Thursday, April 23, 2026

Time Management, or Lack Thereof (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day, and Brian's Thankful Thursday, a Four-Hop A to Z Challenge Post

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



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Ms. G got back in town and has, as always, been slammed with things to do on everyone's list but her own, and when she does get a bit of time to do her own projects the ones she chooses often make no sense to me.


Her pontoon boat is in the shop though she has yet to use it because she is not sure if one item needs repair so she decided to spend a few of her precious hours scrubbing the boat cover, because of course you can't have a dirty boat cover in the great outdoors.


Then yesterday she decided it was high time she took a few photos of the items in her storage unit and start putting them up for sale.


This latter i agree is not a waste of time if she actually gets them up for sale and can get some cash for this stuff, and she has tons of things to sell, so i spent a good bit of time with her in the storage unit,  positioning items just so according to her very strict instructions, often standing in one spot holding out an item until my arm and my strength began to flag.


Once done, we had to get back to the house as she was going to have an appointment, and we folded up the boat cover which was finally dry and did a few other small things, when she realized a package had been delivered.


Katy, bar the door, it was the phone for Ms. Fiona, who had dropped and broken hers the week before while Ms. G was out of town, and they'd paid for expedited shipping and Ms. G wanted to get it out to Ms. Fiona that day and suddenly i was flying out to the retirement home in GusGus die Fledermaus (my car, yes, i name my cars, don't judge) to give the phone to the lady at the front who had kept the SIM card, and now all is right again in Ms. Fiona's world, she can call her sister!




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





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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!





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







I can't believe my eyes!

The zookeeper did it again!

seasoned the salmon with sriracha

instead of using cayenne!


We all know Thai spice is for the ahi

and the sriracha's for speckled trout,

if he keeps messing this up,

I'm really going to shout!



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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 i was able to run the errand for Ms. G, taking Ms. Fiona her new phone, while Ms. G went to an appointment.  I'm especially thankful i wasn't going at the high traffic time of day we all dread and it didn't take long at all.





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Today is:


Alfred G. "Alferd" Packer Day -- Colorado


Book Day and Lover's Day -- Spain, especially Catalan (women give books to men, while men give flowers to the women. Celebrated in the Spanish city of Barcelona since 1714 to honor Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes [author of "Don Quixote"] and in observance of St. George's Day)


Canada Book Day


Children's Day -- Nepal; North Cyprus; Turkey


Community Day -- CL, Spain


Community Day/St. George's Day -- AR, Spain


English Language Day -- UN    


Harpa Month Begins -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (Harp, dedicated to young women as last month was dedicated to young men)

     Sumardagurinn Fyrsti -- first day of summer, a legal holiday


Impossible Astronaut Day -- if you are a Dr. Who fan, you know, and if not, go here and find out      


Independence Day -- Conch Republic, Key West, FL. US (a tongue-in-cheek micronation which seceded from the Union in 1982; celebrated yearly with a week-long festival)


International Pixel-Stained Technopeasant Day -- on St. George's Day, encouraging members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America to continue to be what Howard V. Hendrix derogatorily termed "webscabs", posting their stories free on the internet


International Sing Out Day -- no one will claim responsibility for this one, but i promise not to observe it!


Jurgi Festival -- Ancient Latvian Calendar (day sacred to Usins; first day outdoor work began for the summer)


National Cherry Cheesecake Day


National Picnic Day -- US


National Sovereignty and Children's Day -- Turkey


National Teach Children to Save Day -- sponsored by the American Banking Association    


Sigurd the Dragon Slayer's Day -- because he was probably the inspiration for the legends about St. George


St. Adalbert's Day (Patron of Bohemia; Czech Republic; Poland; Prague, Czech Republic; Prussia)


St. George's Day (Patron of archers, armourers, Boy Scouts, butchers, cavalry, chivalry, Crusaders, equestrians, farmers, field hands, field workers, horsemen, horses, husbandmen, knights, lepers, Order of the Garter, Palestinian Christians, riders, Romanian Army, saddle makers, saddlers, sheep, shepherds, soldiers, Teutonic Knights; Canada; England; Ethiopia; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Lithuania; Malta; Portugal; Cappadocia; Catalonia; Palestine; over 20 cities and diocese around the world; against herpes, leprosy, plague, skin diseases, skin rashes, syphilis; by the middle ages, St. George was revered in much of Europe as the personification of chivalry)*


Support Teen Literature Day -- US (on the Thursday of National Library Week)


Take Action for Libraries Day -- US (Sponsored by the ALA, on the Thursday of National Library Week)  


Take a Chance Day -- internet generated encouragement to try something different


Talk Like Shakespeare Day -- on The Bard's birth anniversary 


Vinalia Priora -- Ancient Roman Calendar (tasting the first wines of the year)


World Book & Copyright Day -- UN (this date chosen because of how parts of Spain celebrate St. George's Day, with books)     

     World Book Night -- Germany; Ireland; UK; US (anniversary of the birth and death of Shakespeare, and the death of Miguel de Cervantes; over 20 book titles have been specially chosen for this year and special editions of those books printed so you can share books and your love of reading with those who don't read much


*To save a Maid, St. George the Dragon slew

A pretty tale, if all is told be true

Most say, there are no Dragons, and 'tis said

There was no George: pray God there was a Maid.

-- John Aubrey, Remains of Gentilism (1688)



Birthdays Today:


Dev Patel, 1990

John Cena, 1977

Kal Penn, 1977

Scott Bairstow, 1970

Melina Kanakaredes, 1967

George Lopez, 1961

Valerie Bertinelli, 1960

Craig Sheffer, 1960

Jan Hooks, 1957

Judy Davis, 1955

Michael Moore, 1954

Joyce DeWitt, 1949

Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, 1947

Sandra Dee, 1942

David Birney, 1940

Lee Majors, 1940

Roy Orbison, 1936

Shirley Temple Black, 1928

Vladimire Nabokov, 1899

Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, 1897

Sergei Prokofiev, 1891

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, 1858

Granville T. Woods, 1856

James Buchanan, 1791

William Penn, 1621

William Shakespeare, 1564(attributed -- only the day of his baptism, April 26, is known for certain)



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Baywatch"(TV), 1989

"No Man's Land"(Play), 1975

"She Loves Me"(Musical), 1963

"Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride"(Opera), 1881

"Il re pastore/The Shepherd King"(Mozart opera, K 208)1775

"The Tender Husband"(Comedy), 1705



Today in History:


The founding of the Order of the Garter by King Edward III is announced on St George's Day, 1348

William Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor is first performed, with Queen Elizabeth I in attendance, 1597

The first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School, is founded in Boston, Massachusetts, 1635

Connecticut is chartered as an English colony, 1662

Canada issues its first postage stamps, 1851

The Vitascope system of movie projection debuts the first motion picture at Koster & Bial's Music Hall in NYC, 1896

Namibia becomes the 160th member of the UN and the 50th member of the Commonwealth of Nations, 1990

Eritrians vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia, 1993

Beijing closes all schools for two weeks because of the SARS virus, 2003

The gamma ray burst GRB 090423 is observed for 10 seconds. The event signals the most distant object of any kind and also the oldest known object in the universe, 2009

Despite an initial ban on the film 'Borat,' Kazakhstan issues and official 'thank you' to actor Sacha Baron Cohen for his character, Borat Sagdiyev, 2012

Loretta Lynch is confirmed as the first African-American woman as US Attorney-General, 2015

The WHO begins distributing the world’s first malaria vaccine to children in Malawi, 2019

The journal Scientific Reports publishes the findings on the first frog fossils, about 40 million years old, found in Antarctica, 2020

Artists Sonia Boyce and Simone Leigh are awarded Golden Lions at the 59th Venice Biennale, the first time Black women have won representing their countries (UK and US) at the prestigious modern art exhibit, 2023

A carbonized ancient Greek scroll from Herculaneum, deciphered using new technologies including AI, gives details of the death of the philosopher Plato, 2024

The International Coral Reef Initiative releases study showing that 84% of the world's coral reefs have been impacted by an ongoing bleaching event, 2025

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Selfie! (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday, an A to Z Challenge Post

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Linking up with Wordless WednesdayCatsynthKeith, 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 prompts are being provided by yours truly right here.


This week’s prompts are:


sign

omission

fall

conviction

accompany

commerce


and/or this random sentence


Courage and stupidity were all we had.


Charlotte's colour of the month is Sea Green.



#2 Son and Daughter-in-Law are continuing their plans to move out of the state some time in the FALL, with a daughter who will be just over 2 and a baby boy who will be about 3 months at that time.


It reminds me of being young, when Courage And Stupidity Were All We Had.


They've bought a piece of land, with the CONVICTION they can live on it with the RV for sleeping in and a couple of extra outbuildings fitted with insulation, hooked up to water and electric, and turned into things like bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room.


I don't take it as a SIGN of insanity, but i do often wonder if they realize how much they are trying to do and if they're stretching past their limit.


Also, i'm beginning to wonder if there's an OMISSION somewhere in their plans, a hole or flaw which is going to show itself later.


Whether or no, they are adults forging their own path, and i will support them in their endeavor as much as i can.  I have even been recruited to ACCOMPANY them.  Friend Chris, who used to live here when things were bad with his family, now drives a semi-truck, having the requisite licenses, and is chomping at the bit to drive the RV.  It seems the thing has a special engine, one of the best and strongest ever made for non-COMMERCE use.


Friend Chris will drive the RV, #2 Son will drive his car, and i will drive Daughter-in-Law's car while she tends the children in the back seat of the SUV.


I've seen pictures of the property they've bought, and i'd be Sea Green with envy as it's a beautiful place, but it's just so far away and of course i cannot move as Grandma and Grandpa are here and need my help.


I'm just praying they've actually got things as well-planned as they think, with the electric hook-ups scheduled, the water hook-up done, and with putting in the septic later, right before they move.




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It's Earth Day!  Time to remember we only have one planet and we need to take good care of it and stop fouling our own nest.


Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.         


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Today is:


Chemists Celebrate The Earth Day -- promoting public awareness of the important contribution of chemists


Discovery Day -- Brazil (landing of Cabral in 1500)


Earth Day


Festival of Jupiter and Juno -- Ancient Roman Calendar


Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day -- Girl Scouts of the USA   


Granary Offering to Renenutet -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (offering to the Lady of Granaries; date approximate)


International Mother Earth Day -- UN


Lela's Holiday -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar (honoring the goddess-daughter, Lela)


National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day) -- US, on the Wednesday of National Library Week


National Jelly Bean Day


Queen Isabella Day -- Spain and some US states (birth anniversary of Isabella I of Castille)


St. Epipodius of Lyon's Day (Patron of bachelors, betrayal victims, torture victims)


Thank Your School Librarian Day -- US, on the Wednesday of National Library Week


Walpurgis celebrations begin -- through May 1, Norse, Scandinavian, and Germanic celebrations (remembering the sacrifice of Odin upon the World Tree Yggdrasil

     Yggdrasil Day -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar


Yom Ha'Atzmaut -- Israel (Independence Day; through nightfall)



Birthdays Today:


Amber Heard, 1986

Francis Capra, 1983

Daniel Johns, 1979

Kim Elizabeth, 1978

Eric Mabius, 1971

Chris Makepeace, 1964

Byron Allen, 1961

Ryan Stiles, 1959

Peter Frampton, 1950

John Waters, 1946

Jack Nicholson, 1937

Glen Campbell, 1936

Aaron Spelling, 1928

Charlotte Rae, 1926

Yehudi Menuhin, 1916

Eddie Albert, 1906

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev, 1891

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1870

Immanuel Kant, 1724

Queen Isabella, 1451



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"The Who's Tommy"(Rock musical), 1993

"Le Triomphe de Plutus/Money Makes the World Go Round"(Play), 1728



Today in History:


Portuguese navigator Pedro Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil, 1500

President George Washington attends a performance of Rickett's, the first circus in the US, 1793

Thomas Stevens sets out from San Francisco on the first round the world journey by bicycle, 1884

The Oklahoma land rush begins at noon; thousands rush to claim land, and the towns of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed within hours with populations of over 10,000 each, 1889

Pravda begins publication in St. Petersburg, 1912

The Germans begin using poison chlorine gas as a chemical weapon, 1915

British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world, 1969

The first Earth Day is celebrated, 1970

The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. is dedicated, 1993

Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologizes for Japan's war record, 2005

Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst single day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War, 2006

The Pope, Benedict XVI, becomes the first pontiff to participate in a televised interview session, 2011

The Paris Agreement on climate change is signed in New York, 2016

Sudan bans female genital mutation, making it a criminal offense, 2020

Argentina suffers a record outbreak of dengue fever with over 60,000 cases and more than forty deaths, 2023

Widespread flooding of the Bei River across southern China forces the evacuation of 110,000 people, 2024

National Geographic releases a new documentary, "Secrets of the Penguins," featuring the first drone footage in the world of penguin chicks jumping off a 50-foot cliff to take their first swim, 2025