Tuesday, December 30, 2025

We End the Year As We Started, 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 


We end the year as we started, with messes.


Carl showed up at church on Sunday, since it's the end of the year one service Sunday.  We talked briefly, mostly he talked, about trying to go to the ice skating they have here each December.


He also told me he did not have work Monday.


What he did have was a very busy Christmas week.






Things were left in a right state, including whatever it was in the bottom of his fridge under the empty bag.


He was already in his chair so i hopped to it, not planning to get his bathroom done especially early since he had said he didn't have work.


Oops, spoke too soon.  He later woke and told me yes, he did have work after all.


About face!  More to do than i thought, and into the middle of that, his sleep chair, a recliner, broke.  It now refuses to close.


The chair is old, i'm surprised it has lasted this long.  What's going to be fun is seeing what Ms. V decides to do about it.  She is very frugal, and may just want to keep it anyway, allowing it to be used in its fully open and reclined position indefinitely.


It certainly wouldn't be in anyone's way.


Meanwhile, though, there was another disaster.





Carl is a big kid.  He'd purchased his usual gingerbread house.  He'd also been playing with crayons.  Somehow, when emptying his pockets, i missed one.


Much of his winter work clothing is now festooned with the blue crayon which went through the washer and dryer.  Yes, it is probably possible to salvage the situation, but it takes time and a lot of effort.  I'll have to work on one or two pieces of the clothing at a time.


By the time we both left, though, he had plenty of food packed for his shift and he was dressed warmly enough.  But i will have my work cut out for me with those clothes, they have to be ironed between pieces of cloth to get the crayon to melt and hopefully be blotted up by the other cloth, then treated with dish soap and baking soda, then laundered in very hot water and hung up to dry, and maybe have that done a couple of times to get it all.


This in a house where the ironing board has been perpetually set up in the spare room for a few years, with paperwork on it, and not an iron to be found.


Such is life, right?


How about some funnies appropriate to these days and the big holiday yet to come.




















Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!








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Today is:


Araw ni Rizal -- Philippines (commemoration of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal in 1896, as well as all victims of the Spanish government during their rule of the Philippines)


Bacon Day -- for those tired of the same old winter holidays, see www.baconday.worldbreak.com


Day of the Declaration of Slovakia as an Independent Ecclesiastic Province -- Slovakia


Falling Needles Family Fest Day -- gather the family, watch the needles fall from the tree, and have a party; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Feast of the Holy Family -- Catholic Christian


Festival of Enormous Changes At the Last Minute -- internet generated, and i'm not sure i'm up to it


Kwanzaa, Day 5, Nia(Purpose)


Lhosar -- Gurung People of Nepal (sometimes called the Tamu People; Losar is celebrated by the rest of Nepal in February or March)


National Bicarbonate of Soda Day -- shouldn't this be on Jan. 1, to help us get over the indigestion from the night before?  Either way, keep it handy, someone will need it


No Interruptions Day -- let people finish up what needs to get done before the New Year at work, and silence the devices at home that keep us from spending uninterrupted time with family 


Sixth Day of Christmas


St. Ruggero of Canne's Day (Barletta, Italy)



Anniversary Today:


The Arroyo Seco Parkway, California's first freeway, opens, 1940

Rutherford B. Hayes (19th US President) marries Lucy Ware Webb, 1852



Birthdays Today:


LeBron James, 1984

Kristin Kreuk, 1982

Eliza Dushku, 1980

Laila Ali, 1977

Tiger Woods, 1975

Sean Hannity, 1961

Tracey Ullman, 1959

Matt Lauer, 1957

Meredith Vieira, 1953

Patti Smith, 1946

Davy Jones, 1945

Concetta Tomei, 1945

Michael Nesmith, 1942

James Burrows, 1940

Del Shannon, 1939

Joseph Bologna, 1938

Noel Paul Stookey, 1937

Sandy Koufax, 1935

Russ Tamblyn, 1935

Bo Diddley, 1928

Jack Lord, 1920

Bert Parks, 1914

Stephen Leacock, 1869

Simon Guggenheim, 1867

Rudyard Kipling, 1865



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Let's Make a Deal"(TV), 1963

"The Roy Rogers Show"(TV), 1951

"Kiss Me, Kate"(Musical), 1948



Today in History:


Hugh Capet, King of the Franks, crowns his son Robert the Pious king and co-ruler, 987

A Muslim mob storms the royal palace in Granada, crucifies Jewish vizier Joseph ibn Naghrela and massacres most of the Jewish population of the city, 1066

Tokyo is hit by an earthquake, about 37,000 die, 1703

The first coffee is planted in Hawaii (Kona), 1817

Gyula, Count Andrássy, of Hungary, issues the Andrassy Note, calling for Christian-Muslim religious freedoms, 1875

Gilbert & Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance," premieres, 1879

The American Political Science Association founded at New Orleans, 1903

Iran becomes a constitutional monarchy, 1906

The All India Muslim League is founded in Dacca, East Bengal, British India Empire, which later laid down the foundations of Pakistan, 1906

Lincoln's Inn in London admits its first female bar student, 1919

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is formed, 1922

Japan dedicates the first subway in the Orient (route under 2 miles long), 1927

The Cole Porter Broadway musical, Kiss Me, Kate (1,077 performances), opens at the New Century Theatre and becomes the first show to win the Best Musical Tony Award, 1948

In the 39th game of his 3rd NHL season Wayne Gretzky scores 5 goals giving him 50 on the year setting a new NHL record , 1981

Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations, 1993

Tropical Storm Zeta forms in the open Atlantic Ocean, tying the record for the latest tropical cyclone ever to form in the North Atlantic basin, 2005

The last roll of Kodachrome film is developed by Dwayne's Photo, the only remaining Kodachrome processor at the time, concluding the film's 74-year run as a photography icon, 2009

The opening of Line 6 of the Beijing subway makes it the longest metro network in the world at 442km, 2012

San Antonio assistant Becky Hammon becomes first female to coach an NBA team after Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is ejected in a game against the LA Lakers, 2020

"Queen" guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May receives a British knighthood for his service to music and charity, 2022

The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launches itsPolar Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket, 2024

Monday, December 29, 2025

Adoptions Were Good (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Poetry Monday, Sitting on Old Chairs

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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!


We are awed and awww-ed with so many empty cages at the shelter because of Christmas adoptions.







Of course, we still have awww-some kitties available.










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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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Our dear friend Diane is taking a break

accommodations we must make

we miss her poetry and wit

so carry on as Poetry Monday's a hit!


Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  Charlotte/Mother Owl and i are keeping it going while she takes a blog break, we hope temporarily.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let us know!


This week the theme is Sitting in Old Chairs.                  

     


I have an old rocking chair

comfy as can be,

and it is the reading chair

for my Annie and me.


We snuggle and get cozy

with a stack of books nearby,

the chair's infused with memories,

we settle with contented sigh.



Future themes are:


December 29 Sitting on Old Chairs (today!)

January 5 Favorite Animal

January 12 Glacier


(All themes are from the 365 Days of Drawing Prompts and Other Arts Facebook group.)


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Today is:


Constitution Day -- Ireland


Enjoying ESP Day -- internet generated, and it means eating, sleeping, and partying!


Fifth Day of Christmas


Illegal Pants Day -- commemorates Emma Snodgrass' arrest in Boston in 1852 for wearing pants


Kwanzaa, Day 4, Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)


National Chocolate Again Day -- because someone, somewhere, believes it can't be chocolate something-or-other day often enough


National Independence Day -- Mongolia(1911, from the Qing Dynasty)


Paternoster Row Day -- in memoriam of the famous area destroyed by the Blitz this date and tomorrow in 1940


Pepper Pot Day -- Pepper Pot Soup was invented today in 1777 at Valley Forge for the army to have something warm to eat


Sacrifice to Zeus Horios -- Ancient Greek Calendar (sacrifice in the deme of Erichia; date approximate)


St. Gabriel's Day -- Ethiopia


St. Thomas of Canterbury's Day (Thomas a Becket, Patron of clergy, secular clergy; Exeter College, Oxford, England; Portsmouth, England)


St. Trophimus of Arles' Day (Patron of children; Arles, France; against drought)


Tick Tock Day -- end of the year is getting closer, stop putting off your dreams! sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Yodel in the Shower Day -- internet generated, and i promise not to tell if you do



Anniversaries Today:


J. Paul Getty, Jr., weds Victoria Holdsworth, 1994

Texas becomes the 28th US State, 1845



Birthdays Today:


Jude Law, 1972

Andy Wachowski, 1967

Bryan "Dexter" Holland, 1966

Patricia Clarkson, 1959

Paula Poundstone, 1959

Ed Autry, 1954

John Polito, 1950

Ted Danson, 1947

Marianne Faithfull, 1946

Jon Voight, 1938

Mary Tyler Moore, 1936

Thomas Edwin Jarriel, 1934

Klaus Fuchs, 1911

Billy Mitchell, 1879

Pablo Cassals, 1876

William Gladstone, 1809

Andrew Johnson, 1808

Charles Goodyear, 1800



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Thunderball(Film, UK release), 1965

"The Andersonville Trial"(Play), 1959

The Adventures of Kathlyn(Film, first movie serial), 1913



Today in History:


Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church, 1170

The first nautical almanac in US published by Samuel Stearns, Boston, 1782

Gas lights are installed at White House, during the Polk administration, 1848

The first Young Men's Christian Association chapter in the US opens, in Boston, 1851

Emma Snodgrass is arrested in Boston for wearing pants, 1852

The first telegraph ticker used by a brokerage house, Groesbeck & Co, NY, 1867

The Wounded Knee Massacre takes place, 1890

Edison patents "transmission of signals electrically" (radio), 1891

Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty, 1911

The first movie serial, "Adventures of Kathlyn," premieres in Chicago, 1913

Fred P Newton completes longest swim ever (1826 miles), when he swam in the Mississippi River from Ford Dam, Minn, to New Orleans, 1930

Physicist Richard Feynman gives a speech entitled "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom", which is regarded as the birth of nanotechnology, 1959

Filming began on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in England, 1965

Riots break-out after Hong Kong decides to forcibly repatriate Vietnamese refugees, 1989

Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war, 1996

Leaders of the Khmer Rouge apologize for the 1970s genocide in Cambodia that claimed over 1 million lives, 1998

The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct, 2003

Chaparrastique volcano erupts in El Salvador, 2013

The Ebola epidemic in Guinea is declared over by WHO, after 2,500 died over 2 years, 2015

The American weather satellite NOAA-20 records the coldest ever temperature of -111C at the top of a storm in the western Pacific, 2018

120 people are rescued from a breakaway ice floe on the Upper Red Lake near Bemidji, Minnesota, US, 2023