Wednesday Medley: GARFIELD!

From Terri @ Your Friend From Florida

NATIONAL GARFIELD THE CAT DAY

Celebrated each year on June 19, it is National Garfield the Cat Day.  A fictional character, Garfield is a title protagonist from the comic strip Garfield which was created by Jim Davis.   Today is set aside to celebrate him and the entertainment that he brings us.

June 19, 1978, was the first publication of Garfield which chronicles the life of the lead character, the cat Garfield (named after Jim Davis ’s grandfather); Garfield’s owner, Jon Arbuckle: and Jon’s dog, Odie.

• 2013 – Garfield is syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals and holds the Guinness World Record for being the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip.

Set in Muncie, Indiana, common themes in the comic strip include Garfield’s laziness, obsessive eating, love for lasagna and coffee and hatred of Mondays and diets.  The focus is mostly upon the interaction between Garfield, Jon, and Odie.

• Garfield was one of the cartoon characters to appear in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Share your favorite Garfield memories or Garfield-like tendencies by using #GarfieldTheCatDay on social media.

HISTORY

National Garfield The Cat Day was first celebrated in 1998 on the 20th anniversary of the comic strip and Garfield’s birthday. Boca Raton City Council Member, Wanda Thayer, proclaimed June 19 as Garfield the Cat Day during surprise birthday party at the International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton.

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Everything above this line is from the National Day Calendar Site.

1.  If you have ever followed the Garfield comic strip, you know Garfield loves lasagne.  What is your favorite Italian food?  Do you over-indulge when it comes to pasta?  Much like Garfield I love a good lasagna! And garlic. I love garlic and think that there is no such thing as too much of it. Do I over-indulge? Who me? (That means "yes." Fortunately, we don't eat pasta as much as we used to.)

2.  Tell us about your very first pet.  If you have never had a pet, can you tell us about an animal that touched your life in some way?  I'm not sure which came first, Timmy the turtle or Prince the Collie. I remember both, but neither made much of an impression because Timmy wasn't really all that exciting and Prince was mostly an outside dog that I couldn't play with.

3.  Garfield sleeps his day away, only waking to eat or sweet talk his girlfriend Arleen.  How many hours sleep do you normally get each night?  How much sleep do you really need?  I get about 5. I would love to get 7 or 8, but I just can't sleep that long as my body gets to aching too much to lie there any longer.

4.  Garfield lets the mice in the house have their way.  When was the last time you had to chase out a little varmint?  I am currently battling an ant infestation. Every time I open the dishwasher there are big black ants in it. They turn up now and then on the counter or in the sink. I know they aren't quite what you'd call varmits, but they are annoying the heck out of me.

5.  Garfield also loves his teddy bear Pooky. Did you have a favorite stuffed animal when you were young (or now!)?  If you didn't or don't, what about someone you know?  I took my Raggedy Ann doll with me everywhere until I was about 5. Our son had his "Puppy Baby," a stuffed brown dog with black spots and a multi-colored satin beanie with a propeller. He also had a yellow bow tie. I don't know what became of Puppy Baby, but his yellow tie still resides in my china cupboard. Our daughter had a blanket not an animal. Our granddaughter seems to drag a stuffed husky with her, but neither grandson has a favorite.

6.  Please tell us something about your week, so far!  It's only Tuesday evening as I'm writing, so there really isn't anything new since I posted this morning. Or yesterday for that matter. I will say that I am looking forward to getting into my office/craft space and doing some deep cleaning and organizing since donating so many books to the library's used book sale. It opened up a lot of space on the shelves.