J.T. Competes in Tai Kwan Do Tournament

Christina Dorthea is Baptised

" Baptism"  literally means “immersion”. As Pope Francis recently noted “Baptism constitutes a true spiritual immersion in the death of Christ, from which we emerge as new creatures. It is a cleansing for regeneration and enlightenment. Regeneration because it puts into effect the birth from the water and the Spirit without which no-one may enter the kingdom of heaven, and enlightenment since, through Baptism, the human person is filled with the grace of Christ, 'the true light that gives light to everyone' and dissipates the shadows of sin. Christina was baptized on November 12 2013

Asian Pear Mystery

The peaches were great this year. Then the drought started to take hold in the valley. Fortunately, I had installed a drip irrigation system for the garden so the veggies had a good year (except for the broccoli). I was expecting a bumper crop from  the three Asian pear trees. But when I returned from a two day minication in the Blue Ridge, I found the trees were stripped bare. No dropped fruit under the trees and no half eaten fruits that the squirrels usually leave on the ground, and no fruit to dehydrate.

Beats tomato juice - but not for Bloody Marys

Seen ( and smelled ) a lot of dead skunks on the byways of the northern Shenandoah lately. If you or your dog happen onto the hose end of one of these critters you should be aware of a recipe to eliminate the odor of skunk spray from your pet or your clothes. The formula is simple:

1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup baking soda, 1 teaspoon liquid fabric detergent

The recipe was developed by chemist Paul Krebaum. It may bleach your clothes or hair slightly, but it beats smelling like a skunk.

Caprine Creations

Dyngus Day Hijinks in Jeopardy

Robin Moroney of the Wall Street Journal reports that a Buffalo, N.Y. Easter tradition is in jeopardy. Easter Monday is Dyngus Day in the Polish-American tradition. Celebrated on the Monday after Easter it marks the end of the observance of lent and the joy of Easter. As they say in Buffalo "Everybody's Polish On Dyngus Day!"

The Dyngus Day is observed by boys splashing girls with water and flirtatiously swatting them with twigs of the pussy-willow's fuzzy buds.

Easter is celebrated on the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox. Dyngus Day 2008 will take place on March 24th, the earliest celebration in 95 years. The next time Dyngus Day and Easter occur this early will be 220 years from now.

Because of the early arrival of Easter this year, Buffalo is experiencing a pussy-willow shortage. The local pussy-willows are still bare and if things don't improve by March 24, florists may not be able to meet Dyngus Day demand. Eddie Dobosiewicz, a co-founder of DyngusDayBuffalo.com, moans that being swatted by branches other than budding pussy willows on the day. "would be like Groundhog Day without the groundhog," ... "like replacing the groundhog with a monkey."

James Thomas Arrives

JT arrived today at 10:40 EDST and was very hungry. He weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and stands (if he were to choose to stand) at one foot 7 inches in his bare feet. He spent several hours after his arrival in a photo shoot with his fans. (See Pics)

For a full scale view of JT and his Fans, click on each picture.