Plumbing Trouble for Wordless and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     Also, finally remembering to link up with Steve at BeThere2Day.

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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, the prompts are being provided by Lee at Kitchen Connection.   

The words this week are:

physical

partial

performance

melee

odyssey

amplify

and/or 

bearing

accomplish

deficient

hullabaloo

concrete 

cultural

Yesterday, i left the house as normal for Ms. RW’s house.

It was to be the last normal part of the day, although i am not sure why i say that.  After all, everything turning into a HULLABALOO is about average for us, isn’t it?  

Please don’t answer that.

Anyway, this ODYSSEY began innocently enough a few days ago with a call from Handyman Mike.  He is the saint who has managed to help us avert several near disasters.  He’d called to schedule our annual inspection of the generator, the PERFORMANCE of which, even as old as it is, we count on if the electricity goes out.

Sweetie has been noting that our water pressure at the kitchen sink has been DEFICIENT and leaves something to be desired.  This has not bothered me, but it was leaving him underwhelmed.

He decided to ask Handyman Mike, while he was here, to give it a look and see what he thought might be causing it.

Not a bad idea, right?  ACCOMPLISH getting two things done in one handyman visit.

If you think the answer is yes, you don’t know us very well yet.

Handyman Mike noted that the hoses carrying water to the sink were too small.  Upon beginning to take everything apart to replace that, he discovered that the faucet itself was no longer up to snuff due to PHYSICAL deterioration over time.

As all of this was going on at the house, Handyman Mike running out for a new faucet, i remained in blissful ignorance of all that was going on at home as i worked on Ms. RW’s house.

Somewhere in the comings and goings of Handyman Mike and his assistant, water began pouring out from under the sink, making me grateful we have a vinyl over CONCRETE floor, not wood.  In the ensuing MELEE, which included going for the spare work towels that are kept in the trunk of Lunceford the Land Yacht to help with the mess, Dansig got out of the door.  In trying to catch him, Sweetie thought Enigma SissyCat had also escaped.

Sweetie could not find her, and panicked.

He searched, Handyman Mike and his assistant worked on the mess and getting a faucet installed, and the small water heater that serves only the kitchen sink decided to AMPLIFY the difficulties.  The pressure valve decided to quit BEARING the pressure, and water began to pour out of the release valve's outdoor spigot. 

Handyman Mike did not realize right away this had happened, so he and his assistant, while trying to calm Sweetie and reassure him about the cat while getting the faucet on, prepared to leave for their next job.

The first thing i know about any of this is Sweetie calling and telling me he is coming to my worksite, and that when he gets there, he has news and i will need to drop everything and come to the car to talk to him.

Why not tell me over the phone?  The only thing i can figure is that it is a CULTURAL difference, as in he’s a dude and i am not.

He never checks the calendar that is huge and lives on the side of the fridge to see where i am, so he went to the wrong house.

He called to ask where i was, and i refused to tell him until he told me what in tarnation was going on, did someone die?  (This was not an idle question, as his biological sister’s husband did in fact die three days ago suddenly, we are all a bit shell shocked still.)

At that point, he told me about the cat, and the sink, and that his precious SissyCat was probably gone forever, and now he was back home and water was pouring out of a pipe coming out of the back of our house and flooding the back yard and what to do, his cat was gone!

First, i noted, let’s call Handyman Mike and find out where the water might be coming from, and go from there.

What about my cat! he was wailing, as i tried to reassure him that the cat had probably never gotten out to begin.  The assistant had seen Dansig run out and alerted Sweetie, but he swore SissyCat never set foot near the door, he never saw her the whole time he was there.

Handyman Mike, poor guy, fielded several calls as we tracked down what the trouble might be, finally deciding it was a bad release valve on the old water heater.  First he had me relate To Sweetie how to release the pressure and maybe get the valve to close.  No good.  We tried a couple of other things, nothing.

Turn off the water to the sink and it will stop was his final piece of advice, and he would come back the next morning with a new release valve for the water heater.

Now i have to hand it to Ms. RW.  When all of this was going on, me receiving and making call after call as i tried to do my work, she not only did not complain, she stopped and prayed with me.  It helped me release some of my pressure that i wanted to go smack some sense into my Sweetie!

Ms. RW began telling me i should go and get to the house and deal with all of the mess.  Not wanting to leave a job unfinished, i resisted until i only had one floor to mop and polish.  At that point, she took me by the arm, walked me to the door, handed me a check, and told me to go home.

Now do you see why i am PARTIAL to my clients and want to serve them well?

Home i went, and turned off the water to the sink, which Sweetie had no clue how to do, then i toggled the relief valve on the water heater and released the water faster, what was left of it.  The water ceased pouring out of the pipe at the back of the house.

Enigma SissyCat was still not to be found, so i walked to some areas outdoors where i thought she might hide, then betook myself to the bank and the pharmacy, as i could not put the errands off.  After all, everything at home was stable for the moment, except for the cat situation, and i was still not convinced she’d gotten out.

After getting back from the errands, during which i prayed and sang along to every praise song on the radio, and listened closely to a new one by Zack Williams that features Dolly Parton and being utterly enchanted by it, i walked in the house, said, Lord, if you want, you can find our cat, and at that exact moment Enigma SissyCat walked right past me. 

As suspected, the workmen in the house had sent her into hiding, and she had never left the premises.

Upon resigning ourselves to a night without water in the kitchen, Handyman Mike again proved his worth, coming back with his assistant and getting that valve replaced, which meant, after a bit of drying time, we were able to turn on the water.

Handyman Mike went home, we thought all was well.

Then i noticed the cabinet in which the water heater sits was not drying, and upon my drying it, more water pooled.

We washed the dishes, turned the water off, unplugged the water heater, and Handyman Mike will be back.  Stay tuned.

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Today is:

Be a Millionaire Day - now we all can go for that

Blue Jeans Day -- Levi Strauss and David Jacobs received the patent for their denim pants with riveted pockets on this day in 1873

Dainty-Four Remembrance Day  -- Fairy Calendar

Eliza Doolittle Day* -- in honor of Shaw and his famous fictional character, to encourage proper use of one's native language

Emancipation Day -- Florida, US

Emergency Medical Services for Children Day -- because children need different care, they aren't just tiny adults  

Festival of Mjollnir -- Ancient Norse Calendar (feast of Thor's Hammer, date approximate)

Flying Solo Day -- Lindberg began his historic flight on this day in 1927

Frigga Blot -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (honoring Frigga)    

Grudie Rosnoe -- Slavic Pagan/Asatru (ten days of sacrifices to Rod for rain and good harvests)

Independence Day -- East Timor(2002)

Hari Kebangkitan Nasional Indonesia -- Indonesia (Indonesian National Awakening Day)

Lailat al Kadr (Lailat al Qadr) -- Islam (Night of Destiny; began at sundown yesterday, through sundown tonight, although local observances may vary and governmental days off vary from country to country)

Mecklenburg Day -- North Carolina, US (commemoration of the signing of a declaration of independence from England by the citizens of Mecklenburg County on this day in 1775)

National Day -- Cameroon

National Quiche Lorraine Day

Norman Rockwell Day -- his first Saturday Evening Post cover appeared this day in 1916

Pick Strawberries Day

St. Bernadine of Siena's Day (Patron of advertising and advertisers, communications personnel, compulsive gamblers/gambling addicts, public relations work and personnel; Italy; Aquila, Italy; Capri, Italy; Castelspina, Italy; Trevignano, Italy; the diocese of San Bernardino, California; against compulsive gambling, chest, lung, and respiratory problems and hoarseness of the throat)

St. Ives' Day (an honest lawyer; in the Anglican tradition, Patron of abandoned children and orphans, advocates, canon lawyers, judges, lawyers, and notaries; in the Roman Catholic tradition, Patron of Saint Ives, Cambridgeshire, England)

T'veer Chong Kamhaeng -- Cambodia (Day of Remembrance, anniversary of Khmer Rouge regime takeover in 1975, a day to remember all who died at their hands and work for peace)

Weights and Measures Day / World Metrology Day -- anniversary of the treaty in 1875 which established the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Sevres, France

World Autoimmune Arthritis Day -- The International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis sponsors an online virtual convention in all time zones around the world 

*"One evening the King will say, "Oh, Liza, old thing,

I want all of England your praises to sing,

Next week on the twentieth of May,

I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day."

Birthdays Today:

Tahmoh Penikett, 1975

Tony Stewart, 1971

Tony Goldwyn, 1960

Bronson Pinchot, 1959

Ronald Prescott Reagan, 1958

David Paterson, 1954

Cher, 1946

Joe Cocker, 1944

Stan Mikita, 1940

Anthony Zerbe, 1936

George Gobel, 1919

Jimmy Stewart, 1908

Henri Julien Felix Rousseau, 1844

William Fargo, 1818

John Stuart Mill, 1806

Honore de Balzac, 1799

Dolly Madison, 1768

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Elegie für junge Liebende / Elegy for Young Lovers(Opera), 1961

Norman Rockwell's First Saturday Evening Post Cover, 1916

Today in History:

The first Ecumenical Council in the Christian Church, the Council of Nicea, opens, 325

An earthquake kills about 300,000 people in Syria and Antiochia, 526

John Cabot sets sail from Bristol, England, on his ship  Matthew looking for a route to the west, 1497

Cartographer  Abraham Ortelius issues the first modern atlas, 1570

Shakespeare's Sonnets  are first published in London, 1609

Napoleon Bonaparte reinstates slavery in the French colonies, revoking its abolition in the French Revolution, 1802

Otto is named the first modern king of Greece, 1835

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror with 134 men under John Franklin sail from the River Thames in England, beginning a disastrous expedition to find the Northwest Passage in which all hands are lost, 1845

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law, 1862

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets, 1873

The Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy is formed, 1882

Krakatoa begins to erupt (the volcano's final and most notable explosion will occur on August 26), 1883

The first public display of Thomas Edison's prototype kinetoscope, 1891

Cuba gains independence from the United States, 1902

The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting ("Boy with Baby Carriage"), 1916

Montreal, Quebec radio station XWA broadcasts the first regularly scheduled radio programming in North America, 1920

By the Treaty of Jedda, the United Kingdom recognizes the sovereignty of King Ibn Saud in the Kingdoms of Hejaz and Nejd, which later merge to become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 1927

At 07:52 Charles Lindbergh takes off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, on the world's first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean, 1927

Amelia Earhart takes off from Newfoundland to begin the world's first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean by a female pilot, 1932

In a referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1980

First publications of the discovery of the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the journal Science by Luc Montagnier and Robert Gallo individually, 1983

The Chinese authorities declare martial law in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations, setting the scene for the Tiananmen Square massacre, 1989

In a second referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a slight majority the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada, 1995

The independence of East Timor is recognized by Portugal, formally ending 23 years of Indonesian rule and 3 years of provisional UN administration (Portugal itself is the former colonizer of East Timor until 1976), 2002

Scientists at the Craig J. Venter Institute announce they have successfully created the world's first artificial lifeform by transplanting a synthesized genome into an existing cell, 2010

Some of the largest fines ever levied, totaling US$5.7bn, are handed out to the major world banks JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup, RBS, and USB, for manipulation of currency markets, 2015

And it was only Monday!

The week started again with us not knowing whether we were coming or going.

Little Girl had school as usual, and needed to be dropped off because her regular bus driver isn't back on duty and the others change the pick up time.  Then she has to be picked up at 1pm promptly.  Any student who finishes classes early and is dismissed has to leave the school property within five minutes or be considered a trespasser.  Yes, really.

Bigger Girl's phone had stopped receiving texts, and no wonder, it was her old flip phone with the cracked screen that the horse had stepped on.  It was astounding it worked at all.  Anyway, because she is out of town today, she wanted to upgrade the phone before she left and finally come into the smart phone age.  To do that, because the whole family is on one plan in my name, i'd have to meet with her to get it done.

Sweetie had work, and a deacon meeting at church for the evening.

As for me, i had work, and coordinating the A/C people and the plumbers, as well as getting to the bank to get cash for the plumbers and go to Sweetie's office to use his printer.  Our computers kill printers, we've never been able to get a computer in this house to accept and use a printer.  Each time we've tried, the printer prints out one page, then goes kablooey.  My theory is that our house wiring is allergic to printers.

The plan was for Sweetie to go to work as usual, me to take Little Girl to school, then come home and get a few chores done, then go to the bank, get up to his office, and get to work.

While i was at work, Sweetie would pick Little Girl up from school when he got off work  and get back to the house for the A/C people, who said it would be between 1-5pm, and i told them he would be home by 1:15 at the very outside, to which they agreed.

Then, after my work, i would call Bigger Girl and meet her at the phone store to upgrade her equipment.

Oh, and in all of this, i also fielded a call from the generator guy, who actually agreed to come today, although he offered an immediate appointment.  There wasn't a way to squeeze it all in!

It couldn't all go smoothly, of course, although it went as well as it could have.  

My errands took longer than i thought, and i didn't get to one of them.  Arriving at Sweetie's office, someone had messed with his computer that morning, and he wasn't there, so he had to talk me through getting it back up.  Then the first search engine wouldn't bring up what i wanted to print, so i had to use another.  Then the printer was out of paper, and i had to refill it for them.

The A/C people showed up an hour earlier than they said they would, and didn't call ahead as they said they would.  A panicked call to Sweetie sent him charging to the house.

Thank heaven Festus was here!  He was able to let them in, they called me and i told them what was happening, and they worked on it and Sweetie showed up to let them know it was fine for Festus to sign the invoice.  He then left to go get Little Girl.  The A/C work was under warranty, since it was the same problem as last month, so we didn't owe anything.

 When i got done with work, i called Bigger Girl to get her to meet me at the phone place.  She said she was on her way, so i got there and waited, and waited, and waited.  She had squeezed an errand in that i didn't know about.  Thank heaven the nice sales guy was patient.  He was the same one who had gotten #1 Son's phone working, and so i asked specifically for him since that earlier visit hadn't resulted in us buying anything, though he did try hard to sell us TV, or an alarm system for the house, or a tablet.  This time, he was satisfied with a good purchase for the time spent with us.

About the time Sweetie left for the deacon meeting, i noted the water was turned off.  That meant either i didn't pay the bill, which is auto drafted, or the plumbers were here.  Sure enough, they had arrived with the water heater Sweetie had purchased two weeks before but that we'd never been able to coordinate the borrowing of a truck to pick up. Bless them, they included pick up and carting away the old one in their deal.

The old one was a bear to remove, and it didn't want to drain, it was so badly clogged with sediment.  They finally wrestled it into the downstairs shower stall and tilted it and let it go.  Then there was the difficulty with the pipes in the wall.  To get to that, they had to punch a wider hole in the wall.  They were concerned i would be upset by a hole in the wall.  As i told them, it's a laundry room, what difference does it make.

They were good, though, just over two hours of fighting and fussing and pulling and tugging and soldering later, we had a good hot water heater hooked up and the water was back on.

The deacon meeting went well, too.  It was Sweetie's night to give his testimony, and he told about how he and his brother were blinded within a few hours of birth by the excess oxygen they used to use in incubators.  Lots of premie babies from that era were blinded, and no doctor can explain why, six months later, at the exact same moment, both of them went from being blind to suddenly following a pen light the doctor was waving in front of them.

With that kind of blessing to remember in our lives, i guess these everyday aggravations like surly water heaters and early arrivals and printers out of paper just don't matter much, do they?

Today is

Be Kind to Humankind Week:  Touch a Heart Tuesday

Birthday of Horus -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Day of Songun -- North Korea

Discovery of the Runes/Odin's Ordeal ends -- Ancient Norse Calendar (date approximate)

Independence Day -- Uruguay(1825)

Kiss and Make Up Day -- a day begun by Jacqueline V. Milgate to encourage people to make amends and repair relationships if they need to

National Banana Split Day -- some sites have it as Aug. 10

National Park Service Day -- US (legislation creating the National Park Service was signed this day in 1916 by President Wilson)

National Second-Hand Wardrobe Day -- pull out the hand-me-downs or thrift store purchases and wear them with pride!

Opiconsivia -- Ancient Roman Calendar, Vestal Virgin Festival in honor of Ops

Rumpleskunkskin's Bride Escapes to Heewigoland Anniversary -- Fairy Calendar (Fairy celebration, Goblins get grumpy)

Soldier's Day -- Brazil

St. Genesius of Arles' Day (Patron of notaries, secretaries; against chilblains, scurf)

St. Genesius of Rome's Day (Patron of actors, attorneys, barristers, clowns, comedians, comediennes, comics, converts, dancers, epileptics, lawyers, musicians, printers, stenographers and torture victims)

St. Louis, King of France's Day (King Louis IX; Patron of barbers, bridegrooms, builders, button makers, construction workers, Crusaders, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, French monarchs, grooms, haberdashers, hairdressers, hair stylists, kings, masons, needle workers, parenthood, parents of large families, passementiers, prisoners, sculptors, sick people, soldiers, stone masons, stonecutters, tertiaries, trimming makers; Québec, Québec; Saint Louis, Missouri; Blois, France; Carthage, Tunisia; La Rochelle, France; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oran, Algeria; Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France; Saint Louis, Missouri;`Versailles, France; Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Louis; against the death of children)

Tvimanuor -- Traditional Icelandic Calendar (the name means "Double Month", and the origin is uncertain; perhaps because winter is coming and it's time to double up on the preparations)

Umhlanga -- Swaziland (Reed Dance for the Zulu King; a fascinating week long ritual with beautiful costumes, dancing and singing, culminating as well as in a speech in which the King addresses the people, on Aug. 31)

Whiskey Sour Day



Birthdays Today

Blake Lively, 1987
Rachel Bilson, 1981
Alexander Skarsgard, 1976
Claudia Schiffer, 1970
Rachael Ray, 1968
Albert Belle, 1966
Cornelius O’Landa Bennett, 1966
Blair Underwood, 1964
Joanne Whalley, 1964
Ally Walker, 1961
Billy Ray Cyrus, 1961
Tim Burton, 1958
Elvis Costello, 1954
Gene Simmons, 1949
John Savage, 1949
Martin Amis, 1949
Anne Archer, 1947
Anthony Heald, 1944
Frederick Forsyth, 1938
Regis Philbin, 1933
Tom Skerritt, 1933
Wayne Shorter, 1933
Sean Connery, 1930
Althea Gibson, 1927
Monty Hall, 1923
Leonard Bernstein, 1918
Walt Kelly, 1913
Ruby Keeler, 1909
Clara Bow, 1905
Hans Adolf Krebs, 1900
Ludwig II, "Mad King" of Bavaria, 1845
Francis Bret Harte, 1836
Allan Pinkerton, 1819
Ivan the Terrible, 1530


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"42nd Street"(Musical), 1980
The Wizard of Oz(Film), 1939


Today in History

The Council of Nicaea ends with the adoption of the Nicene Creed, 325
The Children's Crusaders under Nicholas reach Genoa, 1212
The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed, 1537
Galileo demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers, 1609
Hundreds of French settlers arrive in New Orleans, which had been founded only a few months before, marking its true beginnings as a city, not just an outpost, 1718
James Cook begins his first voyage, 1768
Alice Meynell becomes the first female jockey, in England, 1804
British forces destroy the Library of Congress, which then contained about 3,000 books, 1814
The New York Times perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax, 1835
Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim the English Channel unassisted, 1875
Kitasato Shibasaburo discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet, 1894
The United States National Park Service is created, 1916
Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly nonstop across the US, 1932
US Army officer and missionary John Birch is killed by the armed supporters of the Communist Party of China, considered by some as the first victim of the Cold War, 1945
Zimbabwe joins the United Nations, 1980
Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn, 1981
Tadeusz Mazowiecki is chosen as the first non-communist Prime Minister in Central and Eastern Europe, 1989
Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary, 1989
The Tli Cho land claims agreement is signed between the Dogrib First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchoko), 2003
Acting as a private citizen, former President Jimmy Carter travels to North Korea to negotiate the release of Aijalon Gomes, a U.S. citizen, 2010

Grease

Dansig is slowly recovering.  He will be in the vet hospital for a few more days while we see if he needs surgery.  He will be on an expensive diet for the rest of his life, and someone donated a bag of that kind of food to the shelter, and they don't use it, so they gave it to us.  It's enough for us to start with when he gets home.

The sump pump is probably down for the count, and we're not sure what we are going to do there.  Even if i go buy another, i'm not sure how to hook it up to the hose it needs to drain through.  The person who installed it could be called, but we will have to wait until we have the money to do that.

As for the A/C, i called the warranty company, and they passed our name on to a local contractor.  That contractor called me while i was at work Friday for a new client, Ms. R.  They said the soonest they could come was Monday.

Folks, we are facing 100+ degree F days here.  We've lived in this house during the summer without A/C before, it's an oven, and it's not easy or pleasant.  Heat illness happens.  The refrigerators can overheat in such temps.  We've survived a couple of summers with limited or no A/C and my heart and lungs cannot take that again.

When i asked if there was any way to get in an appointment Friday, i offered to pay a bit above what the warranty company has us put up as a co-pay.  (The warranty company has us pay a co-pay on the spot, but that's all we pay, they cover the rest, and at a reduced rate they've contracted with the service company.  The companies always put warranty work last, unless you sweeten the deal a bit, grease a palm or two.  It's still cheaper if you have to have major work done as the warranty company covers the largest portion of the charges.)

Bingo.  For $100 extra, they could come that same afternoon.  It would cost us more than that if we had to put everyone in a hotel for a weekend, which we probably would have to do if we had to go without A/C that long.

The nice lady assured me they would come by between 2-6pm.  That was fine, i said, because i figured i'd be home by then.

She called back at 11:20am, saying the techs were going past our area and this was the only time they'd have to stop.

A panic call to Bigger Girl, and she got her prepared to let them in, show them the thermostat, indoor, and outdoor units, and she even found the checkbook so she could pre-write the check.

Another panic call to Sweetie and he rushed home right after work to sign said check before running his errands.

By the time i got home at almost 3pm, the deed was done and the house was cooling off, which was a huge relief.  (The diagnosis was that it got stopped up again, and in trying to keep working anyway, had burned out two wires.)  That gave me just enough time to empty the dishwasher, feed KidaMosquito, and cram in a quick meal, before Little Girl and i headed out to the shelter for our Friday night cleaning/feeding/medicating of cats.

And they wonder why i spend most Saturdays trying to rest!

Today is

Anti-Bigot Day -- doesn't seem to be sponsored by any particular group, which is good on a day to practice tolerance of all

Bannack Days-- Bannack, MT, US (through tomorrow; explore the territorial capital now turned ghost town and celebrate the pioneer spirit)

Canada's Parks Day -- Canada (showcasing Canada's beautiful parks and historic sites, it's worth traveling to a park near you!)

Celebration of the Horse -- Charlotte's Saddlery, Houston, TX, US (in honor of the human/equine bond; through tomorrow)

Concours D'elegance -- Forest Grove, OR, US (one of the premier vintage auto shows in the US; through tomorrow)

Constitution Day -- Uruguay

Eid al Fitr -- Islam (celebration of the end of Ramadan; began sundown yesterday, runs through sundown on the 11th, although local dating and official government observances may vary)

La Festa del Redentore / Feast of the Redeemer -- Venice, Italy (procession of gondolas and other craft to commemorate the end of the epidemic of 1575; through tomorrow)

Lunch of the Forward Goblins -- Fairy Calendar (not surprisingly, attended by Fairies only)

Mandela Day -- UN

National Caviar Day -- no one knows how it started, but even The Russian Tea Room in New York has celebrated it for years and caviar importers know all about it; pair it with ice cold vodka or a Burgundian pinot or unoaked chardonnay, but never with champagne!

National Woodie Wagon Day -- paying homage today to this great American symbol of freedom and the casual lifestyle

Prince Lot Hula Festival -- Moanalua Gardens, Hawai'i

Rath Yatra & Bahuda Jatra-- Puri, India (the first is the Chariot Festival, pilgrims pull huge chariots across the city, and the second is 8 days later, the Return Festival; one of the most awaited Hindu festivals in the state and country)

Route 66 Summerfest -- Albuquerque, NM, US (a free celebration)

St. Theneva's Day (Patron of Glasgow, Scotland)

Toss Away the "Could Haves" and "Should Haves" Day -- write down all the "could have" and "should have" things in your life, then toss them in the trash! Resolve from this day to live in the present, not the past.

Vitulatio -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Vitula, goddess of exultation, joy, and life, is given the first fruits of the earth)

Wienermobile Day -- celebrating the creation, in 1936, of the now iconic vehicle by Oscar Mayer's nephew Carl

World Listening Day -- here for information http://www.worldlisteningproject.org/

Wrong Days in Wright, Minnesota -- in honor of "Wrong Way" Corrigan (through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

Timothy Verner Taylor marries The Lady Helen Windsor, 1992
Bobby Brown marries Whitney Houston, 1992


Birthdays Today

Chace Crawford, 1985
Priyanka Chopra, 1982
Kristin Bell, 1980
Vin Diesel, 1967
Elizabeth McGovern, 1961
Ricky Skaggs, 1954
Richard Branson, 1950
Steve Forbes, 1947
James Brolin, 1941
Martha Reeves, 1941
Joe Torre, 1940
Dion DiMucci, 1939
Paul Verhoeven, 1938
Hunter S. Thompson, 1937
Yevgeny Yevtushenko, 1932
Dick Button, 1929
Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 1929
John Glenn, 1921
Nelson Mandela, 1918
Harriet Nelson, 1914
Richard "Red" Skelton, 1913
Hume Cronyn, 1911
Clifford Odets, 1906
Samuel Ichiye Hayakawa, 1906
George "Machine Gun" Kelly, 1895
Charles E. "Chick" Evans, Jr., 1890
Vidkun Quisling, 1887
Margaret "Unsinkable Molly" Brown, 1867
William Makepeace Thackeray, 1811
Gilbert White, 1720
Robert Hooke, 1635


Today in History

A Roman army is defeated by raiding Gauls, leading to the subsequent sacking of Rome, BC390
The Great Fire of Rome begins in the merchant area of the city, 64
King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, banishing all Jews (numbering about 16,000) from England; this was Tisha B'Av on the Hebrew calendar, a day that commemorates many Jewish calamities, 1290
Matthew Flinders leaves England to circumnavigate and map Australia; it was he who gave the continent its name, 1801
The First Vatican Council decrees the dogma of papal infallibility, 1870
Britain introduced voting by secret ballot, 1872
Marie and Pierre Curie announce the discovery of a new element and propose to call it polonium, 1898
Adoph Hitler publishes Mein Kampf, 1925
The Intel Corporation is founded in Santa Clara, California, 1968
Nadia Comaneci became the first person in Olympic Games history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics  at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976
Beverly Lynn Burns becomes first female Boeing 747 airline captain, 1984
On the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills volcano erupts; over the course of several years, it devastates the island, destroying the capital and forcing most of the population to flee, 1995
Storms provoke severe flooding on the Saguenay River, beginning one of Quebec's costliest natural disasters ever, 1996
Phoenix, AZ, US, is hit by a dust storm of the kind known as a "haboob", 2011
King Jong-un, son of King Jong-il, is announced the official Supreme Leader of North Korea, 2012
The 'immediate and severe' fiscal emergency declared by the U.S. city San Bernardino, California, allows it to declare bankruptcy without negotiating with creditors, 2012
Investigators on the case of the October 2012 Kunsthal gallery theft of paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet, discover paint, canvas and nails in the oven of a woman whose son has been charged with the crime, 2013
Detroit, Michigan files the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, 2013