Quite a Crop (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.    

This month, the prompts are being provided by River.  

This week's words/prompts are: 

1. charm bracelet 

2. fried chicken 

3. teacup 

4. cage 

5. plastic 

6. adorable

Also include Charlotte's colour of the month if you can: orient red

"We've got FRIED CHICKEN for dinner," she peeked into her daughter's room and heard a muffled, "I'm not really hungry."

"Mind if I come in?"  Her mom knew she wanted to talk, but needed the opening.

A shrug was answer enough, and mom went and sat in the Orient Red chair that was a complete contrast to every other piece of furniture in the room.  She'd wondered why her daughter was so taken with it, but realized once it was in place it actually worked well.

They sat in silence a few minutes, and finally her daughter asked, "How did you know?"

She knew what her daughter meant, how did you know the man you married was the right one.  She'd been pondering how to say it, and finally started, "One of the first dates we went on was to a very cheesy fair at school -- you know the kind, the same tired old rides that make the rounds, booths with games, the food stalls selling all kinds of junk you never eat but at these things.

"There was this one game where you threw three balls into a PLASTIC CAGE to hit the target, and your dad decided to see if he could win me a prize.  You know he has no coordination and couldn't hit a bull in the butt with a bass fiddle, but he wanted to try, and he actually managed to do it on the first try!

"The guy at the booth offered him two prizes for getting it on the first throw, a CHARM BRACELET or a china TEACUP, and I really liked both but chose the bracelet.

"Your dad sensed I'd had a hard time deciding, so he was going to try to win the other one for me, too.  Of course, his first hit had been lucky, and after paying to try over and over and getting worse and worse, he finally started clowning, you know that ADORABLE way he has, throwing the ball behind him, letting it bonk him on the head on purpose, tossing it backwards, everything, and people were crowding around to watch and many of them wanted to try, and the guy was rather swamped with people wanting to play because your dad had lured them in to that booth.

"The guy went from a couple of people playing at a time to a big crowd, and he smiled at your dad and handed him the teacup with a wink."

"So you know the right guy because he does something goofy and wins you a trinket at the fair?"

"Sometimes."

They were silent a while.  Then mom added, "And sometimes he knows because he acts goofy and you don't run screaming, and you end up with a charm bracelet and a teacup and three children."

Her daughter finally smiled.

"Dinner's waiting."

"Mom, thanks."

"You're welcome."

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Today is:

Autumn Equinox Festival at Chichen Itza -- beginning today, thousands will gather for the amazing play of light and shadow each evening at sunset through the 27th)

Chiropractic Founder's Day -- celebrating the first chiropractic adjustment ever performed, by D.D. Palmer on Harvey Lillard, on this date in 1895

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 8, Human Rights (sponsored by We, the World) 

Hug a Greeting Card Writer Day -- they are generally anonymous, often underappreciated, so today, give one a hug! (if you know any, that is)

Independence Day -- Chile

Monkey King Festival -- China (a celebration of this popular character in East Asian stories, with the best place to see the rituals being the Monkey God Temple at Po Tat Estate in Sau Mau Ping, Kowloon)

National Cheeseburger Day

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day -- US  

National Rehabilitation Day -- US (on the Wednesday of National Rehab Awareness Week)

National Respect! Day(sm) -- US (encouraging abused women to respect themselves enough to get out)

National School Backpack Awareness Day 2024 -- US (or anywhere else that you want to weigh your child's backpack on the 3rd Wednesday of September, to make sure it's not heavy enough to hurt them)   

Plataia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Pledge Across America Day -- US (beginning of Constitution Week, every school is invited to join a synchronized Pledge of Allegiance across the whole nation, from 8am Hawaiian time to 2pm Eastern; schools are also encouraged to have an exercise of some kind about the US Constitution)

     on the anniversary of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, or on the school day nearest if it's a weekend

St. Joseph of Cupertino's Day (Levitating saint, and so Patron of air crews, air travelers, astronauts, paratroopers, pilots/aviators, students, test takers; Cupertino, Italy)

World Water Monitoring Day -- International    

Anniversaries Today:

Constantine II of Greece marries Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, 1964

The United States Air Force becomes a separate military service, 1947

Hull House opens, 1889

Birthdays Today:

Jada Pinkett Smith, 1971

Lance Armstrong, 1971

Alsha Tyler, 1970

James Gandolfini, 1961

Ryne Sandberg, 1959

Frankie Avalon, 1939

Robert Blake, 1933

Scotty Bowman, 1933

June Foray, 1920

Jack Warden, 1920

Rossano Brazzi, 1916

Agnes DeMille, 1905

Greta Garbo, 1905

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, 1905

John Diefenbaker, 1895

Joseph Story, 1779

George Read, 1733

Samuel Johnson, 1709

Marcus Ulpius Nerva Trajanus, Emperor Trajan, 53

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Baseball"(Documentary), 1994

"Love is a Many Splendored Thing"(TV), 1967

"Get Smart"(TV), 1965

"The Addams Family"(TV), 1964

"Wagon Train"(TV), 1957

"The Paul Winchell Show"(TV), 1950

"Johnny Belinda"(Play), 1940

"Strictly Dishonorable"(Play), 1929

"Disraeli"(Play), 1911

Today in History:

Christopher Columbus lands at Costa Rica on his 4th and final voyage, 1502

Ft. Ticonderoga, NY opens, 1755

The British capture Quebec City, 1759

John Harris builds the first spinet piano in the US, 1769

President Washington lays the cornerstone of the Capitol Building, 1793

Royal Opera House in London opens, 1809

A horse beats the first US made locomotive, near Baltimore, 1830

Tiffany and Co. (first named Tiffany & Young) is founded by Charles Lewis Tiffany and Teddy Young in New York City; the store is called a "stationery and fancy goods emporium", 1837

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is first published, 1842

First publication of The New-York Daily Times, which later becomes The New York Times, 1851

Old Faithful Geyser is observed and named by Henry D. Washburn during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition to Yellowstone, 1870

The banking firm of Jay Cooke & Co. in Philadelphia declares bankruptcy, which starts the Panic of 1873 and a severe economic depression, 1873

The Blackpool Illuminations are switched on for the first time, 1879

Riots break out in Montreal to protest against compulsory smallpox vaccination, 1885

In appreciation for all she had done for the tribe, Harriet Maxwell Converse, adopted as a member of the Seneca tribe, is made a chief of the Six Nations Tribe at the Tonawanda Reservation, 1891

Daniel David Palmer gives the first chiropractic adjustment, 1895

A typhoon with tsunami kills an estimated 10,000 people in Hong Kong, 1906

The Irish Home Rule Act becomes law, but is delayed until after World War I, 1914

The Netherlands gives women the right to vote, 1919

The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air, 1927

Juan de la Cierva makes the first autogyro crossing of the English Channel, 1928

Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the US Senate without completing another senator's term, 1948

Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations, 1960

U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash, 1961

Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations, 1962

The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations, 1973

Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people, 1974

Voyager I takes its first photograph of the Earth and the Moon together, 1977

Soyuz 38 carries 2 cosmonauts (including 1 Cuban) to Salyut 6 space station, 1980

Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic, 1984

Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations, 1990

ICANN is formed, 1998

The 72 year run of the soap opera The Guiding Light ends as its final episode is broadcast, 2009

Chileans celebrate the 200th anniversary oof their independence, 2010

After a large storm that took the roof off of Stadium Southland in Invercargill, 100,000 people in New Zealand are left without water, 2010

Scotland votes to remain a member of the United Kingdom in an independence referendum, 2014

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal publishes finding about the earliest known fishhooks, at 23,000 years old, discovered on Okinawa Island, Japan, 2016

Cyclone Ianos, a rare 'medicane' (Mediterranean hurricane/tropical cyclone) begins sweeping across Greece, 2020

Fashion journalist Chioma Nnadi becomes the first black woman to head a major fashion magazine when she is named new head of British Vogue, 2023

All Wet In Every Way, 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 the week off.

I found this out after i arrived and as i went to wake him to go to his sleep chair, he popped out of his bedroom and said, "Nap, then Camp Sunny Day."

The local parks run a special day camp, year 'round, for special needs adults.  There's a weekly fee, but since he had the week off, he wanted to go and Ms. V was all for it, it gets him out of the house.

First things first, though, dental floss.  Which i had to remind him to remove from the rest of the roll.  We keep trying to tell him picking it up, pulling some out and leaving it attached, using it and then not cutting it off and throwing it out is unsanitary.

Ask Carl if he cares.  He does not, unless someone is watching.

Then send him to nap, and i can start sorting clothes.

Cleaning towel in the underwear drawer.  Pickings of underwear were slim.

Almost no work clothes (summer stuff) was hanging up.

Oh, there it all is!

Cleaning cloths Ms. V was supposed to deal with last Thursday ended up all over including in his underwear drawer and almost everything he owned was a mess,  he'd used every towel.  Why? i asked him.

"It was wet last week.  I got called in on days off, and busy...and then I went to splash day at the park.  That was fun!"

You spent the whole week trying to stay dry at work and then went to splash day on the weekend? i asked him.

The sarcasm is lost on Carl, but when i pointed this out to Ms. V, she hooted.

Okay, so he wants a nap before he goes to Camp, which starts at 8am, and it's now almost 7am.  Yes, he does, and he did, so we set the timer for 22 minutes.

He came into his room at the ten minute mark to look for his phone, credit card, and the paper with the Camp website on it so he could register.  The phone was in the kitchen, the paper on his night stand, and we located the card in his wallet, which was found in the pants pocket of the dirty pants on top of the laundry pile.

Once he left with those things, i continued sorting and cleaning and got a load going.  He couldn't get registered and asked for help, and i asked how he'd done it before.  He doesn't remember.  I could not find a place on the website to actually sign up, and suggested he go over there and ask them, he might be able to register for the week in person.

Carl decided he needed breakfast before his nap and he'd try again later to figure out how to register.  Breakfast was eaten, and he napped, came in to his room for some Beano, napped, ate more, and i finally asked him if he was going to fritter the whole morning away.

"Nope, it's time now," he said and got in the shower.

Once he got out and was getting ready, he wanted to talk.  "What's the temperature?  It might be too hot for this shirt?"

We checked the temps, and he switched shirts while i pulled more dirty clothes from under the bed.

"They had grape juice at church yesterday."

I looked at him quizzically and he said, "For communion."

Of course, i noted, many churches do that as you don't want children drinking wine, or to set an alcoholic off on a binge, and some people just can't have wine for meds they are taking or other reasons.

"There was a girl and she was doing this, um," here he stopped to tap out a rhythm on the counter.  "Rhythmic praise, they called it.  And the pastor spoke about, um, I think it was draw near the Lord and he will make your paths straight...something like that..."

He paused, then went on.  "Saw a video on an old civilization up between India and Pakistan...it looked petrified, which was weird...lots of theories about why...but no one knows..." he trailed off and got his shoes and socks on.

Then he continued, "There's one about the connection between a Mesopotamian civilization and Ukraine, wonder what that's about..."

Having not seen any of these videos, i was in no position to comment beyond, "how interesting" or "is that so."

He finally left, after Mr. L brought his phone, card and papers back in his room.  That's when i got the majority of the work done, managing to shift the clothes into four loads when i usually do three and it probably should have been five.

He got back as i was about to mop.

What happened? i asked.

"Never got to sign up," he said.

Did you go over there an try?

"Well, there's lunch, and I needed more toothpaste, and I want to work out..."

We put away his purchases including more toothpaste and i disposed of the packaging, then he went to find his mother.  She was on her morning walk around the block, so he went to walk with her and i waved as i drove away.

In honor of our wet week, some funnies, and a couple of Maxine's Crabby Road comics for good measure.

Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Birthday of Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala -- Tonga

Citizenship Day -- US

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 7, Women (sponsored by We, the World) 

Feast of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Full Harvest Moon a/k/a Full Corn Moon/Indigo Moon/Wise-Crone Moon (with so much food ripe for gathering, harvesting can go on well into the night by the light of the hugely full Harvest Moon)

     Binara Full Moon Poya Day -- Sri Lanka (began yesterday evening)

     Chusok -- South Korea (Harvest Moon Festival; began yesterday, through the 20th; a harvest festival and day to give homage to the ancestors and celebrate family)

     Han'gawi -- North Korea (Harvest Moon Festival; through the 21st; a harvest festival and day to give homage to the ancestors and celebrate family)

     Navajo Sing Festival -- Navajo Native Americans festival in thanksgiving for the harvest, begins at the full moon and goes on for one week 

     Taw Thalin Full Moon -- Myanmar

     Zhongqiu Jie / Chong Chao -- China; Macau; Taiwan (Mid-Autumn Festival or Moon Festival, the birthday of the earth god T'u-ti Kung, celebrating the harvests, family, and eating moon cakes, matchmaking, sky lanterns, Fire Dragon Dances, and more)

Fundacion de Melilla -- ML, Spain

Get Ready Day -- US (help your community, workplace, or school to get ready for disasters or emergencies)   

Indra Jatra -- Kathmandu Valley, Nepal (the biggest religious street festival in Kathmandu, celebrating of the founding of Kathmandu, with several days of chariot processions, masked dances, and tableau; today is the municipal day off for the festival)

International Country Music Day

National Apple Dumpling Day

National Heroes Day -- Angola

Niketeria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Opening of Parliament -- Netherlands (holiday in The Hague)related observance

     Prinsjesdag -- Netherlands  (technically translates "Prince's Day;" the day Parliament opens and the reigning sovereign, now King William-Alexander, gives the Speech from the Throne and the Minister of Finance proposes next year's budget)

Operation Market Garden Remembrance -- Netherlands

Stigmata of St. Francis' Day

St. Hildegard von Bingen's Day (author of treatises on natural healing and the first musical composer whose biography is known)

St. Lambert's Day (Patron of Middelaar, Netherlands)

Time's Up Day -- created by Wellcat Holidays; time's up on holding that grudge, you need to make amends with people today, since you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow

VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day -- anniversary of founding in 1914

Zhong Qui Jie -- China (mid-Autumn festival)

Anniversary Today:

The Constitution of the United States is signed, 1787

American Professional Football League (later the NFL) founded (a/k/a the Swallowing Up of Weekends), 1920

Birthdays Today:

Patrick Mahomes, 1995

Chuck Liddell, 1969

Kyle Chandler, 1965

Rita Rudner, 1956

Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, 1951

John Ritter, 1948

David H. Souter, 1974

Ken Kesey, 1935

Maureen Conolly, 1934

Anne Bancroft, 1931

Roddy McDowall, 1928

George Blanda, 1927

Hank Williams Sr., 1923

Chaim Herzog, 1918

Warren E. Burger, 1907

Jerry Colonna, 1904

John Willard Marriot, 1900

Andrew "Rube" Foster, 1879

Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, 1730

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Home Improvement"(TV), 1991

"Head of the Class"(TV), 1986

"M*A*S*H"(TV), 1972

"McMillan and Wife"(TV), 1971

"Mission: Impossible"(TV), 1966

"Bewitched"(TV), 1964

"The Fugitive"(TV), 1963

"Car 54 Where are You?"(TV), 1961

"Outward Bound"(Play), 1923

Today in History:

The Battle of Thermopylae, fought between 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, and the Achaemenid Empire begins, BC480

Arabs conquer Alexandria, and destroy its library for the last time, 642

Netherland sailors discover Mauritus, 1598

Massachusetts Bay Colony gets a new charter, 1691

Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain, 1776

US Constitution is adopted by the Philadelphia convention, 1787

Sprinkler system for extinguishing fires is patented by Phillip W. Pratt, 1872

The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality, 1908

The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York to Pasadena, is completed after 82 hours 4 minutes, 1911

The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards 

of 2,500 people, the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1928

The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives, 1949

Television is first broadcast in Australia, 1956

Malaysia joins the United Nations, 1957

Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations, 1974

The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, is unveiled by NASA, 1976

The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt, 1978

Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America, 1983

Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations, 1991

The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet, 1991

Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years, 2006

A drill finally reaches the 33 Chilean miners trapped after the Aug. 5 Copiapo mining accident, 2010 

In an attempt to curb child marriages, Indonesia raises the legal marriage age of females to 19, the same as males, 2019

Seventy years after they were declared extinct in India, cheetahs are re-introduced to India from Namibia at the Kuno National Park in Madya Pradesh state, 2022