Good Question (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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

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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.   

This month, River is providing the prompts on her blog.

This week's words/prompts are:

1.extravagant  

2.koala  

3.plane  

4.charged  

5.potatoes  

6.alone

Charlotte's colour of the month is Vivid Tangerine.

Yesterday was the second half of my annual physical with Dr. BowTie.

Part one was a few weeks ago when i went and gave them the samples of half of my blood and some other fluids (you know who you are!) and had an ECG, eyes and hearing checked, blood pressure in each extremity (to make sure you don't have blocked arteries anywhere), weight (holding steady), and a whole bunch of stuff we talk about at the big appointment, which was the one yesterday.

Dr. BowTie is on a whole other PLANE of existence as far as i am concerned, and it's not just because he always wears a bow tie (the one yesterday really had some Vivid Tangerine in it) but because he actually takes time and treats the whole patient, as well as making sure you get as much attention as you need.

The office is nice, nothing EXTRAVAGANT, and i was a bit early so asked to use the "little girl's room."  The nurse said sure and then added, "Let's get a sample just in case he wants more tests."  She handed me a cup for fluids (you know who you are!) and when i came out, the room was ready for me.

I sat in there ALONE for a few minutes, but not long enough to feel like maybe the staff had gone on a break and not told me.  He came in and of course asked how i was doing, and also how Grandma and Grandpa are doing (he and Grandpa have been very good friends for years and served on certain boards together).

We talked about my sleep habits, and while i'm not a KOALA, getting 18-22 hours of sleep a day, or even a cat with its average of 16, neither am i sleep deprived.

He said i am keeping my weight in good check and my muscle mass up, and he asked how i was doing it.  I told him i do a lot each day, chase a child, clean floors and bathrooms and kitchens, and just keep going.  I told him i figured it was harder for death to catch a moving target, and he laughed and agreed.

My blood sugar is excellent, and with no history of diabetes in the family, i shouldn't ever have trouble with it, unless i start a "white diet" of white bread, white flour, white rice, white sugar, white POTATOES, etc.

No signs of coronary artery disease, blood pressure is under control (all females on both sides of my family get high blood pressure over 50), liver and kidney function is spot on, thyroid is stable, all my lipid profile is about textbook perfect.  He said i look great and he also tests for mental acuity and i'm not showing early symptoms of any kind of trouble in that arena.

On the whole, my warranty is renewed for another year as long as i don't step out in front of a bus.

The insurance company is CHARGED for the visit and pays it all, because they'd rather you get a check-up and stay healthy, they have less to pay for you in the long run this way.

It's nice to have this done for another year, although taking the twins in for their glamor shots (mammogram) is up this Friday.

Never take good health for granted.

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Today is:

Anne Bradstreet Day -- Massachusetts, US (by Proclamation of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to honor Anne Bradstreet, America’s first poet, who is also recognized as the first published woman poet in the English language)

Cherokee Strip Day -- Oklahoma, US (anniversary of the last land run, in 1893, which opened Native American land to white settlers)

Collect Rocks Day 

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 6, Children & Youth (sponsored by We, the World) 

Festival for Ra, Osiris, and Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Malaysia(1963); Mexico(1910); Nicaragua; Papua New Guinea(1975)

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer -- UN (commemorates the signing, in 1987, of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer)

Martyrs' Day -- Libya

Mayflower Day -- the ship left England on this day in 1620

National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day

National Guacamole Day 

National Heroes' Day -- St. Kitts and Nevis

National Play-Doh Day -- unofficial; get some anyway and be a kid again for a little while

National Rehabilitation Day -- US (on the Wednesday of National Rehab Awareness Week)

National School Backpack Awareness Day 2026 -- US (or anywhere else that you want to weigh your child's backpack on the 3rd Wednesday of September, to make sure it's not heavy enough to hurt them)   

National Teaching Assistants' Day -- UK    

Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales

Rhishi Panchami -- Nepal (continuation of the women's festival, a holiday for Female Employees Only)

St. Cornelius' Day (Patron of cattle, domestic animals, earache sufferers, epileptics; Kornelimunster, Germany; against earache, epilepsy, fever, twitching)

St. Cyprian of Carthage's Day (Patron of Algeria, North Africa)

St. Euphemia's Day (Patron of Rovinj, Croatia)

St. Ludmilla's Day (Grandmother of St. "Good King" Wenceslaus; Patron of converts, duchesses, widows; Bohemia; Czech Republic; against in-law problems)

Stay Away From Seattle Day -- yes, really 

Stepfamily Day -- US and others who choose to recognize it (if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live)   

     originally founded as National Stepfamily Day in 1977 by Christy Borgeld

Working Parents Day -- internet generated, enjoy if you are a working parent or have a working parent you want to thank

Birthdays Today:

Nick Jonas, 1992

Sabrina Bryan, 1984

Alexis Bledel, 1982

Amy Poehler, 1971

Marc Anthony, 1968

Molly Shannon, 1964

Richard Marx, 1963

Jennifer Tilly, 1961

Orel Leonard Hershiser IV, 1958

David Copperfield, 1956

Mickey Rourke, 1956

Robin Yount, 1955

Mark McEwen, 1954

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., 1950

Susan Ruttan, 1950

Ed Begley, Jr., 1949

Elgin Gay Baylor, 1934

Anne Francis, 1932

Peter Falk, 1927

B.B. King, 1925

Lauren Bacall, 1924

Janice Page, 1923

Allen Funt, 1914

James Cash Penney, 1875

Francis Parkman, 1823

Anthony Panizzi, 1797

Hildegard of Bingen, 1098

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Frasier"(TV), 1993

"Miami Vice"(TV), 1984

"Logan's Run"(TV), 1977

"Bridget Loves Bernie"(TV), 1972 (first mixed marriage portrayed on television)

"Mannix"(TV), 1967

"Shindig"(TV), 1964

"The Outer Limits"(TV), 1963

"Broadway"(Play), 1926

Today in History:

The Massachusetts village of Shawmut changes its name to Boston, 1630

Handel's "The Messiah" premiers in Dublin, 1741

The Great Seal of the United States is used for the first time, 1782

Russians set fire to Moscow shortly after midnight – the city burns down completely days later, 1812

Slavery is abolished in all French Territories, 1848

The Cherokee Strip, in Oklahoma, is opened, making land available to white settlers, 1893

Roald Amundsen discovers the magnetic south pole, 1906

William Durant, carriage-maker, founds General Motors Corp., 1908

Juan Perón is deposed in Argentina, 1955

Malaysia is formed, 1963

Cape Verde, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe join the United Nations, 1975

Shavarsh Karapetyan saves 20 people from the trolleybus that had fallen into Erevan reservoir, 1976

An earthquake measuring 7.5-7.9 on the Richter scale hits the city of Tabas, Iran killing about 25,000 people, 1978

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines join the United Nations, 1980

The Montreal Protocol is signed to protect the ozone layer from depletion, 1987

The Pound Sterling is forced out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism by currency speculators and is forced to devalue against the German mark, 1992

Mexico celebrates its 200th anniversary of independence, 2010

Denmark elects its first female Prime Minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, 2011

NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one, 2011

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., announces a successful artificial insemination as Mei Xiang gives birth to her second giant panda cub, 2012

The brain-eating amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, is found in tap water near New Orleans, the first time ever detected in the U.S. water supply, 2013

The cycling land speed record for men and women is broken by Denise Mueller Korenek, riding at 183.932 mph (296.010 kph) at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, US, 2018

Britain's Kew Gardens now holds the world record for the largest living plant collection (16,900) on a single site according to Guinness World Records, 2021

A massive rockslide in Greenland creates a tsunami wave in the Dickson fjord, setting of earth tremors for nine days, 2023

Typhoon Bebinca is the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 75 years with winds of 151km/h (94 mph), 2024

Becca’s Coolest New Shoes Ever (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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

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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.   

This month, River is providing the prompts on her blog.

This week's words/prompts are:

1.klutz  

2.cream cheese  

3.twilight/gloaming  

4.buzzing  

5.trouble  

6.dominoes

and/or: 

Her/My house has many rooms, some are less immaculate than others.

Charlotte's colour of the month is Vivid Tangerine.

use either list or both, or mix and match, just have fun.

Her house has many rooms, some are less immaculate than others.

This is not because of lack of housekeeping standards, hers or mine, but because after the mouse chewed through the dishwasher line and flooded several rooms, much had to be packed away for the rebuilding.  Some of it is still crammed into boxes in nooks and corners, and many of Grandma's paintings have not been put back up but instead are stacked like DOMINOES against walls in a spare room mostly used by anyone who happens to be in town to visit overnight.

Why were they not put back?  Uncle J, who had to pack them, asked to leave them down as the color of the repainted main room doesn't go with many of Grandma's paintings, which revolved around a palette of yellows and reds and oranges and Vivid Tangerine.  She loves those colors, and we love her art because we love her, not necessarily because we love those colors.

Thus the "guest bedroom" in Grandma and Grandpa's house is not exactly spotless, even with it being dusted and swept regularly and the attached bathroom cleaned well weekly.

The bed frame in there is about 80 years old and the original slats supporting the mattress no longer exist.  There are boards under there, with plywood on them, and a relatively new, good mattress and mostly it's an okay bed for a night or two.

Grandpa is having so much TROUBLE taking care of Grandma now, i am going down there twice a week, once to clean the house and once to bathe Grandma and tend to her, giving Grandpa a break.

This past Monday, once i finished with Ms. S, i packed my bags and drove to NOLA, easy enough on a holiday Monday with very light traffic, with the plan to help her get cleaned up a bit and spend the night.

We'd done the cleaning, i'd done extra loads of laundry and tidied some places which need it, and it was approaching TWILIGHT when most of us are ready for a meal.

Grandma, often content with CREAM CHEESE on toast or something else simple for supper, wanted a bit more and sent Grandpa to the store to their cooked food line to see what was on offer.  He would be BUZZING me on my phone and i would relay the menu choices to Grandma, who had taken off her hearing aids that work with her phone and was not in the mood to have them back on.

This worked well enough, her white beans and rice and macaroni and cheese were obtained, i warmed the dinner i'd brought with me, and all was well.

She and i spent the evening keeping each other company, talking some, which is not easy when she "takes her ears out," which she does not do often.  We got through.

Once i convinced her it was bedtime, i retired to the spare room and, setting my phone near so as to hear if she called, settled in.

She called just before midnight, so i went in and helped her and got her settled again, then went back to get more rest.

Normally i am not a KLUTZ but you may think me one when i tell you as i sat on the bed, one of the planks which serve to hold the boards under the bed collapsed!

I was startled but not hurt, and laughed so hard but had to be quiet and not wake anyone.  Then i lifted the mattress, realized nothing broke under there, one of the two by fours simply shifted, and had a choice to make.  Either gird up my loins and take the mattress off the bed, reposition all the wood under there, put the mattress back, remake the bed and then get some shuteye, or sleep across the bottom of the bed, which was still supported somewhat, and do it this coming Saturday when i go back over there and Uncle J can help me do it.

Of course, i went back to sleep on a mattress which sloped a bit but was tolerable, and got up with Grandma again a few hours later, then again in the morning and spend some time with her before leaving for home.

That's why this Saturday's cleaning activities will include rebuilding a bed!

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Today is:

Blessed Father Jacques Leval Day -- Mauritius (physician turned priest who lived among and ministered to the poorest of the poor in Mauritius; people of all faiths make a pilgrimage to his tomb today)

Bonza Bottler Day

Chrysanthemum Day or Kiku no Sekku -- Japan

Day of the Victims of Holocaust and of Racial Violence -- Slovakia

Festivity of Our Lady of Aranzazu -- Oñati, Basque

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day -- spreading the word about the very preventable problem of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders 

Independence Day -- Tajikistan(1991)

Karasu-zumo -- Kamigamo-jinja Shrine, Kyoto, Japan (a distinctive local festival where the Shinto priests imitate crows)

Liberation Ceremony -- Petange, Luxembourg

National Day -- North Korea(1948)

National Sports Day -- Indonesia

National Steak Au Poivre Day

St. Peter Claver's Day (Patron of African missions, inter-racial justice, race relations; Colombia; Lake Charles, LA; Shreveport, LA; Witbank, South Africa; against slavery)

Synaxis of Ss. Joachim and Anna -- Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches

Teddy Bear Day -- internet generated, but since it's so much fun to have one, celebrate your old friend

Wienerschnitzel Day

Wonderful Weirdos Day -- we all have a few in our lives, they remind us to be true to ourselves, so thank them today; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Anniversaries Today:

California becomes the 31st US State, 1850

Birthdays Today:

Michelle Williams, 1980

Michael Buble, 1975

Goran Visnjic, 1972

Rachel Hunter, 1969

Adam Sandler, 1966

Hugh Grant, 1960

Mario Batall, 1960

Angela Cartwright, 1952

Michael Keaton, 1951

Tom Wopat, 1951

Joe Theisman, 1949

Billy Preston, 1946

Otis Redding, 1941

Sylvia Miles, 1934

Cliff Robertson, 1925

James Hilton, 1900

Colonel Harland Sanders, 1890

Alf Landon, 1887

Leo Tolstoy, 1828

William Bligh, 1754

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Welcome Back, Kotter"(TV), 1975

"Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids"(TV), 1972

Imagine(Lennon album release), 1971

Today in History:

William I, The Conqueror, dies in a horse-riding accident, 1087

The New England colonies declare war on the Wampanoag Tribe, 1675

The first steam engine arrives in the US colonies, 1753

The first recorded black to graduate from a US college, Alexander Lucius Twilight, receives a BA from Middlebury College, 1817

Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flies a balloon from Castle Garden, NYC to Perth Amboy, NJ, 1830

The first plate glass photograph is taken by John Herschel, 1839

California becomes the 31st state and the territories of New Mexico and Utah are created, 1850

The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works is finalized, 1886

Orville Wright makes the first one-hour plane flight, 1908

J. Verdrines becomes the first person to fly at over 100mph, 1912

First actual case of a computer bug being found: a moth lodges in a relay of a Harvard Mark II computer at Harvard University, 1947

Hurricane Betsy makes its second landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first hurricane to do over $1billion in actual unadjusted damages, 1965

The four-day Attica Prison riot begins, 1971

The Palestine Liberation Organization officially recognizes Israel as a legitimate state, 1993

At exactly 01:46:40 UTC, the Unix billenium is reached, marking the beginning of the use of 10-digit Unix timestamps, 2001

The "Ophel Treasure", about 1,400 years old, is discovered near the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem, 2013

Queen Elizabeth II becomes Great Britain's longest-reigning monarch at 63 years and seven months, beating the previous record set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, 2015

Egyptian archaeologists announce the discovery of the 3,500-year-old tomb of a goldsmith and his family in Draa Abul-Naga, Egypt, 2017

In what could be world's most important modern literary discovery, Jason Scott-Warren finds poet John Milton's own copy of Shakespeare's First Folio of 1623 complete with Milton's own notes and annotations in a Philadelphia library, 2019

Scientists reveal evidence of the earliest milk consumption from cows by humans, 6,000 years ago from the dental plaque of teeth of prehistoric farmers from Britain, 2020

Tom Brady becomes first player in NFL history to start 300 regular season games, 2021

The world's first whole-eye and face transplant is declared successful for a 47-year-old Arkansas man more than a year after the operation, 2024

A 500-pound World War II bomb is found in Bratislava, Slovakia, prompting evacuations and public transportation halts until it can be dealt with, 2025