Candlemas:
Candlemas, a holiday that originated in the 4th century, was celebrated 40 days after Christmas (or Epiphany) - on February 2nd. On this day were big feasts and the church candles were blessed for the coming year (thus the name, Candlemas). People burned holiday greenery (leftover yule logs, etc) so the ashes could be used as fertilizer for the prepping of the fields. The burning of greenery and candles was symbolic of the coming light of Spring and regrowth/rebirth. The holiday also marked the start of the plowing of fields.
According to Churchyear.net,
"Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind "Groundhog's Day," which falls on Candlemas Day."
For more info:
How Candlemas was celebrated in the Middle Ages
When Christians disposed of trees and holiday greenery
Celtic Music Guide
There's nothing more fun that sitting in a quaint pub drinking Guinness and listening to some Celtic music.
This easy-to-navigate, simple site from Ceolas offers a nice list of concerts, events for enjoying Celtic music by region.
Click here for North American listing:
Ceolas.Org
They also offer Ireland, Europe and other locations.
This easy-to-navigate, simple site from Ceolas offers a nice list of concerts, events for enjoying Celtic music by region.
Click here for North American listing:
Ceolas.Org
They also offer Ireland, Europe and other locations.
Winter Blues - Everything is Frozen
Snow storms have swept across this country the past week, which aren't too unusual for winter. But what is unusual are the ice and snow storms in normally warmer areas, such as southern Texas anbd Arizona. Even in Dallas we saw a week of below-freezing temperatures.
Amazingly, the last time Dallas experienced record cold temperatures was back in 1996 when it was only 8 degrees. Yuk!
Acording to the Dallas Weather Examiner, the record temperatures that have been reported are as follows:
FEBRUARY 2: 7 (1985)
FEBRUARY 3: 14 (1996, 1985, 1905)
FEBRUARY 4: 8 (1996)
Ever seen a frozen waterfall? Here's a picture of my pool's waterfall:
Here are some other frozen fountains I found on the internet. Beautiful!
Amazingly, the last time Dallas experienced record cold temperatures was back in 1996 when it was only 8 degrees. Yuk!
Acording to the Dallas Weather Examiner, the record temperatures that have been reported are as follows:
FEBRUARY 2: 7 (1985)
FEBRUARY 3: 14 (1996, 1985, 1905)
FEBRUARY 4: 8 (1996)
Ever seen a frozen waterfall? Here's a picture of my pool's waterfall:
Here are some other frozen fountains I found on the internet. Beautiful!
For Writers - Book - Getting the Words Right
Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit and Revise" by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
is a wonderful guide on frequently misused words and she tells us which ones to use depending on the meaning the author wishes to convey. Unpublished authors frequently use the wrong word because we use those words in everyday speech (such as nauseous).
Some examples on words that are misused include:
- anxious (with anxiety) vs eager
- bring (toward speaker) vs take
- continual (always going on with discernible intervals) vs continuous (without intervals)
- disinterested vs uninterested (lack of interest)
- enthuse is not a real word
- envy (discontented and want what someone else has) vs jealous (fear of rivalry)
- farther (distances you could imagine measuring) vs further (hard to measure)
- nauseous (making others feel nausea and creating their desire to vomit) vs nauseated (to feel nausea)
- utilize (make do with something not normally used for that purpose)
- whether (consideration of alternatives) vs if (setting up a condition of the future)
This is a wonderful guidebook for authors to clean up and improve their writing.
Also, check out WordDoctors.com
How Fedualism Worked
How Fedualism Worked:
A country's king divided all the land into portions, each called a "fief".
The King granted these fiefs to those who swore loyalty and service (Oath of Fealty) to him. He granted land to both barons and vassals (or knights) in exchange for services and taxes. The barons and vassals swore an Oath of Fealty to the king in exchange for land. So, when the king wanted to go to war or defend his country, he could call upon these barons and vassals to build up his army.
The barons also had the option of paying fines or hiring military men or professional knights to assist the king in their place. The number of soldiers sent in was directly proportional to the amount of land that the baron oversaw (ie, the larger the fief the more soldiers required).
Peasants and serfs lived in the fiefdom and worked for the overlord. A certain amount of product the serf grew or made was owed to the overlord in return for living on this land and for the overlord's protection. In harsh times, if the serf was not able to make enough surplus, his family would starve. In addition, the peasants were heavily taxed by the overlords (who in turn owed tax to the king).
For more information:
Middle-Ages.Org.Uk
Spartacus.Schoolnet.Co.Uk - a nice overview starting with William the Conqueror
Knighthood and Chivalry in War and Peacetime Article
The Feudal System
Interactive Learner
Norman Social Organization and Feudalism
A country's king divided all the land into portions, each called a "fief".
The King granted these fiefs to those who swore loyalty and service (Oath of Fealty) to him. He granted land to both barons and vassals (or knights) in exchange for services and taxes. The barons and vassals swore an Oath of Fealty to the king in exchange for land. So, when the king wanted to go to war or defend his country, he could call upon these barons and vassals to build up his army.
The barons also had the option of paying fines or hiring military men or professional knights to assist the king in their place. The number of soldiers sent in was directly proportional to the amount of land that the baron oversaw (ie, the larger the fief the more soldiers required).
Peasants and serfs lived in the fiefdom and worked for the overlord. A certain amount of product the serf grew or made was owed to the overlord in return for living on this land and for the overlord's protection. In harsh times, if the serf was not able to make enough surplus, his family would starve. In addition, the peasants were heavily taxed by the overlords (who in turn owed tax to the king).
For more information:
Middle-Ages.Org.Uk
Spartacus.Schoolnet.Co.Uk - a nice overview starting with William the Conqueror
Knighthood and Chivalry in War and Peacetime Article
The Feudal System
Interactive Learner
Norman Social Organization and Feudalism
Tools - Working with Microsoft Word - Auto-Formatting Options
Howdy,
Lately I've been having an aggravating time with Microsoft Word, especially if I am reading critiques from others who have different settings than me. So I would like to post some helpful hints, starting with Auto-Formatting options.
Auto-Formatting:
1. Superscripting ordinal numbers (such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
2. Setting straight quotes vs smart quotes
3. Change fractions to the smaller fractional format
If you want to change any of these options, follow these steps:
For pre-2007 Word:
1. Go to Tools menu
2. Select "AutoCorrect Options"
3. Click "AutoFormat As You Type" tab
4. Uncheck the options you want to turn OFF.
5. Click Ok to save.
For 2007 Word:
1. Go to File menu
2. Click "Word Options" button at the bottom
3. Select "Proofing" in the left menu
4. Select "AutoCorrect Options" button
5. Click "AutoFormat As You Type" tab
6. Uncheck the options you want to turn OFF.
7. Click Ok to save.
For more helpful hints, check out:
TechRepublic Blog
Lately I've been having an aggravating time with Microsoft Word, especially if I am reading critiques from others who have different settings than me. So I would like to post some helpful hints, starting with Auto-Formatting options.
Auto-Formatting:
1. Superscripting ordinal numbers (such as 1st, 2nd, 3rd)
2. Setting straight quotes vs smart quotes
3. Change fractions to the smaller fractional format
If you want to change any of these options, follow these steps:
For pre-2007 Word:
1. Go to Tools menu
2. Select "AutoCorrect Options"
3. Click "AutoFormat As You Type" tab
4. Uncheck the options you want to turn OFF.
5. Click Ok to save.
For 2007 Word:
1. Go to File menu
2. Click "Word Options" button at the bottom
3. Select "Proofing" in the left menu
4. Select "AutoCorrect Options" button
5. Click "AutoFormat As You Type" tab
6. Uncheck the options you want to turn OFF.
7. Click Ok to save.
For more helpful hints, check out:
TechRepublic Blog
Review - Book - Growing Up Royal
Growing Up Royal by Jane Billinghurst
An interesting book through the eyes of royal family members. Includes lots of tidbits of information regarding inheritance rules in different countries, roles of various staff members, who is involved with ceremonies and what they wear, and more. There's a list of the King of Britain's duties (or in the current case, Queen). The author even tells us a little about Balmoral, the vacation residence of the British monarchy. All presented in an easy-to-read format with lots of pictures.
Research - Ireland - Babies/Customs
Look at some odd customs about conception, birth and babies:
From-Ireland.net
Irish Christianing Customs:
Fantasy-Ireland.com
Birth Customs:
Sundown.Pair.Com
A few references to children:
MaggieBlanck.com
From-Ireland.net
Irish Christianing Customs:
Fantasy-Ireland.com
Birth Customs:
Sundown.Pair.Com
A few references to children:
MaggieBlanck.com
Research - Holidays/Festivals - St. Nicholas' Day (Dec 6)
St. Nicholas' Day:
St. Nicholas was a 4th century bishop from Myra, who was imprisoned by Emperor Diocletian and died on December 6th (year unknown and his remains were moved). Legend says he resurrected three murdered boys, which led to him being known as the protector of children. St. Nicholas had a huge cult following, expanding the legends and practices. The Dutch Sint Klaes eventually morphed into Santa Claus with a red outfit and a sack of toys for children.
For more information:
StNicholas Center - an excellent explanation of the history of the holiday
Fordham.edu
The birth of Santa Claus
The Evolution of St Nicholas
Sinterklaas
Research - England - Witches and the Witchcraft Act of 1735
What better topic for our Halloween weekend than the horrible Witchcraft Act of 1735, the last of the witch trials acts passed in England, which decreed than anyone "suspected" of witchcraft practices (a very objective judgement) could be imprisoned for a year. The first act during this witch trial period was passed in 1542, allowed suspected witches to be hanged. Witches were both male and female. Most witches who were accused were often hanged, with or without trials.
For further reading:
Witches and Witchtrials (an interesting database of the alleged witches):
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/witchtrial/eis.html
Horros of the National Archives:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/horrors/witches.htm
More details about the laws:
http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/137526
Medieval Witches and Witchcraft:
http://medieval.etrusia.co.uk/witch/
For further reading:
Witches and Witchtrials (an interesting database of the alleged witches):
http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/witchtrial/eis.html
Horros of the National Archives:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/horrors/witches.htm
More details about the laws:
http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/137526
Medieval Witches and Witchcraft:
http://medieval.etrusia.co.uk/witch/
Texas - The Colony - Pirate Days of Texas, October 16, 2010
Pirate Days of Texas
piratedays.org
October 16 & 17, 2010
The Colony, Texas
Captain Jack sightings...
Every few hours a cannon blasted thanks to this friendly pirate!
One of the pirate bands that were singing on the main stage. They had bands playing all sorts of music on the main stage while there were shows/exhibits on another stage down the road.
Pirates
Arrrrg! Sail Ho to some Pirate Festivals
Scroll past the annoying ads and find a nice listing of Pirate-themed festivals around the United States and a few in Canada. You can list these by Date or by Location/Area.
piratefestivals.com
piratefestivals.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)