Thursday, April 17, 2025

Overwhelmed Vacuum Cleaner (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day and Brian's Thankful Thursday, an A to Z Post

 ***********************************






Ms. G has carpet, lots of wall-to-wall carpet, and rugs over the carpet to preserve it, as she's a realtor constantly mindful of preserving resale value of her house and never deferring any maintenance.


When i started working for her, she had an older vacuum and four cats, all of which have since gone over the Rainbow Bridge, but during their tenure she got a newer vacuum which is now showing its age.


With the arrival of April and Sassy, the cats she was never supposed to get but did because she couldn't disappoint Ms. Fiona when she went in the assisted place, and Mr. Gray who is not supposed to be there but has snuck in anyway, the vacuum is getting quite the workout.


There's long black Sassy hair and long gray Mr. Gray hair all over the place, and every rug has to be vacuumed and then rolled up and vacuumed under, and she has replaced parts on this vacuum more than once and cleans it out once in a while.


This week, the above the floor cleaning was losing suction, probably due to something in it somewhere, and i alerted Ms. G.


Between now and next week, Ms. G will take it outdoors and take the whole thing apart, find what's going on, clean and replace something if needed, thus giving the poor thing one more lease on life, as she hates to give in and totally replace small or large appliances.



Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Lease.      





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



While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!





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






It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day This week's image and my poem:    





We all know private and secret

are two different things in this way,

things private we all know but keep silent

but our secret things no one can say.


It's no secret I go to the restroom

but in private I use it each day,

so I won't go in this facility,

I'll keep my privates that way!



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






Angel Brian's Family of Brian's Home - Forever hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  


Today i'm thankful i got to "play in the dirt" and plant tomatoes with Ms. G.  Since i had to give up working in Mr. B's garden (no time), i didn't realize how much i've missed it.




This is a Blog Hop!



You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 6 days, 2 hrs, 27 min (4/23/2025 11:59 PM North America - Eastern Standard Time)

What is a blog hop?
Get the code here...



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



It's National Pet ID Week!  Make sure you have your pet properly identified because you just never know what may happen.


Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.         


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



Today is:


American Academy of Arts and Letters Charter Day


Bat Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Bat Conservation International, at the time of year when bats begin awakening from hibernation


Blah, Blah, Blah Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays


Ellis Island Family History Day -- US (by proclamation of the nation's governors and in conjunction with the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, a day to celebrate the achievements and contribution of the immigrants and their descendants who came through Ellis Island; on the anniversary of the day, in 1907, when 11,747 immigrants were processed through the island, the most in one day)


Equality Day -- Canada (the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force on April 17, 1985, guaranteeing equality without regard to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability)


Flag Day -- American Samoa


Ford Mustang Day -- International (on the "birthday" of the vehicle)


Get to Know Your Customers Day (celebrated the 3rd Thursday quarterly)


Holy Thursday -- Orthodox Christian


Independence Day / Evacuation Day -- Syria


International Day of Peasants Struggle


Maundy Thursday -- Christian (a/k/a Holy, Green, Chare, Sheer, or Shere Thursday; commemoration of the Last Supper)


Myanmar New Year -- Myanmar


National Cheeseball Day


National D.A.R.E Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation)


National Haiku Poetry Day -- sponsored by The Haiku Foundation


Nosy Neighbor Appreciation Day -- to be celebrated, if you dare, by greeting and thanking your neighbor for being nosy


Nothing Like A Dame Day -- a day to pay homage to the unique wit, wisdom, style and strength of dames past and present, and to cultivate the dame in you or in your life


Poem in Your Pocket Day -- carry your favorite with you to share with friends and family to celebrate National Poetry Month     


St. Kateri Tekakwitha's Day (Patron of ecologists, ecology, environment, environmentalism, environmentalists, exiles, people who have lost their parents, people ridiculed for their piety)


St. Stephen Harding's Day (Co-founder of Cistercian Order)


Thargelia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (two-day festival for the birthday of Apollon and Artemis; date approximate)


Toothbrush Appreciation Day -- think of what it would be like without one!


Tortoiseshell Cat Appreciation Day -- according to Catster Magazine  


Verrazano Day -- New York, US (Celebrates discovery of New York harbor by Giovanni Verrazano, Florentine navigator)


Women's Day -- Gabon


World Hemophilia Day



Birthdays Today:


Victoria Beckham, 1974

Jennifer Garner, 1972

Liz Phair, 1967

Lela Rochon, 1966

Norman Julius “Boomer” Esiason, 1961

Sean Bean, 1958

Olivia Hussey, 1951

Don Kirshner, 1934

Cynthia Ozick, 1928

Harry Reasoner, 1923

William Holden, 1918

Thornton Wilder, 1897

Nikita Krushchev, 1894

Adrian Constantine “Cap” Anson, 1852

J.P. Morgan, 1837

Samuel Chase, 1741



Debuting/Premiering Today:


Caveman(Film), 1981

"McCartney"(Album), 1970 (first solo album)

"No Time for Comedy"(Play), 1939



Today in History:


Geoffrey Chaucer tells his Canterbury Tales for the first time, at the court of Richard II, ten years to the day after the pilgrimage actually began, 1397

Christopher Columbus signs his contract with Spain to find the Indes, 1492

Martin Luther stands firm and refuses to recant before the Diet of Worms, 1521

Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America, 1797

The first Sino-Japanese War ends with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki, 1895

A one day record 11,747 immigrants are processed at Ellis Island, 1907

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios is formed by the merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company, 1924

Cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd & Petunia Pig, debut, 1937

At midnight, 26 Irish counties officially break with the British Commonwealth and form the Republic of Ireland, 1949

The Bay of Pigs Invasion fiasco begins, 1961

Ford Motor Company unveils the Mustang, 1964

Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air, 1964

The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely, 1970

Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, 1982

The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends, 1986

NJ Devil Martin Brodeur becomes the 2nd NHL goalie to score in a playoff game, 1997

The 5th Summit of the Americas takes place in Port of Spain; Trinidad, thirty-four heads of government attend, 2005

An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, causes 15 deaths and major damage to nearby buildings, residences, a nursing home and middle school, 2013

Jazz composer and musician John Coltrane is awarded a posthumous Special Citation by the Pulitzer Prize board, 2015

A report from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital says that 10 children with SCID-X1 (Bubble Boy Disease) have been cured by gene therapy, 2019

The funeral of Prince Philip, Consort of Queen Elizabeth II, is held under Covid restrictions at Windsor Palace, 2021

Research of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch shows it now has coast creatures living and breeding in it, including jellyfish, sponges and worms, raising concerns about the spread of invasive species, 2023

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Not Quite What I Expected (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday, an A to Z Post

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

To see more blogs participating in the A to Z Challenge, click here.

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










Linking up with Wordless Wednesday, Keith, Catsynth, and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     



This is a Blog Hop!


6.
13.
25.
33.
51.
52.

You are next... Click here to enter
This list will close in 20 hrs, 18 min (4/18/2025 2:50 PM North America - Pacific Standard Time)

What is a blog hop?
Get the code here...




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






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.    


Elephant's Child is supplying the words this month.  




This week's prompts are:

  • gentle
  • organic
  • standards
  • odour
  • moisture 

 

And/or

 

  •  20 years
  • noses
  • pregnant
  • gloves
  • high 


Charlotte (MotherOwl)  has selected Missing Green as the colour of the month.



Our house was PREGNANT with HIGH expectations yesterday morning.


For over 20 YEARS we've sat on tenterhooks on Tax Day, waiting for the packet to arrive from the accountant.


We'd been told the packet was scheduled by the delivery company to be dropped off between 9-11am, and my Sweetie sat on the front porch to make sure we wouldn't miss it, or worse, have it stolen.


While he did that, i was caring for the baby.




She inhaled most of a banana and then an ORGANIC strawberry, the first one grown by her mama in the fledgling garden outside.  My daughter-in-law is doing it right, monitoring the MOISTURE and soil conditions very closely, her grandmother taught her gardening and had very high STANDARDS.  


The ODOUR of the strawberry was delightful, the berry itself a beautiful red and the leaves very close to Missing Green.  Little Annie seemed to like strawberry, and will probably be getting most of the first crop as they come in.


Around 2pm we called the accountant's office and the assistant was apparently working hard to figure out what was up.  The delivery company told her they reserved the right to "file an exemption" and deliver any time they wanted, even on guaranteed packages, and they'd claimed it on all of our accountant's packets.  It might arrive that day, might not, sorry, you get it when you get it.


To say my Sweetie was angry was putting it mildly.  He could have put on boxing GLOVES and punched a few NOSES.  The Internal Revenue Service is not a GENTLE organization known for its understanding in situations like this.  The accountant was going to file an automatic extension for all clients who didn't get the packets and if you didn't owe any money that day, it would be just fine.


We didn't owe, and they probably did file the extension even though the packet arrived around 5:30pm.  We signed the paper and took a picture of it with our signatures on it, then emailed it back.  All they have to have is the picture to prove we authorized filing, so all is well.  It will get filed and the 2024 tax year is in the books for us.



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



Today is:


Dronningens Fodselsdag -- Denmark (Birthday of Queen Margrethe II)


Emancipation Day -- Washington, D.C., US


Holiday of Ra -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)


Jim Thorpe Day -- US (by Presidential Proclamation in 1973)


National CPA's Goof Off Day -- US, the day after tax day because they deserve it!


National Eggs Benedict Day


National Healthcare Decision Week begins -- US (to inspire, educate & inform the public & providers about the importance of advance care planning; "It always seems to early, until it's too late.")   


National Stress Awareness Day -- sponsored by the Health Resource Network (always on the first workday after paying taxes)


Offering to Demeter Khloe -- Ancient Greek Calendar (honoring Demeter as goddess of green shoots; date approximate)


St. Bernadette of Lourdes' Day (Patron of people ridiculed for their piety, poor people, shepherdesses, shepherds, sick people; Lourdes, France; against bodily ills, poverty, sickness)


St. Padarn's Day (Celtic peoples traditionally begin weeding crops on this saint's day)


Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day -- US (the day after you pay your taxes, bring the comforts of home to the office; sponsored by PajamaGram) 


World Elephant Day/Save the Elephant Day -- created by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation of Thailand


World Entrepreneurship Day


World Voice Day -- if you've ever had laryngitis, you know how important it is to protect your voice   



Anniversaries Today:


Harry Connick, Jr. marries Jill Goodare, 1994

Founding of the University of Queensland, 1910



Birthdays Today:


Lilliana Mumy, 1994

Lucas Haas, 1976

Selena Quintanilla, 1971

Martin Lawrence, 1965

Jon Cryer, 1965

Ellen Barkin, 1955

Jay O. Sanders, 1953

Kareem Adbud-Jabbar, 1947

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, 1940

Dusty Springfield, 1939

Bobby Vinton, 1935

Herbie Mann, 1930

Edie Adams, 1929

Pope Benedict XVI, 1927

Henry Mancini, 1924

Kingsley Amis, 1922

Peter Ustinov, 1921

Barry Nelson, 1920

Merce Cunningham, 1919

Charlie Chaplin, 1889

John Millington Synge, 1871

Wilbur Wright, 1867

Jose De Diego, 1866

Anatole France, 1844

John Franklin, 1786

Hans Sloane, 1660



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"Brown Sugar"(Rolling Stones single release), 1971

"Fibber McGee and Molly"(Radio), 1935

"Mazeppa"(Symphonic poem, Liszt' S 100), 1854

"The Contrast"(Comedy), 1787 (First play by an American author, Royall Tyler, to be professionally produced on stage)



Today in History:


Calculated date of the return of Odysseus from the Trojan War, BC1178

The Jewish fortress of Masada falls to the Roman Army, ending the Jewish revolt, 73

Martin Luther is called before the Diet of Worms, 1521

Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina, 1582

The United States Senate ratified the Rush-Bagot Treaty, establishing the border with Canada, 1880

The first passenger rail opens in India, 1853

Ebenezer Bassett, the first African-American diplomat, begins his service in Haiti, 1869

US Marshal Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle, in Dodge City, 1881

Harriet Quimby becomes the first female pilot to cross the English Channel, 1912

Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Amritsar Massacre by the British, 1919

Annie Oakley shoots a record 100 clay targets in a row, 1922

Dr. Albert Hofmann first ingests LSD, thus discovering its effects, 1943

Bernard Baruch coins the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, 1947

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation, 1963

The Katina P. runs aground off of Maputo, Mozambique and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean, 1992

The Queen Mary II embarks on her first transatlantic voyage, 2004

President of Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo declares the First Ivorian Civil War to be over, 2007

Elizabeth Holmes, American entrepreneur, inventor, and founder and CEO of Theranos, is named one of TIME's "100 Most Influential People" of 2015, 2015

Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album "Damn", 2018

The journal Science publishes a new study which claims a multi-year megadrought is already underway in the Western US, 2020

Raul Castro confirms he is resigning, ending his family's six decade rule of Cuba, 2021

As part of a social isolation experiment, Spanish extreme athlete Beatriz Flamini exits a deep cave in Granada, Spain, after spending 500 days isolated underground, 2023

For the first time since 2002, Mount Ruang Volcano in North Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, erupts. 2024