Reluctance (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week and Poetry Monday

 ***********************************

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!

On Mr. Cal's short walk yesterday, i kept asking him to stop and pose.  He would almost do it, then turn away, or get distracted.

Distractions abound.

He's distracted by the cat.

He only looked at me, finally, while waiting for me to open the door!

***********************************

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.     

***********************************

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 Seed and/or Epiphany.                       

The wise men, how many?

No one knows, you see,

for they were not counted,

they brought gifts, three.

Each gift was very precious,

and each with meaning fraught,

they were a fitting sacrifice

as the church has long taught.

Gold was for His royalty,

so fitting for a king,

and for a poor young family.

truly a great thing.

Frankincense is expensive

fragrance from a tree,

it came from far-away India

and meant divinity.

Myrrh is also special,

used to embalm the dead,

symbol of His humanity,

as the church's living head.

The number of magi doesn't

in the Holy Writ appear,

but to match the gifts we show three,

it's tradition we hold dear.

*******

the love of planting

of growing your food, flowers

is quite seeductive

*******

Future themes are:

Jan. 6 Seed and/or Epiphany (Today!)

Jan. 13 Fiction

Jan. 20 Sheep

Jan. 27 Silver

***********************************

Today is:

Armed Forces Day -- Iraq

Befana -- Italy (Befana is the fairy who resides in chimneys, flies on a broom, and leaves toys and candy in stockings on Epiphany, their traditional day to exchange gifts.)

Bean Day (Bake a bean or penny into a cake, whoever gets the slice with the bean is king for a day.  A tradition continued in New Orleans and vicinity, especially, all the way through Mardi Gras Day, only now a plastic baby toy, representative of Jesus, is put in the traditional cakes.)

Blessing of the Waters -- Piraeus, Greece; Turkey; among Greek Orthodox worshippers worldwide (on the traditional date of the Baptism of Jesus)

Carnival Season begins -- Christian, through Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday

Children's Day -- Uruguay

Cuddle Up Day -- internet generated, an excuse to get close to your special someone

Daruma Ichi -- Takasaki City, Japan (the largest and most famous daruma market in the city where the good luck dolls originated; through tomorrow)

Deer Dance Ceremonies -- Taos Pueblo, NM, US (Native American celebration of the deer spirit)

Dezome-shiki -- Tokyo, Japan (fire fighters pray for a safe year, have a parade, help raise awareness of fire prevention, and men dressed as firefighters from the Edo period perform acrobatic feats from the tops of ladders to show agility)

Dia de los Reys -- Hispanic Christians(Three Kings Day)

Epiphany / Three Kings Day -- Western Christian

Epiphany of Kore (Persephone/Proserpina) -- Ancient Greek Calendar and Ancient Roman Calendar (a goddess of fertility and germination of seeds)

Feast of Ptah and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Feast of the Theophany -- Orthodox Christian

Four Freedoms Day -- US (commemorates the FDR speech about the four freedoms:  freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear.)

Greek Cross Day -- Tarpon Springs, Florida (as part of the Greek Orthodox Church celebration of Epiphany/Little Christmas)

Handsel Monday -- Scotland (traditionally a day to exchange small tokens of good luck with friends and neighbors; celebrated in rural areas on the Monday after Jan. 12, where they did not want to deviate from the OS/Julian Calendar)

Little Christmas -- Ireland

Maroon Festival -- Jamaica (celebration of descendants of former fugitive slaves)

National Shortbread Day

Orthodox Christmas Eve -- Orthodox Christians following the Julian calendar

Prettandinn -- Iceland (the last Day of Christmas, Epiphany, with bonfires and Elven Dances)

Shorinzan Daruma-Ichi -- Shorinzan, Japan (Good luck daruma dolls are purchased, with no eyes.  One eye is painted on when you make a wish, the other when the wish comes true.  Largest and oldest Daruma doll festival in Japan; through tomorrow.)

Smith Day -- the Smiths and Smythes and Smithes of the world want a day to be recognized; if your name is Smith or one of the variants of it, have a celebration of your very common name today!

Sts. Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchoir's Day (Patrons of travelers)

Surb Tsnund -- Armenia (Armenian Christmas Day)

Take a Poet to Lunch Day -- listed on a few sites, and who doesn't want an excuse to go out to eat?

"Thank G-d It's Monday" Day

Turisi -- Slavic Pagan Calendar (holiday of the bull, Jar-tur; a fertility rite)

Wassailing the Apple Trees -- various parts of the UK (from the Old English "waes hael," meaning "be well," a ritual to bless apple trees to ensure a good harvest)

Anniversaries Today:

George H. W. Bush marries Barbara Pierce, 1945

New Mexico becomes the 47th US State, 1912

Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, 1540 (his 4th wife)

Birthdays Today:

Joey Lauren Adams, 1971

Susan Perabo, 1969

Nancy Lopez, 1957

Rowan Atkinson, 1955

Bonnie Franklin, 1944

Lou Holtz, 1937

E.L. Doctorow, 1931

Vic Tayback, 1929

Earl Scruggs, 1924

Sun Myung Moon, 1920

Eugene T. Maleska, 1916

Loretta Young, 1913

Danny Thomas, 1912

Kahlil Gibran, 1883

Tom Mix, 1880

Carl Sandburg, 1878

Sherlock Holmes, 1854 (As celebrated by the Baker Street Irregulars.)

Charles Sumner, 1811

Jedediah Strong Smith, 1799

Haym Salomon, 1785

Joan of Arc, 1412

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Wheel of Fortune"(TV), 1975

"Schoolhouse Rock"(TV), 1973

"Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom"(TV), 1963

"Hallmark Hall of Fame"(TV), 1952

Today in History:

The first Roman Catholic Mass is celebrated in the "New World," at La Isabela, Hispaniola, 1494

All Jews are expelled from Syria, 1497

The city of Lima, Peru, is founded by Francisco Pizarro, 1535

The first recorded boxing match of the style now called English Boxing is held -- the Duke of Albemarle's butler versus his butcher, 1681

Massachusetts slaves petition the legislature for freedom, 1773

Samuel Morse makes his first public demonstration of the telegraph, 1838

The most damaging storm in 300 years sweeps across Ireland, damaging or destroying more than 20% of the houses in Dublin, 1839

A patent for reducing zinc ore granted to Samuel Wetherill of Pennsylvania, 1857

The Washington National Cathedral is chartered bu the US Congress and signed by President Benjamin Harrison, 1893

The first telephone call is made from a submerged submarine, by Simon Lake, 1898

Maria Montessori opens her first school and day care for working class families in Rome, 1907

The Great White Fleet passes through the Suez Canal, the largest group of ships to pass through up to that time, 1909

Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta to begin her work among the poor of India, 1929

The first diesel-engine automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City, 1930

Thomas Edison submits his last patent application, for a  "Holder for Article to be Electroplated," 1931

Barbara Hanley becomes Canada's first woman mayor, of the city of Webbwood, Ontario, 1936

The Pacific Clipper lands at Pan American's LaGuardia Field, completing the first around the world flight, 1942

The Crown of St. Stephen (also known as the Holy Crown of Hungary) is returned to Hungary from the United States, where it was held after World War II, 1978

The Ady Gil, a ship owned by Sea Shepherd, is sunk during a skirmish with the Japanese Whaling Fleet's Shonan Maru, 2010

Californian Governor Jerry Brown declares a state of emergency over the methane gas leak on outskirts of Los Angeles, 2016

In an historic first, Malaysia's king, Sultan Muhammad V, abdicates after two years of rule, 2019

Tennis champion Novak Đoković's visa to Australia is withdrawn after protests over his Covid vaccine exemption, 2022

A new study discovers ancient Roman concrete is stronger than modern concrete because of the use of a hot mixing technique and a form of quicklime that self-heals cracks over time, 2024