Catch that Fork!

Where in the world did that cup come from? is a frequent question around here.

With the number of people who come in and out, and who sometimes bring food or drink with them, i seem to be always inheriting stray cups and dishes, just as i am always looking for stray silverware and plates.  It's an epidemic.

"I think it came from Festus' house," #2 Son might reply.

So, do you think you should take it back there? i ask.

"Why?  They have some of ours, too!"

Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

Maybe i need to start patting the kids down before they leave, we are running low on forks.  Why they feel they have to take the stuff with them when they sit to watch TV or go to their rooms to do homework i can understand.  Why they have to take it to each other's houses, i don't get.

Anyway, if my kids ever travel to the ends of the earth, i'll probably have to re-outfit the whole kitchen.  If you come by the house some time, keep your eyes peeled for stray cutlery.

In other news, it's Vacation Bible Camp days.  Three days of trying to make sure i feed our volunteers well, which isn't easy with Mr. Chip working there.  The man will eat anything that isn't nailed down or clearly marked as belonging to someone or set aside for something.  Nice guy, great talent in running a lot of tech stuff, fabulous at the sound board, voracious appetite.


Today is

Autistic Pride Day -- an Aspies for Freedom initiative; shifting the view from "disease" to "different"

Birth Anniversary of Guru Rinpoche -- Bhutan

Constitution Day / National Day -- Seychelles

Eid el-Galaa -- Egypt (Evacuation Day; final withdrawal of British this date in 1956)

Foundation Day -- Benguet, Philippines

Going Forth of Neith Along the River -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (goddess of war and hunting; date approximate)

Go Fishing Day -- anniversary of the first American fly-casting tournament this day in 1861 in Utica, NY

International Picnic Day

International Sushi Day

Inti Raymi Festival -- Cusco, Peru (traditional Inca sun worship festival, through the 24th, which is the biggest and best day)

National Cherry Tart Day

National Splurge Day -- you deserve one a year, says Adrien Sioux Coopersmith

Queen Mother's Birthday -- Cambodia (Ex-Queen Norodom Monineath)

Royal Ascot -- Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire, England (a unique event bringing together the best of fashion, style, sport, and entertainment for five days)

St. Gregory of Fragalata's Day (Patron of Fragalata, Sicily)

St. Osanna Andreasi's Day (Patron of school girls)

Swedish Days—a Midsommar Festival -- Geneva, IL, US (celebrating Swedish heritage in the granddaddy of all Illinois festivals with fun for the whole family; through Sunday)

Tiger-Get-By's Birthday -- Fairy Calendar

Waterloo Day -- UK (no longer an official holiday, but still of historic importance)

Western Days -- Elgin, TX, US (music, carnival, parade, live music and more; through Saturday)


Birthdays Today:

Nathan Morris, 1971
Carol Kane, 1952
Isabella Rossellini, 1952
Roger Ebert, 1942
Paul McCartney, 1942
Red Adair, 1915
E.G. Marshall, 1910
Bud Collyer, 1908
Jeanette MacDonald, 1903
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicolaievna Romanova of Russia, 1901
E.W. Scripps, 1854


Today in History:

Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China, 618
Five monks from Canterbury report seeing "two horns of light" on the shaded side of the moon, probably witnessing the meteor impact formation of the Giordano Bruno crater, 1178
The Parliament of Ireland meets at Castledermot in County Kildare, the first definitively known meeting of this Irish legislature, 1264
French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay, 1429
Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island, 1767
The U.S. Congress  declares war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, 1812
The Battle of Waterloo leads to Napoleon Bonaparte abdicating the throne of France for the second and last time, 1815
Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin's own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory, 1858
Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 (US) for attempting to vote in the prior year's US presidential election, 1873
Empress Dowager Longyu of China orders all foreigners killed, including foreign diplomats and their families, 1900
Aviator  Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly as a passenger in an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean, 1928
The "Finest Hour" speech is delivered by Winston Churchill, 1940
The Republic of Egypt is declared and the monarchy is abolished, 1953
Governor of Louisiana Earl K. Long is committed to a state mental hospital; he responds by having the hospital's director fired and replaced with a crony who proceeds to proclaim him perfectly sane, 1959
The AIDS epidemic is formally recognized by medical professionals in San Francisco, California, 1981
Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space, 1983
Kazakhstan launches its first satellite, KazSat, 2006