Bob and Betty Bainbridge's charitable work is just one more reason that I am so proud of our local farmers. They are a blessing to the North Bay community.
Eggzactly what the Santa Fund needs
Bob and Betty Bainbridge's hens are producing more than just eggs.
Over the last 11 years, the three dozen birds have helped raise more than $15,000 for the North Bay Santa Fund.
The Bainbridges, who live off Four Mile Lake Road, sell the eggs all year long and give the proceeds to the charity, which provides hampers of food and gifts to hundreds of families every Christmas.
You've got to have a hobby and this one has a good end result," Bob Bainbridge said this week. It's a win-win situation. We enjoy giving back and we're going to keep doing it."
He said it can be difficult to keep up with the demand for the eggs, but those old girls do pretty good. They lay about 1,500 eggs per year."
Bainbridge said he could give the money to any charity, but the Santa Fund is close to his heart.
We just decided one year that the Santa Fund needed it the most," he said, recalling the 1950s when he delivered hampers.
Read the rest of the article here.
Slàinte!
Laurel
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Luverly of the Week: Kinship from Janesdead
And here are a few more luverlies of horses in the snow...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Great Mane-Plaiting Mystery Strikes Again...
...was it Witchcraft, Faeries or just horse thieves?
POLICE FORCE 'CONSULTED WARLOCK OVER HORSE PLAITING'
Owners in west Dorset and the surrounding counties had believed that thieves plaited the manes of the beasts to identify which ones to steal when they returned at night.
But police officers investigating the incidents said there had been no thefts, and instead their enquiries led to the world of pagan ritual.
It is now believed that the practice is a part of white witch "knot magick" that is used when a spell is cast.
It seems those responsible to go extreme lengths at night to carry out their plaiting as horses have had their manes knotted on nights of high wind and rain.
And some of those targeted have been in fields surrounded by electric fences, miles from anywhere.
Read the rest of the article here.
Slàinte!
Laurel
Monday, December 7, 2009
Yuletide Traditions: Greenery and Decorations
The tradition of the Christmas tree did not become widely popular outside of Germany until probably the 19th century. The actual origin of the custom is generally accepted as being pre-Christian, although there are some who disagree.
One such person is author Francis X. Weiser who wrote in his book Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs that the Christmas tree is 'Completely Christian in origin.' and 'It's origin is due to a combination of two medieval religious symbols: the Paradise Tree and the previously described Christmas lights.' {You can find out more about the Christmas lights and Paradise Tree on page 81.}
Another story supporting the theory that the Christmas tree is a not pre-Christian is that of Saint Boniface, who went to Germany in 723 for Christmas and was so pissed that the Germans were going to celebrate the season in the old Pagan way {which apparently included human sacrifice} that he chopped down the sacred oak of Odin. After that, legend has it that a fir tree took its place, thus the dawn of the Christmas tree. {The Christmas Tree: Legends, Traditions, History by Lino Lozza.}
In some areas of England it is bad form to bring seasonal greenery in and trees into a house before Christmas Eve, or to take it down before the Twelfth Night. Disposing of the trees and greenery is also a serious affair. Some folks burn it ritually, while others insist that it is bad luck to do so. {The Encyclopedia of Superstitions by Edwin Radford.}
Of course the trees themselves now how decorations, and depending on where, there are many different traditional ways to trim a tree.
According to Dorothy Gladys Spicer in Festivals of Western Europe a typical Swedish tree would have been donned with gingerbread, apples, nuts, candles, along with straw goats and pigs. In the book she says:
According to Dorothy Gladys Spicer in Festivals of Western Europe a typical Swedish tree would have been donned with gingerbread, apples, nuts, candles, along with straw goats and pigs. In the book she says:
The straw animals, which are found throughout Sweden, are intimately related to ancient Norse mythology; for the modern figures originated in legends of the sacred animals of the gods--the goat of Thor, the thunder god, and the pig of Frey, god of the sun.
She also talks about a few other places such as Switzerland, where trees were often kept in a closed off room until after Christmas Eve dinner. When revealed the most likely decorations that would be seen were bells, cotton balls, apples, cookies, and red candles.
A pretty common decoration that you see on many people's trees today are Christmas balls, which some claim started out as a version of a Witch ball. They were supposed to keep away evil spirits and jealous neighbours from spoiling the household's Christmas. Bells being put on trees, doorways, wreaths and other parts of the house served the same purpose.
The candy cane is the descendent of a simple white stick of candy that was at one time really popular in Europe. There is one legend that says the current shape of the candy cane was created by a member of a Cologne Cathedral in Germany. He was the choirmaster of the church, and in 1670 he bent straight candy to represent a shepherd's crook, which was then given out to the children. {The History of the Candy Cane by Laura Witcher Goldstein.}
Instead of Christmas trees, in England and Germany wooden pyramids were sometimes used. They would be decorated with colourful paper, lights, evergreen branches, fruit and nuts, and have presents placed underneath them. {Christmas In Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan by Clement A. Miles.}
In History of the Christmas Wreath: Germanic Tradition and Victorian Craft-lore Jordan Dickie writes that the modern Christmas wreath had started off as a Germanic Pagan tradition around the Winter Solstice, a tradition that was taken up by the Catholic Church in the 8th century. This was the beginning of the Advent wreath.
There is also a historical Pagan use of other plants at this time of year which are connected to Christmas, two of them being holly and mistletoe {click on the links to read posts I did on them last year}.
Slàinte!
Laurel
Sunday, December 6, 2009
cherry tree {poetry by aymi}
~ ~
i ache for the beginning
Ache for the beginning of
Ache for the beginning of
You
For the beginning of your
scent
The beginning of your scent
left
Beginning to beg.
Your scent.
~aymi
You left.
~ ~
poetry by Aymi.
~
the blue air was damp at the train-station…
it made me forget the paranoid desperate earth
-that i never wanted to admit was a failure.
Triangles of spite…. Moi?
Just string that cigarette along….
Should I tell you when....
to follow me,
and bring the better bagels?...
Orange covered railings-
Girls in the front seats-
Bleeding delicacies….
...are now just stuff of fiction.
~
~aymi
the blue air was damp at the train-station…
it made me forget the paranoid desperate earth
-that i never wanted to admit was a failure.
Triangles of spite…. Moi?
Just string that cigarette along….
Should I tell you when....
to follow me,
and bring the better bagels?...
Orange covered railings-
Girls in the front seats-
Bleeding delicacies….
...are now just stuff of fiction.
~
~aymi
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Luverly of the Week: Male Couple in Love, 1875.
I saw these two strapping lads and I think that this is one of my favourite couples' portraits. I was pretty surprised to find any portraits of gay couples from Victorian times (!!!). Here are a few more:
Integrity
Personally I think that at the end of the day our integrity is all we have. We need it to be in tact to have healthy relationships, and it is very much affected by our actions. Our level of integrity will be with us long after we shed our physical form.
But what is integrity exactly? What does it mean to possess it?
I found this quote by Barbara De Angelis that I think answers those questions nicely {please note: that this is a rare instance where I would quote a 'relationship guru'!}:
Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe. {source of quote}
Perhaps a rare thing and I hope that you are all blessed with it! :)
Slàinte!
Laurel
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Etsy Holiday Sale
Slàinte!
Laurel
Yes, Another Blog Facelift..
...and this time Yule is my excuse!
Our little Yule blog makeover was done on Photoshop CS2 {both banner and background} and there is quite a long list of people to thank for papers and elements (!!!).
Thanks to:
Karen's Whimsy for over luverly nightingale friend {he came to pop in just for you FreeDragon! ;)}
MistyBelle {for paper used on the banner}
Kelly-Jo {for elements used on the tree}
Cora's Creations {for the tree and other elements}
Cuddlebeez Scraps {for background papers and some elements}
Malacima {for the deer and other elements}
Wench Designs {for elements}
Slàinte!
Laurel
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