Nah, Not Today (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week and Poetry Monday, Station

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Awww Monday is hosted by Sandee at Comedy Plus.

Join us every Monday for Awww...Mondays.  Post a picture that makes you say Awww... and that's it.

Make sure you get the code from Sandee's site, linked above, and leave a link to your post so we can visit you.  What better way to start the week than with a smile!

Mr. Cal has ignored the squirrels we meet on our walks lately.

I think he's decided he can't get to them, so he just says, "Nah, not today."

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Sparks is the brainchild of Annie of McGuffy's Reader, who wanted us to post something positive and uplifting at the start of the week.  While she no longer blogs, i like to post an Inspiring Quote of the Week in her honor.     

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Our dear friend Diane is taking a break

accommodations we must make

we miss her poetry and wit

so carry on as Poetry Monday's a hit!

Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  Charlotte/Mother Owl and i are keeping it going while she takes a blog break, we hope temporarily.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let us know!

This week the theme is Station.                       

Every military member

will tell you, "I have been

at the best duty station

ever known to man."

They all tell you the same,

it's like they read the text,

the best was the one they came from

and the one they're going to next!

*******

When I need the bus,

the bus station's where it'll stop,

and trains stop at the train station

so aboard you can hop.

I have to head to work

each and every day,

there is my work station,

and what more need I say?

*******

Future themes are:

Mar. 3 Station (Today!)

Mar. 10 Ghost

Mar. 17 Steam

Mar. 24 Orange

Mar. 31 Turn

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It's If Pets Had Thumbs Day!  Because if you are going to imagine something silly today, it might as well be this; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays.

It's World Wildlife Day, as declared by the United Nations on the anniversary of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which was signed in 1973, to raise awareness of endangered animals and plants, and ways to fight against wildlife crime.

Thanks to Barb Kowalik and The Cat Blogosphere for the event badge.         

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Today is:

Bonza Bottler Day™

Casimir Pulaski Day -- Illinois, US (celebration of the Polish-American Revolutionary War Hero)

Celebrate Your Name Week -- Monday:  Fun Facts About Names Day, enjoy looking up things like, what is the name of the Monopoly dog, or do Ken and Barbie have last names

Day of Remembrance for Prince Igor -- Asatru/Slavic Pagan Calendar

Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day -- Guam (formerly Discovery Day / Magellan Day)

Great Lent begins-- Orthodox Christian (a/k/a Clean Monday, Ash Monday, Pure Monday, Monday of Lent, Shrove Monday, Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday, and (in Cypress) Green Monday)

Hamilton Lavity Stoutt Holiday -- British Virgin Islands (in lieu of Mar. 7)

Heart-Accelerating Sodium-Enriched Cold Cuts Day -- internet generated by someone who has no intention of letting anything healthy past his/her lips

Hina Matsuri -- Japan (Doll Festivals throughout the country, where women and girls dedicate dolls to shrines which are then floated out to sea to take away evil and sicknesses that afflict women)

I Want You to be Happy Day -- a day to devote some time to making someone else truly happy about something

International Irish Whiskey Day

International Omega-3 Awareness Day

Joshi-no-Sekku -- Shinto (festival to honor girls)

Labour Day -- WA, Australia (a/k/a Eight Hour Day)

Liberation Day/National Day -- Bulgaria

Lundi Gras -- Fat Monday, Carnival, one of the last to days to feast before the Lenten fast begins Wednesday

     Bolludagur -- Iceland (Bun Day, the children wake the parents with a "spanking" while calling for cream buns that will be eaten that day)

     Old Mask Parade -- Oranjestad, Aruba (with the Burning of the Momo tomorrow, marking the end of Carnival)

     Rosenmontag -- German-speaking Countries (Rose Monday, highlight of Karneval)

Martyr's Day -- Malawi

Mother's Day -- Georgia

National Anthem Day -- US (current US anthem adopted this date in 1931)

National Cold Cuts Day

National Mulled Wine Day

NEA's Read Across America Day -- on or near Dr. Seuss' birth anniversary; "Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat"

Peach Blossom Day - coincides with the start of the Peach Blossom Festival around this time of year in Hunan, China, where you celebrate the beauty of peach blossoms, and girls celebrate being girls

Sportsmen's Day -- Egypt

Stop Bad Service Day -- spread around the internet by someone who got lousy service

St Casimir' Eve / Kaziukas Fair -- Vilnius, Lithuania (traditional craft fair dates back to the 17th century, celebrating Lithuania's patron saint; through tomorrow)

St. Cunegunda's Day (Patron of Bamberg, Germany; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Poland)

St. Winnal's Day (First comes David, Next comes Chad, Then comes Winnal, roaring mad! -- Traditional English saying about the storminess of March 3; St. Winwaloe or Winnal was the Christianized version of the Teutonic Aegir, god of the sea and controller of weather)

Thanks to the Maple Festival -- Iroquois (date approximate, held when sap began flowing, usually early March)

Anniversaries Today:

Florida becomes the 27th US state, 1845

Colegio Militar of Portugal is founded, 1803

Birthdays Today:

Jessica Biel, 1982

David Faustino, 1974

Julie Bowen, 1970

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, 1962

Herschel Walker, 1962

Ira Glass, 1959

Miranda Richardson, 1958

Tim Kazurinsky, 1950

Caroline Lee Bouvier Radziwill, 1933

Doc Watson, 1923

Diana Barrymore, 1921

James Doohan, 1920

Jean Harlow, 1911

Matthew Bunker Ridgway, 1895

Norman Bethune, 1890

Alexander Graham Bell, 1847

George Pullman, 1831

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Moonlighting"(TV), 1985

"Goodtime Charley"(Musical), 1975

"The Lion in Winter"(Play), 1966

"Mr Wizard"(TV), 1951

"Juno and the Paycock"(Play), 1924

"Time Magazine", 1923

"Carmen"(Opera), 1875

"Symphony No. 3 in A minor(Scottish)"(Mendelssohn Op.56), 1842

"Symphony No. 101 in D major(The Clock)"(Haydn), 1794

Today in History:

The Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates the Principality of Wales into England, 1284

The Olympic Theatre, designed by Andrea Palladio, is inaugurated in Vicenza, 1585

The first amphibious landing of the United States Marine Corps begins the Battle of Nassau, 1776

The first US Jewish governor, David Emanuel, takes office in Georgia, 1801

The US declares war on Algeria for taking US prisoners and demanding tribute, 1815

The Missouri Compromise, an attempt to keep the US half Slave and half free, is passed by the US Congress, 1820

The Battle of Pelee Island takes place, Ontario, Canada, 1838

Tsar Alexander II emancipates the serfs of Russia, 1861

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, the founding member of the HSBC Group, opens, 1865

The first ever organized indoor game of ice hockey is played in Montreal, Canada as recorded in The Montreal Gazette, 1875

Georges Bizet's opera Carmen receives its première at the Opéra Comique in Paris, 1875

Bulgaria regains its independence from Ottoman Empire, 1878

Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood becomes the first female attorney to argue before the US Supreme Court, 1879

The US Geological Survey is created, 1879

Anne Sullivan arrives to begin teaching Helen Keller, 1887

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly, the Duma, 1905

Toronto's Dr Banting & Dr Best announce discovery of insulin, 1921

Time Magazine begins publication, 1923

The United States officially adopts The Star-Spangled Banner as its national anthem, 1931

Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia, 1938

In Mumbai, Mohandas Gandhi begins to fast in protest of the autocratic rule in India, 1939

Jackie Brenston, with Ike Turner and his band, records "Rocket 88", often cited as "the first rock and roll record", at Sam Phillips' recording studios in Memphis, Tennessee, 1951

An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, 1991

The tallest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere, Sky Tower in downtown Auckland, New Zealand, opens after two-and-a-half years of construction, 1997

Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favor of their country becoming a member of the United Nation, 2002

Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly an airplane non-stop around the world solo without refueling, 2005

A 2-year-old Mississippi girl born with HIV/AIDS is pronounced HIV negative after receiving treatment for the virus within 30 hours after her birth, 2013

The Dragon capsule from SpaceX successfully docks with the International Space Station during its demonstration run, 2019

Irishwomen Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamar, of Grafton Architecture, become the first women to share the Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2020

Great apes at the San Diego Zoo are given an experimental COVID-19 vaccine designed for animals after an earlier outbreak among them, 2021

Iowa's Caitlin Clark becomes the NCAA Division I all-time career scoring leader at 3,685 points and counting, surpassing "Pistol Pete" Maravich's career total of 3,667 points, 2024

Another One Hits the Line (Six Sentence Story), Good Fences, Sammy’s Poetry Day and Brian’s Thankful Thursday

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I'd just pulled up to Ms. G's house and was exiting the car when the neighbor pulled alongside and motioned he wanted to talk to me.

Through the rolled down window he asked, "Do you have power?"

I haven't been in the house yet, i told him, so i can't say for sure but probably not, as we can hear the generator is running.

He nodded, rolled up his window and drove off just as i saw Ms. G across the road, feeding the (already fixed) feral cats.

She was on her phone, as she very often is, telling someone, "Yeah, another tree rat suicided and I've called in the outage, it shouldn't be long."

This means another squirrel missed its jump and accidentally killed itself and blew out a transformer fuse, leaving a section with no power until the company can send a lineman, just another day in our tree dense, squirrel friendly neck of the woods.

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

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While Good Fences Around the World seems to have gone the way of the dodo bird, i still enjoy looking for and posting interesting fences, so i will!

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It's Angel Sammy's Poetry Day, but Angel Sammy's parents are out of town.  This week i am reprinting a photo prompt from Jan. 20, 2022, as it was one of my favorite prompts ever: 

   

May I Still Have This Dance?

I remember the first time I asked you, “May I have this dance?”

From the moment you were in my arms no other girl got a glance.

We twirled and spun the night away without another care,

Any guy who tried to cut in I warded off with a glare.

I remember the first time you asked me, “May I have this dance?”

At that moment you swept me off my feet, no other guy had a chance.

We danced and laughed and chatted the entire evening away,

And when I got home I told my mom, “I’ll marry him someday!”

I remember dancing at our wedding, you were the most beautiful bride!

I was nervous and humbled and a little scared and about to bust with pride.

The prettiest girl in the world, after all, had chosen to marry me,

I wanted to give the world to you and be the best that I could be.

When we danced that first dance at our wedding, I could hardly believe!

I was floating on air the whole day through, and when it was time to leave,

It was so exciting to start our new life in our own little two room flat.

We didn't need a fancy honeymoon, we had each other, that was that.

We've danced through job changes and kids and moves and more,

Good times and hard times have both come through our door.

With my girl at my side, dancing with me, I knew I could face anything,

We've weathered the storms together, all of what life can bring.

I've always felt like I could face anything, as long as I'm dancing with you,

When you ask for a dance and smile at me, I never can stay blue.

The good and the bad have happened, we've certainly had our share,

I knew we'd get through it together, as long as I know you care.

Now as we're getting older, I want to take every chance

To ask my beautiful bride, "May I still have this dance?"

Our future may hold surprises, we don't know how long it will be,

But every day is a beautiful one if you will dance with me.

We may not be spring chickens, but I think you are just grand!

There's no one I'd rather dance with, in this or any land.

Every day we have together, I want to make it the best,

Yes you may still have this dance, this day and all the rest!

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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.  https://brianshomeblog.com/

Today i am thankful Ms. G now has a generator.  An outage by squirrel used to mean no electricity in the house and no work.

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Today is:

Angam Day -- Nauru ("Day of Fulfillment"; a celebration of overcoming hardships)

Armed Forces Day -- Benin

Day of the Ancients -- Asatru/Pagan Slavic Calendar

Day of Mourning -- Libya

Exaltation of the Shellfish -- Pontevedra, Spain (can confirm they celebrate this each year, cannot find confirmation on this specific date)

Ludi Victoriae Sullanae -- Roman Empire (celebration of the victories of Lucius Cornelius Sulla, through Nov. 1)

Mule Day -- anniversary of the first importation of donkeys to the US, which George Washington used to breed the first mules in the Americas

National Chicken Fried Steak Day

National Day -- Austria

National Gospel Day -- Cook Islands

National Mincemeat Pie Day

Pretzel Day

Pumpkin Day -- time to get one for the 31st, if you haven't already

Punkie 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 punkie songs asking for money or treats)

St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki's Day (Patron of soldiers; Thessaloniki, Greece)

     Greek day to broach the wine barrels and taste the new season's wine in honor of this saint

Sts. Lucian and Marcian's Day (Patrons of converts, possessed people)

Workaholic Stop and Smell Something Day -- internet generated day to encourage workaholics to stop and consider what they might be missing

Worldwide Howl at the Moon Night -- some organizers even have howling parties

Anniversary Today:

Grand opening of the Erie Canal, 1825

Birthdays Today:

Sasha Cohen, 1984

Keith Urban, 1969

Tom Cavanagh, 1968

Natalie Merchant, 1963

Cary Elwes, 1962

Dylon McDermott, 1962

Jeff Probst, 1962

James Pickens, Jr., 1954

Lauren Tewes, 1954

Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1947

Pat Sajak, 1947

Jaclyn Smith, 1947

Ivan Reitman, 1946

Pat Conroy, 1945

Bob Hoskins, 1942

Jackie Coogan, 1914

Mahalia Jackson, 1911

Abby Greene Aldrich Rockefeller, 1874

Joseph Hansom, 1803

Georges Danton, 1759

Domenico Scarlatti, 1685

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"St. Elsewhere"(TV), 1982

Doonesbury(Comic strip), 1970

The Village Voice(newspaper, first issue), 1955

"Mourning Becomes Electra"(Play), 1931

Today in History:

Comet 55P/1366 U1 (Tempel-Tuttle) approaches 0.0229 AUs of Earth (2.1 million miles and 3.4 million kilometers)--marking the third closest approach of any comet to our planet in recorded history, 1366

First use of lead pencils, 1492

William Penn accepts the area around the Delaware River from the Duke of York, 1682

The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia, and the Minute Men begin to organize in the colonies, 1774

King George III goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorized a military response to quell the American Revolution, 1775

Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution, 1776

The first of the "Federalist Papers" are published, calling for ratification of the US Constitution, 1787

The French Directory, a five-man revolutionary government, is created, 1795

Hamilton Smith patents a rotary washing machine, 1858

Soccer football rules are standardized and rugby starts as a separate game, 1863

The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona, 1881

First use of a "getaway car" after a robbery in Paris, 1901

The first Soviet (worker's council) formed, St. Petersburg, Russia, 1905

Margaret Sanger arrested for the obscenity of advocating birth control, 1916

The Maharaja of Kashmir agrees to allow his kingdom to join India, 1947

Mother Teresa founds her Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, 1950

Pan American Airways makes the first commercial flight of the Boeing 707 from New York City to Paris, France, 1958

The world sees the far side of the Moon for the first time, in pictures taken earlier in the month by the Soviet Luna 3, 1959

The last natural case of smallpox is discovered in Merca district, Somalia, 1977

"Baby Fae," born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, receives a controversial heart transplant from a baboon, dies of kidney infection 21 days later, 1984

The Charlottetown Accord fails to win majority support in a Canada wide referendum, 1992

Jordan and Israel sign a peace treaty, 1994

Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament, 1999

The water level at Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest water control and utilization project, reaches full capacity, 2010

China blocks the New York Times from searches and social media in response to an investigation into Premier Wen Jiabao, 2012

The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as carcinogenic, 2015

Jacinda Adern is sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand, becoming the world’s youngest female head of government, 2017

NASA announces tests show there is more water on the Moon than was previously thought, in both sunlit and shadowed regions, 2020

The Varso Tower, a supertall skyscraper in Warsaw, Poland, is completed and becomes the tallest building in the European Union, at 310 meters, 2022