Six Sentence Story: Friends

"How are you going to address the situation with him?" her friend asked, gently but very, very firmly.

"I'm not," she almost whispered, refusing to look up and meet the other's eyes, knowing what she would see and not wanting to go into it all.

"If it were me in this situation, you wouldn't accept that from me, and I'm not going to accept it from you," her friend was not so gentle this time, her voice taking on a much rougher tinge.

"Listen, I know what it looks like, but everything really is all right, it's not what you think, and I don't need to talk about it right now."  Her tone dripped with desperation as she wanted to change the subject or be somewhere else, do anything but face the reality of what was going on in her life.

"It is what it looks like and you can only run and hide for so long, sooner or later it's going to catch up to you, and when it does, I'll be here."

Linking up with Uncharted Blog and Six Sentence Stories, where the cue is Address.

Today is:

Brown Bag-It Thursday -- it's cheaper and healthier, and you might like it enough to start a new habit!

Canadian Tulip Festival -- Ottawa, Canada (the largest tulip festival in the world; through the 23rd)

Day of Purification of All Things -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Fairy Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Royal Humans Disbanded -- Fairy Calendar (and don't ask how we blew it)

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 

Hug Your Cat Day -- another date given on many sites, and here's some advice about how to do it safely 

International CFS/ME Awareness Day -- bringing awareness about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

International Nurses Day -- birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale

Limerick Day -- birth anniversary of Edward Lear

National Nutty Fudge Day

Odometer Day -- actually first called a "roadometer", it measured wagon wheel revolutions, as 360 of them made a mile, and was invented and first used this day by William Clayton, Orson Pratt, and Appleton Milo Harmon, Mormon pioneers traveling to Utah in 1847

Olde May Day (Julian Calendar)

Pilgrimage to Fatima -- Fatima, Portugal (procession, mass, and etc. to commemorate the first appearance of the Virgin of the Rosary to the three shepherd children on this day in 1917)

Rotuma Day -- Rotuma, Fiji

Saint Andrew, the First Called Day -- Georgia

Snellman Day/Day of Finnish Identity -- Finland

St. Diomma of Kildimo's Day (Patron of Kildimo, County Limerick, Ireland)

St. Francis Patrizi's Day (Patron of reconciliations)

St. Pancras' Day (2nd Ice Saint; Patron of children, oaths, treaties; Albano, Italy; Iserlohn, Germany; Pontevico, Italy; Sestino, Italy; against cramps, false witness, headaches, and perjury)

Yom Ha'Atzmaut -- Israel (Independence Day; began sunset yesterday, through sunset today)



Anniversaries Today:

Mick Jagger marries Bianca De Macias, 1971
Eddie Fisher marries Elizabeth Taylor, 1959 
Coronation of George VI of England, 1937
Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia, 1743
National University of San Marcos is founded in Lima, Peru (oldest in the Americas), 1551
Jagiellonian University is fouded in Krakow, Poland (oldest in Poland), 1364
Richard I (Lionheart) of England marries Berengaria of Navarre, 1191


Birthdays Today:

Emily VanCamp, 1986
Cheryl Burke, 1984
Jason Biggs, 1978
MacKenzie Astin, 1973
Christian Campbell, 1972
Jamie Luner, 1971
Kim Fields, 1969
Tony Hawk, 1968
Stephen Baldwin, 1966
Emilio Estevez, 1962
Ving Rhames, 1961
Kim Greist, 1958
Bruce Boxleitner, 1951
Gabriel Byrne, 1950
Lindsay Crouse, 1948
Steve Winwood, 1948
Millie Perkins, 1938
George Carlin, 1937
Tom Snyder, 1936
Frank Stella, 1936
Burt Bacharach, 1929
Yogi Berra, 1925
Mary Kay Ash, 1918
Katharine Hepburn, 1907
Florence Nightingale, 1820
Edward Lear, 1812


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Lena Horne: The Lady And Her Music"(Musical revue), 1981
"Mary Had a Little Lamb"(Paul McCartney & Wings single release), 1972
"The Poisoned Kiss, or The Empress and the Necromancer"(Opera), 1936
The Symphony No. 1 in F minor(Shostakovich Op. 10), 1926
"L'elisir d'amore / The Elixir of Love"(Opera), 1832


Today in History:

Antipope  Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome, 1328
Rao Jodha, a Rajput chief  of to the Rathore clan, founds Jodhpur, India, 1459
Philip Lenzi places the first ice cream advertisement, in the NY Gazette, 1777
Society of St Tammany is formed by Revolutionary War soldiers; it later becomes an infamous group of NYC political bosses, 1789
The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15, 1870
US District Court Judge J. Dundy rules, in Standing Bear vs. George Crook, that Native Americans are persons within the meaning of the laws of the United States, 1879
Tunisia  becomes a French protectorate, 1881
In the North-West Rebellion, the four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian  government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat, 1885
Ten weeks after his abduction, the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey, 1932
Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin, 1941
A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada, 1958
West Germany and Israel establish diplomatic relations, 1965
The U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian forces in international waters, 1975
South Africa prisoner Nelson Mandela sees his wife for 1st time in 22 years, 1984
Amy Eilberg is ordained in New York as 1st woman Conservative rabbi, 1985
Fred Markham of the US becomes the first person to pedal a bike at 65mph unaided by wind, 1986
Ingrid Baeyens becomes the first Belgian woman to ascend Mount Everest, 1992
Russia and chechnya sign a peace agreement after 400 years of conflict, 1997
The Texas, US, legislature is brought to a standstill when 59 Democratic lawmakers go into hiding in a dispute with Republicans over redistricting, 2003
An 8.0 earthquake in southwest China kills more than 69,000 people, 2008
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the second-longest-reigning monarch in British history, 2011 

Dilemma

"Mom, I've got a problem," Bigger Girl said when she came downstairs the other morning.

What's up? i asked.

"Well, you remember my friend Sam?" she continued.

Yes, i remember, she's the third "Sam" we know.  Very friendly, always smiling.

"Not these days as much.  She's thinking of moving out with her boyfriend, because her home situation is getting so bad, and he hit her the other day."

She must not move out with him, i noted.  And she needs to call the police.

"Well, she can't call the police, she hit him back.  All of her friends have her on suicide watch now, and we just don't know what to do.  She can't continue to live at home, her mom is threatening not to drive her to work any more if she doesn't turn over more of her paycheck every month, and will throw her out if she loses her job, too.  So she's talking about moving in with her boyfriend just so she'll have a place.

"I've told her to just go couch surfing for a week or so until she can find a roommate, but other than that, what can we do?"

Couch surfing is fine in theory, i said, but that's a lot to ask of friends, she'd have to coordinate with them to get her to work and school.  Her best bet would be to find a roomie, someone else who's in college and just wants someone to split the rent, as fast as possible.  And it would need to be where she could take the bus to the college and her work.

"Yeah, that would be best, and I'll talk to her about it, and do you mind if I invite her to spend a night here?  At least that's one night where I wouldn't have to worry about her."

Sure you can.  And while you are at it, let her practice driving while you are in the neighborhood.  The faster she can get a license, the easier her life will be.

"Thanks mom!"

Other people's kids bring home a stray puppy that "followed me home!"  My kids bring home stray people, and there's no way i can say no.




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 -- i guess it means besides all the ones in my head

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)

Get Ready Day -- US (help your community, workplace, or school to get ready for disasters or emergencies)

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)

Kentucky Bourbon Festival -- Bardstown, KY, US (self explanatory; through Sunday)

Martyrs' Day -- Libya

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

National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day

National Guacamole Day -- ideas to celebrate

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 Teaching Assistants' Day -- UK https://www.teachingpersonnel.com/go/candidates/national-ta-day/

Opening of Parliament -- Netherlands (holiday in The Hague)related observance
     Prinsjesdag -- Netherlands  (technically translates "Prince's Day;" the day Parliament opens and the reigning sovereign, now King William-Alexander, gives the Speech from the Throne and the Minister of Finance proposes next year's budget)

Owain Glyndwr Day -- Wales

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" Winceslaus; 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  (Founded in 1977 by Christy Borgeld; if you have stepfamily you love, celebrate it wherever you live)

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

Hours and Hours

"Hi, mom!"  Bigger Girl has been mostly absent, between work and school, but her finals are over and she's actually coming home occasionally.

It's good to see you! i said.

"Guess what!  Vera helped me order a new computer, and for our $400 budget she got me a rebuilt Lenovo with a spare battery and a warranty!  And Miss Lizzie and I are going to take PepperJack to get his heartworm preventive shot on Saturday, and my friends are making a movie and because my summer semester is over I have time to help them!"

That's great, i said.  What's this movie about?

"It's going to be a horror flick, about a guy who is psychologically tormented by a monster that appears to him as dozens and dozens of women's hands reaching for him.  You know what that means, right?"

What? i asked.

"It means I need to get all of my female friends together so that we can film the scenes where he sees the hands!  They need all my friends, as many as we can get together."

That ought to be interesting, will you bribe them all to come? i asked.

"Yes, I'll feed them, and that will get them!  It's an advantage to have starving college students as friends!"

Not all of them are students, though, i noted.

"No, but close enough, all in that age.  Oh, and Miss Lizzie has loaned Vera an air mattress so she won't have to sleep on the hard cot that hurts her back so much!  She says that as soon as her veterans disability comes through, she wants to buy a bed.  She is only 24 and walks with a cane, she really needs a good bed.  And rehab for her knee so she can get trained as a mechanic.  She doesn't want to stay on disability long, just long enough to recover and get training so she can work."

That's the best way, i noted, then added, So, now that your summer class is over, what are your plans?

"Well, work each day for a couple of more weeks, but other than that, I'm free!  I have hours and hours each day to just do what I want!  Oh, and I want to spend some of those hours doing the chores I haven't been getting to while i've been working and studying."

Sounds great, i said.

"Hours and hours!" she was gloating as she wandered upstairs.

She's going to enjoy them.




Today is

Always Live Better Than Yesterday Day

Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival -- Davenport, IA, US (fifteen bands at 3 venues and a great time for all; through Sunday)

Blessing of the Waters -- Whitstable, Kent, England (ceremony dating back to 1657, this event is held to appease the cruel seas and give thanks for its bounty; held during the community's annual Oyster Festival)

Brat Days -- Sheboygan, WI, US (celebrating bratwurst and more; through Sunday)

Cotton Candy Day

Emancipation Day -- Bermuda (first day of the Cup Match)

Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola -- (Founder of the Jesuits, especially revered in Spain; Patron of retreats, soldiers, and the Society of Jesus which he founded; Basque country; Bilbao, Spain; Bizkaia, Spain; Gipuzkoa, Spain; Guipuscoa, Spain; Guipúzcoa, Spain; Spiritual Exercises (by Pope Pius XI); Vizcaya, Spain)

First Sermon of Lord Buddha -- Bhutan

Hachinohe Sansha Taisai -- Hachinohe City, Japan (one of the most elaborate neputa festivals, through Aug. 4)

International Ranger Day -- the International Ranger Federation wants us to honor wildlife rangers around the world, and remember those killed in the line of duty

Jump for Jellybeans Day

Ka Hae Hawai'i Day -- Hawai'i (State Flag Day)

Lammas Eve / Lughnassad Eve

Lithasblot -- Norse harvest festival with a "blot", or offering, to the gods, celebrated through tomorrow

Loki and Sigyn's Day - Asatru / Norse Pagan (aka Devoted Couples Day)

Make Homemade Ice Cream and Invite the Neighbors Over Day -- summer's almost over, make the most of the days we have left!

Moby Dick Marathon -- aboard the last US wooden whaler, the Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT, US (through tomorrow, from noon to noon, a marathon reading of Moby Dick in honor of Melville's birthday)

Mountain Dance and Folk Festival -- Asheville, NC, US (celebrating the cultural heritage of the southern Appalachian Mountains; through Saturday)

Mutts' Day -- because mutts deserve a day as much as purebreds do!

National Chili Dog Day

National Raspberry Cake Day

Rockhound Gemboree -- Bancroft, ON, Canada (expeditions to prime mineral locations as well as dealers, demonstrations, swapping, and the chance for rockhounds to have a great time; through Sunday)

Satchmo Summerfest -- New Orleans, LA, US (because one jazz festival in this city is never enough; through Sunday)

St. Germanus' Day (Patron of Auxerre, France)

St. Joseph of Arimathea's Day -- Eastern Orthodox Church (Patron of funeral directors)

Uncommon Instruments Day -- go find a few new musical instruments you didn't know about, you might become a fan


Birthdays Today

Eric Lively, 1981
Dean Cain, 1966
J.K. Rowling, 1965
Jim Corr, 1964
Wesley Snipes, 1962
Bill Berry, 1958
Michael Biehn, 1956
Barry Van Dyke, 1951
Evonne Goolagong, 1951
Gary Lewis, 1946
Geraldine Chaplin, 1944
Susan Flannery, 1943
France Nuyen, 1939
Ted Cassidy, 1932
Don Murray, 1929
Curt Gowdy, 1919
Milton Friedman, 1912


Debuting/Premiering Today:

The Living Daylights(Film), 1987
"The Shadow"(Radio), 1930


Today in History

Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide, BC30
The oldest recorded eruption of Mt. Fuji, 781
Thessalonica falls to the Arabs, who destroy the city, 904
The Jews are expelled from Spain when the Alhambra Decree takes effect, 1492
On his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus
becomes the first European to discover the island of Trinidad, 1498
Aurangzeb is proclaimed Moghul emperor of India, 1658
The Treaty of Breda ends the Second Anglo-Dutch War, 1667
Daniel Defoe is placed in a pillory for the crime of seditious libel after publishing a politically satirical pamphlet, but is pelted with flowers, 1703
The U.S. Second Continental Congress passes a resolution that the services of Marquis de Lafayette  "be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States," 1777
First U.S. patent is issued to inventor Samuel Hopkins for a potash process, 1790
Christchurch, New Zealand is chartered as a city, 1856
The first narrow gauge mainline railway in the world opens at Grandchester, Australia, 1865
The radio mystery program The Shadow is aired for the first time, 1930
Archaeologists discover engraved gold and silver plates from King Darius in Persepolis, 1938
First ascent of K2, by an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, 1954
At Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, the first All-Star Game tie in major league baseball history occurs when the game is stopped in the 9th inning because of rain, 1961
The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the Royal Navy, 1970
Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover, 1971
NASA releases the famous Face on Mars photo, 1976
A rare, class F4 tornado rips through Edmonton, Alberta, killing 27 people and causing $330 million in damage, 1987
Georgia joins the United Nations, 1992
Fidel Castro hands over power temporarily to brother Raúl Castro, 2006
Operation Banner, the presence of the British Army in Northern Ireland, and the longest-running British Army operation ever, comes to an end, 2007
U.S. Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps wins a record 19th Olympic medal, with gold in the 4x200metres freestyle relay, 2012

Catching the Moment

Weird dreams don't usually wake me up, but i had a doozy.  A group had figured out how to steal people's computer passwords, and i had figured out how to stop them.  Apparently while i was calling attention to the authorities in my dreams, i was also thrashing around and Sweetie woke me up.  That was 3am, and that was all the sleep i got.

My sunrise walk was the cloudiest yet, but still pretty.  We spent our morning swimming and playing and doing the laundry and running the dishwasher and running up and down and everywhere around.  By about noon, i rounded up everyone who wanted to go to the Naval Air Museum, and away we went.

Going aboard the Navy Base is always interesting, and on this day they had some kind of an event that had just ended, and the Museum was very crowded.  We had a blast, especially Dre.  His father had been more than happy to send the kids to the museum so he could have some time off, so while Bryn and Little Girl wandered to see what they wanted, occasionally meeting up with #2 Son and Bigger Girl, Dre and i played.

He is a hands on kid.  Everything he could climb into, he did.  Everything he could go up the stairs to get closer to, he did.  Everything you are allowed to touch or mess with, he did so.  When we got to the exhibit that shows a typical town during WWII, and i told him that this was what things looked like when Doc and Miss Prissy were very young, he was fascinated.  He ran me all over that place for a couple of hours, and we had so much fun.

When we had all seen everything we really wanted to see, the girls headed out to do a few things on their own, and i took the boys back with me.  Dre was ravenous, so i fed him chips and a corn dog and candy.  He asked if he could eat the candy first.  Not a problem, i told him, you aren't my kid, i get to spoil you!  Ah, the fun of being the aunt.

After i took him back to his dad at the pool, i got back upstairs to find a pink flamingo in my bed.  Her name is George, i was told by Bigger Girl, and she is mine.  For many year's i've threatened to get a pink flamingo and take pictures of it all over whenever we go on vacation, and now i can actually do it!

By evening, i was tired of chores and running up and down with everyone and all of the crazy mess that is our vacation, and i really wanted a "piece of quiet" as Dolly from The Family Circus always says.  So i sent a text message to Di that read:  Help -- i'm being held captive by a family that can't fend for themselves for more than five minutes!  She texted me back inviting me to go visit her place, and as soon as i could get away, i took her up on the offer.

Her directions were interesting.  Get on the island and take a right, then there will be a stop sign after a while and take another right, and then a right at the fire station, and when you get there call me and i'll walk down to the road to meet you.  Reminded me of the people who tell you to turn by the old tree that used to be at Such-and-Such road, you know the one.  Anyway, i managed to find it (it's not that big an island, i think you would drive around in a circle and eventually get back where you started anyway) and i got to see the house she is house sitting.

Also, i got to meet the dogs, Lulu, the geriatric Golden Lab that lives there full time, and the dogs that belong to the girl she nannies, the mutt Doodle, and The Terrorist Terrier, a Yorkie who actually adores children (most of them don't).  All three are friendly, and somewhat crazy.  We had to walk next door to get them when they decided that children next door meant it was time to go visit, and Di says she spends a lot of time bathing them because they play in the sand and won't stay out of the water.  The vegetation around there is not lawns, not on the beaches, but it is tall, taller than the Terrorist Terrier who disappears into it, then pops up to see the lay of the land, runs a ways further, then pops up again to have a look see, looking for all the world like a rabbit hopping up from behind bushes.

Di and I sat on the porch and talked "of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings."  Well, kings anyway, specifically Crusades, and Richard the Lionheart, and how history is written by the winners.  We discussed families and friends and ideas and events and watched as the light faded from the sky.

It's that moment you never catch.  You look up, and there is light, and the sun is going down, or it has but there is still that glow and color, and the next moment, after you've looked down and looked back up, the dusk is gone and the stars are out.

Same with good times with friends, or with an eight year old nephew, or with a daughter whose sense of humor provides you with a pink flamingo named George.  You enjoy the times, and wish they could last forever.  All you can hope to do, really, is catch the moment.



Today is:

Bonza Bottler Day

Chicago Blues Festival -- Chicago, IL, US (the largest free blues festival in the world; through Sunday)

Curwood Festival -- Owosso, MI, US (over 40 events commemorate the life and work of James Oliver Curwood, the Owosso-born author and conservationist; through Sunday)

D-Day -- 69th Anniversary

Drive-In Movie Day*

Fardagar -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (time when farm workers moved from one farm to another, the time to settle debts, and until the 20th-Century, the day to start the fiscal year; always the Thursday through Sunday of the 7th week of summer)

Helicopter Day -- the first one was tested in Berlin on this day in 1936

Hyun Choong Il -- South Korea (Memorial Day)

Judgement Day -- Fairy Calendar (Petal Hats)

June Bug Days -- Baldwin, WI, US (music, tractor pull, free outdoor movie night, and more; through Sunday)

National Applesauce Cake Day

Nationaldagen -- Sweden (National Day)

National Gardening Exercise Day -- because gardening is good for the body and soul

National Huntington's Disease Awareness Day -- US

National Yo-Yo Day -- Donald F. Duncan, Sr.'s, birth anniversary; go get out your old Duncan and see if you still remember how to go around the world (but not near Great Aunt Mabel's antique lamp she left you, please)

Shelburne County Lobster Festival -- Shelburne County, NS, Canada (celebrating the Lobster Capital of Canada; through Sunday)

Shirane Takogassen -- along the Nakanokuchi river bank in Shirone, Japan (kite flying and kite fighting; through the 10th)

Stevenson Depot Days -- Stevenson, AL, US (bringing back the days when the Iron Horse of the Rails was king of transportation; through Sunday)

St. Norbert of Xanten's Day (Patron of peace; Bohemia; Madgeburg, Germany; against birth complications)

Superman Celebration -- Metropolis, IL, US (only in Metropolis, right? through Sunday)

Teachers' Day -- Bolivia

Winnipeg International Children's Festival -- The Forks, Winnipeg, MB, CA (a premier family festival with incomparable entertainment and activities; through Sunday)


Birthdays Today:

Staci Keanan, 1975
Max Casella, 1967
Ena, 1966
Bjorn Borg, 1956
Sandra Bernhard, 1955
Harvey Fierstein, 1952
Robert Englund, 1947
Gary U.S. Bonds, 1939
Thomas Mann, 1875
Nathan Hale, 1755


Today in History:

Twenty-four wagonloads of Talmudic books are burned in Paris, 1242
The Qing Dynasty Manchu forces led by the Shunzhi Emperor capture Beijing during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty; the Manchus would rule China until 1912 when the Republic of China is established, 1644
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, opens as the world's first university  museum, 1683
A devastating fire destroys one-third of Moscow, including 18,000 homes, 1752
Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte is crowned King of Spain, 1808
The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London, 1844
More than 100,000 inhabitants of Bombay are killed as a cyclone in the Arabian Sea pushes huge waves into the harbour, 1882
The eruption of Novarupta in Alaska begins, the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, 1912
The Chrysler Corporation  is founded by Walter Percy Chrysler, 1925
*The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey, United States, 1933
A new Instrument of Government is promulgated making Sweden a parliamentary monarchy, 1974
Mongolia  holds its first direct presidential elections, 1993
A near-Earth asteroid estimated at 10 meters diameter explodes over the Mediterranean Sea between Greece and Libya with an estimated force slightly greater than the Nagasaki nuclear bomb, 2002
Tamil is established as a Classical Language in India, 2004

Water

Again, the house is taking on water because of the rain. This time, the rain has not been all that heavy. Yet we find ourselves using the shop vac to suck up the water every 15 minutes or so.

We came home to find it this way, home from the last co-op for the semester.

We also got here to find a friend on our doorstep asking for help, he has been laid off, and doesn't have the rent. We live month by month ourselves, but I could not turn him away.

He will be okay for a few days, and if he is willing to give away the puppy he just adopted, we have found him a room mate where his rent will be much cheaper.

It never rains but it pours.


Today is:

Astraea's Day -- Ancient Greek Calendar (goddess of justice)

Beach Day and Blessing of the Waters, Uruguay

Bodhi Day (Rohatsu) -- Buddhism

Feast of the Immaculate Conception -- Roman Catholic Holy Day of

Obligation

Israa W Miiraj (Night Journey)

National Brownie Day

Nightwatch Illumination Ceremony

Take It In the Ear Day

Winter Flowers Day


Birthdays Today:

Teri Hatcher, 1964
Kim Basinger, 1953
Sam Kinison, 1953
Gregg Allman, 1947
Jim Morrison, 1943
James Galway, 1939
David Carradine, 1936
Flip Wilson, 1933
Maximilian Schell, 1930
Sammy Davis, Jr. 1925
Richard Fleischer, 1916
Lee J. Cobb, 1911
James Thurber, 1894
Diego Rivera, 1886
Jean Sibelius, 1865
Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542


Today in History

Daitokuji temple, Rinzai line, established in Kyoto by Daito Kokushi, 1326
Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room, the second public library of Europe, 1609
The Mexican border town Ciudad Juárez is founded by Fray García de San Francisco, 1659
Vienna's Ring Theater is destroyed by fire, killing over 600, 1881
The American Federation of Labor is formed by 26 individual craft unions, and Samuel Gompers is elected its first president, 1886
The Japanese military police launch a violent suppression of the religious sect Oomoto, 1935
The Chinese Nationalist government moves from mainland China to Formosa, 1949