Daily Snippets for June 2026

a daily dose of odds and ends

AI-generated photo by author

June 1, 2026

We experience two types of tired in life: One requires rest, and the other requires peace.

June 2, 2026

When considering current politics and politicians, it doesn’t matter much which side you’re on. Either way, we’re screwed. Politics is evil on display.

June 3, 2026

“Why should we build our happiness on the opinions of others, when we can find it in our own hearts.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

June 4, 2026

The life you live is the message you send to the world. What message are you sending? How will you be remembered when you’re gone?

June 5, 2026

I just read that in movies, chimpanzees are fed peanut butter which sticks in their mouth and forces them to open and close their mouths to make it look like they are talking.

June 6, 2026

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” A proverb we recited as children to cope with name calling and verbal insults. But as we grow older, we learn that words do hurt. They can be brutal to the psyche if you let them. So be kind with your words.

June 7, 2026

The future is here and it’s not pretty. Forget science fiction. It’s all real now. A world where you own nothing and everything is temporary. Even life. Wars are made only to distract from the things that are quietly taking over our lives. Think AI. Think digital ID. Think cashless society. Think your health. We are eye witnessing our own demise without noticing it happening.

June 8, 2026

Nannie Doss was an American serial killer who killed four of her husbands, two children, two sisters, her mother, two grandsons, and a mother-in-law from the 1920s to the 1950s. She was nicknamed the “Giggling Granny” because she kept bursting into fits of laughter while confessing.

June 9, 2026

Charles Dickens died on this day in 1870 at the age of 58. Dickens is one of the world’s greatest and best known writers and was given celebrity status in his day. However, his early life was difficult. He was the second of eight children. When he was 12, his entire family went to jail. Desiring a posh life, his father spent far more money than he had and ended up in prison for not paying his debts. As was common at the time, the whole family went to live with him in jail until his debts could be paid off. Only Charles was able to keep his freedom so he could work in a factory pasting labels on to bottles.

In his novel, David Copperfield, he writes about his grim experience working in the factory. This book was originally going to be Dickens’s autobiography, but he was so ashamed of his family going to prison and his factory days, that he made it into a novel instead. But there’s a hidden clue in the title. David Copperfield’s initials, D.C. are the reverse of the author’s: C.D.

June 10, 2026

I realize I’m getting older when I fall asleep reading the label on the wine bottle.

June 11, 2026

Two-time world heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist, “Big George” Foreman has 12 children. He named his five sons George — George Jr., George III, George IV, George V, and George VI — each legally named George Edward Foreman, and one of his daughter, Georgetta.

June 12, 2026

Speaking of names, Karl and Jenny Marx had a total of seven children — three sons and four daughters. They named all four daughters Jenny after their mother.

June 13, 2026

“When you understand that every forest is having a conversation, every garden is singing beneath the soil, and every puddle contains a universe, you’re remembering what concrete made you forget.” — Author unknown, attributed to Caroline Allen

June 14, 2026

I believe one of our purposes for being here is to make life better for someone else. There’s somebody who needs you, who needs what you can give them. Make it a habit to give more than you take.

June 15, 2026

From The New York Times today: “New York City celebrated the first N.B.A. championship win by the Knicks in 53 years. A teenager was shot, several buses were set on fire and four people were stabbed during the all-night celebration.”

So this is how you celebrate a championship victory?

June 16, 2026

Irish writer James Joyce first met his future wife Nora Barnacle, a chambermaid at Finn’s Hotel in Dublin, on June 10, 1904. Their first date occurred a few days later on June 16.

Joyce is best known for his highly controversial novel Ulysses, an experimental work that runs between 700 and 930 pages depending on the publisher and edition. It’s approximately 265,000 words long. Though lengthy, the entire book takes place in the course of a single day — Thursday, June 16, 1904 — in Dublin, following the fictional odyssey of three characters, Leopold Bloom and his wife Molly, and Stephen Dedalus.

In Ireland, June 16 is celebrated as Bloomsday to honor Joyce’s life and works.

June 17, 2026

I just read a report that finds Los Angeles tops the nation for mosquito activity and has consistently ranked №1 since 2021. Other U.S. cities that have bad mosquito problems include Chicago, New York City, Detroit, and Atlanta, ranked in that order.

June 18, 2026

The Heaven and Hell we create for ourselves on Earth is nothing compared to the real thing.

June 19, 2026

The next time you doubt yourself, look at what you’ve accomplished already. You might surprise yourself. By doubting yourself, you put limits on what you can be and do.

June 20, 2026

In January, 2026, Kenya author Emmanuel Muchui sat down with a stack of books and spent the next 73 hours reading non-stop. He launched his reading marathon at Nuria Book Store in Nairobi, and said he did it not for fame, not for a world record, but to send a message that books still matter. Yes they do!

June 21, 2026

We all remember Humpty Dumpty from our childhood. But how many know that Humpty Dumpty was not a person nor an egg as some might think. Humpty Dumpty was actually a cannon belonging to the Royalists in England’s civil war. It originally protected the city of Colchester while perched on the wall of the church tower. The tower was destroyed by enemy cannon balls and the cannon Humpty Dumpty fell into the marshland below. It was so badly damaged that it could not be put back together.

June 22, 2026

In 2004, French author Michel Dansel, who wrote under the pseudonym Michel Thaler, wrote and published the 233-page novel, Le Train de Nulle Part (The Train from Nowhere). The entire novel is written without using a single verb. Instead of action, it relies on nouns and descriptive adjectives, focusing on short, sharp, disconnected vignettes of passengers on a train.

June 23, 2026

In January 2012, police in Madison, Wisconsin, responded to a call regarding a man causing a disturbance near Reynolds Park. Police arrested the man on charges related to carrying a concealed knife, possession of THC, and drug paraphernalia. The arresting officers were initially skeptical of the man’s identity until they saw his state-issued ID that identified him as Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.

Bop-Bop’s real name is Jeffrey Drew Wilschke. He legally changed it to Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop in October 2011.

June 24, 2026

Speaking of police arrests, on March 29, 2013, police in New Haven, Connecticut, pursued two suspects hiding inside a house. Without the aid of attack dogs, the policemen barked like dogs in order to frighten the suspects into coming out. It worked. The suspects surrendered and were arrested.

June 25, 2026

When I look back at some of the fiction and poems I wrote 30 or 40 years ago, I can see why I never submitted it for publication. It sucked. But fortunately it got better somewhere along the way, and I hope it will continue to get better until I write my last word. Know what you write will never be perfect. Just make it the best you can make it before typing “The End.”

June 26, 2026

I grew up at a time when etiquettes were important. They were part of learning how to be a decent person. I’m not sure if my old-fashion etiquettes carry much water these days, but I still practice them. And I have adapted to the new digital etiquettes, which are called netiquettes. Bet you didn’t know that. Some of the netiquette rules for respectful online communication include avoiding spam, using proper tone in emails, and muting microphones during virtual calls. I’m sure there are many more, but they all boil down to one thing: Respect.

June 27, 2026

As beautiful as love might be, it can be painful.

June 28, 2026

I just learned that David Duchovny, known by many as FBI Agent Fox Mulder from the popular tv series The X-Files, writes fiction. The 66-year-old actor has authored six novels and a collection of poetry. He also starred as writer Hank Moody on the comedy-drama series Californication. Duchovny earned a B.A. in English Literature from Princeton University and an M.A. in English Literature from Yale University.

June 29, 2026

Sometimes you reach a point where you need to tell yourself, this is the best I can do at the moment. Then move on.

June 30, 2026

You never really know something until you’ve experienced it. Observe and discover for yourself. Be an active participant in life.

Wanna read more snippets? Here they are: January 2025. February 2025, March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December, 2025, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, April 2026, May 2026

The complete book of Snippets 2025 is available in print and ebook on Amazon.

Gail L. Winfree is retired and writes from a small Bulgarian village where he lives with his wife and animals. He carries the distinction of being the only 74-year-old writer from Tennessee who lives in Bulgaria. He has a BA in English, BS in Journalism, and a MS in Public Administration. He’s the author of two novels, “Finding What’s Lost” and “The Reality of Being Lovers,” and a collection of poems and short stories, “Things I Remember.” You can find him on Facebook and his books are available on Amazon. You can also support him with a small donation at *https://buymeacoffee.com/gailwinfree or via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/gailwinfree.*