Anyone up for a meeting in the grove?

It's been from 5 to 10 below zero for the last 3 nights here. One of my thoughts has been about beliefs that the druids would gather in the woods for thier meetings and ceremonies. Right about now the part of my brain that thinks logically and uses common sense is thinking that can't be how it was. Especailly in weather like this. Maybe when weather would permit, but it would be fatal with temperatures like this. So I'm thinking they probably had some sort of shelter in the woods for thier gatherings. What do you think? X. Just throwing out some of my random thoughts.

Problem Child

Reba is a blue and gold macaw. She is about 6 years old now. I bought her when she was 3 years old from a couple in Illinois who had raised her from a baby chick. Thier jobs had changed causing them to be away from home more. So they wanted to find her a home where she wasn't moved back and forth so much. That's where I came into her life. She wasn't to happy about it at first and it took her a while to accept her new companions. My girlfriend had two parrots of her own, an african grey and an amazon. The macaws have a powerful bite and can inflict a lot of damage when they feel threatened. I can attest to this from experience. We are good friends now however.

Reba is rather talkative and acts much like a small child at times. She will scold the other birds when they are makeing to much noice by saying "quiet, knock it off, bad bad". She greets us every morning by saying "good morning" and "hello" and " goodbye" when we come and go. Her favorite thing to do is mess with Greta, our boxer. She will say "hey greta". She usually does this when someone comes to the door or passes by outside. Greta usually becomes guard dog greta and growls and runs from the front to the back of the house. Reba has realized she can do this any time she wants whether someone is coming or not. So she messes with Greta to get her riled up. On the other hand she is very defensive of Greta and will start screaming if she thinks we are doing anything to harm Greta, such as give her medicine or check her ears. She has a good vocabulary and a lot of times will say something in context to what is happening. She almost seems like a human at times.

Parrots have a long lifespan when kept in captivity. Some live to be 50 to 60 years thus they outlive thier owners quite often. She has been a joy. However she reminds me that she is a wild animal ever so often by letting out a blood curdleing scream. X.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Ok, who left the door to the Arctic open?

Part Pict I Be

One of my great grandparents surname was Craig. We have thier line traced back to the 1500's in northern Scotland. It is said that the Craigs were decended from the Pictish tribes of Scotland. I tend to believe this might be true as the Craigs normally have coal black hair and a dark complexion and this is how most Picts are described by historians. Not a lot is known about them. They were good artesans and left many carved stones in Scotland. They were such fierce warriors that the Romans were unable to conquer them while in the British Ilse. They usually went into battle nude with thier bodies covered in blue colored markings and tattoos. Some historians think that they came from the area of Spain originally.

Above is the pattern for the Craig Tartan. And above that is a Pictish symbol, the z rod over the double disc. Some say the z rod is a broken arrow which is a sign for death. There are several thoughts on what the double disc means. Possibly the afterlife or the moon and sun. X.

Preserved Children

1 Large field
1/2 dozen children
2 small dogs
Splash of brook
Bunch of pebbles

Mix chidren and dogs and place in field, stirring constantly. Pour the brook over the pebbles, sprinkle the field with flowers; spread over all a deep blue sky and bake in the sun. When brown, set away to cool in the bathtub. X.

Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned

1. No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.

2. When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.

3. If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.

4. Never ask a 3 year old brother to hold a tomatoe.

5. You can't trust dogs to watch your food.

6. Puppies still have bad breath even after having a Tic Tac.

7. Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.

8. You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

9. Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

10.The best place to be when you are sad is in Grandma' lap.

X.

Superstition, Wives Tales, Folklore, Omens, Lucky and Unlucky Things

The picture above was taken new years day at our company basecamp near Dai Loc Vietnam. If you look close you will see a rosary around my neck along with my dog tags. The rosary was given to me by my grandmother, before I left for Nam. She was a devote catholic and very religious person. I was raised a catholic but did not use the rosary as it was intended. I wore it as a good luck charm, to ward off harm or injury in battle. At that time it was as important to me as my helmut and flak jacket. Warriors are very superstitious. Some of my friends had certain rituals they would go through every day. There were a number of catholics in my platoon. We would go to Mass every time we had an oppurtunity. The day after we attended a Mass one of my friends was killed in an ambush. Myself and my other catholic friends decided we wouldn't attend Mass any more and we didn't. We basically established a new superstition by not going to Mass.

I am usually skepticle about things at first, especailly if it is something new or if it has to do with someone else's experience or belief. But, more so today than in the past, I am a seeker of the truth. And try to do so with an open mind. That is why I approach this subject.

Here are but a few of the many things I came up with after doing a search on Google.
I will make a comment on some as I go along.

ACORN-To carry one brings good luck
(This probably comes from Celtic beliefs which venerate the mighty oak)
BELL-The sound is said to drive away evil spirits
(Bikers hang a spirit bell on the underside of thier motorcyle to ward off evil spirits. I have a steel plate in my leg that disputes this one. Although someone said I should have had my bell blessed.)
BIRD- If a bird comes into your house it is a sign of death.
BROOM- You should immediatly sweep out the room of an unwelcome guest to prevent thier return
CHILL-A chill up your back or goosebumps means someone is walking on your grave
(Ok, this one reinforces my belief in Reincarnation. I haven't been buried yet in this life.)
CIRCLE-If you stand inside a circle evil spirits can't harm you
(This ties into Wiccan beliefs. But there are other groups that follow this thinking also. Native Americans hold this belief. The circle is a powerful symbol and has many meanings to the earth based religions of ancient peoples.)
COWS-If a cow raises it's tail it's a sign of rain
(For us country folk it's usually a sign of something a little more fowl.)
FISH- A fish should be eaten from the head toward the tail/A fish should be eaten from the tail toward the head
(Ok, you notice this is written in opposing versions. So what do I do? I'll probably just eat the darn fish.)
GARLIC-Keeps evil spirits and vampires away
(Will probably keep friends away as well)
HORSESHOE-Should be hung with the ends pointing up, so it will catch luck
KNITTING-Knit one of your hairs into a garment to bind the person who recieves it to you
LEAF-Catch a falling leaf on the 1st day of autum and it will prevent a cold that year
MISTLETOE-Protects your house from lightning and thunder
OPALS-Should only be worn by people born in October
SCISSORS-If you drop a pair a loved one is being unfaithful
SHOES-Bad luck to leave upside down
SPARROWS-They carry the souls of the dead,unlucky to kill one
(I am in deep do-do on this one. As a child, me and my daisy air gun dispatched many a soul packin sparrow.)
VEILS-A brides veil protects her form evil spirits, who are jealous of happy people
WATERMELON-Swallow a seed and it will grow in your stomach
(Now I have a perfectly good excuse for my big belly)
WEATHER-Red sky at night, sailors delight/Red sky at morning, sailors warning
( This one you can count on, just tells it like it is.)

I think if a superstition has a positive effect on your mental well being that it is ok. However, if it is negative in nature it should be disregarded. Because negative sayings are based on fear and discrimination. X.