Easter And Papers

Easter came and went this year . I didn't have a chance to wish you a Happy Easter , so let me now, wish you a belated Happy  Easter .Hope for those of you that celebrate , it was wonderful . When I was a little girl baby chickens or baby rabbits were sold in the grocery stores as Easter presents for children . I think I got a baby rabbit once . My cousin Cathy would get a chicken every Easter . I never got it ... the whole chicken as a pet thing . I mean how can you take your chicken for a walk , or cuddle up to your chicken when you go to bed like you could, say, a cat or puppy ? So weird to me  , the whole thing . Even a rabbit as a pet ??? Not the same as a cat or dog .

When I became a mother , we would have the kids dye Easter eggs every single year .As far as I was concerned , it was a fate worse than death !!! I still shudder when I hear the word EASTER EGGS ! EVERY SINGLE YEAR  I would hear this ... He took my egg ! Momma , she is using my dipper ! Momma he put his egg in my blue dye !! Momma , he messed up my green ! Momma she's looking at me . Momma , they are crowding me ! He spilled my purple . I hate how this looks momma . My name egg didn't color pretty and now it is so ugly ( tears are flowing by now ) I hate it momma!!!Opps !! I spilled the red color all over the table momma . Where is the paper towels ?? Momma , momma , momma !!! I told them once that my name wasn't momma . They asked me what it was then ? I told them it was a secret! LOL ! That didn't work for long ,lol ! They knew I was Momma no matter what I called myself !

Then after all that arguing over the dyeing of the eggs , we had to set the eggs out later that night for the Easter Bunny to hide , when he brought the Easter baskets filled with candy later that night , after the kids were supposedly fast asleep . Actually , it was usually Moe and I that hide the eggs . One year we forgot where we hide several eggs that the kids never found . Thank goodness they were in the shell and didn't stink . I think I found them a month or two later inside a vase or in a cabinet .

Moe and I have been running all over town trying to get some papers that we both need in order to file for some more papers , lol . And you know how that is . 1st you have to just find the office, then you have to make about 2,000 trips there just to get one paper . Well , at least we are finished as of yesterday ! I feel like a miracle or something has happened . This has been a all consuming business for the last two weeks . Now we play the waiting game .The funny thing is, after we would get home from going to here and there , we would be so mentally  exhausted that all either one of us wanted to do was just vegetate . I am all for that !

Yesterday , after we went to the last place we needed to go to , we bought a sandwich , went to the beach to eat it and watch the waves crash into the shore line . It was a magical day for us . All our papers were finished , stamped , submitted ,and approved .It was cloudy and windy cool day without all the dust we have been having the last week . We even were rained on . There was a unique mood in the air .I could tell it was affecting others besides me too . People were happy and it seemed everyone I spoke to yesterday had good news to share .One friend is going home in the US to see her son graduate from university . The other is achieving her life long dream of going to Mecca for the Omrah Hag . She is singing praises to Allah all day and night for this opportunity .

Hey , don't forget ... tomorrow is National Don't Do Housework Day !!!! A VERY IMPORTANT DAY !!!!  My personal all time favorite holiday . I think it should have much more recognition as a holiday than it dose now . Prehappes we should start a grass roots movement to make this a "day off" type holiday around the world ? What do you think? Is this celebrated in your country ? I just told Moe about it and he is still laughing!

Weather And Winter Solstice

I don't know where to begin .... um , of course , the weather's continuing saga here in Tripoli .Yesterday I was complaining that it was hot , windy and extremely dusty . This evening we had a change in the "Joe" for the better . At sunset the winds change , blowing from the north . That was good , since it meant cooler winds . Then a very fine , light misty rain began . It turned into a rain like you would have when a hurricane is approaching , but hasn't hit yet , fine but dense .Love it like that . A soaking misty velvet veil of water .That's the good news , the bad , it won't stay that way for long . By tomorrow it should be miserable again. Such a sad , sad thing to have hot dusty weather for Christmas .

The other thing is today is the Winter Solstice . The shortest day of the year ,the day with the least sun lite hours .There are all sorts of things that have been written about it . It's history , how it was celebrated and still is in places around the world .So , I just thought I would let you read what the National Geographic wrote on the subject . You know they are really far more qualified to tell you all about it than me .So .... Happy Solstice Day ! Enjoy the below National Geographic article.

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Solstice a Cause for Celebration Since Ancient Times

Brian Handwerk for National Geographic News

December 20, 2002

The winter solstice is again upon the Northern Hemisphere, and though the year's shortest day heralds the onset of winter it also promises the gradual return of the sun after a prolonged period of darkness. That there are holidays at the time of this astronomical event is no coincidence. Since ancient times, people have celebrated the solstice and observed it with many different cultural and religious traditions. Some of them survive to the present day—though not always in the form you might expect. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice always occurs on or about December 21 and marks the beginning of the winter season. As many people notice, it's the shortest day of the year, featuring the least amount of daylight between sunrise and sunset. In the Southern Hemisphere, this is the time of the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. From now on, as the northern days grow longer so do the southern days get shorter. The term solstice means "sun stands still." On the year's two solstices (winter and summer) the sun appears to halt in its incremental journey across the sky and change little in position during this time. Of course, contrary to appearances from Earth, the sun's "changing position" throughout the year is actually caused by the rotation of the Earth on its tilted axis as it circles the sun each year. The solstice occurs twice a year (around December 22nd and June 21st) when the sun is farthest from the tilting planet's celestial equator. For half of each year the North Pole is tilted toward the sun, and for half of the year the South Pole enjoys that privilege. This phenomenon creates our changing seasons, because the hemisphere facing the sun receives longer and more powerful exposure to sunlight. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs in December when the tilting of the earth makes the sun appear to be furthest to the south and furthest away. In the Southern Hemisphere, both the seasons and solstices are reversed. Winter Solstice Has Been Celebrated Since Ancient Times The holiday timing of the winter solstice is rooted in ancient religions. Throughout history, humans have observed this seasonal milestone and created spiritual and cultural traditions to celebrate the rebirth of sunlight after the darkest period of the year. Modern pagans attempt to observe the solstice in the traditional manner of the ancients. "There is a resurgent interest in more traditional religious groups that is often driven by ecological motives," said Harry Yeide, a professor of religion at George Washington University. "These people do celebrate the solstice itself." Many more people observe the solstice while participating in modern holidays—even if they do not always realize the connection. The Solstice Christmas Connection Scholars don't agree about the exact origins of Christmas. "In the early years of the Christian church, the calendar was centered around Easter," said Yeide. "Nobody knows exactly where and when (perhaps in Egypt) they began to think it suitable to celebrate Christ's birth as well as the passion cycle (the crucifixion and resurrection)." Eastern churches traditionally celebrate Christmas on January 6, a date known as Epiphany in the West. The Gospels do not specify when Christ was born, so the date may have been originally chosen because of the belief that the season of Christ's conception would be that same as that of his death and resurrection. But the new celebration soon became co-mingled with traditional observances of the solstice. "As the Christmas celebration moved west," Yeide said "the date that had traditionally been used to celebrate the winter solstice became sort of available for conversion to the observance of Christmas. In the Western church, the December date became the date for Christmas." Traditional solstice celebrations existed in many cultures. The Roman feast of Saturnalia, honoring the God Saturn, was a week long December feast that included the observance of the winter solstice. Romans also celebrated the lengthening of days following the solstice by paying homage to Mithra—an ancient Persian god of light. Christian leaders of the time endeavored to attract pagans to their faith by adding Christian meaning to these existing festivals. "This gave rise to an interesting play on words," said Yeide. "In several languages, not just in English, people have traditionally compared the rebirth of the sun with the birth of the son of God." While religious observance of the winter solstice is not as common as it once was, many in the Northern Hemisphere will surely give thanks for the slow but steady return of the sun.

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© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

Dreary Weather

The weather widget on my blog says it is 21 C , but feels like 27 C at 2:00 a.m. It is predicted to get up to 32 c tomorrow . OMG ! I am NOT ready for it to get hot yet .I had to turn on the air conditioner tonight . Last week we were wearing coats at night .I have to go grocery shopping in this stuff tomorrow . It has been dusty ,miserable , low pressure , cloudy , awful weather for the last 2 day . All last week it was so lovely, clear aired.You could see all the way to Malta , well not really but you get my point . Now you can't see more than 1000 meters . Very Big SIGH !!!!!

The other night we went to a pre engagement party for one of Moe's nieces .It was in my sister in laws home . She is a gracious hostess . She aways goes out of her way to make you feel at home .Many members of the family were there to help celebrate the happy occasion . One cousin was there that is not the most loved person in the family but he was welcomed with open arms by his family .He walked up to me at one point and asked me had I ever thought about dieting ? DUH !!!!!I looked at him for a few minutes thinking and decided that diplomacy would be wasted on him so I instead asked him had he ever considered plastic surgery for his ugly face .He walked off with out a word . Men ... NEVER ASK A WOMAN THAT QUESTION NO MATTER WHAT !!!!! EVER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!