More wedding facts

Bouquet....For ancient Greeks and Romans, the bouquet was a pungent mix of garlic and herbs or grains. The garlic was supposed to ward off evil spirits and the herbs or grains were to insure a fruitful union.

Cake… Ancient Romans broke a cake over the bride's head to symbolize fertility or abundance. Many other cultures dropped wheat, flour or cake on the bride's head, and then ate the crumbs for good luck. In medieval times, guests brought small cakes and piled them on a table. The bride and groom then attempted to kiss over the cakes. Eventually, a young baker decided to put all the cakes together and cover them with frosting, thus the tiered wedding cake was born.


Honeymoon….The first weddings comprised of a groom taking his bride by capture. He would take her somewhere hidden away so her relatives and villagers couldn't find them. There they stayed for one moon phase and drank mead, a wine make from honey, to make them more amorous. Thus, the word "honeymoon" was born.

post wedding blues

I miss you all. There are too many miles between us. Retired people with no big plans, students, those employed but with vacation time, those somewhat employed or not at all, should all come for a visit to Maine. We live 15 minutes from the Atlantic, 5 from the Piscataqua, 10 from scenic Portsmouth, and 60 minutes in either direction from the hopping metropolises (metropoli?) of Boston, MA and Portland, ME. Free room and board. Must love dogs.

Justice over the foe?

We hold justice over our enemy as a divine right.

Those who have transgressed will account for their wicked actions under righteousness…so we believe. Our settlement’s arrival is anticipated with swiftness and vigor. Suggestions are eagerly offered to its form and content. This is being human.

Experience has shown that the justice provided under mankind is massively lacking. No form of evenhandedness by human effort proceeds in a vision without prejudice. Hence it is best to leave adjudication to divine intervention. This option is not meant for enjoyment. It is chosen for fairness! Here in this process the offended is wholly excluded.

There is however good news! There is absolute assurance that a true punishment will be had to the evil doer. None of the wrongdoing will be passed over. We shall indeed have justice albeit it shall be later than sooner.

Divine retribution comes as aging! There is no sense of revenge in beating an old sinner.

The bad news is that we too shall account for our offenses in sameness. Those to whom we have done wrong shall be comforted. They shall be allowed to offer forgiveness when lateness comes to our life.

It’s not sweet but it is an inevitable reckoning.

Sonnet 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
admit impediments. Love is not love
which alters when it alteration finds,
or bends with the remover to remove:
Oh, no! It is an ever-fixed mark.
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
it is the star to every wandering bark,
whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
within his bending sickle's compass come;
love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
but bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

-- Wm Shakespeare

Tin Wedding Whistle

Though you know it anyhow
Listen to me, darling, now,
Proving what I need not prove
How I know I love you, love.
Near and far, near and far,
I am happy where you are;
Likewise I have never larnt
How to be it where you aren't.
Far and wide, far and wide,
I can walk with you beside;
Furthermore, I tell you what,
I sit and sulk where you are not.
Visitors remark my frown
Where you're upstairs and I am down,
Yes, and I'm afraid I pout
When I'm indoors and you are out;
But how contentedly I view
Any room containing you.
In fact I care not where you be,
Just as long as it's with me.
In all your absences I glimpse
Fire and flood and trolls and imps.
Is your train a minute slothful?
I goad the stationmaster wrothful.
When with friends to bridge you drive
I never know if you're alive,
And when you linger late in shops
I long to telephone the cops.
Yet how worth the waiting for,
To see you coming through the door.
Somehow, I can be complacent
Never but with you adjacent.
Near and far, near and far,
I am happy where you are;
Likewise I have never larnt
How to be it where you aren't.
Then grudge me not my fond endeavor,
To hold you in my sight forever;
Let none, not even you, disparage
Such a valid reason for a marriage.

-- Ogden Nash

Given In Marriage Unto Thee

Given in marriage unto thee,
Oh, thou celestial host!
Bride of the Father and the Son,
Bride of the Holy Ghost!
Other betrothal shall dissolve,
Wedlock of will decay;
Only the keeper of this seal
Conquers mortality.
-- Emily Dickinson

Some Wedding Facts

Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vein of love ran from this finger directly to the heart.

The most married man in history, in the monogamous category, was Glynn Wolfe, a former Baptist minister from Blythe, California. He was married twenty-eight times.

The most married woman in history, in the monogamous category, was Linda Lou Essex from Anderson, Indiana, who was married twenty-two times.

Lazarus Rowe and Molly Weber were married in Greenland, New Hampshire in 1743 and remained married until 1829, when she dies after their having been married for 86 years.


Comment: The limits are dizzifying

Wedding Soons

Wedding dresses need wedding presses,
Wedding soups for wedding troops,
Wedding bakes raise wedding cakes,
Wedding fancies place wedding dances,
Wedding wines at wedding times,
Wedding hums bring wedding sums,
Wedding tunes fortell wedding soons.


Bride to groom,
In celebration,
Begin together,
A long life in good health, and with many beautiful children!

jpR

Animal facts

Approximately 200 trees can be cut down by an average beaver.
The average number of quills on a porcupine is 30,000.
Moose have very poor vision. Some have even tried to mate with cars.

Grandma's dogs

Pal
Sally,
Blackie,
Zero,
Puppy Boy
Lady



Comment: There are surely others of which I do not recall

one more

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to see."

-Groucho Marx

The O'Really Factor

Abraham Lincoln's mother Nancy died from "milk sickness" in 1818. Abraham Lincoln was only nine years old when his mother died. "Milk sickness" was caused by the consumption of milk contaminated by a toxin found in the White Snakeroot plant. Cows would often graze on the White Snakeroot plant passing the toxin to humans. "Milk sickness" killed thousands of settlers in the 18th and 19th centuries. In many cases over half the population of a community died.

Meredith and Abbey

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey.. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies..' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey &Meredith and this note:


Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by...
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,
God

It is not known who replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Wedding Swoons

Wedding dresses need,
Wedding presses.

Wedding soup for,
Wedding troops.

Wedding fancies start,
Wedding dances.

Wedding wine at,
Wedding time.

Wedding hums bring,
Wedding sums.

Wedding bride to,
Wedding groom together,
In a long life with good health and beautiful children!

old Irish riddle

Washed my face in water
That was never rained or run
I dried it with a towel
That was neither wove nor spun


Comment: the answer to be posted tomorrow

a joke

St Peter's Quiz

A petty thief, a teacher and a lawyer die in a plane crash and go up to Heaven's gates together.
When they get there they are stopped by St. Peter, who says: "Sorry, it's crowded up here, you need to answer a question correctly, or else you can't get in."
He looks at the teacher, and asks her: "What was the name of the famous ocean-liner that sank after hitting an iceberg?"
"Oh, that's easy," the teacher replies, "the Titanic."
So St. Peter lets her into Heaven.
Next he turns to the petty thief.
"How many people died on that ship?" St. Peter asks.
"Oooh, that's tough, but I saw the movie, and I think it was 1,500."
St. Peter steps away and the thief walks into Heaven.
Finally, St. Peter turns to the lawyer and says: "Name them.”

True politicial story

Supposedly G.B. Shaw once sent Winston Churchill some tickets for the first night of one of his plays.

Churchill then sent Shaw a telegram to the effect: "Cannot come first night. Will come second night if you have one."

Shaw promptly replied: "Here are two tickets for the second night. Bring a friend if you have one."

a joke

3 Blind (drunk) Mice



Three macho mice are sitting at a bar discussing just how tough they were. The first mouse slams a shot and says: "I play with mouse traps for fun. I'll run into one on purpose and as it is closing on me, I grab the bar and bench press it 20 to 30 times." And, with that, he slams another shot.
The second mouse slams a shot and says: "That's nothing. I take those poison bait tablets, cut them up, and snort them, just for the fun of it." And, with that, he slams another shot.
The third mouse slams a shot, gets up, and turns to walk away.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" ask his friends.

The third mouse stops and replies: "I'm going home to shag the cat."

Turn of the century Gaelic grave inscription

gus aM bris an là agus an teiCh na sgailean

meaning "until day breaks and the shadows flee"


Comment: Place any favorite family grave inscrpition in the comment option

two topics at once

Irish Dream recipe


1/2 oz hazelnut liqueur
1/2 oz Irish cream
3/4 oz brown creme de cacao
4 oz vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 oz whipped cream

Combine the hazelnut liqueur, irish cream, brown creme de cacao and vanilla ice cream in a blender with one cup of crushed ice.
Top with whipped cream.
Garnish with chocolate.


comment: any topic is welcomed at anytime!

some interpetations of dreams

To dream of women, foreshadows intrigue. To argue with one, foretells that you will be outwitted and foiled.

To dream that a dog fondles you, indicates great gain and constant friends.

To dream of seeing many beautiful children is portentous of great prosperity and blessings

For a woman to dream of mother, signifies pleasant duties and connubial bliss.

-- Gustavus Hindman Miller • 1901

I found a dead one!

Yep! It was laying there spread eagle along a secluded forest trail. It didn’t move upon my approach. Resting flat and stiff, the remains had all the indications of a recent encounter with a dirk bicycle, or motorized quad.

I have read (on blogs ) about the fear of accumulating dead in a desolate parts of nature. This was serious …at least for the ground toad sacrificed by modernity. The sign foretold of more demise to come in the direction of my passage!

I have been a scout, a naturalist….yes an explorer for most of my unmarried, sober life. This seemed a pure amphibicide and no accident.

My first thoughts were of reckless youths indifferent to the environmental consequences of their leisure sport. However the examination of evidence quickly said other wise.

Fact # 1. To the worn eye a rock or large toad may be indistinguishable. To the failing eye, neither would have been viewed. This suggests a lead rider of advancing age or better aged advance.

Fact # 2. The size in width of the tire marks was relatively large for a pedacycle but too small for a motorized off the road vehicle. Typical tire requirements found for an over weight load.

Fact # 3. The nature of the toad’s body position indicates compaction at a rate too slow for a competitive bike rider. Thus is confirmed that tired heavy legs were providing a barely sustainable forward trust at the time of death

Fact # 4. The rider was alone! No other marks of human passage were to be found. The culprit was unsociable in disposition perhaps even violent.

The conclusion is inescapable. This death was dealt by a late middle aged overweight (pie eating) male sociopath probably bearded and wearing out of date prescription glasses.

Any one seeing a person of this description is asked to take caution!

Dreaming on the job

A new MICHEY poll of civil servants, security guards, and transportation workers has revealed that those who say they regularily dream on the job have experienced substantial work benefits over those who do not.

The poll reports dreamers in the workplace;
1. enjoy work more,
2. find work less stressfull,
3. experience better cooperation with fellow workers,
4. family life improves while they are at work,
5. they report less problems with ED,
6. consume less pie on the job,
7. have had more career advancement,
8. tend more to become bloggers.

The MacDonald's

THE M(a)cDonald Family is among the forty-nine "best families" selected by the American Historical-Genealogical Society for whom the Society has published family histories during the past few years. The M(a)cDonald family has been prominent in the British Empire and in the United States; its members having played important roles in war and in peace. Family pride is a commendable trait and should be cultivated. All M(a)cDonalds have just cause to be proud of their family history and traditions.

In reference No. 14 we find the following regarding the origin and meaning of the name MacDonald:

The surname, MacDonald, means the son or descendant of Donald. Donald is a well-known northern personal name. By some etymologists it is thought to be derived from the Gaelic "donhuil," which means "browneyed." Others say that it comes from two Gaelic words, "domhan"-the world-and "all"-mighty. In Scotch histories of the family the name is always written Macdonald or MacDonald, while those of the clan who have come to America usually use the abbreviation, McDonald.

The clan MacDonald is certainly one of the oldest and most important in Scotland. Its chiefs descended from Somerled, Thane of Argyle, but sometimes styled King of the Isles, who flourished in the twelfth century. [See Chapter (C)].

This clan has been known for centuries for its fearlessness and bravery, and also for its ancient and unbroken lineage. It is well represented today throughout Great Britain and the United States.

~from http://www.accessgenealogy.com/

on death

I am ready to meet my maker, but whether my maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
--Winston Churchill

All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"--a strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
--Mark Twain

Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it.
--William Shakespeare

Death is one of two things. Either it is annihilation, and the dead have no consciousness of anything; or, as we are told, it is really a change: a migration of the soul from one place to another.
--Socrates