Celebrations @ MindSay 
kids
THREE QUARTERS OF A CENTURY
ain’t nothing to be sneezed at
come celebrate my 75 years
Saturday, August 16, 2008
5 p.m. and beyond
5 p.m. to 7:
Lightning George solo steel drum concert
7 p.m. ‘til the food runs out:
beach grub and swill
Midnight:
roof-top champagne swim
The beach
is in sight
The pool
is open
The lake
is beyond
The bar
is stocked
The music
is cool
The kitchen
is hot
The balcony
is in heaven
I am
75
come enjoy
Mary Kaye
Absolutely no presents – your presence is the gift
Interesting how many cultures have a similar tradition ... from the ancient Israelites to the farmers of the Netherlands, a large horn is blown as a call to worship! I found this image of the Dutch custom ... Prior to Christmas, a custom known as Midwinter Horn Blowing is still practiced in parts of the rural east, which starts on Advent Sunday and continues until Christmas Eve. At dusk, farmers take long horns made from elder trees and blow them while standing over wells, which lends an eerie sound to the call, which is an announcement of the coming Christ.
Cool, hmmm?
More info: The Midwinter Horn ; The Wooden Lurs
What makes Celebrations Successful?
I have never been dubbed "Greatest Hostess" in my life! lol I tend to do "my thing," fulfill my responsibilities, and let the chips fall where they may ... sort of. I'd really like to do up for Christmas because it may well be the last time all 4 of us will be together for a time. With soldiergirl awaiting deployment and my oldest preparing to enter the Army, next year is up for grabs. So ... ideas, please? How can I help make this holiday season extra special ... on a budget! lol
Thanks in advance!
Today, at 4:59 p.m. is the solstice - the longest day of the year. This occurs "because the seasons are caused by the 23.5 percent tilt of the earth's axis as it rotates like an old-fashioned top with the North Pole pointing in a fixed direction near the North Star as it also revolves around the sun."
There are all kinds of rituals for this celebration, both historically and today. Around the world, there were pagan, Celtic, Germanic and Slavic solstice celebrations ranging in bonfires, "love oracles and country couples... leaping over flaming branches for luck." These people believed that midsummer was the time "when the sun reaches the peak of its power, the earth is green and holds the promise of a bountiful hrvest. The Mother Goddess is viewed as heavily pregnant (oh my, I was 32 years ago!!!), and the God is at the apex of his manhood and is honored in his guise as the Supreme Sun". The Romans celebrated Vestalia for 7 days in honor the of goddess of the hearth. And the Chinese celebrated the union of male & female forces of yin and yang.
On Turtle Island (America), the solstice was celebrated with the sacred Sun Dance by the Plains Indians, which included fasting, dancing and singing. Excerpts from George Snyder, Sonoma West Times and News
Stolen from velvetdreams - a feel-good survey
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02 Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain not the Mt Everest
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05 Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the northern lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Slept under the stars
19. Changed a baby’s diaper
20. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
21. Watched a meteor shower
22. Gotten drunk on champagne
23. Given more than you can afford to charity
24. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
25. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
26. Had a food fight
27. Bet on a winning horse
28. Asked out a stranger
29. Had a snowball fight
30. Screamed as loudly as you possible can
31. Held a lamb
32. Seen a total eclipse
33. Touched an iceberg
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn’t care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states in the US
41. . Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Won first prize in a costume contest
78. Eaten escargot
79. Riden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an “Expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. . Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident hat you shouldn’t have survived
105. Written articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Landed on a glacier in an airplane
132. Para-sailed
133. Touched a cockroach
134. Read The Iliad -- and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read them
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Have encountered a rattlesnake in the wild
138. Skipped all your school reunions
139. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
140. Been elected to public office
141 Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who did not know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life
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