A 20th Birthday Cake (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, BeThere2Day, 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.    

Much thanks to Hilary Melton-Butcher for the prompts in June,

This month, Charlotte (MotherOwl) is providing the prompts on her blog.

For today the prompts are:

Fish

Kettle

Black

Human

Cloister

Serene

     And/or

Flagstone

Quarry

Bush

Rowan

Finnish

Mango

Charlotte (MotherOwl) has also chosen Light Ivory as the color of the month.

They'd decided, for at least their first married year, not to buy a house.

Their HUMAN family fell into two camps about this.

Some understood they wanted time to get used to being married and to decide what kind of place they wanted and where (meaning how close to in-laws), as well as save up, possibly enough to buy outright instead of needing a mortgage.  With both working great jobs and renting in a less expensive area, they had a shot at it.

The relatives who wanted babies nine months and fifteen minutes after the wedding and to have them right next door did not understand and never would.

Their pet family didn't care either way, as long as the dog was walked, the cats' boxes were cleaned, the FISH tank was maintained, and all meals were on time.

The result was they rented as cheaply as they could for, oh horrors, over two years, and actually did save enough to buy outright the house they wanted.

It was further from family than some family wanted, but both loved peace and quiet and this house was far enough from the main roads to be SERENE as a CLOISTER.  FLAGSTONEs from the local QUARRY led to the Light Ivory front door which had a ROWAN tree on one side and a rose BUSH on the other, one for protection and the other simply for its beauty.

Just inside the door was the painting he'd done in college of Ukko, FINNISH god of sky and thunder.  He'd always been fascinated by mythology, and in his elective classes painted his heroes to his hearts content.

The interior was light and airy throughout.  She always said, "As long as I have my KETTLE and my BLACK cast iron, I can cook anywhere," but this kitchen was a joy, the right size for moving around in but not feeling like a small pea rattling in a large pod.  Even her MANGO orange bowl for fruit had a place where it was handy without being in the way.

It was just as they'd wished, and they were glad they'd waited.

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Today is:

Air Conditioning Appreciation Days begin -- Northern Hemisphere (around here, they last until Thanksgiving!)

Compliment Your Mirror Day -- remind your mirror how great it is to have an owner like you, and look at other mirrors to meet to see if they greet you with a smile

Dipolieia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (festival of Zeus as god of the city)

Disobedience Day -- internet generated, but if you have a bone to pick, use your civil disobedience today to let it be known! 

Dog Days of Summer begin (according to the almanac, but not in all cultures)

Eat Beans Day -- bring the humble legume up to main dish status!

Fiesta del Fuego -- Santiago, Cuba (festival of fire, through the 9th)

Independence Day -- Belarus(1944)

International Plastic Bag Free Day -- working toward a plastic bag free world 

National Chocolate Wafer Day

Stay Out of the Sun Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays; for health's sake, give your skin a break!

St. Thomas the Apostle's Day (Patron of architects, blind people, builders, carpenters, construction workers, geometricians, masons, people in doubt, stonecutters, surveyors, theologians; against blindness, doubt; Certaldo, Italy; Ceylon/Sri Lanka; East Indies; India; Pakistan)

Virgin Islands Emancipation Day -- US Virgin Islands

Anniversaries Today:

Prince Alois of Liechtenstein marries Duchess Sophie of Bavaria, 1993

Ted Kennedy marries Victoria Anne Reggie, 1992

Idaho becomes the 43rd US State, 1890

Birthdays Today:

Moises Alou, 1966

Thomas Gibson, 1962

Tom Cruise, 1962

Montel Williams, 1956

Alan Autry, 1952

Betty Buckley, 1947

Dave Barry, 1947

Kurtwood Smith, 1942

Tom Stoppard, 1937

Pete Fountain, 1930

Ken Russell, 1927

Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher, 1908

Franz Kafka, 1883

George M. Cohan, 1878

Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett, 1870

Samuel Huntington, 1731(O.S. date)

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"ITV News at Ten"(TV), 1967

"Mister Peepers"(TV), 1952

Today in History

Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty that would rule France till the French Revolution in 1792, 987

Québec City is founded by Samuel de Champlain, 1608

Pitcairn Island is discovered by Midshipman Robert Pitcairn on an expeditionary voyage commanded by Philip Carteret, 1767

Norway's oldest newspaper still in print, Adresseavisen, is founded and the first edition is published, 1767

George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1775

The Bank of Savings in New York City, the first savings bank in the United States, opens, 1819

The last pair of Great Auks is killed, 1844

Slaves are freed in the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands) by Peter von Scholten in the culmination of a year-long plot by enslaved Africans, 1848

Dow Jones and Company publishes its first stock average, 1884

Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen – the first purpose-built automobile, 1886

The New York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting  by hand, 1886

World speed record for a steam railway locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 126 miles per hour (203 km/h), 1938

The biggest explosion in the history of rocketry occurs when the Soviet N1 rocket explodes and subsequently destroys its launchpad, 1969

First mention in the New York Times of a disease that would later be called AIDS, 1981

The Stone of Scone is returned to Scotland, 1996

Asteroid 2004 XP14 flies within 432,308 kilometres (268,624 mi) of Earth, 2006

New Zealand sustains a major earthquake, with minor damage reported, 2012

In El Paraiso, Peru, property developers destroy a 4,000-year old pyramid, 2013

In Belgium, King Albert II abdicates his throne to son, Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, due to health reasons, 2013

Health insurance company Aetna announces that it will pay $37 billion to acquire rival company Humana, 2015

Souad Abderrahim is elected the first female mayor of Tunis, Tunisia, 2018

The worst wildfires in Cyprus' history begin in Limassol district, 2021

Sri Lanka says it has less than one day's worth of fuel remaining, as its economic crisis deepens, 2022

There’s Something to be Said for Enjoying Life, 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's mom has put in a request with MallMart to have his hours changed so he's not working so late in the heat, he does best with just a morning shift.  They changed his hours for about 3 days, then went back to 9am-2pm.

Which means, of course, he's home longer while i'm there cleaning and trying to get him out the door at the same time.

It extends the fun, don't you know.

Carl really is a glass half full kind of person.  He's always seeing the bright side, or finding ways to enjoy himself.

He heard me come in the back hall and met me at his apartment room door with his blanket and pillow ready to go to his sleep chair in the main living room.  I told him to have a good rest and got down to it, as he'd really had quite a weekend.

It looked to me like most of his time was spent on games, probably with his friend.  As i said, he's always up for fun.

After a bit of a sleep, he wandered in and said, "I have to tidy...didn't mean to get so messy...um..."

As per usual, i told him once i walked on the job it was no longer his job and asked if he was ready for his shower.  He headed for the bathroom and came back out in under 30 seconds, brushed his teeth at the kitchen sink for about 10 seconds, said something about no towel (i handed him one, he just didn't see it), then he wandered out again and i followed to see what he was doing.  He set the kitchen timer for 3 1/2 minutes and went back to his sleep chair.

Only a persistent optimist would think 3 1/2 minutes of extra sleep was enough.

Once the timer went off, then he was ready for his shower.  I showed him he already had everything he needed in the bathroom, for undergarments to outer garments and towels, and told him not to come out until he was dressed.  The warning is probably unneeded by now, but you never know.

He came out looking for socks, which he already had in his hand.  He wanted a different pair, so we swapped and then it was time for powder.

We could go skating on that powdered surface, couldn't we?

While getting ready, and after breakfast while getting ready to go, he chatted away about his weekend.  There was something about a "games thingamabobber," which latter is his favorite word for anything he can't remember the word for.  He discussed something about new laws being enacted, then about Youtube videos he saw, "With feathers and stuff," whatever else the videos were about.

He and his friends apparently got to go to some kind of live performance where there were special effects on the stage making it look like there was a fire and rain to put it out.  He was very impressed and said it was "way cool."  He also talked about watching The Princess and the Frog, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

As he was about to leave, a bit early i thought, he said, "I checked the app, changed my hours again, want me early..."  Rumor has it the place is very busy this week because of the upcoming holiday.

I asked if he had everything and he said, "Sunscreen?" I handed him some and in picking it up he put down the sunglasses i'd given him and i had to hand those to him again.

He put everything in the car, came back, looked around, said, "What did I need?" and walked back out and left.  Whatever it was, i hope he already had it.

Almost always, as much as he enjoys himself and as talented as he is at coming up with unique ways to mystify me, i still find new things to wonder about.  This week, i am wondering how he got the orange soda stain on the inside of his shorts only, with nothing on the outside.

In honor of his enjoyment of life and always finding something fun to do, some funnies.

Have a blessed and beautiful day, everyone!

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Today is:

Adonia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (date approximate, but always in July, a ritual to honor Adonis)

Carnival Tuesday -- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag & Anthem Day -- Curacao

Freedom From Fear of Public Speaking Day -- as proposed by Beverly Beuermann-King, because you don't want to blow it when your big opportunity comes because you are afraid to speak out!

I Forgot Day (the day to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special days that you forgot during the first half of the year)

National Anisette Day

Palio di Provenzano -- Siena, Italy (horse race and pageant, named after the Madonna di Provenzano, whose church is in Siena)

Remember to Feed the Hummingbirds Day -- internet reminder to be nice to these beautiful creatures

Second Half of the Year Day 

St. Swithin's Day (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)

Try to Find Your Slinky Day -- the weird holiday of the day!

Unity Day -- Zambia

Violin Lovers' Day

World UFO Day -- unfortunately, a real day observed by many around the world (on the "anniversary" of the UFO crash in Roswell, if such a thing even happened, which i doubt*) 

*i believe that if there's life elsewhere, it shows its intelligence by staying away from us!

Anniversary Today:

Prince Albert of Belgium marries Paola Ruffo di Calabria, 1959

Birthdays Today:

Lindsay Lohan, 1986

Ashley Tisdale, 1985

Johnny Weir, 1984

Jose, Jr., and Ozzie Canseco, 1964

Jimmy McNichol, 1961

Ron Silver, 1946

Vicente Fox Quesada, 1942

Richard Petty, 1937

Polly Holiday, 1937

Dave Thomas, 1932

Medgar Evers, 1925

Dan Rowan, 1922

Ken Curtis, 1916

Thurgood Marshall, 1908

Jean René Lacoste, 1904

Hermann Hesse, 1877

Thomas Cranmer, 1489

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Andy Williams Show"(TV), 1957

"The Lawrence Welk Show"(TV), 1955

"Finlandia"(Sibelius' Op. 26), 1900

Today in History:

Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine, 1698

Vermont  becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery, 1777

Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James Garfield, who eventually dies from an infection on September 19, 1881

Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinque take over the slave ship Amistad, 1893

Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains patent for radio in London, 1897

The first zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany, 1900

Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight 1937

The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas, 1962

North and South Vietnam, divided since 1954, reunite to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 1976

The AbioCor  self contained artificial heart is first implanted, 2001

Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon, 2002

Planetoid Pluto's fourth and fifth moons officially receive the names Kerberos and Styx from the International Astronomical Union, 2013

British Petroleum agrees to compensate the US government and states bordering the Gulf of Mexico $18.7 billion for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, 2015

British divers discover 12 boys and their coach alive in Tham Luang Nang Non cave, Thailand, after being trapped for 9 days by monsoon flooding, 2018

A newly rediscovered Lewis chess piece sells at auction for £735,000 in London, 2019

The British Darts Organisation’s commercial arm, BDO Enterprises Ltd, goes into liquidation due to lack of sponsorship, 2020

Excavations at burials near Tel Yehud in Israel from the 14th century BC reveal the earliest known evidence of the use of opium, 2022