Wednesday, February 4, 2026

How to Keep the Pipes Warm When Your Faucet Is Broken (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Keith, 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.    


This month the words/prompts are supplied by lissa on her blog.


This week's prompts are: 


1. black eye

2. car wash

3. mud bath

4. jelly bean

5. duct tape


Charlotte's colour of the month is Electric Rose.




Our #2 Son, he of the BLACK EYE (slightly) after a run-in with a tool, was ready to fix our car.


It needed VVT solenoids, a valve cover gasket, new spark plugs and a fuel injector cleaning.


It's not something you can fix with DUCT TAPE, which is my favorite tool, so i wasn't much help, but Daughter-in-Law did help him a lot and i watched our little Annie in her Electric Rose shirt and brown pants with the horses on them.  She and i took a walk up the street, then back, then sat and played with the rocks in the gravel part of the driveway.  Some of the rocks almost look like JELLY BEANS, and you have to watch closely or she'll put them in her mouth.


Under the hood of the car, it looked like it had taken a MUD BATH and needed to go through the CAR WASH by itself.  A leaky gasket means oil getting out to where it shouldn't be, and it was everywhere.


Of course, you can't do that, wash it, that is.  It had to be cleaned with a wire brush after he took the cover off and got the spark plugs and solenoids out.  The remaining chunks of the bad gasket were especially hard to remove.


He did it, though.  Slow-Moe has new spark plugs, solenoids, and the gasket is holding firm.  He put a special treatment in the gas tank to clean the fuel injectors and there's no more sign of an oil leak.


As for the brakes, we have a couple of thousand more miles before they will have to be changed, so for right now, it's nice to have the car running again.




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Today is:


Biezputras Diena (Porrige Day) -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (date unconfirmed, some sites suggest it's always on a Sunday before Feb. 23 instead)


Create-A-Vacuum Day -- an internet generated celebration of the nothingness of vacuums


General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Day -- Poland (birth anniversary)


Homemade Soup Day


Independence Day -- Sri Lanka


King Frost Day -- London (Celebrated yearly until WWI, in remembrance of the frozen River Thames on this day in 1814.)


Liberation Day -- Angola


National Girls and Women in Sports Day -- US      


National Stuffed Mushroom Day


Quacker Day -- for those who love Quacker Factory clothes


Spoiled Cats' Day -- internet generated, and isn't this every day?


St. Andrew Corsini's Day (Patron of Carmelites; against civil disorder and riots)


St. John de Brito's Day (Patron of Portugal; Sivagangai, India)


Thank A Mailperson/Postal Worker Day -- because someone decided it would be a good day to do that, and put it on the internet


USO Day -- US (founded this date in 1941)


World Cancer Day -- International   



Anniversaries Today:


United Service Organizations (USO) founded, 1941

The University of Wisconsin is established, with one classroom and 20 students, 1849



Birthdays Today:


Natalie Imbruglia, 1975

Oscar De La Hoya, 1973

Gabrielle Anwar, 1971

Michael Goorjian, 1971

Rod Corddry, 1971

Clint Black, 1962

Lawrence Taylor, 1959

Lisa Eichhorn, 1952

Alice Cooper, 1948

Dan Quayle, 1947

George A. Romero, 1940

John Schuck, 1940

David Brenner, 1936

Gary Conway, 1936

Betty Friedan, 1921

Ida Lupino, 1918

Rosa Parks, 1913

Clyde W. Tombaugh, 1906

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906

Charles Lindbergh, 1902

Tadeusz Kosciuszko, 1746



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours"(Album), 1977



Today in History:


The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies, leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta, 211

The coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of Song, initiating the Song Dynasty period of China that would last more than three centuries, 960

Maximilian I assumes the title Holy Roman Emperor without being crowned, 1508

Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler meet for the first time near Prague 1600

In Edo (now Tokyo), The 47 Ronin commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after avenging the death of their master, 1703

The worst earthquake in 8 years in Calabria, Italy, leaves 50,000 dead, 1783

The first Anglican bishops of New York and Pennsylvania are consecrated in London, 1787

George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College, 1789

The French National Convention proclaims the abolishment of slavery, 1794

An earthquake in Quito, Ecuador, kills 41,000, 1797

J.W. Goodrich introduces his rubber galoshes to the public, 1824

The Mormons of Nauvoo, Missouri, leave to go west, eventually settling in Utah, 1846

The Codex Sinaiticus is found at the Greek Monastery of Mount Sinai, 1859

The first rolling lift bridge opens, in Chicago, 1895

The first Winter Olympics games close at Chamonix, France, 1924

The first tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks open, in New Orleans, 1930

Radium E is the first radioactive substance to be produced synthetically, 1936

The United Service Organization (USO) is created to entertain American troops, 1941

Lunar Orbiter 3 lifts off from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 13 on its mission to identify possible landing sites for the Surveyor and Apollo spacecraft, 1967

After at first contesting the results, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic recognizes opposition victories in the November 1996 elections, 1997

Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, 2004

The Federal Court of Australia's ruling in Roadshow Films v iiNet sets a precedent that Internet service providers (ISPs) are not responsible for what their users do with the services the ISPs provide them, 2010

The remains found the previous year in a dig at Leicester are confirmed to be those of King Richard III of England, 2013

Morocco's Mohammed VI switches on the world's largest solar plant near Ouarzazate, 2016

Denmark approves plans for world's first energy island in the North Sea to provide power to 3 million Europeans, 2021

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, whose crackdown on violent crime has taken El Salvador from being one of the most dangerous countries in Central America to one of the safest, wins re-election in a landslide, 2024

Zara Lachlan becomes the first woman and youngest person to slow row from Europe to South America, covering 3,600 nautical miles in 97 days, 2025

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

But Will He Stay Warm? 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 


All through the saga of our cold weather, Ms. V has been in a bit of a lather about keeping Carl warm enough for his outdoor job.


Last Thursday she put me in charge of making sure he had a jacket before he left as she was going to exercise class.  I was careful to make sure he had plenty on.




Yesterday, i arrived to a note telling me these clothes were clean.







The rest were not.









It's been a bit of a mess for him, I guess, and he's trying again to choose clothes ahead of time and hang them on the bar.  Problem is, he doesn't remember they're there and goes and grabs others.






The good news is the main kitchen and Carl's kitchen both have new faucets.





The bad news is Carl is still going to take his mom's scissors and spill enough mouthwash on them to make them stick to his counter.


Speaking of mouthwash, each time Carl comes in the room before time to get up, i ask why he's there so i can perhaps assist or redirect him if he wants access to something i'm currently cleaning.


This time, he walked in and anticipated my question, simply saying, "Mouthwash!" as he walked past me.


He went back to snooze more for a while and when he finally came in, simply said, "I'm going to eat!


I asked if he wanted a shower first and he said, "I'm too hungry!  Eat first."  Then he grabbed a bathrobe to put over his pajamas.


Why are you putting on a bathrobe? i asked him.  Your pajamas cover you well.


"Modesty!" he answered and i nodded.  "Have to be modest," he stated to make sure i understood.


I do understand.  While he lives at home, it's not such a big deal, but as he will be moving to a group home someday, his parents are trying to instill more modesty into him, as he's perfectly happy to run around the house in almost nothing.  It seems he's getting it and I'm not going to interfere.


As he ate breakfast and i packed his cooler for work, he talked about his weekend.


"Went to see Trent," he said, "but he wanted to go see Aaron so that's where we ended up."


Did you have fun? i asked.


"Snacks!" he said with a grin.  "And we played games."


If Carl ate, Carl had fun, that's about the size of it.


"Make sure I have enough to eat," he noted as i was getting all his food together.  "And a drink!"


You don't have any drinks, i told him.


"Oh, shoot!" he muttered, then mumbled something that sounded like, "I have to work on the cards, too."


Yes, he'd been wearing both at the same time.


He came in to take his shower and that's when i realized he'd put on two aprons.  Not just modest, clean and modest.


He was actually ready for work early this time, so he went to play on his iPad.  Timing his leaving for work can be tricky.  His phone has a work app and the moment he drives close enough to the building, he's already signed in, even if he stays in the car and doesn't come in right away.  Sign in too early, and you have to get the manager to change the sign-in time which the manager doesn't want to have to do.  Sign in too late and you are still in trouble.


Then, too, he drives rather fast, and so we have to watch his leaving time closely.


And yes, he will stay warm.  Just before he pulled out of the driveway, i ran his coat out to him.


It's time for a few funnies.














Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!








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Today is:


Day of Remembrance for Oleg the Prophet -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan


Four Chaplains Day -- US (by act of Congress, honoring the four chaplains of the Dorchester who gave their life jackets to others and went down with the ship on Feb. 3, 1943)


Fukuju no mai (Jimai) -- Sensouji Temple, Japan (dance of the seven gods of fortune)


Halfway Point of Winter/Summer -- which it is depends, of course, on your hemisphere; enjoy that cold weather will warm soon, or that cooler temps will relieve your hot spells


Heroes' Day -- Mozambique


Lailat al-Bara'ah (Shab Barat) -- Islam (Night of Forgiveness, or sometimes Night of Records, a preparation for Ramadan; began at sunset yesterday, local custom dates may vary)


Magha Puja Day -- Buddhist (celebrations of the teachings of Buddha to an assembly of holy men)


Martyr's Day -- Sao Tome and Principe


National Carrot Cake Day


Nuestra Señora de Suyapa -- Honduras (Festival of the Virgin of Suyapa, Patroness of Honduras)


Setsubun-sai (Bean-Throwing Festival) -- Japan/Shinto (many fests throughout Japan) 


St. Anskar's Day (patron of Denmark, Scandinavia, Sweden; Bremen, Germany; Hamburg, Germany)


St. Blaise's Day/Blessing of Throats Day (Patron of animals, builders, carvers, healthy throats, stonecutters, veterinarians, wool-combers, wool weavers; Dalmatia; Anguillara Sabazia, Italy; Bovolone, Italy; Camastra, Sicily, Italy; Cassano allo Ionio, Italy; Castellania, Italy; Doues, Italy; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Militello, Sicily, Italy; Montecatini Val di Cecina, Italy; Palombara Sabina, Italy; Pietrasanta, Italy; Revello, Italy; Sacrofano, Italy; against coughs, goiters, throat diseases, whooping cough, wild beasts)


Takisanji Oni Matsuri -- Takisan-ji Temple, Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan


The Day the Music Died -- anniversary of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson)


Veterans' Day -- Thailand



Anniversaries Today:


Jean-Claude van Damme weds Darcy Lapier, 1994

Wake Forest University is established, 1834



Birthdays Today:



Isla Fisher, 1976

Maura Tierney, 1965

Keith Gordon, 1961

Thomas Calabro, 1959

Nathan Lane, 1956

Morgan Fairchild, 1950

Dave Davies, 1947

Blythe Danner, 1943

Fran Tarkenton, 1940

Shelley Berman, 1926

Joey Bishop, 1918

Simone Weil, 1909

James Michener, 1907

Norman Rockwell, 1894

Gertrude Stein, 1874

Elizabeth Blackwell, 1821

Horace Greeley, 1811



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Victor Borge Show"(TV), 1951

"The Three Caballeros"(Cartoon Film; US debut), 1945 

"Face the Music"(Musical), 1932

"Le carnaval romain"(Berlioz, Op. 9), 1844

"Semiramide"(Opera, Rossini), 1823



Today in History


Bartolomeu Dias of Portugal lands in Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope, becoming the first known European to travel so far south, 1488

The first paper money in America is issued by the colony of Massachusetts, 1690

Philadelphia establishes a "pesthouse" to quarantine immigrants, 1743

The Dutch States-General forbid the export of windmills, 1752

Spain recognizes US independence, 1783

The world's first commercial cheese factory is established in Switzerland, 1815

The sovereignty of Greece is confirmed in a London Protocol, 1830

The Wisconsin Supreme Court declares the US Fugitive Slave Law unconstitutional,1855

Emperor Meiji becomes the 122nd emperor of Japan, 1867

The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution, guaranteeing Black suffrage, is passed, 1870

Albert Spalding, with only $800, starts a sporting goods company, which eventually manufactured the first official baseball, tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football (American style football), 1876

Circus owner P.T. Barnum buys Jumbo the elephant, 1882

The 16th Amendment to the US Constitution, the income tax, is ratified, 1913

Canada's original Parliament building, in Ottowa, burns down, 1916

Percival Prattis becomes the first African-American news correspondent allowed in the United States House of Representatives and Senate press galleries, 1947

A plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson and the incident becomes known as The Day the Music Died, 1959

British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan speaks of the "a wind of change" of increasing national consciousness blowing through colonial Africa, signaling that his Government was likely to support decolonisation, 1960

The unmanned Soviet Luna 9 spacecraft makes the first controlled rocket-assisted landing on the Moon, 1966

In Cairo, Yasser Arafat is appointed Palestine Liberation Organization leader at the Palestinian National Congress, 1969

New York Police Officer Frank Serpico is shot during a drug bust in Brooklyn and survives to later testify against police corruption, 1971

John Buster and the research team at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center announce history's first embryo transfer, from one woman to another resulting in a live birth, 1984

Astronaut Eileen Collins becomes the first woman to pilot the Space Shuttle as mission STS-63 gets underway from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, 1995

The New York Giants defeated the heavily favored and previously undefeated 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, 17-14, in what is known to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history, 2008

Eric Holder becomes 82nd and 1st African American US Attoney General, 2009

Moscow has its heaviest snowfall in a day on record, killing one and bringing down 2,000 trees, 2018

Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the first ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, 2019

The US and Russia extend their last remaining nuclear arms treaty, New START, for five years, 2021

Engineers at MIT announce they have engineered spinach to send emails when detecting explosive materials in groundwater as part of plant nanobionic research, 2021

The coldest wind chill ever is recorded in the the US, -108°F, taken at Mount Washington Observatory, New Hampshire, 2023