~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥~
April 8, 2012

★~ Today’s Quote: “Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.” Victor Hugo

★~Easter:

Easter is a Christian holiday celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. However, many Easter traditions that we celebrate today descend from an old pagan festival—a holiday known as “Ostara” during the Spring Equinox. The name Eastre has also been known as Oestre or Ostara, which is now the most common usage. Eastre was a goddess of spring.

Pagans celebrate Ostara during the vernal or spring equinox. This date always falls between March 19th and the 22nd. Because of its proximity to Easter, some believe that the festival of Ostara is synonymous with rebirth and rejuvenation. The awakening of plant life, the birth of baby animals and the revival of the earth after a long winter fuel the passion behind the Ostara festival. The Eastre animal talisman was a rabbit, which represented fertility as did the eggs that were decorated and offered as gifts to bring blessings of prosperity for the coming year.

With all this growth and abundance around us, it might be a good time to imagine yourself reborn anew, filled with spring energy, clearing away something that no longer serves you.

Here are a few after-Easters ideas to help you put some spring in your step:

• Decorate your home with flowers: Iris (purity, wisdom, faith, birth blessing, life and resurrection); Honeysuckle (rebirth, renewal, spiritual sight, versatile mind); Jasmine (lunar, psychic, spiritual love); Lily  (fertility, purity, rebirth); Rose (true love, joy,  yellow roses for Eastre).

• Add something green to your home: a plant, candles, soap to represent growth and expansion

• Work on projects and ideas initiated around Winter Solstice.

★~ Draw a bird day:

Grab your pencils, ready, get set, Draw A Bird!  This day is not necessarily about artistic ability so don’t be intimidated. There is also no preference shown towards any particular species of bird. If vultures are your thing, draw a vulture. Peacocks, sparrows, seagulls, they’re all fair game. The real purpose of this holiday is to appreciate birds and art at the same time.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1957 – Jimmy Dean began a morning show on CBS-TV to compete with the first 45 minutes of the Today show on NBC-TV. No, he didn’t stand around in an apron cookin’ sausage and singing Big Bad John for the audience, though it may not have been a bad idea. No sponsors were found for the show and it was back to the smokehouse for Jimmy when CBS quickly sliced the show from the network

♥~ 1968 – The Beatles went gold again, receiving a gold record for the single, Lady Madonna.

♥~ 1971 – Chicago became the first rock group to play Carnegie Hall in New York City. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Chicago scored big with these hits: Make Me Smile, 25 or 6 to 4, Saturday in the Park, Old Days, Baby, What a Big Surprise, Hard to Say I’m Sorry and many others,

♥~ 1974 – It was one historic night in sports in Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium. Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record by collecting his 715th round-tripper. Hammerin’ Hank trotted into baseball immortality as the Braves beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7 to 4. Aaron finished his career two years later with 755 home runs; a record that still stands.

♥~ 1985 – Comedienne Phyllis Diller underwent a surgical procedure for permanent eye liner to eliminate the need for eyelid makeup. Must have been a real sloooow day over at Phyllis’ house.

♥~ 1986 – Actor Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Eastwood won in a landslide victory, receiving 72.5 percent of the vote. And he did so without fanfare any paid advertisements, just buttons and bumper stickers. Apparently, a few voters had already heard of him.

♥~ 2005 – Four Australian performers called The Wiggles topped BRW Magazine’s list of Australia’s 50 richest performers of 2004. The band had an estimated gross income of $34.5 million, up from $10.7 million in the previous year.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 563 B.C.- Buddha (Shakyamuni) ‘The Enlightened One’ in the Buddhist faith; died Feb 15, 483 B.C. Buddha birthday is celebrate in Japan on this day-in Southeast Asia the celebration will be held on May 10, 2011.

♥~ 1941 -Darlene Gillespie, TV personality (“The Mickey Mouse Club”), turns 70

♥~ 1960 – John (Richard) Schneider actor: Second Chances, Heaven Help Us, Grand Slam, Dukes of Hazzard, Night of the Twisters, Texas, Speed Zone, Stagecoach, Cocaine Wars, Smokey and the Bandit

★~ Did you know:

♥~ 90 million chocolate Easter bunnies are made for Easter each year..

♥~ When taking a bite into a chocolate bunny, 76% of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first. 5% eat the feet first and 4% eat the tail first.

♥~ During the Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million Peeps – making Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy.

♥~ 16 billion jelly beans are made for Easter (that’s enough to completely fill an 89 feet high and 60 feet wide plastic Easter egg – about the height of a nine-story office building!)

♥~ The world’s largest jar of jelly beans weighed 6,050 pounds.

♥~According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest Easter egg ever made was just over 25-ft high and made of chocolate and marshmallow. The egg weighed 8,968 lbs. and was supported by an internal steel frame.

♥~ In the old days pretzels were associated with Easter because the twists of the pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossing in prayer.

♥~ Red jelly beans are everyone’s favorite.

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Cole is on a road trip with a dear friend and his son. He  driving his new car on the open highway, and from all reports sent home Life Is Very Good. They decided to go to Dayton Ohio, and if you happen to live in Dayton, Ohio, the road warriors are enjoying your city to its fullest. Best estimate is they will return home tomorrow.

I just went over to take my neighbors’ little chihuahua out for them. They are out of town for a few days. Cole knows the little dog, and this was supposed to be his job. Cookie, all 5 pounds of him, greeted me like an alligator. Really, I said? and Cookie said REALLY I hate you! and he snarled and growled and barked. I talked to him in my best no nonsense, I’m a professional voice as I reached out to put the leash on him but he was not buying it as he lunged out to bite my hand. I grabbed the leash and lassoed him with it and then he charged me with his teeth bared. I thought I’m too old for this crap and dragged his sorry little huha butt out the door. My pint size alligator snapped, growled and lunged at me the entire time we walked only stopping long enough to lift his leg. The tricky part was getting the leash off when we went back inside but through a combination of moves I managed without being bit. I did not offer Cookie the cookie that was in my pocket as I left. I returned home and texted Cole asking if Cookie was usually so mean, and he texted back, Um, yeah, he is not nice. I forgot to tell you and then he said he was off to Easter brunch. I will get even.

Happy Easter…may your day be springy and filled with chocolate!

♥