Ginger Boy (Awww Monday). Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Beauty (Poetry Monday)

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Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee at 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!

My foster son, Red-headed Alec, brought his son, Toddler Lee, to come visit.  You can easily tell this child is thoroughly his daddy made over:

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Sparks, the brainchild of Annie of McGuffy's Reader, is on hiatus, so here's an Inspiring Quote of the Week in her honor.

KeepInspiring.me

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Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  She and Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey take turns providing a theme each week.  This week's theme is Beauty.           

     

My favorite line about beauty

Came from an Anne of Green Gables book

To me it was on this subject

A really perfect outlook

Rebecca Dew said not every woman

Is as pretty as she wishes.

But, she adds, if we were all beautiful

Who would wash the dishes?

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Today is:

Agricultural Reform Day -- Sao Tome and Principe

Ask A Stupid Question Day -- teachers wanted to get students asking more questions, so they did, even if the questions were stupid; now, it's a holiday on the last school day of September each year! 

Celtic Tree Month Gort begins (Ivy)

Day of Liberation of the Republic of Abkhazia -- Abkhazia (disputed territory on the Black Sea)

Do Something Wacky With A Grandparent Day -- just not the monkey bars, please; old bones don't knit fast enough; whatever you do, take some pictures!

Eleusinian Mysteries -- Ancient Greek Calendar (the Greater Mystery Rites, date approximate; mystery rites of Demeter and Persephone at Eleusis, one of the most sacred times of their year)

Independence Day -- Botswana

International Translation Day -- International Federation of Translators 

Kokkeisetsu -- Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan (Chinese National Founding Day in the largest Chinatown in Japan; through tomorrow)

Medetrinalia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival fruits offer to the goddess of medicine)

Monkey Bars Day -- a day to go see if you can still do tricks on the monkey bars, because the internet wants to kill us and let the machines that would never do anything so silly take over

National Hot Mulled Cider Day

National Mud Pack Day -- give yourself a facial

Queen's Birthday Holiday -- WA, Australia

Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (began last night at sundown, through tomorrow at sundown)

St. Gregory the Enlightener (or Illuminator; Patron of Armenia)

St. Jerome's Day (Patron of archaeologists, archivists, Biblical scholars, librarians, libraries, school children, students, translators; Saint-Jerome, Quebec) 

    also an Apache celebration of Geronimo, the Native American who was named after this saint

Anniversary Today:

Haleakala National Park is established in Maui, Hawaii, 1960

Birthdays Today:

Dominique Moceanu, 1981

Marion Cotillard, 1975

Jenna Elfman, 1971

Crystal Bernard, 1964

Eric Stoltz, 1961

Fran Drescher, 1957

Deborah Allen, 1953

Victoria Tennant, 1953

Marilyn McCoo, 1943

Z.Z. Hill, 1935

Johnny Mathis, 1935

Angie Dickinson, 1931

Elie Wiesel, 1928

W. S. Merwin, 1927

Truman Capote, 1924

Deborah Kerr, 1921

Buddy Rich, 1917

William Wrigley, Jr., 1861

Rumi, 1207

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Millie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush(Publication date), 1990

"Murder, She Wrote"(TV), 1984

"Cheers"(TV), 1982

"Love Child"(Single release), 1968

"The Flintstones"(TV), 1960

"Tea and Sympathy"(Play), 1953

"The Red Skelton show"(TV), 1951

"Porgy and Bess"(Opera), 1935

Little Women(Publication date), 1868

"Les pecheurs de perles/The Pearl Fishers"(Bizet opera), 1863

"Die Zauberflote/The Magic Flute"(Mozart opera, K. 620), 1791

The Gutenberg Bible(first section, publication date), 1452

Today in History:

Rambam (Maimonides) authorizes Samuel Ibn Tibbon to translate the Guide of the Perplexed from Arabic into Hebrew, 1199

Anesthetic ether is used for the first time by Dr. William Morton, who extracted a tooth, 1846

German scientist Hermann von Meyer announces the discovery of the first fossil of an archaeopteryx, 1861

The first Portuguese immigrants arrive in Hawai'i, 1878

The world's first commercial hydroelectric power plant begins operation on the Fox River in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, 1882

Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner, 1901

The first manned rocket plane flight, made by auto maker Fritz von Opel, 1929

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Yemen join the United Nations, 1947

The World Series, featuring the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, is televised for the first time, 1947

The U.S. Navy submarine USS Nautilus is commissioned as the world's first nuclear reactor powered vessel, 1954

James Dean is killed in a road accident, 1955

Mexican-American labor leader César Chávez founds the United Farm Workers, 1962

James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying segregation, 1962

General Suharto rises to power in Indonesia after an alleged coup by communists, and massacres over a million Indonesian people suspected of belonging to the Communist Party, 1965

BBC Radio 1 is launched and Tony Blackburn presents its first show, 1967

Ethernet specifications are published by Xerox working with Intel and Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980 

The Dalai Lama unveils the Canadian Tribute to Human Rights in Canada's capital city of Ottawa, 1990

The first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat are taken 600 miles south of Tokyo, 2004

The controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, 2005

A case of Ebola virus is diagnosed in Dallas, Texas, US, 2014

How Far? (Cajun Joke) and Garden Work (Sunday Selections)

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Just because Sandee of Comedy Plus is no longer hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, do not expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes, especially as it has now become a habit.

Yesterday i had borrowed #2 Son's car to go to work, and noticed that his odometer is no longer functioning.  How, i was wondering, will he know when it's time for an oil change?  My guess is we get to go by the number of months that have passed.

Boudreaux be settin' in hims car an' shakin' hims head, an' Thibodeaux come by.

Thibodeaux ax, "Boudreaux, what be de matter?"

An' Boudreaux say, "My car be so old dat it don' tell me how many miles dere be on it no mo'!"

So Thibodeaux say, "Well, dat not be so bad, you know de car be ver' old."

An' Boudreaux say, "But how'm I gonna know when I done gots to 239,000 miles?"

Den Thibodeaux ax, "Wait, what be so 'portant 'bout knowin' when dere be 239,000 mile on de car?"

An' Boudreaux say, "Mais, how'm I gonna know when I done got to de moon?"

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files.  The rules have been relaxed, and it is now simply a showcase for your photos, new or old, good or bad, although nothing rude, please.  It is now hosted by Elephant's Child.    

Yesterday was a Mr. BA's garden day.  We were weeding, pulling grass out of the flower beds, trimming some of the growth by the walks, and taking down a tree that had pretty well died.

Attacking that overgrown walkway.

Abigail, snoopervisor in chief.

Lots of pruning.

Pruned down to size.

Bringing in the chain saw!

The stump, which required a chain attached to the truck to pull out.

The hole after stump removal.

Watch where you put your hand when weeding.

A much clearer walkway.

Hard work in one pile.

Space for something new.

Snoopervising is hard work.  A snooze is called for even before the sheets come out of the dryer.

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Today is:

Battle of Boqueron Day -- Paraguay

Constitution Day -- Brunei

Festival of Tezcatzonctl -- Ancient Aztec Calendar (chief god of intoxication; date approximate)

Fryeburg Fair -- Fryeburg, ME, US (a week-long celebration with aggricultural exposition, draft horse competition, a midway, nightly shows, Woodsmen's Day, Firemen's Muster, a juried crafts show, and more; through next Sunday)

Gold Star Mother's Day 2019 -- US (the day to honor mothers who have lost a child who was serving in the US Armed Forces)

Gwynn ap Nudd's Fest -- Celtic Calendar (god of the underworld; date approximate)

International Coffee Day -- and i thought this was every day!  

Inventors Day -- Argentina

Make a List of the Top Ten Happiest Days in Your Life Day -- must have been started by an optimist

Mutation Day -- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

National Attend Your Grandchild's Birth Day -- attendingthebirth.com; a day to remind grandparents to be active in their grandchildren's lives (and if you need a reminder, i wonder about you; if you aren't allowed by bitter parents, i feel badly for you)

National Mocha Day

Northeast Kingdom Fall Foliage Festival -- Walden, Cabot, Plainfield, Peacham, Barnet, Groton, and Marshfield, VT, US (all 7 towns take turns welcoming visitors during the famous fall foliage season, with local food, music, culture, and more; through Sunday)

Quick Draw Day -- debut of Quick Draw McGraw and his side kick, Baba Looey, in 1959

Rosh Hashanah -- Judaism (begins this evening; through the evening of October 1)

Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and All Angels' Day  (Michaelmas)

    Archangel Gabriel, Patron of broadcasters, clergy, communication workers, diplomats, messengers, philatelists/stamp collectors, post offices and postal workers, radio and radio workers, secular clergy, telecommunication workers, telgraphers, telephones, television and television workers; Argentinian ambassadors; Seattle, Washington

    Archangel Michael, Patron of artists, bakers, bankers and banking, barrel makers/coopers, battle, boatmen/mariners/sailors/watermen, dying people, emergency medical technicians/paramedics/ambulance drivers, fencers and fencing, grocers and greengrocers, haberdashers and hatmakers, knights, milleners, paratroopers, police officers, radiologists and radiotherapists, security guards, sick people, soldiers, swordsmiths; for a holy death and safety at sea; England, Germany, and over 25 cities around the world; against danger at sea and temptation.     

    Archangel Raphael, Patron of apothecaries/druggists/pharmacists, blind people, doctors/physicians, guardian angels, happy meetings, love and lovers, mentally ill people, nurses, shepherdesses/shepherds, sick people, travellers, young people; Dubuque, Iowa; MacKenzie-Fort Smith, Northwest Territories; Seattle, Washington; against bodily ills, eye diseases/eye problems, insanity/mental illness, nightmares, sickness

    related observances:

    National Day of Remembrance for Policemen Killed -- Australia (St. Michael, Patron of police officers)

    Payment of Quit Rent by London Royal Courts of Justice -- Michaelmas is a traditional English "Quarter Day", when rents come due

VFW Day -- US (The Veterans of Foreign Wars was established on this day in 1899)

World Heart Day -- International (to raise awareness of the signs and dangers of cardiovascular disease)     

World Rivers Day -- International   

Birthdays Today:

Emily Lloyd, 1970

John Paxton, 1960

Bryant Gumbel, 1948

Patricia Hodge, 1946

Lech Walesa, 1943

Dave Wilcox, 1942

Ian McShane, 1942

Madeline Kahn, 1942

Jerry Lee Lewis, 1935

Anita Ekberg, 1931

Lizabeth Scott, 1922

Trevor Howard, 1916

Stanley Kramer, 1913

Michelangelo Antonioni, 1912

Greer Garson, 1908

Gene Autry, 1907

Enrico Fermi, 1901

Horatio Nelson, 1758

Miguel de Cervantes, 1547

Pompey the Great, BC106

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Grace Under Fire"(TV), 1993

"Thirtysomething"(TV), 1987

"Designing Women"(TV), 1986

"MacGyver"(TV), 1985

"Houdini, A Circus Opera"(Opera), 1977

"The Judy Garland Show"(TV), 1963

"My Favorite Martian"(TV), 1963

"The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Show"(TV), 1962

"My Three Sons"(TV), 1960

"Outlaws"(TV), 1960

"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis"(TV), 1959

"Sergeant Preston of the Yukon"(TV), 1955

"A View from the Bridge"(Play), 1955

The Barefoot Contessa(Film), 1954

A Star is Born(Film), 1954

"Make Room for Daddy"(TV), 1953

Today in History:

Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumata, securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire, BC522

Battle of Salamis, at which the Greek fleet under Themistocles defeats the Persian fleet under Xerxes I, BC480

Pompey the Great Celebrates ending the Mithridatic Wars on his 45th birthday, BC61

Saladin's army marches into Jerusalem, 1187

The First Congress of the US adjourns, 1789

"Scotland Yard", London's Metropolitan Police Force, goes on duty, 1829

The first practical public electric tramway ever opens in Blackpool, England, 1885

John D. Rockefeller becomes the first billionaire, 1916

The convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) is signed, 1954

Alouette 1, the first Canadian satellite, is launched, 1962

WGPR in Detroit, Michigan, becomes the world's first black-owned-and-operated television station, 1975

Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to set foot on Irish soil with his pastoral visit to the Republic of Ireland, 1979

The asteroid 4179 Toutatis passes within four lunar distances of Earth, 2004

The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 777.68 points, the largest single-day point loss in its history, 2008

An 8.0 magnitude earthquake near the Samoan Islands causes a tsunami, 2009

The Koreas agree, for the first time in two years, to hold working-level military talks, 2010

Researchers discover a biofluorescent hawksbill sea turtle in waters off of the Solomon Islands; though biofluorescence has been observed in captive reptiles, this is the first occurrence seen in a wild reptile, 2015

So Far, So Good (Ten Things of Thankful, Health Edition)

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About three weeks ago, i went for the first part of my annual check-up.  (Yes, i am one of those strange creatures who actually go get a physical every year, so the doctor can make sure to catch anything serious before it gets out of hand.  If you are not, i encourage you to become one of us.  Your family will thank you.)

The first part is where the techs test and measure and weigh and take enough blood that you wonder how much you have left now.

The second part, which was this week, is when the doctor talks about all of the test results with you and actually looks you over.

Good health is precious, so this week i am thankful for health.  According to the doctor, i am :

still in possession of a working brain (i remember the words he gives me at the beginning of the visit several minutes later after conversation, i can spell simple words backwards, i know what the date is, and i can accurately draw a clock with the hands pointed at 3:00)

at a mere 2% risk of having a heart attack in the next ten years

at a good weight

not at risk for diabetes

keeping my thyroid well regulated

taking my supplements correctly

still within good range on lung function despite the scars from the pneumonia

continuing to have a normal abnormal ECG (my ECG always looks weird to doctors, but since it's the same year after year, it's normal for me)

circulating my blood well into my extremities

able to hear normally, with only a tiny bit of hearing loss at the very upper registers (normal once you get to my age), and see normally (with tiny cataracts that aren't anywhere near ready to come out)

not suffering from anxiety, depression, etc.

looking and behaving and working like i am in generally good health, which i am.

These are all things for which i am thankful and that i am not taking for granted.  (And next up, i need to schedule the twins for their glamor shots, a/k/a have my mammogram.  That will be soon.)

Please write up your own list and link up to Ten Things of Thankful, where Kristi and her co-hosts always have a warm welcome waiting.  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Today is:

Aloha Festivals Floral Parade -- Oahu, Hawai'i (part of the larger Aloha Festival celebrations this month and next on all the islands, celebrating native Hawai'ian culture)

Cabrillo Festival -- San Diego, CA, US (reenactment of Cabrillo's landing, a Spanish soldier and sailor encampment, Native Kumeyaay demonstrations, dances, crafts, and food)

Czech Statehood Day -- Czech Republic

Drink Beer Day

Eldon Turkey Festival -- Eldon, MO, US (the top producer of turkeys has the top turkey festival in the world)

Everybody's Day Festival -- Thomasville, NC, US (and they do mean there's fun for everybody)

Family Health and Fitness Day USA  

Feast of Hapi and Creation of the Nile -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fish Amnesty Day (same as National Hunting and Fishing Day in the US, because it hurts fish to be caught!)

Fish Tank Floor Show Night -- the Wellcat Holidays people say that your fish keep you entertained all year long, so turn about is fair play, entertain your fish tonight!

Frances Willard Day -- Minnesota

Fukuro Matsuri -- Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan (a fun-for-tourists way to learn about Japanese culture, through tomorrow, and the next two weekends)

Geneva Area Grape Jamboree -- Geneva, OH, US (grapes, wine tasting, entertainment, rides, and food; through tomorrow)

Gettysburg Fall Antique Show -- Gettysburg, PA, US

International Rabbit Day -- learn to care for these wonderful pets and promote responsible rabbit ownership   

International Right to Know Day -- FOI Advocates Network, promoting the right of access to information for all people and the benefits of open, transparent, and accountable governments 

Kiwanis Kids' Day -- local clubs sponsor events for kids on the fourth Saturday of September

Menkhet Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Michaelmas Eve -- Celtic celebration, bake your bannock bread tonight for eating on St. Michael and All Angel's Day tomorrow; tonight, build a bonfire and dine on roast lamb, and make sure the menfolk protect the horses, for anyone is allowed to "borrow" one for the celebration tomorrow

National Day of Awareness and Unity against Child Pornography -- Philippines

National Good Neighbor Day -- US (begun when Mrs. Becky Mattson from Lakeside, Montana, began campaigning for this National Day in the 1970's; go greet the neighbors, and be a good neighbor yourself!)

National Hunting and Fishing Day -- US   

National Public Lands Day -- US (Helping Hands for America's Lands -- a day to volunteer on America's Public Lands)   

National Strawberry Cream Pie Day

Read a Child a Book You Like Day -- someone started this to get us to remember the books we loved as kids, and share them with children now

Runic Half Month Gyfu begins (gift)

St. Wenceslaus' Day (Patron of brewers; Bohemia; Czech Republic; Moravia; Prague, Czech Republic)

Tales of Kelp-Koli's Second Visit -- Fairy Calendar (through the 30th)

Taste of Morgan Hill -- Morgan Hill, CA, US (fine arts, entertainment, and plenty for the kids to do, too; through tomorrow)

Teacher's Day -- Taiwan (on the traditional Western date of Confucius' birthday, of course)

Tri-State Band Festival -- Luverne, MI, US (high school bands from Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa compete in four categories)

Vegetarian Festival -- Phuket, Thailand (lots of purification rituals and a rigid vegetarian/vegan diet are observed for spiritual cleansing and ensuring good luck; through Oct. 7th)

World Rabies Day   

Birthdays Today:

Frankie Jonas, 2000

Hilary Duff, 1987

Gwyneth Paltrow, 1973

Naomi Watts, 1968

Mira Sorvino, 1967

Janeane Garofalo, 1964

Suzanne Whang, 1962

Steve Largent, 1954

Jeffrey Jones, 1947

Ben E. King, 1938

Koko Taylor, 1935

Brigitte Bardot, 1934

Arnold Stang, 1925

Marcello Mastroianni, 1924

William Windom, 1923

Al Capp, 1909

Max Schmeling, 1905

Ed Sullivan, 1901

Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1856

Frances Willard, 1839

Confucius, BC551

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Ed Wood(Film), 1994

"Cosmos: A Personal Voyage"(Documentary series), 1980

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"(Single release, Gladys Knight), 1967

"Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales"(TV), 1963

"Dr. Kildare"(TV), 1961

"Hazel"(TV), 1961

"Purlie Victorious"(Play), 1961

Radio Times(Magazine, first issue), 1923

Today in History:

Pompey the Great, member of the Triumvirate, is assassinated by order of King Ptolemy of Egypt upon landing in that country, BC48

King/Saint Wenceslas murdered by his brother, 935

William the Conqueror invades England, 1066

Sinking of the Spanish fleet during a hurricane off the coast of Florida, 1528

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo becomes the first European to reach San Diego Bay, 1542

Publication of "Pilgrim's Progress", 1678

Divorce is legalized in Maryland, 1701

American and French forces begin the siege of Yorktown, 1781

Napoleon Bonaparte, age 16, graduates from the Military Academy of Paris -- 42nd in a class of 51, 1785

Donati's comet becomes the first to be photographed, 1858

Toronto becomes the capital of Ontario, 1867

Sir Alexander Fleming notices a bacteria-killing mould growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin, 1928

Indonesia joins the United Nations, 1950

Mali and Senegal join the United Nations, 1960

SpaceX launches the first ever private spacecraft, the Falcon 1 into orbit, 2008

Research teams from Exeter and Cambridge Universities announce in the journal Nature Genetics their discovery of the DNA controllers that determine at what age women go into menopause, 2015