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15 04, 2019

Easter and Hot Cross Buns

By |2019-04-06T15:01:33-05:00April 15th, 2019|A Writer's Life, Holidays|3 Comments

Easter time brings hot cross buns to bakery shelves. I love hot cross buns, almost as much as I love fruitcake at Christmas.

Fruitcake I can find year round. Hot cross buns, not so much.

Traditionally, the spicy, sweet buns made with currants and raisins then marked with a cross on the top are to be eaten on Good Friday to mark the end of Lent.

The frosting cross on top represents the crucifixion of Jesus, and the spices inside signify the spices used to embalm him at his burial.

Me, I can’t wait that long once I spot them in the bakery.

I do try to ration myself to one bakery package a season.

I don’t think I’m going to make it this year.

My first package of nine buns is down to one.

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1 04, 2019

Where did April Fools’ Day Come From?

By |2019-03-31T19:45:45-05:00April 1st, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

Today is officially April Fools’ Day, the day when pranks and pranksters abound.

Playing jokes and tricking people, celebrated in many different cultures, has been around for centuries, but no one knows its origins for sure.

My favorite theory is April Fool’s Day is of French origin and dates back to 1582 when the Council of Trent required the French to switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

King Charles IX declared New Year’s Day to be April 1 which meant the traditional Boxing Day gift exchange on the first day of the New Year was moved to the new date in April.

Many honored the new date and presented their family and friends with gifts, mainly fish because April 1 falls within Lent, the 40-day period when meat consumption is forbidden.

Those who embraced the new calendar started to mock the reluctant ones, offering false presents and playing tricks on them. Those who are tricked or fooled are called April Fools or Poisson d’avril (April Fish).

Eventually the real fish tradition evolved into the exchange of fish-shaped cakes then paper fish associated with jokes and hoaxes.

School-aged children in France design paper fish to stick on the back of some unsuspecting person. Much like children in the US kick me signs.

April Fools’ Day is a popular, widespread day but not an official public holiday in any of the many countries where it’s recognized. No one seems to want to grant formal recognition to a day that allows attaching paper fish or playing pranks on unsuspecting folks.

Wherever April Fools’ Day originated, it’s a perfect day to enjoy some laughter with family, friends, and coworkers. A few smiles and laughs are important for a balanced life, don’t you think?

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20 03, 2019

An Irish Love Story

By |2019-03-11T16:33:10-05:00March 20th, 2019|Holidays|2 Comments

To keep the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day going…

A little suspense. A little romance. A lot of Ireland.Buy links:

Amazon/Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O6BO

B&N/Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/claiming-annies-heart-judythe-morgan/1120481337

iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/claiming-annies-heart/id926024696

KOBO: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/claiming-annie-s-heart

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11 03, 2019

St. Patrick – Did You Know?

By |2019-03-11T07:28:17-05:00March 11th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|0 Comments

SOURCE: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en

We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green whether you have an Irish heritage or not.

In Ireland the day was a mostly religious celebration. In fact, until the 1970s pubs were closed on March 17. “You just donned your homemade St Patrick’s Day badge or pinned a fistful of muddy shamrock to your lapel and went out to Mass to sing Hail Glorious St Patrick.”

Do you know these other facts about the patron saint of Ireland?

  • He was not Irish, but British.

He was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century. Kidnapped by Irish raiders as a teen, they took him to Ireland to work as a shepherd. He escaped and returned to Britain. He spent the next 15 or so years in a monastery, preparing for his missionary work. Pope Celestine I consecrated St. Patrick as Bishop of the Irish around 431.

  • He was never a saint canonized by the Roman Catholic church

During the Church’s first millennium, most saints received their title if they were martyrs or counted to be extraordinarily holy. St. Patrick was the latter. He converted many from paganism and became known as the Apostle of Ireland and made the patron saint of the isle.

His familiarity with the Irish language and culture made the Irish receptive to his teachings because he took familiar Celtic symbols and Christianized them. That led to many legends attributed to St. Patrick.

Celtic cross -St. Patrick combined the Irish pagan symbol of the sun with the Christian cross creating the Celtic cross, the icon of Ireland and Irish faith.

Shamrock -He explained the trinity to the Irish pagans with the three leaves of the shamrock. Though there’s no proof he ever did this, the shamrock metaphor remains strong in Irish Christianity.

Snakes – Allegedly when snakes attacked him during a 40-day fast, he chased them to the sea. Ireland doesn’t have snakes so this is total legend. More likely, he used snakes as a metaphor for the evil Druids and pagans.

Lent Fasting – He’s said to have climbed Croagh Patrick, County Mayo and fasted at the summit for the forty days of Lent. True or not, thousands of pilgrims make the trek to the top of Croagh Patrick yearly. I’ve been to Croagh Patrick, but, not to the summit.

Beannachtí na Feile Pádraig 
Happy St Patricks Day
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11 02, 2019

Valentine cards – the legend and origin

By |2019-02-03T20:41:16-06:00February 11th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday, Valentine's Day|0 Comments

As a writer of love stories, February 14th is one of my very favorite holidays. As a history buff, I love the legend and the origin of sending valentine cards. Valentines are the mirror of romance.

The LEGEND

A real priest who lived in 270 A.D., Saint Valentine provided Christians with sacraments outlawed by the Roman Empire such as marriage for soldiers forbidden to marry and baptism.

Around 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius honored Valentinus by declaring February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day. The day now appears in the calendar of saints in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church.

Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment, giving them to the soldiers and persecuted Christians to “remind them of God’s love and to encourage them to remain faithful Christians.”

That action, whether fable or real, began the custom of giving cards and reminders to loved ones on February 14.

THE ORIGIN

In spite of technology and ecards retail Valentine card sales continue to grow. It’s estimated that about 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are purchased each year.

Artist Esther Howland (1828–1904) was the first to publish and sell Valentine cards in the United States. Before Esther, the cards were hand made with paper, lace, and ribbons and handwritten poetry. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester holds a large collection of her valentines.

Most Valentines were mass-produced by machine by the end of the 19th century. Creative people like my friend still send handmade cards.

If you read my blog often, you know I collect vintage holiday post cards. Here are my favorite Valentines. While not as elaborate, I love the way these cards speak of romance.

Valentines express our love to others. Will you send valentines to show someone you love them this Valentine’s Day?

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4 02, 2019

It’s February and Love is in the Air

By |2019-02-03T18:17:46-06:00February 4th, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday|1 Comment

Hearts are everywhere.

Commercials are pushing chocolates, wine, fancy dinners, lingerie, and Hallmark cards. Florists are offering specials on roses. Love songs flow from the airways.

The commercialization bothers me a bit. The statistics stagger me.

The National Retail Federation anticipates $19.6 billion in Valentine expenditures this year, up from $18.2 billion last year. Those 25-34 will be the biggest spenders at an average of $202.76.This year’s survey broke expenditure averages down this way:

$88.98 on their significant other/spouse ($12.1 billion)

$25.29 on other family members such as children or parents ($3.5 billion)

$7.26 on children’s classmates/teachers ($991 million)

$7.19 on friends ($982 million)

$5.50 on pets ($751 million)

$4.79 on co-workers ($654 million)

Cards, flowers, jewelry, and fine dinners are all very romantic gestures to express love on this special day. If you have the funds and want to be extravagant, who am I to stop you? Go for it!

BUT, I’d like to suggest gifts don’t have to involve great expense. Nothing’s better than a homemade Valentine card or a home cooked meal served by candlelight.

Need ideas: Check the February editions of magazines or Pinterest. Most are loaded with DIY ideas for valentine cards and gifts.

More important, remember, it’s the day-to-day things that really show true love.

  • A hug
  • A back rub after a tiring day
  • An affirming text that arrives at the perfect moment
  • Holding hands

And, if you’re shy about expressing yourself with words or cards , you can always give a sign for I love you from Signing Savvy.

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21 01, 2019

Starting 2019 with Martin Luther King

By |2019-01-19T16:49:50-06:00January 21st, 2019|Holidays, Make Me Think Monday, Monday Motivations|2 Comments

Today we honor Martin Luther King, the symbol for non-violent protest since the sixties Civil Rights Movement. His leadership in a trying time inspired change. He stirred, and still stirs, our conscience with his words.

Here are some of my favorites:

  • “Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
  • “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
  • “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
  • “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”
  • “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.”
  • “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Are we forwarding the vision he set forth in these quotes today? Why not make this MLK Day the start of a year in which we purpose to move forward.

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