Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Money Laundering, Carl Style (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 River at Drifting Through Life.    


This week's words are


boxy

honey

clock

yearn

erupted

drift


and/or


goblin

differences

relax

shimmer

porch

rainwater



Somehow, they made their friendship work.


They'd met on the job, being assigned to share the same cubicle, and had as many DIFFERENCES as you could imagine two people having who had both chosen the same line of work.


Some people thought it was the only thing they had in common, that they enjoyed their jobs.


Dee had a figure she called BOXY and often ERUPTED into laughter when things went wrong at work, saying, "This is the fun part!"


Kaylie was twig-like and would DRIFT into profanity when things went wrong, starting with a "darn it" and working her way up until the problems were solved. 


Dee was country music, Kaylie leaned toward hard rock and heavy metal.  Dee was happy with her small, practical sedan, while Kaylie dreamed of a convertible.


"Is that a GOBLIN on your desk?" Kaylie had asked when Dee had set out a friendly looking garden gnome next to her phone soon after they both started their jobs.


"HONEY, that's just a gnome," she'd said.  "Can't you tell?"


That's what actually sparked their friendship.  Dee loved her garden, and Kaylie had always wanted to grow things the way her grandfather had. "I YEARN to taste good tomatoes again!" she'd said.


They started spending time together in Dee's garden, and eventually, when she felt she'd learned enough, in Kaylie's newly planted small patch.  The CLOCK had no meaning as they weeded or transplanted, the deadlines of work fading into the background.


After a stretch of yard work, as Dee always called it, they would RELAX on the PORCH with iced tea or go out for ice cream.  Kaylie learned the delight of watching the SHIMMER of RAINWATER on flowers, and eventually grew tomatoes that were the delight of both of them and of the neighbors she would bless with the bounty.


They both had a similar sense of humor, and they complemented each other in problem solving at work, but they forged their lasting friendship over the green of the garden.



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Today is:


Aizen Matsuri -- Shoman-in Temple, Osaka, Japan (celebration of Aizen Myo-oh, greatest of the 8 Buddhist guardian gods, and is also called the Yakuta Festival; through July 2)


Armed Forces Day -- Guatemala


Crab Races -- Fairy Calendar (Pixies, Elves, and some Fairies)


Day of Aestas -- Ancient Roman Calendar (culmination of the festival that begins the summer)


Feast of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome -- remembrance of the first Christians killed in Rome by order of Nero as scapegoats for the fire in Rome


General Prayer Day -- Central African Republic


Independence Day -- Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire)(1960)


Leap Second Time Adjustment Day -- if one is needed


Meteor Day -- because of the Tuskunga Event


National Corvette Day -- US (vehicle introduced this day in 1953)


National Ice Cream Soda Day


Pridie Kalendas July (Day Before the Kalends of July) -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a day when dies comitiales -- citizen committees -- voted on political and criminal matters)


Revolution Day -- Sudan(1989)


St. Theobald of Provins' day (Patron of bachelors)


Tech Support Appreciation Day -- if you can get a hold of them, they can be great to have around



Anniversary Today:


Greg Allman marries Cher, 1975



Birthdays Today:


Michael Phelps, 1985

Fantasia Barrino, 1984

Ralf Schumacher, 1975

Michael Gerard (Mike) Tyson, 1966

Rupert Graves, 1963

Vincent D’Onofrio, 1959

David Alan Grier, 56, 1955

Leonard Whiting, 1950

Patricia Schroeder, 1940

Nancy Dussault, 1936

Harry Blackstone, Jr., 1934

Susan Hayward, 1919

Lena Horne, 1917

Czeslaw Milosz, 1911

William Almon Wheeler, 1819



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Johnny Carson Show"(TV), 1955

"Guiding Light"(TV), 1947

"Brenda Starr, Reporter"(Comic strip), 1940




Today in History:


Jews are expelled from Berne Switzerland, 1294

The Spaniards are expelled from Tenochtitlan, 1520

Native American forces under Blue Jacket attack Fort Recovery, Ohio, 1794

French  acrobat  Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope, 1859

The 1860 Oxford evolution debate at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History takes place, 1860

The first transcontinental train trip across Canada departs from Montreal; it arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia on July 4, 1886

Albert Einstein publishes the article "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", in which he introduces special relativity, 1905

The Tunguska event, probably caused by a meteor or comet fragment, occurs in remote Siberia, 1908

The Regina Cyclone hits Regina, Saskatchewan, killing 28; it remains Canada's deadliest tornado event, 1912

Congo gains independence from Belgium, 1960

The first leap second is added to the UTC  time system, 1972

The Royal Canadian Mint introduces the $1 coin, known as the Loonie, 1987

East Germany and West Germany merge their economies, 1990

The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, 1997

After nearly 7 years in space, the Cassini spacecraft becomes the first to orbit the planet Saturn, 2004

The Molecule of the Year 2011 is announced, BMP7 (Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7), a potential therapeutic utility for recurrent metastatic disease, 2012

Misty Copeland becomes the first African American principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, 2015

Donald Trump becomes the first sitting US President to set foot in North Korea during the Korean Demilitarized Zone meeting with Kim Jong Un, 2019

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Cats and Geese and Funnies, 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 


Buster has really gotten warmed up to me, even rubbing his forehead against mine. 


He has not similarly warmed up to Sweetie, which is unusual.  My husband generally has an affinity for animals and they seem to trust him easily.


One day while we were on our way over there, Sweetie got a call from his old college roommate.  He told Tom what we were doing, and Tom said, "Well, gee, I never thought I'd catch you in a cat house!"


Why yes, they still are college boys at heart, why do you ask?


The other day i was - oh horrors! - late.  It was Sunday, i was on the way to stay with Becca, and the Canadian geese were crossing the street, and stopping in the middle to preen, then walking a bit further, then stopping to squabble with each other, then walking a bit more, etc.








They rule the road and they know it, little rascals.  You have to build in more travel time for the goose parade.


 Okay, how about some neat stuff and funnies from Grandma:






The crow and the dog became such good friends, the dog's owner built this special harness/perch.

These two became fast friends after being rescued from a forest fire.

This cat and duck were raised together and are best friends.  The duck won't get in the water and doesn't know he can fly!











Have a blessed and beautiful day, everyone!






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Today is:


Autonomy Day -- French Polynesia


Camera Day -- internet generated, but a fun one to celebrate


Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul -- Christian

     St. Paul, Patron of Greece, Malta, rope makers, tentmakers, upholsterers

     St. Peter, Patron of clockmakers, fishermen, Russia; against fever, foot trouble, wolves

     a recognized holiday in Chile; Holy See; Italy; Malta[l-Imnarja]; Peru; GR and TI, Switzerland; Wallis and Fortuna

     Haro Wine Festival -- Haro, LaRioja, Spain (a festival that includes a Battle of Wines, where wine is thrown from buckets at opposing teams; on the feast day of the city's patron, San Pedro)

     Rat-Catcher's Day -- often cited because some of the earliest legends of the Pied Piper claim he took the children on the Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul


Hug Holiday -- while the National Hug Holiday Week has been moved to the beginning of May, this is the original day, and was for quite a while, so go give someone a big hug!


Independence Day -- Seychelles


National Almond Butter Crunch Day


Oharai/Grand Purification Festival -- Shinto


Runic Half-month Feoh (wealth) commences


Waffle Iron Day -- don't know why today, but it's a great gadget, and if you have one, pull it out and use it today


Wicked Fairies Summer Debate -- Fairy Calendar (i'd love to hear this!)



Birthdays Today:


Prince Aristide Stavros of Greece and Denmark, 2008

Amanda Donohoe, 1962

Sharon Lawrence, 1962

Fred Grandy, 1948

Richard Lewis, 1947

Gary Busey, 1944

Robert Evans, 1930

Ray Harryhausen, 1920

Slim Pickens, 1919

Bernard Herrmann, 1911

Nelson Eddy, 1901

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1900

James Van Der Zee, 1886

William James Mayo, 1863

George Washington Goethals, 1858

Julia Clifford Lathrop, 1858



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Moonraker(Film), 1979



Today in History:


An Irish monastic chronicler records a solar eclipse, 512

Jacques Cartier makes the European discovery of Prince Edward Island, 1534

The Globe Theatre in London, England burns to the ground, 1613

Alexander Macdonell and over five hundred Roman Catholic highlanders leave Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario, 1786

Coal is discovered on Vancouver Island, 1850

Ninety-nine people are killed in Canada's worst railway disaster near St-Hilaire, Quebec, 1864

France annexes Tahiti, 1880

The first known recording of classical music, Handel's "Israel in Egypt", is made on a wax cylinder, 1888

Street railway in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, commences operation, 1891

Doukhobors burn their weapons as a protest against conscription by the Tsarist Russian government, 1895

France grants 1 km² at Vimy Ridge "freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada, the free use of the land exempt from all taxes," 1922

Joseph-Armand Bombardier of Canada receives a patent for sprocket and track traction system used in snow vehicles, 1937

Isabel Perón is sworn in as the first female President of Argentina, 1974

The Seychelles  become independent from the United Kingdom, 1976

The space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian Mir Space Station for the first time, 1995

Two car bombs are found at Piccadilly Circus, in the heart of London, 2007

News that European Union members agree on a deal to help some struggling Eurozone members causes world stock markets to soar, 2012

The Beijing Times reports that up to 30% of the Great Wall of China has disappeared, partly due to natural forces of decay and partly due to people stealing bricks, 2015

Iraqi forces retake the remains of the destroyed Great Mosque of al-Nuri from the Islamic State; it was the symbolic site where their leader had declared a "caliphate", 2017