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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Cat Shelter Humor (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 Hilary Melton-Butcher and are posted by Elephant's Child.            


This week's prompts are:


watchful

laggard

pudding

mulberry

bark


and/or


promenade

vineyard

allotment

wisdom

tenth


and as a bonus


life

borrow

wily

ochre

brook


Tanya arrived at the ALLOTMENT she'd shared with Laney for over a year now and surveyed the work with a critical eye.


Under their WATCHFUL care, it had done very well.  They now had a small MULBERRY planted, and it was showing signs of giving them fruit.  Tanya had fond memories of a summer PUDDING her grandmother used to make that contained lots of berries, including mulberries, and she wanted to try to make it herself.  Her mother still had grandmother's recipe book, and she knew she could BORROW it any time she wanted and copy out what she needed.


She put her hand on the BARK of the small tree and eyed the nearby PROMENADE, knowing Laney couldn't be that far behind her.  Sure enough, a moment later those OCHRE pants flashed into view.  Laney loved wearing those pants to work on their garden plot, she claimed it looked the color of the dirt.


"Sorry I've been a LAGGARD this morning," Laney said as soon as she was within distance to be heard.  "That WISDOM tooth extraction a couple of days ago started hurting worse last night, so I went in to see the oral surgeon, to make sure nothing was wrong."


"It's okay, isn't it?" Tanya asked, knowing Laney wouldn't be there if there was a problem, but still concerned.


"Yes, it could have turned into a dry socket, but I got there in time and I'll be on meds to take care of it.  Tell you what, though, I've never felt that much mouth pain in my LIFE!"


"Do you want to head home and I'll take care of the work today?"  Tanya knew the answer, but had to ask anyway.  She and Laney had grown to be close friends, and she always felt protective of her friends.


"No, I'll be okay, as I said, it's much better now."


They each started weeding at the end of a row, close enough to each other to converse if they wanted.  Sometimes they did, and sometimes they just worked in companionable silence.


Today, it was Laney who wanted to talk.  "Look at that WILY goose by the BROOK."  She pointed toward a large, white goose that they'd been watching for a couple of days.  He was young and courting an equally young female, but a rival suitor had shown up.  "He's going to give that other one what for!"


Sure enough, the boys started a fight, and the girl just watched.  The birds and other wildlife in the area were a constant source of entertainment.  


"I wonder if she's thinking what I'm thinking," Tanya said.


"What's that?" Laney asked.


"That those two are a couple of nitwits!"


Both of them laughed, and Laney responded, "No, she's wanting to mate with the winner.  The stronger male has the stronger genes and will produce better babies."


"I'm sure you are right, but my first thought is still that they are nitwits."


"In a way we all turn into nitwits where love is concerned.  By the way, are we still going to go tour that VINEYARD on the TENTH?"


"We have a reservation confirmed, so unless something happens, yes."


"I'm looking forward to it.  My mouth should be all healed up by then.  Meanwhile, it's time for a break and I need something soft to eat.  How about a custard?"


"Sounds great!  Let's go."



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Today is:


Bunsen Burner Day -- on the birth anniversary of its inventor, Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen, in 1811


Buy Some New Socks Day -- because all the websites that list it agree you are worth it


Cesar Chavez Day -- Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah,& Wyoming, US


Culture and Traditions Day -- Micronesia


Day Everyone Says "31" a Lot -- Fairy Calendar


Eiffel Tower Day -- inaugurated this day in 1889


Festival for Luna -- Ancient Roman Calendar (moon festival)


Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa -- Buddhism (birthday of Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy)


Hot Guitar Day -- the day Jimi Hendrix first set fire to his guitar in 1967


Jum il-Helsien (Freedom Day) -- Malta


King Nangklao Memorial Day -- Thailand


National Clams on the Half Shell Day


Little Red Wagon Day


Oranges and Lemons Day -- St. Clement Danes Church, London, Enlgand (traditional children's service based on the rhyme that begins "Oranges and lemons/say the bells of St. Clement's)


"She's Funny That Way" Day -- pay tribute to the women in your life, and how they keep you laughing; sponsored by Brenda Meredith of Dahomey Publishing, Inc.


St. Balbina's Day (Patron of those with scrofulous diseases or stroma)


Thomas Mundy Peterson Day -- New Jersey, US (the first African-American to legally cast a vote in the US, this date in 1870)


Transfer Day -- US Virgin Islands


Vigil to Mourn China's Annexation of Tibet -- anniversary of the day in 1959 when the Dalai Lama fled to India


Whole Grain Sampling Day -- sponsored by the Whole Grains Council   



Birthdays Today:


Pavel Bure, 1971

Ewan McGregor, 1971

Marc McClure, 1957

Angus Young, 1955

Edward Francis "Ed" Marinaro, 1950

Al Gore, 1948

Rhea Perlman, 1948

Gabe Kaplan, 1945

Christopher Walken, 1943

James Earl "Jimmy" Johnson, 1938

Herb Alpert, 1935

Richard Chamberlain, 1935

Shirley Jones, 1934

John Jakes, 1932

Gordie Howe, 1928

Cesar Chavez, 1927

William Daniels, 1927

Leo Buscaglia, 1925

Henry Morgan, 1915

John "Jack" Johnson, 1878

Andrew Lang, 1844

Mary Boykin Miller Chesnut, 1823

Edward Fitzgerald, 1809

Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol, 1809

Joseph Haydn, 1732

Andrew Marvell, 1621

Rene Descartes, 1596



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"'night, Mother"(Play), 1983

"The Shadow Box"(Play), 1977

"The Best Man"(Play), 1960

"The Glass Menagerie"(Play), 1945

"Oklahoma!"(Musical), 1943

"Le Chasseur Maudit/The Accursed Huntsman"(Symphonic poem), 1883



Today in History:


Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade; Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade, 1146

King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella sign decree ordering Jews to convert or be expelled from Spain, 1492

Jews are expelled from Prague, 1745

Commodore Matthew Perry signs the Treaty of Kanagawa with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade, 1854

Thomas P Mundy of Perth Amboy, NJ, becomes the first African American to cast a vote, 1870

The Eiffel Tower, commemorating the French Revolution, opens, 1889

Richard Pearse allegedly makes a powered flight in an early aircraft, 1903

Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1909

Construction begins on the RMS Titanic, 1909

Construction of the RMS Titanic is completed, 1912

The United States takes possession of the Danish West Indies after paying $25 million to Denmark, and renames the territory the United States Virgin Islands, 1917

Daylight saving time goes into effect in the United States for the first time, 1918

The Royal Australian Air Force is formed, 1921

The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada, 1949

Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau, 1951

In the Canadian federal election, 1958, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265, 1958

The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum, 1959

The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon, 1966

Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit, 1970

The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California, 1992

Netscape releases the code base of its browser under an open-source license agreement; the project is given the code name Mozilla and is eventually spun off into the non-profit Mozilla Foundation, 1998

Amid unrest in the Mideast, activists claim China has launched the largest crackdown on dissenters in recent years, 2011

The International Court of Justice at the U.N. agrees that Japanese whaling is conducted for commercial purposes, not scientific research; Japan accepts the order to cease all whaling activities in the Antarctic, 2014

Robert Weighton of Great Britain becomes the world's oldest man at 112 years, 2020

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Coffee, Driving, and Memory, a Random and Happy Tuesday Post

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It's time once again for a random and happy Tuesday, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked and Sandee at Comedy Plus 


Carl has decided that, for some reason, he needs two cups of coffee.





They aren't both from the same cup, drink a cup, refill, repeat.  He quite literally has two cups of coffee.


Yesterday, Sweetie called me to tell me he'd locked his keys in the car again.  This man with a Master's Degree, who can play every note of every Beatle's song ever written and had the entire Verdi Requiem memorized when his college chorus recorded it with the Roger Wagner Chorale cannot remember the code to push to get into his car through the keyless entry.  He has to call me every single time.


At Ms. JAI's house, she could not find the remote control for her adjustable bed.  We looked everywhere, and finally found it behind her landline telephone.  "I sat up in bed to answer the phone!" she said.  Then she almost carried it out of the room with her as she was in a hurry, i had to relieve her of it and put it back on the night stand.


The call was a reminder that she had a doctor's appointment that day.  As she headed out of the house, she was saying she hadn't eaten yet, and was carrying her coffee cup.  The cup was in danger of sloshing over as she went out the door, so i offered to carry it.  "Take it in the house," she yelled back as i tried to follow her to the car, "I can't drink and drive!"


Okay, how about some of the great stuff Grandma sends me:















Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!






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Today is:


Check for Change in Every Coin Return You Pass Day -- because someone has a sense of humor and put it on the internet


Culture and Traditions Day -- Micronesia


Doctors Day -- US (begun by Eudora Almond in 1933 because she thought her husband, Dr. Charles B. Almond deserved recognition for his hard work; www.doctorsday.org for ideas on how to thank your doctor)


Fairies of the First Wand Reunion Dinner -- Fairy Calendar


Feast of Janus and Concordia -- Ancient Roman Calendar


Festival of Bast -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (cat goddess; date approximate)


Festival of Reality Fabrication  -- internet holiday to celebrate your imagination


Festival of Salus -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of health)


Grass Is Always Browner On The Other Side Of The Fence Day -- remember how good you have it; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


I am in Control Day -- remember Alexander Haig's words on this date in 1981? well today, if you find the phones won't stop ringing, the kids got into the glue again, the coffee maker is on the fritz, and somebody dyed the poodle purple, stand up and declare that you are in control!


Land Day Commemoration -- West Bank/Palestinian remembrance


Limited Liability Day -- because no one can be responsible for everything


Pencil Day -- the pencil with an eraser top was patented this day in 1858 by Hyman Lipman


Runic Half-Month Ewhas (Horse) begins


Spiritual Baptist/Shouter Liberation Day -- Trinidad and Tobago


St. Leonard Murialdo's Day (Patron of apprentices)


Take a Walk in the Park Day -- begun by someone who wanted to get out of the office


Turkey Neck Soup Day


Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day -- US 



Birthdays Today:


Scott Moffatt, 1983

Jason Dohring, 1982

Norah Jones, 1979

Matt Doran, 1976

Mark Consuelos, 1971

Celine Dion, 1968

Ian Ziering, 1964

Tracy Chapman, 1964

M.C. Hammer, 1962

Paul Reiser, 1957

Robbie Cotrane, 1950

Eric Clapton, 1945

Astrud Gilberto, 1940

Warren Beatty, 1937

John Astin, 1930

Rolf Harris, 1930

Peter Marshall, 1930

Richard Dysart, 1929

Peter Marshall, 1927

Frankie Laine, 1913

Sean O'casey, 1880

Anna Sewell, 1820

Vincent Van Gogh, 1853

Francisco Jose De Goya, 1749



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Agnes of God"(Play), 1982

"Applause"(Musical), 1970

"Jeopardy"(TV), 1964

"Verkaufte Braut/The Bartered Bride"(Comic opera), 1866



Today in History:


The first recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, BC240

Ketsugan, Zen teacher, performs exorcisms to free aizoji temple, 1422

Henry VIII divorces Catherine of Aragon, 1533

British and coalition forces march into Paris after the defeat of Napoleon, 1814

Dr. Crawford Long of Georgia, US, performs the first operation with anesthesia (ether), 1842

A pencil with attached eraser is patented by Hyman L Lipman of Philadelphia, 1858

Alaska is purchased from Russia by US Secretary of State William Seward, for $7,200,000 (about 2 cents per acre), 1867

Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, 1932

Einstein announces his revised unified field theory, 1953

The Yonge Street Line, the first subway in Canada, opens in Toronto, 1954

President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley, Jr., 1981

The oldest copy of Codex Holmiensis, dating from 1280, is returned to Denmark from Sweden after 300 years, and 45,000 Inca artifacts are returned to Peru's Machu Picchu after spending 100 years at Yale University, 2011

North Carolina repeals its controversial bathroom law that restricted transgender use, 2017

Pope Francis arrives in Rabat, Morocco, on his first-ever visit to the Magreb region of Northern Africa, 2019

Zuzana Caputova is elected President of Slovakia, becoming the country's first female head of state, 2019