Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Sometimes Old Photos Have Something to Catch the Eye (Wordless Wednesday) and 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 to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    

This month, the prompts are being provided by Mark Koopmans, and are being posted by Elephant’s Child.           

This week's prompts are:

  1. Nuclear
  2. Foxtrot
  3. Klan
  4. Rollover
  5. Utilities
  6. Xeroxed

And/Or 

  1. Audacious
  2. Zinc
  3. Plastered
  4. Identification
  5. Wheeling
  6. Fixated

"What ever happened," Tanya asked as she PLASTERED the ZINC oxide sunscreen on her nose, "to our fear of a NUCLEAR winter?"

"Interesting question," her new friend, Laney, mused.  "I think we've gotten to where we are more afraid of climate change instead.  New generation, new fear."

They were WHEELING the barrow out to the shared allotment they'd been assigned, agreeing to share because neither needed a whole one to herself, and there weren't enough for everyone have their own anyway.  What had begun as a simple working together was becoming a friendship, in spite of or maybe because of their many differences.  They talked a lot as they worked, and often disagreed but never got disagreeable about it.

"Hmm, that's an idea.   Every generation has had its fears.  My grandparents were immigrants who feared the KLAN, and on the other side of the family I had a spinster great-great-aunt who feared that the younger generation were going to perdition because of the FOXTROT and other modern dances they were doing!"

"Some of the people in this area were afraid when the UTILITIES were putting up wires for electricity, my dad told me.  They were afraid they'd get electrocuted."

"Now I wonder if that would be a good research project, looking to see if you can make an IDENTIFICATION of different generations and where they lived based on what they feared."

"That would be a fascinating topic, although I'm not sure how someone could go about looking into it."

"Well, what do you think about climate change?"

"I am AUDACIOUS enough to say that climates have always changed, that we should not get FIXATED on one problem, and that it is more important we realize we need to change our ways because we are fouling our nest and destroying our home in general.  Make the changes to policy to protect our planet, but for reasons we can all get behind."

"And what about fears of this new virus?"

A form letter had been XEROXED, as Laney had jokingly called it, by the managers of the allotments and one sent to everyone associated with the place.  It called for social distancing, don't shake hands, stay away if you are sick, and even had specific instructions with pictures on hand washing.

"Someone like us, young and healthy, is more likely to die from a ROLLOVER car crash  than this virus, but I am taking all the precautions they mentioned.  It's smart at any time to have enough supplies in your home that you can stay in for a few weeks and not need to go to the store.  You could end up being shut in and it could be from a natural disaster, or even getting any illness you don't want to spread around to others."

"I'm glad you see it that way.  That's what I've been doing and thinking also.  And I stocked up on chocolate, so how about when we finish with these weeds, we go back to my apartment and have some?"

"That sounds like a great idea!"


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Today is:

Bunching of Fairies for the Second Flight -- Fairy Calendar

Charter Day -- Pennsylvania, US

Debunking Day -- internet holiday possibly started by someone tired of internet myths

Feast Day of Hercules/Herakles -- Ancient Roman and Greek Calendars

Festival of Houses and Gardens -- Charleston, SC, US (a rare opportunity to explore the private homes and gardens of historic Charleston; through Apr. 18)

Frankenstein's Birthday -- Mary Shelley's famous tale was published today in 1818

Global Marathon For, By, and About Women in Engineering and Technology -- a free series of online conversations each Wednesday for six weeks to connect girls and women and support them in the fields of engineering and technology   

Johnny Appleseed Day / Apple Appreciation Day -- death anniversary of John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman; some say March 18

King Moshoeshoe I's Anniversary -- Lesotho

National Decoration Day -- Liberia

National No Smoking Day -- UK (for help quitting, go here

National Oatmeal-Nut Waffles Day

Reestablishment of Independence -- Lithuania (independence from the USSR)

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day -- US   

St. Eulogius of Cordova's Day (Patron of carpenters, coppersmiths)

World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film -- International

Worship of Tools Day -- begun by someone who knew we would be nowhere without tools



Anniversaries Today:

Romeo & Juliet's wedding day, according to Shakespeare, 1302
Emperor Napoleon married by proxy to Archduchess Marie Louise, 1810


Birthdays Today:

Terrance Howard, 1969
Alex Kingston, 1963
Curtis Brown, Jr., 1956
Douglas Adams, 1952
Bobby McFerrin, 1950
Jerry Zucker, 1950
Dominique Sanda, 1948
Charles W. Swan, 1942
Antonin Scalia, 1936
Sam Donaldson, 1934
Rupert Murdoch, 1931
Ralph Abernathy, 1926
Mercer Ellington, 1919
Ezra Jack Keats, 1916
Harold Wilson, 1916
Lawrence Welk, 1903
Robert Treat Paine, 1731
Torquato Tasso, 1544


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Cops"(TV), 1989
"A Raisin in the Sun"(Play), 1959
"Don Carlos"(Opera), 1867
"Rigoletto"(Opera), 1851
"I Capuleti e i Montecchi"(Opera), 1830
"The Daily Courant"(Newspaper; first British daily paper), 1702


Today in History:

Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty),BC1425
Volcano Etna in Italy erupts killing 15,000, 1669
The first English daily newspaper "Daily Courant," begins publishing, 1702
Queen Anne withholds Royal Assent from the Scottish Militia Bill, the last time a British monarch vetoes legislation, 1708
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is published, 1818
Unhappy with translational differences regarding the Treaty of Waitangi, chiefs Hone Heke, Kawiti and Maori tribe members chop down the British flagpole for a fourth time and drive settlers out of Kororareka, New Zealand, 1845
Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine and Robert Baldwin become the first Prime Ministers of the Province of Canada to be democratically elected under a system of responsible government, 1848
The Great Sheffield Flood: The largest man-made disaster ever to befall England kills over 250 people in Sheffield, 1864
The Meiji Japanese government officially annexes the Ryukyu Kingdom into what would become the Okinawa prefecture,1872
The Great Blizzard of 1888 begins, lasting 4 days, 1888
The first confirmed cases of the Spanish Flu are observed at Fort Riley, Kansas, 1918
The Bank of Canada opens, 1935
Reginald Weit became the first African American to play in the US Tennis Open, 1948
Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun," the first Broadway play by a black woman, opens, 1959
Mt. Etna in Sicily erupts, 1974
Pakistan successfully conducts a cold test of a nuclear weapon, 1983
Mikhail S Gorbachev replaces Konstantin Chernenko as Soviet leader, 1985
Infosys becomes the first Indian company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, 1999
Michelle Bachelet is inaugurated as first female president of Chile, 2006
An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people and triggering the second largest nuclear accident in history, 2011
England retains the Six Nations Rugby Championship with a 61-21 win over Scotland at Twickenham; this is England's 11th consecutive Six Nations win and equals NZ's record of 18 consecutive international wins, 2017
China's National People's Congress approves removal of term limits for a leader, which will allow Xi Jinping to retain the presidency for life, 2018

19 comments:

  1. Loud applause. Both for your story and for your characters. The world needs people like them. Lots of people like them.

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  2. And a big sigh at Xi Jinping's success in continuing his reign. Mr Putin is playing similar games.

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  3. I am having spinach today - thanx Popeye!

    God bless.

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  4. Interesting photo. Popeye looks like a lucky charm there.

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  5. I liked that pic but where is Olive? LOL

    Have an olivelesstastic week :-)

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  6. I enjoyed the short story! I went shopping yesterday and bought a few extra things for the freezer. As in your story, I also stocked up on chocolate! Well it was on offer so I couldn't walk past.

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  7. All praise to the medical staffs and all those involved in treating the patients in China. Our country is not spared even the number is small. People are exercising caution especially when in crowded places and shopping malls see a decline in visitors. Pray the virus spread will be contained and stopped. Enjoy your post.

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  8. Popeye. Way cool. It made me smile.

    Love your take on the prompts. Pass the chocolate please.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. Big hug. ♥

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  9. I love having access to writing prompts when I find myself stuck on what to write. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, right now, I have more to write than I've been able to complete.

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  10. wavez two ewe spinach lovin dood !!! ☺☺☺♥♥♥

    N we saw de werd blizzard N stopped reedin ...sorree ....

    ☺☺☺♥♥♥

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  11. Very cool photo ~ always liked Popeye ~ ^_^

    Happy Moments to You,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  12. Love the Popeye!!! Good story too, you sure can string those words together!

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  13. Very fun Popeye! Have a great and grand day!

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  14. Oh my I haven't thought about Popeye in a long time with Olive Oil & Pluto hahaha I use to watch them faithfully when I was a kid. Cool story.

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  15. OK, Festival of Houses and Gardens is going on my list!

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  16. Hi to the cute Popeye. Love the story, your characters are delightful. And thanks for the reminder about chocolate. I always have two weeks of emergency supplies on hand but no chocolate!

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  17. Great story. Good point how every generation focuses on something to fear. Cute Popeye.

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  18. Great use of the words, messymimi..well done.

    I have a friend called "Laney"...I've known him since I was a very young teenager. He was captain of the Noosa Heads Surf Life Saving Club my brother was a member of...and he was also best man at my first wedding...to a Noosa Heads' lifesaver! :)

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  19. Your story is a good one. I used to stock up on things, especially chocolate, but I don't have the space for stocking up anymore and I'm off the chocolate for now.

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