Autumn Gold and harvest home

The greenery of summer is winding down, but don't let it get you down. Now is the time for the richness of golden yellow and orange-red leaves of autumn; with it cozying up with hot cider or hot cocoa after a long day, with the abundance of the harvest of fall produce found at farmers markets or fruit stands. To me autumn is synonymous with family, hearth and home. This is the true gold of autumn.-Helen

TNP is taking the summer off. See you in September!

I am taking some time off to do catch up on house repairs, yard work and getting out and enjoying the summer. See you in September!

Let's celebrate the month of May!

Tiger Lily

The month of May is upon us. Flowers are finally in bloom, people are out and about getting their gardens ready, cleaning their yards for summer parties. Phew it’s a busy month. We have May Day on the first, Cinco De Mayo on the fifth, Teacher’s Day, Mother’s Day, and of course Memorial Day. And if that’s not all, May is National Asparagus month, National Salsa Month, National Barbeque Month, Egg Barbeque Month, National Hamburger Month, and others.

There are also many other Traditional celebrations around the world during the month of May. In Europe, May Day brings girls bedecked with flower garlands dancing around a Maypole. In England, there is a traditional dance called the English Morris Dance. Jews celebrate the giving of the Ten Commandments at Shavuoth. Flowers and plants decorate the synagogues. In Japan, there is a boy’s festival celebrated on May 5^th.  Streamers in the shape of fish are put onto poles. Cinco De Mayo, once a minor Mexican holiday is gaining prominence in the United States and is celebrated with dancing, grito contests, music, and plenty of food.

During the Roman days, there was the festival of Maia where they celebrated the god Mercury on the first day of the Month, possibly the origins of May Day celebrations in Europe as a fertility rite. As an agricultural holiday, it was the time where flocks and herds were sent out to pasture for summer grazing. The ancient Celts called this time Beltane and lit bright fires to celebrate. The dance around the Maypole was traditional from the British Isles to Bavaria. In European celebrations, their traditional May Day celebrations featured a man dressed all in green called Green George.

Since the 20^th century May Day has  turned more political with worker’s parades a common feature as a sort of Labour Day in many countries.

The end of May usually is the official start of the summer season in most parts of the U.S. We also celebrate our brave heroes, who have served bravely for our Country with many parades and ceremonies. We also gather for family barbeques and picnics to start off the summer. What would be more fitting than to gather family together at this time to honor them? Have a Good Day.

There are many sites on the web about holidays, this is just one: Holidays in the United States in 2015.

For some great recipes for the month of May check out The Nibble

Squirral Wars: How I waged battle Against a Furry Foe (And Won)

It was cute when it was sitting on the porch. It was rather shocking because it looked monstrous, but still cute when it was at my kitchen window, peaking in. But when a fuzzy little brown squirrel decided that the eves underneath the roof would be a good place to store its nuts, then it wasn’t cute any more. It was war.

How we can really tell how the economy is doing

The economy is always in the news. One political group will say the economy is on its way up, the opposing one will say we are in deep. It is always a point of contention. But how do we really know who is telling us the real scoop? 

I got those holiday blues already.

I used to love the holidays, from Halloween on, it was always fun to

Here's what our holidays will soon look like

My proposed All-American Holiday

That is if

How to tell if you have been given the cheaper health care plan (humor) (List)

President Obama’s New Affordable Healthcare Act is on a lot of people’s minds right now. There are a lot of questions and not a lot of answers unfortunately. But if you're wondering

The Road to Feeling Educated

It was a long road to my bachelor degree, about 30 years down that road, and I still don’t

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome! My blog started out last year with an eye towards following what was currently trending in the media, in culture and technology with with some extras thrown in just for fun. As of April 23, 2015, in an effort to focus on what is really important to most of us, families, friends, and just plain living; I have changed course and will focus on a blog that celebrates families, community, culture, history especially family histories, and often humorous tidbits as they come my way. Hopefully you will find something enjoyable about the new format - Marie Helena