Fall Is In The Air

Can you feel it? The way the air was crisp and cool, not hot and humid?Did you see it? Did you notice the color of the leaves on some trees changing? Or perhaps while walking on the street, you stopped to pick up some colorful fallen leaves on the ground.

Then too, you may have gazed with delight at the sight of a large V shaped flock of canadian geese flying overhead, off on it's journey south. Or, another pleasant sight to the eyes is to see a flock of blackbirds flying, sweeping and diving in a synchronized fashion overhead against a gray billowy clouded sky as you are driving along, meditating on the beauty of the earth and it's creator. Then too, you may notice the squirrels working hard now to store their food before winter sets in. These are some of the signs that fall is near.

What about the apples, and grapes ripe for harvesting, these are sure signs that we are nearing fall. Of course, one of the most pleasant sights to confirm we are in the fall season is to see with great joy the abundance of pumpkins all shapes and sizes. A gardening book stated, "If you want to be happy plant a pumpkin, and if you want to be really happy, plant a big one". I couldn't agree more. Everytime I see a pumpkin, any sullen spirits I may have quickly turns into a happy, jubilant cry for joy.

I am sure you may have some other indications that fall is in the air, and so I would be delighted for you to add to this list by your comments. Why not watch and jot down in a journal the varied changes you see taking place during this season. Perhaps save some leaves and press them to retain their beautiful fall color, as a rememberance of the fall. It will quickly come and go. Life is so short when you think of it in terms of seasons. If you are at a certain age lets say 40, or 50, you have seen only 40 or 50 falls. If you live to 80, you will have only seen 80 falls. Life is short when you view it from that perspective. We thank our loving father Jehovah God for his abounding love and his promise of everlasting life to enjoy each season, each day of life for ever and ever. Psalms 133:1-3; 21:4; Titus 1:2.

I began this blog I believe in February of this year, during the winter season; and so I have written about and enjoyed each season. Which season do I enjoy the most? It's hard to say, because each season has its own beauty. This lovely poem I am about to write expresses the delema we may have to choose which season is the happiest in life. What do you think?

"The question, "Which is the happiest season of life?" was asked of an aged man. And he replied:

"When spring comes, and in the soft air the buds are breaking on the trees, and they are covered with blossoms, I think, 'How beautiful is spring'; and when summer comes and covers the trees with its heavy foliage, and singing birds are among the branches, I think, 'How beautiful is summer.' When autumn loads them with golden fruit, and their leaves bear the gorgeous tint of frost, I think, 'How beautiful is autumn.' And when it is severe winter, and there is neither foliage nor fruit, then I look up through the leafless branches as I never could until now, and see the stars shine in God's home."- Source Unknown

"There is no season such delight can bring,As summer, autumn, winter and the spring."- William Browne, Variety, 163

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You see, some men think that they are not well in spring, or summer, or autumn, or winter, it is only because they are not well in them.

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Enjoy each season for what it is, and you will be happy.

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This is Raven-as the crow flies!

September! A New Month Begins

September is one of Raven's favorite months. There are a few reasons why I get excited when the 9th month of our calendar year arrives.

For one thing it is the beginning of a new service year, the time when we increase our activity in the ministry. With renewed zeal and determination we pray for Jehovah's help in fulfilling our assignment; trying hard to make and reach short term goals as well as long term goals, and above all, working together in love and unity with all the brothers and sisters, as that will honor Jehovah, draw others to the truth, and increase our joy. The "joy of Jehovah is our stronghold."-- Nehemiah 8:10.

We have an added reason for joy this month. Another faithful sister has joined the pioneer ranks. Congratulations Janice! May Jehovah bless your self-sacrificing spirit. Looking forward to working with you in the ministry.

In addition to a new pioneer publisher, we are happy, and blessed to have a new baptized brother, Kyle. "It's just the beginning" Kyle. A wide door of activity is now opened to you. What a blessing and asset to the congregation. Congratulations to you, and your parents!

Another reason I enjoy September, it was the month Russell and I were married. It will be 42 years on the 28th.

I remember it as if it was yesterday. The sky was a deep azure blue. Not a cloud in it. A perfect day, not too warm or cold. We were surrounded by so many of our family and friends, sharing in our inextinguishable joy.

To me, he was a perfect wage from Jehovah, a gift for which I will be forever grateful. As expressed in the endearing words of the Shulammite maiden to her shepherd boy, Russell, "my dear one was dazzling and rudy the most conspicuous of ten thousand....His black hair is like the raven....His eyes like doves....His palate is sheer sweetness and everything about him is altogether desirable. This is my dear one, this is my boy companion..." Song of Solomon 5:9-16

Thank you Russ for your love, friendship, spirituality, and support. Happy Anniversary Month!

Being this is the first of September, my delight is to find out how each month got its name.

September is the ninth month of the year, according to the Gregorian calendar, which is used in almost all the world today. It was the seventh month in the old Roman calendar, and its name comes from the Latin septem, meaning seven. September later became the ninth month when the ancient Romans moved the beginning of their year from March 1 to January 1. September has had 29 days, 31 days, and, since the time of the Roman emperor Augustus, 30 days. Unlike the previous 8 months of the year which received their names from pagan God's and Goddesses, the last four months got their names from their original numerical placement in the year.

September is one of the warmest months in the Southern United States. Northern states have warm September days, but the nights get much cooler. It is also harvest time for crops. And, in Switzerland, it's called Harvest Month.

And so dear friends, September is the month when summer slowly comes to an end, soon the fall will settle in. May your September days be fruitful, filled with love, joy and peace.

I will end this blog with a cute "September" poem:

"When the goldenrod is yellow,
And leaves are turning brown -
Reluctantly the summer goes
In a cloud of thistledown.
When squirrels are harvesting
And birds in flight appear

By these autumn signs we know
September days are here."

This is Raven-as the crow flies!

Sourdough Bread And Beach Plum Jelly

How has your summer been so far? Busy? Hectic? Fun? The feeling you want to do so many things and not enough time to do them? That's about how my summer has been so far.

Something I wanted to accomplish for a long time was to make sourdough bread from scratch, without using store bought yeast, making my own "starter" by mixing just flour and water and allow the bacteria that's in the air to ferment the dough. This was how things were done years ago.

The process took time and patience, but seven days later I had a lovely sourdough starter that I was able to make 3 loaves of sourdough bread, and it was not only delicious but very nutritious.

A good sourdough starter can last for years, even decades, with the

proper loving care! Sourdoughs were originally produced by wild yeasts. The starter (or sometimes called a sponge) is a flour and water mixture that contains the yeast used to rise the bread. You can buy dried versions and then activate them or you can make your own, catching the wild yeasts indigenous to your area.

If you would like to try your hand at making sourdough bread you need to start with a sourdough starter. Instructions below:

Things You'll Need

Flour
Water
Time
Bowl
Refrigerator room

Step 1
Mix one cup room temperature water with one cup flour in a bowl. You can use all purpose flour, wheat, rye--anything your heart desires. Loosely cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.

Step 2
Let that mixture sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours. You should see bubbles starting to form.

Step 3
After you have bubbles in your starter, discard half of it and add another cup of water and another cup of flour. Mix this thoroughly, and put the starter in the fridge.

Step 4
Two days after you refrigerate your starter, discard half, and mix in another cup of flour and water each.

Step 5

Two days later, check your starter. It should have risen in the refrigerator. If it has doubled, it's ready to use. If it hasn't risen, give it more time.

Step 6
After your starter has matured, feed it about once a week by discarding half and mixing in a cup of flour and a cup of water. Kept on a regular feeding schedule, your starter will last indefinitely. To keep it replenished, you should feed it after you use a portion of it to make bread (with the cup of water, cup of flour mixture).

The Recipe:

3 1/2 cups rye, kamut, spelt, or whole wheat flour, which ever you prefer

3 cups rye flour
1 quart sourdough starter

3 cups filtered water
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

1. Mix all together, with a heavy duty wooden spoon 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Pour the dough evenly into 3 well greased bread pans.
3. Place the bread pans aside on a counter for at least 7 hours, covered loosely with a dish towel.

4. Once they have risen sufficiently, basically double in size and close to the top of the bread
pan, they are ready to be baked. The longer they stay out the more sour the taste, which I personally like.

5. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour

This simple basic sourdough bread is very tasty and nutritious. Especially toasted with butter and my homemade Beach Plum Jelly.Beach Plum Jelly is the taste of summer.

For the past 3 years we could not find many beach plums, but this year they were abundant.

This elusive, bittersweet, stubbornly hardy fruit is worth the while. Make no mistake: with their piquant zest, their edgy bitterness, like authentic British marmalades, beach plum jellies, jams, syrup, may become an acquired taste for you too. For true aficionados, the ravishing products of the prepared native fruit are addictive.

The beach plum is a low-growing fruiting shrub or small tree native along the sandy dunes of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts all the way up to Newfoundland. It is most common on Cape Cod where beach plum has become a cottage commercial venture for Beach Plum Jams and Jellies. They bear over a period of about a month in late summer, their fruit ripening at graduated intervals on each individual shrub, so they must be harvested by hand in small batches

After spending about an hour picking these berries on a beautiful summer day at Short Beach, Russell and I managed to collect quite a few berries and preserved enough jelly to last us for a while, well into the late winter, early spring.

We especially enjoy eating our Beach Plum Jelly during the winter months reminiscing summer's activity, and days at the beach. The sun, sand and surf, the wind gently blowing, sea gulls flying and calling out a plaintive cry; the signs of summer slowly nearing it's end as we quickly gather our precious berries, a gift, that helps us reflect back to our creator and the summer past.

Recipe for Beach Plum Jam

2 quarts beach plum

2 1/2 cups water

3 1/2 cups sugar

Pit and cook beach plums in water about 15 minutes

Add sugar and bring to a hearty boil until thickens

Pour into sterilized jelly jars and process in a canner for 10 minutes

I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog on some of my summer activity. Maybe you will be inspired to try and make sourdough bread, and beach plum jelly, it will add another adventure to your life, and you really haven't lived until you try it!

This is Raven-as the crow flies

August First - As The Crow Flies!

July has come to an end, and a new month begins - August.

To me time is speeding up, it's flying by so fast. Still we have the same amount of time, and yet not enough time to get everything done that you would like to. Don't you agree? Of course the most important thing we focus on is spiritual things. That is our priority, and if we continue to put that first in our life, we will have lots of time, " forever", to do all the things we didn't have time to do in this old system of things.

Of course one thing I try hard to make time for is this blog. And it is the first of August, and so as tradition calls for it, Raven delights to blog every first of the month.

The month of August, what do you know about it? I hope this blog will enlighten you to some interesting facts about August.

The word August, is a Latin word meaning; inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic: an august performance of a religious drama

The month of August is named for the Roman Emperor Augustus. ( Before he became Augustus, this Caesar was named Octavian). He completed the calendar reforms begun by his great-uncle and adoptive father Julius Caesar. The Roman Senate, in order to curry favor with the tyrant changed the name of the eighth month. The name was changed from Sextilis which actually meant "sixth month".

The eighth month had been called the sixth month for over centuries, because the Roman Senate had rolled back the beginning of the year to January 1st in 153 B.C. but had not changed the names of the months to conform to their new position in the calendar.

August or Sextilis (at that time) originally had 30 days. Numa, in his reform took a day away and Julius in his reform in 46 B.C. gave a day back. When the Roman Senate designated the month August, they stole a day from February to build up July making June equal to the month of July (the month of Julius). Today it continues to carry 31 days.

It is interesting to note that in one secular reference it said, "eight years before Jesus was born, the name of the month changed from Sextilis to Augustus in honour of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caseasar, because many of the important events in his life happened around that time of year".

So it goes again, naming months after sinful imperfect, men, treating them like gods, honoring them instead of our heavenly Father Jehovah God, the one who made "times and seasons, months and years". (Genesis 1:14; 8:22; Psalms 74:17)

What else about August?

The Anglo-Saxons called August, Weodmonath, which means weed month, because it is the month when weeds and other plants grow most rapidly.

The birds are already planning to fly south for the winter. The insects are noisier and more numerous in August than in any other month.


Summer is about half-way through. We are still in the "dog days of summer", since the conjunction of the sun and the dog star, Sirius, occur throughout August.



This is perhaps the busiest month for businesses, since most people take their vacations in August.

Did you know that Friendship day is celebrated the first Sunday in August ~Sunday August 1st, 2010~ is Friendship day. But for true christians, friendship day is everyday! "A friend is loving all the time.......", Proverbs 17:17

The children will go back to school. Families will take that last weekend get-away before the cold sets in.

And for us, August 27, 28, 29, we will be privileged to attend our District Convention. Jehovah takes such good care of us. Can't wait for this spiritual feast.

I will end this blog with a little weather-lore for August.

The hottest days of the year often fall in August.

"Dry August and warm doth harvest no harm".

"If the first week of August be warm, the winter will be white and long".

For all those who love the snow, lets hope we have a white winter this year!














Our thoughts and prayers are with Old Crow who is recovering from hip-replacement surgery. Get better soon Crow, we miss you and want you crowing with us again!









This is Raven-as the crow flies!

Cow Appreciation Day--July 15th

As you may know Cow's are something close to Raven's heart.
The cow is the most productive, efficient creature on earth that Jehovah has created. She is the premier dairy animal because of her cooperative temperament, the comparative ease with which she can be milked, the volume she is able to produce, and because of the versatility of cow's milk. Think of all the delightful physical benefits this lowly and humble animal provides for us. Milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, ghee, buttermilk, whey, and we can't forget about ice-cream.

Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of the human race because they produce most of the milk that people drink.

The first cow in America arrived in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850's, nearly every family had its own cow. The first regular shipment of milk by railroad was between Orange County, New York, and New York City and began in 1841.

In 1856, Gail Borden invented the condensed milk process. This process removed some of the water from milk so it would take up less space. Refrigeration came into use in 1880, and the first pasteurizing machine was introduced in 1895.

A cow chews her cud (regurgitated, partially digested food) for up to 8 hours each day.
Contrary to popular belief, cows do not have 4 stomachs; they have 4 digestive compartments:

Temperament Of The Jersey Cow

As a whole, the Jersey breed is a docile breed of cow. Female Jersey cows are known as being curious, calm animals, so much so that they were valued as pets as much as herd animals and milk producers. Bulls have been known to be much more aggressive. Their color is generally brown, ranging from copper to dark brown, and they have the most beautiful, big, rich, chocolate brown eyes. A mature cow will weigh 1,000 pounds or less.

By the way, another health benefit we can get from the cow, is lower blood pressure. If you are ever up-tight, take a ride into the country and stop by a field of cows eating grass. It's the picture of poise and calm.




Origin

Jersey cows get their name from their place of origin as a breed, the British Channel Island of Jersey. DNA tests suggest that the breed is descended from Danish cows brought to the island from the continent, but there is no conclusive evidence of this. It is considered to be one of the oldest purebred cattle breeds, with records of breeding going back six centuries.

Every Family Should Have A Cow

The famous 19th Century agricultural essayist, William Cobbett said, "When you have the cow, you have it all." The dairy cow does so much for us and asks so little.

As mentioned before, not so very long ago, a great many people did indeed keep a cow and she was often an adored member of the family. Well-to-do families even in cities kept a cow well into the early part of the 20th Century.

Some of the forces that stopped cow keeping were the same ones that have stressed the American family. A desire for consumer goods which can't be satisfied without focusing the whole energy of the family on acquisition was certainly a factor. The automobile was important; but it dispersed families and directed interest away from home based activities. A rising desire for consumer goods fostered a yearning for enhanced social status. So, the high status animal, the horse, replaced the cow. But all of these factors are as chaff compared to the power of the 20th Century revolution in food production, processing and distribution. There is so much to say about that, and so that will be another topic for another blog at another time.

There is an amazing cow magic that most people don't know about. "A young fellow wantin' a start in life just needs three things: a piece of land, a cow and a wife. And he don't strictly need that last." That's an old saying to which some may agree.

According to the book, "Keeping A Family Cow" by Joann S. Grohman "An over-arching truth about the cow is that she drives the domestic or small farm economy. By living on a constantly renewing resource, grass, she is able to support not just herself and her calf, but also your pig and you chickens (neither of which can live on grass) and still provide milk for the house. The reverse is never true. No pigs or chickens or any other non-grazing animals can live on grass or support another animal. And the cow does it on a free resource made of water and sunshine. Through her amazing ability to convert grass, ( thanks to Jehovah), which otherwise has no value, to milk and meat, which does have value, the cow produces wealth. She thus vaults the domestic or farm economy into a self sustaining mode. Even with the most exacting sweated labor in the orchard or garden, you can't grow plants that will support reproduction in pigs or chickens or any other non-grazing species including humans; the best you can do is fatten them. This key fact about cows should never be forgotten."

So with that said, believe it or not, July 15th is Cow Appreciation Day! -- something to "Moo" about.

Our appreciation for cows can be expressed in many ways. Some websites suggest you go out and give a cow a big hug and/or a kiss. While it might sound like fun, you don't have to go to extremes to enjoy this special day. It can be as simple as pausing for a moment to think about cows, and all that they do for us.

In appreciation for all that the cows do for us, have an ice cold glass of milk. Add chocolate syrup, if you prefer. Then, fire up the grill, and cook some burgers or a steak. And, don't forget to get your fill of cheese. Sorry, goat cheese is not allowed today.

Note: Restaurants and dairy companies celebrate this day by offering specials. Watch for them.

The Origin of Cow Appreciation Day:

Our research did not find the origin of this day. The selection of the date is not universal. Some websites have Cow Appreciation Day listed as July 14th.

So are you ready to get a cow? If not, I hope this blog has heightend your appreciation for this ever giving animal and the one who provided it our loving heavenly father Jehovah God!

Don't forget, hug a cow on July 15th!

This is Raven-as the crow flies!

The Dog Days of Summer

Have you heard that expression before? I have, and I always associated it with a very hot, humid, muggy summer season. But I wondered why these days were called "the dog days of summer"?

I asked some of the brothers and sisters if they knew what that expression meant. Although they were very familar with the phrase, they didn't know its meaning. So of course one of Raven's Delights is to find out the meaning of things and to blog about it.


What Are The Dog Days of Summer ?

Some say it signifies hot sultry days "not fit for a dog." Others claim its the weather in which dogs go mad.

Everyone knows that the “dog days of summer” occur during the hottest and muggiest part of the season. Webster defines “dog days” as...

1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere.

2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

But where does the term come from? Why do we call the hot, sultry days of summer “dog days?”

In ancient times, when the night sky was unobscured by artificial lights and smog, different groups of peoples in different parts of the world drew images in the sky by “connecting the dots” of stars. The images drawn were dependent upon the culture:

The Chinese saw different images than the Native Americans, who saw different pictures than the Europeans. These star pictures are now called constellations, and the constellations that are now mapped out in the sky come from our European ancestors.

They saw images of bears, (Ursa Major and Ursa Minor), twins, (Gemini), a bull, (Taurus), and others, including dogs, (Canis Major and Canis Minor).

The brightest of the stars in Canis Major (the big dog) is Sirius, which also happens to be the brightest star in the night sky. In fact, it is so bright that the ancient Romans thought that the earth received heat from it. Look for it in the southern sky (viewed from northern latitudes) during January.

In the summer, however, Sirius, the “dog star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the dog star.

The conjunction of Sirius with the sun varies somewhat with latitude. And the “precession of the equinoxes” (a gradual drifting of the constellations over time) means that the constellations today are not in exactly the same place in the sky as they were in ancient Rome.

Today, dog days occur during the period between July 3 and August 11. Although it is certainly the warmest period of the summer, the heat is not due to the added radiation from a far-away star, regardless of its brightness. No, the heat of summer is a direct result of the earth's tilt.

So as you can see the summer heat has nothing to do with Sirus, and all to do with the tilt of the earth toward the sun.

I always like to know how things got their name. Now you know too!

So enjoy the rest of these "dog days of summer" for they will be quickly gone before we know it.

This is Raven-as the crow flies!

The First of July-As The Crow Flies!

As you already know, the custom of Raven's Delights is to blog on the first day of each month.
So before this day is over, which will be very soon, I hope to share something interesting, silly, witty, or wise, as the crow flies!

How did the seventh month of the Gregorian calander get the name July?

It was the fifth month in the early calendar of the ancient Romans. The Romans called the month Quintilis, which means fifth. Later, the Romans moved the beginning of the year to January 1, but did not change the names of the months. The Roman statesman Julius Caesar was born during this month. In 46 B.C., Caesar gave Quintilis 31 days. The Roman Senate renamed the month Julius in honor of Caesar.

As Emperor Julius Caesar was instrumental (a means) in reforming the Roman calendar, this month was named after him by Mark Anthony in 44 BCE, the year he was assassinated.

Until the end of the 18th century, July was pronounced to rhyme with truly.
However, Julius Caesar celebrated only one July because after it was named for him he was murdered, on the Ides of March.

Julius Caesar was the first historical Roman to be officially deified. Divus Iulius or Divus Julius (the divine Julius or the deified Julius) was the official title that was given to Caesar posthumously by decree of the Roman Senate. The cult of Divus Iulius was promoted by both Octavian and Mark Antony. After the death of Antony, Octavian, as the adoptive son of Caesar, assumed the title of Divi Filius (son of a god)

Again we see the Satanic influence in naming the months after a sinful human, even making him "God", and his adopted son Octavian, "son of god". Won't it be refreshing when the days, months, seasons, and years honor Jehovah and his righteous ways?

So ends this blog on July 1st. There will be more to come as the crow continues to fly!

This is Raven-as the crow flies!