DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Fairy Day

Whether you see them as small winged tenders of the deep natural places of the earth, or as tall stately figures with fair skin and hair, there’s one thing for certain. The world has been absolutely captured by the Fairy Craze. These creatures appear on everything from mugs to t-shirts and have been the subject of children’s fairy tales and even supernatural romances. Fairy Day celebrates these incredible mythological creatures that have captured the imagination of people everywhere and their diverse history.

History of Fairy Day

Fairies have existed in just about every culture over the world, though they may have been called by different names. What they have in common, no matter where you go, is that they are spirits that inhabit the world around us and often operate by strange and often odd laws. That’s about where the similarities end, and where the amazingly diverse concepts that are the fae begin.

We’ve all heard of the winged fairies that flit around flowers and are always drawn like butterfly winged cherubs of slight form, but did you know that Dwarves and Gnomes are also part of the fae family? These creatures were common among the Germanic folk, and especially those who worked in mines and mountains. Knockers were a form of fairy that lived in mines and would ‘knock’ to warn miners of pending cave-ins and danger, hence their name.

The red-hatted gnomes that occupy so many people’s gardens were fashioned after creatures from the far north. These quiet and unassuming creatures were part of the dark northern forests and spent their time living near the homes of humans, which they’d sometimes help out.

There’s even fae that lives in the oceans like the Irish Selkie, dark of hair and eye, these creatures were able to turn into humans. Turn into humans we say? Yes! They started lives as seals and would take off their skin when they came ashore and take the form of beautiful women.

If one were lucky enough to steal their skin they’d be able to take a Selkie wife, so long as they didn’t let the skin be found!

thanks for the "Scared of What?" pics, Helen

Word of the Day

self-assured

Definition:

(adjective) Showing poise and confidence in your own worth.

Synonyms:

self-confident

Usage:

He's a self-assured negotiator, and his confidence helps him make sales that no one else can.

Hold Me, I'm Scared!

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Idiom of the Day

mixed signal

— A signal, message, or communication that has, or is interpreted as having, multiple, ambiguous, or contradictory meanings. (Often plural.)

Someone's Afraid To Leave The Carpet

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History

Emperor Trajan Inaugurates the Aqua Traiana (109 CE)

The Aqua Traiana was an aqueduct built under Roman Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century CE. The structure channeled water to Rome from sources around Lake Bracciano, about 25 mi (40 km) northwest of the city. In 1605, Pope Paul V initiated the Aqua Traiana's repair to augment the city's water supply. Renamed the Acqua Paola in the pope's honor, it was completed in 1612 and boasted a lavish fountain with columns of granite and marble.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813)

Beecher became one of the most famous and influential American ministers of his time for his advocacy of an emotional "gospel of love" Christianity. Every important issue of the day was discussed from his pulpit and in his lectures. He was a leader in the antislavery movement, a proponent of women's suffrage, and an advocate of the theory of evolution. In 1874, however, he became the subject of a sensational adultery trial for an alleged affair with Elizabeth Tilton.

Watermelon Thump

This is a celebration of the watermelon harvest in Luling, Texas. The chief watermelon-related events are watermelon judging, a watermelon auction, watermelon-eating competitions, and watermelon seed-spitting contests leading to a Championship Seed Spit-Off. Among other activities are a parade, a carnival, and the coronation of the Watermelon Thump Queen.

Successful trial of 'coral IVF' gives hope for Australia's Great Barrier Reef

A coral fertility treatment designed to help heal damaged parts of Australia's Great Barrier Reef is showing signs of success and now needs to be scaled up to create a bigger impact, the lead scientist tells CNN. Peter Harrison a professor at Southern ...
READ MORE:

Image result for Successful trial of 'coral IVF' gives hope for Great Barrier Reef

Successful trial of 'coral IVF' gives hope for Great Barrier Reef

Image result for 1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland.

Image result for 1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland.

1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland.

Image result for 1664 - New Jersey, named after the Isle of Jersey, was founded.

Image result for 1664 - New Jersey, named after the Isle of Jersey, was founded.

1664 - New Jersey, named after the Isle of Jersey, was founded.

Image result for 1844 - Charles Goodyear was granted U.S. patent #3,633 for vulcanized rubber.

Image result for 1844 - Charles Goodyear was granted U.S. patent #3,633 for vulcanized rubber.

1844 - Charles Goodyear was granted U.S. patent #3,633 for vulcanized rubber.

Image result for 1896 - Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University.

Image result for 1896 - Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University.

1896 - Booker T. Washington became the first African American to receive an honorary MA degree from Howard University.

Image result for 1922 - The American Professional Football Association took the name of The National Football League.

Image result for 1922 - The American Professional Football Association took the name of The National Football League.

1922 - The American Professional Football Association took the name of The National Football League.

Image result for 1986 - The Empire State Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Image result for 1986 - The Empire State Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

1986 - The Empire State Building was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Image result for 1998 - Walt Disney World Resort admitted its 600-millionth guest.

Image result for 1998 - Walt Disney World Resort admitted its 600-millionth guest.

1998 - Walt Disney World Resort admitted its 600-millionth guest.

Image result for 2002 - A painting from Monet's Waterlilies series sold for $20.2 million.

Image result for 2002 - A painting from Monet's Waterlilies series sold for $20.2 million.

2002 - A painting from Monet's Waterlilies series sold for $20.2 million.

Image result for 2003 - manuscripts by novelist Georges Simenon

2003 - In Paris, France, manuscripts by novelist Georges Simenon brought in $325,579. The original manuscript of "La Mort de Belle" raised $81,705.

DAILY SQU-EEK

If You Were Born Today, June 24

There is a gentle element of your charisma that is unmistakable, and yet your quiet strength is also obvious. You have a real homebody streak in you. Work and home life are two very strong drives. Security is important to you, more than most, and you don’t make big lifestyle changes easily. Your love life is often laced with drama. Famous people born today:

1842 Ambrose Bierce, American writer and satirist (Devil's Dictionary, Nuggets & Dust), born in Meigs County, Ohio (d. 1914)

General and Secretary of War Horatio Kitchener

1850 Horatio Kitchener, British General who commanded British forces during the Battle of Omdurman (Sudan) and the Second Boer War who became British Secretary of State for War during WWI (1914-16), born in Ballylongford, County Kerry, Ireland (d. 1916)

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Jack Dempsey

1895 Jack Dempsey, American boxer (world heavyweight champion 1919-26), born in Manassa, Colorado (d. 1983)

1947 Mick Fleetwood, rock drummer (Fleetwood Mac-Go Your Own Way), born in London, England

thanks, Sally

READERS INFO

INTERESTING FACTS

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. It lost to The Silence of the Lambs.

A litter of kittens is also known as a “kindle.”

Alaska is simultaneously the westernmost and easternmost state.

Stalin plotted to kill John Wayne

Scientists have found evidence of take-out restaurants in the remains of Pompeii.

MAGAZINE SUNDAY

Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book, Completely Revised and Updated

Kittens

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Pictures of the day

Man Writing a Letter and Woman Reading a Letter, two oil paintings on panel made by Dutch artist Gabriël Metsu in the 1660s. The former shows a young man sitting in front of an open window, writing a letter with a quill pen, while the latter depicts a woman reading a letter, which the work's symbolism suggests is a romantic one. These paintings are generally considered companion pieces, with the man writing the letter that the woman is reading. They have been held—and twice stolen—as a pair since at least the early 18th century, when the works were owned by collector Hendrick Sorgh of Amsterdam. They were donated to the National Gallery of Ireland in 1987.

PAN YINZHI, 13