I am not now or ever have been considered a religious person. I’ve read as much information as I could find on almost every major religion over the years. It was my vain attempt to convince myself one way or the other that such a thing was necessary in my life. I accomplished my goal but it left me with volumes of information on religions both interesting and some not so much. Today I’ll post some strange but true religious trivia and you can do with it what you will.
- The temple of all faiths: Birla Temple in New Delhi, India, includes separate areas for worship for every known religion.
- It was not until the fourth century that the church (Christianity) began to celebrate the feast of Christmas.
- The first Bible printed in America in 1663 was a translation into the Algonkian language.
- The word “and” appears 46,277 times in the King James version of the Bible.
- Hijmar, a holy man of Benares, India, held his left arm in the same position for 12 years.
- The first book digest: Dubash Meghji, of Zanzibar., ate one page of the Koran each day for thirty years.
- Each year Shia Muslims in Ahmadabad, India, mourn the death of Imam Husain, a descendant of the prophet Mohammad, by whipping themselves with knife-tipped chains.
- In 1993, Israel’s telephone company offered a service for people to fax messages to God, to be placed in the Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall.
- Forty nuns at a convent in Stetyl, the Netherlands, have maintained a continuous prayer in their chapel for ninety-eight years.
- The people who worship a nail: The Maria Gonds of Chandra, India, pray only to a 12 inch spike.
- In 1685 a church bell from a Protestant chapel in France was whipped and burned after being charged with “inflaming the hearts of heretics”.
- Prayer stones addressed to Egyptian god Ra and sold to worshippers in Ancient Egypt had large ears engraved on them – so Ra would be sure to hear their messages.
- In 1992 a historic church in Melle, France, installed a juke box that plays Gregorian chants, Tibetan mantras, and Jewish liturgical music.
And last but not least:
- Ancient Egyptian priests in 450 b.c. trained baboons to sweep out their temples.
CAN I GET AN AMEN?
With the better-half’s vacation coming to an end I can see the light at the end of the honey-do list tunnel. It’s been a great week for use both and to prove it I’m posting a number of miscellaneous photos taken in odd places at odd times. People may call these locations flea markets yard sales or garage sales but let me be a bit more accurate. It’s more like junk yards, piles of crap, or just plain garbage. I know I’m being a little harsh but OMG.
Just what every summer tourist needs . . . snow shoes.
Then who doesn’t need dishes and glassware at a quarter a piece?
I’ve held two garage sales in my life and I know how I prepared for the shopping public. I unloaded every piece of crap I could find onto tables, priced them for under a dollar, smiled a lot, lowered the prices when necessary, and at the end of the day I made a hundred dollars or so. Who knew my crap was so in demand.
Does this look familiar to you?
How about this.
I’m not a shopaholic like my better-half and thank god for that. I can only handle visiting a few of these places before I start to get a little crazy. It makes me itch all over with imaginary bugs and the smell at times is godawful.
Does anyone out there really need a POS boat. NO! How about a bunch of nasty looking lobster traps?
P. T. Barnum had it right all along. As far as suckers go, “There’s one born every minute.
SO TRUE . . . SO TRUE
I think I may be getting a little bit spoiled but trust me . . . I won’t tell that to anyone but you. I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d be considered spoiled but I have and it arrived yesterday.
My better-half is on vacation this week and we’ve been going and doing anything we want and enjoying it immensely. Yesterday was an almost perfect day. It was in the low eighties, sunny, and not a cloud in the sky. We decided to take a short day trip into New Hampshire to shop for antiques and to just relax and roam around for a few hours. Sounds pretty good right? Then why was I complaining almost the entire time? Why, because I’m spoiled.
After getting home last night I sat on the deck and tried to figure out what my problem might be. I spent a great deal of time whining and complaining about New Hampshire and those endlessly boring forests, lakes, and those beautiful White Mountains. I complained about having to drive twenty miles along dozens of lakes and streams and be forced to see all of this damn beautiful scenery. I also moaned and groaned after traveling through the countryside for an hour about that one car that was tailgating me or the one truck that was in front of me going only twenty miles an hour. Truthfully they were the only other cars on the road at that time. I was also upset that I had to drive by all of those cool little campgrounds and small beaches where I was forced once again to ogle a few well tanned and bikini clad lovelies enjoying their day. Am I going insane of just horribly spoiled?
As we drove home back into Maine I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I could stop bitching about New Hampshire and return to my normal everyday bitching about Maine. More damn forests, more lakes, more good weather, and more of those damn beautiful vistas. Why me? What did I do in a previous life that I deserved all of these wonderful things.
I don’t know for sure but I’m working on it.
Well, another holiday has come and gone. Overall it was a great weekend for us here in Maine. I do realize there are problems in many parts of this country where patriotism is now frowned upon for fear of alienating all of the aliens, both legal and more likely illegal. I recently read an article where a student was sent home from school because he wore a pro-America t- shirt. If that was my son I could easily been persuaded to some sort of violence and rightly so. I realize it’s chic and liberal to trash the United States at every turn but if nothing else it’s disrespectful as hell. It disrespects every person wearing the countries uniform and I suspect it’s mostly done by people who’ve never served.
Also shame on those of you in the academic ranks who insist on turning this country into a liberal, politically correct, and impotent world power by brainwashing our children with liberal claptrap (that’s right . . . I said claptrap.). Shame on you all.
Now that I have that rant off my chest let me continue. My better-half and I did a little traveling around our state over the weekend and I couldn’t have been prouder. It seems that the people of Maine may distrust our politicians (as they should) but still love their country. We must have seen five hundred or more flags flying from buildings, businesses, and homes.
In the town of Sebago, Maine which covers a rather large area, every telephone pole that we saw for miles was flying the colors. So to all of you America haters across the country how about finding the closest airport, get on the fastest plane you can find and GET THE HELL OUT (call me if you need a ride to the airport).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA
I’m not one to become overly excited about holidays but the 4th of July has a little extra meaning for me. Not because it’s the nations birthday, which is important, but because it was the birthday of my favorite grandfather. It’s the only day of the year that brings back in vivid detail the many memories that I have of him. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA and grandpa Jeff.
My better-half surprisingly started her vacation yesterday which will include the holiday weekend. Since the day was beautiful and sunny we once again took a day trip to Bridgeton, Maine located an hour east of our home. It’s located in the foothills of the White Mountains along the New Hampshire border. It’s a quaint small town filled with many interesting shops that we enjoy visiting.
Here are a few shots of the Maine street which was fairly busy with visitors. We hit our usual favorites to look for anything old and interesting. It’s always fun to people watch and roam around and not have to be concerned about the time.
If you like bells . . . they’ve got plenty.
It was very relaxing day but since we were starving we made a stop at Towanda’s Deli for a nosh. We relaxed at an outside table and had one of the freshest and most flavorful sandwiches we’ve had in a long while.
At the next table sat this handsome fellow. He lounged quietly with his owners and seemed to be enjoying his day as well. His name is “Russ” and what a sweet and friendly dog he is. He came over and said hello and goodbye as he and his family were leaving. An awesome dog.
Our drive home was pleasant and the day was a perfect start of our holiday weekend.
HAPPY FOURTH EVERYONE
This will be a quick posting with a few updates to help end the month of June. It’s been a hectic month but everything that needed to be handled and accomplished was properly handled and accomplished. Let’s get started.
One of our favorite restaurants has always been Over the Border, good Mexican food at a reasonable price. We stopped in a few nights ago because I was in dire need of some hot and spicy food. The better-half had a plate of tacos while I ordered a chicken fajita salad. As you can see they were pretty to look at as well as delicious.
Just looking at these pictures is making me hungry all over again. I can’t wait to revisit again in the coming weeks.. Also at this restaurant we met a bartender who loves hot foods as much as we do. Earlier this month he made me a hot pepper margarita made with a tequila infusion of hot peppers. His was tasty but I thought I could do it just a little better. I made a tequila infusion with a combination of peppers including serrano’s, habaneros, jalapenos, and one lonely but powerful ghost pepper. I also made a special salsa from six different hot peppers to which I added a shot of tequila in each jar. Here are the finished products as I delivered them to him yesterday. They should add a little zest to his Fourth of July celebrations margaritas.
And finally a few photos of our garden which has really taken off with the recent rains and warm weather. It’s looking like another successful gardening year for us.
So much for the month of June. It sped by way too quickly which means this summer will disappear just as quickly. We need to make the most of what remains before the snow flies again.
Is it just me or has June zoomed by in a flash. I’ve always considered the Fourth of July as the summer’s half-way point but I can’t believe that half of the summer is already gone. That is supremely depressing. A few days ago I mentioned in a post that my better-half and I had visited the Brunswick, Maine Strawberry Festival. I sort of glossed over that visit for some reason but after rethinking things I decided to throw a few pictures your way. Check these out.
The town of Brunswick is rather quaint and the park located in the downtown area is just beautiful. The perfect place to take your kids on a sunny day, to quietly read a book or to walk your dog.
It’s called the Strawberry Festival but it’s much more than that as you can see. Farmers from all over the area come to town loaded with fresh vegetables of all types. It’s a giant farmers market and they offer some really delicious foods as well.
I’m a former cheese addict who has been forced over the years to reduce the amount of dairy I eat. It still won’t stop me from sampling a few tidbits of excellent goat cheese when I happen upon it.
Many of the farms also sell canned pickles, jams, and jellies. They are a bit pricy but you’ll never find any fresher or as flavorful in a supermarket.
I was more than a little surprised at all of the available vegetables this early in the summer. We look forward to visiting many more of these festivals in the coming months. There seems to be one scheduled every weekend somewhere in Maine until Labor Day.
A GREAT START TO OUR SUMMER
With the month of June running out I thought I’d get one last garden update posted. Warmer weather has certainly caused the garden to go crazy. The plants are growing approximately 2 to 3 inches a week or more and it’s still early in the season. Here are a number of pictures from the garden to show the results of our TLC and nightly watering. It’s been a rather dry beginning to the growing season and the watering is the only thing that will keep this garden plush.
‘The herbs are going crazy.’
‘Looking forward to many zucchini’s.’
‘The tomatoes are blooming.’
Yesterday my better-half and I spent her day off relaxing and doing yard work. We harvested some lettuce and garlic chives to add to our evening meal. We decided that since the weather was so nice we’d be eating on the deck. Here is a picture of our table.
I grilled a number of boneless chicken thighs dusted with rosemary and a basting of ghost pepper sauce. Just before serving I brushed on a light coating of diluted yellow mustard. Crispy, flavorful, and hot. My favorite three things. Add a side dish of our homemade Bread and Butter pickles and things improve even more. The ice cold Chardonnay topped off the meal perfectly.
This was the first of many meals of this kind this summer. As the garden begins to produce more items our future meals will be even better.
GARDEN FOOD IS THE BEST
As always my better-half and I try use our time wisely. She’d been working for more than a week without any time off and it was burning her out. Finally a rare day-0ff arrived and we wanted to make the most of it. The day was bright and sunny and expected temperatures were to be in the mid-seventies. Perfect! We packed up the car and headed north along to coast to the towns of Brunswick and Bath, Maine.
The drive went smoothly although the summer increase in traffic was immediately obvious. It’s always relaxing to just cruise along the coast, watching the boats, and listening to some good music. We stopped briefly in Brunswick to attend the Strawberry Festival taking place in the town square. A friendly crowd of people enjoying the warm day.
Then we were off to the town of Bath, Maine. It’s most famous feature is the Bath Iron Works. Over the years they’ve build or repaired damn near every American naval vessel. Just up the coast a short distance is a restaurant, the Kennebec Tavern, located on the water with a great view from their rear deck.
We were both starving and were pleasantly surprised by the variety of seafood on the menu. I ordered an extremely dry Malbec wine to go along with my oysters and Caesar salad. The better-half went outside the box a little and ordered a scallop and bacon sandwich with crispy onion rings on the side. Everything was just as delicious as it looks here.
After lunch we took a short walking trip through the town so the better-half could do some shopping. She scored a few items that will magically appear under the Christmas tree in a few months.
The trip home was uneventful and we were ended the day relaxing on the deck. Then it was back to reality with garden watering and paying some much needed attention to the cat. He hates when we leave him alone and he made it immediately obvious by totally ignoring us for an hour.
CATS ROCK !!
As I rolled out of bed this morning I thought to myself “Are you crazy? It seems that most of my motivation has suddenly disappeared and I can’t find a really good reason to get up and get going. This happens occasionally and I’m not sure why but it does.
Normally after my first cup of coffee I can feel the energy level rising and I began mentally working through my list of things that need to be accomplished for the day. Unfortunately for most of us that list never seems to get any shorter and easier to complete. They say tomorrow is another day and that’s true enough, but it’s also true about the next To-Do list. So today may be one of those days where I just do as little as possible. Maybe an hour or two on the Xbox or an hour or two on the deck working on my tan or even taking a short ride to a nearby wildlife sanctuary. It’s very relaxing to wander through the woods and take a few pictures.
It’s been a week of computers for me and as much as I like working with them they tend to drive me insane. I’ve finally converted all of the computers in our house, except for the iPads, to Windows 10. It sounds so easy but it’s anything but. Before I ever get tempted to change an operational system again it would be easier to just discard the old computer and buy a new one. Microsoft has worked hard for years to make me a disgruntled customer and they’ve finally succeeded. Along with everything else they also alerted me this week that on June 30th they are discontinuing a software program that I’ve been using to blog with for almost four years. It’s by far the best blogging writer I’ve ever used and they just made a decision to do away with it.
Unfortunately for me the only really viable alternative is becoming an Apple user and I just can’t do that. In my opinion they’re overpriced and overrated so I’m stuck for now with Microsoft. I will be doing more research in the coming month to find alternatives and could very easily be convinced to dump Windows 10 and go to UNIX. If it’s even closely comparable to what I’m using now I’ll make the change in a heartbeat.
So I’m getting out of bed now, heading for the coffee pot for a second cup and maybe that will be enough to motivate me to do something worthwhile today. I wouldn’t count on it if I were for you.
THIS IS A SERIOUS CASE OF THE BLAH’S
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