Happiness is an Empty Cage (But We Still Have More) (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Steve at BeThere2Day, Catsynth, and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     

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Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    

The prompts will be posted by Elephant's Child this month and are provided by  Alex J. Cavanaugh.    

This week's prompts are:

• Parachute
• Reindeer
• Shark
• Clay
• Ruins

 

And/Or

• Telescope
• Totem Pole
• Black
• Severed
• Surf

Charlotte (MotherOwl)  has given us Pearl Opal Green as the colour of the month.  If you can also incorporate it into your stories she (and EC) will be grateful.

He lived down at the cove, because he said he had to hear the SURF or he could not live.  Since he'd been a sailor his whole life, it certainly was understandable.

The house was not a shack, although it sometimes appeared that way at first glance.  It was too snugly built to be that, but it was small and fit with the landscape so well as to look like it might have grown there.

In his days of roaming the world he'd picked up tchotchkes and keepsakes, he called them the flotsam and jetsam of his life.  He enjoyed showing these things to people who visited the cove, if they cared to come see.

When he first moved there, the children told wild tales of his adventures and were a bit afraid of him.  Some had claimed the missing small finger on his left hand had been SEVERED by the SHARK whose teeth he wore as a necklace, but the truth was much more mundane and he was loathe to tell the tale.

Instead he put the TOTEM POLE he'd had carved for his family out next to his door and used it to attract attention.  Once he'd told someone what the carved images symbolized, he'd invite them in to see his collection, and so won people over.

He had CLAY pottery from the RUINS of an ancient civilization, a miniature REINDEER carved from bone by a native of the far north, and so much more.  His crystal bowl full of sea glass, including a piece which looked BLACK in some light and Pearl Opal Green in others was mesmerizing.

He kept a TELESCOPE out back, covered with a huge faded red piece of PARACHUTE material to protect it, and offered for anyone to come on a clear night and look through it with him.  Even that protective cover had a story to it, he had no end of stories, as people found who visited often.

It was the perfect life for a retired sailor, fishing from his dory and visiting with any who came to see him, and when the time came for him to "sail out beyond the sunrise" he was missed by a whole town.

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Today is:

Basketball Day -- birth anniversary of James Naismith

Birth of Tiamat -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (mother of gods, goddess of primeval chaos; date approximate)

Chhat Parwa/Chhath Puja -- Nepal (start of the four day Hindu/Vedic Festival of the sun god Surya)

Constitution Day -- Dominican Republic; Tajikistan; Tatarstan, Russian Federation

Electric Razor Day -- Jacob Schick patented the first electric razor on this day in 1937

Finnish Swedish Heritage Day -- Finland

Green March Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Gustavus Adolphus Day -- Sweden

Halfway Point of Autumn

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict -- UN

International End Gossip Day -- the founder of this didn't want to be gossiped about, and left no trace

Marching Band Day -- birth anniversary of John Philip Sousa

Marooned Without A Compass Day -- internet generated; how's your sense of direction?

National Nachos Day / I Love Nachos Day

Saxophone Day -- Adolphe Sax birth anniversary

St. Illtyd's Day (Abbot, reputed cousin of King Arthur)

St. Leonard's Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, blacksmiths, captives, childbirth, coal miners, coppersmiths, greengrocers, horses, imprisoned people, locksmiths, miners, porters, P.O.W.'s, prisoners; Castelmauro, Italy; Conegliano, Italy; Kirkop, Malta; against burglaries, robberies/robbers)

Birthdays Today:

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Pat Tillman, 1976

Rebecca Romijn, 1972

Thandie Newton, 1972

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Kelly Rutherford, 1968

Lance Kerwin, 1960

Maria Shriver, 1955

Nigel Havers, 1949

Glenn Frey, 1948

Sally Field, 1946

Mike Nichols, 1931

Walter Perry Johnson, 1887

James Naismith, 1861

Ignace Paderewski, 1860

John Philip Sousa, 1854

Cesare Lombroso, 1835

Adolphe Sax, 1814

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Morning America"(TV), 1975

"The Phil Donahue Show"(TV), 1967

"Meet The Press"(TV), 1947

Today in History:

Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in Texas, 1528

Spain grants independence to the Dominican Republic, 1844

Scenes of Clerical Life, the first work of fiction by the author later known as George Eliot, is submitted for publication, 1856

Canada celebrates its first official, national Thanksgiving Day, 1879

Mohandas Gandhi is arrested while leading a march of Indian miners in South Africa, 1913

Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor, 1928

Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation" to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers (hello, FM radio!), 1935

Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for MONOPOLY from Elizabeth Magie, 1935

Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, 1944

The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation, 1962

Cuba and the United States formally agree to begin an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the United States, 1965

Green March begins: 300,000 unarmed Moroccans converge on the southern city of Tarfaya and wait for a signal from King Hassan II of Morocco to cross into Western Sahara, 1975

Australians vote to keep the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state in the Australian republic referendum, 1999

Sweibodzin, Poland announced the world's largest statue of Jesus, called Christ the King, has been completed, 2010

Tammy Duckworth becomes the first disabled woman and first person born in Thailand to be elected to US Congress, 2012

Officials crack down on foreigners working illegally in Saudi Arabia and over 16,000 are arrested, 2013

According to a UN report, ISIS left behind over 200 mass graves containing thousands of victims in the area they once controlled, 2018

According to a study of over 400 million records on Ancestry and published in the journal Genetics, less than 10% of human longevity is due to our genes, 2018

The US Powerball jackpot rises to a world record of $1.9bn, 2022

Of Pajamas and Politics, a Random and Happy Tuesday Post

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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. 

Never knowing what's on the other side of the door when i get to Carl's means open the door at your own risk.

This rug has been in the back hall for quite some time, and the letters from the thrift store asking for donations are to remind her to call them for a pick up of the rug.

Everything else on there is Carl's from the car.  

He was awake and getting ready to climb back in bed when i knocked and told him to go to his chair.  He stopped to grab a sheet and pillow, and dig through all the pajamas on the bed to find the one he wanted to use to wrap his pillow.  He gave one a sniff test, made a face, sniffed another and said, "It's fresher" and took that one.

The rejected one, along with the remaining sheets, pillowcases and etc. all went to the laundry pile.

He'd washed a load and used a proper wash cycle.  Since they hadn't soured in the washer, they were dried and put away.

As i started sorting through is things, clean, dirty, getting washed anyway because there's no way to know, i found a few things on hangers.

This one blue shirt, despite the plethora of regular hangers he has, ended up on the one we use for letting gloves drip dry.

He had an odd sock.

Not unusual in itself, except no one in this house has any socks with the particular red logo this one has.  He’s come home without ice chests, lunch boxes, coats, sweaters, gloves, hats, sunglasses, shoes and socks (but thankfully always makes it home with pants and shirt intact), but this is the first time he's managed to come home with an extra sock which is not even his.

No, i don't want to know how.

One item hung in the closet inside out did not pass my sniff test, in fact, i was rather sorry i had to use a sniff test on it.

As i cleaned and gathered laundry, i found things, like his keys in the pocket of a dirty pair of pants (again) and this.

Yep, it's the credit card he can never find, this time under a whole bunch of stuff on his countertop.  I stuffed it in his wallet and i wonder how long it will take him to find it there.

When he did finally get up i sent him to the shower, and despite having all his clothes in there he came out clad only in skivvies.  It's okay, it's better than the alternative and i sent him back to try again whereupon he came out clothed, and in as much of his right mind as any of us can be.

He did want an ice vest and he had made no sandwich, so while i tended to getting his stuff ready for him to leave, he fixed his breakfast and talked.

"Had a date Friday," he said.  I asked if he'd enjoy it and yes, he had, then he started mumbling about Saturday but i couldn't quite catch it.

His next question was, "How was church?"  I told him all was well and he seemed worried.  "No politics?"

Now i got what he was on about.  He's very worried about how politics has polarized people and he doesn't want to see friendships broken over it.  I told him all was well.

His next topic was about his breaks at work, then whether he should get a new job, and Facebook.  I wish he'd stay off it, he's ill equipped to handle some of the stuff trolls will throw at you.

When it was getting along about time for him to go, he wandered back into his room and grabbed his toothbrush.  Haven't you brushed twice already? i asked him.

"Need to use toothpaste this time," he answered.

Yes, well, there's always that.

He started brushing, then i heard a rhythmic sound which, when i turned to look, turned out to be him jogging in place while brushing.  Multi-talented that's him.

Then he grabbed both cortisone and deodorant and tried to apply them, but mostly it landed on his clothes not on him.  He tries.

He got his ice chest loaded into the car and then i kept running into him striding around the house muttering, "what else, what else."  He has my sympathy.

At one point, i went out to see if he'd actually driven away and he was drinking the water from his lunch.  He came back in the house to grab sunglasses.  When i reminded him he already had a pair, he said, "Can always use extra!" and strode out.

Can't fault the logic, he will need several extras.

Then i followed him to the car to make sure he would leave and i found him trying to clean around the door handle of the car.

"Too much wax," he said.  "Should i clean it?"

Not and be late for work, i told him, so he nodded and left.

in honor of the politics which has us all on edge, some funnies.

Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Conmemoracion Patriotica en la Ciudad de Colon -- Panama

Day of the First Shout for Independence -- El Salvador

Egyptian Day -- Medieval Europe day of bad forturne (common saying on this day was, "Notwithstanding, I will trust the Lord.")

Festival of Amun -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Guy Fawkes' Day -- Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador; New Zealand; UK; a/k/a Gunpowder Day, bonfires celebrate that Guy Fawkes plot did not succeed; related famous celebrations

     Burning of the Tar Barrels -- Ottery St. Mary, Devon, UK (17 barrels soaked in tar are lit outside 17 taverns and carried through the town)

     Lewes Bonfire Night -- Lewes, East Sussex, UK

     Turning the Devil's Stone -- Shebbear, Devon, UK (erratic stone, possibly from an Ice Age deposit, turned every year on this day to assure good forturne)

Melbourne Cup Day -- Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia (155th running)

National Hot Sauce Day

Nones of November -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Popes Day -- US name for the remembrance of Guy Fawkes' Day

St. Elizabeth's Day and St. Zechariah's Day -- parents of John the Baptist (Elizabeth is Patron of pregnant women)

Tori No Ichi -- Japan (the first "rooster day" of November, so called because it is held on the two or three days of the rooster this month, in which to wish good luck and prosperity at temple and shrine ceremonies around the country, and celebrate with a fair)

Wuwuchim Fire Ceremonies begin -- Hopi Native American (dating approximate, as these ceremonies are now mostly closed to outsiders, a celebration of Masaw, god of death, and Spider Woman, the earth mother; a 16 day festival and manhood ceremony for adolescent boys)

Anniversary Today:

George W. Bush marries Laura Welch, 1977

Birthdays Today:

Kevin Jonas, 1987

Corin Nemec, 1971

Judy Reyes, 1967

Tatum O'Neal, 1963

Tilda Swinton, 1960

Bryan Adams, 1959

Bill Walton, 1952

Peter Noone, 1947

Sam Shepard, 1943

Art Garfunkel, 1941

Elke Sommer, 1940

Geoffrey Wolff, 1937

Ike Turner, 1931

Vivien Leigh, 1913

Roy Rogers, 1911

Joel McCrea, 1905

Strom Thurmond, 1902

Raymond Loewy, 1893

Will Durant, 1885

Ida M. Tarbell, 1857

Eugene Debs, 1855

Debuting/Premiering Today

"Into the Woods"(Sondheim musical), 1987

"Fifth of July"(Wilson play), 1980

"The Nat King Cole Show, 1956

The New York Weekly Journal(first edition), 1733

Today in History:

Wu MeKuan, a collection of 48 Zen koans, compiled in China, 1228

Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier (Brittany); it is the first Breton dictionary as well as the first French dictionary, 1499

St. Felix's Flood ravages the Dutch coast and destroys the city of Reimerswaal in the Netherlands, 1530

The Gunpowder Plot, in which Catholics were trying to blow up the English Parliament, is foiled, 1605

The first post office in the Colonies is opened in the home of Richard Fairbanks, 1639

Susan B. Anthony is arrested for trying to vote in Rochester, NY, 1871

The first US patent for a gasoline driven motor car is granted to George B. Selden, 1895

Calbraith Rodgers arrives in Pasadena from Sheepshead Bay, NY, completing the first transcontinental plane flight, in 49 days, 1911

Colombia joins the United Nations, 1945

USS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao (Tsing Tao) China — the first US Naval visit to China since 1949, 1986

André Dallaire attempts to assassinate Prime Minister Jean Chrétien of Canada, but is thwarted when the Prime Minister's wife locks the door, 1995

Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, and his co-defendants Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar are sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial, 2006

China's first lunar satellite, Chang'e 1 goes into orbit around the Moon, 2007

Collins Dictionary names "binge-watch" the word of the year, followed by "transgender", 2015

NASA's Voyager 2 probe leaves the solar system, becoming the second human-made object to reach interstellar space, 2018

The Chinese government sets new rules for gaming for young people to try to curb gaming addiction, including a legal maximum 90 minutes of gaming allowed per day, 2021