HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Just as I thought .... we are alllll still here to celebrate another year!

Today is the 8th Day of Christmas ..... see I have pictured THE Maids <------ font="font">AAAAAHHHHHH!

I heard a curious thing today about the 5,000 year old Mayan calendar that caused such a ruckus the last few years. The Mayans did not have Leap years. So that means:

 5,000 years / 4 Leap year cycles = 1,250 days.

1,250 days / 365 average year = 3 years, 155 days

Counting back comes to July 20th, 2009 as the actual date of doom.  

We are still here.

MERRY YULETIDE TO ALL !!

If you are one of "those" who get their Holy Nights in an uproar over the "Happy Holidays" vs "Merry Christmas" then I feel terrible for you the misinformed Conditioned Christian. Yes, we Christians have adopted this time of year as the birth of the Lord. Did you realized this time of year the celebration is held is kind of ... well ... errr ... stolen?

No one truly knows the exact date of Christ's birth however, as the early leaders of a Christian religion trying to convert the Pagans, combining winter celebrations seemed to be a good concession in enticing new church members.  

Through the centuries the words of Yuletide season somehow transformed into the 12 days of Christmas. (Christmas through the Epiphany)   One Christian holiday to another  .... so in essence it is the celebration of 2 holidays.  Now, point that out if you come across one of "those"!

In some Northern European cultures the season lasted for months so Happy Yuletide season .... and keep that holiday feeling as long as you want!

Reminiscences of an Old Crabby Broad

I’m going to go out on a limb …. tempting  fate …. Whatever …. I’m gonna predict we are all going to be here tomorrow and probably the next day and the day after that and after that and after that …….. 

In my lifetime I have now lived through 5 or 6 dooms days ……..  Let’s see ….

The first was when I was about 12 and my neighbor said she heard from some psychic there was going to be a Zombie apocalypse in 1977 …. We would all be eaten alive in a “Night of the Living Dead” scenario.

Then there was the Nostradamus 1984 prediction that a worldwide nuclear war would annihilate human kind  but …. Oooops ....... it was interpreted incorrectly! The interpreters meant to say 1997. Only the Heaven’s Gate cult took them seriously this time. We know how that went. 

Let’s not forget the Y2K …. Not sure what was going to happen to us then …. Was it our own machines would destroy us because 2000 = "kill humans" in binary code?

Then there was the far-right Christian preacher Wacko ...... they let on the radio ..... who insisted about a year ago that the Book of Revelations prophesied the end. I'm guessing his loving, compassionate, merciful God was going to punish innocent people just to get the evil doers. 

Right now as I type the planets are aligning causing a magnetic shift to the earth's axis where tsunamis will rise, mega-super volcanoes fill with lava ready to explode, earthquake faults shifting, the sun flaring   ……………………………………………………….........….  NOPE  …..  still here!

I'M STILL EXHAUSTED!!

It's allll over ... THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN !! ...... 

If you had listened to the pollsters in the last few months, the State of OHIO went from "Obama" country to a "SWING" State ... as in it was up for grabs for either candidate ....  and in the last ....  ohhhh, month or so, there were several other "Obama" States added to the playground and my State was one of them! AND I suffered for it ..... because the automated calls started and kept coming day and night and they were all Republicans!!!!

The calls were early AM thru late PM .... there was 1 sometimes 2 calls EVERY  hour  ...... I heard from pollsters and Candidates ALIKE!  Why MITT himself called .... and his wife ..... and his kids ...... and his employees ..... and his random supporters and it didn't stop at the Presidential race ..... there was the U.S. Senator candidate, and his wife, his kids, his employees, his random supporters ....... the U.S. House candidate, and his wife, his kids, his employees, his random supporters .... Dick Cheney stop by for a heart to heart chat and Clint wanted to make my day  .... then the State Attorney & Auditor Generals, State House & Senate ...  the wives were not as involved at this level .... I quit answering the phone.  DID IT STOP THEM????? What do you think? The pollsters ..... that started it alll in the first place ..... started knocking on the door the last three weeks ..... at one point I had a pollster at the door and one on the phone at the same time  !!!!!!!  I reached a pinnacle around last Friday where I decided no matter what, no matter how much I liked them ....... I was not voting a REPUBLICAN anything !!!!!

I was done and then it happen: Monday late afternoon ......... SARAH CALLED !!!!!!!!!!!!  Oh Joy!

Yesterday, all the "Swing" Sates apparently swung back ....... one tooo many phone calls maybe? ......  I JUST WISH THEY WOULD HAVE DONE IT A LITTLE SOONER!!!

NOW it is time to take down the Christmas decorations!

One of my holiday pet peeves … there are many! I’m only tackling this one … are people who rip down their Christmas holiday decorations the DAY AFTER Christmas. What is wrong with these people?

I have TWO things to preach here: FIRST, do these dim-wits even realize the “holiday” is NOT over? Apparently, not. Christmas has little to do with Christian religion as they may think but, more with ancient mysticism of incorporating a spiritual connection to nature and (wo)man. Hmmmmm…. sound familiar? ….. That’s right …. Christmas season actually follows the Pagan tradition of celebrating the winter solstice …. Man’s respect to the forces of nature. How did they become connected? FACT: ….. no one knows when Christ was actually born. There are however writings/ claims that it was a winter month. So, in the early organization of the Roman Catholic Church they adopted many of the established pagan celebrations to “fit” the established traditions of those they were trying convert.

The term “Yuletide” is actually a winter solstice festival that could last up to 2 months in some earlier Germanic Pagan cultures. Perhaps it was from this those early Christian leaders … who apparently had problems coming up with their own holidays …. invoked the celebration of the "Twelve days of Christmas", ...... FIIIIIIIVE GOLDEN RIIIINGS ..... which end on the “12th Night” ….. a celebration immortalized in Shakespeare ….. which ends coincidentally on the Christian feast day of the Epiphany. "12th Night" was actually the high celebratory night of the season in English tradition and became instilled into the early Colonial American culture. Somehow it has been lost through the stirring of the melting pot and we are down to only getting December 25th off from work.

So, if you missed it, yesterday was 12th Night/Epiphany. The holiday is now officially over. If you’re a Germanic Pagan however you have a few more weeks …… doesn’t explain the icicle lights in May though!

My SECOND point, it took me 3 weeks to put it all up all these decorations I have all over my house. For crikees sake, I would like to look at and enjoy my handiwork for a while!

2012 - A YEAR FOR REVIVAL

Ahhhhh ...... I plan to blog again ...... I had a semi-depressing year. My mom died but do not take mention of that for seeking sympathy. People die, parents die, friends die .... I pride myself on being the realist and being the strong reliable one.

I think what I have discovered over the last year is that my family (a.k.a., brothers, sister, father) are bad at the realities of life ... or maybe they are better at it than me ... hmmmmmm... CONFUSED?!?!?!? SO am I! My father only wants to talk about how much he misses my Mom. I'm the only one he has to talk about that though. The rest of my brothers and sister are no where to be found. They barely talk to Dad and rely on me (because I live the closest .... one of sibs said this to me) to see to his physiological needs. More later I'm sure .............
My career has been going pretty well .... almost afraid to say that since my last jobs ended in layoffs .... such is the way of construction.

My New Year's resolutions:

Lose weight ... duh ... of course !
Exercise more ... see sarcastic comment above
Be the better Person .... if you only knew the opposite my mom taught me ...... she was a "Sashide" girl after all!
Give it to my sis and bros in such a manipulative way they do not know they were insulted until after I hung up ... if I can get them on the phone however .... sigh!

A DYING HISTORY

I LUV the FALL!!!! Hubs and I have been taking scenic drives the last 2 weekends looking for pumpkin patches, picturesque landscapes and non-strenuous activities. SO, far we have been to 3 pumpkin patches and 2 battlefields …. Bushy Run and Fort Ligonier …… catching up on history. Which brings me to the fact that I … nor HUBS for that matter … ever heard of either of the battles fought here in school …… scratching head …… Moreover, I noticed not very many people were visiting these historic sites like they used too. Could this be because the years between the pilgrims landing and the Revolutionary War are glazed over in our classrooms? I know in my history classes, other than mere mention of the French and Indian War and Pontiac’s War, the focus of elementary school American history appeared to be on the coastal cities of the east.

Take for example Fort Ligonier. When I was young kid I remember visiting this place at least twice ... I've been there 3-4 times as an adult .... but never put much importance in it since my history classes were void of mention. Both times ….. it had to be the late ‘60’s early 70’s ….. this place was packed with adults and loads of other kids. Not yesterday. Apparently, the disassociation of it continues in schools.

It’s sad really because of the importance both of these sites had on shaping the city I grew up in as well as the colonization of mid-western America.

Visit these sites AND CATCH UP! Hey, its where George Washington got his start! FYI - He crossed the Monongahela 21 years before he crossed the Delaware ………………………….
French and Indian War, Pontiac's War, Bushy Run Battlefield, Fort Ligonier

HAPPY 4TH TO ALL MY FELLOW SUBJECTS ......

Happy Independence Day! Okay, so we found out this week Thomas Jefferson made a little itsy bitsy mistake on one of the famous icons of freedom ..… it happens! But before ya get your patriotic drum a strummin’ tomorrow, let’s talk what REALLY took place in the summer of 1776 ….. WARNING: Reading further you about to have another American myth blow out of the water! I'm a stickler (i.e, nit-picker, annoying, control freak) for the facts, that’s why I’m here …… The Second Continental Congress actually voted to declare independence on July 2nd, 1776 … that’s right you should have had that day off, eaten that burnt hot dog and watched fireworks yesterday …….

Even John Adams wrote to his wife on July 3, 1776:

“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” See Wikipedia.

On July 4th, the final wording of the Declaration of Independence document was approved and sent off to the printer. A carefully hand written version was produced and the famous signing with John Hancock exclaiming: “There, I guess King George will be able to read that!” …. Ahh another myth for another day …….. most likely took place on August 2, 1776.

Ironically, the July 4th signing myth became so encroached in American folklore that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson in their later years forgot what day they signed it and believe the 4th. Maybe promoting the myth even more? They both died the same day: July 4th, 1826 .... the myth's 50th anniversary.

BOO!

Our cable provider for the last few years has been “updating” the system. In other words we were paying the same but losing channels. Finally they took so many channels away we broke down and choose a new package a few weeks ago.

Since hooking up my new digital cable box, I have been playing catch up with my “Ghost” programs. “Ghost Hunters” on SyFy is one I missed the most and the longest! Last night was a full line-up of repeats and a new episode. My interest was peaked by the repeat more than the new episode …. Which featured Fort Ticonderoga …… let me catch you up … not much happen …. In the repeat, the team visited the house of Doctor Samuel Mudd … hit the link … look him up …. won’t hurt it’s a history lesson ……. During the visit the team captured a disembodied voice/EVP saying … or so they tell me it said …”I’m not guilty”. I’ve heard some of these EVP voice recordings before on this show … and others … I mostly find them indistinct as proof for paranormal existance.

As for evidence searching goes I've been to Gettysburg quite a few times in the previous Fall seasons. I have found "orbs" on pictures I took at the Daniel Lady Farm on a ghost hunt with "The Ghosts of Gettysburg" tour company. One evening during one of our visits myself, oldest daughter and hubby went out on the battlefield ... Devil's Den to be precise. We heard the legend where cameras are often batted out of people's hands when trying to photograph a certain spot where a famous photo is taken. Brave daughter dear took the picture .... while I cowered behind .... and basically nothing happen.

Next time I do go on a ghost hunt I want to try the EVP and see what I get …. Someday … I want a bunch of people to go with me …. mostly for protection ….. MY protection, I’m a scaredy cat … but I want to find out if this stuff is for real …. Who wants to come? If nothing else at least we will receive a history lesson.