Accurate (Wordless Wednesday) and 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.) 

***********************************

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     

***********************************

Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become 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 provided by River at Drifting Through Life.    

This week's words are:

1. miasma

2. powerhouse

3. shiver

4. foolish

5. plumber

6. twenties

and/or:

1. foyer

2. palms

3. intricately

4. monastic

5. courtyard

6. sprawled

Joe and Sam were in Sam's father's workshop, which had an eerie, almost MONASTIC quiet to it at this hour.  Joe felt a SHIVER go down him, although he was also sweating with concentration.  The temperature outside hovered in the TWENTIES, and he and Sam both had to keep wiping their PALMS to keep from losing their grip, especially in the MIASMA of vapor that was rising from the melting lead.

They had INTRICATELY designed their moulds from plaster of Paris, and now would come the moment of truth, if they could pull this off, they thought, all of their money woes would be over.

Just then, they heard the door of the workshop slam open and Sam's big sister came in.  "What are you two doing in here!" she demanded.

"None of your business!" Sam hollered.  "How did you know we were out here anyway?" he asked.

"I saw the light on, and I knew Dad was still asleep, so I came to see if someone was trying to rob the shop.  You know you aren't supposed to be playing with Dad's PLUMBER equipment!  And melting lead!  That's dangerous!  You two come in with me now."

"Make us!" yelled Sam, and she said, "I will" and turned away.

The boys went back to their work, sure they could get their project going long before she could rouse anyone and get back to the shop, so they were shocked when the POWERHOUSE of a milkman grabbed them both by their collars and dragged them across the COURTYARD and unceremoniously into Sam's house.

Hearing the commotion, Sam's parents came running down the stairs to find the two boys SPRAWLED on the floor of the back FOYER.

Knowing the jig was up now and they'd have to admit what they were doing, Sam explained.  "We don't have enough money to buy Christmas gifts for everyone, so we made plaster of Paris casts of nickels and we melted lead and we were going to make our own nickels to spend at the store."

The parents, the milkman, and the now wide awake remainder of the family looked at each other, and then all of them burst out laughing.  It took quite a while, but eventually, between bouts of laughing and trying to catch his breath, Sam's Dad explained to him, "You can't do that, only the government can mint money.  You try to spend those fake nickels and you can go to jail."

As the milkman headed out to get back on his rounds, still guffawing, Sam said, "I knew your idea was too good to be true!"  The two had turned red and felt as FOOLISH as if they'd been caught wetting their britches.

"Joe, you'd better get home," Sam's Mom said, "your parents are going to be up soon and wondering where you are."

As he turned forlornly to head out the door, she added kindly, "Maybe you could come back later and we will talk about other things you can make as Christmas presents.  With supervision, of course," she added as her husband looked at her.

Joe didn't even have the heart to wave as he turned and headed out the door and up the street.  He knew that, as happens in these cases, the news would travel faster than he could.

***********************************

Today is:

Build a Snowman Day -- occupy your mind, as Christmas seems too far away still; if you have no snow, make snowball cookies

Chocolate Pizza Day -- yes, really

E-Mail Santa Claus Just in Case He Didn't Get Your Letter Day -- northpole.com/Mailroom/

Festival for Juventas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (goddess of youth, protector of young soldiers)

Icelandic Yuletide Lad of the Day, Skyrgamur -- Curd-glutton, who loves skyr (milk curd) so that he sneaks in the pantry to try to get it all

I've Got My Big Fat Guy Pants On Day -- someone tired of tight clothes started this, a day to wear whatever you like, so long as it is comfortable -- and roomy

Look for an Evergreen Day -- although if you haven't bought your tree by now, you may have waited too long

National Hard Candy Day -- this time of year, it probably means candy canes

National Heroes and Heroines Day -- Anguilla

National Oatmeal Muffin Day

Opalia -- Roman Empire (feast of Ops, goddess of abundance; 3rd day of the Saturnalia)

Riddle-Making Trials -- Fairy Calendar

Robinson Crusoe Rescue Day (1686)

St. Bernard Valeara's Day (Patron of Teramo, Italy)

St. Samthann (Samantha) of Meath's Day (Patron of the spiritual life)

United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation -- UN

Anniversary Today:

First radio broadcast from space, a Christmas greeting from President Eisenhower, 1958

Birthdays Today:

Jake Gyllenhall, 1980

Alyssa Milano, 1972

Tyson Beckford, 1971

Amy Locane, 1971

Kristy Swanson, 1969

Criss Angel, 1967

Jessica Steen, 1965

Jennifer Beals, 1963

Kevin Edward McHale, 1957

Janie Fricke, 1952

Robert Urich, 1946

Richard Leakey, 1944

Alvin Lee, 1944

Tim Reid, 1944

Cicely Tyson, 1939

Al Kaline, 1934

David Susskind, 1920

Leonid Brezhnev, 1906

Ralph Richardson, 1902

Carter Godwin Woodson, 1875

Minnie Maddern Fiske, 1865

Mary Ashton Livermore, 1821

William Edward Parry, 1790

Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Fellowship of the Ring(Film), 2001

Titanic(Film), 1997

The Man with the Golden Gun(Film), 1974

"Homecoming A Christmas Story"(TV introduction of "The Waltons"), 1971

"The Music Man"(Musical), 1957

"A Christmas Carol"(publication date), 1843

"American Crisis"(publication date of the Thomas Paine essay in which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls."), 1776

"Poor Richard's Almanack" (publication of first issue by Benjamin Franklin), 1732

Today in History:

Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor, 324

The Seldjuken under Toghril Beg occupy Baghdad, 1055

The Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery depart England carrying settlers who found, at Jamestown, Virginia, the first of the thirteen colonies that became the United States, 1606

The Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, and Connecticut colonies combine forces and attach the Great Swamp Fort of the Narragansetts during King Philip's War, 1675

Benjamin Franklin, under the name Richard Saunders begins publication of "Poor Richard's Almanack", 1732

Thomas Paine publishes his first "American Crisis" essay, in which he wrote that "These are the times that try men's souls," 1776

Chinese troops occupy the capital Thang Long Vietnam, 1788

The US state of Kentucky becomes the first to appropriate money for road building, 1795

The US state of Georgia becomes the first to pass a birth registration law, 1823

Allen Wilson of Connecticut patents a sewing machine that can sew a curved seam, 1854

Albert L. Jones patents corrugated cardboard, 1871

The first black US Catholic priest, Charles Uncles, is ordained in Baltimore, 1891

The first city ordinance requiring separate neighborhoods for blacks and whites is passed, in Baltimore, 1910

Robert Ripley begins his "Believe It Or Not" column in the NY Globe, 1918

The British Broadcasting Corp begins transmitting overseas, 1932

The US Earth satellite Atlas transmitted the first radio voice broadcast from space, 1958

The last manned lunar flight, Apollo 17, returns to earth, 1972

The Sino-British Joint Declaration, stating that the People's Republic of China, in 1997, would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, is signed, 1984

Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, releases Andrei Sakharov and his wife from internal exile in Gorky, 1986

A record high barometric pressure of 1085.6 hPa (32.06 inHg) is recorded at Tosontsengel, Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia, 2001

Russian spacecraft, Soyuz TMA-07M, is launched in Kazakhstan, with cosmonauts Roman Romanenko, Chris Hadfield and Thomas Marshburn for the ISS Expedition 34 and 35 crews, 2012