Come Join me in the fun!

	I'm CrystalStarrz on

Well here I am again...reporting the latest news from me to you!

Mother in law: Mom has been struck by the same terrible cold both hubby and I have..so she is spending tons of time in bed, I am making sure, though sick myself, that she gets her meds, breakfast, hot cups of tea and other meals and requirements.She has signed up to try out going tot he day center in the neighboring town  Stanhope twice a week.This would be good if she ends up liking it as its about 6 hours long each time and she would make tons of new pals her own age.They always have lots going on for them to take part in..and I think the mental stimulation would be a pluss for her.

Ben The dog: I have been working vigilently with Ben in hopes of teaching an old dogs new tricks.If you recall he is mother in laws 9year old dog who hates other dogs, not ideal as we have 4.He is doing very well in his attempts to behave with the others, and we have had several situations where either he or one of our dogs has accidentally crossed paths without so much as a snarl.This I feel is progress for sure! I can now take him out into the back yard on a lead while the others dash around freely, sometimes even getting within snapping distance, and no signs of hostility so far on his part.Way to go Ben!

Our 4 Dogs: We still have to give Ben free range of the house as it is his territory, so ours spend lots of time in one room.I do however make sure they have tons of toys and comforts of home, not to feel neglected.I do my best to have them out for a run and a game of fetch at least  times a day...so they do get out! Sassy turned 5 June the 6th and Teddy will turn 5 on July the 4th...so they are getting closer to middle age for doggies.

Hubby: Hubby unfortunately was the one to come down with this horrible cold the worst....it settled on his lungs causing him to seek medical attention, plenty of meds have been dished out to him from the GP, but so far it's not shifting off his chest.I make sure he gets tons of rest and plenty of veg and fruits to try and keep his system strong for fighting.July the 8th will be 6 years married and August the 20th will be 7 years knowing hubby!

Me: I have this horrible cold as well, for me it seems to go away a bit, then the next day it strikes again as if new.I have to take care of hubby and mother in law , so there's not as much rest for me as them...someone has to keep everyone fed and medicated! I have been running a Sister's Drive at my forum to try and get new members, as our goal of members for the year is 20, so if you know any women out there interrested in joining , it's new and improved...and easier to join!

Well that's all for now..Love and Light To everyone!

BLU

Friday the 13th myth makers

Watch out for black cats, avoid mirrors and ladders and, by all means, don't spill the salt.

As most people probably already realize, today is Friday the 13th, a date commonly associated with bad luck.

For the next several hours, millions of superstitious individuals across the country will hold their breath anticipating misfortune. Others will avoid leaving the house altogether, refusing to drive, shop or work on the ill-fated day.

But whether you're a true triskaidekaphobe (a person with an irrational fear of Friday the 13th, also called a paraskevidekatriaphobe) or just mildly suspicious, it's probably a good idea to know just where your trepidation comes from.

Though it's hard to pinpoint the exact origins of any superstition, several Internet sites are devoted to the history of the Friday the 13th legend. And most list the same possible origins of the rumoured curse. One of the more lucid sites is David Emery's urbanlegends.about.

According to a biography on the Web site, Emery is a freelance journalist, as well as a staff writer for both a TV sitcom and a satirical newspaper. He has a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Portland (Or.) State University and completed graduate studies in philosophy and the classics at the University of Texas at Austin. He apparently has a particular interest in modern folklore and founded urbanlegends.about.com to "debunk, deconstruct and discuss the most popular tall tales and hoaxes in circulation."

While the Web site explores everything from e-mail hoaxes to dubious quotes, three pages are devoted to the history of Friday the 13th.

According to the site, the superstition is derived from myths about both Fridays and the number 13.

Fridays, for example, are hailed as a particularly significant day in the Christian tradition. Obviously, there is Good Friday, the day Jesus Christ was crucified. But according to Christian lore, Adam and Eve also supposedly ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday, the Great Flood started on a Friday, the builders of the Tower of Babel were tongue-tied on a Friday and the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday.

Of course, the Bible doesn't specifically note many these events occurring on Fridays, and Emery explains some of the tradition may have stemmed from the fact that pre-Christian pagan cultures hailed Friday as holy days. The word "Friday" is, in fact, derived from a Norse deity who was worshipped on the sixth day of the week and who represented marriage and fertility. Fridays in the early Norse culture were associated with love and considered a good day for weddings.

Over time, however, mythology transformed the Norse fertility goddess into a witch, and Fridays became an unholy Sabbath. Incidentally, the goddess' sacred animal was a cat, which may explain the legendary connection between witches and cats, as well as the superstition about black cats heralding bad luck.

In addition to the legendary significance of Fridays, the sixth day of the week also was execution day in ancient Rome and later Hangman's Day in Britain, according the Emery's Web site.

The number 13 also has mythological and religious symbolism.

Both the Hindus and Vikings reportedly had a myth in which 12 gods were invited to a gathering and Loki, the god of mischief, crashed the party and incited a riot. Tradition in both cultures holds that 13 people at a dinner party is bad luck and will end in the death of the party-goers.

Following in that vein, the Last Supper in Christian tradition hosted 13 people and one betrayed Christ, resulting in the crucifixion.

The number 13 also has been associated with death in other cultures. The ancient Egyptians, for example, believed life unfolded in 12 stages, and the 13th stage was death. The Egyptians considered death a part of their ultimate journey and looked forward to the spiritual transformation ‹ thus 13 was not an unlucky number in their culture ‹ but like so many others, the tradition warped through time and cultures, eventually associating the number 13 with a more negative and fearful interpretation of death, Emery writes.

Finally, Emery suggests the number 13 may have an unlucky connotation because of its association with the lunar calendar (there are 13 lunar cycles in a year) and with femininity (women have 13 menstrual cycles in a year).

Then, there's the event that ties the two superstitions together.

"Though it's clear that superstitions associating Fridays and the number 13 with misfortune date back to the ancient times, some sources assign the precise origin of the black spot on the day itself, Friday the 13th, to a specific historical event," adds Emery.

Despite the onus on the two separated elements, there is no evidence for a link between the two before the 19th century. The earliest known reference in English occurs in a 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini:

(Rossini] was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; and if it be true that, like so many other Italians, he regarded Friday as an unlucky day, and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday, the 13th of November, he died.

It was on Friday, Oct. 13, 1307, that France's King Philip IV had the Knights Templar rounded up for torture and execution. The Knights Templar were an order of warriors within the Roman Catholic Church who banded together to protect Christian travellers visiting Jerusalem in the centuries after the Crusades. The Knights eventually became a rich, powerful ‹ and allegedly corrupt order within the church and were executed for heresy.

So, who knows?

The date may be forever cursed by one event that occurred nearly 700 years ago, or by a series of cosmic coincidences.

Or it may be a figment of human beings' collective imaginations.

I'm sure you all are awre of the big runners in the race for president in the USA, but guess what...there is the independant canidate who's ideas don't sound all that dumb compared to the "big boys". He is a normal guy average joe american, he understands and lives what most americans do, check him out, if you don't like your other options in the race VOTE For FRANK!

http://frankforpresident.org/ISSUES.htm

Well I hope you enjoyed a good chuckle at my expense, after all that's what I am here for..to add a small smile to your face and a bit of Love and Light to boot!

I wont always be here but if your looking for me to chat heres one more place to try:

http://www.meebo.com/user/dezertblu/room/

This is the brief version of the continuing story of this thing I call my life.

We have had to up root and move to Westgate to help mother Young sort through and get her house empty of 30 yrs of hoarding, trying to whittle her worldly possetions down to 22 boxes and some furniture, though that's not looking promising as it's a 21 room house each room could easily fill 5 or so boxes.These are very large boxes by the way. Hubbys attempting to salvage the lost lands they call the garden/Yard years of neglect and feeding wildlife such as rabbits has reduced what used to be a putting green lawn into a rutted mess of weeds.We only have months to accomplish this feat or else all could be lost as the economy and housing markets down the tubes....Mom and Dad young should of sold up and downsized about 20 years ago.Our dogs do thier best to be good but when stuck in a room due to a manic terrier who would like to eat them being around..they do get in a bit of mischief. I have had to be rid of my fish, so all aquariums are now drained and strained of fish, though I have found one staple sized baby which came with me until grown enough to get to the fish store and not become food to other fish.JoJo parrot now lives in Weardale too. My jobs gone, I suspect hubby's jobs gone..and we pretty much are at the mercy of the gods as Mother Young just isn't capable of doing any of this herself.I have to go for now, sending my love to all, will try to stop in again soon with any updates..but my times limited for now.