) ( ( ) Good Morning Family! ( \ .-.,--^--. ( Come on in. . . \* ) \\|`----'| - The coffee pot's on. . . .=|=. \| |// ...and we even have decaf, |~'~| | |/ tea, and hot chocolate! | | \ / _|___|_ ------ (_______) Today's topics include: 1. Welcome to new cousins 2. WHOPBOF site fight 3. Halloween trivia 4. Did you know ...? 5. Is that really what they wanted to say? TO OUR NEWEST COUSINS ~~ On behalf of the entire family, I'd like to extend a most hearty welcome to those cousins who came into the family fold this past week. We are very glad to have you with us and hope you'll stay and remain a part of our online family. As soon as you're comfortable with us and the list, please send in your Bower[s]/Bauer or Baur lines so we can all see how we're related to you. We do not have a fancy format for sending in records or queries to the list. Post as many as you wish! If the data has anything to do with Bower[s]/Bauer or Baur ancestors or any of the 81+ variant spellings we research that might help someone, please feel free to post it. Every scrap of information is appreciated. If you haven't visited the homesite of this list yet, you are encouraged to do so. Our home is Bower Community, located at <http://bowercommunity.com>. There, we currently have two sites: The Bower Family Homestead [a.k.a., the Homestead] is our primary homesite and the gathering place for much of our information. It waits to join us all in welcoming you into the family at <http://bowercommunity.com/homestead>. Smaller is our sister site, the Bower Cottage, which houses most of our projects including an online GEDCOM fed by cousins from our research groups. Find the Cottage is at <http://bowercommunity.com/cottage>. WHOPBOF SITE FIGHT This in from the site fight promoters this week: "We will not be having a GRAND GRAND finals of the all yearly winners as hardly anyone was interested in doing it...so it was dropped." In short, there won't be another site fight for us to be concerned about. HALLOWEEN TRIVIA 1. The word Halloween comes from medieval England's All Hallows' ___. It was the one day of the year where dead spirits were allowed to walk the earth. a. eve b. time c. month c. rite 2. Halloween originated in ___: a. England b. United States c. Ireland d. Scotland 3. After carving, the first Jack o'lanterns were filled with candles to keep away spirits and ghosts. Those carved vegetables were: a. pumpkins b. acorn squash c. potatoes d. turnips 4. Which country celebrates "The Day of the Dead" instead of Halloween? a. Norway b. England c. Mexico d. Israel 5. Halloween originated from a festival celebrated by what ancient European tribe? a. The Celts b. The Druids c. The Huns d. The Visigoths DID YOU KNOW ...? 1. ...that Halloween dates from 837 when Pope Gregory IV instituted All Saints Day on Nov. 1 to take the place of an earlier festival known as the Peace of the Martyrs? 2. ...that in 5th century BC Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31? The holiday was called Samhain (sow-en), or the Celtic New Year. 3. ... the Celts believed all laws of space and time were suspended during this time, allowing the spirit world to mingle with the living? Naturally, the living did not want to be possessed. So on the night of October 31, villagers would put out the fires in their homes, to make them cold and undesirable. They would then dress up in ghoulish costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood, being as destructive as possible in order to frighten away spirits looking for bodies to possess. IS THAT REALLY WHAT THEY WANTED TO SAY? We all know we say some off-the-wall things sometimes. We mean one thing but what really comes out of us is something else. Below are some typographical errors and misstatements from newspapers. It just goes to show you that even the best grammaticists can stumble! <g> **Headline from newspaper: "Two Sisters Reunited After 18 Years in Checkout Counter." **Headline from newspaper: "Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery, Hundreds Dead." **Lawyer will read will tomorrow at residence of Mr. Hannon, who died June 19 to accommodate his relatives. -Teaneck, NJ **Senate Passes Death Penalty - Measure Provides for Electrocution for All Persons Over 17. -Lansing State Journal. **Miss Kathryn K___ and Mr. Leo S___ Will Exchange Marriage Cows. -Cambridge, OH Jeffersonian **Coloma Bride Stands 46 Ton Test Friday -Placerville, CA **Dead Officer on S. F. Force for 18 Years -San Francisco, CA **Wife Gives Birth To a Boy; He Asks Old Age Pension -Chicago, IL Tribune To you November babies - the cousins and I wish you a very happy and exciting year ahead. Happy Birthday! You are loved! Family ... it's what we're all about. Thank you for allowing me to spend this time with you today. I wish each of you a week filled with health, productivity, fun, and above all, filled with love and inner peace. ) ( ) _.-~~-. (@\'--'/. Colleen ('``.__.'`) `..____.' (Answers to Halloween Quiz) 1. c 2. c 3. d 4. c 5. a