It's Been a Year! (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week and Poetry Monday, Big City

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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!

Some little Annie turned 1 yesterday.  We had a gathering at Grandma and Grandpa's on Saturday where she got to swim, yesterday she got taken out to dinner and to make her first Build-A-Bear.

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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 Big City.                       

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Be careful in the big city,

for while some parts are great,

it really can be a jungle out there,

with someone lion in wait!

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Go tour the big city, by all means,

take in all the sights and scenes,

but stand still for too long by a smidgeon,

you risk being taken for a statue by a pigeon!

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Future themes are:

September 8 Big City (Today!)

September 15 Tea Fusing

September 22 Kitchen

September 29 Snuggles

October 6 Water

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

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Today is:

Community Day -- AS, EX, Spain

Feast of Honor for Lada and Lela -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (harvest festival, a holiday of bread and farewell to summer)

Feast of 'Izzat(Might) -- Baha'i

Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin -- Catholic Christian; related observances

     Jum il-Vittorja -- Malta (Feast of Our Lady of Victories)

     Matki Boskiej Zielnej -- Poland (Feast of Greenery, also harvest celebration)

     Public Holiday -- Liechteinstein

     Virgen de la Victoria -- Spain

Independence Day -- Macedonia

International Literacy Day -- UN

Kosrae Liberation Day -- Micronesia

La Vierge de Meritxell -- Andorra (Feast of Our Lady of Meritxell, a National Day and official flag day)

National Date Nut Bread Day

Navy Day -- Pakistan

Pardon Me Day -- anniversary of the 1974 pardon of Nixon

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses Day

St. Adrian's Day (Patron of arms dealers, butchers, prison guards, soldiers; against plague)

St. Elizabeth's Day (Orthodox Churches; Mother of John the Baptist; Patron of expectant mothers; Fulda, Germany)

Wakes Monday -- Abbots Bromley, England; related festival

    Abbots Bromley Horn Dance -- Abbots Bromley, UK (a/k/a Antler Dance or Ceremony of the Deermen; uses deer horns from the 11th Century, and a traditional dance, tune, and circuit around the neighboring farms, and includes a fair)

World Physical Therapy Day    

Birthdays Today:

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 1981

Pink, 1979

David Arquette, 1971

Henry Thomas, 1971

Alan Feinstein, 1941

Frankie Avalon, 1940

Guitar Shorty, 1939

Patsy Cline, 1932

Peter Sellers, 1925

Sid Caesar, 1922

Claude Pepper, 1900

Antonin Leopold Dvorak, 1841

Richard I (Lionheart), 1157

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Oprah Winfrey Show"(TV), 1986

"Star Trek: The Animated Series"(TV), 1973

"Star Trek"(TV), 1966

"Tarzan"(TV), 1966

"That Girl"(TV), 1966

"F Troop"(TV), 1965

The Old Man and the Sea(Publication Date), 1952

"Blondie"(Comic strip debut), 1930

Today in History:

The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Boleslaus the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland, 1264

Michaelangelo's David is unveiled in Florence, 1504

St. Augustine, FL, becomes the first permanent European settlement of the New World, 1565

The US "Pledge of Allegiance" makes its first appearance in print, in the Youth's Companion, 1892

Galveston, TX, is struck by a hurricane and tidal surge that kill 6,000, 1900

First appearance of the comic strip "Blondie", 1930

3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape, 1930

The original Star Trek series premiers, 1966

The Beatles perform their new hit "Hey Jude" as their last live TV performance on the David Frost show, 1968

Chinese athlete Wang Junxia sets a new women's 10,000 m world record of 29:31.78, breaking the former record by 42 seconds, 1993

Two EMERCOM Il-76 aircraft land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America, 2005

Pakistan and India announce plans to mutually ease visa requirements, 2012

The government of Hong Kong backs down on plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes in schools after weeks of protests, 2012

A giraffe DNA study published in "Current Biology" reveals that there are 4 species not just 1, as previously assumed, 2016

NASA launches the Osiris-Rex probe to retrieve a rock sample from the 500m-wide Bennu asteroid, 2016

Archaeologists uncover more than 300 gold coins from the late imperial period from a theatre in Como, Italy, 2018

Europe's largest migrant camp, the Moria Refugee Camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, burns down leaving 13,000 without shelter, 2020

Queen Elizabeth II dies at Balmoral Castle after ruling for over 70 years, allowing her son Charles to become king, 2022

Pope Francis celebrates mass in the remote jungle town of Vanimo during his visit to Papua New Guinea, 2024

Birthdays, Anniversaries and Gel Pens, a Random and Happy Tuesday 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.  

There's funny stuff to share, and only some of it involves Carl.

First, it's #1 Son's birthday.  Not that this is funny in itself, but it gives me the opportunity to post funny birthday memes.

Of course, Carl did make life interesting yesterday, he always does.

He hadn't brought home his schedule, so i had no way of knowing, when i walked in and he was still asleep, if he was going to work and if so, what time.

Yes, it's important, i have to know how early to pack his ice vest and lunch, and whether or not he's going to sleep most of the day and i need to leave at least some of the bedding to his tender mercies when it comes time to wash the stuff.

By the time i realized he had laundry in both the washer and the dryer, and all of it smelled as if it had been properly washed, he'd gotten up to head for the sleep chair and told me yes, he had work, but later.  Now, sleep.

He did sleep, good and hard, for over an hour.

Meanwhile, i located all of his shoes, somehow.

Then i untangled this.

His ice vest, in such a knot there would have been no way to slip an ice pack in it.  I just unvelcroed the whole shebang and put it back together.

I also scoured the pantry for a lunch to pack.  It seems his mom hasn't gone shopping (his dad has felt too sick to go) and the pickings were slim, but he never goes hungry so i wasn't too worried, at least he had a sandwich.

When he finally got up and got his shower, he was very chatty.

"So, how are you, what's up with church?"

I tried to answer as best i could as i worked around him.  He wanted to tell me about the church he'd gone to the day before, ask about volunteer opportunities, and discuss the homeless people living behind a motel not far from his work.

He really had news, too.  A local volunteer group had found a stash of grocery carts while picking up trash in lots and on the sides of the road, and returned them to their rightful stores.  As a cart pusher at one of those stores, he was most grateful to have them back, they are always short on carts on busy days.

As he was telling me this, he was about to put the powder on his feet before putting on his shoes, and i suggested he do it on his rug instead of on the floor, as the spilled powder makes the floor slippery and i can easily vacuum the rug.

He tried, but as i told him after, the point is to sit back far enough on the rug that his feet are also over the rug.

He was mildly surprised by the idea, but agreed to try it next time.

Carl also informed me it was his work anniversary, he's been with "MallMart" for 16 years now, and i congratulated him.  He works hard, as long as he knows what's expected of him and can concentrate on it.

Once done at his place, i went to Ms. S across the street and found Mr. D had left for the casino.

"Park in his spot in the carport," she told me, "he won't be back early, he brought two cigars with him!"

I guess everyone has their own way of measuring time, right?  Although he did call before i was done and say he was on his way home.  "They took all my money so I might as well come home and take a nap!"

Another funny i haven't had a chance to share came from Ms. SE last Thursday.

You know you're a mom when you have to write the housekeeper a check with a pink gel pen because your children found your stash of regular pens.

For #1 Son, and anyone else who has a birthday today, some birthday funnies.

Have a blessed and beautiful day, everyone!

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Today is:

Ashura -- Islam (optional day of fasting that begins at sundown, local observances and national holidays may vary)

Atomic Bomb Day -- the first experimental bomb was set off today in 1945

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

Closet Space Appreciation Day -- if you have some, enjoy (we have tiny closets!)

Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; related observances (many noting her relationship to Carmen, ancient goddess of healing and midwifery)

     Fiesta of the Virgin of Carmen -- Santurtzi, Basque Region, Spain

     Lady of Carmen Day -- Chile 

     La Madonna della Carmine -- Naples, Italy (all of Italy, actually, but especially here)

     Virgen Del Carmen -- Cetano, Puerto Rico

Fresh Spinach Day -- yippee!

Global Hug Your Kids Day -- the person who started this no longer has a website or Facebook page, but the date is still noted on many holiday listing websites

Ice Cream Cone Day -- this is one of the many days people say the confection was invented, so why not?

LaPaz Day -- Bolivia

Manu'a Cession Day -- American Samoa

National Corn Fritters Day

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 Personal Chef Day -- some websites say Feb. 24, but since i'm not going to have one, you may celebrate it whichever you choose

Parking Meter Day -- the first parking meter was installed on this day in 1935 in Okalahoma City, OK

President's Day -- Botswana

Snake River Stampede -- Nampa, ID (the 109th year of one of the top 10 professional rodeo events in the nation; through Saturday)

St. Eustathius' Day

Talk to a Telemarketer Day -- only if i can mess with his/her mind in some way!

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

Anniversary Today:

Michael J. Fox marries Tracy Pollan, 1988

Birthdays Today

Mark Indelicato, 1994

Jayma Mays, 1979

Corey Feldman, 1971

Larry Sanger, 1968

Barry Sanders, 1968

Will Ferrell, 1967

Phoebe Cates, 1963

Michael Flatley, 1958

Stewart Copeland, 1952

Ruben Blades, 1948

Pinchas Zukerman, 1948

Bess Myerson, 1924

Ginger Rogers, 1911

"Miss Frances" Horwich, 1907

Barbara Stanwyck, 1907

Orville Reddenbacker, 1907

Roald Amundsen, 1872

Ida B. Wells, 1862

Mary Baker Eddy, 1821

Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1723

Andrea del Sarto, 1486

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Golden Horseshoe Revue"(Disneyland show), 1955

The Catcher in the Rye(Publication date), 1951

"Das Entfuhrung aus dem Serail"(Opera, Mozart K. 384), 1782

Today in History

The Islamic Calendar begins, 622

East-West Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian churches begin, 1054

The first banknotes in Europe are issued by the Swedish bank Stockholms Banco, 1661

Manchu Qing Dynasty naval forces under traitorous commander Shi Lang defeat the Kingdom of Tungning in the Battle of Penghu near the Pescadores Islands, 1683

Father Junipero Serra founds California's first mission, Mission San Diego de Alcalá. Over the following decades, it evolves into the city of San Diego, 1769

First performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Abduction from the Seraglio, 1782

The city of La Paz, in what is today Bolivia, declares its independence from the Spanish Crown, 1809

Emily Stowe becomes the first female physician licensed to practice medicine in Canada, 1880

The world's first parking meter is installed in the Oklahoma capital, Oklahoma City, 1935

The world's first nuclear weapon, the "atom bomb," is detonated in New Mexico, 1945

The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marks the first aircraft hijacking of a commercial plane, 1948

J.D. Salinger novel The Catcher in the Rye published by Little, Brown and Company, 1951

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closes its very last "Big Tent" show in Pittsburgh, due to changing economics all subsequent circus shows will be held in arenas, 1956

USS George Washington (SSBN-598) a modified Skipjack class submarine successfully test fires the first Ballistic missile while submerged, 1960

The Mont Blanc Tunnel linking France and Italy opens, 1965

Apollo 11, the first manned space mission to land on the Moon, is launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, 1969

Mahathir bin Mohamad becomes Malaysia's 4th Prime Minister; he will be in office 22 years, Asia's longest-serving political leader, 1981

Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collides with Jupiter (impacts continue until July 22), 1994

John F. Kennedy, Jr., piloting a Piper Saratoga aircraft, dies in a plane mishap over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, along with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette, 1999

Chicago's Millenium Park is opened to the public, 2004

The funeral for the final heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Otto von Habsburg, occurs in Vienna, attended by monarchs and members of the political elite, 2011

NASA's Dawn space probe enters orbit around the protoplanet Vesta, 2011

Scientists reveal the first close-up pictures of Pluto, sent by the New Horizons probe, 2015

The BBC announces that the first ever female Doctor Who will be played by Jodie Whittaker, 2017

Scientists at the Carnegie Institute for Science announce the discovery of 12 more moons orbiting Jupiter, bringing the total of Jupiter’s known moons to 79, 2018

The Persian Gulf International Airport on Iran’s southwestern coast registers a record high heat index of 152 degrees Fahrenheit (66.7 C) at 12:30 p.m., 2023