Butterfly and Bee (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 took a ton of photos (as shown in the first 3) but managed to get two awww- and awe-worthy creatures, at least i think they are.

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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 Birthdays.                        

Birthdays for the young are fun,

but soon you're on the brink

of realizing they're not "all that,"

they get a bit old, don't you think?

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As many birthdays as I've had,

years of cookin' and cleanin' and washin,'

when the doc tells me I'm old and out of shape

I say, "My only exercise now is caution!"

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Don't be sad because you're older

and the cake needs a bigger dish,

after all with more candles

you get a bigger wish!

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If you want to be a really good friend

said the very wise sage,

you will remember your friend's birthday

but never remember their age.

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Today is:

Batik Day -- Indonesia (UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage)

Buttering-Up Quarter Finals -- Fairy Calendar (I have no idea what this means, but anything to do with butter sounds good.)

Child Health Day -- US (as established by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928)

Country Inn, Bed-and-Breakfast Day

Day of Appearance of the Primordial/Eight Great Netjers -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Gandhi Jayanti -- India (Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary)

Go for a Stroll After Dinner Night -- because it's healthy

Guardian Angels Day -- recognize and thank your own Guardian Angel

     Feast of Guardian Angels -- Spain (patrons of the police force)

Independence Day -- Guinea(1958)

International Day of Non-Violence -- UN, in honor of Gandhi's birth anniversary

King's Birthday -- QLD, Australia

Labour Day -- ACT, NSW, & SA, Australia

Mehregan -- Iran (pre-Muslim Zoroastrian festival of Persia to honor Mehr, which means friendship, affection, and love; also called Persian Festival of Autumn)

Name Your Car Day (and i hope you don't have to name it "Old Unreliable")

National Custodial Workers Day -- US

National Fried Scallops Day

Old Man's Day -- Braughing, Herts, England (in honor of a 16th-Century man's escape from premature interment; he left money for a street sweeping and celebration on this day which is still observed)

Pageantry in Oslo -- Oslo, Norway (Storting [Parliament] convenes to decide the date for its ceremonial opening, which is usually the following weekday, when the King opens the session in the presence of the Corps Diplomatique, preceded and followed by a military procession between the Royal Palace and the Storting.)

Peat-Cutting Day -- Falkland Islands (Spring Holiday)

Phileas Fogg's Wager Day -- he made his famous wager, according to Jules Verne, this day in 1872

St. Leger's Day (a/k/a Leodegar; Patron of blind people, millers; against blindness and sore eyes)

Territory Day -- Christmas Island

Thanksgiving Day -- Saint Lucia

World Architecture Day -- International Union of Architects (this year's theme: Architecture for Resilient Communities)     

World Farm Animals Day

World Habitat Day -- UN (Habitat for Humanity) 

Anniversaries Today:

Redwood National Park is established in CA, US, 1968

Birthdays Today:

Paul Teutul, Jr., 1974

Kelly Ripa, 1970

Lorraine Bracco, 1955

Sting, 1951

Annie Leibovitz, 1949

Donna Karan, 1948

Don McLean, 1945

Rex Reed, 1938

Moses Gunn, 1929

George "Spanky" McFarland, 1928

"Sheriff John" Rovick, 1919

Alex Raymond, 1909

Graham Greene, 1904

Bud Abbot, 1895

Ruth Cheney Streeter, 1895

Groucho Marx, 1890

Cordell Hull, 1871

Mahatma Gandhi, 1869

King Richard III of England, 1452

Debuting/Premiering Today:

"Moon Over Buffalo"(Play), 1995

"Ben Casey"(TV), 1961

"The Twilight Zone"(TV), 1959

"Alfred Hitchcock Presents"(TV), 1955

"The George Gobel Show"(tv), 1954

"The Jimmy Durante Show"(TV), 1954

"Comedy in Music"(Victor Borge one man musical), 1953

Peanuts(Comic strip by Charles Schultz), 1950

"Ah, Wilderness"(Play), 1933

Volkskrant(Dutch newspaper, first edition), 1919

Today in History:

Saladin takes Jerusalem from the Crusaders, 1187

Jacques Cartier discovers Mount Royal (Montreal), 1535

Kazan is conquered by Ivan the Terrible, 1552

Jan Lippershey completes a prototype of the modern reflecting telescope, 1608

George Washington transmits the Bill of Rights to the States for ratification, 1789

The Texas Revolution begins with the Battle of Gonzales against Mexican troops attempting to disarm the people of Gonzales, Texas, and meeting with stiff resistance, 1835

J Osterhoudt patents the tin can with key opener, 1866

John Logie Baird performs the first test of a working television system, 1925

The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded by Saint Josemaría Escrivá, 1928

Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published, 1950

The anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS television, 1959

Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of United States Supreme Court, 1967

NATO backs US military strikes following 9/11, 2001

American Samoa joins the North American Numbering Plan, 2004

NFL plays first regular season game outside United States when the Arizona Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-14 in Mexico City, Mexico, 2005

The parliamentary election in Georgia is determined by the OSCE to be "fair and free", 2012

Veteran broadcaster Vin Scully calls his final LA Dodgers game (7-1 loss in SF) after a record 67 MLB seasons, 2016

US scientists Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael Young are awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for Work on the body clock, 2017

A massive oil slick from a pipeline is discovered off California's Orange County coast covering 13 square miles, 2021

Getting Up There (Cajun Joke) and Sunday Selections

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Just because Sandee of Comedy Plus is no longer hosting a Silly Sunday blog hop, do not expect me to quit telling Cajun jokes, especially as it has now become a habit.

Grandma was getting out of bed and was having a bit of trouble.  She grunted and then looked at me and said, "Don't fall, you hear me!"

Tee Boudreaux done be in de room wit' Grand-père Boudreaux an' Grand-père be makin' all kind o' de noise gittin' up outta de chair.

Tee done ax, "Grand-père, what fo' you make all dat noise when you gits up?"

An' Grand-père say, "Mais, I be de 'groan' man!"

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Sunday Selections was started as a way for bloggers to use photos that might otherwise just languish in their files.  The rules have been relaxed, and it is now simply a showcase for your photos, new or old, good or bad, although nothing rude, please.  It was hosted by River, who still participates, and is now hosted by Elephant's Child.        

One of Becca's helpers took her to a paint your own pottery place and she came home with this beautiful masterpiece.

Other random photos taken through the week, including sky shots:

It's hurricane lily season.  They pop up quite briefly and are gone, and they are generally where they were last year, but more so if you know what i mean.

Mr. BA loves furniture and other items made from carved wood.  This first is a rather ornate bookend which folds down when not in  use.

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Today is:  

Armed Forces Day -- South Korea

Banned Books Week begins -- US (sponsored by the ALA; Celebrating the Freedom to Read, It's Everybody's Job; celebrate your right to read what you want!)     

Bat Appreciation Month -- hooray for Bat Conservation International! www.batcon.org

Christmas Seal Campaign begins

Chuuk Constitution Day -- Chuuk, Micronesia

Cut Out Dissection Day -- let's find alternatives for school kids!

Erntedankfest -- Germany (Thanksgiving/Harvest fest, on the first Sunday in October)

Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux a/k/a Therese of the Child Jesus or The Little Flower of Jesus (Doctor of the Church; Patron of African missions, AIDS patients, air crews/aircraft pilots/aviators, florists/flower growers, missionaries, sick people, those who have lost parents, tuberculosis; Australia; France; Russia; several cities around the world; against bodily ills and tuberculosis)

Festival of Penha -- Rio de Janiero, Brazil (through the 31st; pilgrimages to the Church of Our Lady of Penha)

Firepup's® Birthday -- have fun learning fire safety from Firepup www.nfsc.org

Flattering Finals -- Fairy Calendar

Global Diversity Awareness Month begins -- to foster and further our understanding of the value of people of all races, genders, nationalities, ages, religions, sexual orientations, classes, and physical disabilities

Guoqing Jie -- China; Hong Kong; Macau (National Day/Founding of the Republic)

Homemade Cookies Day

Independence Day -- Cyprus(1960); Nigeria(1960); Palau(1994); Tuvalu(1976)

International African Diaspora Day

International Coffee Day

International Day of Older Persons -- UN

International Music Day -- information from the International Music Council

Investiture of the Captains Regent -- San Marino

Kalends of October -- Ancient Roman Calendar; also

     Day Sacred to Fides -- (goddess of faithfulness and keeping your word)

     Festival of Juno Sororia -- Ancient Roman Calendar (Juno the Sister, protector of young women at puberty)

Little Golden Books Day -- the first twelve were published on this day in 1942 (Baby's Book of Objects, Bedtime Stories, Mother Goose, Nursery Songs, Prayers for Children, The Alphabet from A to Z, The Animals of Farmer Jones, The Golden Book of Fairy Tales, The Little Red Hen, The Poky Little Puppy, This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes, Three Little Kittens)

Month of Freethought -- inspired by Freethinkers who emigrated to the US in the 19th century

National Book It! Day -- teachers across the US can join together with Pizza Hut to encourage the love of reading each school year from today through March 31 

National Homemade Cookies Day 

National Lace Day -- US (a day for lace fanciers share their love of lacemaking!  there's no history of who started this day, and other dates are given on some websites) 

National Walk Your Dog Week begins -- a campaign to bring awareness of and fight the increasing problems in the US with canine obesity

O'qituvchi va Murabbiylar Kuni -- Uzebekistan (Day of Teachers and Instructors)

Popcorn and Tears Movie Appreciation Night -- go see a tear-jerker; if guys don't want to go, make them stay home and vacuum

Pudding Season begins (Time to preserve meat from slaughtering for the winter by making meat puddings.)

Ram Mating Ceremony -- various towns and villages in Turkey (through the 20th, each village setting its own date; after being separated from the females for two months, the rams are returned with ceremonies to ensure good luck and lots of babies next spring)

Right-Brainers Rule Month begins (because left handers / right brainers are in their "right" minds)

St. Remigius of Rheims' Day (Patron of France; Rheims, France; against epidemics, fever, plague, religious indifference, snakes, and throat pain)

St. Romanos the Melodist's Day (hymn writer of the early 6th Century whose surviving works are still sung)

Sukkot -- Judaism (began at sunset yesterday, through sunset on Oct. 7)

Unification Day -- Cameroon

US Fiscal Year begins (Why in October?)

World Bullying Prevention Month™   

World Communion Sunday -- Christian

World Vegetarian Day

Anniversaries Today:

EPCOT opens, 1981 (Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow, or, if you work there, the insider title, Every Person Comes Out Tired)

Walt Disney World opens, 1971

Johnny Carson marries Joan Morrill Wolcott, 1949

Stanford University opens, 1891

Yosemite National Park and Yellowstone National Park are founded, 1890

South African College is founded, 1829 (Now University of Cape Town)

Birthdays Today:

Zach Galifianakis, 1969

Mark McGwire, 1963

Esai Morales, 1962

Grete Waltz, 1953

Randy Quaid, 1950

Stephen Collins, 1947

Tim O'Brien, 1946

Rod Carew, 1945

Stella Stevens, 1936

Julie Andrews, 1935

Albert Collins, 1932

Richard Harris, 1932

George Peppard, 1928

Tom Bosley, 1927

Jimmy Carter, 1924

William Rehnquist, 1924

James Whitmore, 1921

Walter Matthau, 1920

Bonnie Parker, 1910

Vladimir Horowitz, 1903

James Lawrence, 1781

Richard Stockton, 1730

Henry III, King of England, 1207

Debuting/Premiering  Today:

Compact Discs, 1982 (Billy Joel's 52nd Street)

"Remington Steele"(TV), 1982

"Kung Fu"(TV), 1972

Night of the Living Dead(Film), 1968

"The Merv Griffin Show"(TV), 1962

"The Honeymooners"(TV), 1955

"This is Your Life"(TV), 1952

"Tom Corbett, Space Cadet"(TV), 1950

"Best Foot Forward"(Musical), 1941

Ford's Model T, 1908

World Series Baseball, 1903 (the Boston Americans beat the Pittsburgh Pirates)

Postal Special Delivery, 1885 (USPS began special delivery services)

Postcards, 1869 (in Vienna, Austria)

Today in History:

Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia, BC331

The Russian Parliament accepts the annexation of the Ukraine, 1653

First session of the new French legislative assembly is held, 1791

Spain cedes Louisiana to France in a secret treaty, 1800

The first steamboat to sail the Mississippi River arrives in New Orléans, Louisiana, 1811

Maria Mitchell discovers a non-naked-eye comet, 1847

A cyclone strikes Calcutta, India, killing 70,000, 1864

Karl Marx' "Das Kapital" is published, 1867

The world's first postcards are issued, in Vienna, Austria, 1869

John Philip Sousa becomes the new director of the USMC Band, 1880

Thomas Edison opens the first electric lamp factory, 1880

The USPS begins special delivery mail service, 1885

Jews are expelled from major Russian cities, 1898

Arab forces under T.E. Lawrence, a/k/a Lawrence of Arabia, capture Damascus, 1918

An oil field accident cost aviator Wiley Post his left eye, but he used the settlement money to buy his first aircraft, 1926

The Pennsylvania Turnpike, often considered the first superhighway in the United States, opens, 1940

Mensa International is founded in the United Kingdom, 1946

First broadcast of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1962

The Concorde supersonic transport plane breaks the sound barrier for the first time, 1969

Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida, United States, 1971

The United States returns sovereignty of the Panama canal to Panama, 1979

EPCOT Center opens at Walt Disney World, 1982

William Gibson's groundbreaking novel Neuromancer is published, introducing the word "cyberspace" to the English language, 1984

Denmark introduces the world's first legal modern same-sex civil union, 1989

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom takes over the judicial functions of the House of Lords, 2009

A dedicated 3D TV channel, Sky 3D, launches in the UK, 2010

The NY Yankees record the 10,000th win in their illustrious history, 2015

A new trade deal to replace NAFTA is agreed upon by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, 2018

Peru's President Martín Vizcarra dissolves Congress over its refusal to support his anti-corruption reforms, sparking a political crisis, 2019