Learning About Big Sister (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Poetry Monday, Relief

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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!

Little Ben is learning to know his big sister, Annie.

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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 Relief.

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My back was feeling fine,

then in church I genuflected,

the chiropractor gave me relief

and now I stand corrected.

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For help with stress relief

remember to breathe deep,

then say a little prayer

and on God your troubles heap.

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Future themes are:

July 27 Relief (Today!)

Aug 3 Tractors

Aug 10 Bluebells

Aug 17 Sunny Days

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

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Today is:

Barbie-in-a-blender Day -- while i get why we do it to Barbie, what did your blender do to deserve this?  originally thought of by Freeculture.org, to defend our rights to comment on cultural icons, whether they are trademarked/copyrighted or not

Bugs Bunny Day -- the "wascally wabbit" made his debut in A Wild Hare, released on this day in 1940

Day of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus -- date on the Julian Calendar, these are the legendary saints who, upon persecution by the Emperor Decius and being walled up in a cave to die as martyrs, instead slept for over 200 (in the Koran, yes, they are mentioned there, it is 300) years; based on an even more ancient legend and the prototypes of Rip Van Winkle; related observances 

     National Sleepy Head Day -- Finland (the last person in the house to wake on this day is awakened with water, either thrown on him/her or the person is thrown into water; in honor of the story of the Saints of Ephesus)

     Seven Sleepers Day -- Ancient Latvian Calendar

     Siebenschlafer -- Germany (a weather prognostication day, if it rains today, there will be rain for seven weeks more)

Hurricane Supplication Day -- US Virgin Islands (churches hold special services to pray against hurricanes hitting the islands this season)

Iglesia Ni Cristo Day -- Philippines

Ipip Festival -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (festival for working on the king's tomb; date approximate)

Jose Celso Barbosa Day -- Puerto Rico

National Creme Brulee Day

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day -- US

National Scotch Day

St. Pantaleon's Day (Patron of bachelors, physicians, torture victims; against tuberculosis)

Take Your Houseplants For a Walk Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which claims doing this will orient them to their position on the earth and make them healthier (some websites mistakenly call it take your pants for a walk day!)

Victory Day -- North Korea

Walk on Stilts Day -- at your own risk always; sponsored by Bill "Stretch" Coleman, the Nine Foot Clown, who encourages everyone to walk on stilts to foster a chance to develop self-confidence, master balance and coordination, enjoy the challenge, and celebrate daring accomplishments at all ages 

War Martyrs' and Invalids' Day -- Vietnam

Birthdays Today

Ashlyn Sanchez, 1996

Cheyenne Kimball, 1990

Courtney Kupets, 1986

Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, 1977

Alex Rodriguez, 1975

Maya Rudolph, 1972

Triple H, 1969

Julian McMahon, 1968

Maureen McGovern, 1949

Peggy Fleming, 1948

Betty Thomas, 1947

Bobbie Gentry, 1944

James Victor, 1939

Gary Gygax, 1938

Jerry Van Dyke, 1931

Norman Lear, 1922

Leo Ernest Durocher, 1905

Joseph Bert "Joe" Tinker, 1880

José Celso Barbosa, 1857

Alexandre Dumas, fils, 1824

Queen Hatshepsut, BC1508

Today in History

Siward, Earl of Northumbria invades Scotland to support Malcolm Canmore against Macbeth of Scotland, who usurped the Scottish throne from Malcolm's father, King Duncan; Macbeth is defeated at Dunsinane, 1054

Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan, 1549

The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports, 1663

A Royal Charter is granted to the Bank of England, 1694

The Russian Navy defeats the Swedes atthe Battle of Grengam, 1720

The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (later renamed Department of State), 1789

Robespierre is finally arrested, 1794

The Atlantic Cable is successfully completed, allowing transatlantic telegraph communication for the first time, 1866

Researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the hormone insulin, 1921

The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny, 1940

RMS Titanic, Inc. begins the first expedited salvaging of wreckage of the RMS Titanic, 1987

A pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, GA, US, during the Summer Olympics, 1996

Photograph negatives purchased at a garage sale prove to be early works by photographer Ansel Adams, 2010

The first Przewalski’s horse (whose wild populations were believed extinct in 1969) to be conceived via artificial insemination is born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute as part of a worldwide effort to rebuild the wild herds, 2013

Fiat Chrysler is fined a record $105 million by US regulators over their number of car recalls, 2015

US congressman John Lewis becomes the first African American lawmaker to lie in state in the Rotunda in Washington D.C., 2020

Triathlete Flora Duffy claims an historic first ever Olympic gold medal for Bermuda in the women's event at the Tokyo Games, 2021

A diamond mine in Angola announces the discovery of the "Lulo Rose," a 170-carat pink diamond thought to be the largest found in the last 300 years, 2022

Using fruit flies, scientists genetically engineer female animals to reproduce without needing a male for the first time, 2023