I am not finding it to be very amusing that right after I got the front porch area of the house pressure washed NEW spiders immediately set up housekeeping in the corners and on the door. I nearly walked face first into one last night and that would NOT have been a pretty thing. The spider web dance takes on an entirely new look and sound when there’s an actual spider in the middle of it.
Today I will tackle steam cleaning the high traffic areas in the house, most especially where Moose eats. He tends to take a drink, then drool all over everything – which is gross – and it’s messed up the carpeting near the windows. I’m glad that the day is cooler since this will make the house quite humid, more so if it were hot out.
Verse of the Day
August 17, 2018
“Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
—2 Corinthians 10:17-18
Thoughts on the Verse of the Day
We live in a world with skewed values, false promises and fleeting fame. What can we boast in other than the steadfastness of the Lord’s love, the incredible riches of the Lord’s grace, the incomparable supply of the Lord’s blessings, the sweetness of the Lord’s people, the mercy of the Lord’s plan for our salvation, the promise of the Lord’s tomorrow, the …? What other meaningful boast is there than the Lord and his eternal grace?
www.verseoftheday.com
Food for Thought
Yesterday I had to go return something to a store near where my daughter and her family lived. I teared up a bit – not so much as to cry since I know they are in a much better house and situation – but I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to not have her nearby. Normally, if I were going to be that close, I would stop by for a little visit and some hugs. I have a feeling this isn’t going to get any easier, even as time passes.
Black Cat Appreciation Day – At first glance you may think this one is about Halloween or superstition, but it’s not! Today we bring our attention to black cats for a very good reason! All of us have grown up hearing that black cats are unlucky or evil. Because of these superstitious beliefs, black cats are often the last cats to be adopted and the first to be put to sleep in shelters. It’s also been reported by shelters that October is a very rough month for black cats because many get roughed up and abandoned. Finding them homes now will help to get many of them settled before the fall hits and the bad stuff starts happening. I have my own beautiful black kitty that I love very much – here she is now! You’ve all seen her before. She’s definitely MY cat in that she comes to me for all of her cuddles, tolerating pets from other people, but clamoring to get into my lap for as many snuggles as she can get. I cannot fathom anyone harming a loving creature such as this just because of the color of her fur.
Chinese Valentine’s Day/Daughter’s Day – I don’t usually write about celebrations from other countries, unless they are directly connected with out of the holidays we celebrate here in the United States. I’d never have time for anything else if I did, right? Occasionally something comes up that it really interesting that I just need to share with you, and this is one of them. This celebration from China is known by several names . . . It is Chinese Valentine’s Day, Daughter’s Festival, Festival of Seven Daughters, Seventh Sister’s Birthday, Festival of Double Sevens and Night of Sevens. It is celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar month, so it is being celebrated today, but it changes every year, which I find to be interesting all on its own. Not sure why, I just do! So, WHAT is it all about? Well, this is a holiday about love that evolved from an ancient love story from Chinese folklore. As with any story that is handed down word of mouth, this one has several versions after being told from generation to generation over thousands of years. This is one of the most popular versions of the story:
“The Goddess of Heaven, also known as the Queen of Heaven, had seven beautiful, young daughters. The seven daughters came down to earth. They decided to bathe in a pristine river, leaving their clothes on the shore. Along came a cow herder (the herd were actually ox) named “Niu Lang”. He took their clothes to see what they would do. The daughters decided that the youngest, and most beautiful, named Zhi Nü should go out of the water and recover their clothes. Because Niu Lang saw her naked, they had to get married. They fell madly in love and shared several years of marital bliss. Finally, her mother became irritated by her absence from Heaven, and ordered her to return. Seeing how much Zhi Nü missed her husband, the Jade Emperor of Heaven brought the couple back together. Ultimately, Zhi Nü was allowed to visit her husband, Niu Lang just once a year. The annual reunion occurs on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar.
I think the reason I found this to be so fascinating is that we don’t have these sorts of tales in our culture, most likely because we are still pretty much a “baby” nation when you compare how long we’ve been around.
I Love My Feet Day – This is such an important day! I didn’t realize HOW important until I started having problems with my feet. Think about all our feet do for us. They are our primary mode of transportation. With them we can walk, run, do our chores, heck, even standing up from a sitting position takes our feet to accomplish! Wherever we need to go, our feet take us there, whether it’s work, school, or just to the kitchen to make breakfast. Because of how hard they work for us we need to take care of them. Doing so now could prevent future issues that come from wear and tear – things like disease, bad circulation, shoes that aren’t supportive or don’t fit properly, and even poorly trimmed nails! Taking care of them isn’t difficult, just sometimes time consuming if you’re a go-go-go person. Trust me, it’s worth taking the time. Elevate your feet when you sit . . . it is relaxing and can reduce swelling. Stretching them, taking a walk, or getting a foot massage can help with circulation too. Taking a warm foot bath feels incredible and can help soften up any rough spots. Make sure your feet are dry when putting on your shoes, and wear shoes that give plenty of arch support and that protect your feet when you go outside. Did you know that 75% of the adult population has foot problems, and that poor shoe choices are the cause for the majority of those problems? If you do all the proper things and you still have foot pain, please seek out the help of a podiatrist. They can help you put your feet on the road to better health.
Meaning of “Is” Day – Have you ever given any thought to what the meaning of the word “is” is? I know I hadn’t. So, what is the meaning? See, the question cannot even be asked without using it. It’s a difficult word to define, even for a word that is so small. Basically, it is the third person singular form of the word “be”, which is ALSO difficult to define without going into a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Perhaps spend today trying to define the usage of IS in our words, without using the word be. It’s actually quite a challenge. There are lots of words I feel this way about . . . too many to list. Let’s start with the word “of” . . . and go from there.
Men’s Grooming Day – I have a pet peeve – well, I have a LOT of pet peeves, but here’s one that is pertinent to this celebration. I HATE it when men let their eyebrows get all crazy! This typically happens as a man gets into his 40s and older, and it’s really annoying! I’ve seen older gentlemen who are GREAT guys, but they look like caterpillars are attacking their eyes! And that blob of hair growing out their noses or ears – get rid of it! It’s gross and honestly it catches things that don’t need to be caught! Speaking of things that don’t need to be caught – comb your beards! They shouldn’t be a catch-all for crumbs for a snack later. Yuck! A little sexy stubble is one thing but get it under control! Keep the beard trimmed, clean up those ears, nose and eyebrows, and for goodness sake, if your shirt is stained, please change it.
National Nonprofit Day – Today we celebrate the organizations that are designed to help others, and because of their primary function they operate as non-profits and avoid the burden of taxes. For this reason, when I decide to donate, I look up the organization and find out what percentage of donated money actually goes to the good work that they say they do. If it’s just pennies on the dollar that goes to those in need, I by-pass that one and find one that actually puts most of the money to the needy and not into the pockets of the board members. I realize they need an income too but getting rich in the name of helping the needy doesn’t fit the criteria for sharing my hard-earned money.
National Thrift Shop Day – A long time ago, when the term “Thrift Shops” started out, it was used for stores that sold deeply discounted merchandise. It isn’t always the highest quality, but the price is always right. Today they are usually called Dollar Stores. That’s the definition I found today for this term, but honestly that’s not what most of us think of when we think of a Thrift Store. For me, I think of a 2nd hand store, either an independent or stores like Good Will, Value Village, St. Vincent de Paul, etc. I’d never spent much time in such stores – unless we were looking for a cheap Halloween costume – as a child, but my ex-mother-in-law was the “junk store” queen. She decorated in all things junk, purchased gifts for birthdays and Christmas from these places, and after we’d suffered the loss of everything we owned in a fire, she put her energies to replacing it all with . . . you guessed it . . . junk from these stores. It took YEARS to purge myself of a nasty, baby poo green chair that she found for a couple of bucks. Hideous, hideous, hideous. It sat in all of its ugliness in our living room for many years because it was very comfortable. I have no idea why I never just covered it with a blanket or chair cover. She’d go from store to store bringing home a variety of stuff that most people would just toss out in the garbage, and of course she was ALWAYS trying to unload a lot of it on me. Seriously, I didn’t need a hand mixer without beaters. WHY? WHY would you buy a hand mixer without beaters, and that was so old you couldn’t find beaters for it anywhere? Made no sense. When she passed away there were more than 20 different old coffee makers in her basement. JUST IN CASE someone needed one. I’ve come to the conclusion she was a junk store hoarder! I admit though, sometimes the stuff you get for junk store prices can be the best . . . when I’d just gotten divorced I moved on with just a loveseat and a beautiful antique trunk that I got from a friend. We needed more furniture, my son and I, but I couldn’t afford it. My Mom had a neighbor that was selling a perfectly good, incredibly comfortable pink, overstuffed rocking chair. It was truly unattractive, but I used that chair for nearly 12 years before we replaced it. One of the best purchases EVER for $10! If you love a good bargain, you can find real treasure in these sorts of shops, both the modern version and the junk version, but pick wisely and don’t just gather stuff for the sake of gathering it. Someone someday is going to have to clean out your house after you’ve moved on from this life, and to be honest, they don’t want to have to dispose of a bunch of stuff that is better suited to the dump.
This Day in History –
1961 – Construction is started on the Berlin Wall.
Food Celebration of the Day –
Vanilla Custard Day – Vanilla Custard is comfort food at its very best. The aroma, the rich, creamy texture and the sweetness of the vanilla flavor – yum. It makes me want to give a big sigh of contentment just thinking about it. Custards are so versatile too! You can use them as a pie filling, inject them into donuts or just have them on their own as a pudding. Custard can track its ancestry back to ancient Roman times, even placing custard tarts as popular in the Middle Ages! Personally, I enjoy vanilla custard as a pudding topped with berries. Oh, and in pie. And in donuts. Ok, fine. I just really love it, no matter the form it takes. You know what is lovely? It can also be a very healthy choice for a dessert. Check out this recipe from blogger/author Briana Thomas. I haven’t tried it yet, but it does sound good and I do believe I have all of the necessary ingredients.
Well, there is computer work to do, chores to get done and things to get ready for Miss B to arrive on Sunday! I can’t wait! Well, I have to wait since I have a lot to do, but it is going to be so much fun! Well, I’d better get to it. My bills won’t pay themselves, and the carpets certainly won’t steam themselves, and I can’t convince Moose to do it. *sigh* God bless you and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
Some of my posts will contain affiliate links to products. When you make a purchase through that link, I will receive a commission for the sale. I make this known to you so that you are aware of these links.
Celebration list sources:
www.verseoftheday.com www.brownielocks.com www.holidayinsights.com www.thenibble.com www.foodimentary.com