WAY BACK WEDNESDAY

"you make me smile with my heart"

FLASHBACK (probably) mid~february 270 AD
version one: emperor claudius II decides that single men make better soldiers than men with wives and families. he outlaws marriage for young men. a priest, named valentine, defies the emperor and performs secret marriages. when he is discovered, claudius orders that valentine be put to death.
version two: valentine is imprisoned for helping christians escape roman prisons, where they are beaten and tortured.
either way, legend says, valentine falls in love with a young girl, while in prison, and sends her the first "valentine" greeting. before his death, he writes the girl a letter and signs it "from your valentine".

FLASH FORWARD: 5th century
pope gelasius outlaws the pagan celebration of lupercalia. lupercalia is a fertility festival dedicated to the roman god of agriculture, faunus, that occurs in the middle of february. the pope declares february 14th st. valentine's day, in an effort to take the focus off lupercalia.

FLASH FORWARD: the middle ages
valentine's reputation as a sympathetic, heroic, and romantic man makes him one of the most popular saints in france and england. valentine's greetings become popular (the oldest greeting, still in existence, is written in 1415, by charles, duke of orleans).

FLASH FORWARD today:
today, americans send, approximately, 1 billion valentine's cards making it the second biggest card sending holiday of the year. 

the more you know ;)

BECAUSE IT'S THURSDAY?

"puff the magic dragon lived by the sea...."

dragon: a mythical monster like a giant reptile. in european tradition the dragon is typically fire-breathing and tends to symbolize chaos or evil, whereas in east asia it is usually a beneficent symbol of fertility, associated with water and the heavens.










just a quick list of my favorite dragons in honor of "appreciate a dragon" day:

1. puff the magic dragon

2. falkor (the never ending story)

3. elliot (pete's dragon)

4. smaug (j.r.r. tolkien's the hobbit)

5. the hungarian horntail (j.k. rowling's harry potter)

6. maleficent (sleeping beauty)

7. (and my all time favorite) h.r. pufnstuf

have you appreciated a dragon today? 

                                        

TUESDAY MORNING

"let's watch the old year die with a fond good-bye...and our hopes as high as a kite...how can our love go wrong if we start the new year right?"

it's new year's eve. time to bid adieu to the old and welcome the new. so, how do you make sure the new year will be more amazing than the last one? by following ancient superstitions, duh doy! these superstitions say what you do on new year's day, you will do all year long. be sure to do only things that make you happy and follow cardinal's rules for an awesome 2014:

• make sure all your laundry and housecleaning are done new year's eve day. who wants to be washing clothes and cleaning house all year?!
• do your cooking the day before, and be sure to cook the following: black~eyed peas (for luck), greens (for financial prosperity), and pork (because chickens scratch backwards, cows stand still, but pigs root forward guaranteeing you will move forward thru the new year).

                      

• nothing goes out of the house on new year's day, or you will be losing things all year long.
• fill up the cupboards, fridge, and freezer the day before. if the cupboards are bare you'll be starving all year.
• kiss someone you love at midnight to ensure affection all year long.
• set a dollar bill outside on new year's eve and bring it in new year's day. this will ensure you have money coming in all year.
• the first person that enters your home, on new year's, should be tall, dark, and good looking. no joke. so i will be sending the bk out the door at 11:59 and letting him walk in at midnight...

• open your doors at midnight, to let out all the bad from the past year. and noise. make a lot of loud noise to scare off evil spirits.

so. spend today doing all these things, while you watch the walking dead marathon on amc, and you will have a bright and shiny 2014!

happy new year!!

FLASHBACK long ago and far away

"i dream of jack o'lanterns...driving by these bat night skies...haunted by their lighted grins...i close my eyes, somethings reaching in"

a little history lesson:  ever look at your freshly carved pumpkin and say "i wonder where this tradition started?". well, i did the research so you don't have to...

first came the story of "stingy jack" (please listen to my tale with a thick irish brogue...k?).  stingy jack was an irishman who was very, shall we say, cheap. so one day, jack's strolling down the road and bumps into the devil. jack says "devil! have a pint with me!!" and the devil says sure. but jack has no money. he convinces the devil to turn himself into a coin to pay for the pints. remember how his name is STINGY jack? he decides to pocket the coin and skip out on the bill. the coin is next to a cross, so the devil is trapped, until jack says "devil. i'll let ya go if ya let me be for 1 year and spare me soul if i die" and the devil agreed. so, the next year, the devil's back. jack says "devil, i sure would love a taste of fruit before me punishment." so the devil agreed to climb a tree and get him the fruit. jack quickly carved the sign of the cross into the tree, trapping the devil. "devil. i'll let ya down but ya must agree to let me be for 10 more years and spare me soul if i die" and the devil agreed. jack soon died. god refused to let him into heaven...i mean, would you let a trickster like that into heaven?...and the devil, still mad about the tricks jack pulled (cuz old lucifer can dish it out but he can't take it) and true to his word (cuz what does a man have if he doesn't have his word?), refused to let jack into hell. the devil sent jack into the deep, dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. jack put the coal into a carved~out turnip and used it to light the way. and so began the legend of jack of the lantern.

people in ireland and scotland started making "jack's lantern" out of turnips and potatoes, carving scary faces into them and placing them in their windows to ward off evil spirits, including stingy jack. immigrants to america brought this tradition with them and found that pumpkins (which are native to america, by the way) were perfect.

FLASH FORWARD today
we americans love our jack o'lanterns. from carving, or painting, to purchasing pre-lit pumpkins, jack of the lantern is a halloween favorite.  and now you know why... (^^)

                    

 

                                            

IT'S FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE

"song...song of the south...sweet potato pie and hush my mouth..."
FLASHBACK april 1986
i move to north carolina. within a month, my family cannot understand a word i say.
FLASH FORWARD 2009 until today
this happens almost daily~
remember when you said blah blah blah? bk "ummmm...when did i say that?". you know? the other day...when we were moving my stuff into your apartment. "the other day? that was 4 years ago...it was NOT 'the OTHER day'!".

or

the other day you asked me blah blah blah and...bk "the other day as in the other day? or the other day as in 30 years ago?".

FLASH FORWARD august 15, 2013

i'm fixin to head to starbucks, do y'all need anything? "you're fixin? what?".

okay. fine. so i picked up a few southernisms after living in the carolinas for 23 years...24 actually, since the bk and i lived there for a year. and most of my mid~west and west coast friends have a tiny bit of trouble understanding me at times. so...i thought, maybe, i would take this opportunity to teach you how to get along in the south...

• you should always be barefoot or in flip flops, and i will push it as close to the limit as i possibly can. 
• sweet tea is just "tea", it should always be sweet.  
• "bless your heart" doesn't mean that at all...and you will never, hardly ever, hear me say it.
• i stopped calling my parent's mom and dad 27 years ago...they are "mama" and "daddy".
• "fixin" doesn't mean to ACTUALLY fix something...it means i'm getting ready to do something or go somewhere...as in "i'm fixin to go to the store" or "i'm fixin to bake cookies" or "i'm fixin to roundhouse kick you in the face".
• "the other day" can be anywhere from yesterday to november 1965.
• bbq is pulled pork...all other "bbq" is called by it's name: brisket, chicken, and whatever else you cook on a grill...
• speaking of bbq...it's not a pig roast, it's a pig pickin because, duh doy, everyone is pickin meat off the pig. and you have slaw, and beans, and pig pickin cake. or else it's not a real pig pickin.
• if i say "i'm about to monkey" it means i'm super super hot and sweaty. cuz, well, monkeys are sweaty? i have no idea...you just say it in the deep south.
• "i swanee" means "i swear". i hardly ever say that, but if i do now you'll know what i mean...
• "drink" means coke and not a mixed drink. if you are asking me over for a cocktail you better be specific. also, if i say "coke" i mean soda...any soda...if i say "diet coke" i mean diet soda...any diet soda. it's not hard.
• grits. this is important. people in the mid~west have NO CLUE about the proper way to enjoy grits. they put butter on them! bleck! and SUGAR!! bleck! bleck!! and, sometimes, even milk!! BLECK! BLECK!! BLECK!!! grits should be served all mixed up with runny eggs (preferably sunny~side up) with lots of salt and pepper. and, if you haven't tried them, you should. you really should.

^barefootin^

^good ol' southern seafood^

^a rare sight in the south^

^in the south, we don't hide our crazy...we put 'em on the front porch for everyone to see^

do you have any southernisms not listed here? and, maybe, you want to know what they mean? i'll be happy to help you out ☺

the more you know.....

FLASHBACK the first christmas

"noses so red...poinsettias in a vase...my pillsbury dough boy, gingerbread tough...now kiss me did you miss me mistletoe for some luck"

a history lesson!!
the poinsettia. in mexico, it is called flores de noche buena (flowers of the holy night). legend says that a young girl wished to give the baby jesus a gift, but had no money. as she headed to visit the baby, she picked up weeds along the roadside. as she approached the manger, the weeds suddenly transformed into the vibrant red flower.
FLASH FORWARD 14th century(ish)
aztecs use the white sap stored in the plant (mistakenly thought to be poisonous to humans) to reduce fevers. also, they use the plant to make red dye.
FLASH FORWARD 1825
joel robert poinsett...the united states first ambassador to mexico (who also happens to be the founder of the smithsonian institute!) finds a plant that blooms in the short days around christmas, in southern mexico, and brings them to the united states. 
FLASH FORWARD today
the poinsettia is now a holiday favorite, symbolizing a wish of good cheer, success, and celebration. but, do you know how to care for your poinsettia? i don't...which is why i did some research...so here's a bit of advice from me...the queen of black thumbs:

1. light: your poinsettia is a tropical plant and will appreciate as much direct sunlight as you can give it...
2. heat: again, your poinsettia is a tropical plant. try to maintain a temp of 65-70 degrees...and don't let it touch a cold window or be exposed to a draft.
3. water: water your poinsettia whenever the surface feels dry to the touch. water until it pours out of the bottom, but don't let it sit in the water.
4. humidity: because homes tend to be dry, especially in winter, you may find you have to water your plant every day.

it's possible to keep your poinsettia alive through the year, and re~bloom for the following christmas...but, if you are anything like me, that's just NOT going to happen...however! if you are braver than me click here for more info...

happy planting!!

^poinsettias...responsible for the death of frosty? yep^