Like Father, Like Son (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and 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!

While i still call him Mike-Next-Door, he doesn't live next door any longer, although his parents still do.  He has mowed our lawn for years and now has a wife and 2 kids.  His son has watched him do yard work and from his first days loved riding on the mower (blades turned off, on level ground only, of course) with his daddy.

Last week i caught them.  Dad in our yard on the riding mower, son pushing his toy mower around the grandparents' yard at the same time and grandmother and young sister looking on.  Then, the young guy was handed his own leaf blower and went to it just like Dad.

Standing with his toy mower in front of him, watching dad with sister and grandmother.

Getting back to it!

Father and son with leaf blowers.

The child already handles it like a pro!

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Sparks is the brainchild of Annie of McGuffy's Reader, who wanted us to post something positive and uplifting at the start of the week.  While she no longer blogs, i like to post an Inspiring Quote of the Week in her honor.     

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Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey is on a blog semi-break and her poetry is sorely missed, we hope she comes back soon.   Charlotte/Mother Owl participates, and now Karen at Baking in a Tornado is jumping in at least once a month, too.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let Diane know!

This week the theme is Be Humble.                         

An officer in uniform of blue

was on the mall guard duty crew,

and a small girl near to him drew.

"My mom said if I'm in a stew,

and I just don't know what to do,

I can get help from an officer like you!"

"You are right, little one, it is true,

I'm here to help you through!"

"Then will you help me tie my shoe?"

(True story, and yes, the officer bent down and tied her shoe.)

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An older woman was flying,

and nervous as she could be,

but she really desperately wanted

her daughter and grandchild to see.

She managed to get to the airport,

but the walk to her gate was so long,

her carry-on was growing heavy,

her carrying arm, not so strong.

Two ladies in uniforms passed her,

one stopped at a security door,

the other said, "I'll meet you there,

we're going from Gate Twenty-four."

The grandmother thought, "Flight attendants!

This one can help with my plight."

She took a deep breath and called her

before she could get out of sight.

"Oh, miss," the grandmother called,

I'm going to that gate, too!

My bag is so heavy, I'm not sure I'll get there,

could I get some help from you?"

"Why, of course!" the woman smiled,

gladly took the small suitcase,

slowed her steps to match the elder,

and took her to the right place.

Later when all were boarding,

and the flight crew they did meet,

the "flight attendant" who carried her bag

was the captain each person did greet!

When the grandmother tried to apologize,

she said, "I was glad to help you!

After all, I have nothing to prove,

I am simply a part of this crew."

(Another true story.)

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Today is:

Adopt a Goblin Orphan Day -- Fairy Calendar

Blessed Wulfric's Day

Cherry Pie Day

Clean Out Your Bookcase Day -- supposedly begun in 1985, but i can't find information on who started it; donate books you don't need any more to a local "friends of the library" group

Family Day -- AB, BC, NB, ON, SK, Canada

Flying Car Day -- the Arrowmobile, the first flying car, patented this day in 1937 (and can you imagine, as bad as driving is, how many accidents we would have if these people were flying around instead?)

Heritage Day -- NS, Canada (honouring Mona Louise Parsons)

Hoodie Hoo Day (Northern Hemisphere) -- at noon local time, citizens are requested to go outside and yell "Hoodie-Hoo" to chase away winter and call in spring; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Islander Holiday -- PEI, Canada

Louis Riel Day -- MB, Canada

Love Your Pet Day -- a day to pamper pets, like they don't get pampered enough

Lundi Gras -- Fat Monday, Carnival, one of the last to days to feast before the Lenten fast begins Wednesday

     Bolludagur -- Iceland (Bun Day, the children wake the parents with a "spanking" while calling for cream buns that will be eaten that day)

     Old Mask Parade -- Oranjestad, Aruba (with the Burning of the Momo tomorrow, marking the end of Carnival)

     Rosenmontag -- German-speaking Countries (Rose Monday, highlight of Karneval)

National Handcuff Day

Presidents' Day -- US and Territories

St Leo of Catania's Day (a/k/a Leo the Wonderworker, Patron of Rometta, Longi, and Sinagra, Sicily)

Toothpick Day -- first machine used to make them patented this day in 1872

World Day for Social Justice -- UN

Anniversary Today:

John Cleese marries Connie Booth, 1968

US Post Office, 1792 (George Washington signed the act which created it)

Birthdays Today:

Rihanna, 1988

Andrew Shue, 1967

Lili Taylor, 1967

Cindy Crawford, 1966

French Stewart, 1964

Charles Barkley, 1963

Ron Eldard, 1963

James Wilby, 1958

Patty Hearst, 1954

Gordon Brown, 1951

Ivana Trump, 1949

Jennifer O'Neill, 1948

Peter Strauss, 1947

Brenda Blethyn, 1946

Sandy Duncan, 1946

Phil Esposito, 1942

Buffy Sainte-Marie, 1941

Nancy Wilson, 1937

Bobby Unser, 1934

Sidney Poitier, 1927

Robert Altman, 1925

Gloria Vanderbilt, 1924

Carl E. Stotz, 1920

Gale Gordon, 1906

Ansel Adams, 1902

Joseph Jefferson, 1829

William Prescott, 1726

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel"(Play), 1963

"Barber of Seville"(Rossini Opera), 1816

"Giulio Cesare in Egitto"(Opera, HWV 17), 1724

Today in History:

King Christian I, ruler of Denmark and Norway, pawns the islands of Orkney and Shetland to Scotland so he can pay his daughter's dowry, 1472

An unnamed comet approaches withing 860,000 miles of Earth, the closest a comet has ever come to our planet, 1491

The first recorded wine auction is held, in London, 1673

The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington, 1792

Austria declares bankruptcy, 1811

Concepcion, Chile, is destroyed by an earthquake, 1835

The US Congress prohibits dueling in the District of Columbia, 1839

Luther Crowell patents a machine to manufacture paper bags, 1872

In New York City the Metropolitan Museum of Art opens, 1872

The first minor league baseball association is organized, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1887

King O'Malley drives in the first survey peg to mark commencement of work on the construction of Canberra, 1913

A new volcano, Paricutin, erupts in a farmer's cornfield in Mexico, 1943

The Avro Arrow program to design and manufacture supersonic jet fighters in Canada is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate, 1959

While aboard Friendship 7, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the earth, making three orbits in 4 hours, 55 minutes, 1962

Ranger 8 crashes into the moon after a successful mission of photographing possible landing sites for the Apollo program astronauts, 1965

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization disbands, 1976

Texas industrialist Ross Perot's U.S. presidential campaign begins, 1992

Spain becomes the first country to vote in a referendum on ratification of the proposed Constitution of the European Union, passing it by a substantial margin, but on a low turnout, 2005

Estonia becomes the first country in the world to establish a national electric car charging network , with cars charging in less than 30 minutes, 2013

A 4-inch lock of John Lennon's hair sells at auction for $35,000 to a memorabilia collector, 2016

Famine is declared in Unity State, South Sudan, affecting 4.9 million, 2017

Venezuela becomes the first country to launch a virtual currency, the petro, to counteract their financial crisis, 2018

Englishwoman Jasmine Harrison (21) becomes the youngest woman to row across an ocean arriving in Antigua as part of the Atlantic Challenge after 70 days, 3 hours, 48 minutes, 2021