Heights (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy's Poetry Day, and Brian's Thankful Thursday

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A few days ago, our feline friend Purrseidon reported that cousin Winston, the dog, was found on the kitchen counter at his home; no one knew how he'd gotten up there, and he appeared to be afraid to get down.     

My explanation for the mystery is simple, and you can think of it in terms of the high dive board at the pool you faced as a young person, the one you climbed and were ready to jump off of, but once you got up there, you changed your mind.

If we use round numbers, and your eyes are five feet from the ground when you are standing, and the high dive board is a ten footer, when you look up from where you are standing, you are only looking up five feet to that board, which is not that far a distance in your mind.

When you climb the ten feet up, and your eyes are five feet above that, you are now looking down 15 feet to the pool below, which scares the bejabbers out of you and makes you climb right back down that ladder.

The same goes for what it looks like once you get up on the roof to clean the gutters, or if you are dog, what it looks like when you climb the kitchen counter.

Marvel no longer at the phenomenon, and please have someone spot you on the ladder, appearances are deceiving and you do not want to fall because it's farther than it looked at first glance.

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

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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.     

Spotted these wreaths on a fence just yesterday:

photo

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

Just call us Moe, Larry, and Curly,

'Cause they were like us, very squirrely.

We pull plenty of funny stunts

And yes, we are completely nuts.

It is our aim to entertain,

Of your bird feeder we're the bane.

We'll chew up stuff in your attic,

Make such noise and cause a panic.

Remember, though, we mean no real harm,

Just watch as we turn on the charm!

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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.  

We had a spare fan in the house, and i'm thankful because the one we use as a "white noise" machine to sleep with decided to quit on us yesterday.  Having a spare in the house meant not having to run right out and spend money on another.

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Today is:

Anniversary of the Elf Wars -- Fairy Calendar

Celtic Tree Month Luis (Rowan) begins

Errol Barrow Day -- Barbados

International Bon Jovi Day -- they released their first album this date in 1983

Lady of Altagracia Day -- Dominican Republic

National Hugging Day™ -- includes the announcements of the Most Huggable People of the Year

New England Clam Chowder Day

Quebec Flag Day -- Quebec, Canada

Squirrel Appreciation Day -- sponsored by Christy Hargrove of the Western North Carolina Nature Center

St. Agnes' Day (Patron of betrothed couples, bodily purity/chastity, crops, gardeners, Girl Scouts, girls, rape victims, virgins; the Colegio Capranica of Rome; Manresa, Spain; Rockville Centre, NY)

St. Meinrad of Einsiedeln's Day (Patron of hospitality; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Swabia, Germany)

Women's Healthy Weight Day -- on the Thursday of Healthy Weight Week, encouraging women to strive for a healthy weight and lifestyle   

Anniversary Today:

Kiwanis International is founded in Detroit, 1915

Birthdays Today:

Robby Benson, 1956

Geena Davis, 1956

Billy Ocean, 1960

Jill Eikenberry, 1947

Mac Davis, 1942

Placido Domingo, 1941

Jack Nicklaus, 1940

Wolfman Jack, 1939

Benny Hill, 1925

Telly Savalas, 1924

Benny Hill, 1924

Paul Scofield, 1922

Barney Clark, 1921

Karl Wallenda, 1905

Christian Dior, 1905

Roger Nash Baldwin, 1884

John M. Browning, 1855

Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, 1824

Ethan Allen, 1738

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"The Kid"(Film), 1921

"The Daily News"(first issue, edited by Charles Dickens), 1848

"Power of Sympathy"(publication date of WH Brown's novel, considered the first American novel), 1789

Today in History:

Philip II, Henry II, and Richard the Lionheart initiate the 3rd Crusade, 1189

The Swiss Anabaptist Movement is founded, 1525

The first American novel, WH Brown's "Power of Sympathy," is published, 1789

After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine, 1793

Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination is introduced, 1799

The envelope-folding machine is patented by Russell Hawes, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1853

The first US sewage disposal system that is separate from storm drains opens in Memphis, Tennessee, 1880

The first slalom ski race is run in Murren, Switzerland, 1922

The Flag of Quebec is adopted and flown for the first time over the National Assembly of Quebec, 1948

A B-52 bomber crashes near Thule Air Base, contaminating the area after its nuclear payload ruptures. One of the four bombs remains unaccounted for after the cleanup operation is complete, 1968

The current Emley Moor transmitting station, the tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, begins transmitting UHF broadcasts, 1971

Commercial service of Concorde begins with the London-Bahrain and Paris-Rio routes, 1976

Production of the iconic DeLorean DMC-12 sports car begins in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland, 1981

NASA's MER-A (the Mars Rover Spirit) ceases communication with mission control. The problem lies in the management of its flash memory and is fixed remotely from Eart, 2004

Black Monday in worldwide stock markets. FTSE 100 had its biggest ever one-day points fall, European stocks closed with their worst result since 11 September 2001, and Asian stocks drop as much as 14%, 2008

The Eyak language in Alaska becomes extinct as its last native speaker dies, 2008

LA Lakers forward Kobe Bryant becomes the youngest NBA player to reach 25,000 career points at 31 years, 151 days, beating Wilt Chamberlain by 35 days, 2010

Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh finally concedes office and leaves Gambia 2 months after losing the presidential election, 2018

The journal Nature Communications reports a study of the world's oldest known meteor impact from an estimated 2.2 billion years ago in Yarrububba, Western Australia, implicating the impact in the ending of an ice age at that time, 2020

Well, we got the A/C repaired...

...just in time to not need it.  The temperatures are down, and have been moderate for a while, and are expected to continue that way.

Winter is on its way, whether we want it or not.

Part of me does, because the heat can be oppressive.  Part of me doesn't, because cold causes pain.  Yesterday and the day before i went to babysit Gracie so her mom could attend to some things.  So i spent part of two days in their house, and both of them get hot very easily.  They keep their A/C on arctic blast.  It was so cold i had a coat, and used one of their blankets, and heated up water on the stove to have a glass of hot water to warm up, and i even had to step outdoors for a couple of minutes to thaw out.

It was a preview of what is to come, especially if this winter is as difficult as last winter.

In other fun happenings around here, i overheard part of a conversation between #1 Son and his friend Steve.

Steve:  Yes, I think iron is usually Fe3+, so putting tomato products in it will leach iron into the food.

#1 Son:  Steve, are you sciencing again?

Steve:  Yes, and I'm going to keep sciencing, especially since I want to build a solar powered water filtration system.  I've got to do more research on that, though.

After that, Steve turned to me as i was putting a cup of water into the microwave to get the inside all steamy so i could clean it out.

"You aren't using distilled water, are you?" he asked.

No, i assured him, i know better than that.

"Good," he said.  "They showed what happens on Mythbusters.  You should have seen the water explode out of the cup when they dropped a fork in it!"

Actually, i noted, i'm rather glad i didn't see it, and hope i won't see such a thing.

Sometimes these kids are so smart it's scary, and sometimes they do such dumb things it's scarier.  All i can do i pray and hope they live past the dumb stuff.


Today is:

Anniversary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation -- Slovakia

Buy A Doughnut Day -- any wonder who started this one? (insert eye-roll here)

Checklists Day -- prevent tragedy, create great checklists; in honor of the development of the first well known checklist following a B-17 prototype's crash due to pilot error

Create a Great Funeral Day -- don't make your family choose the plans in the midst of grief, plan your sending away party now, it's more fun when it's done -- in advance!

Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions -- most former Soviet Republics

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show -- Ft. Lauderdale, FL, US (hosted at the "Yachting Capital of the World"; through Monday)

Look in the Back of Your Refrigerator Day / Haunted Refrigerator Night (And hope the old hamburger isn't grazing on the moldy salad.)

Mischief Night, a/k/a Goosey Night, Devil's Night, Cabbage Night -- US

National Candy Corn Day

Practice Winter Snuggling Night -- when it gets really cold, you'll be glad you practiced

Punky Night -- Hinton St George, Somerset, England (a celebration for children and adults who carry candle-lit punkies -- the best one wins a prize -- made out of mangel-wurzels, a type of beet, and sing old punky songs asking for money or treats)

Pushkar Camel Fair -- Pushkar, India (for the camels, racing, fancy dress, changing owners, taking tourists on rides, and the chance to liven up this usually quiet town, and for the people, singing, dancing, exotic food, and watching the camels, as well as religious rituals at the time of the full moon; through Nov. 6)

St. Dorothy of Montau's Day (Patron of brides, difficult marriages, dying children, parents of large families, widows; Pomerania; Prussia)

St. Marcellus' Day  (as a Roman centurion who threw down his armor and refused to take part in pagan worship, he is Patron of conscientious objectors)

The Rhyne Toll -- Chetwode Manor, UK (through Nov 7) -- the Lord of the Manor may tax any cattle he finds on his Liberty (free pasture) on these days

Try on Your Halloween Costume Early Day -- to see how goofy you look, and make sure you have everything you need



Birthdays Today:

Nastia Liukin, 1989
Matthew Morrison, 1978
Gavin Rossdale, 1967
Diego Armando Maradona, 1960
Kevin Pollack, 1958
Charles Martin Smith, 1953
Harry Hamlin, 1951
Andrea Mitchell, 1946
Henry Winkler, 1945
Ed Lauter, 1940
Grace Slick, 1939
Claude Lelouch, 1937
Dick Gautier, 1937
Dick Vermeil, 1936
Robert Caro, 1935
Louis Malle, 1932
Ruth Gordon, 1896
Charles Atlas, 1893
Ezra Pound, 1885
William "Bull" Halsey, 1882
Emily Post, 1872
Alfred Sisley, 1839
Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1821
Richard Sheridan, 1751
John Adams, 1735


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Symphony No. 11 in G minor(Shostakovich Op. 103), 1957
"Panama Hattie"(Musical), 1940
"War of the Worlds"(Radio), 1938


Today in History:

Antioch surrenders to Rashidun Caliphate and his Muslim forces after the Battle of the Iron Bridge, 637
End of the 8th Crusade, 1270
King Henry VII, Tudor, crowned, 1485
Queen Isabella bans violence against Indians, 1503
The first Methodist church in the US is initiated (Wesley Chapel, NYC), 1768
Dr. Richard Gatling patents the machine gun, 1862
Founding of Helena, Montana (capital city), 1864
John Willis Menard, of Louisiana, becomes the first black elected to the US Congress (by special election, he was challenged by the loser, but was allowed to address Congress from the lectern), 1868
Daniel Cooper patents the time clock, 1894
Martha Hughes Cannon of Utah becomes the first woman US Senator, 1896
The first US Automobile Show opens in Madison Square Garden, NYC, 1900
Czar Nicholas II of Russia grants Russia's first constitution, creating a legislative assembly, 1905
Benito Mussolini is made Prime Minister of Italy, 1922
John Logie Baird creates Britain's first television transmitter, 1925
Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing anxiety in some of the audience in the United States, 1938
Anne Frank and sister Margot Frank are deported from Auschwitz to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 1944
Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signs a contract for the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the baseball color barrier, 1945
Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant in the United Kingdom at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, 1960
The Soviet Union detonates the hydrogen bomb Tsar Bomba over Novaya Zemlya; at 58 megatons of yield, it is still the largest explosive device ever detonated, nuclear or otherwise, 1961
The Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosporus for the first time, 1973
The Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman takes place in Kinshasa, Zaire, 1974
Prince Juan Carlos becomes Spain's acting head of state, taking over for the country's ailing dictator, Gen. Francisco Franco, 1975
In Japan, NEC releases the first 16-bit home entertainment system, the TurboGrafx-16, known as PC Engine, 1987
Quebec sovereignists narrowly lose a referendum for a mandate to negotiate independence from Canada (vote is 50.6% to 49.4%), 1995
The last Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) early time-sharing operating system is shut down at the Canadian Department of National Defense in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2000
George Lucas sells Lucasfilm, Ltd., to the Walt Disney Company, 2012