Hi, I enjoyed Pat Oneal's story about her grgrandmother seeing "blood in the mealbox"... And this too is a part of our family heritage... And speaking along these lines..have any of you heard about what was called "Marking Your Babies" ?? As it was told to me there was a certain time during a women's pregnancy where she had to be very careful because that was the time that she could "Mark her baby"... Example: There was such a women who was at this critical time in her prenancy and she went out to feed the pigs.. well two pigs began to fight around her over the food and there was blood all over.. she got very upset but didn't give it much more thought..and when her baby girl was born it had the nose, ears and hands of a pig... My own mother feels she 'Marked " my oldest brother in this way..there was a neighbor child who had died suddenly..the baby's family was very poor and since the mother of the baby was very distraught, the father asked my mother if she could get the baby ready for it's buriel...my mom washed the baby and put a little outfit on it she had and got the baby ready for the funeral..Mom went to the visitation, which was in the parents house(very common back then) and happened to notice that whoever had laid the baby in the coffin had got his feet crooked..it bothered her alot and she couldn't get that off her mind..and when my brother Jim was born his feet were EXACTLY like that babies feet in the coffin... Some of these old stories or "wives tales" as some might call them seem utterly nuts to us in today's time but our ancestors lived their lives with them and these things were signs and warnings, etc.. they took them very seriously.. In my opinion they add alot of flavor to who we "came down" from... we get to see more than just names and dates and places...this is what made them who they were and some of what we are... Food for thought.....Pam