Thursday, October 29, 2020

Glad Not To Have Started (Six Sentence Story), Halloween Good Fences, An Occassion (Sammy's Poetry Day) and Hurricane Prep (Brian's Thankful Thursday

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"Here," she said, handing me a bottle of something, "I got this foundation and it's too dark for me, I thought maybe you could use it."


My blank look must have given away that i was rapidly trying to figure out how to politely decline the offer, because then she said, "Wait, do you even wear make-up?"


Only lipstick and mascara, and only once or twice a year, if even that, i said.  Then i added, It's just too time consuming to me, and i think the last time i wore any was at my brother's wedding a couple of years ago.


"Whew, you said it, it is time consuming, I wish I didn't have to put it on, but I just feel like I look terrible without it."'


The make-up habit is one that i am very, very glad i never started.



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





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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.     


How about some fun, spooky fences:












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






Yes, children, back in the day

You got dressed up to travel this way.

A plane ride was so rare you knew

Only your Sunday best would do.


By my travel years, 

Most dispensed with the hats,

But you still got dressed up,

And that was that.


The seats were indeed

Much more spacious,

The staff worked hard to

Be very gracious.


Passengers behaved

With manners and charm,

None ever thought of

Committing any harm.


Yes, times do change

Of that i'm quite aware,

That should never mean we

Dispense with behavior while up there.



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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.  


Yesterday, i showed up at Ms. G's house to work as usual, and she asked if i was up for an adventure.  Of course i was, so we went to a rescue out in the country to help them get hurricane prepared.  It was a great place, i had fun meeting people who are very into rescue, and i am thankful we were able to get them as ready as you can ever be for a storm.






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Today is:


Candies Day 


Coronation Day -- Cambodia (anniversary of King Norodom Sihamony, in 2004)


Cumhuriyet Bayrami -- North Cyprus; Turkey (Republic Day)(1923)


Hermit Day / Hide From Everyone Day -- internet generated, for those who would rather have a peaceful day today than celebrate the other holidays listed; look up how to be a hermit on wikihow


Internet Day -- it's predecessor went live today, see Today in History for detail


Laugh Suddenly For No Reason A Lot Today Day (And end up either getting yourself and everyone around you in a good mood, or yourself being observed at the hospital in a padded room.)


Mawlid an Nabi -- Islam/Muslim (Prophet's Birthday, began sunset yesterday; celebrated over the next several days, depending on which country)


Naming Day -- Tanzania


National Cat Daddy Day


National Cat Day -- US  


National Disgusting Little Pumpkin-Shaped Candies Day


National Oatmeal Day


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)


Second Fiddle of the Month -- Fairy Calendar (a very poorly attended event -- who wants to play second fiddle?)


St. Mary of Edessa's Day (Patron against sexual temptation)


World Psoriasis Day  



Birthdays Today:


Gabrielle Union, 1972

Winona Ryder, 1971

Joely Fisher, 1965

Randy Jackson, 1961

Finona Hughes, 1960

Kate Jackson, 1948

Richard Dreyfuss, 1947

Melba Moore, 1945

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, 1938

Dominick Dunne, 1925

Bill Mauldin, 1921

Fanny Brice, 1891

Charles Hercules Ebbets, 1858

Daniel Decatur Emmet, 1815

James Boswell, 1740 (wrote the biography of Samuel Johnson)

Edmund Halley, 1656 (O.S. Date) (yes, that Halley, found the comet)



Debuting/Premiering Today:


The Internet, 1969 (the first connection between computers that would become the Internet someday was made on this date when bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and Stanford Research Institute; this grew into ARPANET, and is now the Internet we know and yell at.)

"Let's Face It"(Musical), 1941

"Don Giovanni"(Mozart K. 527), 1787



Today in History:


Cyrus the Great entered the city of Babylon, BC539

First trial for witchcraft in Paris, 1390

Sir Walter Raleigh, adventurer, writer, and courtier, is beheaded, 1618

A severe earthquake shakes New England, 1727

Mozart's opera Don Giovanni receives its first performance in Prague, 1787

The first Ohio River steamboat leaves Pittsburgh for New Orleans, 1811

Queen Victoria grants Cecil Rhodes rights to Zambezia, 1889

The first intercity trucking service, from Colorado City to Snyder, Texas, begins running, 1904

Turkey declares its independence as the successor state to the Ottoman Empire, 1923

Israeli forces invade the Sinai Peninsula and push Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal, 1956

Cassius Clay wins his first professional fight, 1960

Syria exits from the United Arab Republic, 1961

Montreal's World Fair, Expo 67, closes with over 50 million visitors, 1967

The American Galileo spacecraft makes its closest approach to 951 Gaspra, becoming the first probe to visit an asteroid, 1991

In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission presents its report, which condemns both sides for committing atrocities, 1998

Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space, 1998

In Rome, European heads of state sign the Treaty and Final Act establishing the first European Constitution, 2004

The 3G wireless transmitters at Mt. Everest make coverage available to the summit, 2010

Random House and Penguin merge to become Penguin Random House, the largest publisher in the world, 2012

Turkey opens the first underwater rail tunnel linking Europe to Asia, 2013

China ends its one child policy after 35 years, 2015

New research is published indicating that the cacao tree was not first cultivated in central America, but in Ecuador by the Maya Chinchipe culture about 5,000 years ago, 2019

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

How We Love the Pipes (Wordless Wednesday) and Words for Wednesday

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Linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Sandee at Comedy Plus.     






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Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and has become a moveable feast of word or picture or music prompts to encourage us to write stories, poems, or whatever strikes our fancy.    


This month, i am providing the prompts.  You can write your story on your blog and leave a link here, or write your story in the comments, your choice.


Feel free to use some, all, or none of the prompts.  The whole point is to get us writing, so please have fun with it!


The prompts for the week are:


hostility

east

girlfriend

wall

hardware

bear


and/or


the following photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels     





Stepping out onto the balcony of his condo, Frank took a swig of his coffee and noted in passing that the fog was obscuring the view across the river.


This case was still being a BEAR to solve, kind of like the puzzlement that had been his last GIRLFRIEND.  He couldn't figure her out, and he couldn't figure this new widow out, either.


She was running hot and cold, this one.  Sometimes she seemed to actually be missing her husband, and sometimes she acted like she could not care less.  He'd surreptitiously watched her as she threw away some of her late husband's things with  what seemed great HOSTILITY.  He'd watched her go back to the graveyard a couple of times and just stand quietly, raising a tissue to her eyes on occasion.


One of his street informants said he'd overheard her telling a friend she was planning to move back EAST.  Then he got a tip she was seen at the HARDWARE store, buying the types of supplies you'd need to do repairs around the house.


Something still wasn't adding up, even as the coroner kept him abreast of the latest lab results as they trickled in.


Frank hated hitting a brick WALL in an investigation this way, and he knew he had to clear the fog from this case the way the sun was going to burn the fog off of the river.   He had one last trick he was going to try.  He'd head down to the file room when he got to work, start looking through other unsolved crimes.  For some reason, it sometimes sparked a stray thought that moved him past being stuck.


It was worth a try, he had little else to go on in this one.



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Today is:



Bring Your Jack-O-Lantern to Work Day -- just check the fire code before you light that candle


Celtic Tree Month Negetal (Reed) begins


Children's Day -- Australia


Dia do Servidor Publico -- Brazil (Civil Servants' Day)


Flying Baby Day -- celebrating the first baby born on an airplane on this day in 1929


Fyribod (or Forebode) -- Ancient Norse Calendar (announces the beginning of winter; date approximate)


Hari Sumpah Pemuda -- Indonesia (Youth Pledge Day)


Hawaiki Nui Va'a Race -- French Polynesia (spectacular three-day open water outrigger canoe race from Huahine to Raiatea to Tahaa to Bora Bora; through Friday)


Independence Day -- Czechoslovakia (from Austria-Hungary in 1918; still celebrated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia)


International Animation Day -- ASIFA (to honor the day Emile Reynaud presented the first animation to the public)


Isia -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (dates approximate; first day of the 6 day Isis festival)


Lung Health Day -- US (on the Wednesday of Respiratory Care Week; some sites to explore about lung health are here and here   

 

Mawlid an Nabi -- Islam/Muslim (Prophet's Birthday, celebration begins at sunset)


Milvian Bridge Day -- Christain (day to reflect on the interrelationship of religion and government)


National Chocolate Day


Oxi Day / Greek National Day -- Greece (Sometimes "Ochi" or "Ohi", literally "No Day", celebrating resistance to Mussolini.)


Part Your Hair Crooked Just To See If Anyone Will Say Anything About It Day -- internet generated, celebrate at your own risk


Plush Animal Lovers' Day -- internet generated; celebrate your love of stuffed animals today


Runic Half-month Hagal (hailstone) begin


St. Jude Thaddeus' Day (Patron of desperate or hopeless cases -- the reason Danny Thomas chose this saint to invoke as patron of the hospital he helped found.)


St. Paraskevi of Iconium's Day (Patron of fairs and traders; in Russia, patron of marriage; associated in Ukrain with Mokosh, the ancient women's divinity, and celebrated on the final Friday of the month)


St. Simon the Zealot's Day (Patron of curriers, sawmen, tanners)


Wild Foods Day -- as in, grown or caught in the wild (please be careful if you like mushrooms and want to gather your own!)


World Maritime Day Parallel Event -- Durban, South Africa (events to go along with World Maritime Day; through the 30th)




Anniversaries Today:


Statue of Liberty dedicated, 1886

Maimonides College is founded, 1867 (first Jewish college in the US)

R.H. Macy & Co. in NYC opens, 1858

Founding of Harvard University, 1636

Universidad Santo Tomas Aquino is established, 1538 (first university in the New World)



Birthdays Today:


Matt Smith, 1982

Joaquin Phoenix, 1974

Brad Paisley, 1972

Jeremy Davies, 1969

Julia Roberts, 1967

Andy Richter, 1966

Jami Gertz, 1965

Daphne Zuniga, 1962

Lauren Holly, 1963

Bill Gates, 1955

Annie Potts, 1952

Bruce Jenner, 1949

Telma Hopkins, 1948

Dennis Franz, 1944

Jane Alexander, 1939

Charlie Daniels, 1936

Cleo Laine, 1927

Jonas Salk, 1914

Francis Bacon, 1909

Edith Head, 1907

Howard Hanson, 1896

Georges Auguste Escoffier, 1846

Desiderius Erasmus, 1467



Debuting/Premiering Today:


"The Jack Benny Program"(TV), 1950

"Dead End"(Play), 1935

Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathetique(Tchaikovsky Op. 74), 1893



Today in History:


Constantine the Great defeats Maxentius, 312

Battle of Yaunis Khan in which Turkish forces under the Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha defeat the Mameluks near Gaza, 1516

Battle of Amba Sel, in which Imam Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi again defeats the army of Lebna Dengel, Emperor of Ethiopia; the southern part of Ethiopia falls under Imam Ahmad's control, 1531

Peruvian cities of Lima & Callao are demolished by an earthquake, 18,000 die, 1746

Eli Whitney applies for a patent on the cotton gin, 1793

The first railroad in Spain, between Barcelona and Mataro, is opened, 1848

The Statue of Liberty is dedicated by President Grover Cleveland, and celebrated by the first ticker tape/confetti parade in NYC, 1886

An earthquake strikes Mino-Owari, Japan, kills 7,300, 1891

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Pathétique, receives its première performance in St. Petersburg, only nine days before the composer's death, 1893

The St. Louis police try a new investigation method -- fingerprints, 1904

Czechoslovakia gains its independence in the break up of Austria-Hungary, 1918

The Volstead Act, passed by Congress over Wilson's veto, starts Prohibition, 1919

The first coast to coast radio broadcast of a football game, 1922

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt rededicates the Statue of Liberty on its 50th anniversary, 1936

The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) is completed through Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska, 1942

Swiss chemist Paul Müller is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the insecticidal properties of DDT, 1948

The modern Kingdom of the Netherlands is re-founded as a federal monarchy, 1954

Nikita Khrushchev announces that he had ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases in Cuba, 1962

Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, is promulgated by Pope Paul VI; it absolves the Jews of responsibility for the death of Jesus, 1965*

Britain launches its first satellite, Prospero, into low Earth orbit atop a Black Arrow carrier rocket, 1971

The centenary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty is celebrated in New York Harbor, 1986

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner becomes the first woman elected President of Argentina, 2007

The US celebrates the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, 2011

The World Health Organization ranks tuberculosis alongside HIV as 2014's two deadliest infectious diseases, 2015

The EU agrees to another Brexit extension to January 31 2020