Memory?

"Honey, do you have a sandwich size plastic zip bag?" Sweetie asked, coming into the kitchen from his cave with full hands.

Reaching above the sink, i unhooked one from the hanger with clothespins where i dry them after washing for reuse. My way of saving money and doing my bit to "reuse," the most neglected part of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle triad.

He cast a wary eye at it, sniffed, and was satisfied that it was indeed thoroughly clean for his purposes. Then he saw the small white area on it where you can write the contents, noted there was something written there, and i read his mind.

As i moved toward the pen i knew he would ask for next, he said, "Great. Now do you have a, uh...uh..."

His voice trailed off as i handed him the marker with a grin and an "Ain't old age grand?" comment.

"Oh," he said, "it's just that I wanted to call it a Magic Marker and that's not what it's called, I know this one is a Sharpie, and ... Hey, what do you mean, 'Old age'!? Speak for yourself!"

He then proceeded to try to stuff the Sharpie down the back of my shirt. He did not succeed.


Today is:

Bali Spirit Festival -- Ubud, Bali (a celebration of Balinese culture; through April 1)

Commemoration of Sen no Rikyu -- Urasenke School of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, Japan (influential master in The Way of Tea)

Feast of Artemis -- Ancient Greek Calendar (as protector of wild animals, vegetation, and places, begins at sundown; date approximate)

Festival of the Sacrifice at the Tombs -- Ancient Roman Calendar (to honor the ancestors)

Hot Tub Day -- because we all need one!

Invasion of Loaming Shores Beyond the Certain Sea Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar

Khordad Sal (Birth of the Prophet Zarathushtra) -- Zoroastrianism (Fasli Calendar)

Komamorijinja Reisai -- Gifu, Japan (festival of the the Kosazukeishi "child-granting stone")

National Black Forest Cake Day

Respect Your Cat Day -- anniversary of King Richard II's edict in 1384 forbidding the consumption of cats

Serfs Emancipation Day -- Tibet

Something on a Stick Day -- something edible, of course, what were you thinking? never mind; almost everything tastes better on a stick

St. Guntramnus' Day (Patron of divorced people, guardians, repentant murderers)

Teachers' Day -- Czech Republic; Slovakia

Weed Appreciation Day -- at last, for those of us with black thumbs, since this is all we can grow! "Weeds are flowers once you get to know them!" A.A. Milne


Birthdays Today:

Julia Stiles, 1981
Annie Wersching, 1977
Scott Mills, 1974
Juliandra Gillen, 1971
Vince Vaughn, 1970
Reba McEntire, 1955
Dianne Wiest, 1948
Ken Howard, 1944
Dirk Bogarde, 1921
August Anheuser Busch, Jr., 1899
Maxim Gorky, 1868
Frederich Pabst, 1836
St. Teresa of Avila, 1515
Fra Bartolomeo, 1472


Today in History:

Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus, 193
Viking raiders sack Paris, who leave in exchange for a huge ransom, 845
The origin of the Fasli Era in India, 1556
Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco, 1776
Nathaniel Briggs of NH patents a washing machine, 1797
Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man, 1802
The US Salvation Army is officially organized, 1885
Henri Fabre becomes the first person to fly a seaplane, 1910
Jews are expelled from Tel Aviv & Jaffa by Turkish authorities, 1917
Constantinople and Angora change their names to Istanbul and Ankara, 1930
The McGill français movement protest occurs, the second largest protest in Montreal's history, 1969
Operators of Three Mile Island's Unit 2 nuclear reactor outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania fail to recognize that a relief valve in the primary coolant system has stuck open, leading to a partial meltdown, 1979
In South Africa, Zulus and African National Congress supporters battle in central Johannesburg, resulting in 18 deaths, 1994
The 2005 Sumatran earthquake rocks Indonesia, and at magnitude 8.7 is the second strongest earthquake since 1965, 2005
At least 1 million union members, students, and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law, 2006