Knowing, a Random and Happy Tuesday A to Z 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.  

Sometimes i just don't know.

In this case, i don't know if i should be upset that someone used a planter near someone's mail box as a trash can, or glad that at least the person didn't drop it in the street?  (And in defense of that person, perhaps he doesn't know a planter from an ashtray from a trash can, i know plenty of people who wouldn't be able to know the difference unless told.)

No matter how long i live, i don't think i will ever know why the peanut butter jar was in the underwear drawer.

Nor will i ever know why whatever i am looking for is always at the bottom of the bag, even when i just put it on top a few moments ago.

Does anyone know how the USPS can lose a guaranteed two-day delivery package and take over 8 days to find it and deliver it?

And a few things to know that Grandma forwarded to me:

Have a blessed and beautiful Tuesday, everyone!

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Today is:

Anniversary of the Election of Pope Francis -- Holy See (Vatican City)

Be Kind to Lawyers Day -- after all, you will need one someday, for something

Children's Day in Florida -- FL, US

Day to Give Thanks for Fish/Seafood -- anniversary of the US Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1976

Environmental Protection Day -- anniversary of the 1962 publication of Silent Spring

Feast of Rotten Endings -- because some stories just don't end well

Huguenot Day -- Huguenot Society of the US (anniversary of the 1598 Edict of Nantes, in which King Henry IV promoted peace between Catholics and Protestants)

Ides of April -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also

     Festival of Libertas -- personification of freedom and political liberty

     Festival of Jupiter Libertas

     Festival of Jupiter Victor

International Plant Appreciation Day -- unsponsored by any but those who love plants

Laotian New Year's Eve -- Laos (celebrations of Pi Mai, the new year, last through the 15th and sometimes beyond; at the start of the monsoon season)

National Peach Cobbler Day

Poshui Jie -- Jinghong, China (Water Splashing Festival; a 3 to four day festival around this time)

Ramadan -- Islam (began sunset yesterday, through May 13)

Scrabble Day -- anniversary of the 1899 birth of its inventor, Alfred Mosher Butts

Songkran Festival / Chiang Mai Songkran / Tamil New Year / Bangla New Year / Bisket Jatra -- Bangladesh; Cambodia; India; Laos; Myanmar; Nepal; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Thailand (New Year festivals, celebrated over the next few days, as the sun enters the zodiac sign of Aries)

Squashing of Moonhopper Day -- Fairy Calendar

St. Hermengild's Day (Patron of converts; against drought, flood, and thunderstorms)

Thingyan Eve -- Myanmar (Water Festival Eve; through the 17th)

Thomas Jefferson Day -- US

U.S. Elephant Day -- marking the arrival of the first elephant in the US in 1796

Yayoi Matsuri -- Nikko, Japan (five day spring festival)

Yom HaZiKaron -- Israel (Memorial Day; begins at sunset)

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Brandis, 1976

Rick Schroder, 1970

Garry Kasparov, 1963

Saundra Santiago, 1957

Max Weinberg, 1951

Peabo Bryson, 1951

Ron Pearlman, 1950

Al Green, 1946

Tony Dow, 1945

Lowell George, 1945

Jack Casady, 1944

Bill Conti, 1942

Paul Sorvino, 1939

Lyle Waggoner, 1935

Don Adams, 1926

Howard Keel, 1919

Eudora Welty, 1909

Samuel Beckett, 1906

Butch Cassidy, 1866

F.W. Woolworth, 1852

Thomas Jefferson, 1743

Guy Fawkes, 1570

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Arcadia"(Play), 1993

Casino Royale(Film), 1967

Silent Spring(Publication date), 1962

"El Capitan"(Operetta), 1896

"Messiah"(Oratorio, HWV 56), 1742

Today in History:

The Seventh Crusade is defeated in Egypt with the capture of Louis IX of France, 1250

Henry IV of France signs the Edict of Nantes, granting freedom of religion and political rights to Huguenots (French Protestants), 1598

John Dryden, age 36, becomes the first English Poet Laureate, 1668

George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland, 1742

The first elephant seen in the Western Hemisphere arrives from India, 1796

The British Parliament grants religious freedom to Roman Catholics, 1829

Hungary becomes a republic, 1849

The first US Pony Express run is completed, 1860

George Westinghouse patents a steam powered brake, 1869

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is founded, 1870

J.C. (James Cash) Penney opens his first store, 1902

British troops fire on unarmed demonstrators in Amritsar, India, killing at least 379 and wounding over 1,200 more, 1919

Helen Hamilton becomes the first woman US Civil Service Commissioner, 1920

Lord Clydesdale makes the first flight over Mt. Everest, 1933

The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated on the 200th anniversary of his birth, in Washington, D.C., 1943

Van Cliburn becomes the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, 1958 

Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field, 1963

An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon, 1970

The Universal Postal Union decides to recognize the People's Republic of China as the only legitimate Chinese representative, effectively expelling the Republic of China administering Taiwan, 1972

Western Union (in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft) launches the United States' first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1, 1974

Portugal and the People's Republic of China sign an agreement in which Macau would be returned to China in 1999, 1987

Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament, 1997

Former President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak and sons, Alaa and Gamal, are detained for 15 days of questioning regarding charges of corruption and abuse of power, 2011

The People's Republic of China and the U.S. agree to work towards eliminating nuclear weapons in the Korean Peninsula, 2013

The world’s largest plane by wingspan (117m/385ft), built as a flying launch pad for satellites and called the Stratolaunch, takes its first flight from Mojave, California, 2019

Australian super-horse Winx ends her extraordinary career with a 3rd Queen Elizabeth Stakes win in Sydney giving her 33 consecutive race wins, a world record 25 Group One victories and $26.4 million Australian dollars prize money, 2019

Information and Sweets and Cleaning and More, a Random Tuesday Post

And now, a bit of random talk from around here, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.  

As much of a hassle as it was to set up, i am very much enjoying the Informed Delivery service from the United States Postal Service.

Once i proved i was really me, they started sending me an email every morning with pics of the pieces of mail i should get that day.  It's a way to keep up and know if something doesn't show we have mail thieves around again.

Also since our mail never arrives before 3pm, and sometimes as late as 8pm (and one time it arrived at 11am the next day, but that's another story), i don't spend all day wondering if we are even going to get anything.

The last couple of weeks have been difficult as far as work is concerned, and i may be in need of new clients.  One told me she was having the house painted and other things done and she would call in a couple of weeks when all the work was finished and she needed me again.  We all know that's usually code for good-bye.

The other problem is with my dear friend Ms. S.

She is on a very fixed income.  Her sister pays for me to come over each week.  Her sister is waffling, one minute she wants to help, the next she does not.

Ms. S's son is telling her she should be able to do her own housekeeping.  He does not realize how frail she really is, i think.  He also wants to simply come in and throw away everything in her house, which will not make it better.  Just like of course an alcoholic would be all better if s/he would just stop drinking, of course a hoarder would be all better if s/he would just throw everything away.

It's not that simple, i wish it were that simple.

Someone recently asked me about eating gluten free.  My ideal is to follow a raw vegan diet.  When i go out to eat, i will eat some cooked food.  One thing i've noticed since i cleaned out my diet several years ago is that foods with gluten do not agree with me (that's all i will say to stay out of the TMI territory).  Thus if i have a wrap sandwich, lots of veggies and some guacamole in a tortilla, i make sure it's a gluten free tortilla.

The Big Boss has been keeping Sweetie busy one to three days a week, which has been nice.  The Big Boss has always had a notorious sweet tooth, and was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic (at age 81).  He cleared out his cabinet (his wife is a health nut like me and never touches sweets, so no arguments) and he gave my kids cookies, brownies, banana bread, and even Twinkies.  We are having to freeze some of it because it's too much at once!

That's about all the news for now, i hope we've all seen the last of Irma and the whole hurricane season.

Today is:

Amilcar Cabral's Birthday/National Day -- Guinea Bissau

Defender's Day -- Maryland, US (marking the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, which event inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner", current national anthem of the US)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 2, Interdependence (sponsored by We, the World)  

Gahambar Paitishahem -- Zoroastrian Calendar (five day feast of bringing in the harvest)

Husker Harvest Days -- Grand Island, NE, US (the largest irrigated working ag show on a permanent site in the US; through Thursday)

International Day for South-South Cooperation -- UN

National Chocolate Milkshake Day

National Day of Encouragement -- US (no matter where you live, encourage someone today)

St. Alibe's Day (Patron of wolves; Cashel, Ireland; Emly, Ireland; Munster, Ireland)

St. Guy's Day (Patron of bachelors, epileptics, horned animals, laborers, sacristans, sextons, work horses; for protection of outbuildings, sheds, and stables; Anderlecht, Belgium; against epilepsy, hydrphobia/rabies, infantile convulsions, and rabid dogs)

Video Games Day -- an unofficially declared day for kids to thank their parents for indulging their love of games

Anniversaries Today:

Winston Churchill marries Clementine Hozier, 1908

Elizabeth Barret and Robert Browning elope, 1846

Robert Schumann marries Clara Wieck, 1840

Birthdays Today:

Emily Rossum, 1986

Jennifer Hudson, 1981

Yao Ming, 1980

Benjamin McKenzie, 1978

Amy Yasbeck, 1963

Rachel Ward, 1957

Joe Pantoliano, 1954

Peter Scolari, 1954

Gerry Beckley, 1952

Barry White, 1952

Maria Muldaur, 1943

Linda Gray, 1940

George Jones, 1931

Ian Holm, 1931

Dickie Moore, 1925

Irene Dailey, 1920

Jesse Owens, 1913

Ben Blue, 1901

Alfred A. Knopf, Sr. 1892

Maurice Chevalier, 1888

H.L. Mencken, 1880

Charles Dudley Warner, 1829

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Captain EO(3-D Film), 1986

"Taxi"(TV), 1978

"Maude"(TV), 1972

"The Monkees"(TV), 1966

"Bonanza"(TV), 1959

"Lassie"(TV), 1954

"Quadrille"(Play), 1952

"The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major/Symphony of a Thousand"(Mahler symphony), 1910

Today in History:

Henry Hudson begins his exploration of the Hudson River while aboard the Halve Maen, 1609

The first submarine is tested in London, 1624

Turkish troops besieging Vienna are overthrown after 2 months by Poland's King Sobieski, 1683

First Black Masons Lodge is formed, 1787

Switzerland becomes a Federal State, 1848

The "Cleopatra Needle" is installed in London, 1878

Charles Leroux, world famous parachutist with 238 successful jumps, perishes in his attempted jump in the Bay of Reval, 1889

The world's first female police officer, Alice Stebbins Wells, is appointed by the LAPD, 1910

Cave paintings are discovered in Lascaux, France, 1940

Jack Kilby demonstrates the first integrated circuit, 1958

Premiere of Bonanza, the first regularly-scheduled TV program presented in color, 1959

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, 'Messiah' of the Rastafari movement, is deposed following a military coup, 1974

Indonesia is hit with an 8.1 earthquake, 1979

Hurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica, 1988

Hong Kong Disneyland opens in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, 2005

Iran finally agrees to release U.S. hiker Sarah Shourd, arrested there in 2009, on bail and permit her to leave the country, 2010

The "Lamb of God" panels of the Ghent Altarpiece, one of the most often stolen artworks in history, are secretly removed for restoration, 2012

NASA's Voyager 1 space probe becomes the first manmade object to reach interstellar space, 2013

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, completes his last shift as a pilot in the RAF, and officially retires to perform Royal and community work, 2013