What was Paupukeevis Thinking?

                                Paupukeevis 

You may know by now I love to read, especially history. Such fascinating stories and all true. Here is one of them. 

In 1907 there was a zoo called Longfellow Gardens near the Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. It had hippos, zebras, camels, elephants, lions, tigers, and bears in cages for the people to stare at.

It also had deer, elk, flamingos, and sea lions who roamed the zoo as they wished. They could mingle with the people. Thousands of visitors visited the grounds.

One sea lion named Paupukeevis decided he wanted adventure. So he flip-flopped over to the Minnehaha Falls, and from there, he swam down the Mississippi.   

In its June 10, 1907 issue, Minneapolis Tribue newspaper carried the news about the escape. It advised the readers to be on the lookout for the escapee who "wore a plain suit of shiny black."

Reports started to come in. It appears Paupukeevis swam to St. Paul's Boom Island, where he met John Knutson. Evidently, he didn't like Mr. Knutson as he bit him and tore a piece out of his trousers, which he took with him as he paddled away.

There was a report of the wandering sea lion at the mouth of the Minnesota River. Plainclothes agents sent from Longfellow Gardens rushed to the area and scoured it, but no sign was found of the miscreant.

Some folks think he made his way to the Gulf. 

R.F. Jones, who owned the zoo, offered a reward for the return of the wandering swimmer. He feared someone might shoot it, thinking it was a river monster.

No one claimed the reward, and Paupukeevis is still missing.  

The zoo closed in 1934.

__________________________________________________________________________________

In these days of germ concerns, I read in the book Home Remedies From The Bible about what the people did in the ancient days.  

                                                                  What did they do for acne?

Most acne is from infection from blocked glands.

Onion juice was rubbed on the skin to clear up acne.  The liquid seemed to be an antibiotic.  In ancient days onions were so expensive that they were buried with royalty.

Also, a tonic of rosewater and witch hazel was applied with cotton. Or the Calendula plant, which we call marigold, was used.

People inhaled steam with chamomile, sage leaves, and thyme to purge the skin of impurities. (please do not inhale anything unless your doctor says it is okay.)

Lemon juice is a gem killer and helps to bring circulation to the skin. Using fresh lemon juice for the desired area was deemed helpful.

Carrot, grapefruit, and celery juice may help to detoxify the skin from the inside out. (Not sure if the people drank the juice or put it on the skin.)

Please consult a health professional if you wish to try any of these ideas.

This information is from Home Remedies from the Bible by Mary Ellen Hettinger.

When I was a child, and my mother bought a fresh lemon for a recipe, she would put the lemon skin in the dishwater. We did not have bottled lemon juice. 

Auld Lang Syne

                                                   Auld Lang Syne

Different versions of the words for the song "Auld Lang Syne" have been around since 1711 and are attributed to Sir Robert Ayton. The melody was first composed by William Shield to use in his comic opera Rosina in 1782. It was in 1799 that the words and melody were put together. Robert Burns, the national poet of Scotland, is credited with the fusion of words and music. 

The words were in the Scottish language. Auld Lang Syne means in English "Old Long Since" and is also interpreted as "since long ago" or "for old times' sake."  

In the 19th century, it became part of the Scottish Hogmanay or (New Year's celebration).   Traditionally the people sing the song while holding hands and standing in a circle. 

The Scottish version is:                                            The English version is:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,                         Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?                                      And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,                          Should old acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne?                                                   And old lang syne?

(Chorus)                                                                      (Chorus)

For auld lang syne, my jo,                                           For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,                                                       For auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,                                   We'll take a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.                                                         For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp!                               And surely you'll buy your pint cup!

And surely I'll be mine!                                                    And surely I'll buy mine!

And we'll take a cup of kindness yet,                             And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.                                                          For auld lang syne.

We twa have run about the braes                                        We two have run about the slopes,

And pu'd the gowans fine;                                                   And picked the daisies fine;

But we've wander'd a weary foot                               But we've wandered many a weary foot,

 Sin auld lang syne.                                                                   Since auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl'd i' the burn,                                            We two have paddled in the stream,

Frae mornin' sun till dine;                                                    From morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar'd                           But seas between us broad have roared

Sin auld lang syne.                                                          Since auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere!                               And there's a hand my trusty friend!

And gie's a hand o' thine!                                                And give me a hand o' thine!

And we'll take a right guid willy waught,                 And we'll take a right good-will draught,

For auld lang syne.                                                             For auld lang syne.

The song became popular when Guy Lombardo's band, the Royal Canadians, played it on December 31, 1929, on the radio and later on television.

There are many versions of this song today. Robert Burns's, in his various manuscripts of this song, are not worded exactly the same either. 

If you notice, some words need to be more grammatical or spelled correctly. This is on purpose. 

This information is from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, published May 19, 2017.

Please, everyone, have a safe New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. May God Bless us with good health during the holiday and all the new year.  

Hanukkah

                                                                   Hanukkah

Hanukkah, also spelled Chanukah, began at sundown on December 18th and will end at sunset on December 26th. Hanukkah is not the most important celebration the Jewish people have, but it is the one that happens in December.

This year the Ukrainians are fighting for their homeland, rights, and freedom. Hanukkah celebrates the Jewish people winning the war against the Syrians, as they wanted their homeland and the freedom of religion.

Many long years ago, in the time of B.C., The Jewish people lived in peace, and in their capital city of Jerusalem was their Holy Temple. The army of Syria came and conquered Judea and defiled the Holy Temple. The Syrian king had idols placed in the Temple and ordered all the Jews to pray to his gods or die. Some people did as the king ordered, but many Jews refused and, led by a priest named Mattathias, went to live in the caves of the surrounding mountains.

Mattathias led the men in battles with the heavily armed and armor-protected Syrian army. When Mattathias became too old to lead, he chose his son Judah Maccabee, nicknamed The Hammer. After many years of fighting, the Jews won and drove the Syrians out of their land.

The people cleaned the Temple and destroyed the false gods. Then they sought oil to light the great menorah. They found enough to light it for one day. A miracle happened; the oil lasted eight days, giving them enough time to make more oil. 

Today's menorah has a nine-branch candelabrum. Eight candles are for the eight days the oil lasted. The ninth candle is called the"servant" candle. The celebration is called the "Feast of Lights."

The family plays a dreidel game to remember the time of the Syrians. The people were not allowed to teach the boys to read. So the teacher would put different words on the sides of the dreidel. If a Syrian soldier asked the teacher what he was doing, he answered, "We are just playing a game to entertain the boys while the parents work."

                                                        *          *          *

Today there are anti-Semtitic people in our country and the world. The people who are anti-semitic are not Christians. The Christian faith is one of love and peace.

The Christian faith would not exist if the Hebrew people had not become God's people. He had many groups from which He could choose. There were the Syrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, etc. Yet God chose a small, unimportant group to be His. Even though they were not perfect, He stuck by them and chose an unknown, poor Hebrew girl to be the mother of His Son. While Jesus walked upon this earth, He was Jewish. The Christian faith has its origins in the Jewish people.

May this time of Hanukkah be a blessing to all who celebrate the miracle of God who made one bit of oil last eight days. 

                         First Advent and Second Advent

 Christians are starting the Advent season of the church. This celebration lasts for four Sundays and is to recognize the coming of Jesus Christ with His birth in Bethlehem. 

Many Christians also use the Advent time to think about His second coming, called the Second Advent. The second coming is foretold in Matthew 12: 17-21, which is based on Isaiah 42: 1-4. The first part of Isaiah tells of Jesus coming in weakness, and the second part is His coming into power.

I found this poem about the Second Advent. 

'Twas the Night Before Jesus Came.

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house

Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.

Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care

in hopes that Jesus would not come there.

     The children were dressing to crawl into bed,

     Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.

     And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap

     Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East, there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

Away to the window, I flew like a flash

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

      When what to my wondering eyes should appear

      But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here

      With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray

      I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!

The light of His face made me cover my head

It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.

And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,

I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

     In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,

     Was written the name of every saved man.

     He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;

     When He said, "It's not here," my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love

He gathered to take to His Father above.

With those who were ready, He rose without a sound

While all the rest were left standing around.

     I fell to my knees, but it was too late;

     I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.

     I stood, and I cried as they rose out of sight;

     Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem, the meaning is clear;

The coming of Jesus is drawing near.

There's only one life, and when comes the last call

We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

Copyright 1985 by Bethan Farms 

Christians see the Second Advent (Second Coming) as Joyful. He is our Good Shepherd. 

Some people think they know when the Second Advent will happen, but Jesus said He did not know when it would happen. So how can anyone on earth now know?

Only God knows!

We do not know when it will happen, but we love the promise it will happen.

This is a Christmas Recipe you might like. The author is unknown.

Isn't it great the year ends with such a joyous celebration? 

 May you have a Joyful Advent, and a Happy Christmas, and God Bless you all.

Holiday Fun for Everyone!

                     Holiday Fun For Everyone!

You may know I am a child in my heart. I enjoyed reading books to my students. Even the fifth graders enjoyed the storytime. I loved to see the expressions when they heard or read different versions of a classic. So, if you are a parent, grandparent, uncle, or aunt, try reading some of the following. They are the most fun when read with expression. You should practice a bit.  

Have you read the original story of A Christmas Carol? The movie version leaves out part of the story Charles Dickens wrote. The original story with a facsimile of the original manuscript was published by Dover Publications, Inc. in New York in 1967 and 1971. It is a long old English story that is fun to read. This is a good book for an adult but maybe difficult for children.

But, a better version for children is Dickens' Christmas Carol, published by Ideals in 1961 with excellent illustrations by Charles Rapp. I am sure there are more versions for children in bookstores and on the internet. Children should take advantage of this classic.

A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published under the title Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas in the Troy, 'New York Sentinel' on December 23, 1823. It had a strong influence on gift-giving.

So many of us can recite The Night Before Christmas. ( Also called A Visit from St. Nicholas and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.)Do you realize the last line of this beloved poem is Happy Christmas to all and not Merry Christmas to all? In Clement Clarke Moore's day, the word merry meant a boisterous and rowdy celebration. This idea is still followed in England. So if you see King Charles of England, wish him a Happy Christmas and not a merry one.

     There are delightful versions with fantastic illustrations. They are great for reading aloud, especially to a child, but I can guarantee that the adult who does the reading will also enjoy the story. Look for these on the internet or at Barnes and Noble (the store may need to order copies). I found some copies on the book site for used books, Thrift Books.

Texas Night Before Christmas, written and illustrated by James Rice. Pelican Publishing Company, with the sixth printing in 1994. 

   "'Twas the night before Christmas in the cold wintry fog. 

      Nary a critter was movin' 

      Nor a lone prairie dog."

An Irish Night Before Christmas by Sarah Kirwan Blazek, illustrated by James Rice and published by Pelican Publishing with the twelfth printing in 2010.

  "'Twas the night before Christmas 

   And down the glen lane 

   The candles they twinkled 

    In each window pane.

Cowboy Night Before Christmas was written and illustrated by James Rice. Published by Pelican Publishing, with the third printing in 1994.

  "'Twas a cold Christmas eve

   on the Southwestern plain

   And the North wind was blowin'

    through a broke winderpane.

   In that sod shanty shack

   far from home, warmth, and care

    Shivered to lonely cowboys,

    such a scraggly pair."

Do you like Cajun? Cajun Night Before Christmas, written and illustrated by James Rice and published by Pelican Publishing in 1992. 

'Twas the night before Christmas

An' all t'ru de house

Dey don't a t'ing pass

Not even a mouse.

My favorite is Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas by James Rice and published in 1983. (I  did find a copy at Thrift Books, but they list the author as Thomas Turner.)This book takes practice to read out loud, but it is a pure delight to a child's heart like mine. 

Also, The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hau, illustratedated by Diane Goode, is great for children. Published by Random House in 1986  

There is an audio cassette entitled Sory of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman and adapted by Janet Schulman.   The complete story is narrated by Claire Blume, a famous actress. The music is by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky and conducted by Jonel Perleaust. I found a CD of the story and music with Claire Bloom on Amazon's second-hand material. I ordered a copy and will let you know how it sounds.

Another great book is A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg, illustrated by Warren Hanson. Published by Waldman House Press 1982.

Dick Keller's illustrations of  The Story of Chanukah for Children, written by Beverly Rae Charette, are delightful. Published by Ideals Publishing Corp. in1981. I am sure there are other books with this theme for children. 

Some of these books could be on a used book site as the publication dates are in the 1900s. There are many sites on the internet.

Now I wish you all a Happy Christmas.  If you wish to have a Merry Christmas, I won't tell anyone our secret.  

                                                                                                                                              

                       Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie 

Some of my family can not eat dairy, so I found this recipe.  If you would like to print it you are welcome to do so.  Hope you have a great Christmas. 

Sorry, this is very attractive.  I am having computer troubles as usual.

Happy Christmas, and if you prefer, Merry Christmas.

Pat

Halloween

                                          Jack-O'-Lantern

Jack-0'-Lantern! Jack-O'-Lantern!  Where - O- Where do you come from?

Well, there are many theories about this, and I will tell you one. Will it be scary or funny? You decide.

Back in the old-time days of Ireland, there was a spritely fellow called Stingy Jack.   He was a reprehensible fellow. He did not take his pay home to his wife like a good Irishman should; he did not attend the fine church in his village, much to the horror of all his neighbors, and he never, never gave a pence to the poor. Oh, no. Not he.

Now they say that such a man as Stingy Jack could meet and talk with the Devil. And one Halloween, the Devil and he met. Jack invited the Devil for a drink.

The Devil said, said he, "I'll take a drink with you if you pay for it."

"Now, why should I pay for your drink? You are a clever fellow. You can change yourself into anything you want. Change into a sixpence. I'll pay for the drink, and you can change back."

"Umm. You have something there. I'll do it."  The Devil mumbled and muttered a spell, and he became a shining new sixpence.

Jack picked up the coin and slid it into his pocket next to a Christian cross. This prevented the Devil from getting out of the pocket.  

 Jack said, "Now listen here to me. If you promise to leave me alone for one year, I'll let you out. If not, you stay right in there."

The Devil angrily and reluctantly promised, and Jack let him out.

The Devil kept his promise, and Jack thought he would go to church, give to the poor and take his pay home to his dear wife during the year.   But as with most good intentions of breaking evil ways, Jack was soon living his former life.

On the next Halloween, he again met the Devil on a lonely, dark road. He said to the Devil, said he, "If you spare me for ten years, I'll buy you a drink and pay for it myself."
"Sure, that sounds fair. You can not trick me again, as you are paying and not I. It is a deal."
The Devil and Jack shook hands.
  However, the Devil is the master of all lies, and Jack died before the year ended.

Jack could not go to heaven, so he went to the gates of hell.

The Devil saw him and said, "Go away. Go back and wander the earth. You tricked me, and I want nothing to do with you. Wander in the dark for eternity."

"But I can't see. It's too dark." whimpered Stingy Jack.

"Here, take this burning coal and carry it to light your way. And as you go about, cause mischief on all the land. Now be Gone." And the Devil shut the gate, so Jack was left in the deepest darkness save for one little light of the burning coal.

The fiery stone burned Jack's hands, so he got a potato, scraped the inside, and put the coal in it.

They say today, he still wanders through the darkness carrying that bit of burning coal.
In England, the children took large beets or turnips, known as mangel-wurzels, and hollowed them out. They carve a window so a lit candle inside can be seen. These are called punkies.

When the Irish people decided to come to America, they found our lovely pumpkins, and they decided they would be just right to hollow out, carve a face, and put in a candle. The Jack-O-Lantern, with its gruesome, sinister, or silly face, is said to help Jack find his way to another place to cause his mischief and not stop at the house with the Jack-O-Lantern.   No tricks and no treats for Stingy Jack.

A 247-pound pumpkin grown by the Stinson family

A huge Jack-O-Lantern. 247 POUNDS! Grown in Minnesota by  Joseph Charles Stinson. It is to help Charlie Brown find the Great Pumpkin Information for this blog from a book by Edna Barth titled Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts.