A to Z: Jalopy (Wordless Wednesday) and Just Deserts (Words for Wednesday)

(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.)

(A note to my friends with Wordpress blogs:  even though i have a Wordpress account, Wordpress is not allowing me to comment on your blogs.  My work-around involves me using a different email address and not linking to either of my blogs.  If i don't comment on your blog, please know it's not that i don't want to, but that i cannot.  Thank you for your understanding.)

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.    

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Words for Wednesday is a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts that encourages us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.  This month, the prompts are being posted by Elephant's Child.   

This week's prompts are:

1. ghoul
2. ambiguous
3. forgery
4. benefit
5. affair 
6. parade 

And/or

1. delight
2. whisper
3. bottle 
4. homicidal
5. sawdust
6. circle

"Hello, guys and GHOULS!" James said, his attempt at levity upon walking into the office falling flatter than usual when no one even looked up from the CIRCLE of desks around the perimeter of the room.

"What's wrong?" he then asked.  "Such long faces should be reserved for when a HOMICIDAL maniac is running loose or your spouse has had an AFFAIR!"

"FORGERY is bad enough, we don't need either of the other two problems right now," his coworker Tony answered.

"What are you talking about?"

Gina, who seemed to take great DELIGHT in passing on bad news, and the more awful the news the more she delighted in it, answered.  "That big, anonymous donation we got for the BENEFIT PARADE might be a fake!"

James took a deep breath as a feeling like SAWDUST in his throat came over him.  Crossing to the tiny office fridge which, with the microwave on top, served as their only office kitchen, he grabbed a water BOTTLE and very carefully opened it, took several gulps. then looked at his co-workers again.

"The person donating was very AMBIGUOUS about the whole thing," he said, "so I guess I should have suspected.  What do we do now?"

Tony looked him right in the eye and, in a voice barely above a WHISPER, said, "I guess we say we finally got you.  April Fool!"

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

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Today is:

Barbershop Quartet Day -- founding day of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America

Buchenwald Liberation Day -- at 3:15pm local time, by the Third Army

Eight Track Tape Day -- do you remember those; someone who fondly does has a day to honor them

Festival of Unmediated Play -- just go out there and have fun, like kids do

International "Louie Louie" Day -- a song that caused such a stir it deserves a day; on the birth anniversary of its composer, Richard Berry

Juan Santamaria Day -- Costa Rica (commemoration of the hero of the Battle of Rivas)

Liberation Day -- Uganda (fall of Idi Amin)

M&M Crisis in Space Day -- on this day in 1996, American astronaut Shannon Lucid reported from Space Station Mir that she was out of M&Ms; it was the only thing she regularly requested for resupply in her 188 days there!

National Bookmobile Day -- US, on the Wednesday of National Library Week

National Cheese Fondue Day

National Pet Day / Pet Day USA -- US (it's about the love, so adopt, don't shop!)

St. Antipas' Day (spiritual student of St. John, mentioned in the Book of the Revelation of St. John)

St. Stanislaus' Day (Patron of soldiers in battle; Cracow, Poland; Plock, Poland; Poland, where he is celebrated on May 8)

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

World Parkinson's Disease Day

Anniversary Today:

Spelman College is founded, 1881

Birthdays Today:

Joss Stone, 1987

Tricia Helfer, 1974

Vincent Gallo, 1961

Bill Irwin, 1950

Ellen Goodman, 1948

Meshach Taylor, 1947

Peter Riegert, 1947

Louise Lasser, 1939

Richard Berry, 1935

Tony Brown, 1933

Joel Grey, 1932

Ethel Kennedy, 1928

Oleg Cassini, 1913

Jane Matilda Bolin, 1908

Dalia "Dale" Messick, 1906

Percy Julian, 1899

Lizzie “Lillie” Bliss, 1864

Charles Evans Hughes, 1862

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"On Your Toes"(Musical), 1936

"Matthäus-Passion/St. Matthew's Passion"(Bach BWV 244), 1727

Today in History:

William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain, 1689

The last execution for witchcraft in Germany takes place, 1775

President Abraham Lincoln makes his last public speech, urging a spirit of concilliation during reconstruction, 1865

The Shogunate is abolished in Japan, 1868

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized, 1876

Ellis Island is designated as an immigration station, 1890

Spain cedes Puerto Rico to the United States in the treaty ending the Spanish American War, 1899

The US Navy aquires its first submarine, designed by John P. Holland, 1900

Albert Einstein announces his Special Theory of Relativity, 1905

The International Labour Organization is founded, 1919

The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found in Arbroath Abbey where Scottish nationalist students had taken it from Westminster Abbey, 1951

Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule, 1957

Apollo 13 is launched, 1970

The Apple I is created, 1976

Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed, 1979

The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan, 1987

Australia beats American Samoa in a 31-0 win, the biggest ever in an international match of football, 2001

The French ban of Islamic women's face coverings goes into effect, 2011