Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Not Surprising, A Random and Happy Tuesday A to Z Post

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To enjoy more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.     



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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus.  


Carl's workplace has changed his hours, so the chances are he's still asleep when i arrive now.


He was asleep yesterday, but woke up soon after i arrived and said he'd been up late the night before and wanted a bit more sleep.


"Going away party...Cathy...church.  Up late!" he smiled at the memory as he told me.  Then added, "We had fun!"


His enthusiasm was catching and i smiled at him.  Then he yawned prodigiously but decided not to go back to sleep and headed for the shower.


Throw your pajamas out the door once you take them off, i told him, so i can do the first load of laundry.


He nodded, then grabbed pants and a shirt.  I handed him underwear and told him he could grab socks when he came out.


"Why can't I take socks?  I can't take them with me?"


You'll just forget and grab another pair anyway, i told him.




The socks.  Not surprising at all to find them there.


Once in there, he opened the door a crack and i expected the pajamas to come flying out.  He threw out a piece of trash instead and closed the door as i told him that wasn't what i'd asked for.


Then he threw out the pajamas.


Also, he came out once he was done without the pants on, even though he had two pair in there.  At least he had the underwear on and he went back for the pants instead of grabbing yet another pair from the closet.


He did manage to put on the shoes i'd strategically placed in the walkway where he couldn't miss them, and thus didn't go grab more of those out of the closet either after i'd gathered them all.


Last Thursday, when i was there cleaning the rest of the house, i noticed his green apron was missing.  It was still missing yesterday, so i handed him the red one to wear at breakfast and searched through the dirty clothes, in and under things, no green apron.  It's probably one of those mysteries of the universe none of us will ever solve, or it will suddenly turn up from nowhere.


While sorting dirty laundry, i did find his car keys in the pocket of one pair of pants and thank heaven for that.  It prevented one of those mad rushes to find the keys we've had so many mornings.


As i went about packing his lunch and cleaning and tidying, he chattered about electronics, repair places, and even subwoofers.  I could only catch snippets as sometimes he isn't quite clear and switches subjects so fast, only getting out about a  half sentence on one topic before moving to the next.


Eventually he settled on telling me about his weekend.


"We went Saturday around 4, and...well, it was late...gave us a raincheck.  They wanted us to come Sunday at 8!  I'm not getting up Sunday at 8!  Besides, church."


Church, i thought but did not say, is probably not on their radar.  And no, he was never quite clear where, exactly, they went.


All we know for sure is he has good memories of whatever it was they were doing, and that's the important part.


How about some funnies?
















Have a blessed and beautiful day, everyone!






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Today is:


Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US


Holiday of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)


Jim Thorpe Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation in 1973)


National CPA's Goof Off Day -- US, the day after tax day because they deserve it!


National Eggs Benedict Day


National Healthcare Decision Week begins -- US (to inspire, educate & empower the public & providers about the importance of advance care planning; "It always seems to early, until it's too late.")   


National Stress Awareness Day -- sponsored by the Health Resource Network (always on the first workday after paying taxes)


Offering to Demeter Khloe -- Ancient Greek Calendar (honoring Demeter as goddess of green shoots; date approximate)


St. Bernadette of Lourdes' Day (Patron of people ridiculed for their piety, poor people, shepherdesses, shepherds, sick people; Lourdes, France; against bodily ills, poverty, sickness)


St. Padarn's Day (Celtic peoples traditionally begin weeding crops on this saint's day)


Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day -- US (the day after you pay your taxes, bring the comforts of home to the office; sponsored by PajamaGram


World Elephant Day/Save the Elephant Day -- created by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand


World Entrepreneurship Day


World Voice Day -- if you've ever had laryngitis, you know how important it is to protect your voice   



Anniversaries Today:


Harry Connick, Jr. marries Jill Goodare, 1994

Founding of the University of Queensland, 1910



Birthdays Today:


Lilliana Mumy, 1994

Lucas Haas, 1976

Selena Quintanilla, 1971

Martin Lawrence, 1965

Jon Cryer, 1965

Ellen Barkin, 1955

Jay O. Sanders, 1953

Kareem Adbud-Jabbar, 1947

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 1940

Dusty Springfield, 1939

Bobby Vinton, 1935

Herbie Mann, 1930

Edie Adams, 1929

Pope Benedict XVI, 1927

Henry Mancini, 1924

Kingsley Amis, 1922

Peter Ustinov, 1921

Barry Nelson, 1920

Merce Cunningham, 1919

Charlie Chaplin, 1889

John Millington Synge, 1871

Wilbur Wright, 1867

Jose De Diego, 1866

Anatole France, 1844

John Franklin, 1786

Hans Sloane, 1660



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Brown Sugar"(Rolling Stones single release), 1971

"Fibber McGee and Molly"(Radio), 1935

"Mazeppa"(Symphonic poem, Liszt' S 100), 1854

"The Contrast"(Comedy), 1787 (First play by an American author, Royall Tyler, to be professionally produced on stage)



Today in History:


Calculated date of the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, BC1178

The Jewish fortress of Masada falls to the Roman Army, ending the Jewish revolt, 73

Martin Luther is called before the Diet of Worms, 1521

Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina, 1582

The United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada, 1880

The first passenger rail opens in India, 1853

Ebenezer Bassett, the first African-American diplomat, begins his service in Haiti, 1869 

US Marshal Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle, in Dodge City, 1881

Harriet Quimby becomes the first female pilot to cross the English Channel, 1912

Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British, 1919

Annie Oakley shoots a record 100 clay targets in a row, 1922

Dr. Albert Hofmann first ingests LSD, thus discovering its effects, 1943

Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1947

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation, 1963

The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean, 1992

The Queen Mary II embarks on her first transatlantic voyage, 2004

President of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo declares the First Ivorian Civil War to be over, 2007

Elizabeth Holmes, American entrepreneur, inventor, and founder and CEO of Theranos, is named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People" of 2015, 2015

Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album "Damn", 2018

The journal Science publishes a new study which claims a multi-year megadrought is already underway in the Western US, 2020

Raul Castro confirms he is resigning, ending his family's six decade rule of Cuba, 2021

As part of a social isolation experiment, Spanish extreme athlete Beatriz Flamini exits a deep cave in Granada, Spain, after spending 500 days isolated underground, 2023


Monday, April 15, 2024

My Mascot (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week and Poetry Monday, an A to Z Post

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To enjoy more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.


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Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus.


Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that's 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!


I have a small stuffed animal i picked up as a sort of "mascot."  It's often in the car because it makes me smile, and ended up in a bag of things i happened to take in to Grandma and Grandpa's house with me on Saturday.


"Somepup" found it and its nose now looks like this:






There's the culprit, Lulu, looking too innocent to get in trouble.










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Sparks is the brainchild of Annie of McGuffy's Reader, who wanted us to post something positive and uplifting at the start of the week.  While she no longer blogs, i like to post an Inspiring Quote of the Week in her honor.     







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Our dear friend Diane is taking a break

accommodations we must make

we miss her poetry and wit

so carry on as Poetry Monday's a hit!


Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border Charlotte/Mother Owl and i are keeping it going while she takes a blog break, we hope temporarily.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let us know!


This week the theme is Tape.                       



I needed my new pants hemmed,

but my mama was pitching a fit,

she didn't see her the tape measure,

I went to great lengths to find it.


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I was gonna throw this tape away

'cause the other brand is stronger,

but just in case it's all we have left,

it can stick around a little longer.


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It's time to file our taxes

and our CPA 'bout wears a cape,

he always comes through right on time

doesn't get us bogged in red tape!


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Future themes are:


Apr. 15 tape (Today!)

Apr. 22 running

Apr. 29 quiet


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Today is:


Celtic Tree Month Saille (willow) begins


Day of the Sun -- North Korea (Kim Il Sung's Birthday Holiday)


Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US


Fast Food Day -- the first franchised McDonald's opened this day in 1955 in Des Plaines, IL, US


Father Damien Day -- Hawaii, US (Patron of lepers)


Festival of Heru; Festival of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)


Fluff Appreciation Day -- internet generated; i guess as a distraction for Tax Day


Fordicalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (cow sacrifice to the earth mother, Tellus Mater)


Guangzhou (Canton) Spring Trade Fair -- Guangzhou (Canton), China (a month-long spring trade fair held the same dates each year)


Hillsborough Disaster Memorial -- Anfield at Liverpool, England


Income Tax Pay Day -- Philippines; US (most years)

     related observances:

     Freak Out Day 

     National Griper's Day (after all, you have to pay your taxes, and the Titanic sank today*)

     Tax Resistors' Day -- good luck!

     That Sucks Day (appropriate, isn't it)


Jackie Robinson Day -- Major League Baseball


Jose de Diego's Birthday -- Puerto Rico (Father of the Puerto Rican Independence Movement, a/k/a Dia de Reafirmacion del Idioma Espanol)


National Glazed Ham Day


Patriot's Day -- US (in observance of the first battles of the Revolutionary War; not to be confused with Patriot Day on Sept. 11)


Rubber Eraser Day -- today in 1770, Joseph Priestly described a vegetable gum which had the ability to rub out pencil marks


St. Hunna's Day (Patron of laundresses, laundry workers, washerwomen)


Swallow Day -- England (traditional date of the return of chimney swallows)


Take a Wild Guess Day -- sponsored by Jim Barber as a day to honor guesses, hunches, inspirations, speculations and other forms of “intuitive intelligence;” just not on your taxes, please


Tipsa Diena -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (celebration of the start of plowing)


Titanic Remembrance Day


World Creativity and Innovation Week -- always begins on DaVinci's birth anniversary

    World Art Day -- because he was an artist as well as inventor



*If you want to add other reasons why today should be considered "That Sucks Day", please go share your horror story of the day at www.thatsucks.net



Anniversary Today:


Gallaudet University is founded, 1817 (first US public school for the deaf)




Birthdays Today:


Emma Watson, 1990

Ilya Kovalchuck, 1983

Seth Rogen, 1982

Patrick Carney, 1980

Anna Torv, 1978

Emma Thompson, 1959

Evelyn Ashford, 1957

Heloise Cruse Evans, 1951

Amy Wright, 1950

Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, 1947

Claudia Cardinale, 1939

Roy Clark, 1933

Elizabeth Montgomery, 1933

Leon Schotter, 1922

Harold Washington, 1922

Hilda Simms, 1920

Hans Conried, 1917

Bessie Smith, 1894

Thomas Hart Benton, 1889

Sam Rodia, 1875

John Munroe Longyear, 1850

Henry James, 1843

Joseph E. Seagram, 1841

Charles Willson Peale, 1741(O.S. date)

Leonardo da Vinci, 1452



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"In Living Color"(TV), 1990

"Driving Miss Daisy"(Play), 1987



Today in History:


Pope Innocent III refuses to grant permission to the Jews of Cordova, Spain, to build a synagogue, 1250

Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language is published in London, 1755

The first school for the deaf in the US opens in Hartford, Connecticut, 1817

The last day US silver coins are allowed to circulate in Canada, 1870

Harley Proctor begins producing Ivory Soap, 1878

General Electric Company is incorporated, 1892

The Titanic sinks, 1912

Insulin becomes available to diabetics, 1923

Rand McNally publishes its first road atlas, 1924

Jackie Robinson debuts with the Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947

White Rock, British Columbia officially separates from Surrey, British Columbia and is incorporated as a new city, 1957

Tokyo Disney Resort (and the Tokyo Disneyland park) opens in Tokyo Bay (Japan), 1983

Upon Hu Yaobang's death, the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 begin in the People's Republic of China, 1989

Representatives of 124 countries and the European Communities sign the Marrakesh Agreements revising the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and initiating the World Trade Organization, 1994

Astronomers at San Francisco State University announce the discovery of the first multiplanet solar system besides our own, three planets around Upsilon Andromedaie, 1999

Volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland leads to the closure of airspace over most of Europe, 2010

In a Schrodinger's cat experiment, researchers in Japan and Australia successfully teleport wave packets of light; this is the first transfer of quantum information from one point to another, 2011

Ceremonies and special events marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic are held around the world, 2012

Google publicly offers Google Glass for the first time in a one-day online sale at $1,500 apiece, 2014

Nokia announces that it will purchase Alcatel-Lucent for $16.6 billion, creating the second-largest manufacturer of mobile communication products behind Ericsson, 2015

Paris cathedral Notre Dame catches fire, toppling its spire and destroying its roof, 2019

Germany ends its use of nuclear power, closing its last three nuclear power plants, 2023