Every Verse, Same as the First (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day, and Brian's Thankful Thursday

 ***********************************

Note:  To those asking about yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo, yes, our little Annie will be a big sister soon, "If God says the same" as my grandmother used to say.

 ***********************************

Every time i go to Ms. G's lately, i feel as if i should hear, "Same bat time, same bat channel," as they used to say at the close of every TV Batman episode.

She says she wants to start doing things around her house, and we often start this project or that, but it doesn't last long as there's always some emergency, some appointment with a doctor or client (she sells real estate), someone who needs her help or her time or both.

Last week, in yet another attempt to help friends, she went to Mississippi to haul this puppy back because a friend here wanted to buy it from her friend there, or so they thought; the friend here has changed his mind, so it has to be hauled back and she tried to do so yesterday, and the trailer, which is borrowed, lost a wheel.

Several hundred dollars later ("I'm bleeding money on this!" she fussed), the wheel is on but the tires themselves need to be replaced, which she doesn't feel is her responsibility, so we were seeing how much air the tires can hold and will she be able to use it for hauling, or will she be running the borrowed trailer back up there, then renting a good trailer on which to haul the actual 4-wheeler vehicle, because she has to get it back up there somehow.

While out there with her portable air pump, she was insistent she had to air up the tires while i simply held the valve stem covers or handed her parts, even though she knows i am capable of using the equipment just fine by myself, but when she decided to check the tires on her car and her truck, "Just to be safe," and found all of them were low, she finally let me take over and air up all of them while she sat outside and nursed her sore back and watched me.

Yes, she could have gone back inside to do some of the many other things, but she is a micromanager extraordinaire and it's hard for her to let go, thus since she has to be in the middle of every doing, very little gets done, especially as she has to run off to yet another appointment almost every day, the cycle continues.

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Channel.      

***********************************

While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

***********************************

It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day!  This week's image and my poem:    

(Two poems this week, a short and a longer.)

*******

We know we didn't make your day,

but we had fun, what can we say?

*******

You're not going to believe this,

but it started with a bug.

The silly thing invaded our house

and was crawling 'cross the rug.

The critter was really moving fast

and we gave it merry chase,

it even went on up the wall,

 and all over the place!

It finally went into the wrapped

gifts beneath the tree,

and we had to track it down,

and the results you see.

But the good news is we got it,

'cause Benny ate the thing,

and then he went to your bedroom,

and threw up on your bedspring!

***********************************

Angel Brian's Family of Brian's Home - Forever hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful Ms. G and i tested out the tires on her car and truck, all eight tires were low and she's been on the road, so we used her portable pump to get all her tires inflated where they should be.  I like for my friends to be safe, especially as she will travel to see family for the holidays.

***********************************

Today is:

Bake Cookies Day -- the holiday for everyone!

Eponalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (feast of Epona, goddess of fertility and horses, mules, and donkeys; during the Saturnalia and the only Roman honoring of a Celtic deity)

Flake Appreciation Day -- snow or human, your choice!

Hug a Soccer Player Day -- this "holiday" has a Facebook page, but no other history

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Hurdaskellir -- Door-Slammer, a noisy fellow who tries to keep everyone awake

International Answer the Phone like Buddy the Elf Day -- for fans of the film Elf, starring Will Ferrel

International Migrants Day -- UN

Khoiak Ceremony for the Sokar Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (falcon god; date approximate)

Let's See What We Find In the Fridge Day -- to bravely see if you've left anything in the back that you shouldn't have

National Day / Founder's Day -- Qatar

National Roast Suckling Pig Day

National Scrooge Week begins -- at least according to Mr. Ed

Nuestra Senora de la Soledad -- Oaxaca, Mexico (Our Lady of Solitude, Patron of the lonely, of Oaxaca, and of sailors who bring her pearls)

Republic Day -- Niger

St. Flannan's Day (Patron of Killaloe, Ireland)

Tulya's E'en -- Orkney Island (beginning of the Yule season when evil spirits roamed; date approximate, as we aren't sure if they equated Yule initially with Dec. 25 or the 22nd)

Anniversaries Today:

Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's future president, marries Asif Ali Zardari, 1987

Capitol Reef National Park established, Utah, US, 1971

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, outlawing slavery, takes effect, 1865

New Jersey becomes the 3rd US State, 1787

Birthdays Today:

Christina Aguilera, 1980

Katie Holmes, 1978

Earl "DMX" Simmons, 1970

Rob Van Dam, 1970

Rachel Griffiths, 1968

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, 1964

Brad Pitt, 1963

Ray Liotta, 1955

Leonard Maltin, 1950

Steven Spielberg, 1946

Keith Richards, 1943

Ossie Davis, 1917

Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, 1917

Douglas Fraser, 1916

Betty Grable, 1916

Willy Brandt, 1913

Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., 1912

Ty Cobb, 1886

Joseph Grimaldi, 1778

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Sunshine Boys"(Play), 1972

"To Tell The Truth"(TV), 1956

"The Nutcracker"(Ballet), 1892

Today in History:

Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the Roman Republic, BC218

Kublai Khan renames his empire "Yuan", officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty of China, 1271

The Mayflower lands in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts with 102 Pilgrims on board, 1620

Abel Tasman becomes first European to land in New Zealand, 1642

Thomas Fleet publishes "Mother Goose's Melodies For Children", 1719

Empress Maria Theresa expels Jews from Prague, Bohemia & Moravia, 1774

The first celestial photograph (of the Moon) is made in US, by John Draper, NYC, 1839

William Bond obtains the first photograph of Moon through a telescope, 1849

Richard Wetherill and his brother in-law discover the ancient Indian ruins of Mesa Verde, 1888

The Upper Ferntree Gully to Gembrook Narrow-gauge (2 ft 6 in or 762 mm) Railway (now the Puffing Billy Railway) in Victoria, Australia is opened for traffic, 1900

The Piltdown Man, later discovered to be a hoax, is supposedly found in the Piltdown Gravel Pit, by Charles Dawson, 1912

Japan joins the United Nations, 1956

Saturn's moon Epimetheus is discovered by Richard L. Walker, 1966

Dominica joins the United Nations, 1978

HTML 4.0 is published by the World Wide Web Consortium, 1997

The first of a series of floods strikes Malaysia, 2006

The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II attends a meeting of the Cabinet for the first time, receiving a gift honoring her Diamond Jubilee; this was first time a Cabinet meeting was attended by a British monarch since the reign of Queen Victoria, 2012

A meteor explodes in huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima atomic bomb, 2018

The international community establishes Covax to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to low-and-middle-income countries, announcing deals with vaccine manufacturers and methods for countries to share excess vaccines, 2020

The Icelandic volcano on Reykjanes peninsula erupts, a mere 40km from the country's capital of Reykjavik, 2023

Coming in July, We Hope (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

***********************************

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

***********************************

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.    

This month, Wisewebwoman  is providing the prompts and they will appear on River's blog.

This week's words/prompts are:

1. Greek  

2.salad  

3.sausage  

4.concrete

and/or:

1.peninsula  

2.symphony  

3.pinafore  

4.pirate

Charlotte's colour of the month is Thrash Pink, if you choose to use it.

use either list or both, or mix and match, just have fun.

Living on a PENINSULA had both advantages and disadvantages.

One advantage was the spectacular views, and the colors at sunrise and sunset were usually amazing, unless the day or night was stormy, with every color of the rainbow appearing by turns.  Her favorites were the Thrash Pink mornings, as she called them, even if they did often mean there would be a rainy afternoon.

Even the storms at sea had their own fascination, although they did  have to evacuate if it was going to be too bad.  They’d built their house out of the solid CONCRETE blocks, so they weren’t much worried about being blown away, just flooded.  It still meant leaving if they had to, and they’d furnished their “little pad” as they called it with furniture betokening their early poor college student years.  “I don’t want to have to worry about how we will replace everything if the worst happens,” she would tell family when they asked why.

Many did ask why they didn’t move to a “better” location, but not being surrounded by the tourist towns was another reason to stay in their minds.  The fishing families who lived in the area with them were good company when they wanted company, and all lived as simply as the two of them did.  They had the money to live the way they wanted, and below their means far from the crowds was where they chose.

It had a delightful history, too, of PIRATE days and maybe treasure buried there, though they’d never heard more than rumors.

She lit the grill to start the SAUSAGES, then went in to put on her “PINAFORE,” as her Granny had always called an apron, to start the GREEK SALAD, a light meal to which she would add home made bread and good butter.  They didn’t want to be late, and there was one of the few disadvantages of their location.

If they wanted to go anywhere, such as tonight’s SYMPHONY performance, they had to leave early and drive far. Tonight, after, they’d have a late supper and stay in a hotel, driving home the next morning after breakfast and doing the grocery shopping for the next two weeks.  In their minds, it was worth it.

***********************************

Today is:

Christmas Festival in Salvador -- Salvador, Brazil (one fun party, with many different activities, that begins around now, lasts until New Year's Day)

Clean Air Act Day -- US (passed this day 1963; a day to give thanks for the air we breathe)

Cookie Cutter Day

Daniel the Prophet's Day -- Orthodox Catholic Feast Day

December 17 Anniversary -- Tunisia

Feast of Babalu Aye -- Yoruba/Santeria (celebration of the healer of deadly diseases)

Hagoita Ichi -- Sensoji Temple, Japan (sale of specially decorated paddles, called hagoita; through the 19th)

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Askasleikir -- Bowl-licker, who hides under the bed and snatches bowls set on the floor to lick them clean

Kasuga Wakamiya Festival -- Nara, Japan (rarely performed traditional dances at a festival held every year since 1136)

National Day -- Bhutan

National Maple Syrup Day

Procession of Agnios Dionysios -- Zakynthos, Greece (one of the biggest festivals of the year, when the relics of this island's patron saint is honored)

Saturnalia begins (through Dec. 23) -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival for Saturn, the planter god)

Sow Day -- Orkney Islands, Scotland (ritual slaughter of a sow for the Yule feast)

St. Lazarus of Bethany's Day

Take a New Year's Resolution to Stop Smoking -- Tanyrtss, the annual campaign goes through February; make the decision now to improve your life and health next year   

Wright Brother's Day -- US

Anniversary Today:

Tiny Tim weds Miss Vicky, 1969

Birthdays Today:

Milla Jovovich, 1975

Duff Goldman, 1974

Sean Patrick Thomas, 1970

Mike Mills, 1958

Bill Pullman, 1954

Wes Studi, 1947

Eugene Levy, 1946

Chris Matthews, 1945

Ernie Hudson, 1945

Bernard Hill, 1944

Tommy Steele, 1936

Bob Guccione, 1930

William Safire, 1929

Willard Frank Libby, 1908

Arthur Fiedler, 1894

John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807

W. L. Mackenzie King, 1874

Joseph Henry, 1797

Deborah Sampson, 1760

William Floyd, 1734

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Simpsons"(TV), 1989

Turner Broadcasting System(Cable TV Network), 1976

"El Pessebre"(Casals' Oratorio), 1960

"On The Beach"(Film), 1959

Today in History:

The Ostrogoths of King Totila conquer Rome by bribing the Byzantine garrison, 546

Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur, 1398

Pope Paul III excommunicates England's King Henry VIII, 1538

Go-Yozei becomes Emperor of Japan, 1586

Shimabara Rebellion: Japanese peasants led by Amakusa Shiro rise against daimyo Matsukura Shigeharu, 1637

Congregation Shearith Israel of NY purchases a lot on Mill Street in lower Manhattan, to build NY's first synagogue, 1728

France recognizes independence of English colonies in America, 1777

Aztec calendar stone discovered in Mexico City, 1790

NYC traffic regulation creates first 1-way street, 1791

Opening of the first legislative assembly of Lower Canada in Quebec city, 1792

The US state of Kentucky abolishes debtors prisons, 1821

General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky, 1862

First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert, 1865

Violent riots in Montreal, as workers demand work or bread,1875

France declares Madagascar a protectorate, 1885

George Brownell patents a machine to make paper twine, 1895

A first prize of 100,00 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials but Martians are excluded - considered too easy, 1900

The Wright Brothers make their first successful flights, 1903

First flight of the Douglas DC-3 airplane, 1935

Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and dummy Charlie McCarthy first appear on TV, 1936

The SALT I talks begin, 1969

Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years, 1989

SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first supersonic flight, 2003

NASA completes a successful mission to map the Moon’s gravity field, 2012

French sailor François Gabart sets the round-the-world record for the fastest solo navigation of the globe in 42 days 16 hours, 2017

Astronomers announce they have identified the furthest object in the solar system, 2018 VG18 (nicknamed Farout); it is 120 times further from the sun than Earth, 2018

Scientists announce they've been able to extract human DNA that is 5,700 years old from a piece of birch sap that was used as a type of chewing gum, 2019

China's Chang'e-5 mission successfully returns from collecting rock samples from the Moon, 2020

The news of the discovery of the first true millipede (Eumillipes persephone) with 1,000 legs found down a drill hole in Western Australia is published in "Scientific Reports", 2021

Pope Francis confirms two assassination attempts on him were foiled in 2021 by British intelligence and Iraqi police during his visit to Mosul, Iraq, 2024