Suffer 3
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Posted:Nov 25, 2017 9:34 am
Last Updated:Nov 29, 2017 6:49 am 6521 Views
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Under the mistletoe:
Under the mistletoe wasn't always the place to be kissed.
In Roman times, this white-berried plant was more a symbol of peace than romance.
When people warring with each other met beneath a mistletoe-covered tree, they would throw down their weapons -- at least temporarily.
Later on, in England and Scandinavia, the plant was hung over entryways; anyone passing under it was supposed to come in peace and would receive a friendly greeting -- such as a kiss.
Today's romantic custom of kissing under the mistletoe was probably derived from this. And part of the fun, according to tradition is that you can't refuse a kiss from anyone who catches you there!
Stuffer 3:
For the workaholic:
A small desk clock or calculator; a 2018 pocket diary (with important personal dates - like your birthday - already marked inside); a box of multi colored paper clips; a monogrammed notepad; tickets to a move or local Symphony (even workhorses have to relax.
For the weekend Picasso:
A small sketchbook; miniature set of paints; calligraphy pens or brushes, plus ink; charcoal pencils; gummed erasers; Artist's sketch supply box (to transform the chaos of supplies into an organized chaos of supplies)
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Lost and not found
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Posted:Nov 21, 2017 8:38 pm
Last Updated:Nov 25, 2017 8:43 pm 4665 Views
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According to the Government of Canada, they have ed 40,000 Syrian refugees but can't find or track them. Now the Government is on alert for the potential surge of more Haitian refugees coming to Canada. I thought it was bad enough when I lost my glasses.
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Stuffer #2
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Posted:Nov 21, 2017 5:09 pm
Last Updated:Nov 22, 2017 7:06 pm 3647 Views
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Deck the halls with boughs of holly:
Decking the halls with boughs of holly -- and other evergreens -- did not start off as a Christmas ritual at all.
Indeed, this custom goes back to a Roman festival honoring Saturn, the God of Agriculture. During this celebration, which was held around December 25, Romans would fill their homes with greens and give each other holly wreaths as symbols of friendship
In later , the first Christians (who had to practice their new religion in secret) hung holly and greens on their front doors to mask their beliefs from the Romans.
After a while, the Christians adopted the custom as their own, and now wreaths, boughs and garlands remain a favorite part of Christmas festivities.
Stocking Stuffers for the Gardener:
A pair of gardening gloves; miniature tools for indoor gardening; some small planter pots; a small bag of planting soil; some herb seeds ; pot wraps(these are pretty "sleeves" to dress up plain plastic pots); a 2017/2018 Farmer's Almanac; small pruning sheers.
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Six days to the unofficial Christmas Shopping Season
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Posted:Nov 18, 2017 5:01 pm
Last Updated:Nov 21, 2017 2:39 pm 2921 Views
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Santa Claus:
Santa Claus wasn't always the round, cheerful figure we know today.
He was first pictured as a rather dignified person in long robes. That's because the idea of this gift-bringer is based on St. Nicholas, a real 4th century bishop. One of the stories about him is this:
Hearing of a nobleman who had no money for this 's dowries, St. Nicholas rode by their house and tossed in three bags of gold. One bag fell into a stocking drying by the chimney - and so the custom of hanging up Christmas stockings began. The legend of St. Nicholas - and the stocking - spread throughout Europe and was brought to this country by the Dutch. They called him Sinterklaas, but English-speaking settlers changed it to Santa Claus.
Not until the 1800's did Santa lose this stern image. In 1822, Clement Moore's delightful poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," portrayed Santa with a fat belly and merry laugh. The final touch came in 1866, when famous cartoonist Thomas Nast drew a red-cheeked Santa with his Christmas list in a popular magazine (He contributed 33 Christmas drawings to Harper's Weekly from 1863 through 1866 and Santa is seen or referenced in all but one.) That's how have pictured... and loved... Santa ever since!
Now for the first of fourteen Stocking Stuffers For Grownups.
1. For the cook: A bunch of cinnamon sticks tied up with a bright red ribbon; packets of out-of-the-ordinary herbs and spices (like saffron or peppercorns); a bouquet garni; a package of cheese-cloth; a decorative kitchen timer; a digital meat or candy thermometer; a nifty gadget or tool... like a small melon baller or mushroom brush for example. Just about any thing in the kitchen they might need but you don't want to it to be a present. Remember Stuff That Stocking with fun things.
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Only 45 days to the First day of Christmas, and so it begins.
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Posted:Nov 10, 2017 12:10 pm
Last Updated:Nov 17, 2017 10:10 pm 2915 Views
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Stay calm now, I bought my first Christmas gift yesterday. Now it is watch and listen for clues from those around you. In fact, today (while grocery shopping) I heard mrsdinty say "I need that" and later an oooh that's nice for something else. Ha, on my way to three down soon.
I will give some ideas for stocking stuffers soon. But first here is one story on the first Christmas tree:
The first Christmas tree, legend has it, was an evergreen that sprang from the center of an oak cut down by St. Boniface in Germany, in the 8th century.
The oak was sacred to the pagan religion practiced then, and chopping it down symbolized that the old beliefs were no more.
As the new tree reached up to the sky, St. Boniface told the crowd: "This... shall be your Holy tree. It is the sign of endless life, for its leaves are evergreen. See how it points toward the heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ ; gather about it in your homes and surround it with loving gifts and rites of kindness."
However, it wasn't until the early 17th century that the Christmas tree really became a part of the holiday celebration.
European families brought it into their homes and decorated it with homemade ornaments, such as paper roses, candies and cookies. and with candles which represented the stars in the sky over Bethlehem.
Later, as immigrants came to America from all over Europe, these beautiful traditions came with them.
There are other stories of how the first Christmas tree came to be, this is one that I remember.
Aside: President Franklin Pierce (1804 - 1869) arranged to have the first Christmas tree in the White House during the mid 1850s. President Calvin Coolidge (1885 - 1933) started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the White House lawn in 1923
To early to think of Christmas? Maybe, but I wont be caught in the rush a week or two before the Holiday, or have to say where did the time go.
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Here we go again...and again...and again
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Posted:Nov 5, 2017 5:00 pm
Last Updated:Nov 7, 2017 4:39 am 3015 Views
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I was not going to comment on Canadians suspected of Terror but heck. America is not treating our immigrants visiting overseas with respect and it is costing me as a taxpayer money. (Even though Ameziane was not and is not a Canadian)
Canadian Press by Colin Perkel
An Algerian man is set to sue the Federal Government of Canada for the abuse he suffered at the hands of American security forces after he left Canada 15 years ago.
The unproven allegations by Djamel Ameziane, who was never charged or prosecuted, raises further questions about Canada's complicity in the abuse of detainees at Guantanamo Bay - a topic his lawyer said demands a full scale public inquiry.
"My current situation is really bad, I am struggling to survive" Ameizane, 50, said from near Algiers. "I was repatriated from Guantanamo and left like almost homeless. I couldn't find a job because of the Guantanamo stigma and my age, so a settlement would be very helpful to get my life back together.
In a draft statement of claim obtained by the Canadian Press, Ameziane seeks damages of $50 million dollars on grounds that Canada's security services co-operated with their U.S. counterparts even though they knew the Americans were abusing him.
(skip 6 paragraphs from his lawyer)
"For years I had the idea of suing the Canadian government but didn't know how and honestly didn't know if it was possible until I read the news about the settlement of Omar Kahdr, who was my fellow inmate in Guantanamo Bay," Ameziane said. "The action I am taking may also make (Canadian Officials) think twice before acting against the interests of Canada and Canada's human values."
According to his claim, Ameizane left Algeria in the 1990s to escape rising violence there. After working as a chef in Austria, he came to Canada in 1995 and asked for refugee status. He lived in Montreal for five years, where he attended mosques where the Americans said members of al-Qaida prayed.
When Canada rejected his request for asylum, Ameizane opted to go to Afghanistan rather than Algeria, where he feared abuse. He left Afghanistan for Pakistan in October 2001 when fighting erupted, but was captured and turned over to American forces in exchange for a bounty, his claim states.
The Americans first took him to a detention facility in Kandahar, where he alleges guards brutalized him then sent him to Guantanamo Bay based partly on information provided by Canadian intelligence, according to his claim.
Ameizane, who denies any terrorism links, says Canadian agents interviewed him in Guantanamo in February and May 2003 and turned over recordings of the interrogations to the Americans. They did so, he claims, despite wide spread allegations that the U.S. forces were abusing detainees and even though they knew he faced no charges and had no access to a lawyer or the courts.
Ameizane alleged American officials interrogated him hundreds of times and abused him when they decided he was not co-operating. The abuse, he alleges, included sleep-deprivation, intrusive genital searches, pepper-spraying, water-boarding, being left in freezing conditions, and having his head slammed against walls and the floor dislocating his jaw.
"Canadian officials came to interview me on two occasions (and) they not only shared information about me with my American tortures but even tried to get information out of me that had nothing to do with Canada in order to help my American tortures," Ameizane said. "I refused to answer questions, after that, I was subjected to a worse treatment by the Americans.
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Cocoa or Hot Chocolate Moment
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Posted:Oct 31, 2017 7:49 am
Last Updated:Nov 1, 2017 2:45 pm 3026 Views
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There comes a time when you have nothing else to do but sit back and forget about the outside world. Have a cuppa hot chocolate, tea or coffee, maybe read a book? I found one that reminds me of the time I read Alice in Wonderland. Just a fun book that does not have to make sense. Anyway if you are interested, try reading "WTF!: This Is Liberal Utopia!" a book by Frank B. Thompson, lll
Speaking of Cocoa or Hot Chocolate, that cold and "cool" time of year is approaching, you know, Christmas. Time to start thinking of what to buy not just for , but also Grownups. In the coming weeks I will try to blog about Christmas traditions and stocking stuffers for grownups. If you come up with any ideas be sure to through them in also. TTFN or ta ta for now.
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My apology to Sparkleflit
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Posted:Oct 7, 2017 11:14 am
Last Updated:Oct 22, 2017 6:16 pm 3362 Views
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Please accept my apology for not expressing more outrage over the Las Vegas shooting. Has I known he was not a mental confused person but instead a mental confused Radical Muslim Terrorist my $h+t would have been in a knot over it.
Just so you know, I stand corrected and now I am really pi$$ed over it.
My thoughts and prayers are still going out to the families. friends and survivors of this tragic event.
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A Rose by anyother name
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Posted:Oct 1, 2017 2:20 pm
Last Updated:Oct 28, 2017 2:04 pm 3413 Views
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Edmonton Alberta. Late Saturday night after the Edmonton Eskimos football game while a police officer was directing traffic, a white Chev Malibu traveling at a great rate of speed, crashed through a traffic barrier striking the police officer, sending him several feet through the air and then crashed into the parked police car. The driver then got out of the car and stabbed the officer several times before running away. There was a ISIS State flag on the front seat of the car. Later on a Police Officer stopped a U-Haul Rental Truck and noticed the driver had a similar name as the driver of the car. A chase ensued and the truck, while being chased, was aiming at pedestrians in crosswalks and street. The driver managed to hit at least four people. Their injuries were not immediately known.
Sounds like an Islamic Terrorist attack to me.
Edmonton Mayor Don Iverson said "To the best of our knowledge this was a Lone Wolf attack. It is vital now that we do not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence and that we respond with the loving strength of this whole community ... we will not be divided"
Poor Terrorist, he must be scared, let us comfort him and say There There Now.
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley call the attacks horrific "It has left us shocked at the indiscriminate cruelty and angry that someone might target their hatred at places where we gather with our families and friends. Hatred has no place in Alberta. It's not who we are. We are in this together and together we are stronger than any form of hate."
Our Premiers way of saying .....What the heck happened. To me it sure sounded like an Islamic Terror attack. But what the heck do I know I am just a Leftest Conservative who has no right to be pi$$ed off with Islamic extremists. Bill m103 says I can not speak out about Islamophobia or the irrational fear of Muslims. We must accept their way of life. Some poor terrorist needs a hug, Group Hug anyone?
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