foreign or Barracks Emperors of the Roman Empire, 235
A Saturn/Jupiter/Mars-conjunction is thought to be the "cause of plague epidemic," 1345
Sir Walter Raleigh is freed from the Tower of London after 13 years of imprisonment, 1616
France and Spain sign an accord for fighting protestantism, 1627
Nadir Shah occupies Delhi in India and sacks the city, stealing the jewels of the Peacock Throne, 1739
The Great Fire of Boston destroys 349 buildings, 1760
After escaping from Elba, Napoleon enters Paris with a regular army of 140,000 and a volunteer force of around 200,000, beginning his "Hundred Days" rule, 1815
US and Siam sign commercial treaty, 1833
Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is published in Boston, 1852
An earthquake completely destroys Mendoza, Argentina, 1861
The first AC power plant in the US begins commercial operation, in Massachusetts, 1886
In the first known intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats Penn 32-10, 1897
The first international figure skating championship takes place, in New Haven, Connecticut, 1914
Albert Einstein publishes his general theory of relativity, 1916
The Arts Club of Chicago hosts the opening of Pablo Picasso's first United States showing, 1923
A test of a practical radar apparatus is made by Rudolf Kuhnold in Germany, 1934
The precursor of the European Space Agency, ESRO (European Space Research Organization) is established, 1964
Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, 1985
Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering, 1990
Stephen Harper wins the leadership of the newly created Conservative Party of Canada, becoming the party's first leader, 2004
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits Fukuoka, Japan, its first major quake in over 100 years, 2005
Cyclone Larry makes landfall in eastern Australia, destroying most of the country's banana crop, 2006
In Morocco, thousands rally to demand and end to corruption and more civil rights for the Moroccan people, 2011