Where's Waldo? (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Watch Out! (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!

A few days ago, Sweetie and i saw a dog wandering in our yard.  It had a tag but wouldn't hold still, so i snapped a picture and barely made out the name Waldo and two phone numbers.  Calling the first, i asked the nice lady on the other end if she'd lost a dog.

"No," she said, "I haven't...wait!  The fence is open!  Yes!"

She was my neighbor two doors down, so she came and got him.  If Waldo manages to roam again, i'll know where to bring him.  Trying to get a picture turned out like this.

As i said, he's cute but he doesn't hold still!

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

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.     

source

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

Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  Jenny at Procrastinating Donkey is on a blog semi-break and her poetry is sorely missed, we hope she comes back soon.   Charlotte/Mother Owl participates, and now Karen at Baking in a Tornado is jumping in at least once a month, too.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let Diane know!

This week the theme is Babies.                         

A baby is a wonderful way

To start a brand-new life.

Just look around the world,

With examples it is rife.

They start so small and tender,

You can't help but get fond,

They squirm and coo and smile,

Makes it easier to bond.

Be careful with that little, though,

It's not just the choochy cheeks,

Here's a fair warning for you,

That little baby leaks!

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

Today is:

Anniversary of the 3rd Druk Gyalpo -- Bhutan

Baby Day -- birth anniversary of Dr. Spock

Brothers and Sisters Day/Sibling Appreciation Day -- an internet generated holiday, not to be confused with National Siblings Day on April 10 each year

Community Day -- M, Spain

Day of Osiris going forth from his mountain -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; begins at sundown, and runs through sundown on the 5th, but local dates and official government observances may vary)

Flag Day -- Poland

Holiday of the Region of Madrid -- Madrid, Spain

International Scurvy Awareness Day -- because yes, some people do still get this disease of Vitamin C deficiency 

King James Bible Day -- marking the publication in 1611 of the King James Version of the Bible

Melanoma Monday -- learn how to check yourself for skin cancer, and how to get someone else to check your back, the most common spot for melanoma 

National Education Day -- Indonesia

National Meeting Planners Appreciation Day 2022 -- US (you are only obligated to celebrate this if you love meetings, love to plan meetings, or have a meeting planner in your organization to humor)

National Play Your Ukulele Day -- just because it's fun!

National Truffles Day

Roberts Rules of Order Day -- birth anniversary of Henry M. Robert, author of the standard parliamentary guide Robert's Rules of Order

Rowdy Friends Day -- go look up the ones you haven't seen in a while

School Bus Driver Appreciation Day -- US

St. Athanasius the Great's Day

St. Zoe's Day

Teacher's Day -- Bhutan; Iran

Twelfth Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i

Birthdays Today:

Sarah Hughes, 1985

Jenna Von Oy, 1977

David Beckham, 1975

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, 1972

Elizabeth Berridge, 1962

Christine Baranski, 1952

Larry Gatlin, 1949

Lesley Gore, 1946

David Suchet, 1946

Bianca Jagger, 1945

Engelbert Humperdinck, 1936

Roscoe Lee Browne, 1925

Theodore Bikel, 1924

Satyajit Ray, 1921

Dr. Benjamin Spock, 1903

Baron Von Richthofen, 1892

Hedda Hopper, 1885

Henry M. Robert, 1837

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Sunday in the Park with George"(Musical), 1984

"Peter and the Wolf"(Prokofiev Op. 67), 1936

"The Jack Benny Program"(Radio), 1932

Good Housekeeping(Magazine), 1885

"La Bottega del Caffe/The Coffee Shop"(Play), 1750

Authorized King James Version of the Bible(Publication date, by printer Robert Barker), 1611

Today in History:

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft, 1536

John Knox returns from exile to Scotland  to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation, 1559

Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle, 1568

King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America, 1670

William Herschel discovers 1st binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris, 1780

Charles Fremantle founds the Swan River Colony in Australia, 1829

Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao, 1866

Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time, 1885

Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion, 1885

The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium, 1885

Hannibal W Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film, 1887

General Motors  acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware, 1918

Pearl S. Buck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth, 1938

The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg, 1952

Tennessee Williams is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955

The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City, 1969

The 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, opens, 1986

The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy, 1998

President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military, 2000

Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless, 2008

Conservationists determine poachers killed the last known rhinoceroses in Mozambique; these poachers worked with game rangers responsible for protecting them, 2013

New research published in the journal "Plos One" shows plants "talk" to each other through their roots and the soil in a study on corn, 2018 

For the first time, a drone delivers a kidney for transplant, to a hospital in Baltimore, MD, US, 2019

Second-only sketch known of Leonardo da Vinci (from Queen Elizabeth's collection) is revealed on the 500th anniversary of the artist's death, 2019

A clean-up on Mt Everest ends, having removed three metric tons (6,613 pounds) of rubbish and four bodies in just two weeks, 2019

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the Icelandic actor who played Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in Game of Thrones, sets a world deadlifting record, lifting 501kg (1,104lb), 2020

And i thought i was busy.

So, i thought i was busy.  Cooking, cleaning, part time work, volunteer work, feeding kittens, laundry, kids, paperwork, automobile maintenance, and more -- all the usual stuff.

Then i read this story, and i realize, i have it easy.

In a nutshell, a couple decide they can't afford fertility treatment that has a low chance of success and prefers to adopt.  They meet the mother who is willing to make an adoption plan for her child*, and when she finds out she is carrying triplets, their response is to say that makes it easier, they get the multi-child family they want without having to go through the adoption process again.

The triplets come along, spend months in NICU, and during that time, wife finds out she is pregnant.  With twins.

They now have one-year-old triplets, and two-month-old twins.  They are averaging 300 diapers a week.  Friends are pitching in, taking shifts.  The ladies in their church are making sure they have home cooked meals.

No matter how much help they have, though, they have a busy, busy life.  It reminds me that i have it easy.  And it reminds me, when baby nostalgia hits, to be grateful mine are all older and potty trained.

*One thing i never, ever say is that a woman "gave a baby up for adoption" or "gave a baby away for adoption."  We give up or give away things we don't want, and the biological mother is making a great sacrifice, not just getting something out of her life the way someone else would donate clothes to the local charity thrift store.  She is making an adoption plan for her precious child, and she should be commended for  it.


Today is:

Aspirin Day -- Bayer received its US patent for the medicine on this day in 1900

Charro Days Fiesta -- Brownsville, TX, US and Matamoros, Mexico (Two Nations - Twin Cultures, a celebration of the charro horsemen of Mexico, with dances, parades, and a carnival; through Mar. 9)

Day of Selene -- Ancient Greek Calendar (goddess of the moon, date approximate)

Equirria -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Cavalry Horse Festival)

Feast of the Incappucciati -- Gradoli, Italy (members of the Confraternity of Purgatory makes the rounds of the town gathering food for the souls in Purgatory, which is served at a banquet next week on Ash Wednesday)

Feast of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows/Gabriel Possenti (Patron of clerics, students, young people; Abruzzi, Italy; Catholic Action)

Fettiger Donnerstag  -- Swabia, Germany ("greasy Thursday", so called because of the greasy Kuchli cakes and pastries made today to use during carnival before the Lent fast)

Florida Strawberry Festival -- Plant City, FL, US (celebrating the winter strawberry harvest; through Mar. 9)

Independence Day -- Dominican Republic(1844)

Majuba Day -- South Africa (celebration of the Boers victory at Majuba Hill)

National Chili Day

National Kahlua Day

National Strawberry Day -- no, i don't know why this isn't in June, when the berries are best; maybe the person who put it here had too much Kahlua

No Brainer Day - this day is for me! created by Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith, "America's Premier Eventologist"

Polar Bear Day -- as declared by Polar Bears International

Read Five Pages in the Dictionary Day -- internet generated, and am i the only one who likes the idea?

Runic Half Month Tyr commences (cosmic pillar)

St. Galmier of Lyon's Day (Patron of locksmiths)

The Hop -- Fairy Calendar

Threepenny Day -- Eton College, England (By the last will of two Provosts in the 16th century, each boy receives a threepenny piece on this day -- enough to buy half a sheep back then.)

Weiberfastnach -- Cologne, Germany (Women's Carnival, the day the women run the pre-Lent celebration)


Anniversary Today:

African Burial Ground National Monument is established, 2006



Birthdays Today:

Josh Groban, 1981
Chelsea Clinton, 1980
Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas, 1971
Grant Show, 1963
Adam Baldwin, 1962
Michael Bolton, 1953
Alan Guth, 1947
Mary Fran, 1943
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, 1942
Howard Hesseman, 1940
Ralph Nadar, 1934
Elizabeth Taylor, 1932
Joanne Woodward, 1930
Ariel Sharon, 1928
John Connally, 1917
James Thomas Farrell, 1904
John Steinbeck, 1902
Gene Sarazen, 1902
Marian Anderson, 1897
David Sarnoff, 1891
Hugo La Fayette Black, 1886
Alice Hamilton, 1869
Ellen Terry, 1847
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807
Constantine I, 272


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"What Makes Sammy Run?"(Musical), 1964
"Road to Utopia"(Film), 1946


Today in History:

The first Russian Embassy arrives in London, 1557
The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland, 1560
Yuan Chonghuan is appointed Governor of Liaodong, after he led the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians under Nurhaci, 1626
Jews are expelled from Austria by order of Leopold I, 1670
The Pacific island of New Britain is discovered, 1700
Poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire, 1812
The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti, 1844
Composer Robert Schumann is saved from a suicide attempt in Rhine, 1854
Russians shoot at Poles protesting Russian rule of Poland, 1861
The current flag of Japan is first adopted as the national flag for Japanese merchant ships, 1870
Charlotte E. Ray becomes the first African American woman to earn a law degree, from Howard University, 1872
Lord Kitchener opens Khartoum-El Obeid (Nyala) railway, 1912
Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14, 1940
The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over, 1964
The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee, South Dakota, 1973
People magazine is published for the first time, 1974
U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated", 1991
A Muslim mob kills 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya, 2002
The Shanghai Stock Exchange falls 9%, the largest drop in 10 years, 2007
Central Chile is hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, 2010
Wikileaks begins releasing 5 million emails from Stratfor, a private intelligence company, 2012
At Vatican City, Pope Benedict XVI delivers his farewell address, 2013

It was a whinin'...

...and a cryin', and a fussin', and a wailin'.

Sung to the tune of "Wishing and Hoping", the one sung by Dionne Warwick, that's the song that rattles in my brain right now.

Talking about the church nursery, where i served yesterday.

My first assignment was the room for the 2's, but there was enough help in there, so i got moved to the older 3's.  Again, another extra person showed up, and everyone was behaving, so after i tidied while the other teacher did story time (it was hilarious hearing those little mouths try to pronounce Mephibosheth), i got moved again, this time to the baby room.

Three volunteers at that moment, seven children under 12 months, and three of them screaming their little heads off.

By the time we had five volunteers, we had 10 babies, and five screamers.

It was quite a morning, to say the least.

The one who was no trouble was four-month-old Lucas, who sat in the swing and ate his fists and his bib until his mom showed up to nurse him.  We never heard a peep from him as he watched the activity of the room with his big eyes.

At one point, while holding a screaming baby on my hip with one arm and sweeping oat circle cereals off the floor with the other, i thought, this, this is why i didn't have more kids.  Although i was laughing as i thought it.

As the morning went on, the fussing rose and fell, with a couple of occasional lulls.  Anther little guy who was mostly happy, sat in a high chair a good bit of the time, eating.  He had a voracious appetite, especially for banana.

The one whose cries were the longest and loudest was  Cole, and his screams didn't bother me a bit.  He's one for whom the whole church was praying last September when he was born, and he almost didn't make it.  For him to even be there, and screaming in my ear at that, was a good thing.

By the end of the morning, though, all of us were ready for the moms to come.  Of course, the ones who had been at it the longest and the loudest had the parents who came the latest.  Yep, i thought, they know their kids!  Again, i thought it with a laugh.

Taken altogether, though, it was a good day.  Watching the little just barely able to crawl girls play near each other and watch each other closely reminded me of a lot about babies that i have missed.

And no, i still don't want any more myself, or any grandbabies for a while, either.  We are holding out for them to be old enough to be settled and able to handle such things.  As i used to tell mine, until you have a decent job to support you and a ring on that finger, don't even think about bringing me a grandchild.

We will make do with the grandcats for now.

 
Today is

Be a Dork Day -- sponsored by Wellcat Holidays, which encourages you to wear goofy clothes and fall off a swing set today and be proud of Dorkiness

Birthday of Don Luis Muñoz Rivera / Munoz-Rivera Day -- Puerto Rico (obs.)

Central Maine Egg Festival -- Pittsfield, Maine (more fun with eggs than you ever thought you could have; through Saturday)

Cigarette Warning Day -- anniversary of the 1968 law passed in the US that requires health warnings on cigarette packaging

Feast of Rowana/Rauni -- Druid/Cornish/Flemish (rowan tree goddess; date approximate)

Festival of Castor and Pullox -- Ancient Roman Calendar every five years (celebrated with a cavalry and chariot procession)

Festival of Santa Rosalia -- Palermo; Sicily (remembrance of the Patron saint of the city on the date, in 1624, when she stopped the plague)

Global Hug Your Kids Day -- information here

Gorestnici -- Bulgaria (fire festival of 3 days duration, honoring the ancient belief that today and the next two are the 3 hottest days of the year)

Gummi Worm Day

Hakata Gion Yamagasa -- Kushida Shrine, Fukuoka, Japan (festival of floats, dates back to the 13th century, includes dousing teams carrying one ton floats with water as they race!)

Hundadagar -- Icelandic tradition, the "dog days" of summer begin, through Aug. 23

Ides of July -- Ancient Roman Calendar

I Love Horses Day -- all over the web with no specific reason given, but do you need a reason to celebrate horses?

National Get Out of the Doghouse Day -- the day to work out any troubles with people you care about, so that you "get out of the doghouse"

National Tapioca Pudding Day

No-Hitter Day -- George Bradley of the St. Louis Brown Stockings pitched the first officially recognized no-hitter in MLB against the Hartford Dark Blues on this date in 1876

Petal-Hopping for Beginners Day -- Fairy Calendar

President's Day -- Botswana

Respect Canada Day -- because Canada deserves it!

St. Bonaventure's Day (Patron against intestinal problems; of Bagnoregio, Italy; Cochiti Indian Pueblo; St. Bonaventure University, New York)

St. Swithin's Day -- Saint Swithin's Society Annual Celebration in Toronto, ON, Canada; the weather prognostication associated with this saint says if it rains today, it will rain for the next 40 days (Patron against drought; of Stavenger, England; Winchester, England)

St. Vladimir of Kiev's Day (Patron of converts, parents of large families, reformed and penitant murderers; Russia; Ukranian Catholic Diocese of Stamford, Connecticut; Winnipeg, Manitoba)

Sultan's Birthday -- Brunei Darussalam

Tisha B'Av -- Judaism (begins at sundown, through tomorrow; fast in remembrance of the destruction of the First Temple in 586BCE and the Second Temple in 79AD)

Umi No Hi -- Japan (Ocean Day / Marine Day)



Birthdays Today

Tanner Maguire, 1998
Emily Roeske, 1991
Brian Austin Green, 1973
Beth Stern, 1972
Forest Whitaker, 1961
Kim Alexis, 1960
Jesse Ventura, 1951
Linda Ronstadt, 1946
Jan-Michael Vincent, 1944
Alex Karras, 1935
Clive Cussler, 1931
Mother Fraqnces Xavier Cabrini, 1850
Thomas Bulfinch, 1796
Clement Clarke Moore, 1779
Rembrandt Van Rijn, 1606


Today in History

Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege, 1099
John Ball, a leader in the Peasants' Revolt, is hanged, 1381
Alexei Chirikov sights land and sends men ashore in a longboat, making them the first Europeans to visit Alaska, 1741
The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, 1799
Zebulon Pike begins an expedition from Fort Belle Fountaine to explore the west, 1806
Napoléon Bonaparte surrenders aboard HMS Bellerophon, 1815
A fire destroys the ancient Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, 1823
Georgia becomes the last of the former Confederate states to be readmitted to the Union, 1870
The stratovolcano Mount Bandai, Japan, erupts killing approximately 500 people, 1888
In Seattle, Washington, William Boeing and George Conrad Westervelt incorporate Pacific Aero Products (later renamed Boeing), 1916
Eighteen Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by thirty-four others, 1955
AOL Time Warner disbands Netscape Communications Corporation; the Mozilla Foundation is established on the same day, 2003