Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Holidays

Happy Friday the 13th

Hope everyone is having a safe and lucky Friday the 13th. We’re enjoying it and preparing for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.

I looked up Friday the 13th on Grokipedia and found this near the bottom of the article. It is a very nerdy description of how to calculate the date without looking at a calendar. Enjoy, if you’re a nerd like me.

Yearly Variations in Occurrence

In the Gregorian calendar, the number of Friday the 13ths occurring in a single year varies between one and three, with no year featuring zero or four such dates. This limitation arises from the calendar’s structure, which consists of 365 or 366 days distributed across 12 months, resulting in exactly 13 occurrences of the 13th across all months but constrained by the seven-day week cycle to produce at most three Fridays among them.[83]
Years with three Friday the 13ths typically follow specific patterns based on the starting day of the year and whether it is a common or leap year. In common years beginning on a Thursday, the dates fall in February, March, and November, as seen in 2015. Similarly, 2026, a common year starting on a Thursday, will have Friday the 13ths in February, March, and November. These configurations highlight how the alignment of the year’s first day influences the distribution, with February, March, and November forming a common triplet due to the cumulative day offsets in non-leap years.[83]
To predict the exact day of the week for any 13th, including Fridays, Zeller’s congruence provides an algorithmic method tailored to the Gregorian calendar. Devised by Christian Zeller in the 19th century, the formula calculates the weekday as follows:

Where,

  • h represents the day of the week (0 for Saturday, 1 for Sunday, …, 6 for Friday);
  • q is the day of the month (13);
  • m is the month (March = 3, April = 4, …, December = 12, with January and February treated as months 13 and 14 of the preceding year);
  • K is the year of the century (year mod 100)
  • and J is the century (|year/100|)
  • A result of h=6 (mod 7) confirms a Friday.

This congruence enables precise determination of Friday the 13ths for any year by applying it to each month’s 13th, revealing the yearly variations without manual calendar inspection.

Since we’re probably not going to post a blog tomorrow, please enjoy Valentine’s Day with your special ones.

Saturday, 02/14/26 VALENTINE’S DAY: I took this photo of a heart-shaped tree mobile this morning . . .

13 Feb 2026 by Culture Holidays Notions Technobabble

Lincoln’s Birthday 2026

Today, we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.

I was going to post a photo of the now discontinued Lincoln Penny, but I remembered about a United States Note, Red Seal Lincoln five dollar bill I have in the safe. I’m saving it for posterity, I guess, because it’s only marginally worth more than $5 to collectors.

Circulated Condition: – Basic circulated bills are typically worth face value of $5 – Lightly circulated examples may fetch $5-$7 – Bills with minimal wear might retail for around $7

Pennies, however, were selling 50 cent rolls for Ten bucks according to something I saw on-line. I verified this to be true with Alexa+.

Click on the image to enlarge.

Anyway, even though the pennies are out of production, Abe is still remembered on the Fiver. Happy Heavenly birthday, Mr. President!

Blockquotes courtesy Grokipedia

12 Feb 2026 by Classics Holidays Nostalgia Notions

Imbolc – 2026
  Feast of St. Brigid

On each of the four cross-quarter days, we tend to celebrate our Celtic heritage by having a dinner that may have been served in celebration of the seasonal days as recognized by our forebearers. Both Damsel and I have ancestry that traces back to ancient Western Europe, where the old celebrations may have taken place.

Imbolc

The name Imbolc derives from the Old Irish phrase i mbolg, literally meaning “in the belly,” which refers to the swelling abdomens or udders of pregnant ewes at the point of impending lactation. This etymology aligns with the festival’s historical association with early February, when sheep in Ireland typically began lambing and producing milk after winter, marking a key agricultural transition.

Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid of Kildare (c. 451–525), also known as Brigit or Bride, was a prominent Irish Christian saint, abbess, and founder of one of Ireland’s earliest monastic settlements at Kildare in the province of Leinster during the 5th century.

Both references above come from Grokipedia rather than Wikipedia; it is reference without the left-wing bias as in the latter case. Click on either link to view the Grokipedia articles about Imbolc and St. Brigid.

Our feast today will be Irish Guinness Beef Stew, modified for low-carb vegetables, of course. The feast will be posted on our food blog sometime later today.

Image above: Festive Cross of Saint Brigid adorning a feast table. Click to view enlarged.

01 Feb 2026 by Culture Food & Dining Holidays

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I’ve been fooling around with some AI lately and I understand that some users have been using AI to write code. So, I tried my hand at asking it to write a script for a countdown to the new year. I asked for JavaScript to be embedded in HTML and it produced the result seen below. The AI (Google Gemini) produced JavaScript, HTML and the Style Script (CSS). All I had to do was provide the HTML Header and Body and, voila, the counter worked right off the bat. Link to Gemini code.

If you see “Happy New Year” instead of the counter, then It is already (MST) 2026.

I’m posting this some 32 hours or so before the new year so visitors to the site can see the counter. I may (just for grins) change the code to countdown to 2027 after the new year.

So, from both The Damsel and I, we wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year in 2026!

UPDATE: I changed the target to St. Valentine’s Day 2026!

30 Dec 2025 by Cyberspace Entertainment Holidays Technobabble

Merry Christmas 2025

Wow! This year has gone by so quickly! I guess that’s what happens when you keep busy in retirement, travel a lot and get caught up in everyday routines. At any rate, it’s time to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year in 2026.

The Birth of Christ according to the Gospel of Luke (summary):

The account of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke is one of the most famous narratives in history, focusing on the humble circumstances of His arrival and the celestial celebration that followed.

The Journey to Bethlehem
The story begins with a decree from the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus, calling for a census of the entire Roman world. Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, to register. He traveled with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was pregnant.

The Birth in a Manger
While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to give birth. Because the town was crowded with travelers for the census, there was no guest room available for them. Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, wrapped Him in cloths (swaddling), and placed Him in a manger—a feeding trough for animals.

The Shepherds and the Angels
Nearby, shepherds were living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks at night. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

The Message: The angel told them not to be afraid, announcing “good news of great joy”: a Savior, the Messiah, had been born in Bethlehem.

The Sign: The shepherds were told they would find The Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

The Heavenly Host: A great company of angels appeared, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

The Visit to the Child
Once the angels left, the shepherds hurried to Bethlehem. They found Mary, Joseph, and The Baby exactly as they had been told. After seeing Him, they spread the word about what the angel had said concerning the child, leaving everyone who heard it amazed.

The chapter notes that while the shepherds returned to their fields glorifying and praising God, Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

24 Dec 2025 by Holidays Religion

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our Turkey Dinner this afternoon consisting of good breast of turkey with Dressing, Veggies and Cranberries. We had gravy on the turkey and dressing, of course.

We’re thankful for our home, our family, our neighbors, our friends and our country. May the Lord bless you on this special day and on every other day.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100:4-5

27 Nov 2025 by Arizona Food & Dining Holidays

Veterans Day 2025

Thank you, veterans, for your unwavering courage and sacrifice in defending the freedoms we hold dear. From the battlefields of past wars to the modern fronts of global conflict, you have stood as the shield of our nation, putting duty above self and protecting the American way of life for generations. Your service—whether in times of war or peace—has ensured that liberty endures, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

To every veteran who has worn the uniform, faced adversity, and returned home changed but unbroken: your legacy inspires us all. On this Veterans Day and every day, we honor your commitment, resilience, and the profound impact you’ve made on our country’s story. Thank you for your service to America—may we always remember and repay the debt we owe.

P.S. Happy Birthday to the Marine Corps Yesterday. Sorry for the late acknowledgement. OOHRAH!

10 Nov 2025 by Holidays Military Patriotism

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