We have talent at Trader Joe's (Wordless Wednesday) and Vacation (Words for Wednesday)

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     

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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 Margaret Adamson and her friend Sue Fulcher, with some pictures by her friend Danny McCaughan, and are posted by Elephant's Child.                    

Here are this week's prompts.

1. Choleric

2. Investment

3. Curlers

4. Agenda

5. Lolloping

6. Anosmia

And/or

7. Pawnbrokers

8. Ackee

9.  Hen

10. Articulate

11. Speeding

12. Ruler

"One big point of touring new places," he said to her as she wrinkled her nose, "is to try new foods you'd never get to try at home."

He was tucking into his plate of ACKEE and saltfish, the national dish of Jamaica, with gusto.

"You said the same thing about trying durian fruit when we were in Malaysia," she retorted, "and never before or since have I wished I had ANOSMIA!"

"Durian tastes much better than it smells, but this smells delightful and I do wish you would try it."

"Fish isn't my thing, this stewed HEN chicken is much more my speed."

"Suit yourself, more for me," he said, shrugging.

They sat and people-watched while eating, noted the many forms of transport people used for SPEEDING down the roads, smiled at the youngsters LOLLOPING alongside parents, and tried not to laugh at the CHOLERIC man yelling at another, so angry he could hardly ARTICULATE his wrath and ire in a coherent sentence.

It was winter, so they'd decided to be snow-birds and take a tropical vacation, looking upon it as an INVESTMENT in their health and sanity.  The cold had been getting to her more than usual this year, and as he said, "My AGENDA is to keep you around as long as possible, if not longer!"

The TV on the wall inside the small restaurant was tuned to the Winter Olympics, the CURLERS on the ice with their brooms and stones looking as out of place in this sunny and warm climate as a PAWNBROKERS' shop would look on Rodeo Drive.

This was their second meal in this little out of the way restaurant.  The place had impressed them the first time, especially the owner.  She stalked around behind the counter with a RULER in her hand, smacking it against the side of an old dinner bell whenever an order was ready.  It was clear she ran a tight ship, and her obvious grin of delight when they came back made them feel welcome.

They knew that before they went home, they'd come back at least one more time. 

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Today is:

Basketball Day -- birth anniversary of James Naismith

Birth of Tiamat -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (mother of gods, goddess of primeval chaos; date approximate)

Constitution Day -- Dominican Republic; Tajikistan; Tatarstan, Russian Federation

Electric Razor Day -- Jacob Schick patented the first electric razor on this day in 1937

Finnish Swedish Heritage Day -- Finland

Fish Returning Days begin -- Fairy Calendar (the fairies borrow centuries old fish in sealed crystal boxes from each other, and why they prefer each others or what they do with them, they will not tell)

Green March Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Gustavus Adolphus Day -- Sweden

Halfway Point of Autumn

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict -- UN

International End Gossip Day -- the founder of this didn't want to be gossiped about, and left no trace

Marching Band Day -- birth anniversary of John Philip Sousa

Mariachi Night -- Brawley, CA, US (sponsored by the Imperial Valley Joint Chambers of Commerce, a free night of celebrating the heritage of Mariachi music)

Marooned Without A Compass Day -- internet generated; how's your sense of direction?

National Nachos Day / I Love Nachos Day

Saxophone Day -- Adolphe Sax birth anniversary

St. Illtyd's Day (Abbot, reputed cousin of King Arthur)

St. Leonard's Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, blacksmiths, captives, childbirth, coal miners, coppersmiths, greengrocers, horses, imprisoned people, locksmiths, miners, porters, P.O.W.'s, prisoners; Castelmauro, Italy; Conegliano, Italy; Kirkop, Malta; against burglaries, robberies/robbers)

Birthdays Today:

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Pat Tillman, 1976

Rebecca Romijn, 1972

Thandie Newton, 1972

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Kelly Rutherford, 1968

Lance Kerwin, 1960

Maria Shriver, 1955

Nigel Havers, 1949

Glenn Frey, 1948

Sally Field, 1946

Mike Nichols, 1931

Walter Perry Johnson, 1887

James Naismith, 1861

Ignace Paderewski, 1860

John Philip Sousa, 1854

Cesare Lombroso, 1835

Adolphe Sax, 1814

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Morning America"(TV), 1975

"The Phil Donahue Show"(TV), 1967

"Meet The Press"(TV), 1947

Today in History:

Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in Texas, 1528

Spain grants independence to the Dominican Republic, 1844

Scenes of Clerical Life, the first work of fiction by the author later known as George Eliot, is submitted for publication, 1856

Canada celebrates its first official, national Thanksgiving Day, 1879

Mohandas Gandhi is arrested while leading a march of Indian miners in South Africa, 1913

Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor, 1928

Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation" to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers (hello, FM radio!), 1935

Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for MONOPOLY from Elizabeth Magie, 1935

Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, 1944

The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation, 1962

Cuba and the United States formally agree to begin an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the United States, 1965

Green March begins: 300,000 unarmed Moroccans converge on the southern city of Tarfaya and wait for a signal from King Hassan II of Morocco to cross into Western Sahara, 1975

Australians vote to keep the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state in the Australian republic referendum, 1999

Sweibodzin, Poland announced the world's largest statue of Jesus, called Christ the King, has been completed, 2010

Tammy Duckworth becomes the first disabled woman and first person born in Thailand to be elected to US Congress, 2012

Officials crack down on foreigners working illegally in Saudi Arabia and over 16,000 are arrested, 2013