Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk 2 Recipes Recipe 1 1 c. whole milk 2/3 c. sugar 1/3 c. boiling water 3 tbs. butter, melted Combine in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes 1 1/4 c. or a 14 oz. can. Keeps in the refrigerator. "This recipe will save you lots of money over the years. Needs to be refrigerated." ------------------------------------- Recipe 2 SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK--HOMEMADE In blender put 1 cup hot water, 4 cups powdered milk, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Mix well and store in refrigerator or freezer.

A Adder - (snake, see also under Snakes) Druids were referred to as Adders, and it's possible that the story of St. Patrick ridding Ireland of snakes is actually about Druids. The Adder represents transformation, for obvious reasons. A snake's ability to shed its skin is very symbolic of transformation and rebirth. Its ability to tunnel through cracks and crevices is symbolic of traveling to the otherworld in shamanic journeying. The Adder also represents healing, which may seem odd because it is a poisonous snake, but it warns us to use our powers wisely because of this. Rage into outrage. Poison into medicine. The Adder is also a symbol of sexuality, because of its phallic shape and because of its ability to bear many young at once. Ancient Druid alters in phallic shapes have been found in Cumbria and Gloucestershire depicting adders. In wales there was a tradition that every farmhouse had two snakes, male and female, to ensure the productive well-being of the household. The image of the Caduceus of Mercury (the ! symbol used to represent the healing profession) is two snakes wound about each other. Ants - Industriousness, order, and discipline, wisdom and intellect Antelope - Speed and adaptability of the mind Armadillo - Personal protection, discrimination, and empathy Ass - Wisdom and humility, patience -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B Buffalo - Prayer, Abundance Bee - Fertility and the honey of life, love, hidden wisdom Beetle - Resurrection, symbol of solar dieties and new life Butterfly - Transmutation and the dance of joy, shapeshifting Blackbird - Omens and mysticism, color of fear and promise In Celtic lore the Blackbird (Druid-dhubh) is yet another animal that can freely pass into the Otherworld. It is associated with the Druids and the Goddess Rhiannon. This bird has mystical arts and can sing one into a trancelike state. It can give one access to the Magick of the Otherworld and is an excellent familiar. The Blackbird is a songbird, not to be mistaken for a crow. This distinction seems to be a problem for many Americans for some reason. Bluebird - Happiness and fulfillment, color of north or east Blue Jay - The proper use of power, higher knowledge that can be used Badger - Bold self-expression and reliance, keeper os stories, aggressiveness. Bat - Transition and initiation, rebirth, nighttime. The bat is also the glyph of the pathway of the Hanged Man, and the totem of the Voodoo worshipers. In popular thinking it is the soul of the unenlightened, because it dwells in darkness and feeds indiscriminately on all life. In China, however, where many things are reversed the word fu means either a bat or a blessing. Since the bat sleeps upside-down he affords an important avenue to reversion of consciousness. The bad has been associated with vampires. Bear - Awakening the power of the unconscious. Healing, Inner knowing, introspection. Beaver - The builder of dreams, the home, industrious energy to work and accomplish things Bison - Manifesting abundance through right action and right prayer Bobcat - Silence and secrets, solitary Bull - Fertility, insight into past lives, masculinity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C Canary - Healing power of sound, heightened sensitivity Cardinal - Renewed vitality through recognizing self-importance Catbird - Communication potential, new lessons or opportunities Chickadee - Sacred number is seven, seeker of truth and knowledge Chicken - fertility and sacrifice Cobra - power over life & death, eternity. Used by the Ancient Egyptians to designate royalty because of its power over life and death. Since, when coiled, its tail disappears, it is also a fitting symbol for eternity. The Greeks called the serpent oura, or "tail", whence the "Uraeus", which is the Greek word for the cobra-shaped crown worn by kings and gods alike. To demonstrate its "eternal" aspect, the Greeks depicted the serpent devouring its own tail (Ouroboros "tail-devouring"). The Egyptians believed that the cobra was so deadly that it merely had to "breathe" on someone to inflict its venom. Now, since we already know that the "king" cobra was associated with royalty, its not surprising that the Greeks should call it, in their language, "the little king" or basilisk, bringing along with the word the Egyptian version of its natural history. By the time we reach the Middle Ages in Europe, the basilisk (since cobras don't exist in Europe) had turned into a fabulous beast with wings and a fiery breath fatal to every living thing. Cock - Sexuality, watchfullness and resurrection Cowbird - Parent and child relationships, grounding and responsibilities Crane - Longevity and creation through focus, justice, feminine energies Crow - Intelligence, watchfulness, magical, past-life connections, law. Cuckoo - Heralding of new fate, spring, hone your listening skills Cat - Mystery, magic, independence, night time, guardianship, detachment, and sensuality. Cat brings us the ability to observe situations quietly without judgement, before making decisions. Apparently asleep, but really listening, a cat can sit for hours until it acts with decisiveness. Remember the saying 'A cat may look at a king.' The Cat unites an awareness of the spirit-world with a highly developed sensuality. These two attirbutes are not polar opposites as dualistic spiritual teachings would have us believe, but are facets of one continuum of awareness and sensitivity. Working towards wholeness involves enhancing both the physical and non-physical worlds. A black cat is foten portrayed as a creature of Witchcraft. In old churches in the British Isles, the cat is depicted in carvings as a sinister and evil entity, becoming a feline demon. The fear of having a Black Cat cross one's path comes from the belief that Witches could turn themselves into cats, which would be considered "bad luck." Ireland's namesake, Eire, had a cat. Eire gave her cat the gift of knowledge and confided all the secrets of the cauldron to her prized companion. When the time came to name the land we now know as Ireland came about, this brilliant animal helped convince the powers that be to name Ireland after her beloved owner. Cats have been sacred to more than one religion, and at different times and places have been considered both good and bad luck-bringers. The Egyptian goddess Bast was both lion-headed and cat-headed and attended by cats and therefore cats were sacred and revered in Egypt; killing one was a heinous crime, and when a household cat died mourning rites were performed for it. Cats were often found in temples and were ritually fed; stray cats were treated with honour and fed, and the household cat was allowed to share the family's food. Cat amulets were produced and elaborate cat-sized sarcophagi crafted for cats who had died, who were often embalmed as humans were. Ra, the Egyptian Sun God, supposedly changed himself into a cat to do battle with the serpent-like darkness. Followers of the goddess Diana also considered the cat sacred because she once assumed the form of a cat, and cats were under her special protection. In Norse mythology, two gray cats drew the chariot of Freya. ! Tsun-Kyanske, the Burmese Goddess of the Transmutation of Souls, was attended by priests and their cats, animals supposedly able to communicate directly with the goddess. Siamese Kings, believed godlike, required a cat for their souls to pass into upon death, so that the soul could rest for the cat's natural life span before entering Paradise. Malaysians venerated the cat as a godlike creature who eased their afterlife journey from Hell to Paradise. Anyone who killed a cat was required to carry and stack as many coconut tree trunks as the cat had hairs. The Celtic goddess Ceridwen was also attended by white cats, who carried out her orders on earth. Cats are traditionally associated with witches, and it is generally assumed today that witches' familiars were (and are) always cats. However, during the Burning Times any small animal that was kept in the house was suspect, and records show that accused witches were forced to confess having familiar spirits in the form of cats, rats, mice, dogs, weasels and toads. It was also firmly believed that witches could take the shape of cats, and accusers sometimes claimed that they were followed or tormented by witches in the shape of cats. In 1718 William Montgomery of Caithness alleged that hordes of cats gathered outside his house nightly and talked in human language; he claimed to have killed two of them and wounded another one night and awoken the next morning to hear that two old women had been found dead in their beds and another badly injured. In Britain and Australia black cats are considered lucky, and in some places white cats are correspondingly unlucky. In many parts of Europe and in the United States, however, it is the black cat who is ill-omened. In Britain tortoiseshell cats will bring their owners luck, and blue cats bring luck in Russia. An old saying about black cats is that 'Whenever the cat of the house is black, the lasses of lovers shall have no lack'. It was said that if the household cat sneezed near a bride on her wedding day, she would have a happy married life. To meet a black cat is usually fortunate, especially if it crosses one's path. In some districts the luck is only considered released if the cat is politely greeted, or stroked three times. Sometimes it is considered unlucky if the cat runs away from the person, or turns back on its own tracks. To meet a white cat is bad luck, except in those countries where white cats are the luck-bringers. If a black cat comes into a house or onto a ship, it is considered a very lucky sign, and the cat should never be chased away in case it takes the luck of the house with it. Seamen avoid the word 'cat' while at sea, but to have a cat on board is lucky, especially if it is a completely black cat with no white hairs. To throw the cat overboard raises an immediate violent storm; no sailor would do such a thing to the ship's cat, and in fact cats are rarely left on an abandoned ship but are generally rescued with the sailors. In Yorkshire, if a sailor's wife kept a black cat, her husband wou! ld always return safely from the sea; this sometimes led to black cats being stolen. Cat hair and bones were often ingredients of charms and spells, and even now a few hairs from a cat are supposed to increase the power of a spell, although this now appears more common in England than in America where the hair of a wolf appears to have taken over. In previous centuries the tail of a black cat was believed to cure a stye if stroked over the afflicted eye, and a tortoiseshell cat's tail was considered to remove warts. Three drops of a cat's blood smeared on a wart was also considered to cure it. If a person in the house was very ill, it was thought that throwing the water in which the patient had been washed over a cat, and then driving the poor creature away, would transfer the illness to the cat and drive it out of the household. It was said that every cat should be given two names; a country rhyme states 'One for a secret, one for a riddle, name puss twice and befuddle the devil'. This saying was based on the belief that one person could gain power and ascendancy over another simply by knowing his or her real name; by giving the household cat two names, once for common use and one secret and never revealed to outsiders, the pet which had the run of the household could be protected from becoming a tool of evil or of outside infiltration. Cat Weather Lore A sneezing cat means rain on the way, and three sneezes in a row portends a cold for the cat's owner. A cat running wildly about (known in our house as 'spacky cat') darting here and there and clawing everything in sight means wind or a storm on the way; when the cat quietens down, the storm will soon blow itself out. Cats washing over their ears has long beed held to foretell rain; the old rhyme goes 'When Kitty washes behind her ears, we'll soon be tasting heaven's tears'. A cat which rolls over and over in the grass, claws the ground and behaves in a skittish manner, is indicating that a brief rain-shower is on the way. When the cat is restless and moves from place to place without settling, it is foretelling hard winds. A cat who sits with its back to the fire is said to be a portent of frost. When a cat spends the night outdoors and caterwauls loudly, it may be foretelling a period of several days' bad weather. Cat Dream Interpretations To dream of a black cat is lucky. To dream of a tortoiseshell cat means luck in love. To dream of a ginger cat means luck in money and business. To dream of a white cat means luck in creativity, spiritual matters, divination and spellcraft. To dream of a black-and-white cat means luck with children; may also mean the birth of a child. To dream of a tabby cat means luck for the home and all who live there. To dream of a grey cat means to be guided by your dreams. To dream of a calico or multi-coloured cat means luck with new friends and old ones. To dream of two cats fighting means illness or a quarrel. Cat Spells and Charms If a black cat crosses your path, greet the animal politely and stroke it three times if possible, while reciting this charm: 'Black cat, cross my path, Good fortune bring to home and hearth, When I am away from home Bring me luck wherever I roam'. Then leave the cat and go on your way. If you abuse, insult or ignore the cat, no good luck will follow. Cougar - Coming into your own power, taking charge, strength, elusiveness The cougar's power is from the North, and is centered around Earth energy. Cougar is one of the fastest and most powerful creatures, but it tires quickly. Always attempt to reserve strength - don't completely drain yourself. This animal also has the ability to learn what others have not. Meaning you are open to learning and easily educated, but usually only to things that you feel that you "need" to learn. Also, this education is usually done alone, and through trial and error. Cougars are very decisive and do not hesitate. They are also excellent "hunters", have great self-confidence when facing crowds, are very cunning, and tend to seek freedom. You may desire to be alone a lot - but you have tremendous belief in yourself, and can more than hold your own in "mainstream life". Cougar also has awsome physical strength and beautiful physical grace, making it an excellent totem for an athelete. The Cougar is a natural born leader, but not as a permanent position. People will tend to shy-away from a person with so much "in-born" power. This tends to develop into people trying to hold you back. If this becomes the case, you must use your Cougar power and choose quickly and strongly. How do you want your life to be? choose quickly before the bindings are tied. One thing the Cougar people must learn is gentleness. Most lack this aspect. This does not mean giving up, or even reducing power, just add some gentleness. There are times for both. Power can also exist in gentleness. Learn this, so that others may not feel so threatened by you. If Cougar has simply appeared in your lfe ( a brief appearence, not seeming to carry much message) then it has come time for you to learn about power. Learn about your power and universe power. Learn to use your power. For you, this will usually best be done through trial and error. If Cougar has shown-up as a "totem" (carrying a message, or reaccuring appearences - possibly in dreams) then it has come time for you to assert your power. This is a sign that you have learned what you needed to about your power, and now you should use what you learned. Go out and "win some battles". Coyote - Wisdom and folly, tarot Fool card Coyote is also known as the Trickster, who loved playing tricks on the other spirits and humanity, but he also love humans, and many of his tricks were actually lessons hidden in pranks to teach man about the world. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D Deer - Gentleness and innocence, gentle luring to new adventure, physical pacing, body awareness In Celtic lore the Deer and Stag (Abhach, Sailetheach) hold a stong place in legend. The deer was said to be a fairy creature that could pass between the world's. This was especially true for a white deer. Fionn's wife Sabha became a deer when she went to the Otherworld. Beautiful women frequently became deer in many tales while fleeing from hunters. The Druid Tuan mac Carill is the sole survivor of a group of early Partholanian Irish settlers. He lives at first as a wildman of the woods eventually becoming a stag, an eagle, a salmon and eventually is reincarnated as himself at a much later date to give the ancient history of Ireland to the more recent settlers. Dogs - Faithfulness and protection, strong spirit In Celtic from the Hound or the Dog (Abach) is an animal of the hunt, frequently associated with humanlike intelligence. The hounds of Fionn mac Cumhail, Bran and Sgeolainn, are actually transformed humans, The Cwn Annwn, are the Gabriel hounds that accompany Gwynn ap Nudd during the Wild Hunt as well as guarding the gates to the Underworld or Annwn the kingdom of the God of the Dead, Arawn. Cuchulain the Champion of Ulster gets his name from replacing the Hound of Cuchul that he kills. He is called the "Hound of Ulster" from this event. The hound is also his totem animal. Guardian hounds occur widely in shamanic Otherworldly lore. The Altaic shaman encounters a dog that guards the underworld realm of Erlik Khan. When the Yukaghir shaman follows the road to the kingdom of shadows, he finds an old woman's house guarded by a barking dog. In Koryak shamanism the entrance to the land of the dead is guarded by dogs. A dog with bared teeth guards the entrance to the undersea land of Takakapsaluk, Mother of the Sea Beasts, in Innuit shamanism. The custom of burying a dog and the skin of a favourite reindeer with a dead man was still current among Ugrian people of Siberia earlier this century. Dolphin - The power of breath and sound, psychic abilities, initiators, life force. Dragonfly - The power of light, water and air magic. In Japan, dragonflies represent new light and joy. Dragonflies remind us that we are light and can reflect the light in powerful ways if we choose to do so. Dragon - A mighty magickal animal that appears in many British and Welsh stories. In celtic mythology it is a creature of fire but is also related to the Power of the Land. Another word for Ley Lines is Dragon Lines. Another name for raising Power is to invoke the "Eye of the Dragon." The whole Earth was viewed by the Druids as the body of the Dragon. Menhirs and stone Circles were located at great Power nodes. The Celts called Dragons "Fire Drakes." Dragons are often portrayed as being lazy, powerful, intelligent, and potentially deadly if they don't like you. Doves - Feminine energies of peace, maternity and prophecy, dawn and dusk. An animal of great significance in many cultures. In Christian mythology a dove brings an olive twig in the tale of Noah's ark,, symbolising new beginnings and an end to hardship. Doves have been regarded as powerful sacrificial creatures. Duck - Maternal, graceful and comforting, protective E Eagle - High ideals, spiritual philosophy, capable of reaching zenith, great perception, bridging worlds Elephant - Ancient power, strength, and royalty, memory Elk - Strength, stamina, and nobility, fall season -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F Fox - Feminine magic of comouflage, shapeshifting and invisibility, elusiveness, agility, cleverness, cunning Frog - Sensitivity, Medicine, Hidden Beauty and Power. A cold-blooded creature living half in the water and half on the land, the frog possesses an extremely sensitive skin, considered magical by shamans. A companion of the rain spirits, the frog can help you develop your sensitivity to others, to healing and to sound through your skin and your whole body and aura. Water was considered sacred by the Druids, and every river, spring and well had its guardian spirit or deity. Both frogs and their close relatives toads are found at water sources. As animals that are seeded in pools, and which frequent them when grown, they were sometimes considered as representatives of the water-spirits. In Acton Barnett in Shropshire, by an ancient healing spring, it was said that the spirits of the well would appear as three frogs. The largest of the three was always to be addressed as the Dark God. His darkness is related to the fact that both frog and toad were seen as creatures in contact with the Underworld. For this reason, in the popular imagination they became associated with witchcraft and potion-brewing - the toad or frog was often the witch's familiar who would croak warnings of danger to its mistress. As a familiar of the witch, the frog is an ally who brings the blessings of the water-spirits - the healing blessings of rain and purification.! The frog also brings its own medicine and was seen as a healing messenger of the Mother Goddess. Their connection with the Mother Goddess can also be traced to the tradition which states that it is lucky to have a frog living in a dairy - it guards the milk churn - and milk is naturally associated with the Goddess. A further connection with milk is found in an image of Celtic goddess Luxuria depicted with a fox between her legs and a toad hanging from each breast (Lux Soap!!) The frog or toad carrying a secret within is the possessor of a power object - a dark grey or light brown stone said to be found in the heads of very old specimens. This mythological object has been known by many names, including Crepandia, Borax, Stelon, and Bufonite. The frog or toad, adder, otter and fox are all carriers of these secret, invisible power objects. The otter and fox carry magical pearls, the adder leaves a serpent's stone, and the toad or frog when old carries the stone of magical prop! erties in its head. These objects, at one level, represent a crossing- transient life of the animal eternally cast within a stone. By carrying such a stone, and using it magically, the Druid or Shaman would be able to contact his ally, the animal spirit. Finch - New experiences and encounters, wide range summer solstice Flicker - New rhythm of growth and healing love, summer solstice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G Goldfinch - Awakening to the natural spirits, summer solstice and season Goose - Story telling, fertility and fidelity, symbol of eight and infinity Grackle - Overcoming excess and emotional life congestion, early spring Grosbeak - Heals old wounds, family values, past lives significance Grouse - Sacred dancing and drumming, spring, inner spirit Gulls - Responsible behavior and communication Giraffe - Farsightedness, expression, and communication Goat - Surefootedness and seeking new heights Groundhog - Mystery of death without dying, trance, dreams Grouse - sacred spiral Grasshopper - Uncanny leaps forward, good cheer-luck, abundance, virtue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- H Hawks - Primal life force, fulfillment, spring and fall equinoxes, perception, focus, protection. The Hawk (Seg or Aracos) is another creature of great singificance in Celtic lore. The most famous Hawk is the Hawk of Achill that can riddle and discuss with the Druidic poet Fintan. This animal is also as old as time and another storehouse of great knowledge. In many parts of the world the hawk has been said to be a messenger of the gods. (Horus, Circe, and Apollo in particular). The hawk is seen as the observer of all. Aside from the owl, the hawk has some of the keenest eyes in the animal kingdom. Virtually nothing passes by the hawk unnoticed. This can fill one with great resposibility, as hawk may enable you to the overall picture when no one else can. Hawk is a teacher of higher expression in psychism and asteral travel. He is powerful, strong, and can strike swiftly. With his keen eyes the hawk is often the first to observe a situation and then with his swiftness he can be the first to take advantage of it. Hawks tend to mate for life, and usually live in only one or two places during their lifetime. Hawks have great life force, and an equally great ability to defend themselves themselves with talons and sharp hooked beak. Hawk will regularly attack poisonous snakes, and defeat them. Hawks are sometimes attacked by smaller birds. If hawk exists in your totem, expect to be harassed by other people that do not understand you or you creative ideas. They may be trying to hold you back from soaring high. If the cry of hawk fills your ears, you must open yourself up to an upcoming message. You may need to "rise above your life" and take a wide overview of your life. Look at the whole by examining the parts - changes may need to be made. A cry of the hawk may also mean to beware of something coming in the very near future - or it may mean to just pay attention and absorb current and future happenings. In general, hawk carries the following magickal attributes: Large Overview of situation, Great Memory, Spirit / God/ Goddess messages, Courage, Defense, Wisdom, Illumination, Truth, Experience. The hawk is aligned with Mercury and the Sun, and is most powerful during the spring and fall equinoxes and during the new moon. In most shamanic systems the hawks power comes from the East, and is centered around the air. Heron - Aggressive self-deturmination and self-reliance, intuition, organization. Hummingbird - Tireless joy and the nectar of life, healing Horse - Travel, power and freedom, burial rites and birth, stability, courage The horse (Cab-all) was one of the most important animals to the Celts. A mare is ritually symbolically mated by the King in the Rite of Sovereignty. White horses are also mystical beings. It is a pale horse that is ridden by Gwynn ap Nudd the Master of the Wild Hunt in Wales while gathering souls. A huge horse shape is sculpted into the hills of Wiltshire called White Horse Hill. This animal is another guide to the Otherworld. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- J Jaguar - shamanic wisdom, focused power -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K Kestrel - Mental speed, agility and grace, explore past-life connections Kingfisher - Halcyon days, peace and prosperity, linked to north, blue -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- L Loon - Realizing dreams, haunting and eery song, imagination Leopard - Swiftness, cunning, strength, perserverence, boldness, beauty. Gaining confidence for astral travel and Otherworld journeys. It is said that in terms of pure malice and savagery, the leopard outdoes all it's feline relatives. It is extremely fierce, treacherous and although it is wary, has little fear of humans. Intelligent, and quick to learn anything that is to its advantage, it can climb trees and leap ten feet or more. Leopards are most active in darkness. Species of leopards can be found from the Black Sea in Europe east to Burma and the Malay Peninsula, including all of India and Sri Lanka and as far north as Siberia. In Egypt, Osiris and his priests were sometimes pictured wearing leopard skins. In Africa, it was a sacred animal to the Ibo and at times was considered to in inhabited by the souls of the dead. To the Chinese it represented bravery and intense ferocity. The Arabs called it Nimi, which means courage, boldness and grace, while in Greece, the leopard was the traditional mount of the god Dionysus, who's priests often wore leopard skins. In the Greek language, the panther's name meant 'all beast'. The word panther and all-beast connected it to the god Pan. They also equated this animal with Argos of the Thousand Eyes. A Chant: Leopard gliding, through shadows sliding, Intent on its plans int he dark of the night, Like the leopard I go with the energgy flow On the pathway to Otherworld Light I journey for growth, for creating true worth For the learning of wisdom and might With wisdom I'll burn, while I confidently turn All darkness about me to conquering light Lion - Assertion of the feminine and the power of the feminine sun. Lizard - For many Native American tribes the lizard is the gatekeeper to the dream wold. In the south Pacific, lizards are considered to be messengers of the gods or even deities themselves. Like the snake, the lizard sheds its skin, and thus has come to represent regeneration. Lynx - secrets and vision of the hidden and unseen, winter season -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- M Moose - Primal feminine energies and the magic of life and death, self esteem. Mouse - Attention to detail, attain big things by working on little; innocence, faith, trust, scritiny. Magpie - Occult knowledge, doorway to new realms, wily and willful Martin - Good luck and community peace, integration Meadowlark - Cheerfulness, sublimation, inner journey, linked to moon Mockingbird - Finding your sacred song and recognition of your innate abilities Mountain Lion - see Cougar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- N Nuthatch - Applying wisdom to natural world, groundedness, ethereal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- O Oriole - Positive energy, reconnecting with inner sunshine, nature spirits Ostrich - Becoming grounded, ethereal realms Owl - Silent wisdom and nocturnal vision, healing powers, magic, shadow work, deception. Athena, Lilith, and Blodeuwedd are all associated with owls, Blodeuwed being transformed into an owl, Lilith having the claws of an owl, and Athena having an owl as her companion. Apprearing in the many versions of Priestess of Swords card in the tarot, the owl links the Priestess of Swords to Athena. The owl is said by some to be associated with occultists and students of the unknown, and with those who are living enigmas - paradoxes loving both logic and the illogical. In Germany and other parts of Europe, the call of an owl is a portent of coming death. An owl is pictured on card XIII of the Old Path Tarot flying before the shape of death, associating it with death and transformation. This death-call legend may link it to the myth of the banshee, and Lilith is associated with the death children is some legends. The owl as a spirit helper ecourages exploration of the unkown, and the spending of time in illuminating meditation. Opossum - The use of appearances, spring season, diversion. Otter - Joy, playfulness, and sharing, spring and summer. Women's magick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- P Parrot - Sunshine and colour healing, associated with salt. Callimachus (300-240 BCE) saw the bird as a symbol of babbling humans. Aesop saw it as the rival of the weasel. Early Christianity related the parrot to St. Basil's dictum that good Christians imitate the Apostles and the just. The beak of the bird was an amulet against fever and demons. Conrad of Wurzburg saw the bird (since he believed its feathers did not get wet in the rain) as an emblem of the Virgin Mary. In China the bird was a symbol for the engagingly prattling prostitute, but with a pearl in its mouth a symbol for Kwan-Yin, while in Persia the bird may possibly have been known as a messenger symbol, like the crow, according to Cirlot, and may be related to the Egyptian ba (a pictograph for the soul of a winged creature with a human head). Peacock - Wisdom and vision, ostentatious, protective and powerful Pelican - Self-sacrificing, non-competitive, buoyant, rising above trials. The pelican is the alchemical symbol for the stage known as mortificatio, the breaking open of the outer shell to reveal the inner man. As the mother pelican was believed to feed her young from blood pecked from her own breast, she is also sometimes used as a general symbol of self-sacrifice. Penguin - Lucid dreaming and astral projection, feminine, birth giving energy Pheasent - Family fertility and sexuality Pigeon - Love and security of home, fertility, archetypal energies Praying Mantis - Power of stillness, sleep and dreaming, prophet Panther - Reclaiming one's true power, new moon, winter season Porcupine - Renewed sense of wonder, autumn season Prairie Dog - Community, networking, dig deeply -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q Quail - Group nourishment and protection, teaches mindfullness -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- R Rabbit - Fertility and new life, recognize the signs around you. Faith, nurturing. Fear. Raccoon - Dexterity and disquise, nocturnal Rams - Seeking new beginnings, new heights and adventures Rat - Success, restlessness and shrewdness Rhinoceros - Ancient wisdom, know thyself Raven - Shapeshifting, messenger or omen, blending human and animal. Inner journeys, dreams, energy to study or learn. Curiosity, hyperactivity. Healing, Initiation, Protection By being able to travel from this world to the next, the raven symbolizes also the power of healing - but the type of healing that comes about through a radical confrontation with the unconscious, with the hidden, with the Shadow, and with the darker, potentially destructive aspects of the psyche. The raven's association with death becomes an association with depth and thus with depth psychology and the transformative powers of initation - for such a moment marks to a greater or lesser extent the death of the old self, and the rebirth of a new self. The raven's connection with healing is reinforced when we consider it as a bird of prophecy and divination, integral facets of the healer's arts. The raven could travel to the darkest regions of the Underworld to bring back visions and oracular instructions for the seeker and healer. The raven has been seen as an oracle for thousands of years. The early Irish Druids divined according to their flight and cries, and as late as 1694 it was reported that a Hertfordshire raven uttered a prophecy three times. Throughout time, Raven has carried the medicine of magic. This has been true in many cultures across the planet. It is sacred, in the Native American medicine ways, to honor Raven as the bringer of magic. If the magic is bad medicine, the carrier may be honored out of fear rather than out of respect. Those who fear Raven may do so because they have been dabbling in areas in which they had no knowledge, and a spell may have backfired on them. Raven magic is a powerful medicine that can give you the courage to enter the darkness of the void, which is the home of all that is not yet in form. The void is called the Great Mystery. Great Mystery existed before all other things came into being. Great Spirit lives inside the void and emerged from the Great Mystery. Raven is the messenger of the void. In Native teachings the color black means many things, but it does not mean evil. Black can mean the seeking of answers, the void, or the road of the spiritual or nonphysical. The blue-black Raven contains an iridescence that speaks of the magic of darkness, and a changeability of form and shape that brings an awakening in the process. Raven is the guardian of ceremonial magic and in absentia healing. In any healing circle, Raven is present. Raven guides the magic of healing and the change in consciousness that will bring about a new reality and dispel "dis-ease" or illness. Raven bring in new state of wellness from the Void of Great Mystery and the field of plenty. Raven is the messenger that carries all energy flows of ceremonial magic between the ceremony itself and the intended destination. For instance, if a ceremony is being performed to send energy to a disaster area where people need courage and strength, Raven would be the courier for that energy flow. The intention could be to allow the people of the devasted area to feel the concern and support of the participants in the cermony. The norse god Odin has two ravens, Hugin and Munin ("Thought and Memory") which fly out over the world every day and report to him the news every evening: "I fear for Thought, that he come not back, But I fear yet more for Memory." They are the sides of the mind of the magician as it is propelled into "astral" experience. Roadrunner - Mental speed and agility Robin - New growth, territorial, color link to throat center -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S Salmon - (Brionnfhionn in Celtic lore) This is the Celtic fish of All Wisdom. It lives in the depths of the Sea from which all life springs. It is said to acquire it's great knowledge from eating the Nine Hazels of Wisdom that fall from the Tree of Knowledge. This fish was said to be among the oldest of living creatures. The great Hero and Druid Fionn mac Cumhail gained his wisdom by touching his thumb to a salmon that he was cooking for the Druid Fintan. Sparrow - Awakening and triumph of common nobility Starling - Sociable, communicating diversity, forceful Stork - Related to humanity, connected to emotions, water, birth process Swallow - Protection and warmth of the home and proper perspective Swan - Sensitive, emotional, dreamer and mystic, longevity, grace Swift - Feminine and psychic energies, speed and agility Swisher - Awakening of the feary realm, accomplishment for its own sake Spider - Creativity and the weaving of fate, illusion, threads of life, a totme of weavers. Deities and legendary characters represented as spiders include Ts'its'tsi'nako the Old Spider Woman and Anansi the trickster of Africa. In India the spider is the weaver of the web of Maya, illusion. As the destroyer of insect life, it is a guardian against invasion of the lower forces. It is the maternal, feminine force par excellence, inasmuch as the female destroys the male upon completion of mating. In her web she stands as the center of the world. In her spinning of the web and devouring her prey she parallels the waxing and waning of the Moon, involution and evolution, the alternation of birth and death. The spider, as the Moon, then weaves the destiny of everything in the world. The spider has also recently become something of a representative totem for the world wide web. A Tale Of Anansi Anansi once tried to steal all of the Wisdom plants, the source of all wisdom. He took all the plants, put them in his calabash, tied it around his neck and started climbing up the Tree of Life, where he lived. The calabash got in his way and he could not climb up the tree. A young girl saw his dilemma and tied the calabash to his back for him. He then raced to the top of the tree. Soon he realized that even with all the wisdom he stole, the girl had been wiser that he, so he decided that he couldn't use the wisdom, so he threw the wisdom plants off the tree. Then the wind caught them and spread the wisdom all over the world for everyone to enjoy. Sea Lions - Active imagination, creativity and lucid dreaming Skunk - Sensuality, respect, self-esteem, reputation. Snakes - under snakes I am including all general meanings for unspecifiesd snakes, and specific snakes legends that are not related to a single species of snake in particular. Correspondances and legends for individual species of snakes will be generally found under the species name. Snakes are represented by the element of fire, and symbolise transmutation and immortality. Almost every religion has a strong mythos about snakes, for good or evil. In many religions, the snake, or serpent, is a symbol of wisdom and enlightenment and no matter what the religion, snakes are almost always considered to be beings/symbols of great power. In some beliefs the serpent is a symbol of procreation, health, longevity, immortality and wisdom, while others believe it to represented death, disease, sin, lechery, duplicity and temptation. Both the Greek and the Norse mythologies had the world encircled by a snake, being held together inside of the snake biting its tail. if the serpent were to let go, that would be the beginning of the end of the world, and in Quabbla the serpent is often interpreted as the bringer of wisdom, or at least information. The Hindu mythos holds that the cobra uncoiling and flaring its hood symbolises the asenscion of consciousness into union with the universal power, while in Buddhist lore, A giant cobra sheltered Buddha from the elements during his years of meditation and spiritual study, spreading its flanks and created a make shift tent. In the Philippines, owning a snake is considered good luck especially among the Chinese populace. Some keep snake molt in their cash registers as a magnet for money. In some totemic beliefs, the snake is associated with the strange, the mysterious, the study of magick and metsphysics, and of ancient cultures and legends. It is also associated with personal transformation, and the discorvery of useful wisdom and knowledge. The Rainbow Snake - Australian Aborigine legend. In some areas regarded as female, in others males. Represents rain, water and the products of rain, without which life would cease to exist. He/she causes rivers to flow to the sea; plays an important part in the training and magic of medicine men; in Arnhem Land sends floods to drown offenders against the sacred lore; and in the Kimberleys is associated with childbirth, including that of spirit children. In the Arnhem Land rites of the Fertility Mother just before the wet season, the Rainbow Snake is heard coming by the whistling sound of the storm blowing through its horns; as the ritual dancing and singing begins, it arches its body upwards into the sky. The Rainbow Snake appears frequently in aborigine art. Snow Leopard - Overcoming demons and haunts, renewed vision & vitality Squirrel - Activity and preparedness, better to do than to study, gathering. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- T Turkey - Spiritual connection to Earth Mother, shared blessings, self-Sacrifice. Turtle/Tortoise - As some americans seem to have trouble differentiating between the two creatures, so more specific information for each woldl be welcome. The tortoise is a symbol of the earth (I would presume that the turtle is a symbol the the water). Turtle/tortoise is associated with navigation, patience, boundaries, inspiration, psychic protection, grounding, self-reliance, tenacity, and nonviolent defense. The turtle is said to personify the female creative energy of an all-embracing earth mother, who holds the cycle of life and death in her hands. Tiger - Passion, power, devotion and sensuality, full and new moons -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- U -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V Vulture - Purification, never-ending vigilance, guardian of mysteries The ancient Egyptians thought that all vultures were female and hence they represented the notion of supreme motherhood. Mut was an Egyptian Goddess who took the form of a vulture. Her name means "mother." She was generally depicted as a woman wearing a long, brightly colored dress (often in a feather pattern) and a vulture headdress. The headdress was surmounted by the white or the double crown of Egypt. She essentially played the role of divine mother to the reigning king and as such many amulets representing Mut depict her as a seated woman suckling a child (a motive common for Isis and Hathor). Royal women who held the title of "God's Wife of Amun" were all shown with iconographic features which linked them to Mut. Mut also has a more aggressive nature, that of Sekhmet the feline goddess. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- W Waxwing - Gentleness and courtesy, maskmaking Woodpecker - Weather prophet, drumbeats into other dimensions Weasel - Sly and secret circumvention and-or pursuit, nocturnal Whale - Creation, power of song, awakening inner depths Wren - In Irish folk lore the Wren, the King of birds, was also known as the betrayer in Ireland, it was said that the wren flapped it's wings above the place where St Stephen was hiding and this led to his martyrdom, and also betrayed armies to the enemy, and this was why the wren was hunted. I have also read that the hunt symbolised the destruction of pagan beliefs by Christianity. I think that in Ireland at least, this could be the origins of the hunt, as so much of our lore, festivals and so forth have been used against us, to uphold the idea that Christianity is the only true path. Whale - Remembrance. Symbolizes the world; its huge, unconscious "better" side or "healthy" nature. A whale washed ashore dead is an omen of uncontrollable disaster. Weasel - Stealth Wolf - Guardianship, ritual, loyalty, and spirit, full moon & twilights. Earth wisdom, protection. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Y -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Z

ANCIENT NATURAL ANIMAL INCANTATIONS THIS IS THE ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF NATURES OLD REMEDIES USED IN SPELLS, INCANTATIONS, CHARMS IN NATURAL MAGIC IN NATURE. ALECTORIUS--stone from a cock. Alectorius is a powerful amulet for power, courage, and wealth. It brings about harmony in a relationship between a woman and a man. Held in mouth it prevents thirst. It brings good luck to wearer. To obtain it, lay a rooster on on an ant hit for (9) days after which time you will find the stone. ALLIGATOR---mount alligator teeth in silver and gold. make a ring or tie them to your arm by a chain for Luck and Protection. AMBERGIS---secretion of the intestines of the sperm whale. this is an ingredient of magic perfumes. It is used as an aphrodisiac, induced in beverages. ANIMAL CONCRETION---a stone found in the body of an animal that contains the animals magical essence, these stones are used as amulets, in potions and so forth. ANT---this bloodless insect is a powerful ingredient in love potions. ants cure persons who has been poisoned, red ants bites are known to be good for rheumatism. ARMADILLO----the last joint of the tail is a remedy for an earache. ASS---sleeping upon the skin of this animal keeps away devils, witches and nightmares. their hair is used in love potions. BADGER---the foot of this animal placed under one's bed arouses lust. BASILISK (or Cockatrice) ---A mythical animal, usually a serpent or lizard., that could kill a man with a glance. the blsilsk was hatched from a serpent or toad, it's eyes were an ingredient in a witches potion. It's blood was considered the blood of Saturn, bringing luck and fulfillment. BAT---(or Filter Mouse)---one of the bat's eyes is a tailisman for invisibility. It's wing may e used magic against enemies, or to work evil while you pierce the eye of it with a needle. The heart of a bat bound to the right arm with a red thread brings good luck at cards. If the blood of a bat is put under a woman's head while she sleeps, without her knowledge, she will conceive the next time she lies with a man. BEAR--the fat of a bear in an ointment or potion induces child birth. Carry the heart of a bear with you to bring happiness, power, and wealth. BLOOD---human and animal blood, especially fresh, is used extemsivly in all potion and recipes. Devil's pacts are always signed in one's own blood. Magic against an enemy get their blood to make into an image of them, or to boil and scatter on the ground, to harm. BOAR---the tooth of the boaar is worn as an mulet for fertility, good fortune and against the evil eye. Protection for a pregnant woman. stones powdered and put into a potion for arousel of lust. BUMBLEBEE---kep some bees in a box for good luck and protection. BUTTERFLY---butterflies casuse our dreams and can put us to sleep. CAMEL---the dung of a camel burned mixed with oil stops the loss of hair. the brain of a camel mixed with oil of roses applied to the head and body cures falling sickness. it's milk with honey for love potions. CASTOR---stone of a beaver called castor, hinders conception when powdered and drunk in a potion with the wax of a mule. used in ointment it eases the nerves. the secretion from the groins it is used in perfume and in love and fertility charms. CAT---It's hair, eyes, claws, blood and organs are used in many charms and potions. the brain used in love spells. dung mixed with oil of lillies cures fever. Putting a live cat on someone suffering from convulsions, epilepsy, or fainting will cure him. CAT/BLACK---for working black magic this cat has much energy. It's blood cures many diseases, such as erysipelas. To become invisible, boil a black cat alive, then take the bones one by one and hold each in your mouth in front of a mirror.til you nolonger are reflected in the mirror. Rub a black cats tail over your eye to recover from a sty. CAUL---part of the fetal membrane that is sometimes attached to a newborn child is considered good luck, it should be perserved an worn as an amulet. worn can escape danger. black ones are a bad omen. reddish ones good luck. it perserves the health of wearer. CELONITUS---a stone of a tortoise. on the first day of the new moon, place it under your tongue, for fifteen days you will be aable to see the future for half a day. from sunrise to sunset if the moon is waxing from sunset to sunrise, when it is wanning. CENTIPEDE---one of the "five venomous animals", or five poisons, worn against evil. CHAMELEON--- A lizard that changes its color of skin. Burn its liver on a rooftop to raise a tempest. " Take the tongue of a chameleon while it is still alive it produces good success in trails, it helps induce labor with women when parts of its body is hung up in the house, not the whole of the chameleon or it might be dangerous. Eat the liver to hinder a love charm placed upon you. Dried and powedered can be taken as an aphrodisiac. , powdered or whole can be used as an amulet. CIVET CAT---a small catlike animal whose eyes are said to induce fear and hypnosis and are often used in witches ointments and potions. It makes any animal that it hath looked uon to stand still, to be amazed and not be able to move itself. "touch the doorposts with it's blood to prevent sorceries and enchantments". Wear the straight gut of the civet out around on you left arm to make women follow you around. The civets secrets a yellow substance that is used in fumigations, ointments, and love potions. COCK---most of the cock's parts are used in love charms and potions. Feathers from its tail were used in roman time to open locks. they also wore off witchcraft and the evil eye. To cure insanity , burn a cock alive. black cocks blood can be used in evil spells. CORPSE-- objects or garments that have had contact with the corpse can be used in spells and charms or a candle burned before it. COW--to make the labor of a woman easier the dung of the cow is suffummigated under the chair of a woman CROCODILE--the teeth are used in evil spells of black magic. CROW--when the eye of a crow is placed under the bed will entice lust. DEER--the genitals of a deer can be used in love potions. DOG--the fat of a puppy is used as an ingredient in exilars to promate health. the blood of a dog will reveal a person who has made himself invisible.A black dog is a symbol of evil an is considered an animal of the devil. DRAGON'S BLOOD--used in love potions, and protects against disease. burn it to bring back a lost love. DUCK--Inhale it's breath to give it your sickness. it's skull is used in voodoo spells. EAGLE--the eagles right eye will bring favor and friendship. the kidneys arouse lust when dried and and steeped and made into a sauce. it's feather of the right wing carry and it will help you become rich and friendly. EEL--it's skin cures hydrophobia when worn around the limbs, cramp or pain when tied around the knee. and rheumatism when placed on the chest. eat the fresh heart of an eel to foretell the future. ELEPHANT--its ivory is protection against the evil eye, jealousy and nightmares. ELK--use the hoof of an elk to cure epilepsy. FOX--the right testicle dried nd powdered is used in love potions for women, the left for men. FROG--when the bones of the left side of the frog is used it is for love the right side for hate. GOAT--the semen of the goat anointed on the penis and its horn powdered and drunk in a potion are male aphrodisiacs. GOOFER DUST--term for gravyard dirt. it is a deadly ingredient of charms and recipes to kill or harm enemies. HARE--the genitals are burned and used in charms to produce lust. HAWK--the same as an eagle with lesser intensity. HEDGEHOG--smear the fat on the penis for an aphrodisiac. its britles in evil spells or against ememies. HEN--A bird of evil omen, witches offer it to the devil as sacrafice. feathers from a black hen are deadlly when incorporated into a magical image or witch's ladder. HIPPOMANCES-small piece of flesh usually black on the head of a newborn foul. it arouses lust, and worn as an amulet. to win love give it to the one you love. HOG--boil the bristles to bring rain. HORSE--the devil's disquise sometimes at a sabbat.they are familiar. mares milk given to a woman helps her concieve. HYENA--the hairs of a hyena is used in necromancy spells. skin from its forhead makes men and dogs silent. annoint the spine with its marrow it cures pains of the back. IGUANA--wear its skin as amulet for bravery. LAWPIG--wear its eye,brains, or heart around your neck for forgetfulness and for understanding. LION--for courage wear its skin. LIZARD--It's brains and tell are induced in love spells. LOCUST--eat the torsos of the females in butter for potency MENSTRAL BLOOD --will dull a knife. turns wine sour. it can cause impotency when given in a potion. MOLE---swallow the heart of a mole before the sun rises and you will know the future.drink its blood for anemia, to cure a toothache , wear a tooth pulled from a live mole. MOSS OF A HUMAN SKULL.(or white moss) a cure for headaches and illness. MULE--the ear wax of a mule is a contraceptive amulet.to break or hinder love charms, take a potion including dust in which a mule has lain. MUSK-- strong scented secretion of the male musk deer that is used in magical perfumes and is a powerful ingredient in love potions. NEWT--a salamander or small tailed animal, its brains of which are used in love potions. NIGHTINGALE--swallow its heart with honey and carry the heart and tongue with you to make others delight to listen to you. carry the eyes to keep you awake. OSTRICH--the stone from the gizzard of the ostrich arouses lust, cures impotence, and enables one to make love with great power when powdered and taken in a potion or hung around the neck. the stone also aids digestion. OWL--wear the claw of an owl as an amulet for good luck. OX--hand the gall of an ox over your bed to have wonderful dreams. RAVEN--Its gall is uded to foment dessension or work evil, as is its blood. REMORA--small fish of the family Echeneidae that be used in love potions. RHINOCEROS--the horn of is powdered and used as an aphrodisiac. ROEBUCK-- the male roe deer, parts of are quite effective in potions for love and fertility. SCORPION--used in amulet to ward off evil. SEA-COW---the fat of is conducive to joyful lovemaking when mixed with honey and anoinnted on the sexual ogans of the couple. when worn as an amulet the stone from the right temple of the sea-cow causes erection, the stone from the left side hinders it. SEAL---dring the brain in a potion to drive away evil spirits. and the heart to bring good luck., carry its claws to prevent witchcraft and betrayal. the hair in ointment rubbed on area will cure pain of abdomen and kidneys. SERPENT---it stands for wisdom and the knowledge of good and evil. the skin worn around the waist, cures rheuatism, and may be used in black magic. SHARK--to preent or cure cramps in any part of the body wear one or more of its vertebrae on a string around your waist. SHEEP--fresh lover of seep beautifies a woman when applied to her face. SHELL--worn as an amulet it keeps away evil spirits and the evil eye. SKULL--part of a skull or skileton or an object shaped like a skull is a potent talisman against the evil eye.. to cure epilepsy drink at midnight water from a spring out of the skull of someone who was murdered. SNAIL--The shells of snails are used in amulets for love, lust and fertility and against witchcraft and the evil eye. make a tea o them to cure a cough. SNAKESTONE--A stone from a snake which brings success if the snake remains alive while it is taken out. SPIDER--to prevent fever and flu wear a few spiders in a bag around your neck. to bring sleep to an insomniac, anoint his head with boiled spiders. swallow spiderwebs to cure asthma. a spider caught while weaving upward is an spicially good constituent of an amulet against disease. SWALLOW--swallow the whole fresh heart of a swallow in order to foretell the future, eat the heart boiled in milk to improve your memory, the heart may also be used in love charms. ointment with a swallow's feather in it is applied to secure universal love and affection, a white stone from it will cure headaches as long as you dont let it touch the ground. TAPIR--the whiskers of tigers are used in love and wealth potions. its tooth is an amulet in gambling. TOAD--the magical essence of a toad is hateful and poisonous, its parts are used extensively in charms of necromancy and aginst enemies. TOADSTONE--antidote and detector of poisons, it grows hot in its appearance. it prevents houses from burning and ships from sinking. TURTLE--longlevity, and the fertility of women. the heart taken in potion hinders lusts. the shell when thrown into the fire will keep the husband quiet. its claws are used in potions and spells. TURTLEDOVE--its heart powdered and used in love potions. blood from its cut throat cures falling sickness. UNICORN.--its horn is used in love potions. VULTURE--the vulture properties are somewhat the same as the eagles. WEASEL--the tongue dried and worn in shoe gaurds against ememies. swallow its heart warm to learn the future. WOLF--drinking the blood of a wolf will make one mad. the eyes edministered in a potion induce fear. wear the right eye to bring victory and protection. the wolf's tail hair is used in love potions. WOOL--to keep away witchcraft and disease anoint yourself with black wool and butter. NOTE: this listing was not put here for the cruelty of animals.

Space Weather News for November 5, 2001 http://www.spaceweather.com A powerful solar explosion on Nov. 4th sparked an X-class solar flare and hurled a bright coronal mass ejection toward Earth. The expanding cloud will probably trigger strong geomagnetic activity when it sweeps past our planet on Nov. 6th or 7th. Sky watchers, even those living at middle latitudes, should be alert for auroras during the nights ahead. Visit SpaceWeather.com for more information and updates. ---

At Sam's here it's 1.079 E ----- Original Message ----- From: "Billy Covey" <[email protected] > Hi Folks: > > I just stopped by Sam's and the pice of gasoline was .93 here in beautiful downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas. > > Bill Covey > Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz > www.billcovey.itgo.com >

It All Depends A basketball in my hands is worth $19. A basketball in Michael Jordan's hands is worth about $35 million. It depends on whose hands it's in… A baseball in my hands is worth $6. A baseball in Mark McGuire's hands is worth $19 million. It depends on whose hands it's in… A golf club is useless in my hands. A golf club in Tiger Wood's hands is 4 Mayor Golf Championships. It depends on whose hands it's in… A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea. It depends on whose hands it's in… A sling shot in my hands is a toy. A slingshot in David's hands is a mighty weapon. It depends on whose hands it's in… Two fish and five loves in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and five loves in Jesus' hands will feed thousands. It depends on whose hands they're in… Nails in my hands might produce a birdhouse. Nails in Christ Jesus' hands will produce salvation for the entire world. It depends on whose hands they're in…

Hi Folks: I just stopped by Sam's and the pice of gasoline was .93 here in beautiful downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas. Bill Covey Author of: Watson Is Where It Wuz www.billcovey.itgo.com

Edward Everett Hale (1822–1909). The Man without a Country. The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction. 1917. The Man without a Country I SUPPOSE that very few casual readers of the “New York Herald” of August 13, 1863, observed, in an obscure corner, among the “Deaths,” the announcement,— “NOLAN. Died, on board U. S. Corvette ‘Levant,’ Lat. 2° 11' S., Long. 131° W., on the 11th of May, PHILIP NOLAN.” 1 I happened to observe it, because I was stranded at the old Mission House in Mackinaw, waiting for a Lake Superior steamer which did not choose to come, and I was devouring to the very stubble all the current literature I could get hold of, even down to the deaths and marriages in the “Herald.” My memory for names and people is good, and the reader will see, as he goes on, that I had reason enough to remember Philip Nolan. There are hundreds of readers who would have paused at that announcement, if the officer of the “Levant” who reported it had chosen to make it thus: “Died, May 11, THE MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY.” For it was as “The Man without a Country” that poor Philip Nolan had generally been known by the officers who had him in charge during some fifty years, as, indeed, by all the men who sailed under them. I dare say there is many a man who has taken wine with him once a fortnight, in a three years’ cruise, who never knew that his name was “Nolan,” or whether the! poor wretch had any name at all. 2 There can now be no possible harm in telling this poor creature’s story. Reason enough there has been till now, ever since Madison’s administration went out in 1817, for very strict secrecy, the secrecy of honor itself, among the gentlemen of the navy who have had Nolan in successive charge. And certainly it speaks well for the esprit de corps of the profession, and the personal honor of its members, that to the press this man’s story has been wholly unknown,—and, I think, to the country at large also. I have reason to think, from some investigations I made in the Naval Archives when I was attached to the Bureau of Construction, that every official report relating to him was burned when Ross burned the public buildings at Washington. One of the Tuckers, or possibly one of the Watsons, had Nolan in charge at the end of the war; and when, on returning from his cruise, he reported at Washington to one of the Crowninshields,—who was in the Navy Department when he came ho! me,—he found that the Department ignored the whole business. Whether they really knew nothing about it, or whether it was a “Non mi ricordo,” determined on as a piece of policy, I do not know. But this I do know, that since 1817, and possibly before, no naval officer has mentioned Nolan in his report of a cruise. 3 But, as I say, there is no need for secrecy any longer. And now the poor creature is dead, it seems to me worth while to tell a little of his story, by way of showing young Americans of to-day what it is to be A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY. 4 Philip Nolan was as fine a young officer as there was in the “Legion of the West,” as the Western division of our army was then called. When Aaron Burr made his first dashing expedition down to New Orleans in 1805, at Fort Massac, or somewhere above on the river, he met, as the Devil would have it, this gay, dashing, bright young fellow; at some dinner-party, I think. Burr marked him, talked to him, walked with him, took him a day or two’s voyage in his flat-boat, and, in short, fascinated him. For the next year, barrack-life was very tame to poor Nolan. He occasionally availed himself of the permission the great man had given him to write to him. Long, high-worded, stilted letters the poor boy wrote and rewrote and copied. But never a line did he have in reply from the gay deceiver. The other boys in the garrison sneered at him, because he sacrificed in this unrequited affection for a politician the time which they devoted to Monongahela, hazard, and high-low-jack. ! Bourbon, euchre, and poker were still unknown. But one day Nolan had his revenge. This time Burr came down the river, not as an attorney seeking a place for his office, but as a disguised conqueror. He had defeated I know not how many district-attorneys; he had dined at I know not how many public dinners; he had been heralded in I know not how many Weekly Arguses, and it was rumored that he had an army behind him and an empire before him. It was a great day—his arrival—to poor Nolan. Burr had not been at the fort an hour before he sent for him. That evening he asked Nolan to take him out in his skiff, to show him a canebrake or a cotton-wood tree, as he said,—really to seduce him; and by the time the sail was over, Nolan was enlisted body and soul. From that time, though he did not yet know it, he lived as A MAN WITHOUT A COUNTRY. 5 What Burr meant to do I know no more than you, dear reader. It is none of our business just now. Only, when the grand catastrophe came, and Jefferson and the House of Virginia of that day undertook to break on the wheel all the possible Clarences of the then House of York, by the great treason trial at Richmond, some of the lesser fry in that distant Mississippi Valley, which was farther from us than Puget’s Sound is to-day, introduced the like novelty on their provincial stage; and, to while away the monotony of the summer at Fort Adams, got up, for spectacles, a string of court-martials on the officers there. One and another of the colonels and majors were tried, and, to fill out the list little Nolan, against whom, Heaven knows, there was evidence enough,—that he was sick of the service, had been willing to be false to it, and would have obeyed any order to march any-whither with any one who would follow him had the order been signed, “By command of His Exc. A. Bu! rr.” The courts dragged on. The big flies escaped,—rightly for all I know. Nolan was proved guilty enough, as I say; yet you and I would never have heard of him, reader, but that, when the president of the court asked him at the close whether he wished to say anything to show that he had always been faithful to the United States, he cried out, in a fit of frenzy,— 6 “Damn the United States! I wish I may never hear of the United States again!” 7 I suppose he did not know how the words shocked old Colonel Morgan, who was holding the court. Half the officers who sat in it had served through the Revolution, and their lives, not to say their necks, had been risked for the very idea which he so cavalierly cursed in his madness. He, on his part, had grown up in the West of those days, in the midst of “Spanish plot,” “Orleans plot,” and all the rest. He had been educated on a plantation where the finest company was a Spanish officer or a French merchant from Orleans. His education, such as it was, had been perfected in commercial expeditions to Vera Cruz, and I think he told me his father once hired an Englishman to be a private tutor for a winter on the plantation. He had spent half his youth with an older brother, hunting horses in Texas; and, in a word, to him “United States” was scarcely a reality. Yet he had been fed by “United States” for all the years since he had been in the army. He had sworn on his faith ! as a Christian to be true to “United States.” It was “United States” which gave him the uniform he wore, and the sword by his side. Nay, my poor Nolan, it was only because “United States” had picked you out first as one of her own confidential men of honor that “A. Burr” cared for you a straw more than for the flat-boat men who sailed his ark for him. I do not excuse Nolan; I only explain to the reader why he damned his country, and wished he might never hear her name again. 8 He never did hear her name but once again. From that moment, Sept. 23, 1807, till the day he died, May 11, 1863, he never heard her name again. For that half-century and more he was a man without a country. 9 Old Morgan, as I said, was terribly shocked. If Nolan had compared George Washington to Benedict Arnold, or had cried, “God save King George,” Morgan would not have felt worse. He called the court into his private room, and returned in fifteen minutes, with a face like a sheet, to say,— 10 “Prisoner, hear the sentence of the Court! The Court decides, subject to the approval of the President, that you never hear the name of the United States again.” 11 Nolan laughed. But nobody else laughed. Old Morgan was too solemn, and the whole room was hushed dead as night for a minute. Even Nolan lost his swagger in a moment. Then Morgan added,— 12 “Mr. Marshal, take the prisoner to Orleans in an armed boat, and deliver him to the naval commander there.” 13 The marshal gave his orders and the prisoner was taken out of court. 14 “Mr. Marshal,” continued old Morgan, “see that no one mentions the United States to the prisoner. Mr. Marshal, make my respects to Lieutenant Mitchell at Orleans, and request him to order that no one shall mention the United States to the prisoner while he is on board ship. You will receive your written orders from the officer on duty here this evening. The court is adjourned without day.” 15 I have always supposed that Colonel Morgan himself took the proceedings of the court to Washington city, and explained them to Mr. Jefferson. Certain it is that the President approved them,—certain, that is, if I may believe the men who say they have seen his signature. Before the “Nautilus” got round from New Orleans to the Northern Atlantic coast with the prisoner on board, the sentence had been approved, and he was a man without a country. 16 The plan then adopted was substantially the same which was necessarily followed ever after. Perhaps it was suggested by the necessity of sending him by water from Fort Adams and Orleans. The Secretary of the Navy—it must have been the first Crowninshield, though he is a man I do not remember—was requested to put Nolan on board a government vessel bound on a long cruise, and to direct that he should be only so far confined there as to make it certain that he never saw or heard of the country. We had few long cruises then, and the navy was very much out of favor; and as almost all of this story is traditional, as I have explained, I do not know certainly what his first cruise was. 17 But the commander to whom he was intrusted,—perhaps it was Tingey or Shaw, though I think it was one of the younger men,—we are all old enough now,—regulated the etiquette and the precautions of the affair, and according to his scheme they were carried out, I suppose, till Nolan died. 18 When I was second officer of the “Intrepid,” some thirty years after, I saw the original paper of instructions. I have been sorry ever since that I did not copy the whole of it. It ran, however, much in this way:— “WASHINGTON (with a date which must have been late in 1807). “SIR—You will receive from Lieutenant Neale the person of Philip Nolan, late a lieutenant in the United States Army. “This person on his trial by court-martial expressed, with an oath, the wish that he might ‘never hear of the United States again.’ “The Court sentenced him to have his wish fulfilled. “For the present, the execution of the order is intrusted by the President to this Department. “You will take the prisoner on board your ship, and keep him there with such precautions as shall prevent his escape. “You will provide him with such quarters, rations, and clothing as would be proper for an officer of his late rank, if he were a passenger on your vessel on the business of his Government. “The gentlemen on board will make any arrangements agreeable to themselves regarding his society. He is to be exposed to no indignity of any kind, nor is he ever unnecessarily to be reminded that he is a prisoner. “But under no circumstances is he ever to hear of his country or to see any information regarding it; and you will especially caution all the officers under your command to take care, that, in the various indulgences which may be granted, this rule, in which his punishment is involved, shall not be broken. “It is the intention of the Government that he shall never again see the country which he has disowned. Before the end of your cruise you will receive orders which will give effect to this intention. “Respectfully yours, “W. SOUTHARD, for the “Secretary of the Navy.” 19 If I had only preserved the whole of this paper, there would be no break in the beginning of my sketch of this story. For Captain Shaw, if it were he, handed it to his successor in the charge, and he to his, and I suppose the commander of the “Levant” has it to-day as his authority for keeping this man in this mild custody. 20 The rule adopted on board the ships on which I have met “the man without a country” was, I think, transmitted from the beginning. No mess liked to have him permanently because his presence cut off all talk of home or of the prospect of return, of politics or letters, of peace or of war,—cut off more than half the talk the men liked to have at sea. But it was always thought too hard that he should never meet the rest of us, except to touch hats, and we finally sank into one system. He was not permitted to talk with the men, unless an officer was by. With officers he had unrestrained intercourse, as far as they and he chose. But he grew shy, though he had favorites: I was one. 21 Then the captain always asked him to dinner on Monday. Every mess in succession took up the invitation in its turn. According to the size of the ship, you had him at your mess more or less often at dinner. His breakfast he ate in his own state-room,—he always had a state-room,—which was where a sentinel or somebody on the watch could see the door. And whatever else he ate or drank, he ate or drank alone. Sometimes, when the marines or sailors had any special jollification, they were permitted to invite “Plain-Buttors,” as they called him. Then Nolan was sent with some officer, and the men were forbidden to speak of home while he was there. I believe the theory was that the sight of his punishment did them good. They called him “Plain-Buttons,” because, while he always chose to wear a regulation army-uniform, he was not permitted to wear the army-button, for the reason that it bore either the initials or the insignia of the country he had disowned. 22 I remember, soon after I joined the navy, I was on shore with some of the older officers from our ship and from the “Brandywine,” which we had met at Alexandria. We had leave to make a party and go up to Cairo and the Pyramids. As we jogged along (you went on donkeys then), some of the gentlemen (we boys called them “Dons,” but the phrase was long since changed) fell to talking about Nolan, and some one told the system which was adopted from the first about his books and other reading. As he was almost never permitted to go on shore, even though the vessel lay in port for months, his time at the best hung heavy; and everybody was permitted to lend him books, if they were not published in America and made no allusion to it. These were common enough in the old days, when people in the other hemisphere talked of the United States as little as we do of Paraguay. He had almost all the foreign papers that came into the ship, sooner or later; only somebody must go over them! first, and cut out any advertisement or stray paragraph that alluded to America. This was a little cruel sometimes, when the back of what was cut out might be as innocent as Hesiod. Right in the midst of one of Napoleon’s battles, or one of Canning’s speeches, poor Nolan would find a great hole, because on the back of the page of that paper there had been an advertisement of a packet for New York, or a scrap from the President’s message. I say this was the first time I ever heard of this plan, which afterwards I had enough and more than enough to do with. I remember it, because poor Phillips, who was of the party, as soon as the allusion to reading was made, told a story of something which happened at the Cape of Good Hope on Nolan’s first voyage; and it is the only thing I ever knew of that voyage. They had touched at the Cape, and had done the civil thing with the English Admiral and the fleet, and then, leaving for a long cruise up the Indian Ocean, Phillips had borrowed! a lot of English books from an officer, which, in those days, as inde them, as the Devil would order, was the “Lay of the Last Minstrel,” which they had all of them heard of, but which most of them had never seen. I think it could not have been published long. Well, nobody thought there could be any risk of anything national in that, though Phillips swore old Shaw had cut out the “Tempest” from Shakespeare before he let Nolan have it, because he said “the Bermudas ought to be ours, and, by Jove, should be one day.” So Nolan was permitted to join the circle one afternoon when a lot of them sat on deck smoking and reading aloud. People do not do such things so often now; but when I was young we got rid of a great deal of time so. Well, so it happened that in his turn Nolan took the book and read to the others; and he read very well, as I know. Nobody in the circle knew a line of the poem, only it was all magic and Border chivalry, and was ten thousand years ago. Poor Nolan read steadily through the fifth canto, stopped a minute and drank somethi! ng, and then began, without a thought of what was coming,— “Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said,”— 23 It seems impossible to us that anybody ever heard this for the first time; but all these fellows did then, and poor Nolan himself went on, still unconsciously or mechanically,— “This is my own, my native land!” 24 Then they all saw something was to pay; but he expected to get through, I suppose, turned a little pale, but plunged on,— “Whose heart hath ne’er within him burned, As home his footsteps he hath turned From wandering on a foreign strand?— If such there breathe, go, mark him well,”— 25 By this time the men were all beside themselves, wishing there was any way to make him turn over two pages; but he had not quite presence of mind for that; he gagged a little, colored crimson, and staggered on,— “For him no minstrel raptures swell; High though his titles, proud his name, Boundless his wealth as wish can claim, Despite these titles, power, and pelf, The wretch, concentred all in self,”— and here the poor fellow choked, could not go on, but started up, swung the book into the sea, vanished into his state-room, “And by Jove,” said Phillips, “we did not see him for two months again. And I had to make up some beggarly story to that English surgeon why I did not return his Walter Scott to him.” 26 That story shows about the time when Nolan’s braggadocio must have broken down. At first, they said, he took a very high tone, considered his imprisonment a mere farce, affected to enjoy the voyage, and all that; but Phillips said that after he came out of his state-room he never was the same man again. He never read aloud again, unless it was the Bible or Shakespeare, or something else he was sure of. But it was not that merely. He never entered in with the other young men exactly as a companion again. He was always shy afterwards, when I knew him,—very seldom spoke, unless he was spoken to, except to a very few friends. He lighted up occasionally,—I remember late in his life hearing him fairly eloquent on something which had been suggested to him by one of Fléchier’s sermons,—but generally he had the nervous, tired look of a heart-wounded man. 27 When Captain Shaw was coming home,—if, as I say, it was Shaw,—rather to the surprise of everybody they made one of the Windward Islands, and lay off and on for nearly a week. The boys said the officers were sick of salt-junk, and meant to have turtle-soup before they came home. But after several days the “Warren” came to the same rendezvous; they exchanged signals; she sent to Phillips and these homeward-bound men letters and papers, and told them she was outward-bound, perhaps to the Mediterranean, and took poor Nolan and his traps on the boat back to try his second cruise. He looked very blank when he was told to get ready to join her. He had known enough of the signs of the sky to know that till that moment he was going “home.” But this was a distinct evidence of something he had not thought of, perhaps,—that there was no going home for him, even to a prison. And this was the first of some twenty such transfers, which brought him sooner or later into half our best! vessels, but which kept him all his life at least some hundred miles from the country he had hoped he might never hear of again. 28 It may have been on that second cruise,—it was once when he was up the Mediterranean,—that Mrs. Graff, the celebrated Southern beauty of those days, danced with him. They had been lying a long time in the Bay of Naples, and the officers were very intimate in the English fleet, and there had been great festivities, and our men thought they must give a great ball on board the ship. How they ever did it on board the “Warren” I am sure I do not know. Perhaps it was not the “Warren,” or perhaps ladies did not take up so much room as they do now. They wanted to use Nolan’s state-room for something, and they hated to do it without asking him to the ball; so the captain said they might ask him, if they would be responsible that he did not talk with the wrong people, “who would give him intelligence.” So the dance went on, the finest party that had ever been known, I dare say; for I never heard of a man-of-war ball that was not. For ladies they had the family of the American ! consul, one or two travellers who had adventured so far, and a nice bevy of English girls and matrons, perhaps Lady Hamilton herself. 29 Well, different officers relieved each other in standing and talking with Nolan in a friendly way, so as to be sure that nobody else spoke to him. The dancing went on with spirit, and after a while even the fellows who took this honorary guard of Nolan ceased to fear any contretemps. Only when some English lady—Lady Hamilton, as I said, perhaps—called for a set of “American dances,” an odd thing happened. Everybody then danced contra-dances. The black band, nothing loath, conferred as to what “American dances” were, and started off with “Virginia Reel,” which they followed with “Money-Musk,” which, in its turn in those days, should have been followed by “The Old Thirteen.” But just as Dick, the leader, tapped for his fiddles to begin, and bent forward, about to say, in true negro state, “‘The Old Thirteen,’ gentlemen and ladies!” as he had said “‘Virginny Reel,’ if you please!” and “‘Money-Musk,’ if you please!” the captain’s boy tapped him on the shoulder, whispered! to him, and he did not announce the name of the dance; he merely bowed, began on the air, and they all fell to,—the officers teaching the English girls the figure, but not telling them why it had no name. 30 But that is not the story I started to tell. As the dancing went on, Nolan and our fellows all got at ease, as I said,—so much so, that it seemed quite natural for him to how to that splendid Mrs. Graff, and say,— 31 “I hope you have not forgotten me, Miss Rutledge. Shall I have the honor of dancing?” 32 He did it so quickly, that Fellows, who was with him, could not hinder him. She laughed and said,— 33 “I am not Miss Rutledge any longer, Mr. Nolan; but I will dance all the same,” just nodded to Fellows, as if to say he must leave Mr. Nolan to her, and led him off to the place where the dance was forming. 34 Nolan thought he had got his chance. He had known her at Philadelphia, and at other places had met her, and this was a Godsend. You could not talk in contra-dances, as you do in cotillions, or even in the pauses of waltzing; but there were chances for tongues and sounds, as well as for eyes and blushes. He began with her travels, and Europe, and Vesuvius, and the French; and then, when they had worked down, and had that long talking time at the bottom of the set, he said boldly,—a little pale, she said, as she told me the story years after,— 35 “And what do you hear from home, Mrs. Graff?” 36 And that splendid creature looked through him. Jove! how she must have looked through him! 37 “Home!! Mr. Nolan!!! I thought you were the man who never wanted to hear of home again!”—and she walked directly up the deck to her husband, and left poor Nolan alone, as he always was.—He did not dance again. I cannot give any history of him in order; nobody can now; and, indeed, I am not trying to. 38 These are the traditions, which I sort out, as I believe them, from the myths which have been told about this man for forty years. The lies that have been told about him are legion. The fellows used to say he was the “Iron Mask;” and poor George Pons went to his grave in the belief that this was the author of “Junius,” who was being punished for his celebrated libel on Thomas Jefferson. Pons was not very strong in the historical line. 39 A happier story than either of these I have told is of the war. That came along soon after. I have heard this affair told in three or four ways,—and, indeed, it may have happened more than once. But which ship it was on I cannot tell. However, in one, at least, of the great frigate-duels with the English, in which the navy was really baptized, it happened that a round-shot from the enemy entered one of our ports square, and took right down the officer of the gun himself, and almost every man of the gun’s crew. Now you may say what you choose about courage, but that is not a nice thing to see. But, as the men who were not killed picked themselves up, and as they and the surgeon’s people were carrying off the bodies, there appeared Nolan, in his shirt-sleeves, with the rammer in his hand, and, just as if he had been the officer, told them off with authority,—who should go to the cock-pit with the wounded men, who should stay with him,—perfectly cheery, and with that wa! y which makes men feel sure all is right and is going to be right. And he finished loading the gun with his own hands, aimed it, and bade the men fire. And there he stayed, captain of that gun, keeping those fellows in spirits, till the enemy struck,—sitting on the carriage while the gun was cooling, though he was exposed all the time,—showing them easier ways to handle heavy shot,—making the raw hands laugh at their own blunders,—and when the gun cooled again, getting it loaded and fired twice as often as any other gun on the ship. The captain walked forward by way of encouraging the men, and Nolan touched his hat and said,— 40 “I am showing them how we do this in the artillery, sir.” 41 And this is the part of the story where all the legends agree; the commodore said,— 42 “I see you do, and I thank you, sir; and I shall never forget this day, sir, and you never shall, sir.” 43 And after the whole thing was over, and he had the Englishman’s sword, in the midst of the state and ceremony of the quarter-deck, he said,— 44 “Where is Mr. Nolan? Ask Mr. Nolan to come here.” 45 And when Nolan came, he said,— 46 “Mr. Nolan, we are all very grateful to you to-day; you are one of us to-day; you will be named in the despatches.” 47 And then the old man took off his own sword of ceremony, and gave it to Nolan, and made him put it on. The man told me this who saw it. Nolan cried like a baby, and well he might. He had not worn a sword since that infernal day at Fort Adams. But always afterwards on occasions of ceremony, he wore that quaint old French sword of the commodore’s. 48 The captain did mention him in the despatches. It was always said he asked that he might be pardoned. He wrote a special letter to the Secretary of War. But nothing ever came of it. As I said, that was about the time when they began to ignore the whole transaction at Washington, and when Nolan’s imprisonment began to carry itself on because there was nobody to stop it without any new orders from home. 49 I have heard it said that he was with Porter when he took possession of the Nukahiwa Islands. Not this Porter, you know, but old Porter, his father, Essex Porter,—that is, the old Essex Porter, not this Essex. As an artillery officer who had seen service in the West, Nolan knew more about fortifications, embrasures, ravelins, stockades, and all that, than any of them did; and he worked with a right goodwill in fixing that battery all right. I have always thought it was a pity Porter did not leave him in command there with Gamble. That would have settled all the question about his punishment. We should have kept the islands, and at this moment we should have one station in the Pacific Ocean. Our French friends, too, when they wanted this little watering-place, would have found it was preoccupied. But Madison and the Virginians, of course, flung all that away. 50 All that was near fifty years ago. If Nolan was thirty then, he must have been near eighty when he died. He looked sixty when he was forty. But he never seemed to me to change a hair afterwards. As I imagine his life, from what I have seen and heard of it, he must have been in every sea, and yet almost never on land. He must have known, in a formal way, more officers in our service than any man living knows. He told me once, with a grave smile, that no man in the world lived so methodical a life as he. “You know the boys say I am the Iron Mask, and you know how busy he was.” He said it did not do for any one to try to read all the time, more than to do anything else all the time; but that he read just five hours a day. “Then,” he said, “I keep up my note-books, writing in them at such and such hours from what I have been reading; and I include in these my scrap-books.” These were very curious indeed. He had six or eight, of different subjects. There was one of Histor! y, one of Natural Science, one which he called “Odds and Ends.” But they were not merely books of extracts from newspapers. They had bits of plants and ribbons, shells tied on, and carved scraps of bone and wood, which he had taught the men to cut for him, and they were beautifully illustrated. He drew admirably. He had some of the funniest drawing there, and some of the most pathetic, that I have ever seen in my life. I wonder who will have Nolan’s scrap-books. 51 Well, he said his reading and his notes were his profession, and that they took five hours and two hours respectively of each day. “Then,” said he, “every man should have a diversion as well as a profession. My Natural History is my diversion.” That took two hours a day more. The men used to bring him birds and fish, but on a long cruise he had to satisfy himself with centipedes and cockroaches and such small game. He was the only naturalist I ever met who knew anything about the habits of the house-fly and the mosquito. All those people can tell you whether they are Lepidoptera or Steptopotera; but as for telling how you can get rid of them, or how they get away from you when you strike them,—why Linnæus knew as little of that as John Foy the idiot did. These nine hours made Nolan’s regular daily “occupation.” The rest of the time he talked or walked. Till he grew very old, he went aloft a great deal. He always kept up his exercise; and I never heard that he was ill! . If any other man was ill, he was the kindest nurse in the world; and he knew more than half the surgeons do. Then if anybody was sick or died, or if the captain wanted him to, on any other occasion, he was always ready to read prayers. I have said that he read beautifully. 52 My own acquaintance with Philip Nolan began six or eight years after the English war, on my first voyage after I was appointed a midshipman. It was in the first days after our Slave-Trade treaty, while the Reigning House, which was still the House of Virginia, had still a sort of sentimentalism about the suppression of the horrors of the Middle Passage, and something was sometimes done that way. We were in the South Atlantic on that business. From the time I joined, I believe I thought Nolan was a sort of lay chaplain,—a chaplain with a blue coat. I never asked about him. Everything in the ship was strange to me. I knew it was green to ask questions, and I suppose I thought there was a “Plain-Buttons” on every ship. We had him to dine in our mess once a week, and the caution was given that on that day nothing was to be said about home. But if they had told us not to say anything about the planet Mars or the Book of Deuteronomy, I should not have asked why; there were! a great many things which seemed to me to have as little reason. I first came to understand anything about “the man without a country” one day when we overhauled a dirty little schooner which had slaves on board. An officer was sent to take charge of her, and, after a few minutes, he sent back his boat to ask that some one might be sent him who could speak Portuguese. We were all looking over the rail when the message came, and we all wished we could interpret, when the captain asked Who spoke Portuguese. But none of the officers did; and just as the captain was sending forward to ask if any of the people could, Nolan stepped out and said he should be glad to interpret, if the captain wished, as he understood the language. The captain thanked him, fitted out another boat with him, and in this boat it was my luck to go. 53 When we got there, it was such a scene as you seldom see, and never want to. Nastiness beyond account, and chaos run loose in the midst of the nastiness. There were not a great many of the negroes; but by way of making what there were understand that they were free, Vaughan had had their hand-cuffs and ankle-cuffs knocked off, and, for convenience’ sake, was putting them upon the rascals of the schooner’s crew. The negroes were, most of them, out of the hold, and swarming all round the dirty deck, with a central throng surrounding Vaughan and addressing him in every dialect, and patois of a dialect, from the Zulu click up to the Parisian of Beledeljereed. 54 As we came on deck, Vaughan looked down from a hogshead, on which he had mounted in desperation, and said:— 55 “For God’s love, is there anybody who can make these wretches understand something? The men gave them rum, and that did not quiet them. I knocked that big fellow down twice, and that did not soothe him. And then I talked Choctaw to all of them together; and I’ll be hanged if they understood that as well as they understood the English.” 56 Nolan said he could speak Portuguese, and one or two fine-looking Kroomen were dragged out, who, as it had been found already, had worked for the Portuguese on the coast at Fernando Po. 57 “Tell them they are free,” said Vaughan; “and tell them that these rascals are to be hanged as soon as we can get rope enough.” 58 Nolan “put that into Spanish,”—that is, he explained it in such Portuguese as the Kroomen could understand, and they in turn to such of the negroes as could understand them. Then there was such a yell of delight, clinching of fists, leaping and dancing, kissing of Nolan’s feet, and a general rush made to the hogshead by way of spontaneous worship of Vaughan, as the deus ex machina of the occasion. 59 “Tell them,” said Vaughan, well pleased, “that I will take them all to Cape Palmas.” 60 This did not answer so well. Cape Palmas was practically as far from the homes of most of them as New Orleans or Rio Janeiro was; that is, they would be eternally separated from home there. And their interpreters, as we could understand, instantly said, “Ah, non Palmas,” and began to propose infinite other expedients in most voluble language. Vaughan was rather disappointed at this result of his liberality, and asked Nolan eagerly what they said. The drops stood on poor Nolan’s white forehead, as he hushed the men down, and said:— 61 “He says, ‘Not Palmas.’ He says, ‘Take us home, take us to our own country, take us to our own house, take us to our own pickaninnies and our own women.’ He says he has an old father and mother who will die if they do not see him. And this one says he left his people all sick, and paddled down to Fernando to beg the white doctor to come and help them, and that these devils caught him in the bay just in sight of home, and that he has never seen anybody from home since then. And this one says,” choked out Nolan, “that he has not heard a word from his home in six months, while he has been locked up in an infernal barracoon.” 62 Vaughan always said he grew gray himself while Nolan struggled through this interpretation. I, who did not understand anything of the passion involved in it, saw that the very elements were melting with fervent heat, and that something was to pay somewhere. Even the negroes themselves stopped howling, as they saw Nolan’s agony, and Vaughan’s almost equal agony of sympathy. As quick as he could get words, he said:— 63 “Tell them yes, yes, yes; tell them they shall go to the mountains of the Moon, if they will. If I sail the schooner through the Great White Desert, they shall go home!” 64 And after some fashion Nolan said so. And then they all fell to kissing him again, and wanted to rub his nose with theirs. 65 But he could not stand it long; and getting Vaughan to say he might go back, he beckoned me down into our boat. As we lay back in the stern-sheets and the men gave way, he said to me: “Youngster, let that show you what it is to be without a family, without a home, and without a country. And if you are ever tempted to say a word or to do a thing that shall put a bar between you and your family, your home, and your country, pray God in his mercy to take you that instant home to his own heaven. Stick by your family, boy; forget you have a self, while you do everything for them. Think of your home, boy; write and send, and talk about it. Let it be nearer and nearer to your thought, the farther you have to travel from it; and rush back to it when you are free, as that poor black slave is doing now. And for your country, boy,” and the words rattled in his throat, “and for that flag,” and he pointed to the ship, “never dream a dream but of serving her as she bids you, thoug! h the service carry you through a thousand hells. No matter what happens to you, no more matter who flatters you or who abuses you, never look at another flag, never let a night pass but you pray God to bless that flag. Remember, boy, that behind all these men you have to do with, behind officers, and government, and people even, there is the Country Herself, your Country, and that you belong to Her as you belong to your own mother. Stand by Her, boy, as you would stand by your mother, if those devils there had got hold of her to-day!” 66 I was frightened to death by his calm, hard passion; but I blundered out that I would, by all that was holy, and that I had never thought of doing anything else. He hardly seemed to hear me; but he did, almost in a whisper, say: “O, if anybody had said so to me when I was of your age!” 67 I think it was this half-confidence of his, which I never abused, for I never told this story till now, which afterward made us great friends. He was very kind to me. Often he sat up, or even got up, at night, to walk the deck with me, when it was my watch. He explained to me a great deal of my mathematics, and I owe to him my taste for mathematics. He lent me books, and helped me about my reading. He never alluded so directly to his story again; but from one and another officer I have learned, in thirty years, what I am telling. When we parted from him in St. Thomas harbor, at the end of our cruise, I was more sorry than I can tell. I was very glad to meet him again in 1830; and later in life, when I thought I had some influence in Washington, I moved heaven and earth to have him discharged. But it was like getting a ghost out of prison. They pretended there was no such man, and never was such a man. They will say so at the Department now! Perhaps they do not know. ! It will not be the first thing in the service of which the Department appears to know nothing! 68 There is a story that Nolan met Burr once on one of our vessels, when a party of Americans came on board in the Mediterranean. But this I believe to be a lie; or, rather, it is a myth, ben trovato, involving a tremendous blowing-up with which he sunk Burr,—asking him how he liked to be “without a country.” But it is clear from Burr’s life, that nothing of the sort could have happened; and I mention this only as an illustration of the stories which get a-going where there is the least mystery at bottom. 69 So poor Philip Nolan had his wish fulfilled. I know but one fate more dreadful; it is the fate reserved for those men who shall have one day to exile themselves from their country because they have attempted her ruin, and shall have at the same time to see the prosperity and honor to which she rises when she has rid herself of them and their iniquities. The wish of poor Nolan, as we all learned to call him, not because his punishment was too great, but because his repentance was so clear, was precisely the wish of every Bragg and Beauregard who broke a soldier’s oath two years ago, and of every Maury and Barron who broke a sailor’s. I do not know how often they have repented. I do know that they have done all that in them lay that they might have no country,—that all the honors, associations, memories, and hopes which belong to “country” might be broken up into little shreds and distributed to the winds. I know, too, that their punishment, as they vegetate through wh! at is left of life to them in wretched Boulognes and Leicester Squares, where they are destined to upbraid each other till they die, will have all the agony of Nolan’s, with the added pang that every one who sees them will see them to despise and to execrate them. They will have their wish, like him. 70 For him, poor fellow, he repented of his folly, and then, like a man, submitted to the fate he had asked for. He never intentionally added to the difficulty or delicacy of the charge of those who had him in hold. Accidents would happen; but they never happened from his fault. Lieutenant Truxton told me that, when Texas was annexed, there was a careful discussion among the officers, whether they should get hold of Nolan’s handsome set of maps and cut Texas out of it,—from the map of the world and the map of Mexico. The United States had been cut out when the atlas was bought for him. But it was voted, rightly enough, that to do this would be virtually to reveal to him what had happened, or, as Harry Cole said, to make him think Old Burr had succeeded. So it was from no fault of Nolan’s that a great botch happened at my own table, when, for a short time, I was in command of the George Washington corvette, on the South American station. We were lying in the La Plata, an! d some of the officers, who had been on shore and had just joined again, were entertaining us with accounts of their misadventures in riding the half-wild horses of Buenos Ayres. Nolan was at table, and was in an unusually bright and talkative mood. Some story of a tumble reminded him of an adventure of his own when he was catching wild horses in Texas with his adventurous cousin, at a time when he must have been quite a boy. He told the story with a good deal of spirit,—so much so, that the silence which often follows a good story hung over the table for an instant, to be broken by Nolan himself. For he asked perfectly unconsciously:— 71 “Pray, what has become of Texas? After the Mexicans got their independence, I thought that province of Texas would come forward very fast. It is really one of the finest regions on earth; it is the Italy of this continent. But I have not seen or heard a word of Texas for near twenty years.” 72 There were two Texan officers at the table. The reason he had never heard of Texas was that Texas and her affairs had been painfully cut out of his newspapers since Austin began his settlements; so that, while he read of Honduras and Tamaulipas, and, till quite lately, of California,—this virgin province, in which his brother had travelled so far, and, I believe, had died, had ceased to be to him. Waters and Williams, the two Texas men, looked grimly at each other and tried not to laugh. Edward Morris had his attention attracted by the third link in the chain of the captain’s chandelier. Watrous was seized with a convulsion of sneezing. Nolan himself saw that something was to pay, he did not know what. And I, as master of the feast had to say,— 73 “Texas is out of the map, Mr. Nolan. Have you seen Captain Back’s curious account of Sir Thomas Roe’s Welcome?” 74 After that cruise I never saw Nolan again. I wrote to him at least twice a year, for in that voyage we became even confidentially intimate; but he never wrote to me. The other men tell me that in those fifteen years he aged very fast, as well he might indeed, but that he was still the same gentle, uncomplaining, silent sufferer that he ever was, bearing as best he could his self-appointed punishment,—rather less social, perhaps, with new men whom he did not know, but more anxious, apparently, than ever to serve and befriend and teach the boys, some of whom fairly seemed to worship him. And now it seems the dear old fellow is dead. He has found a home at last, and a country. 75 Since writing this, and while considering whether or no I would print it, as a warning to the young Nolans and Vallandighams and Tatnalls of to-day of what it is to throw away a country, I have received from Danforth, who is on board the “Levant,” a letter which gives an account of Nolan’s last hours. It removes all my doubts about telling this story. 76 To understand the first words of the letter, the non-professional reader should remember that after 1817, the position of every officer who had Nolan in charge was one of the greatest delicacy. The government had failed to renew the order of 1807 regarding him. What was a man to do? Should he let him go? What, then, if he were called to account by the Department for violating the order of 1807? Should he keep him? What, then, if Nolan should be liberated some day, and should bring an action for false imprisonment or kidnapping against every man who had had him in charge? 77 I urged and pressed this upon Southard, and I have reason to think that other officers did the same thing. But the Secretary always said, as they so often do at Washington, that there were no special orders to give, and that we must act on our own judgment. That means, “If you succeed, you will be sustained; if you fail, you will be disavowed.” Well, as Danforth says, all that is over now, though I do not know but I expose myself to a criminal prosecution on the evidence of the very revelation I am making. 78 Here is the letter:— LEVANT, 2° 2' S. at 131° W. “DEAR FRED:—I try to find heart and life to tell you that it is all over with dear old Nolan. I have been with him on this voyage more than I ever was, and I can understand wholly now the way in which you used to speak of the dear old fellow. I could see that he was not strong, out I had no idea the end was so near. The doctor has been watching him very carefully, and yesterday morning came to me and told me that Nolan was not so well, and had not left his state-room,—a thing I never remember before. He had let the doctor come and see him as he lay there,—the first time the doctor had been in the state-room,—and he said he should like to see me. Oh, dear! do you remember the mysteries we boys used to invent about his room in the old ‘Intrepid’ days? Well, I went in, and there, to be sure, the poor fellow lay in his berth, smiling pleasantly as he gave me his hand, but looking very frail. I could not help a glance round, which showed me what a little shrine he ha! d made of the box he was lying in. The stars and stripes were triced up above and around a picture of Washington, and he had painted a majestic eagle, with lightnings blazing from his beak and his foot just clasping the whole globe, which his wings overshadowed. The dear old boy saw my glance, and said, with a sad smile, ‘Here, you see, I have a country!’ And then he pointed to the foot of his bed, where I had not seen before a great map of the United States, as he had drawn it from memory, and which he had there to look upon as he lay. Quaint, queer old names were on it, in large letters: ‘Indiana Territory,’ ‘Mississippi Territory,’ and ‘Louisiana Territory,’ as I suppose our fathers learned such things: but the old fellow had patched in Texas, too; he had carried his western boundary all the way to the Pacific, but on that shore he had defined nothing. “‘O Danforth,’ he said, ‘I know I am dying. I cannot get home. Surely you will tell me something now?—Stop! stop! Do not speak till I say what I am sure you know, that there is not in this ship, that there is not in America,—God bless her!—a more loyal man than I. There cannot be a man who loves the old flag as I do, or prays for it as I do, or hopes for it as I do. There are thirty-four stars in it now, Danforth. I thank God for that, though I do not know what their names are. There has never been one taken away: I thank God for that. I know by that that there has never been any successful Burr. O Danforth, Danforth,’ he sighed out, ‘how like a wretched night’s dream a boy’s idea of personal fame or of separate sovereignty seems, when one looks back on it after such a life as mine! But tell me,—tell me something,—tell me everything, Danforth, before I die!’ “Ingham, I swear to you that I felt like a monster that I had not told him everything before. Danger or no danger, delicacy or no delicacy, who was I, that I should have been acting the tyrant all this time over this dear, sainted old man, who had years ago expiated, in his whole manhood’s life, the madness of a boy’s treason? ‘Mr. Nolan,’ said I, ‘I will tell you everything you ask about. Only, where shall I begin?’ “Oh, the blessed smile that crept over his white face! and he pressed my hand and said, ‘God bless you!’ ‘Tell me their names,’ he said, and he pointed to the stars on the flag. ‘The last I know is Ohio. My father lived in Kentucky. But I have guessed Michigan and Indiana and Mississippi,—that was where Fort Adams is,—they make twenty. But where are your other fourteen? You have not cut up any of the old ones, I hope?’ “Well, that was not a bad text, and I told him the names in as good order as I could, and he bade me take down his beautiful map and draw them in as I best could with my pencil. He was wild with delight about Texas, told me how his cousin died there; he had marked a gold cross near where he supposed his grave was; and he had guessed at Texas. Then he was delighted as he saw California and Oregon;—that, he said, he had suspected partly, because he had never been permitted to land on that shore, though the ships were there so much. ‘And the men,’ said he, laughing, ‘brought off a good deal besides furs.’ Then he went back—heavens, how far!—to ask about the Chesapeake, and what was done to Barron for surrendering her to the Leopard, and whether Burr ever tried again,—and he ground his teeth with the only passion he showed. But in a moment that was over, and he said, ‘God forgive me, for I am sure I forgive him.’ Then he asked about the old war,—told me the true sto! ry of his serving the gun the day we took the Java,—asked about dear old David Porter, as he called him. Then he settled down more quietly, and very happily, to hear me tell in an hour the history of fifty years. “How I wished it had been somebody who knew something! But I did as well as I could. I told him of the English war. I told him about Fulton and the steamboat beginning. I told him about old Scott, and Jackson; told him all I could think of about the Mississippi, and New Orleans, and Texas, and his own old Kentucky. And do you know, he asked who was in command of the ‘Legion of the West? I told him it was a very gallant officer named Grant, and that, by our last news, he was about to establish his head-quarters at Vicksburg. Then, ‘Where was Vicksburg?’ I worked that out on the map; it was about a hundred miles, more or less, above his old Fort Adams; and I thought Fort Adams must be a ruin now. ‘It must be at old Vick’s plantation, at Walnut Hills,’ said he: ‘well, that is a change!’ “I tell you, Ingham, it was a hard thing to condense the history of half a century into that talk with a sick man. And I do not now know what I told him,—of emigration, and the means of it,—of steamboats, and railroads, and telegraphs,—of inventions, and books, and literature,—of the colleges, and West Point, and the Naval School,—but with the queerest interruptions that ever you heard. You see it was Robinson Crusoe asking all the accumulated questions of fifty-six years! “I remember he asked, all of a sudden, who was President now; and when I told him, he asked if Old Abe was General Benjamin Lincoln’s son. He said he met old General Lincoln, when he was quite a boy himself, at some Indian treaty. I said no, that Old Abe was a Kentuckian like himself, but I could not tell him of what family; he had worked up from the ranks. ‘Good for him!’ cried Nolan; ‘I am glad of that. As I have brooded and wondered, I have thought our danger was in keeping up those regular successions in the first families.’ Then I got talking about my visit to Washington. I told him of meeting the Oregon Congressman, Harding; I told him about the Smithsonian, and the Exploring Expedition; I told him about the Capital, and the statues for the pediment, and Crawford’s Liberty, and Greenough’s Washington: Ingham, I told him everything I could think of that would show the grandeur of his country and its prosperity; but I could not make up my mouth to tell him a! word about this infernal rebellion! “And he drank it in and enjoyed it as I cannot tell you. He grew more and more silent, yet I never thought he was tired or faint. I gave him a glass of water, but he just wet his lips, and told me not to go away. Then he asked me to bring the Presbyterian ‘Book of Public Prayer,’ which lay there, and said, with a smile, that it would open at the right place,—and so it did. There was his double red mark down the page; and I knelt down and read, and he repeated with me, ‘For ourselves and our country, O gracious God, we thank Thee, that, notwithstanding our manifold transgressions of Thy holy laws, Thou hast continued to us Thy marvellous kindness,’—and so to the end of that thanksgiving. Then he turned to the end of the same book, and I read the words more familiar to me: ‘Most heartily we beseech Thee with Thy favor to behold and bless Thy servant, the President of the United States, and all others in authority,’—and the rest of the Episcopal collect. ‘Danforth,! ’ said he, ‘I have repeated those prayers night and morning, it is now fifty-five years.’ And then he said he would go to sleep. He bent me down over him and kissed me; and he said, ‘Look in my Bible, Danforth, when I am gone.’ And I went away. “But I had no thought it was the end. I thought he was tired and would sleep. I knew he was happy, and I wanted him to be alone. “But in an hour, when the doctor went in gently, he found Nolan had breathed his life away with a smile. He had something pressed close to his lips. It was his father’s badge of the Order of the Cincinnati. “We looked in his Bible, and there was a slip of paper at the place where he had marked the text:— “‘They desire a country, even a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.’ “On this slip of paper he had written: “‘Bury me in the sea; it has been my home, and I love it. But will not some one set up a stone for my memory at Fort Adams or at Orleans, that my disgrace may not be more than I ought to bear? Say on it:— ‘In Memory of PHILIP NOLAN, Lieutenant in the Army of the United States. a.. HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY AS NO OTHER MAN HAS LOVED HER; BUT NO MAN DESERVED LESS AT HER HANDS.’”

Hi, I can certainly backup the use of chapstick to stop a cut from bleeding. This just happened to me last week when my son cut his toe and I couldn't stop it from bleeding I remembered reading about using chapstick. Well thank goodness I had chapstick in the house and put it on and sure enough it worked!!! Everyone should have this in their medicine chest. Lisa

http://www.bartleby.com/87/ The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book Fannie Farmer This classic American cooking reference includes 1,849 recipes, including everything from “after-dinner coffee”—which Farmer notes is beneficial for a stomach “overtaxed by a hearty meal”—to “Zigaras à la Russe,” an elegant puff-pastry dish. Bartleby.com chose the 1918 edition because it was the last edition of the cookbook authored completely by Farmer.

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone could help with a problem I'm having. I have wasps making nests outside of my house. I can't find anything on the market to stop this. I get wasp spray but they continue to come back. Does anyone have any suggestions...Please....pretty please... Thanks Patti

Beef Jerky 2 lb. beef roast (London broil works great) sliced Marinade 1/2 cup liquid smoke 3 cups soy sauce 1/2 lb. Brown Sugar Combined all ingredients for marinade in a tightly covered container and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Add sliced meat and allow to stand another 10 minutes, shaking occasionally. P lace meat on dehydrator racks and dry at least 12 hours.

~*~ If you have a word processor that can handle hyperlinks (like MS Word or Corel WordPerfect), then you can create a sort of "Favorite Web Sites" document that's much more descriptive than the bookmarks / favorites menus of most browsers. Here's how: 1. Create a new document if needed. 2. Now, copy a hyperlink into it. 3. Above the hyperlink, add a description. 4. Save the file to your Desktop. Name it something like "Favorites" That's it. When you need to get to a favorite site, double-click the favorites document and click on the appropriate link. Need to add a link? Just copy and paste it into the document. What's nice about saving your favorites this way is the ability to provide good descriptions with the links. Plus, you can use the word processor's Find feature to locate specific keywords if your list gets too long. ~*~ Why not add a little spice to your screen life this week and give your pointers a new look? I) Start > Settings > Control Panel II) Double-click the Mouse icon, then choose the Pointers tab. III) Click the Scheme dropdown box, and choose from available schemes such as Large and Animated Pointers. A preview of each pointer in a given scheme will be displayed in the bottom section. If you're really into customization, you can select individual pointers, tap the Browse button, and pick from all available cursor shapes. ~*~ Yahoo Mail can block all mail from up to 100 email addresses. All mail from these senders will be automatically deleted before you see it. To add an email address to the list of blocked senders, follow the Options link on the left and then select Block Addresses, which you can find under Mail Management. On the page that comes up, enter the email address you want to be blocked under Add Address and select Block Address. Yahoo Mail asks you whether you really want to add this address to the list of blocked senders. Select Yes to stop receiving mail from that address. ~*~ On mailing lists, individual messages often spark lively discussions. As these discussions get longer and longer, their topic can change substantially. Often, it has nothing to do any more with the subject of the original message. This is why you should change the Subject: header line of a message thread on a mailing list when it becomes apparent that the topic of the thread changes. To make it clear what has happened (that you are continuing an old thread and not starting a new one), you can include the previous Subject line with the new one. If the original Subject was "New cloud form discovered!" and you want to change it to "The finest English umbrella" the complete new Subject line could look like "The finest English umbrella (was: New cloud form discovered!)". You can abbreviate the original Subject, of course. ~*~ Q: AOL plays the "You've got mail!" thing every time new mail arrives. Is there a way to do something similar with Outlook Express? A: Yes! Go to the Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open the Sounds icon. Find the "New Mail Notification" item. Click the "Browse" button and locate a sound file you would like to use instead. Hit OK and you're all set. If you aren't happy with the Windows sounds that are available, head to your favorite search engine and look for "wave" or "WAV" files. You can use any wave file you locate in your Windows sound scheme. What do you do when you locate wave files on the web? Most of the time, you can click a link to the file to hear the sound. If you like it, right-click the link and select "Save target as" from the resulting menu. Save the file to a location you'll remember then head back to the "Sounds" screen (under the control panel), select the sound item you want the new sound for, then browse to the file you just downloaded. ~*~ This tip applies to Windows 98 and Windows Me. You can run the start menus with your keyboard. The most important keyboard combination is Ctrl+Esc (press Ctrl and then press Esc), which displays the main Start menu. The Windows key on the Windows keyboard also displays the Start menu. You can use the arrow keys to move you through the Start menus. The up and down arrow keys move you within a menu. When you get to the bottom of a menu, pressing the down arrow again takes you to the top. (By the same token, pressing the up arrow when you're at the top of a menu takes you to the bottom.) The right and left arrow keys move you forward and back between the cascading menus. When you reach a menu item that you want to run, press Enter. ~*~ This tip applies to Windows 98 and Windows Me. You can change the name of a shortcut. If a shortcut icon is already highlighted, press the F2 key to invoke the Rename function. If it isn't highlighted, right-click the icon and then click Rename on the context menu. When you see a black box around the name, type the new name and then press Enter. ~*~ Q: How do I save pictures off of web pages? A: To save a picture from a web page to your computer, just right-click the image and select Save Picture As... from the little menu that pops up. You'll get a nifty little Save As dialog box that lets you select the location on your hard drive where you want the images stored. If you're not sure where to put it, you can always click the "new folder" button on the Save As box and create a folder called "Pictures" on your C: drive (or better yet, in your "My Documents" folder). If you really like the picture, you can even set it as your wallpaper from that same menu. Just make sure the image is big enough. If it's too small, it won't work out real well. Finally, remember that many of the pictures you see are copyrighted, so do not save them and post them on your web site or other public places. Use them just for your computer. ~*~ Here's a quick little trick you'll like. If you need to get the properties for something (like an icon, for instance), just hold down your ALT key and double-click it. Instant properties! Try it with "My Computer" or one of your regular desktop icons. And yes, I know that you can also right-click an item and select Properties from the resulting menu. ~*~ Magnify your view If you don't happen to be one of the lucky ones who own a nice 17" monitor, seeing what's on your desktop can be a challenge. However, it doesn't have to be if you take advantage of Windows 98's new Magnifier accessibility tool. The Magnifier displays a magnified view at the top of your screen of the area where your mouse pointer or insertion point is located. To use the Magnifier, select Start|Programs|Accessories|Accessibility|Magnifier. If the Accessibility menu doesn't appear on your Start menu, you need to install the Accessibility Tools through Add/Remove programs. ~*~ Free Up Memory If Windows says that it doesn't have enough memory to do something and you're sure that your computer DOES have enough memory, check your Clipboard (clipboard viewer). If you copied a big picture to the Clipboard, press Delete (edit->delete) to delete it or copy a single character to the clipboard; that picture or large amount of text may rob Windows of the memory that it needs to do something else. ~*~ More KB Shortcuts Explorer, Shift-click a link to open it into a new, separate window of its own. To type a Web address without using the mouse, in IE; click, Alt+D Don't bother typing out the "http://www" and ".com," . Just type "CNN" (or whatever) into the address bar, and then click Ctrl+Enter. ~*~ If Windows says that it doesn't have enough memory to do something and you're sure that your computer DOES have enough memory, check your Clipboard (clipboard viewer). If you copied a big picture to the Clipboard, press Delete (edit->delete) to delete it or copy a single character to the clipboard; that picture or large amount of text may rob Windows of the memory that it needs to do something else. ~*~ Adding Your Own Screen Saver If you've ever wanted to nab one of those neat screen savers off the Web, but were not sure how to actually implement it, this tip is for you. It's really easy! Download the screen saver to your Hard Drive or a disk. (If you already have it on disk, then that's fine, too.) Save the file in the C:\Windows\System directory. If your Windows system is not on drive C, then substitute the proper drive letter. After saving the file, right-click on the desktop and select the Screen Saver tab. Scroll down through the list of screen saver names and the one you saved should be there. Click on the name and apply any settings (if applicable) and do a preview to see what it will look like. Then click Apply and you are done! There are two things to note: Make sure the Screen Saver you download is for your operating system (for example, Windows NT, 98, 95, Me) and always do a virus scan on any downloaded file. ~*~ With IE4/5 installed, we can customize the look of every folder on our system. It's super simple to set a background image in an Explorer window. Right-click on a blank space in an open folder. Now, select 'Customize this Folder' from the menu. We're looking to 'Choose a background picture' here (before pressing the 'Next' button and browsing for an appropriate image). Is this feature functional? It can be. You can use solid color graphics to help define folders. Red for 'sensitive' folders, Black for 'data' folders, yellow for 'media' folders, etc.. ~*~ Cleaning Up The Microsoft Internet Explorer Toolbar You may well not need all the icons in the Microsoft Internet Explorer toolbar. Why not remove the ones you never use? To do this, run Microsoft Internet Explorer and choose View|Toolbars|Customize. When the Customize Toolbar dialog box opens, click any object in the right pane that you don't need and then click Remove. On the other hand, if you'd like to add some buttons to the toolbar, you can click on the desired button in the left pane of the dialog box and then click Add. When finished, click Close. ~*~ This tip applies to Windows 98 and Windows Me. Many menu items have an underline under one of the characters. For example, the F in the File menu item is usually underlined. If you press the Alt key to activate the menu bar, you then press the underlined character to activate the associated menu or menu selection. ~*~ Moving Backward And Forward In Microsoft Internet Explorer If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer, you know that you can click the back or forward arrows at the top of the window to move to other pages. But, this is not the only way to move backward or forward. You can press Backspace to move backward and Shift + Backspace to move forward. You'll also find that Alt + left arrow will work to move backward and you can press Alt + right arrow to move forward. ~*~ "If you are typing a lengthy e-mail message, namely something that's really important, I strongly suggest pressing CTRL+S at regular intervals. This action should save a (temporary) copy of your work in the 'Drafts' folder in Outlook or Outlook Express." This tip may also work in other e-mail programs (Eudora, Pegasus, Netscape, et al)... refer to your e-mail program's documentation to see if copies are automatically saved for messages which take a while to compose. This way, if something happens to your PC while you're in the middle of a message, all will not be lost. ~*~ BACKUP GUIDELINES TO LIVE BY You've probably heard it many times before: Back up your hard drive! It's essential. Considering the increasing sizes of hard drives, it may be even more important than you think. If you download lots of software from the Internet, chances are you don't have a backup. If your hard drive crashes, you'll have to take the time to download again. Here are some guidelines for establishing a good backup system: * Develop a backup plan. At a minimum, plan to back up daily, using removable media. Rotate backup sets offsite weekly. * Automate your backups. Get a backup device that holds about twice as much as your hard disk, so you can schedule backups for times when you're not there. * Back up every hard disk. Every hard disk contains critical data, so don't just back up servers. And make sure you include portable computers. * Back up more than just documents. Don't limit backups to just certain files. You may end up needing one that wasn't backed up. Good backup software backs up only those files that are new or modified. * Make several copies. Make at least three different sets of your data. Even an old copy is better than no copy at all. * Keep a backup set offsite. You never know when a fire, flood, theft or earthquake makes your offsite copy your only copy. One idea: Create a backup set weekly and send the previous week's backup to a secure offsite location. * Verify your backup. You need confidence in your backups. Make sure your backup software has full read-back verification. And try restoring a few files yourself, just in case. * Implement a network backup strategy. If you're on a network, network backup software lets you share a storage device and ensures that every system is backed up. * Don't procrastinate. Far too many new customers of backup software are people who recently lost data. Develop your backup plan before a crash!

Homemade Low Fat Sprays If you don't like any of the aerosol low fat sprays, why not make your own? All you need is a non-aerosol spray bottle, which you can find in the kitchenware section of any department store. Pour some extra virgin olive oil into the spray bottle and then spritz your pans before cooking; also spray onto foods such as salads, meats, and vegetables to add flavor without much fat. (Another alternative is to purchase a mister, into which you pour a good quality olive oil and then pump it to act like an aerosol. However, I found the one I bought to be extremely messy and not too efficient. Back to the spray bottle for me!) If you want to create your own salad dressings, you can choose from a variety of wonderful new vinaigrettes now available -- just mix a little olive oil in with your vinegar. Then spray a little dressing on your salad, and you have great taste without much fat.

Plastic Milk Bottles 1. Cut off a portion of the top, leaving the handle in place. Add birdseed and make a bird feeder, hanging it on a clothesline or tree branch. 2. Make a garbage caddy for the sink, especially great if you don't have a garbage disposal. 3. Make a caddy for tools or painting supplies. 4. Cut off the bottom and use the top as a funnel. 5. Fill the entire jug with beans and use for exercise weights, or just storage for the beans. Plastic Soda Bottles 1. Make a homemade tornado, place two bottles together, top to top - filling one with water. Tape the tops together and swirl around to make a tornado effect. 2. You can also make a funnel from the tops of soda bottles. 3. Add some sand or rice and use for a homemade bowling game for the kids, just be sure to glue the caps on. Ice Cube Trays 1. Add a squirt of lemon to your ice cube tray and you'll have lemon flavored ice for your tea. 2. Kool-Aid flavored ice for the kids, mix the flavors up for fun. 3. Use trays as drawer organizers for paperclips or sewing notions. 4. Ice cube trays are the perfect size for freezing small portions of left over baby food, or making your own homemade. 5. Freeze tablespoon sized amounts of broth or special sauces for cooking soups and casseroles. Jelly Jars/Mason Jars 1. Remove labels and use for gifts, placing a pretty piece of fabric on top and tying with a ribbon. 2. Great for pencil holders. 3. Fill with candy. 4. Use for storing cotton balls or q-tips in the bathroom. 5. Store sewing notions, crafts or hardware. Baby Food Jars 1. Perfect for lost buttons. 2. Store small nails. 3. Keep beads or small craft items sorted easily. Egg Cartons 1. Great seed starters, get a head start on Spring. 2. Storing plastic Easter eggs. 3. Make a memory game for children, matching up items from around the house. 4. Storage for collectible rocks. 5. Jewelry box, great for earrings. Lemons 1. Mix with a little salt for cleaning copper or brass. 2. Remove odors from hands or cutting boards. 3. Keep a supply on hand for seasoning poultry and seafood. Oranges 1. Use the peelings to freshen your garbage disposal. 2. Cover with cloves and use as an air freshener or Christmas ornament. 3. Place open halves inside a turkey or chicken before baking to add a great flavor. Salt 1. Remove grease and stains from pans and dishware. 2. Put out a grease fire. 3. Clean a sticky iron plate by sprinkling salt on a piece of paper and moving the hot iron over it. 4. Ease the pain of beestings. Baking Soda 1. Add to a damp cloth and remove crayon and marker from walls and furniture. 2. Pour a little down the drain with some vinegar, let sit 5 minutes and wash down with warm water to clear clogged drains. 3. Mix with facial cleanser to make an exfoliator. 4. Ease the pain of beestings. 5. Line a litter box to prevent odors. 6. Keep an open box in the fridge to prevent odors, put one in the freezer too. 7. Use a quarter of a cup on a damp food burned pan, let sit for five minutes and scrub clean easily. Paper Plates 1. Place two plates together, edge to edge, fill with beans or rice, staple the edges together, let children paint and decorate for a fun musical toy. 2. Use as a cover for food to keep warm. 3. Place half of a plate on top of a full sized plate, edge to edge, staple edges to create a letter holder. Great for kid's Valentines. Coffee Cans 1. Use food bag labels and create unique storage containers for flour, sugar, cornmeal, etc. Mesh Onion Bags 1. Add leftover pieces of soap and make a scrubber. 2. Contain small items while in the dishwasher. 3. Cut bag open and scrunch together to make a dish scrubber. Muffin Tins 1. Create a memory game for young children, by filling the muffin cups with small items from around the house. Copyright 2001 by Michelle Jones. About the author: Michelle is a freelance writer and Christian mom of 4 young children. Having lived on one income in a two-income world for 11 years, she has learned the importance of budgeting wisely and making every penny count. She now uses these lessons learned to help others achieve their own budgeting success. She writes about a variety of subjects concerning the family and is the founder and publishing editor of Better Budgeting and Blessings For Life.

>From Another list.... good stuff! ChapStick® Lip Balm tips Stop bleeding while shaving. Dab on some ChapStick if you nick yourself. Prevent car battery corrosion. Smear ChapStick on clean car battery terminals. Lubricate a zipper. Rub ChapStick along the teeth of the zipper to make it zip smoothly. Moisturize skin. Rubbing ChapStick on your face protects the skin from windburn while snow skiing. Remove a ring stuck on a finger. Coat finger with ChapStick and slide the ring off. Lubricate nails and screws. Nails and screws rubbed with ChapStick will go into wood more easily. Groom a mustache or eyebrows. A little ChapStick will keep the ends of a mustache waxed together and keep bushy eyebrow hairs in place. Shine leather shoes. In a pinch, rub ChapStick over the leather and buff with a dry, clean cloth. Lubricate furniture drawers and windows. Rub ChapStick on the casters of drawers and windows so they slide open and shut easily. Prevent hair coloring from dying your skin. Rub ChapStick along your hairline before coloring your hair. "ChapStick" is a registered trademark of A. H. Robbins Company

Twistedhumor's Recipe of the Week: DOUBLE CAPPACCINO HEAVEN Angel cake is not only no-cholesterol and no-fat but absolutely delicious with a light, puffy texture. Here, the cappuccino flavor is so deep that it's hard to believe that it lacks any fat at all. Ingredients: 1 1/2 c Superfine sugar 3/4 c Cake flour 1/3 c Cocoa - preferably Dutch process 2 tb Instant espresso powder 2 c Egg whites -(1 C equals about 8 large) 1 1/2 ts Cream of tartar 1/4 ts Salt 2 ts Vanilla extract PREHEAT OVEN TO 375F with rack in center of oven. Have an ungreased 10-inch tube pan ready. Divide sugar in half. Sift 1/2 3 times. Set aside. Sift other half with flour, cocoa and espresso powder 3 times. Set aside. Put egg whites in 4-quart grease-free bowl. Beat on low speed with mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Increase speed to medium. Beat until whites are whipped and hold their shape but are still soft and moist. Add 3/4 cup sifted sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until all sugar is added. Add vanilla. Stop beating when whites have increased in volume about fivefold, hold their shape and are shiny and smooth. Gently but thoroughly fold in flour mixture, by thirds. Transfer to baking pan. Smooth surface with spatula. Cut through batter in 6 places to break any large air pockets. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35-to-40 minutes, laying piece of foil lightly over top if it gets too brown. Invert and rest tube on inverted custard cup. Prop pan extensions with crumpled foil to secure pan. Cool completely. When cake is completely cool, use flexible knife to loosen it from sides of pan. Invert onto rack. Keep cake at room temperature 2 days, well covered, or frozen (airtight) as long as 3 months. Be sure to thaw at room temperature in wrapping. Frost. CAPPUCCINO FLUFF FROSTING 2 lg Egg whites 1/2 tb Superfine sugar 3/4 c Light corn syrup 12 Marshmallows - each cut into 8 pieces - (use scissors) 2 ts Vanilla extract 2 tb Cocoa - preferably Dutch process 2 ts Instant espresso powder 1 pn Salt Put egg whites, sugar and corn syrup in top of double boiler. Place over simmering water. Immediately use mixer at medium speed to beat ingredients until fluffy, white and warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in marshmallows. Once combined, beat at lowest speed until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, cocoa, espresso and salt. Spread on top and sides of cake. Yield: frosting for 1 10-inch tube cake.

Eggnog Pudding This is a wonderful way to doctor up instant pudding mix to taste just like rich and fragrant eggnog. Use the sugar-free pudding or regular, depending on your dietary requirements. From Quick Cooking magazine. 2 cups cold milk 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp rum extract 1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix, sugar-free or regular In a medium bowl, stir together the milk, nutmeg and rum extract. Add the pudding mix and beat for two minutes. Pour into individual serving dishes, garnish with additional nutmeg if desired, and chill until set. Yield: 4 servings, 1/2 cup each. -- Mimi

If you know the person and Norton was ok with it, go ahead and open it. It's attachments from strangers that usually get ya! Cece wrote: > I received an e mail w/ attachment from a CYBER friend. My Norton did not send off any bells and whistles, and I do want to open it. She said she made her own program for this and all I have to do is click on the paper clip. > > Is there any was I can open this attachment and not have it affect my e mail? > > Thanks, > > Cece > > ==== FOLKLORE Mailing List ==== > For questions about this list, contact the list administrator at > [email protected] > »§«:*´`³¤³´´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«

If your Norton is updated regularly and it didn't say there is any virus, you shouldn't have a problem with it. Another options is to right click on the attachment, save it on your desktop, then go to it on the desk top, right click and tell it to scan for virus. then just double click on it and open it. Mary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cece" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, November 03, 2001 7:37 AM Subject: [FOLKLORE FAMILY] Have a computer question, please I received an e mail w/ attachment from a CYBER friend. My Norton did not send off any bells and whistles, and I do want to open it. She said she made her own program for this and all I have to do is click on the paper clip. Is there any was I can open this attachment and not have it affect my e mail? Thanks, Cece