A to Z: Baby! (Awww Monday) and Believe (Sparks!)

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.) 

Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee, of 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!

Baby Lee came for a visit, and his daddy, Red-headed Alec, tried to help him take a selfie.

Trying.

Trying again.

He's ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille!

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The wonderful Annie of McGuffy's Reader has started the blog hop called Sparks as a way to put more positive energy into the world.  Join her in combating the often negative influence of social media by adding your own Spark!

I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world! ~ McGuffy Ann Morris

My "Spark" for the day:

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Today is

Easter Monday -- Christian; related observances

    Dyngus Day

    Egg Races -- Rural Northwestern Switzerland (traditional Easter Monday races with competitors carrying large numbers of eggs from village to village)

    Emaishen -- Luxembourg (traditional market)

    Family Day -- South Africa

    Hallaton Hare Pie Scramble & Bottle Kicking -- Hallaton, Leicestershire, England (traditional celebrations dating back at least 600 years)

    Memorial Day -- Republic of Georgia

    Seu Harvest Parade -- Curacao

    Sham el-Nessim -- Egypt (Smell the Breezes Day, a spring celebration for all religions; celebrated by getting outside, greeting neighbors, enjoying spring, and eating salty raw fish)

Feast of Acan -- Ancient Mayan Calendar (god of wine, whose name means either "belch" or "groan", depending on your source -- although both seem apt, one during the celebration, the other after; date approximate)

Great Lovers Day -- you don't have to be a Cassanova to celebrate the great lovers in your life!

International Children's Book Day -- on the birth anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen, sponsored this year by the USA division of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People); this year's theme is "The Small is Big in a Book"

Malvinas Day -- Argentina (honors veterans of the Falklands War)

Mule Day Celebrations -- Columbia, TN, US (the "mule capital of the world" has mule shows, entertainment, dancing and music, food, and fun; through Sunday)

National Ferret Day -- US (The American Ferret Association)  

National Love Your Produce Manager Day -- with its own Facebook page   

National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

Reconciliation Day -- as recommended by columnist Ann Landers, use today to reach out and mend a broken relationship

Sizdehbedar -- Iran (Nature Day)

Spring Fever and Medical Aid Appeal -- Fairy Calendar

St. Francis of Paloa's Day (Patron of boatmen, mariners, naval officers, sailors, travellers, watermen; Amato, Italy; Calbria, Italy; Fossato Serraita, Italy; Sant'Agata di Esaro, Italy; against fire, plague, and sterility)

St. Urban of Langres' Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, gardeners, vine dressers/vine growers/vintners; Dijon, France; Langres, France; against alcoholism, blight, fainting, frost, storms)

Taily Day, Scotland (engage in pranks related to your tail end, a second day of April fooling)

Thai Heritage Conservation Day -- Thailand

Unity of Peoples of Russia and Belarus Day -- Belarus

World Autism Awareness Day -- UN

Anniversaries Today:

Napoleon Bonaparte marries the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, 1810

Birthdays Today:

Bethany Joy Galeotti, 1981

Christopher Meloni, 1961

Pamela Reed, 1953

Ron "Horshack" Palillo, 1949

Camille Paglia, 1947

Emmylou Harris, 1947

Linda Hunt, 1945

Leon Russell, 1942

Dr. Demento, 1941

Marvin Gaye, 1939

Jack Webb, 1920

Charles White, 1918

Alec Guinness, 1914

Buddy Ebsen, 1908

Max Ernst, 1891

Walter Chrysler, 1875

Emile Zola, 1840

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, 1834

Hans Christian Anderson, 1805

Giovanni Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, 1725

Charlemagne, 742

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Nickelodeon(TV Cable Channel), 1979

"Dallas"(TV), 1978

"2001: A Space Odyssey"(Film), 1968

"As the World Turns"(TV), 1956

"The Edge of Night"(TV), 1956

Symphony No. 1 in C major(Beethoven Op. 21), 1800

Today in History:

Mehmed II begins his siege of Istanbul/Constantinople, 1453

Juan Ponce de Leon becomes the first European to set foot in Florida, 1513

"American Farmer," the first successful agricultural journal, begins publication, 1819

Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman nominated for president of the US, 1870

The first Easter egg roll is held on the White House lawn, 1877

Puerto Rico is given limited self rule by the US Congress, 1900

The first full time movie theater, the "Electric Theater," opens in Los Angeles, 1902

The Titanic undergoes sea trials under her own power, 1912

President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany, 1917

Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia, 1930

Charles Lindbergh turns over the $50,000 ransom for his kidnapped son, 1932

The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London, 1962

Argentine forces sieze the Falkland Islands, beginning the Falklands War, 1982

Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province (British Columbia), 1991

Israeli forces surround and besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated, 2002

Three widows and two daughters of Osama bin Laden were charged with illegally living in Pakistan; they were sentenced with 45 days in jail and fined $114 each, 2012

The Arms Trade Treaty, the first-ever bill to regulate the global trade in conventional weapons, is passed by the U.N. General Assembly, 2013