Jack in the Pulpit

Jack in the Pulpit root is acrid, antiseptic, diaphoretic, expectorant, irritant and stimulant. A medicinal poultice of root used for headaches and various skin diseases. Ointment used for ringworm, tetterworm and abscesses treatments. Native Americans also used the root as a contraceptive.

jpr: dont never recall seeing the thing... spose to be a wetland plant...been about many a creek, pond, river bank.

Gerald Hamer

Excellent Welsh actor seen often in secondary movie roles as early as the 1930s. A staple in Basil Rathbone's "Sherlok Homes" movies ....available on Netflix. Do u recognize the guy?

trish regan

Irish catholic business news tv anchor.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp1EVyVo92Y

jpr: the obvious appeal is that of the classic irish beauty and must be shared!

Iceland's national soccer team

They have a chance to reach the semifinals in Euro Cup 2016. Unheard and not before achieved in the history of the competition. A country of  some 300,000 souls defeating nations of 10s of millions.
.
Their "viking cry: was copied from a Scottish team in 2014.
http://digg.com/2016/iceland-clap-celebration-england-euro-2016

Jpr: cheers for their fearlessness and performances....not luck!

Just Shoot Me.

Jello aka Gelatin is such a common and whimsical food ( bouncy, sweet, and brightly colored ) that it’s easy to forget that it’s actually an animal product.  Boiling the leftover skins and bones of cattle, chicken, calves feet, and pigs releases the connective tissue molecule ‘collagen’ to disperse into the water.  Dry, add boiling water and anything from fruit, nuts, candies, or vegies and ‘viola’ a mainstay of mid-west and country cooking.  One of mom’s regulars,  cheap, filling, disgusting --------------- always hated it.

echmiadzin cathedral armenia

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Z_5q8AZJo

Armenia became the first Christian country and built the cathedral in 301-303 A.D. This is the oldest state built church in the world.

Wild flower patch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DEfotv4yPo

Jpr: has me a 10 ft sq patch. Got seeds from "the Vermont wildflower farm". Brings in chickadees , hummers, butterflies,and goldfinches to feed.  Plus takes some of the seeds out of the patch to spread in the bracken at the edges of the large field in back of me home. Somes takes they do migrate on theirs owns. 

ancient city of jebusites

The city of Jebus later renamed Jerusalem after the battle where Joshua conquered the Jebusite people who originally built the city .

Abraham to Joshua

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ6J70iqp

Changing Times.

Women will join jousting competitions at English castles for the first time this summer, English Heritage has confirmed.  Female knights will battle against male counterparts at Bolsover, Kenilworth, Pendennis and Carisbrooke castles. Not sure if photo is male or female, either way its some ugly knight.

the chimney swift

These birds are most acrobatic and entertaining. The feed on insects while in flight. Fast and agile they dart in the open meadow circling then driving through a group of insects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-JVlyD7f70

Presently they are in flight just a foot or so above the ground in the field behind me home. Later in the summer they'll follow the bugs to new elevations of 10 - 20 feet.

Meet Grace O'Malley.

Grace O'Malley was a notorious sailor, captain, plunderer, mercenary, rebel, pirate, wife and mother from  County Mayo in the 16th century.  Born in 1530 in the tower above, she was the scourge of Ireland's west coast (mostly directed at the English) at a time when women left the kitchen only to give birth.  The O’Malley family were hereditary lords of the Mayo coast and Grace the most famous member of the family.  But she has been written out of Irish History because she made peace with the English to gain release of her son from an English prison.

Ruins of Jericho

                               

The oldest known "true" city in history. It is estimated to be over 10,000 yrs old. Destroyed by the Joshua in the time of Moses... the walls came tumbling down and apparently stayed down.

Megalifts in mideast

The Tell el Hamman dolmen field (Jordan) contains over 500 dolmens as well as menhirs (standing stones) and stone circles. Dolmen, a type of megalithic tomb.

Yummy

An annual dog meat festival has begun in southern China, amid widespread domestic and international opposition.  About 10,000 dogs and cats are expected to be killed and eaten during the controversial 10-day festival in Yulin.  A tradition of eating dog meat dates back some 500 years in China, South Korea and other countries, where many believe it wards off the heat in summer months.  Selling dog meat for human consumption is legal in China, with an estimated 10 million dogs killed for human consumption every year.

Happy Solstice

The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of a planet's axis, in either northern or southern hemispheres, is most inclined toward the sun. This happens twice each year (once in each hemisphere), at which times the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as seen from the north or the south pole. The summer solstice occurs some time between June 20 and June 22 in the northern hemisphere and between December 20 and December 23 each year in the southern hemisphere.^[4] The same dates in the opposite hemisphere are the  winter solstice.  This year's summer solstice is particularly auspicious as its a full moon.

One for JP's files.

Virginia Raggi is the 37 year old mayor of Roman, the first woman mayor in the 3,000 year history of the city.  A lawyer by profession, she is married to another politician and the mother of a 7 year old.   I intend to vote for her for president, probably several times.

Walks in beauty..L G Byron

 first day of summer romance

She walks in beauty, like the night 

Of cloudless climes and starry skies; 

And all that’s best of dark and bright 

Meet in her aspect and her eyes; 

Thus mellowed to that tender light 

Which heaven to gaudy day denies. 

One shade the more, one ray the less, 

Had half impaired the nameless grace 

Which waves in every raven tress, 

Or softly lightens o’er her face; 

Where thoughts serenely sweet express, 

How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. 

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow, 

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 

The smiles that win, the tints that glow, 

But tell of days in goodness spent, 

A mind at peace with all below, 

A heart whose love is innocent!

70 tiny metal books

Their pages are seize of credit cards and made of metal.  Recently found  in a cave in modern Jordan. Here earliest Christians took refuge with fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The pages are inscribed with symbols only.

Earliest known grave

An archaeological dig in Alaska has uncovered the oldest human remains ever found in Arctic or Subarctic North America – the cremated skeleton  a fetus and of a 3-year-old.

The chlid's burned bone fragments were found in a fire pit in the remains of an ancient house near the Tanana River in central Alaska. Researchers date the cremation to 11,500 years ago. 

dog staying cool

'Leopard Man of Skye' dies.

London-born former special forces soldier Tom Leppard who lived in a remote shack on Skye for 20 years has died age 78.  Mr. Leppard had his entire body covered with leopard spots and yellow between the spots following his 28 year military career.   He was listed as the most tattooed senior citizen by the Guinness  Book of World Records

Jordan River

One might argue the center piece in biblical history!

jpr: makes me ready for a swim over.... not biblical....yet!

Who Knew.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article83655187.html#storylink=cpy

Jack Conway, an Irish turf cutter, working in the Emlagh bog in County Meath, Ireland, made an amazing discovery, 25 pounds of bog butter  more than 2,000 years old.  Bog butter is just that: butter made from cow’s milk that’s been buried in a bog, though, after thousands of years, it often has the consistency of cheese.  But still smells like butter.  Such finds are not that unusual.   A 3,000-year-old, three-foot-wide barrel stuffed with 77 pounds of bog butter was found in 2009 and a 5,000-year-old wooden “keg” containing 100 pounds of the butter in 2013.  Burying the butter in a bog was a method to preserve the delicacy.

Hummingbird chicks

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CxKlxHkHimw

Check ur rhododendron

Odd Stuff.

Guirec Soudee, a 24-year-old Frenchman,  has been sailing around the world since 2014.  His traveling companion is a chicken called Monique.  Monique has completely adapted to life on the 39 ft sail boat, freely wandering the deck except in rough weather.  She even lays six eggs every week.

Bird nests

be careful of the relentless devious bird.

Roses the flowers of june

ah the red   red rose never out of favor

Jpr: me roses have never done better than they r this June!

Spring comes to Scotland

Bluebell fields near the home of our friends the McManus family, Blairgowrie, Scotland.

Just A Bunch of Cows Hanging Out.

Must be something of 'cow interest.'

are we butterflies?

Chuang Tzu And The Butterfly by Li Po (701 – 762),

Chuang Tzu in dream became a butterfly,
And the butterfly became Chuang Tzu at waking.
Which was the real—the butterfly or the man ?
Who can tell the end of the endless changes of things?
The water that flows into the depth of the distant sea
Returns anon to the shallows of a transparent stream.
The man, raising melons outside the green gate of the city,
Was once the Prince of the East Hill.
So must rank and riches vanish.
You know it, still you toil and toil,—what for?

Congress. I wonder

Helen Mirren is an accomplished actor and clearly an expert on the subject of acting, drama, theater etc. Recently she played the part of a Jewish woman struggling to recover family art seized by the Nazis.  The movie, based on a true story, is just that a movie.  Its not a documentary, a non-fiction book, or a judicial investigation and Ms. Mirren's lines were written for her.  Nonetheless, a Congressional committee considering legislation to protect such claims by Jewish Americans felt it necessary to subpoena testimony from Ms. Mirren on the subject.  And people wonder why we are frustrated with politics, politicians, Congress etc.  Who's next, Spongebob on water quality? Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump anyone?

Stained glass birds

Jpr: knows a lady from the hills what makes these.

Contact     francis@mulkeenlandscaping.   Phone:(304) 292-0059

John Donnelly sr, obituary

Faith: life long practicing  Irish Catholic. Married 62 yrs to his wife Rose. Father of nine children.  He was named "Father of the Year" in his home town. He was an Eucharistic minister, alter server, and mass lector. He was life long member of the Holy Name Society and Nights of Columbus. He was a principle organizer of area Rosary rallies.

Military: combined active and reserve duty in US military of 26 yrs. He fought in the Korean War and survived the Battle of Pork Chop Hill and was awarded 2 bronze stars for valor in combat among other distinguished military citations. He was a Sr Jump Master with 82nd Airborne and combat medic.

Sports: John was a runner and gifted athlete as we're his children. He won numerous trophies in golf.

Family: John was a proud member of the McCaffery Clan. During the years my mother was the clan's matriarch he visited her often and weekly during her terminal illness. John always solicited  a smile and good cheer. He was loved by all the family and is terribly missed.

John died a recently at the age of 82 (much too soon). He remains a hero to the church, his family, our community and nation.  

Jpr: thanks John for having carried the family values so well for so long!

My mock orange

Jpr: me great grandma had her one, me grandma had her one, me ma had her one...all American Irish has 'em one. The many blooms and orange like fragrance is pure magnificence.

Interesting.

The four women in the photo are uniformed police officers in the Metropolitan Police of London wearing the official uniform hijab.  Introduced 10 years ago to encourage Muslim women to join the force,  Police Scotland is about to introduce it as an optional part of its uniform to encourage Muslim women to join up.  Times they are a changing.

Small electronic chord organ

The Greek engineer Ctesibius of Alexandria is credited with inventing the organ in the 3rd century BC. He devised an instrument called the hydraulis, which delivered a wind supply maintained through water pressure to a set of pipes. The hydraulis was played in the arenas of the Roman Empire.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AN1bWUaiCo

 Jpr: has me one from the 60s ifn a body wants it!

roberto benigni et al

See him as inspector cloudeau jr In movie "son of pink panther"

Clip is quite funny  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H6fBnHvdZeI

Has Science Gone Too Far?

Scientists in the United States are trying to grow human organs inside pigs by injecting human stem cells into pig embryos to produce human-pig embryos known as chimeras.  That's right, human-pig embryos.  The team from University of California, Davis says they should look and behave like normal pigs except that one organ will be composed of human cells. The embryos are being allowed to develop in the sows for 28 days before the pregnancies are terminated and the tissue removed for analysis.  The Japanese are growing them to 82 days.  The fear is that some stem cells may migrate to the pig brain.  I know plenty of human pigs, even have a pig dog, but 'pig humans' wow, sounds like ScFi and scares the hell out of me.

An Odd Culture

Hundreds of English cyclists have taken part in a naked bike ride through Bristol to highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads.  The ride - on the theme "as bare as you dare" - is the seventh time the event has been held in the city.  Up to 250 people are thought to have taken part in the "family friendly" 6.5-mile ride.  The English are an odd lot,  "nude--bike ride protest--- family friendly,'  not sure of the connection.

An Unbelievable Talent

Amira Willighagen won Holland;s Got Talent at age 9 for a series of classical opera arias.  She taught herself the music by listening to them on youtube.  She has gone on to a recording and concert career donating half of her profits to her own charity that builds playgrounds for poor children around the world.  Listen to her original performance for am amazing treat.

/www.youtube.com/watch?v=swX-X-Ws3eA&list=RDuxXc0cqDyuw&index=7

Bond, Wayne, Ford

Three Irishmen what made  westerns timeless! Bond, and Wayne were linemen for USC. Wayne injured and no longer able to play was given movie parts by Tom Mix. Bond played on national championship team and joined his former roommate with his first  bit part created for him  by Ford.

Cometh in summer

Jpr: one extremely hot day I was driving through a suburban neighborhood. Three little kids had a lemonade stand  in front of their house. I stopped and ordered a serving for two (at $1 eac) and paid with a five dollar bill. The little girl in charge sent the little boy ( ~4 yrs old ) with my change....6 one dollar bills.

Tranquility

"The fruit of silence is tranquility." Arabian proverb

pietro vannucci 1446-1523

 "Giving keys of the Kingdom to St peter" was painted in the Sistine Chapel.
 He was the big guy in Italy before the coming of Michelangelo.

molly ephraim, aka Mandy Baxter

Molly is featured on Tim Allen's cable series "last man standing" which is hilarious.
The lady is so so good! She's a show stopper and rising phenomenon.