Learning About Big Sister (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Poetry Monday, Relief

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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!

Little Ben is learning to know his big sister, Annie.

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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 Relief.

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My back was feeling fine,

then in church I genuflected,

the chiropractor gave me relief

and now I stand corrected.

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For help with stress relief

remember to breathe deep,

then say a little prayer

and on God your troubles heap.

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Future themes are:

July 27 Relief (Today!)

Aug 3 Tractors

Aug 10 Bluebells

Aug 17 Sunny Days

(All themes are from the 365 Days of Drawing Prompts and Other Arts Facebook group.)

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Today is:

Barbie-in-a-blender Day -- while i get why we do it to Barbie, what did your blender do to deserve this?  originally thought of by Freeculture.org, to defend our rights to comment on cultural icons, whether they are trademarked/copyrighted or not

Bugs Bunny Day -- the "wascally wabbit" made his debut in A Wild Hare, released on this day in 1940

Day of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus -- date on the Julian Calendar, these are the legendary saints who, upon persecution by the Emperor Decius and being walled up in a cave to die as martyrs, instead slept for over 200 (in the Koran, yes, they are mentioned there, it is 300) years; based on an even more ancient legend and the prototypes of Rip Van Winkle; related observances 

     National Sleepy Head Day -- Finland (the last person in the house to wake on this day is awakened with water, either thrown on him/her or the person is thrown into water; in honor of the story of the Saints of Ephesus)

     Seven Sleepers Day -- Ancient Latvian Calendar

     Siebenschlafer -- Germany (a weather prognostication day, if it rains today, there will be rain for seven weeks more)

Hurricane Supplication Day -- US Virgin Islands (churches hold special services to pray against hurricanes hitting the islands this season)

Iglesia Ni Cristo Day -- Philippines

Ipip Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (festival for working on the king's tomb; date approximate)

Jose Celso Barbosa Day -- Puerto Rico

National Creme Brulee Day

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day -- US

National Scotch Day

St. Pantaleon's Day (Patron of bachelors, physicians, torture victims; against tuberculosis)

Take Your Houseplants For a Walk Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which claims doing this will orient them to their position on the earth and make them healthier (some websites mistakenly call it take your pants for a walk day!)

Victory Day -- North Korea

Walk on Stilts Day -- at your own risk always; sponsored by Bill "Stretch" Coleman, the Nine Foot Clown, who encourages everyone to walk on stilts to foster a chance to develop self-confidence, master balance and coordination, enjoy the challenge, and celebrate daring accomplishments at all ages 

War Martyrs' and Invalids' Day -- Vietnam

Birthdays Today

Ashlyn Sanchez, 1996

Cheyenne Kimball, 1990

Courtney Kupets, 1986

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, 1977

Alex Rodriguez, 1975

Maya Rudolph, 1972

Triple H, 1969

Julian McMahon, 1968

Maureen McGovern, 1949

Peggy Fleming, 1948

Betty Thomas, 1947

Bobbie Gentry, 1944

James Victor, 1939

Gary Gygax, 1938

Jerry Van Dyke, 1931

Norman Lear, 1922

Leo Ernest Durocher, 1905

Joseph Bert "Joe" Tinker, 1880

José Celso Barbosa, 1857

Alexandre Dumas, fils, 1824

Queen Hatshepsut, BC1508

Today in History

Siward, Earl of Northumbria invades Scotland to support Malcolm Canmore against Macbeth of Scotland, who usurped the Scottish throne from Malcolm's father, King Duncan; Macbeth is defeated at Dunsinane, 1054

Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan, 1549

The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports, 1663

A Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England, 1694

The Russian Navy defeats the Swedes atthe Battle of Grengam, 1720

The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (later renamed Department of State), 1789

Robespierre is finally arrested, 1794

The Atlantic Cable is successfully completed, allowing transatlantic telegraph communication for the first time, 1866

Researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the hormone insulin, 1921

The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny, 1940

RMS Titanic, Inc. begins the first expedited salvaging of wreckage of the RMS Titanic, 1987

A pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, US, during the Summer Olympics, 1996

Photograph negatives purchased at a garage sale prove to be early works by photographer Ansel Adams, 2010

The first Przewalski’s horse (whose wild populations were believed extinct in 1969) to be conceived via artificial insemination is born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute as part of a worldwide effort to rebuild the wild herds, 2013

Fiat Chrysler is fined a record $105 million by US regulators over their number of car recalls, 2015

US congressman John Lewis becomes the first African American lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda in Washington D.C., 2020

Triathlete Flora Duffy claims an historic first ever Olympic gold medal for Bermuda in the women's event at the Tokyo Games, 2021

A diamond mine in Angola announces the discovery of the "Lulo Rose," a 170-carat pink diamond thought to be the largest found in the last 300 years, 2022

Using fruit flies, scientists genetically engineer female animals to reproduce without needing a male for the first time, 2023

Another Try (Cajun Joke), Sunday Selections, and Sunday Selfie

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Just because Sandee of Comedy Plus is no longer hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, do not expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes, especially as it has now become a habit.

Grandpa has his hands full taking care of Grandma so much.  He will just start in to doing something and she'll call for him.  He's so patient, he goes in her room each time and helps her with whatever it is, then goes back to what he was doing.  It makes everything take longer but he's being very patient.

Tee done be's talkin' to Grand-père Boudreaux an' he ax, "How long you been marry to Grand-mère?"

An' Grand-père say, "Fifty years, petit-garçon."

An' Tee say, "Dat be so long, you gots to know ever't'ing!  What be you secret fo' stayin' married so long?"

An' Grand-père say, "Mais, petit-garçon, dere be only one t'ing to a good marriage, an' when I fin' out what it be, I's goin' get married agin!"

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files.  The rules have been relaxed, and it is now simply a showcase for your photos, new or old, good or bad, although nothing rude, please.  Our friend River is hosting, and other participants often include Charlotte/Mother Owl, Andrew, and WiseWebWoman.  

It's been so crazy, here are a few things from around my house as it's all there's been time to photograph. 

My beloved coffee cup.

A much-loved painting from a client many years ago.

A silver and celluloid teething ring which belonged to my Sweetie's father.

Grandpa's (my father's) captains bars from his military service.

The cup i always drank out of when i was a child and i'd go to my dad's mom's house (MawMaw).

My Sweetie's mother hand wove these potholders.

A piece of carnival glass which my great-great-grandfather won as a prize for my grandmother when she was a little girl, circa 1906.

These were my Sweetie's and Brother-in-Law's piggy banks when they were children.  If you put in a coin, it tips its hat.

Link Linker the Stinker was in the trash can, some of the mischief he used to get into which earned him his name.

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This week, Cookie and Emmie want to join the Kitties Blue at The Cat On My Head for their Sunday Selfies Blog Hop.  They call this their "lazy summer day" selfie.

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Today is:

All or Nothing Day -- no history on this one, but it's supposed to be the day you decide to live as if it's going to be your last!

Aunt and Uncle Day -- originally proposed on this day in 2005 by Florida State Senator Tony Hill; if you have aunts and uncles you love, why not give them a call today 

Auntie's Day® -- as begun by The Savvy Auntie, celebrating those who chose to take on the active role of being an Auntie 

Dia de la Rebeldia -- Cuba (Revolution Anniversary)

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

Festival of Sleipnir -- Norse Pagan (date approximate, honored Odin's eight-legged horse, Sleipnir)

Green Corn Ceremony -- Native Americans (thanksgiving for the maize harvest; these are celebrated by many tribes in many different ways and are not generally scheduled as they depend on how the corn grows; some have with rites including a Thanksgiving Prayer, Confession Chant, and Feather Dance; the Santa Ana Pueblo holds an annual Corn Festival on this date each year that is open to the public)

Groovy Chicken Day -- don't ask, just enjoy

Heyannir month commences -- Icelandic Calendar (Harvest Month, literally translates "Hay Working")

Independence Day -- Liberia(1847); Maldives(1965)

International Bog Day

Kargil Vijay Diwas -- India (Kargil Victory Day)

Mi'kmaq Pilgrimage to St. Anne Mission -- Mi'kmaq First Nations of Canada and Maine 

National Coffee Milkshake Day

National Tree Day -- Australia

Otaru Tide Festival -- Otaru Wharf, Otaru City, Japan (one of Japan's biggest sea festivals, through the 28th)

Parent's Day -- US 

Procession of the Penitents -- Veurne, Belgium (passion play dating back to the 15th century)

Racial Desegregation Day -- date in 1944 the US Army ordered training camp facilities desegregated, and the date in 1948 President Truman signed the order integrating the US armed forces

Ranggeln -- Mt. Hundstein, Germany (traditional form of wresting, called ranggeln, in honor of St. Jacob's Day [which most celebrate on July 25]; this particular festival harks back to the pre-Christian Lughnasadh celebrations, which went through Aug. 1 and contained athletic events)

St. Anne's Day (traditional name given to the mother of Mary; Patron of broommakers, cabinetmakers, carpenters, childless people, equestrians, expectant mothers, grandmothers, grandparents, homemakers, horse men, horse women, housewives, lace makers, lace workers, lost articles, miners, mothers, old-clothes dealers, poor people, pregnancy, pregnant women, riders, seamstresses, stablemen, turners, women in labour; Canada; France; Micmaqs; over 20 cities around the world; against poverty and sterility)

St. Joachim's Day (traditional name given to the father of Mary; Patron of fathers, grandfathers, grandparents; Adjuntas, Puerto Rico)

Valencia Fair Battle of the Flowers -- Valencia, Spain (conclusion and highlight of the Valencia Fair, with a parade and thousands of carnations thrown from floats, making a magical carpet of petals for all to enjoy)

Anniversaries Today

Signing of the American's With Disabilities Act, 1990

New York becomes the 11th US State, 1788

The United States Postal Service is founded, 1775

Birthdays Today

Taylor Momsen, 1993

Kate Beckinsale, 1973

Jeremy Piven, 1964

Sandra Bullock, 1964

Kevin Spacey, 1959

Angela Hewitt, 1958

Dorothy Hamill, 1956

Susan George, 1950

Roger Taylor, 1949

Helen Mirren, 1945

Mick Jagger, 1943

Dobie Gray, 1940

Stanley Kubrick, 1928

Blake Edwards, 1922

Jason Robards, Jr., 1922

Vivian Vance, 1912

Gracie Allen, 1902

Aldous Huxley, 1894

Carl Jung, 1875

George Bernard Shaw, 1856

George Catlin, 1796

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Alice In Wonderland(Animated film), 1951

The Babe Ruth Story(Film), 1948

"The Bob Howard Show"(TV), 1948

"Young Widder Brown"(Radio), 1938

Today in History

The first recorded women's cricket match took place near Guildford, England, 1745

The birth of what would later become the United States Post Office Department is established by the Second Continental Congress, 1775

The Surrey Iron Railway, often considered the world's first public railway, opens in south London, 1803

In California, the poet and American West outlaw calling himself "Black Bart" makes his last clean getaway, 1878

Premiere of Richard Wagner's Parsifal at Bayreuth, 1882

Publication of the Unua Libro, founding the Esperanto movement, 1887

United States Attorney General Charles Joseph Bonaparte issues an order to immediately staff the Office of the Chief Examiner (later renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation), 1908

King Edward VIII, in one of his few official duties before he abdicated the throne, officially unveiled the Canadian National Vimy Memoria, 1936

The Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election of July 5 by a landslide, removing Winston Churchill from power, 1945

U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs the National Security Act into United States law creating the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the National Security Council, 1947

U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs Executive Order 9981 desegregating the military of the United States, 1948

Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful attack on the Moncada Barracks, thus beginning the Cuban Revolution, 1953

Syncom 2, the world's first geosynchronous satellite, is launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta B booster, 1963

The National Assembly of Quebec imposes the use of French as the official language of the provincial government, 1977

A federal grand jury indicts Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris worm, thus becoming the first person to be prosecuted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, 1989

Mumbai, India receives 99.5cm of rain (39.17 inches) within 24 hours, bringing the city to a halt for over 2 days, 2005

Over 92,000 classified documents detailing incidents related to the war in Afghanistan are released by Wikileaks in the largest leak in U.S military history, 2010

President of France, Francois Holland finalizes a deal with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara to forgive $4.7 billion dollars in debt incurred by the Ivory Coast when it was a French Colonial Power, 2012

Great Britain announces it will ban gasoline and diesel cars by 2040, 2017

The Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics publishes findings about the observation of a black hole by a telescope in Chile that proved Albert Einstein’s prediction of gravitational redshift, 2018

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz makes history becoming the first athlete from the Philippines to win gold at the Olympics, 2021

Russia announces it will leave the International Space Station in two years, 2022

Opening ceremony for the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris is along the River Seine, with 85 boats carrying the athletes, 2024