Flutter, But Stop a Moment (Awww Monday), Inspiring Quote of the Week, and Poetry Monday

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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!

I asked the butterfly to flutter, but first to stop for a moment, and got these.

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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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Poetry Monday was started by Diane at On The Alberta/Montana Border.  Charlotte/Mother Owl participates, and now Karen at Baking in a Tornado is jumping in at least once a month, too.  Anyone else is welcome to join in the fun, just let Diane know!

This week the theme is Watermelon.                        

It was our favorite day

at summer camp every year,

when the trucks pulled in piled high

the whole place gave a cheer.

The pickup truck beds were packed

with watermelon in huge piles,

the counselors would start cutting,

and soon we were wearing sticky smiles.

*******

Eating watermelon

is delightful and peachy keen,

just remember you start on the red

and stop when you get to the green!

*******

My children loved watermelon,

and made such a sticky, sweet mess,

we had to make a rule about,

where to eat it and how to dress.

Whenever their father brought home

the delightfully messy fruit

they'd go outside by the garden hose

each clad in a bathing suit!

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Today is:

Basketball Day -- birth anniversary of James Naismith

Birth of Tiamat -- Ancient Babylonian Calendar (mother of gods, goddess of primeval chaos; date approximate)

Constitution Day -- Dominican Republic; Tajikistan; Tatarstan, Russian Federation

Electric Razor Day -- Jacob Schick patented the first electric razor on this day in 1937

Finnish Swedish Heritage Day -- Finland

Green March Day -- Morocco; Western Sahara

Gustavus Adolphus Day -- Sweden

Halfway Point of Autumn

International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict -- UN

International End Gossip Day -- the founder of this didn't want to be gossiped about, and left no trace

Job Action Day -- a day for workers and job seekers to put job or career in the forefront, make plans, and take action 

Marching Band Day -- birth anniversary of John Philip Sousa

Marooned Without A Compass Day -- internet generated; how's your sense of direction?

National Day -- Tonga(obs.)

National Nachos Day / I Love Nachos Day

Recreation Day -- Tasmania, Australia

Saxophone Day -- Adolphe Sax birth anniversary

St. Illtyd's Day (Abbot, reputed cousin of King Arthur)

St. Leonard's Day (Patron of barrel makers/coopers, blacksmiths, captives, childbirth, coal miners, coppersmiths, greengrocers, horses, imprisoned people, locksmiths, miners, porters, P.O.W.'s, prisoners; Castelmauro, Italy; Conegliano, Italy; Kirkop, Malta; against burglaries, robberies/robbers)

Traffic Director's Day -- Traffic Directors Guild of America (those who are Traffic Managers, Inventory Control Specialists, Revenue Managers, or many other terms in the broadcasting and mobile industries, including radio and TV traffic directors, who always schedule your favorite shows when you just can't watch, and put more and more commercials in when they can; on the Monday nearest the anniversary of the first commercial radio broadcast in Pittsburgh in 1922)     

Birthdays Today:

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Pat Tillman, 1976

Rebecca Romijn, 1972

Thandie Newton, 1972

Ethan Hawke, 1970

Kelly Rutherford, 1968

Lance Kerwin, 1960

Maria Shriver, 1955

Nigel Havers, 1949

Glenn Frey, 1948

Sally Field, 1946

Mike Nichols, 1931

Walter Perry Johnson, 1887

James Naismith, 1861

Ignace Paderewski, 1860

John Philip Sousa, 1854

Cesare Lombroso, 1835

Adolphe Sax, 1814

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Good Morning America"(TV), 1975

"The Phil Donahue Show"(TV), 1967

"Meet The Press"(TV), 1947

Today in History:

Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in Texas, 1528

Spain grants independence to the Dominican Republic, 1844

Scenes of Clerical Life, the first work of fiction by the author later known as George Eliot, is submitted for publication, 1856

Canada celebrates its first official, national Thanksgiving Day, 1879

Mohandas Gandhi is arrested while leading a march of Indian miners in South Africa, 1913

Colonel Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor, 1928

Edwin Armstrong presents his paper "A Method of Reducing Disturbances in Radio Signaling by a System of Frequency Modulation" to the New York section of the Institute of Radio Engineers (hello, FM radio!), 1935

Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for MONOPOLY from Elizabeth Magie, 1935

Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility, 1944

The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation, 1962

Cuba and the United States formally agree to begin an airlift for Cubans who want to go to the United States, 1965

Green March begins: 300,000 unarmed Moroccans converge on the southern city of Tarfaya and wait for a signal from King Hassan II of Morocco to cross into Western Sahara, 1975

Australians vote to keep the Head of the Commonwealth as their head of state in the Australian republic referendum, 1999

Sweibodzin, Poland announced the world's largest statue of Jesus, called Christ the King, has been completed, 2010

Tammy Duckworth becomes the first disabled woman and first person born in Thailand to be elected to US Congress, 2012

Officials crack down on foreigners working illegally in Saudi Arabia and over 16,000 are arrested, 2013

According to a UN report, ISIS left behind over 200 mass graves containing thousands of victims in the area they once controlled, 2018

According to a study of over 400 million records on Ancestry and published in the journal Genetics, less than 10% of human longevity is due to our genes, 2018

The US Powerball jackpot rises to a world record of $1.9bn, 2022

Bowling and Watermelon

Sweetie came in from work shaking his head, and said, "You aren't going to believe what's going on at work!"

At the moment, i thought better than to say that i would believe almost anything from the place where he words, and he continued on.

"The Big Boss has decided he needs to work on morale, so guess what we are going to do one day this week?"

When i couldn't for the life of me guess, he said, "We get to go bowling!"

Really?

"Yes!  They are paying for everything, and we even get to eat there, all we want.  Can you believe this?  I'm not sure what's gotten into him."

So, will you be bowling? i asked, hoping not.  His thumb is not quite healed up, and if he reinjures it he might never be able to play guitar correctly again.

"Are you crazy?  Of course not!" he said.  "No, but since I know how, and was pretty good at it once upon a time, I get to coach some of the younger ones who have never bowled before.  And get this!  He's set it up as a tournament, with teams and everything!"

It ought to be interesting, i noted.

"Interesting!  It's going to be a scream, watching these people trying to bowl.  And that's not the only crazy thing that happened today, either?"

It gets better? i asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it gets better.  Keith, who lives near The Big Boss' farm and keeps an eye on it for him, showed up today with his truck full of watermelons!  Big 40-50 pounders, and he decided to bring them to us.  The Big Boss told me to take 4 of them to his house, and the rest of us had a raffle!"

A raffle? i said, rather blankly.

"Yes, he had about 32 of them after I took four to The Big Boss' house, so all of us put our names in a hat and he raffled off the rest of them.  I have ours in the car!"

Well, that is a funny day, isn't it?

"That's not the best part!" he continued.  "The people at the Hotel wanted to bring theirs from the Museum over to the Hotel, so they brought over a luggage cart, and loaded these huge things on it.  Then Cass, who is 4'10" -- shorter than you! -- decided they looked like they might slip off.  So even thought she was wearing this really short skirt, she climbed up on top of them, straddling them, and posed for a picture!  Then they rolled them over to the Hotel with her riding on top of them to keep them from slipping off the luggage cart.  It was so funny!  I've set the picture as my computer screen background so I can show it to The Big Boss tomorrow!"

What next? i thought.  Those people continue to amaze me with their shenanigans, even after all these years.  Sweetie describes them as a band of 8-balls, and he's mostly right.

My only regret is that i won't be a fly on the wall while they are bowling.


Today is

Advice-to-the-Lovelorn-Day -- date, in 1896, the New Orleans Picayune first published the advice column of Dorothy Dix, Mother Confessor to Millions; it eventually ran in 300 papers for 55 years

Bonfire Night -- Northern Ireland (precursor to The Twelfth a/k/a Orangemen's Day)

Bowdler's Day

China National Maritime Day -- People's Republic of China

Convenience Store Day -- the first Seven Eleven opened on this day in 1927 in Dallas, TX; it was open 7am to 11pm, thus the name

Dinosaur Roundup Rodeo -- Vernal, UT, US (one of the top rodeos in the country; through Saturday)

Day of the Flemish Community -- Flemish community of Belgium, commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs of 1302

Feast of Theano, Philosopher, Mathmatician, wife of Pythagoras, patron of vegetarianism (date approximate, supposedly when she was born)

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

Free Slurpee Day at Seven-Eleven -- if you have these stores where you live, stop by between 11am and 7pm to get a free 11.7oz. Slurpee (TM) today

Hodag Country Festival -- Rhinelander, WI, US (at the Hodag "50" Track, a large open-air country music festival; through Sunday)

Imamat Day -- Ismailism

Naadam Festival -- Mongolia (a/k/a Revolution Day/National Day, traditional sporting events nationwide, but best at Ulaanbaatar, through the 13th)

National Blueberry Muffin Day

National Cheer Up The Lonely Day -- begun by Francis Pesek of Detroit, Michigan; he chose to spend his birthday as a day to promote kindness, especially the forgotten at nursing homes who have no visitors and shut ins

Oregon Trail Days -- Gering, NE, US (the oldest continuing celebration of the Oregon Trail; through Sunday)

Reading Guilt Day -- the day you are supposed to start reading that book you only read the Cliff's Notes on in school

St Benedict's Day (Patron of agricultural workers, cavers/speliologists/spelunkers, civil engineers, coppersmiths, farm workers/farmers, Italian architects, monks, people in religious orders, people who are dying, school children, servants who have broken their masters belongings, students; Europe; Heerdt, Germany; Norcia, Italy; Subiaco, Italy; against erysipelas, fever, gall stones, inframmatory diseases, kidney disease, nettle rash, poison, temptations, and witchcraft)

Turkey Rama -- McMinnville, Oregon (family fun on "Oregon's Favorite Main Street" that includes the "World's Largest Turkey BBQ"; through Sunday)

World Population Day -- UN

Worshipful Company of Vintners (Winemakers) of the City of London Annual Procession


Birthdays Today:

David Henrie, 1989
Marie Sernehold, 1983
Lisa Rinna, 1963
Richie Sambora, 1959
Suzanne Vega, 1959
Mark Lester, 1958
Leon Spinks, 1953
Giorgio Armani, 1934
Tab Hunter, 1931
Yul Brynner, 1920
E.B. White, 1899
John Quincy Adams, 1767


Today in History

Admiral Zheng He sets sail on his first exploratory expedition for the Ming Dynasty, 1405
Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec, 1616
Jews are expelled from Little Russia, 1740
Halifax, Nova Scotia is almost completely destroyed by fire, 1750
Captain James Cook begins his third voyage, 1776
Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille, 1789
French astronomer Jean-Louis Pons made his first comet discovery (he discovered 36 over the next 27 years, more than any other person), 1801
Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a duel, 1804
Waterloo railway station in London opens, 1848
Tijuana, Mexico, is formally founded, 1889
The Lumière brothers demonstrate film technology to scientists, 1895
Babe Ruth makes his Major League debut, 1914
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published, 1960
The first U.S. space station, Skylab, is destroyed as it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean, 1979
According to the UN, the Earth's population crosses the 5,000,000,000 mark, 1987
The United States announces it will reestablish full diplomatic relations with Vietnam, 1995
Colton Harris-Moore, the so-called "Barefoot Bandit", is caught in the Bahamas after a 2 year manhunt, 2010

It Starts With Watermelon

Since all of us love and crave watermelon, i bought one this weekend, and it led to a typical way i start my day -- with Bigger Girl bringing up more in the morning that i can easily digest before coffee.

"I'm going to have watermelon for breakfast!" she said, heading for the fridge.  Coming back with it so she could cut off a portion, she then asked, "Wasn't that what Darling Dear was craving in the movie Lady and the Tramp?"

Yes, i said, that and something else.

"Oh, yeah, watermelon and chop suey!" she said.

Did they have chop suey then? i wondered.  Years  ago i heard that it was a relatively recent dish that actually started because a Chinese chef couldn't get enough authentic ingredients or something.

"No, I think it's been around long enough, I read something about the Chinese workers who were building railroads in the mid-1800s were eating it."

So, of course, i did what you have to do in such a situation, and consulted the receptacle of all information, true or not, and searched Wikipedia.

It turns out the dish does actually have roots in China, and was around plenty long enough ago to not be an anachronism in that movie, go figure.

As we read about chop suey, Bigger Girl continued talking.

"Eating watermelon reminds me of a lady in Canada who calls herself 'Watermelon Girl.'  She makes YouTube videos and was once arrested for trying to sell pot laced ginger snaps on a nude beach.  They were individually wrapped and had ingredient labels and everything, too!"

What happened? i asked.

"The judge's words were, 'I have dealt with 3 homicides today, let her go!'"

Yes, i can see how, after dealing with 3 homicides, someone selling properly labeled pot ginger snaps wouldn't move the needle much, i noted.  Heaven knows they couldn't have said they didn't know what was in them, with them labeled and all.

"Exactly!" she said.  Dry wit is lost on her, but i keep trying.

This however, is why i start most mornings wondering how i get into these conversations and why i'm thinking about odd topics off and on all day.

It all starts with watermelon.


Today is

Alexandra Rose Day -- in the tradition started by Queen Alexandra over 100 years ago, roses and rose emblems are sold in London and the UK, with the money going to smaller charities that are not usually in the national spotlight; also by tradition, the Lord Mayor of London buys the first rose

Arbor Day -- Philippines

Color TV Day -- CBS broadcast the first program in color on this day in 1951

Elf Thumping Day -- Fairy Calendar (no details on what the Elves thump, and no, no one is allowed to thump an Elf!)

Fast of Shiva Asar B'Tammuz -- Judaism (a day of fasting and mourning the destruction of the tablets by Moses, the disruption of Temple services in 423BCE, and the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem right before the Temple was destroyed in 70AD)

Feast of the Optional Holiday -- pick one, and celebrate it or don't, your option!

Festival of Ranting and Vaporing -- sponsored by The Daily Bleed

Global Beatles Day -- read about the meaning of this day, and why this date was picked, here

Gotanshin Sai -- Kitano Tenmangu, Kyoto, Japan (festival to commemorate the birth of Lord Sugawara, with ceremonies to ward off summer infections)

Independence Day -- Mozambique(1975)

Leon Day -- Noel spelled backward, the turning poing on the calendar when Christmas starts getting closer; those who make Christmas/Noel gifts need to start thinking about their projects

Ludi Taurii -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Games of the Bull, a two day festival held once every five years)

National Catfish Day

National Columnists' Day -- on the fourth Tuesday of June each year, set aside some time to thank your favorite newspaper columnists, whether local or syndicated

National Fried Okra Day

National Strawberry Parfait Day

Sense of Humor in Bed Appreciation Day -- i'm not touching this one

Shab e-Barat -- Bangladesh (Night of Records)

Slovenian Sovereignty Day / National Day -- Slovenia

Statehood Day -- Croatia

St. Eurosia's Day (a/k/a Orosia; Patron of Jaca, Spain; against bad weather)
     Fiesta de Santa Orosia -- Jaca, Spain

St. Molaug's Day (Patron of Argyll, Scotland; against mental illness)

Windjammer Days -- Boothbay Harbor, ME, US (the premier maritime event on the coast of Maine, with something for everyone; through tomorrow)



Anniversaries Today:

Virginia becomes the 10th US State, 1788


Birthdays Today:

Scott Terra, 1987
George Michael, 1963
Sonia Sotomayor, 1954
Jimmie Walker, 1949
Phyllis George, 1949
Carly Simon, 1945
June Lockhart, 1925
Sidney Lumet, 1924
George Orwell, 1903


Today in History:

The Book of Concord or Concordia, the historic doctrinal standard of the Lutheran Church, is published, 1580
Elena Cornaro Piscopia is the first woman awarded a doctorate of philosophy, from the University of Padua, 1678
Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Hungary, 1741
Lucien B. Smith of Ohio patents the first version of barbed wire, 1867
Battle of the Little Bighorn and the death of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, 1876
Dr. Douglas Hyde is inaugurated the first President of Ireland, 1938
The Diary of Anne Frank is published, 1947
The Berlin airlift begins, 1948
The Korean War begins with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, 1950
CBS broadcasts the first color television signal, 1951
First live global satellite television programme – Our World, 1967
Mozambique achieves independence, 1975
Microsoft  is restructured to become an incorporated business in its home state of Washington, 1981
Croatia and Slovenia declare their independence from Yugoslavia, 1991
Kim Campbell is chosen as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and becomes the first female Prime Minister of Canada, 1993
An unmanned Progress spacecraft collides with the Russian space station Mir, 1997
The Soufrière Hills volcano in Montserrat erupts resulting in the death of 19 people, 1997
The Harvard School of Health Study concludes that since 1980 the number of adults with diabetes has doubled, 2011