Swinging From The Summer Into The Fall Season

Because of a few serious, sorrowful and unfortunate events in September and October, my heart and mind was divided from enjoying and noticing the start of the beautiful fall season, the most favorite time of the year for me.

What is it about the Fall season that captures my attention so?

The cool crisp air; the breathtaking colors of the leaves against a deep blue sky. Seeing the leaves silently twirling down from the trees to the ground, and then a gust of wind swriling them about in circles all around.
Only in the fall do we have the enjoyment of seeing the humble, yet prolific pumpkin. Just seeing its' beautiful orange color, and many different shapes and sizes, gives me a deep sense of joy and contentment.

However, the thing that is most attractive this time of year are all the wonderful seasonal foods and spices," comfort foods"as many of us call it. Things like pumpkin pie, with lots of ginger, cinnamon and cloves. All kinds of hot, creamy soups, like split pea, butternut squash soup, potatoe soup, lentil and many more, all which taste so good and comforting this time of year.

How about hot apple cider, or hot chocolate with plenty of whipped cream? They taste so much better in the fall and winter season, as well as bring smiles to our faces.

What are some of your favorite comfort foods in the autumn season?
How about making this delicious looking cranberry pumpkin bread. Recipe included.


Cranberry Pumpkin Bread Recipe
32 Servings
Prep: 20 min. Bake: 70 min. + cooling
20 70 90
Ingredients
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups sugar
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.
Spoon into two greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans. Bake at 350° for 70-80 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Enjoy this autumn, it is swiftly passing by. Hold on to it tight in memory, there will never be another like it. May the remainder of this fall season bring you comfort, joy and peace, and thanks to Jehovah we will beable to enjoy this time of year forever, as the seasons will never cease. Genesis 8:22

Autumn Leaves

I love to watch the autumn leaves
As they slowly tumble down;
I love to hear their crackling
As my feet trod o'er the ground

A lovely carpet neath my feet
Is now formed by autumn leaves,
With color scattered everywhere
In the choicest pattern weaves.

I love to rake them in a heap
And to watch the children play;
For soon the color will be gone,
Replaced by snow someday.

-Ruth H. Underhill

This is Raven- as the crow flies

August Where Did You Go?

Here we are again. Another summer month quickly fading away. I must keep in memory, and dear to my heart some fond recollections of a beautiful summer day in August. Perhaps that may slow down the race to summers end. But the reality is time marches on.
I did not accomplish a fraction of what my daydreaming mind embraced. And because life is so short we may feel everyday is a once in a life time day lost forever. But in the new world we will have forever! Won't that be grand?

I was able to accomplish painting the walls in my living room - thats it. The ceiling and woodwork didn't get done. Hopefully, I will have a sense of achievement before the summer ends.

August is "Beach Plum Jelly" month. Will I beable to fulfill this traditional culinary delight? I sure hope so. I will let you know. That along with toasted sourdough bread on a cool autumn night , or a cold winter day with a cup of tea, is assuredly a delicious, comforting delight. Here is a piece of sourdough bread designed to look like a cute little cat. Compliments of Sparrow. He's too cute to eat! And of course below is a jar of my delicious home made Beach Plum Jelly.

The greatest delight this month was to hear announced 3 more regular pioneers. Sue, Kyle, and Reiner. Congratulations! What great joy that brought us, and evidence of Jehovah's spirit and blessing upon the congregation. We look forward to a busy, but happy new service year with you.

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I will close this blog with a touching poem that makes us want to hold on tight to summer, not to let it go so soon. Hope you enjoy it.

"Let me enjoy this late - summer day of my heart while the leaves are
still green and I won't look so close as to see that first tint of pale
yellow slowly creep in. I will cease endless running and then look to
the sky ask the sun to embrace me and then hope she won't tell of
tomorrows less long than today. Let me spend just this time in the
slow-cooling glow of warm afternoon light and I'd think I will still have
the strength for just one more last fling of my heart." - John Bohrn, Late August

William Shakespeare put it nicely when he said, "Summer's lease hath all too short a date."

This is Raven - as the crow flies!

Good-Bye July!

July went by faster than the "crow flies". I couldn't let July go by without a blog, it just wouldn't be right. Small as this blog may be, I hope to get it done before August arrives.

So how has your summer been so far? We had some pretty hot and humid days. There were some days that were a perfect "10". Do you realize summer is more than half way through? There is so much to do and so little time to do it. One of my goals is to work on my return visit book. It is a disaster! We are growing a beautiful bunch of weeds this summer in our vegetable garden. Does anyone like to pull out weeds? Then there are many chores to do inside and outside the house. Scraping, painting, repairing. Cleaning out closets, and drawers in the dresser. The list could go on. But summer is here and I'll have plenty of time to do it--yeah right!!! It's hard to get things done in the summer. First of all it gets pretty hot at times as you can see on our out door thermometer. Also, the kids and grandchildren are home, we go on vacations to visit family and friends, and lets face it we just want to have fun, and somehow, "deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."
Of course summer is a time of busy spiritual activity. The District Assemby, our circuit overseers visit and with summer vacation many young ones as well as older ones are auxiliary pioneering, and that brings much joy. Infact, it is very exciting to know that some in our congregation are contemplating regular pioneer service. We are so happy for you and you have our whole hearted support, and more importantly, that of Jehovah's.


We are still in the summer season, and I hope you will be able to accomplish all your goals spiritual and othewise. And remember this, "It will not always be summer: build barns."

I will close this blog with a prudent and truthful poem.

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - John Lubbock. This is especially true when we meditate appreciatively on the one who made it all.

This is Raven- as the crow flies

The Lazy Days of Summer Are Here!

Greetings to all from sunny California. Summer is here! Can you believe it? Today will be the longest day, and the shortest night of the year.

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations have for centuries celebrated the first day of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth," resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

Summer Solstice Fun Facts

Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

For us Summer is one of the many "good and perfect gifts" from our heavenly Father Jehovah that reflects is love, wisdom, and power. It is a perfect time to marvel and think deeply about his incredible creations, and express graditude and thanks to him as a sacrifice of praise, and tell others about all his ways. He takes note of that. (Psalms 50:23; Psalms 51:15)

What are your plans for this summer?

When we think of summer, we think of warm weather, and fun in the sun. Swimming, picnics, barbeques, relaxing vacations or pleasant visits with relatives and friends are just a few of the many activities that fill our time.
Although the summer season is viewed by many as the "long, hot, lazy days of summer", for true Christians there may be long, hot days, but certainly not lazy. We keep busy, especially in spritiual activities. When making our summer plans, we must always remember to keep Kingdom interests in first place.

Here are a few things we can do.

▪ If you haven't already attended, make definite plans to attend the district convention.

▪ If you go away for a vacation, plan to attend the meetings of the local congregation and share in the ministry. It really is the hightlight of any vacation to meet new brothers and sisters.

▪ A visit with relatives who are not in the truth may give you a chance to do some productive informal witnessing.

▪ Have you thought about helping a nearby congregation that needs assistance in covering its territory, or going to unassigned territory?

▪ School vacations provide an excellent opportunity for young people to expand their service activity. How about applying to be an auxilliary pioneer?

▪ With pleasant weather and longer daylight hours, you may find that you can get excellent results in the service by doing more evening witnessing, when many people are at home.

Remember that “the plans of the diligent one surely make for advantage.” (Prov. 21:5) Plan to make the most of your summertime theocratic opportunities.

May this summer season bring you many joys and blessings, spiritually and otherwise.

This is Raven-as the crow flies!

June! The Month of Roses and Weddings

June is rose month, the flower's shining hour. The many different varieties, cabbage, moss, yellowbrier, damask, rambler, everblooming and more, do their best to fill your senses and yard with aromatic fragrence and beauty.

The early Romans were known to be particular rose lovers. Their banquet couches were strewn with the delicate petals-hence the expression, "bed of roses". The Roman Code of Law prohibited anything said under a garland of roses at dinner or meeting from being repeated in court-thus, "sub rosa."

As you may know, June takes it's name from the Roman goddess Juno, patroness of marriage and the special guardian of women and childbirth. For this reason, June has always been looked upon as the best month in which to get married.
"Married in the month of roses-June
Life will be one long honeymoon." So says June fokelore.

Also, during the middle ages, June has traditionaly been called "The Marriage Month", because (this is funny, but true) people were clean from their annual May baths.

The rose is a flower of love. The world has acclaimed it for centuries. "Pink roses are for love hopeful and expectant. White roses are for love dead or forsaken, but the red roses, ah the red roses are for love triumphant.”

Full moon on the fifteenth is called “Strawberry Moon” by Native Americans and New England and the Great Lakes because at this time of year the strawberry ripened.

On June 1st there was a partial Solar Eclipse of the sun that was visible in eastern Asia, northern America and Iceland. Sorry we missed it, oh well next time.

On June 15th there will be a total Lunar eclipse of the moon. This will be visible in South America,Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. We still have time to book a flight and see it.

June is the month of long twilights. By the 21st, the first day of summer, when the sun has moved as far north of the equator as possible, the balmy evenings are a delightful invitation to dine out of doors. Too many of us overlook the potentialities of our yards and gardens, letting them serve only as settings for our homes instead of making them into backgrounds for living. A simple portable grill on the patio is all the foundation you need for cooking and entertaining in your own backyard, and it will give you an extra dimension in gracious living.

“It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes,
And pleasant scents the noses.”

To keep a fragrant year-round reminder of this gentle month, why not make this old-fashioned rose petal potpourri:

Gather fragrant rose petals in the early morning, spread on paper and dry in a dark,cool place for a week. To each 4 cups of dried petals, add 1tsp. each of powdered orris root, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and the rinds of one lemon and orange, dried and crushed. Mix thoroughly. Store in a pretty jar, sprinkling coarse salt on each layer of spiced petals. Close tightly for 6 weeks. To release fragrance, open jar and stir. You could also put some of the potpourri in little hamdmade sachets to put in dresser drawers or closets giving your clothing a delightful scent.

June is a fantastic month: the official start of summer, schools get out, and it's a great time to be out in the ministry, weatherwise.

Believe it or not, June is also adopt a "Cat Month." More kittens are born in the spring and summer than at any other time. If you are looking to adopt a cat or kitten, now is a great time—and you don't even have to travel far from home. There are many animal shelters filled with cats and kittens just purring to find a good home and a lap to curl up on.Yes, June is here! Enjoy every moment of it. Drink in it's beauty, and meditate deeply on the one who made it all. Give praise and thanks to him for "All your works will laud you, O Jehovah, and all your loyal ones will bless you" Psalms 145:1-12

This is Raven-as the crow flies

May Day, Maypole, May Queen. What Is It?

As promised in my previous blog I would share with you the meaning of these commom terms that we have heard all our lives, but perhaps not know the full meaning of.

Again, as with many of the holiday festivites, May Day, the Maypole, and May Queen all originate from pagan origin, and true christians should have no part in them.

Early Origins of May Day

In ancient Rome the first day of May fell during the festival of Floralia, named in honor of Flora, the goddess of springtime and flowers. It was a time of singing, dancing, and flower-decked parades, and also to hang flowers on a loved one's door. Roman prostitutes especially enjoyed the festival, for they considered Flora their patron goddess.

The New Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedia says on page 8294:

“May Day festivals probably stem from the rites practiced in honor of a Roman goddess, Maia, who was worshiped as the source of human and natural fertility.” A conspicuous feature of this celebration has been (and still is, especially among school children) the dancing around the Maypole.

The same encyclopedia states: “This Maypole is believed by most scholars to be a survival of a phallic symbol formerly used in the spring rites for the goddess Maia.”

According to the polemic anti-Catholic pamphlet, The Two Babylons, the origin of the maypole dance began in ancient Babylon during sex worship and fertility rites. The church of St. Andrew Undershaft in the City of London is named after the maypole that was kept under its eaves and set up each spring until 1517 when student riots put an end to the custom. The maypole itself survived until 1547 when a Puritan mob seized and destroyed it as a "pagan idol".

The World Book Encyclopedia (1973 edition) notes: "The English and other peoples whom the Romans conquered developed their May Day festivals from the Floralia.” And whom did that festival honor? It was held in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers.

When the Romans conquered other lands, they took their customs with them. However, in Celtic countries the Romans discovered that the first day of May was already celebrated as the festival of Beltane. The preceding evening, the start of the Celtic new day, all fires were extinguished, and when the sun rose, people lit bonfires on hilltops or under sacred trees to welcome summertime and the renewal of life. Cattle were put out to pasture, and the gods were invoked for their protection. Soon Floralia became entwined with Beltane and became the festival of May Day.

For German-speaking and Scandinavian peoples, Walpurgis was the equivalent of Beltane. Festivities began on Walpurgis Night( the eve of May Day) with the lighting of bonfires to drive away witches and evil spirits. Other Europeans developed their own variations of May Day customs, many of which still survive.

Christendom’s churches had little effect on such pagan festivities. “May Day—or Beltane—was the calendar’s most permissive day, the one festival the Christian church and other authorities could never quite control,” observes England’s Guardian newspaper.

May Day Customs

By the Middle Ages, new customs had been added to what had become England’s favorite holiday. Men and women spent the night in the local woods gathering flowers and blossoming boughs to ‘bring in the May’ at sunrise.

Immorality was widespread, according to Puritan Philip Stubbes’ tract The Anatomy of Abuses. Revelers set up a tree as a Maypole in the middle of a village, and it became a focus for day-long dancing and games. Stubbes referred to it as “this stinking Idol.”

The people chose a May queen and often a May king to preside over the festivities. Maypoles and May queens were common in other parts of Europe too.

In mythology, The May Queen is also known as The Maiden, the goddess of spring, flower bride, queen of the faeries, and the lady of the flowers. The May Queen is a symbol of the stillness of nature around which everything revolves. She stands for purity, strength and the potential for growth, as the plants grow in May. She is one of many personifications of the energy of the earth.

She was once also known as Maid Marian in the medieval plays of Robin Hood and of the May Games - she is the young village girl, crowned with blossom, attended by children with garlands and white dresses. Some folklorists have drawn parallels between her and Maia, the Roman Goddess of Springtime, of Growth and Increase whose very name may be the root of "May".

May King

May King is a figure in the mythology of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as a folk custom. Every year, or every seven years, a man from the village would be chosen to represent the King of the May. He would bring fertility to the village, and during the time that he was in power, he could impregnate any woman in the village. At the end of his "reign," he would be ritually sacrificed and a new King of the May would be chosen. According to J.G. Frazier's The Golden Bough, this type of custom was derived from earlier Indo-European tree worship fertility rituals.

What was the significance of these May Day customs? The Encyclopædia Britannica explains: “Originally such rites were intended to ensure fertility to the crops, and by extension to cattle and human beings, but in most cases this significance was gradually lost, and the practices survived merely as popular festivities.”

Ebb and Flow

The Protestant Reformers tried to stamp out what was viewed as a pagan celebration. Calvinist Scotland prohibited May Day in 1555. Then a Puritan-led English Parliament banned Maypoles in 1644. When England was without a king during the Commonwealth period, May Day’s “licentious practises” were discouraged. However, Maypoles were restored with the monarchy in 1660.

Maypole festivities gradually declined during the 18th and early 19th centuries but have been revived in more recent times with a more moral tone. Many of what are viewed as traditional May Day customs, such as children dancing round the Maypole plaiting gaily colored ribbons, date from this more recent time.

However, folklorists researching May Day’s more distant past are discovering many of its pagan roots. In fact, if people knew the real meaning behind the Maypole dance they may not want to participate, certainly true christians would stay far away from it. For example, according to Yasmine Galenorn, in the book "Dancing with the Sun", the pole represents the male principle, and the ribbons that wrap around it (and the wreath placed atop the pole) are symbolic of the female principle. The Maypole represents the phallus of the God. The wreath atop represents the vagina of the Goddess. As the Maypole is danced, the ribbons wind around the pole and the wreath lowers, symbolizing the Divine Marriage, the sexual union of God and Goddess.

The Dance

The May Day dance is rich in pagan symbolism. There are usually eight dancers, one for each sabbat of the year, paired into four couples. (Of course, many more may dance. This is only a suggestion.) The dance involves moving in circles and weaving over and under the other dancers. The women take the white ribbons with their right sides to the pole, and the men take the red ribbons with their left sides to the pole. The weaving of the symbolic birth canal begins with music or chanting as everyone moves forward from where they stand, moving alternately over and under each person coming toward them. (To start, the men begin weaving under the upheld ribbon of the first woman they encounter). Continue the dance until the maypole is wrapped. Tie off the ribbons and let the wreath drop to the ground.

European emigrants took their May Day customs with them to new lands, and some of their descendants still observe May Day in the traditional way. However, in many countries May Day, or the first Monday following May 1, is now simply a workers’ holiday.

May Day Becomes Labor Day

Modern May Day began in North America. Why there? The industrial revolution brought new machines that ran continuously, with the result that factory owners often expected their employees to work up to 16 hours every day except Sundays. (Now, some people work as long even on Sunday).

In an effort to improve the lives of workers, a federation of trade and labor unions in the United States and Canada called for an eight-hour workday beginning on May 1, 1886. For the most part, employers refused to grant this, so on the first of May, thousands of workers went on strike.

The Haymarket Riot in Chicago, Illinois, gave the labor movement in the United States its first martyrs, and workers in England, France, Holland, Italy, Russia, and Spain rallied in support. In 1889 a congress of world Socialist parties meeting in Paris declared that May 1, 1890, would be a day of international demonstrations in favor of an eight-hour workday. The date thereafter became an annual occasion on which to raise workers’ demands for better working conditions.

Today many countries observe a holiday called Labor Day or International Workers’ Day on the first of May. The United States and Canada, however, celebrate Labor Day on the first Monday in September.

Ancient and Modern Links

May Day has always been a people’s festival. Workers took the day off with or without their employers’ approval. Social roles were reversed. The king and queen of the day were chosen from the common people, and the ruling classes were often the butt of jokes. May Day, therefore, readily became identified with labor movements, and by the 20th century, it had become part of the Socialist calendar.

Like the old May Day, the International Workers’ Day has become a day for parades through the streets. Yet, violence has become common during May Day celebrations in recent years. May Day 2000, for example, was the occasion for worldwide rallies against global capitalism. Protests then were marred by fights, injuries, and damage to property. (Sounds a little like the mixing of iron and clay not sticking together in the dream image of Daniels prophecy).

Well I have come to the end of this blog. There is much more information that could be obtained on this subject, but I feel we have enough to make an educated decision on this holiday, that it is not just harmless fun, but flooded with unclean pagan symbolism, that does not honor Jehovah, but the god of this wicked system of things Satan.

The apostle Paul reminded fellow believers: “What fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what sharing does light have with darkness? Further, what harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what portion does a faithful person have with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For we are a temple of a living God; just as God said: ‘I shall reside among them and walk among them, and I shall be their God, and they will be my people.’ '"Therefore get out from among them, and separate yourselves,” says Jehovah, “and quit touching the unclean thing.'"”—2 Cor. 6:14-17.


This is Raven-as the crow flies

April Bows To Glorious May

May, what a delightful picturesque month, when the earth clothes itself with a variety of beautiful fragrant and colorful flowers. The pink cherry blossoms, as well as the white, along with the brilliant yellow forsythia dazzle the eye and causes one's heart to sigh with deep appreciation to the one who made it. Many songs and poems have been written and sung because of the enchanting beauty May inspires. Can you think of some?

How appropriate that "Frabjous Photo" has chosen flowers as the theme for this month's May blog. I am sure it will be an especially delightful and inspiring one.

Don't leave all your May flowers outside. wouldn't it be fun to have bowls of bloom about the house, even in the bathroom? How about using a prized cup that has lost it's saucer, or a seldom used teapot or a squatty little antique sugar bowl?

Floating blossoms are pretty, too, especially in unusual containers, perhaps a bon bon dish or any kind of funny bowl or tray.

For conventional arrangements, putting cut flowers in a vase, you can cut them on a slant with a sharp knife at a cool time of day, and then put them in tepid water (100 degrees) for about an hour before arranging them in a vase of cold water, you will find that they keep much longer.

It is of interest to note, in sixteenth century England the young at heart would rise before dawn on the first day of May and flock to the woods to gather blossoms. At sunrise they would return to the village to decorate a loved one's door and windows and the "Maypole", which was set up in the square. The choicest blooms were fashioned into a crown for the local beauty who was proclaimed Queen of May. Both of these traditions still survive in some form in contempory American life. While younger girls make flower baskets to leave at friends doors, their college-age sisters preserve the traditional crowning of the May Queen ceremony.

What is the meaning of May Day, Queen of May and the Maypole? This will be addressed at a future blog.

No sweeter words can fall on the human ear, than that May is finally here! Let us take note of the different flowers, and blossoms that appear during May, even the humble and prolific dandelion which many dislike and define as a weed, and yet the vitamin rich leaves are used in salads and the flowers to make the most delicious wine. You may want to think twice about removing them from your lawn.

Which flowers actually start the spring season, and which flowers do you delight to see? Here is a cute poem along these lines.

"Some will tell you crocuses are heralds true of spring
Others say that tulips showing buds are just the thing
Point to peonies, say when magnolia blossoms show
I look forward to the sight of other flowers though
Cultivate your roses, grow your orchids in the dark
Plant your posies row on row and stink up the whole park
The flower that's my favourite kind is found throughout the land
A wilting, yellow dandelion, clutched in a grubby hand."
- Larry Tilander, Springtime of My Soul

Also, remember this:

"The brightest and most enduring flowers along the waysides of life are smiles, the sparkle of the eye, loving words, acts of kindness---they never wholly fade from memory. Often after years they are brighter than on the day we first beheld them".
--E. Linton

Let all your joys be as the month of May!

This is Raven-as the crow flies