No More (Six Sentence Story), Mardi Gras Fence (Good Fences), Family Love (Sammy's Poetry Day) and Nap! (Brian's Thankful Thursday)

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"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Then why the big sigh when you sat down?"

"I'm just not sure I'm ready to face fish sticks for dinner, no matter how tight the budget is."

"I know it's not your favorite, that's why I only do it once a month, and no matter how much the kids love it, I promise once the budget loosens up I will not serve them to you ever again."

"That's something I'll be looking forward to not having!"

Linking up with Denise at Girlie On The Edge Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Face.      

     

(Sweetie didn't mind fish sticks about twice a year, but he ate them once a month until our food budget got to where i was able to eliminate them completely from his menu, and he has never missed them for a moment!)

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Gosia at Looking for Identity has taken over Good Fences, and it's now Good Fences Around The World.  Post a picture of a fence or gate, link back to her blog, and go visit other blogs to see what interesting fences there are out in this big world.      

Mardi Gras Fence:

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It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day!  This week's image and my poem:    

We'll say it in rhyme

It's group hug time!

Our family likes to spoon

Under sun or moon.

How we love our family

Every branch of the whole tree!

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Brian of Brian's Home hosts the Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.   It's time to share something for which i am thankful.  

Today i am thankful for a short but sweet nap yesterday, i really needed it.

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Today is:

Aldus Day -- death anniversary of Aldus Manutius, inventor of italics

Asahikawa Winter Festival -- Asahikawa, Japan (through the 11th)

Bob Marley Day / Reggae Day -- Jamaica (birth anniversary)

Calgary Boat and Sportsmen's Show -- Calgary, AB, Canada (through Sunday)

Desert Festival -- Jaisalmer, India (three days of local culture, contests, and fun)

Gamelia -- Ancient Greek Calendar (anniversary celebration of the marriage of Zeus and Hera; date approximate)

Hadaka Matsuri -- Inazawa Cho, Japan (thousands of loincloth-wearing men try to touch the closely guarded Shin-otoko [a man chosen, stripped naked, and shaved totally] as he is on his way to the shrine in the oldest "Naked Festival" in Japan, held every year since 767)

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation -- United Nations

Lame Duck Day -- US, on the anniversary of the passage of the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution; a day to recognize those whose tenure is running out

National Chopsticks Day

Oto Matsuri -- Shingu, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan (fire festival)

Pay-A-Compliment Day

Rubik-Cube Muddling Championships -- Fairy Calendar

Sami National Day -- Finland, Norway, Russian, and Sweden

St. Dorothy of Caesarea's Day (Patron of brewers, brides, florists, gardeners, midwives, newlyweds; Pescia, Italy)

St. Peter Baptist's Day (Patron of Caceres, Philippines; Japan)

Waitangi Day -- Maori, New Zealand and Niue (treaty with Britain, 1840; also considered National Day)

Anniversaries Today:

Accession of Queen Elizabeth II, 1952 (upon the death of her father, George VI)

Massachusetts becomes the 6th US State, 1788

The College of William and Mary in Virginia is founded by royal charter, 1693

Birthdays Today:

Axl Rose, 1962

Barry Miller, 1958

Kathy Najimy, 1957

Robert Townsend, 1957

Natalie Cole, 1950

Bob Marley, 1945

Michael Tucker, 1944

Fabian, 1943

Gayle Hunnicutt, 1943

Gigi Perreau, 1941

Tom Brokaw, 1940

Mike Farrell, 1939

Francois Truffant, 1932

Rip Torn, 1931

Mamie Van Doren, 1931

Zsa Zsa Gabor, 1919

Mary Leakey, 1913

Ronald Reagan, 1911

Babe Ruth, 1895

Aaron Burr, 1756

Nicolaus II Bernoulli, 1695

Chongzhen, Emperor of China, 1611

Christopher Marlowe, 1564

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Masque of Kings"(Play), 1936

"Rhenisch"(Schumann's 3rd Symphony), 1851

Today in History:

The United States signs its first treaty, in which France recognizes the US and promises aid, 1778

New Jersey issues the first US railroad charter to John Stevens, 1815

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles founds Singapore, 1819

The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society started a settlement in present-day Liberia, 1820

Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, establishing New Zealand as a British colony, 1840

Harper's Weekly publishes the first picture of Uncle Sam with chin whiskers, 1869

The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree, 1900

The Young Women's Hebrew Association organizes in NYC, 1902

The "Monopoly" board game goes on sale for the first time, 1935

Turkey holds its first election in which women can vote, 1935

K Elizabeth Ohi becomes the first Japanese-US female lawyer, 1937

Elizabeth II becomes the first Queen regnant of the United Kingdom and several other realms since Queen Victoria, upon the death of her father, George VI, 1952

Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments files the first patent for an integrated circuit, 1959

Justice Mary Gaudron is appointed to the High Court of Australia, the first woman to be appointed, 1987

The Round Table Talks start in Poland, thus marking the beginning of overthrow of communism in Eastern Europe, 1989

Russia captures Grozny, Chechnya, forcing the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria government into exile, 2000

A magnitude 8.0 earthquake causes significant damage to villages along the coast of the Solomon Islands, 2013

Qatar Airways achieves the longest-ever commercial flight in service when its B777 aircraft lands in Auckland after a 16 hour and 23 minutes flight from Doha, 2017

SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy, the world's most powerful rocket, 2018

According to research from RMIT University in Australia, honeybees are able to add and substract and understand concept of zero, the first invertebrates shown to demonstrate this capacity, 2019

Down Time

Ah, beautiful Saturday, and i am ready to call it a week and go take a nap.

My yearly sanity retreat was full to the brim of doings and late night talkings and early morning coffees and by Tuesday when Di and i headed home i was exhilarated and exhausted at the same time.  So we stopped at Ikea in Houston.  That's always a great way to spend a few hours, i now know.

She and i figured out we both want a house to decorate and an unlimited budget at Ikea with which to do it.  We also figured out that our dear friend Grace loves Ikea, and it's probably only just over an hour from her place to the one in Austin, which explains half of her kitchen and a good bit of the rest of her beautiful house.

On Wednesday, Di went back to the Mobile Bay area where she lives, and found her Small Bad Dog needed a bath and the knots combed out of her hair.  SBD was not appreciative of the attention, although she was pacified when Di put her dress on her.  Yes, SBD begs to be put in a dress, then runs around the house showing off to everyone how beautiful she is.  What can i say, she's a Yorkie.

Thursday i went back to work, and i now have two offices to clean back to back every other Thursday.  The new lady and i had played phone tag for almost 6 weeks, so i just went over there and cleaned her office and she's happy and it should work out quite well.

Fridays have gotten a bit more complicated, with two houses and the cat shelter and sometimes rEcess.  Yesterday i did Ms. J's house, and she forgot to leave me a check again.  She does that about every 3rd or 4th cleaning, and it makes grocery shopping difficult.

There is a home team football game tonight, and i'm not going.  This season, i just don't have any emotional energy to spend on that.  There's no way i can afford to let a bunch of 18- to 22-year-old kids and whether they win or lose control my weekend.  Not when we are still having A/C trouble and will continue to do so until the full cleaning next Friday, and we are facing the home equity loan needing to be paid off in December.

That nap is sounding better by the moment.



Today is:

Aloha Festivals Keiki Ho'olaule'a -- Oahu, Hawai'i, US (preserving Hawai'ian culture, with games, keiki activities, performances, and more)

America's Day For Kids -- sponsored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America 

Autumn Equinox Festival at Chichen Itza -- beginning today, thousands will gather for the amazing play of light and shadow each evening at sunset through the 27th)

Big Whopper Liar's Contest and Kunstfest -- New Harmony, IN, US (a German Festival, with traditional German foods, beer, and entertainment, plus the Big Whopper Liar's Contest, always a good time; through tomorrow)

Birthday of Crown Prince Tupouto'a 'Ulukalala -- Tonga

Citizenship Day -- US

Covered Bridge Festival -- Washington and Greene County, PA, US (arts, crafts, entertainment, and food at each of the 11 featured covered bridges; through tomorrow) 

Egremont Crab Fair and Gurning Championship -- Egremont, Cumberland, UK (ancient fair given a charter in 1267, includes throwing apples from a cart for children to catch; through tomorrow)

Eleven Days of Global Unity -- Day 7, Women (sponsored by We, the World)

Fall Migration Festival -- Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ, US (nature photography workshops, guided viewing of the abundant and diverse species here at this time, and more; through tomorrow)

Feast of Hathor -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Flax Scutching Festival -- Stahlstown, PA, US (through tomorrow; demonstrations of the tradition of making linen out of flax)

Fundacion de Melilla -- ML, Spain

German-American Steuben Parade/Von Steuben Day -- New York City, and other smaller parades in US

Giostra Della Quintana -- Foligno, Italy (revival of a 17th-century jousting tournament, with 600 knights in full armor; La Rivincita, "The Rematch")

Heritage Weekend -- Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center, Ashville, NC, US
     featuring the Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Championships today

Idaho Spud Day 2016 -- Idaho, US, wants the 3rd Saturday of September as a day to celebrate their favorite crop

International Coastal Cleanup -- join volunteers around the world in helping remove debris that harms marine life and ruins our oceans

International Country Music Day

International Eat An Apple Day -- a celebration of the fruit of the season, on the third Saturday of every September

Johnny Appleseed Festival -- Fort Wayne, IN, US (an 1800 style period festival; through tomorrow)

Levi Coffin Days -- Fountain City, IN, US (celebrating Levi Coffin, the "President of the Underground Railroad"; through tomorrow)

National Apple Dumpling Day

National Gymnastics Day -- US (sponsored by USA Gymnastics, and with its own web page here)     

National Heroes Day -- Angola

Niketeria -- Ancient Greek Calendar (date approximate)

Oktoberfest -- Germany (through Oct. 2)

Operation Market Garden Remembrance -- Netherlands

Peddler's Village Scarecrow Festival -- Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA, US (start celebrating the fall with scarecrow making, pumpkin-painting, and more; through tomorrow)

Responsible Dog Ownership Day -- sponsored by the AKC

Return of Kelp-Koli Celebration -- Fairy Calendar (under duress, of course)

Stigmata of St. Francis' Day

St. Hildegard von Bingen's Day (author of treatises on natural healing and the first musical composer whose biography is known)

St. Lambert's Day (Patron of Middelaar, Netherlands)

Time's Up Day -- created by Wellcat Holidays; time's up on holding that grudge, you need to make amends with people today, since you aren't guaranteed a tomorrow 

Trail of Courage Living History Festival -- Rochester, IN, US (frontier life in Indiana when it was Native territory; through tomorrow)

Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride® -- Bridgeport, AL to Waterloo, AL ( ride along part of the original Trail of Tears to honor the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole nations)

VFW Ladies Auxiliary Day -- anniversary of founding in 1914

Waikiki Ho'olaule'a -- Waikiki, Oahu, Hawai'i, US (a huge, fun street party, part of the larger Aloha Festivals celebrations all over the Islands, to showcase the culture and beauty of Hawai'i)

XTERRA Trail Run Nationals -- Ogden/Snowbasin, UT, US (finale of the series of extreme runs held across the country through the year, featuring 21k of extreme, off-road trail runs; through tomorrow)


Anniversary Today:

The Constitution of the United States is signed, 1787
American Professional Football League (later the NFL) founded (a/k/a the Swallowing Up of Weekends), 1920



Birthdays Today:

Chuck Liddell, 1969
Kyle Chandler, 1965
Rita Rudner, 1956
Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, 1951
John Ritter, 1948
David H. Souter, 1974
Ken Kesey, 1935
Maureen Conolly, 1934
Anne Bancroft, 1931
Roddy McDowall, 1928
George Blanda, 1927
Hank Williams Sr., 1923
Chaim Herzog, 1918
Warren E. Burger, 1907
Jerry Colonna, 1904
John Willard Marriot, 1900
Andrew "Rube" Foster, 1879
Baron Friedrich Von Steuben, 1730


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Home Improvement"(TV), 1991
"Head of the Class"(TV), 1986
"M*A*S*H"(TV), 1972
"McMillan and Wife"(TV), 1971
"Mission: Impossible"(TV), 1966
"Bewitched"(TV), 1964
"The Fugitive"(TV), 1963
"Car 54 Where are You?"(TV), 1961
"Outward Bound"(Play), 1923


Today in History:

The Battle of Thermopylae, fought between 300 Spartans, led by their king, Leonidas, and the Achaemenid Empire begins, BC480
Arabs conquer Alexandria, and destroy its library for the last time, 642
Netherland sailors discover Mauritus, 1598
Massachusetts Bay Colony gets a new charter, 1691
Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain, 1776
US Constitution is adopted by the Philadelphia convention, 1787
Sprinkler system for extinguishing fires is patented by Phillip W. Pratt, 1872
The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality, 1908
The first transcontinental airplane flight, from New York to Pasadena, is completed after 82 hours 4 minutes, 1911
The Okeechobee Hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing upwards 
of 2,500 people, the third deadliest natural disaster in United States history, behind the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, 1928
The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives, 1949
Television is first broadcast in Australia, 1956
Malaysia joins the United Nations, 1957
Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations, 1974
The first Space Shuttle, Enterprise, is unveiled by NASA, 1976
The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt, 1978
Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America, 1983
Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations, 1991
The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet, 1991
Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the long-dormant volcano in at least 10,000 years, 2006
A drill finally reaches the 33 Chilean miners trapped after the Aug. 5 Copiapo mining accident, 2010