No Skipping/Pretty Entrance Gate

"Can't you just skip me and come back to my turn later?" he asked in a voice with so much whine in it she wanted to offer him some cheese, and she almost grabbed for the Cheese Nips box on the snack table behind them. 

"No, we are not skipping anyone, remember?" she explained to him with a not very successful attempt to keep the exasperation out of her voice.  "You promised to come and to participate, and everyone takes a turn going around the circle."

"Okay" he sighed, looking for inspiration in the faces that made up the circle, the friends of hers he said he'd wanted to meet before he knew about what they did at these gatherings, and finding they looked simply willing to wait to see what he did.

Grabbing his game piece, he played his turn, and fortune seemed to favor him, he was ahead and all of them cheered him on.

"See, it's not so hard!" she said, and he smiled, but wondered if he'd ever find the courage to come play again.

Linking up with Zoe's Uncharted Blog, where she hosts Six Sentence Stories, and the cue is Skip.

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Gosia, of 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 others to see what interesting fences there are out in this big world.

The entrance to a somewhat secluded B&B.

Today is:

Birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama / World Tibet Day -- Tibetan Diaspora, to bring awareness to the cause of restoring freedom to Tibet

Buy Yourself a Toy You Always Wanted As a Child Day -- internet sites that list this suggest you then donate it to a child in need

Day of the Capital -- Kazakhstan

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

Ettelbruck Rememberance Day -- Ettelbruck, Luxembourg (remebrance of Patton's 3rd Army liberating the area from the Nazis)

Feast of Isaiah the Prophet -- Roman Catholic 

Fill an Aquarium Day -- they are fun and entertaining; probably spread around the internet by an afficionado who wants to share the love

Independence Day / National Day -- Comoros (1975)

Independence Day / Republic Day -- Malawi (1964)

International Kissing Day / World Kissing Day -- noted everywhere, but not sponsored; that doesn't matter, kiss someone you love today!

Iriya no Asagao-ichi -- Kishibo-Jin Shrine, Taito Ward, Tokyo (morning glory flower festival, buy one for good luck, through the 8th)

Ivan Kupala Day -- Belarus; Poland; Russia; Ukraine (through tomorrow; Feast of St. John the Baptist in Orthodox Churches using the Julian Calendar)

Jan Hus Day -- Czech Republic

King Mindaugas Day / Statehood Day -- Lithuania

Los Sanfermines -- Pamplona, Spain (bull running, through the 14th; don't be bored, be gored! a part of the San Fermin Festival)

Ludi Apollinares -- Ancient Roman Calendar (first day of games in honor of Apollo; through the 13th)

Millenial Fairy Olympics -- Fairy Calendar (through the 14th)

National Fried Chicken Day

Old Albums are Frisbees Day -- if you have nothing to play them on, and they are scratched anyway, why not?

Ottawa Bluesfest -- Ottawa, Canada (12 days of fabulous music)

Ra o te Ui Ariki -- Cook Islands (House of Ariki[Tribal Chief])

St Godelieve of Ghistelles's Day (Patron of difficult marriages, healthy throats, in-law problems, throat diseases, victims of abuse, victims of verbal spouse abuse)

St. Maria Goretti's Day (Patron of children, teen girls, martyrs, poor people, rape victims, young people; Albano, Italy; against poverty, the death of parents)

Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day -- because your online business depends on keeping him/her happy and well fed; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays

Anniversary Today:

Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert (King George V) marries Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (Queen Mary), 1893

Birthdays Today

Matthew O'Leary, 1987

Gregory Smith, 1983

Tia and Tamera Mowry, 1978

Jennifer Saunders, 1958

Kenny G, 1956

Allyce Beasley, 1954

Grant Goodeve, 1952

Hilary Mantel, 1952

Geoffrey Rush, 1951

George W. Bush, 1946

Sylvester Stallone, 1946

Burt Ward, 1945

Ned Beatty, 1937

Dalai Lama, 1935

Della Reese, 1932

Janet Leigh, 1927

Pat Paulsen, 1927

Merv Griffin, 1927

Bill Haley, 1925

William Schallert, 1922

Nancy Reagan, 1921

Sebastian Cabot, 1918

Laverne Andrews, 1915

Frida Kahlo, 1907

Beatrix Potter, 1866

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, 1781

John Paul Jones, 1747

Debuting/Premiering Today:

A Hard Day's Night(Film), 1964

"Name That Tune"(TV), 1953

"Judith"(Play), 1840

Today in History

Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) is crowned King of England, 1189

Papal bull of Pope Clement VI protecting Jews during the Black Death, 1348

Jan Hus is burned at the stake, 1415

Richard III is crowned King of England, 1483

Portuguese sea captain Diogo Cão finds the mouth of the Congo River, 1484

Sir Thomas More is executed for treason against King Henry VIII, 1535

Córdoba, Argentina, is founded by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, 1573

The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States, 1785

In Jackson, Michigan, the first convention of the United States Republican Party is held, 1854

Lyman Reed Blake receives the first patent for a machine to sew the sole of a shoe on to the upper, 1958

Louis Pasteur successfully tests his vaccine against rabies; the patient is Joseph Meister, a boy who was bitten by a rabid dog, 1885

David Kalakaua, monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii, is forced at gunpoint, at the hands of the Americans, to sign the Bayonet Constitution giving Americans more power in Hawaii while stripping Hawaiian citizens of their rights, 1887

Dadabhai Naoroji elected as first Indian Member of Parliament in Britain, 1892

The British dirigible R34 lands in New York, completing the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an airship, 1919

The first Major League Baseball All-Star Game is played in Chicago's Comiskey Park; the American League defeats the National League, 4–2, 1933

The last remaining Jewish enterprises in Germany are closed, 1939

Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the "Secret Annexe" above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse, 1942

The Hartford Circus Fire, one of America's worst fire disasters, kills approximately 168 people and injures over 700 in Hartford, Connecticut, 1944

Davis Phinney became the first American cyclist to win a road stage of the Tour de France, 1986

The Nathula Pass between India and China, sealed during the Sino-Indian War, re-opens for trade after 44 years, 2006

Exiled Tibetans are banned from celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday as Nepalese authorities fear they will turn into anti-Chinese demonstrations, 2011

How much hair can Lulu shed in 24 hours?

First sweeping.

Second sweeping.

Linking up with Wordless Wednesday.

Today is:

Alice in Wonderland Day -- on July 5, 1862, Dodgson began writing the adventure story he had told Alice Liddel and her sisters the day before

Bikini Day -- the skimpy suit made its debut on this day in Paris in 1946

Constitution Day -- Armenia

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

Graham Cracker Day -- birth anniversary of inventor of graham flour, the Reverend Sylvester Graham, in 1794

Independence Day -- Algeria(1962); Cape Verde(1965); Venezuela(1811)

National Apple Turnover Day

National Work-a-holics Day -- we will know it's you if you are all "back to business" after a holiday

Ommegang Pageant -- Grand-Palace, Brussels, Belgium (three days of recreating of the medieval entertainment at the court of Charles V)

Poplifulgia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (a ceremony to commemorate the "Flight of the People" when they had to flee enemies)

Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day -- Roman Catholics in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Apostles to the Slavs, created the Glagolithic alphabet and translated the Bible into the Slavonic language)

Sts. Grace and Probus' Day (married co-Patrons of Probus, Cornwall, England)

The North American Tournament -- Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB, Canada (show jumping tournament, through Sunday)

Tynwald Day -- Isle of Man (Manx National Day; assembling of the year's session of the High Court of Tynwald, as their Parliament is called, to read the laws to the citizens; oldest continual parliament in existence)

Birthdays Today

Dolly the Sheep, 1996 (first cloned mammal)

Edie Falco, 1963

Huey Lewis, 1951

Richard Michael "Goose" Gossage, 1951

Jackie Robertson, 1944

Eliot Feld, 1942

Shirley Knight, 1936

Katherine Helmond, 1934

Warren Oates, 1928

Janos Starker, 1924

Georges Pompidou, 1911

Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., 1902

Jean Cocteau, 1889

Clara Zetkin, 1857

Cecil Rhodes, 1853

P.T. Barnum, 1810

David Glasgow Farragut, 1801

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica(Publication date), 1687

Today in History

Scotland and France form the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England, 1295

John Guy sets sail from Bristol with 39 other colonists for Newfoundland, 1610

Isaac Newton publishes Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1687

The Salvation Army is founded in the East End of London, England, 1865

Police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco, on Bloody Thursday, 1934

Spam, the luncheon meat, is introduced into the market by the Hormel Foods Corporation, 1937

Highest recorded temperature in Canada, at Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan: 45°C (113°F), 1937

Larry Doby signs a contract with the Cleveland Indians baseball team, becoming the first black player in the American League, 1947

National Health Service Acts created the national public health systems in the United Kingdom, 1948

The Knesset passes the Law of Return which grants all Jews the right to immigrate to Israel, 1950

William Shockley invents the junction transistor, 1951

The BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin, 1954

Arthur Ashe becomes the first black man to win the Wimbledon singles title, 1975

Japan launches a probe to Mars, and thus joins the United States and Russia as a space exploring nation, 1998

The SARS virus is declared to be contained by the WHO, 2003

Indonesia holds its first presidential election, 2004

Roger Federer wins a record 15th Grand Slam title in tennis, winning a five set match against Andy Roddick at Wimbledon, 2009

The largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever discovered, consisting of more than 1,500 items, is found near the village of Hammerwich, near Lichfield, in Staffordshire, England, 2009

Europe's tallest, habitable, free-standing structure, The Shard, which stands at 1,016 feet (309.6 metres) officially opens in London, England, 2012

In Rome, Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII are canonized by the Vatican, 2013

Happy Random Independence Tuesday!

And now, random bits of news from around here, linking up with Stacy's Random Thoughts at Stacy Uncorked.  

In case you are wondering Tuesday Coffee Chat is on summer break.

However, i am not.

It is Independence Day for us, and i am independently working.  Sometimes it's nice to be self employed.  Ms. C is a great person to work for on a holiday, she's not picky about when i come and when i finish, as long as the work is done.

Ms. S, my regular Monday client, had me doing some extra work yesterday.  Her son and granddaughter came over and cleared out some things from her house, about 15 large black trash bags worth.  That meant i was able to get into and behind some places in her house that haven't seen the light of day in a while and vacuum and mop them.

Mr. B took yesterday off from his regular job and i went and helped in his workshop, too.  Several of the piles of scrap wood (he's as much a hoarder as Ms. S, only of wood and nails and parts) are now in neater piles in places more protected from the elements.  He also built three trellises yesterday, and had me wash the front of the house and the porch.

These two kittens are making me crazy, although i say that with all the bottle babies.  These don't want the bottle, they want canned food.  They will be four weeks old tomorrow, i've never had kittens try to refuse the bottle at such a young age.  As long as they drink formula from a bowl and eat canned food, though, they should be fine.

This is one i'm not so sure i want to say out loud.  We haven't been having too much rain lately!  Having enough is a blessing, not having it all of the time is also a blessing.

#1 Son's workplace lost 3 employees in one day last week, and he's been mostly working double shifts to cover things as they try to train new people.  He's good with that, it means he gets overtime pay.

Bigger Girl had a very difficult weekend, there was a funeral for a friend that she went to right before she headed to NOLA for the wedding.  There were some tense moments, but she got through it all.

#2 Son and Daughter-in-Law Becky have been coming by more, i think to see the kittens.  Her mother won't let them have a cat at the house, so i think they come here to get their cat fix.

Little Girl has been by daily to see to the kittens as well.  She's trying to get a job as an ER tech at the hospital so she can quit food service.

That's really about all there is for news.

Happy Independence Day to those who celebrate it! 

Today is:

American Independence Day Celebration -- Rebild Park, Aalborg, Denmark (yes, really, every year except during the two World Wars, they have celebrated American Independence Day here; as a way of thanking the country that has accepted over 300,000 Danish immigrants, and to strengthen the bonds of friendship between the countries)

Baal Fire Day -- Whalton, Northumberland, UK (a bonfire, Anglo-Saxon "bael", with traditional morris dancing -- originally a Moorish dance)

Boom Box Parade --  Willimantic, CT, US (dating back to 1985, when no marching band could be found for the Memorial Day parade, five weeks later, the local radio station staged the first Boom Box Parade, in which they play the march music on their station, and marchers carry boom boxes tuned in on the station; it makes for one unique parade!)

Buffalo Bill Day -- he staged his first Wild West show on July 4, 1883

Bullion's Day -- Anglican tradition, the translation of the relics of St. Martin of Bullion; rain today means rain for the next 20 days, according to the legends

Calithumpian Parade -- Biwabik, MN, US (clowns, hilarity and patriotism reign together as the 1,000 citizens of Biwabik put on a show for more than 15,000 guests)

Day of Pax -- Ancient Roman Calendar

Filipino-American Friendship Day -- Philippines; U.S.

Garibaldi Day -- Italy

Hampton Court Palace Flower Show -- Hampton Court Palace, East Molesey, Surrey, England (the world's largest flower show; through Sunday)

Independence Day -- US and Territories(1776)

Independence from Meat Day -- don't be a slave to tradition! sponsored by Vegetarian Awareness Network

Jumping on the Mattress Night -- Fairy Calendar

King Tupou VI's Birthday -- Tonga

Liberation Day -- Rwanda

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod -- Eisteddfod Field, Llangollen, Benbigshire, North Wales, UK (Six days of the best music and folk dance, and all the world in one place; through Sunday)

National Barbecue Spareribs Day

National Country Music Day -- US

Old Midsummer Eve -- by the Julian Calendar

Sata-Hame Soi Accordion Festival -- Ikaalinen, Finland (one of the worlds biggest and best accordion festivals; through Sunday)

Sidewalk Egg Frying Day -- you can do this anywhere that it's hot enough, but for the real deal, plan to go to the Solar Egg Frying Contest, held annually on July 4 on old Route 66 in Oatman, Arizona, US, where the rule is you must use solar heat only

St. Elizabeth of Portugal's Day (Patron of brides, charitable societies, charity workers, charities, difficult marriages, falsely accused people, peace, queens, tertiaries, victims of adultery, victims of jealousy, victims of unfaithfulness, widows; invoked in time of war; Coimbra, Portugal)

St. Ulrich's Day (Patron of peaceful deaths, pregnant women, weavers; Augsburg, Germany; Creazzo, Italy; against birth complications, dizziness, faintness, fever, frenzy, mice, moles, vertigo)

Stone Skipping Tournament -- Windermere Pointe Beach, Mackinac Island, Michigan, US (open to all, come skip some stones and have a blast!)

Unity Day -- Zambia

World's Greatest Lizard Races -- Chaparral Park, Lovington, NM, US (cheer the lizards and iguanas as they race down a 16 foot ramp, and yes, trophies will be awarded!)

Anniversaries Today

Tuskegee Institute opens, 1881

Birthdays Today

Becky Newton, 1978

Koko, 1971 (gorilla who speaks sign language, and has now taught it to her offspring)

Pamela Howard "Pam" Shriver, 1962

Signy Coleman, 1960

Geraldo Rivera, 1943

George Steinbrenner, 1930

Al Davis, 1929

Gina Lollobrigida, 1927

Neil Simon, 1927

Eva Marie Saint, 1924

Ann Landers, 1918

Abigail Van Buren, 1918

Mitch Miller, 1911

Gloria Stuart, 1910

George Murphy, 1902

Rube Goldberg, 1883

Louis B. Mayer, 1882

George M. Cohan, 1878

Calvin Coolidge, 1872

Stephen Foster, 1826

Hiram Walker, 1816

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"American Top 40"(Radio), 1970

"Honky Tonk Women"(Single release), 1969

"America the Beautiful"(Publication date), 1895

Today in History

A supernova is observed by the Chinese, the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the star Tauri; for several months it remains bright enough to be seen during the day, and its remnants form the Crab Nebula, 1054

Christian III is elected King of Denmark and Norway in the town of Rye, 1534

The city of Trois-Rivières is founded in New France (Quebec, Canada), 1634

City of Providence, Rhode Island forms, 1636

The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress, 1776

The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, opens, 1802

The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American public, 1803

Construction of the Erie Canal begins in Rome, New York, 1817

The world's first long-distance railway, the Grand Junction Railway, opens between Birmingham and Liverpool, 1837

The Cunard Line's 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia departs from Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end, 1840

Henry David Thoreau embarks on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts, 1845

The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, titled Leaves of Grass, is published, 1855

Lewis Carroll tells Alice Liddell and her sisters a story that would grow into Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel, 1862*

The Anglo-Zulu war ends, 1879

The people of France offer the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States, 1886

The first scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrives in Port Moody, British Columbia, 1886

Western Samoa changes the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4, 1892

The short-lived Republic of Hawaii is proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole, 1894

Dorothy Levitt was reported as the first woman in the world to compete in a 'motor race', 1903

African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocks out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States, 1910

First flight of the Lockheed Vega, 1927

Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, tells a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considers himself "The luckiest man on the face of the earth" as he announces his retirement from major league baseball, 1939

After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attains full independence from the United States, 1946

The first broadcast by Radio Free Europe, 1950

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Freedom of Information Act into United States law, 1966

NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars, 1997

The Deep Impact collider hits the comet Tempel 1, 2005

The Statue of Liberty's crown reopens to the public after 8 years, due to security reasons following the World Trade Center attacks, 2009

Discovery of a picture of the Biblical Samson and a Hebrew inscription in an ancient synagogue in the Galilee region of northern Israel is announced, 2012