SEARS WASN’T JUST A CATALOG—FIND OUT HOW IT LIVED AND DIED IN SOUTH FLORIDA

IT IS NOT RAINING—IT JUST LOOKS UGLY AND HAS TURNED COLD–BUT IF IT ISN’T RAINING I CAN DEAL WITH THAT.   DOING MY TRADITIONAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS–A RIVERBOAT LUNCH  WITH SOME FRIENDS—JUST ROLLIN’ ON THE RIVER EATING TURKEY AND NNNOOOO CLEAN UP OR DISHES OR POUNDS OF LEFT OVER TURKEY.

 

Something to be Thankful for—–   Jamie/Sam to look at

PATHETIC LIFE RIGHT?

 

Today is my small town Florida day:  and we’re doing

SEARS (HENDRY COUNTY)

Sears used to be 12 miles south of LaBelle in south Florida.  It was located on a branch of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, which also no longer exists.  Yes Sears is a ghost town but it was once a very active little place.

In the 1920’s the US was booming with new railroads and new homes and Florida had lots of trees which proved helpful in building both.  This area of Florida saw the development of many small mill (saw) towns to make railroad ties and build homes (alas these Florida forests are also a thing of the past).

 

The Standard Lumber Mill was built in 1926 to process this lumber most specifically for Sear’s booming pre-fab home market on the railroad route to facilitate the distribution part of the enterprise.  Along with it the town of Sears was formed to house workers which  was named for Richard W (or according to PLACES IN THE SUN (Bloodworth & Morris) his wife, the chief stock holder in the mill).

 

But this town seems to have had issues from the start for shortly after the mill was built and the town founded (1926) a hurricane hit (they didn’t start naming hurricanes until the 1940s with the US Weather Service using only female names from 1953 – 1978 when alternative use of male and female names was initiated) the area.

 

But the 1926 Hurricane did have a name:  The Great Miami Hurricane.  The class 4 storm seriously damaged the city along with Sanibel Island and the Florida Panhandle before ripping into Alabama (also damaged the Bahamas on the way to Florida). It is given as one of major reasons that the Florida land boom went bust, throwing Florida into the Great Depression years earlier than the rest of the country.

 

The Mill and town of Sears were seriously damaged but managed to rebuild and get back to producing lumbar.   In fact the town prospered and at it’s height of activity it had a population of 500 and included a voting precinct, two schools, a hotel and a Florida Power and Light electrical plant.

 

In 1928 disaster struck again when the mill burned down.  Research gives you the impression that it was probably not as productive as was anticipated which would seem to be confirmed as it was never rebuilt.

 

The 1932 Census of the town showed 30 households 14 white and 16 black.  By 1937 most of the community had moved on including the schools.

 

It continued to drift away and now it’s just a ghost town, with a street that bears its name as one of the few reminders of what once was.  Even the buildings have moved on with many of them having been re-located to LaBelle.

 

WITH BLACK FRIDAY LOOMING I THOUGHT I’D ADD A LITTLE ITEMS THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL:

 

WHERE TO FIND THAT GIFT FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE RECEPIENT (on line stores that might save your shopping time)

 

COLLECTIONS ETC  (www.CollectionsEtc.com)

 

 

Aqu Stone Humidifier:  An Elegant Natural alternative (w/out electricity–just add water)

 

Stars and Stripes Boxer shorts size Medium (32) to XXL (46)

 

Hover Ball  Indoor soccer ball that glides won’t scratch or harm furniture or paint.

 

Animal Hat and Gloves (Wolf or Leopard) for adults

 

 

Remote Control Farting Teddy Bear  AA batteries required

 

Or some decorative items

 

Polar Bear Parade (can you say 3 bears?)

 

 

A Solar Angel Garden Stake (sounds a bit medieval?) they also have Snowman ones

 

A Snowman Bush Cover with pull closures to secure

 

 

Or decorative wear

 

A Silent Night Top (size 11 – 24)  also Holiday Cats Top  as well

 

 

 

Snowman Dog Sweater for that other member of your family.  (there’s also Faux Fur Coats)

 

 

 

“If you don’t find it in the index, look very carefully through the entire catalogue.”
Sears, Roebuck and Co., 1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue

 

SHINING A LITTLE LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT: OUR SPOTLIGHT ON COLLECTIBLE FOR THE WEEK

RAINING and I do mean raining here today.  They’re showing garbage cans floating down the street on Kaley at Orange in Orlando.   Tornado Warnings earlier—none at the moment.

AND NOW FOR SOME SUNNY NEWS:   I HAVE STARTED MY

STORE:  DRAGONLAIRE https://www.etsy.com/shop/DragonLaire

DECORATIVE 1994 AVON CHRISTMAS Plate

DECORATIVE 1994 AVON CHRISTMAS Plate

Just one of the offerings and I will be adding more daily—please check it out.
The store on this site is active too….check that one as well…see listing above.
AND THERE’S ALWAYS HIM TO BRIGHTEN MY DAY:
 
Today we’re looking a collectibles (a weekly feature since a collectible store pays for this blog)–candleholders and candelabras.
ELECTRICITY has been around for more than a century now, but that doesn’t mean candles and their holders, aren’t still popular.
With the discovery of fire, the earliest form of artificial lighting used to illuminate an area were campfires or torches.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighting

Thousands of years before Christ  shallow rock, shell, or other natural found object were filled with moss or a similar material that was soaked in animal fat and ignited.  (PS I couldn’t find of these on sale on line sorry)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_lighting_technology

7 Arms Solid Brass Candelabra  13 3/4″ Tall,

$119.00
As time passed, materials such as pottery and alabaster were used. Wicks were added to the lamp to control the rate of burning.  http://www.ies.org/lighting/history/
Around the 7th century BC, the Greeks began making terra cotta lamps to replace handheld torches. The word lamp is derived from the Greek word lampas, meaning torch.   http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/lighting.htm
monkey And Squirrel Metal Fireplace Candle Holder– Holds 8

$222.22
The Egyptians were using wicked candles in 3,000 B.C., but the ancient Romans are generally credited with developing the wicked candle before that time by dipping rolled papyrus repeatedly in melted tallow or beeswax. The resulting candles were used to light their homes, to aid travelers at night, and in religious ceremonies.    http://candles.org/history/
During the Middle Ages candles became more prevalent in worship. It was at this time that beeswax was used to make candles. These beeswax candles were made much like the Romans made their candles with tallow. Beeswax was a drastic improvement from the tallow, but limited quantities were available, which made it expensive limiting it to clergy and the upper class. – See more at: https://www.candlewic.com/service/about-candlewic/candle-making-history/page.aspx?id=2216#sthash.gVnk8JEJ.dpuf
 In England and France, Candle making had become a guild craft by the 13th century. These candle makers (chandlers) made candles from fats saved from the kitchen or sold their own candles from within their shops.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_candle_making
Early 1900 French Bronze Antique Candelabra

$520.00
The next innovation in the candle making industry came in the 18th century with the explosion of the whaling industry. It was discovered that “spermaceti,” a wax obtained by crystallizing sperm whale oil, would not only produce an odorless candle, but also burned significantly brighter, and created a harder candle that was much more resistant to heat. It was from this spermaceti wax that the first “standard candles” were produced.
Antique Pair Of 7 Light Candelabra Candlesticks

$580.00
Patented technology created by inventor Joseph Morgan allowed for the economical production of molded candles and brought candles to households everywhere. The spread of mechanical candle making paved the way for scented candles that reside in many homes today.    http://www.overstock.com/guides/history-of-scented-candles
Today, we do not rely so much on candles for lighting our homes, except in the event of a power outage. Candles are now used for decorative or religious purposes, to create a mood with their hypnotic glow, their soothing fragrances please our sense of smell, and they often represent symbols of our personal faiths.     http://www.generalwax.com/candle-making/about-candles.php
 This pair of figural five-light candelabra after Clodion with satyr figures are bronze with a Carara marble base and sold at aution in Detroit in early 2013 for $3,900.  (KOVELS)
“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”
Anne Frank

 

WAITING FOR GOD—IN DEFENSE OF NOT GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY

Good morning to a short week…  Unless you work for the retail industry which obviously isn’t unionized as there would be no Early Black Fridays sales on the Holiday if it was…I don’t shop on Thurs and I don’t shop at stores that are open on the holiday unless they offer an necessary service (which doesn’t include selling TVs at ridiculously low prices).

DSCN1205

Please check out my store above….lots of fun things

and my pinetrest http://www.pinterest.com/lindachase  offerings including some stuff on the novel (trilogy actually-)-I’m working on).

And watch for some news on a new store  that I’m setting up hopefully this week.

 

MANDATORY FOR MY ADDICTION:

 

Jamie Fraser forever.

 

 

 

I GET hundreds, maybe thousands (at least it feels like thousands) of catalogs each year, about 90% of them coming at Christmas time (or rather around Thanksgivings pre-Christmas mania).  I was looking through Collectibles Direct (http://www.collectablesdirect.com/) today and I saw a DVD:

 

 

 

 

Its about two people who won’t accept the horrors of boredom and uninteresting life, food, surroundings just because their old.  It brought a smile to my lips cause I thought “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

 

I am not a young woman—in fact I’m pushing really, really old age….but somebody forget to register that on my brain/heart, even my body.  Recently I had a friend over to help me finish up decorations for a Halloween open house I was giving and she refused to leave the room while I was on the step ladder–I tried to reason with her that I had been on the same ladder repeatedly for 3 wks.  prior to this and  other than my cats trying to kill me when I stepped off it—they do it deviously by pretending they’re glad to see you and rubbing around your leg/foot just as it is about to find solid ground but that’s another story all together–I had survived without incident.

 

I am sorry but I refuse, or maybe am not wired to accept that I have no energy, no plans and no money….out of those 3 only one currently applies and it has always so its not new.

 

I think part of aging is propaganda:  We are instructed on how we should react to being 50-60-70 etc.  Our friends and/or family watch us on ladders or question our clothing choices.  They expect us to set by the TV, they do not expect us to have blogs, or know more about the computer than facebook and email.  And so many of you out there buy into that and do less which promotes a lack of ambition, energy and mental sharpness until it becomes a self defeating circle that fulfils their prophecy and expectations and reinforces their reality of what age is.

 

We are living longer but are we living better?  Some of us are—some of us are just setting there never venturing out into anything new, settling for instead of reaching for what might make your later years the best of your life.

 

YOU HAVE BECOME A BABYSITTER:  I’m sorry I know you love the grandkids, but when that becomes your whole life you are missing out on living.  Some times this is a necessity, but often it’s just another way of your kids not taking their own responsibility for the family they choose to have.   It’s an easy way and a comment on their thoughts of you being old and not really having a life of your own anymore.

 

YOU ARE ON A LIMITED BUDGET:  Can’t afford to do anything?  Poppycock.  There are places to go that are cheap or free.  This time of year Florida is starting a whole series of festivals, outdoor art shows and the like.  Most are free (they’re on city streets and you can get some nice exercise while wandering through exhibits and food offerings from trucks and booths) and a lot are cheap (I went to a Greek Festival at a local Orthodox Church a couple of weeks ago and it was $3, most budgets can manage that).

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TRANSPORTATION:  Most areas have buses (even Florida with horrible mass transit prospects) and if that’s difficult for you.  any place that has buses has handicap pickups for a very low price as well (part of the American with Disability Act.)  Or get with a friend or nag the kids—they owe ya for the babysitting —just to name a few alternatives.

 

I’M A WIDOW/ER AND HATE TO DO THINGS ALONE:  Find a group with similar interests and join up.   There are so many  example:  Fairfax, VA  has a Travel Club for Singles (55+)  http://www.meetup.com/Travel-Club-for-Singles-55Plus/

check out http://over-55-singles-activities-and-events-group.meetup.com/      for other groups in other cities you might be interested in.

 

Check with your church many have over 50 groups that do planned activities.

 

 

IT’S TOO LATE FOR ME TO START SOMETHING NEW:  A study by Babson College and Baruch College found that Americans age 55 and above started 18.9 percent of all businesses created in 2008, compared with 10 percent in 2001. The 55-and-overs are playing a larger role in entrepreneurship http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/business/retirementspecial/04WORK.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 

Other possibilities:

Exercise:  http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/us-bike-boom-mostly-coming-people-over-55-not-hipsters.html

 

Volunteering:  Use all that knowledge and life experience before you become a lump of coal      Check out the charity at www.charitynavigator.org/

or find actual  needs in your area:  https://www.volunteermatch.org/

 

I have touched just are few areas BUT I hope that this get you on the road to  GROWING OLD DISGRACEFULLY like me.

 

 

 

You must not pity me because my sixtieth year finds me still astonished. To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FROM QUASARS TO CHIOR BOYS IT’S ONE OF THOSE WHATEVER FRIDAYS

Cold almost gone, temperatures better and it’s almost the weekend…now what more could one ask.

 

MAYBE THIS?

 

well a girl can dream can’t she???

 

 

YOU’VE HEARD OF THE DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PIC OF JIM–DEVIL  WITH A CHIORBOY’S FACE—I saw the Doors live in the late 60’s…it was fantastic>AND MORRISON so hot.

 

Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself – and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is.    Jim Morrison

 

 

Artist’s rendering of ULAS J1120+0641, a very distant quasar powered by a black hole with a mass two billion times that of the Sun.   Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

I was glancing at an old (1976–never thought I’d ever say that) and saw a listing on Quasars pretty much stating they were brighter than “A Myrid Suns” (Reader Digest: STRANGE STORIES AMAZING FACTS) but noting that they pretty much didn’t know what the data actually said…so skip to the 21st century and the internet and Weikpedia  which stated that in the 80s a consensus was reached on what they were.  OK first consensus to me pretty much means the biggest kids on the block got together and decide what was right from THEIR INTERPERTATION.  Being the free thinker I am I really don’t feel comfortable with that.  So I’m leaving you to decide just exactly what this really, really big (Its size is 10–10,000 times the Schwarzschild radius of the black hole. —-I’m sorry but they didn’t teach me that in school) and really bright (Their luminosity can be 100 times greater than that of the Milky Way) something was out there and should be defined by someone(s) who could make it so dense the rest of mere mortals would not dispute it.

 

Her I didn’t meet in person–honest not quite that old–but I always thought her pictures looked a bit like they just used her husband’s and gave it a double chin and really blaaa clothes.

 

I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition.   Martha Washington

 

 

Some useful stuff for Christmas:

 

Mrs. Kimball’s Candy Shop (http://www.mileskimball.com/view-food-candy) has:

1.  Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Mittens (6.5 oz. for $6.99)

2.  Dark  Chocolate Mint Penguins (6 oz. same price)

3.  Mint Fudge Filled Frogs (6 oz. too)

 

 

One gets the idea this man could never truly be happy about much of anything.

 

 

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.      Edgar Allan Poe

 

 

MORE HINTS FOR CHRISTMAS

Got one of those big boxes or bags of nuts complete with shells (they still make them that way you know –we just never see much of the unfished product anymore) and don’t have a nutcracker (I actually still do but am old enough to remember when they came this way).

Try this:

1.  Wrap a nut in a towel and hit it with rock, hammer or mallet (similar to a hammer)

2.  Squeeze the nut with a wrench, a pair of pliers, or a vice

3.  Put it on the hinge side of a door and then shut the door.

4.  Hold the nut at the top edge of a drawer and slam the drawer shut, but watch out for you finger (ouch)

(PROBEM SOLVER’S DICTIONARY—Reader’s Digest)

 

 

 

Always loved this lady—proud Tina keeps on rolling

Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything… whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.    Tina Turner

 

 

 

GuitareClassique5.png

 

 

 

Overall, comparing the initial and final outcomes of the guitar throughout history
reveals some interesting facts. The strings, neck, and soundboards all have made
improvements over time, but they haven’t changed much. They have changed in size and
shape and material, but over the long test of time, they have not left the instrument. Not
only that, but the guitar—or its predecessors—have always stayed near the top of the
favorites for musical instruments.   https://courses.physics.illinois..

 

o

A pretty face (or not) does not preclude a beautiful mind)

 

 

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.          Eleanor Roosevelt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A FRESHWATER PLACE OF REFUGE OR OF EXCESSIVE SUPERNATURAL ACTIVITY? SPOT–ANOTHER FLORIDA T–AH VILLAGE

ANOTHER chilly day—but wouldn’t trade it for Buffalo this time of the year–unless you gave me an incentive LIKE????

 

THIS FOR INSTANCE

 

SAM OR JAMIE I’M NOT A PICKY PERSON

 

yep—it’s small town Florida day—figured I’d rub in the fact that we’re cold but will be in the high 60s today—living in Florida is so chilly

 

ANCLOTE (Pinellas Co.)

Anclote also shares the name with ANCLOTE KEYS (Pasco Co) named for a basin or bay inside the keys as well as ANCLOTE ISLAND AND ANCLOTE RIVER. 

 

Anclote is named for the River (same name–Ancolate is Spanish for stream anchor, grapnel, Kedge–because it has long been a fresh water refuge for boats when the salt water gets too rough to navigate)  and is actually a village rather then a town.

 

The river has long been popular with visitors including the Spanish (reportedly)  who built a well along its length and the Indians and Pirates who also drew on its waters.  The latter made the area more famous with the legends of their buried treasures along its banks.

 

It was on this north bank of river that sponging was started on the Gulf by locals.

 

Settled in 1866 by settlers from Marion Co. who planted oranges and built homes.  Shipping flourished and by the 1870s the town boasted fabulous 3-story homes with all the perks.  In 1875 a new town was settled near-by on the south banks of the same river–Tarpon Springs.

 

But that town was the beginning of the end and as it grew, Anclote declined and when the railroad and Greek Sponge Divers came to Tarpon both Anclote and the local sponge “hookers” both began to decline into obscurity.   The town which at its height had about 500 people by the early 1900s boasted only 14 homes.

 

 

 

 

ANCLOTE RIVER PARK                 1119 Baillies Bluff Rd/Holiday              1/2 mile from the village:  Overlooking many islands at the mouth of the river.   http://www.pascocountyfl.net/index.aspx?NID=674 

 

 

 

 

WAECASSOSSA STREET    (off of Osceola Ave. and left Riverside Drive and left on this street)  Site where village was founded in the 1880s.

 

Oldest Surviving House   ( Corner Osceola and Riverside)                          1901.   2 story wrap-around porches under Spanish moss drapped oaks.

 

Former Fishing Club (1903)    2-story house decorated with fish and fishing items.

 

 

 

 

Anclote Cemetery

Directions – From U.S. Alt. 19, turn right on Anclote Rd. for 1.9 miles. Turn right on Calvary Rd. for 3 miles (pavement ends) then .3 miles on unpaved road which ends at the cemetery.
The cemetery still in use in the town.  The oldest stone dates to 1871 and a survey done in 1913 showed the cemetery covered 3 acres.  Evidently until recently the cemetery has been the site of dumping, vandalism and worse, but is now locked at night and seems to have improved its reputation among humans.  However according to an online site (www.pinellaspascoparanomal.com/hauntedanclote.htm)  the place is seriously haunted by bad spirits which they felt was due to the vandalism so no idea if the atmosphere has improved with the new regulations.
There is also reportedly   a MASS GRAVE UNKNOWN AFRICAN AMERICANS here but I have not been able to find a location.  
It is also noted  (on various online sites) that the town and area:  gives off a very strange vibe especially at night.  http://haunted727.tumblr.com/post/77723863117/the-many-ghosts-of-Anclote  and there are claims of shadow people (on Anclote Blvd), giant birds, even a big foot character that haunts the area just to name a very few in this village that seems to have a much stranger than normal aura about it for a quiet footnote to Florida west coast history that it is–but there are also warnings about the locals not liking trespassing strangers so…. you may want to view it all from the street and your vehicle
 http://www.pinellaspascoparanormal.com/hauntedanclote.htm  and

http://www.hauntedplaces.org/tarpon-springs-fl/

 

don’t forget my store above brings you this blog……please  check it out…I need your patronage….PLEASE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WITH A STIFF-ARM ON THE LEFT—A LOOK AT FOOTBALL COLLECTIBLES

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…for Florida its cold…for the rest of you it’s colder—and for several its snow at record levels for any time–not just for November anymore.

If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.
Erma Bombeck

and something to keep you warm

ITS AMAZING HOW THE ABSENCE OF CLOTHES IS SO WARMING….DROOLLLLLLL

Football is all very well a good game for rough girls, but not for delicate boys.
Oscar Wilde

today we’re doing collectible day:

I recently saw a doorstep cast iron football player (a door stop) that sold for $11,400 at auction (Morphy Auctions July 2014–pre-sale estimate had been $3,000 – $5,000)

God, as some cynic has said, is always on the side which has the best football coach.
Heywood Broun

Led me to wonder what REAL football collectibles might be out there:

$99.95

The history of American football can be traced to early versions of rugby football and association football. Both games have their origin in varieties of football played in Britain in the mid-19th century, in which a football is kicked at a goal or run over a line.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_American_football

$145.00

If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?
Vince Lombardi

The man most responsible for the transition from this rugby-like game to the sport of football we know today was Walter Camp, known as the “Father of American Football.” As a Yale undergraduate and medical student from 1876 to 1881, he played halfback and served as team captain, equivalent to head coach at the time. Even more importantly, he was the guiding force on the rules board of the newly formed Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA)….It did away with the opening “scrummage” or “scrum” and introduced the requirement that a team give up the ball after failing to move down the field a specified yardage in a certain number of “downs.” …other innovations Camp introduced were the 11-man team, the quarterback position, the line of scrimmage, offensive signal-calling and the scoring scale used in football today. …Camp coached the Yale team to a 67-2 record from 1888 to 1892—all while working as an executive at a watch-manufacturing firm.   http://www.history.com/news/ask-history/who-invented-football

$279.00
Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
Erma Bombeck
The date was November 12, 1892, a day that would forever be etched in sports history, although no one involved that day could possibly have recognized the importance of the occasion. It was the day that the Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. The game in itself was not a momentous event. But one of the circumstances of the game did make it a never-to-be-forgotten moment in sports history – one of the AAA players, William (Pudge) Heffelfinger, was openly paid $500 to play the game. Thus pro football made its debut more than 100 years ago in comparatively obscure surroundings that could not possibly have provided the slightest clue to the world-wide popularity the sport would be destined to enjoy, particularly in the waning decades of pro football’s first century. http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/birth.aspx#sthash.0AwkUfsX.dpuf
  Steve Young Signed San Francisco 49ers Vintage Reebok White Jersey-
$311.08
We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.
Vince Lombardi
When 1920 arrived, there more than 10 professional teams across the United States. Organizers from the teams decided to meet in Canton, Ohio to form the American Professional Football Association(APFA) which later became the National Football League(NFL). The NFL further changed the rules as football began to solidify as an all-American past time.   http://abidjan.usembassy.gov/history_of_football.html

Pro football is like nuclear warfare. There are no winners, only survivors.
Frank Gifford

In 1930 Dayton, the last of the NFL’s original franchises, was purchased by William B. Dwyer and John C. Depler, moved to Brooklyn, and renamed the Dodgers.  The Giants defeated a team of former Notre Dame players coached by Knute Rockne 22-0 before 55,000 at the Polo Grounds, December 14. The proceeds went to the New York Unemployment Fund to help those suffering because of the Great Depression, and the easy victory helped give the NFL credibility with the press and the public.
$750.00
 Football is easy if you’re crazy as hell.
Bo Jackson
 Gerald R. Ford received offers from two professional football teams, the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. In college, young “Jerry” played for the University of Michigan football team. In his first year he won the Meyer Morton Most Promising Freshman trophy and would go on to receive other honors, including Most Valuable Player in his senior year.  http://blogs.archives.gov/prologue/?p=13148
U Of Ill 1928 Football Poster

$1,440.00
College football is a sport that bears the same relation to education that bullfighting does to agriculture.
Elbert Hubbard
 NFL refs also receive Super Bowl rings.They’re not as large or impressive as the rings received by the players, but all referees who officiate the Super Bowl get a serious piece of bling to commemorate the dayhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/04/sports-facts-unknown_n_4704083.html

 

Most football players are temperamental. That’s 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental.
Doug Plank

 

 

 

 

 

FIGHT DISEASE WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR DINING TABLE

Cold is still there and now roomie has it.  Roomie is not amused…roomies are like that—yeah they are.

 

OK ONE MORE TIME (PROBABLY NOT THE LAST)

Is it April yet????  #OUTLANDER is my FAVORITE #HIGHLANDER 

 

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY STORE ABOVE I REALLY HAVE SOME GOOD THINGS THERE.

 

OK it’s getting cold here—burr was 50 when I last check–Florida can be so brutal this time of year (all sarcasm sincerely meant).

So I decided wha better way to help you fight those winter infections than to provide you with some easy ways to get what  you need in your normal diet:

 

BEEF:

SURPRISE.  I know it has a bad rap lately, most meats do…however I have never been part of the “avoid at all cost” take on food that the modern persona seems to have developed.

What’s good about it:  According to The Healthy Edge magazine (Oct. 2014) It is high in Zinc (found in most red meat)–which helps with the development of white blood cells.

According to Wed MD (one of my favorite medical sources):  Zinc is an essential mineral that is found in almost every cell. It has antioxidant effects and is vital to the body’s resistance to infection. Zinc is also important for tissue repair. It may decrease the ability of cold viruses to grow on or bind to the lining of the nose.   (http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/zinc-lozenges-cold-remedy)

 

 

CARROTS

You probably saw this one coming—they’re very popular for all kinds of health issues from eyes on down.  Again according to the Healthy Edge  they are a source of Beta Carotene  which supports the mucus membranes that line a respiratory and intestinal tracts, making it harder for pathogens to enter the bloodstream.  They also increase the number of NK cells an T-helper cells.

According to one British Source:  Beta-carotene is the vegetable source of vitamin A and an antioxidant in its own right. It also has the advantage of being non-toxic, although it is prone to oxygen damage and is often unstable in supplements. Red, orange, yellow foods and fresh vegetables are the best sources. Carrot  juice is a great way to drink this all-round infection fighter.   (http://www.ion.ac.uk/information/onarchives/infections)

 

 

 

 

 

FISH

 

Always a good choice for both taste and health, except for issues of toxins and fishing to extinction, this has long been a popular choice.

Again Healthy Edge–Selenium (in shellfish) helps with white blood cells production of proteins that clear viruses from the body.   While Omega-3 fats (Salmon and other fatty, cold water fish) reduce inflammation.

 

Selenium:   An article from the University of Maryland reports:  Many studies suggest that the body needs selenium in order for the immune system to work properly. Selenium, along with other minerals, can help build up white blood cells, which boosts the body’s ability to fight illness and infection. A few studies suggest that selenium might help prevent some infections, such as a bacterial skin infection that often occurs with lymphedema, and mycoplasma pneumonia. In addition, one study suggested that when elderly people took zinc and selenium supplements, their immune systems responded better to the flu vaccine. http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/selenium#ixzz3JR0xVHbZ

Omega-3 fats:   This one is from FOX news — compounds that help reduce harmful inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation prevents your immune system from working properly, and can contribute to colds and flu as well as more serious diseases.  Omega 3s may fight colds on more than one front. In a placebo-controlled 2011 study published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, medical students who took fish oil supplements for three months had lower inflammation levels and also fewer symptoms of anxiety — a condition that can itself weaken immune function.  http://magazine.foxnews.com/food-wellness/superfoods-fight-colds 

 

 

 

SPINACH

Who is surprised with this one?  Healthy Edge Say this one is loaded with folate and vitamin C, which aid in DNA repair and help the body produce new cells and tissues.

 

Folate:  Academy of Nutritionists and Dietetics:  folate (folic acid), another important component of the B-vitamins, essential for supporting your body’s metabolism rate, producing energy and aiding your body in fighting disease and infection.   http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6793

 

Vitamin C:    Medicine Plus supplies the following:   Too little vitamin C can lead to signs and symptoms of deficiency, including:  Decreased ability to fight infection.  However:   For many years, vitamin C has been a popular remedy for the common cold.  Research shows that for most people, vitamin C supplements or vitamin C-rich foods do not reduce the risk of getting the common cold.  However, people who take vitamin C supplements regularly might have slightly shorter colds or somewhat milder symptoms.  Taking a vitamin C supplement after a cold starts does not appear to be helpful.    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002404.htm

 

Other Foods that are helpful

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Tomatoes for lycopene an vitamin C to lower free radical damage to the cells.

Watermelon for glutathione to help with production of white blood cells

Yogurt for probiotics that protect against harmful bacteria and fosters white blood cell production.

 

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GENESIS OF THE GODS OR JUST ANOTHER ANCIENT GROUP OF STONES?

Have you missed me?  I was down with a bug—still have a cough but can’t lay around forever…if nothing else it’s boring.   PLEASE CHECK OUT MY STORE ABOVE I REALLY NEED THE MONEY!!!

 

FIRST DAY BACK AND CAN’T FORGET #OUTLANDER

#JAMIE/SAM:

More than just a pretty face….

Looking at another book that insists they’ve discovered what most of us mortals have missed.  This time we look at Andrew Collins’

 

First I looked into Collins and there just isn’t much in any what I call “legit” sources:  This is from a site on author’s biographies (http://www.arecatalog.com/Authors/Author/11/Andrew-Collins)

Andrew Collins was raised in the Essex town of Wickford. As a teenager, he became a UFO investigator, and in 1977 he investigated the first-ever missing time abduction case reported in the UK, and that investigation changed his life. He became a journalist with the magazine Strange Phenomena and openly sought the help of psychics in an attempt to better understand the relationship between UFOs, prehistoric sites, earth energies, and the human mind. As a science and history writer, he has authored a variety of books that challenge the way we perceive the past, including his best-selling The Cygnus Mystery… He continues to speak and travel throughout the world ….He leaves ( think they mean lives—or maybe not) near Marlborough, Wiltshire, in the UK.

So basically he started as a teenager UFO hunter and graduated into writing as a “science and history” writer…though how scientific and historic (in the factual state) remains to be seen.

 

Next I looked at #Gobekli Tepe:

structures A - D

The ruins of Göbekli Tepe
Göbekli Tepe  “Potbelly Hill”[3]) is an archaeological site at the top of a mountain ridge in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, approximately 6 km (4 mi) northeast of the town of Şanlıurfa. The tell has a height of 15 m (49 ft) and is about 300 m (984 ft) in diameter.[4] It is approximately 760 m (2,493 ft) above sea level. It has been excavated by a German archaeological team that was under the direction of Klaus Schmidt from 1996 until his death in 2014.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe

 

The Smithstonian asks if  Gobekli Tepe: was The World’s First Temple?  and goes on to say:  Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey’s stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization.  (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665/#3yucwq13zWmgGAls.99) in a current article that reviews the most current dig there.    If you read this article you find many theories including this area was the birth of Neolithic society but nothing on the garden of Eden which is claimed on the cover of the book.

 

A sumary of the book states that at the end of the last ice age with tones weighing from 10-15 tons, shows a level of sophistication that was unmatched until the much later rise of Sumer, Egypt and Babylon.

On Collin’s site (http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/arqueologia/gobekli_tepe01.htm):  Göbekli Tepe can be described as sacerdotal, (of, relating to, or characteristic of priests)   in that it was clearly utilized as a place of veneration and perhaps communication with supernatural entities and domains. This is accepted by the main excavator Dr Klaus Schmidt of the German Aarchaeological Institute of Istanbul.

 

According to Wikipedia:  Klaus Schmidt (December 11, 1953 – July 20, 2014) was a German archaeology professor who led the excavations at Göbekli Tepe from 1996 to 2014. …. It was not until 1994 that Schmidt’s attention was caught by the report.  A short time later, Schmidt’s team uncovered evidence that the area was not used as a settlement. Schmidt has suggested the possibility of the site being a burial ground with the dead placed along the hillside, and could have potential insights to hunter-gatherer groups.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Schmidt_(archaeologist)   I find the supernatural contacts would be the indigenous gods of the tribe or tribes that settled and found this amazing site but not  anything beyond the normal speculation on ancient religious beliefs and nothing that it was the origin of our race and the first humans (at least in the Hebrew/Christian theology)

 

The Garden of Eden is the biblical “garden of God”, described most notably in the Book of Genesis chapters 2 and 3, and also in the Book of Ezekiel.  The “garden of God”, not called Eden, is mentioned in Genesis 14, and the “trees of the garden” are mentioned in Ezekiel 31. The Book of Zechariah and the Book of Psalms also refer to trees and water in relation to the temple without explicitly mentioning Eden.

Traditionally, the favored derivation of the name “Eden” was from the Akkadian edinnu, derived from a Sumerian word meaning “plain” or “steppe”. Eden is now believed to be more closely related to an Aramaic root word meaning “fruitful, well-watered.” The Hebrew term is translated “pleasure” in Sarah’s secret saying in Genesis 18:12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden  

 

So this is biblical and has no mention of exotic gods or presences except the serpent and in fact the presences of other gods are continually decried in the Hebrew text.    The previous listed Wikipedia  site also gives multiple theories for locations by historians and scholars which would show how wide spread this particular topic matter is.

 

Sorry but again I can find no support for Mr. Collins’ theories….but I have given you sites and his book and web site  so that you can create your own theories—“life is more fun if you think for yourself”—And that’s a quote from me—the Diva herself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A SMALL TOWN WITH A LOT OF HISTORY AND SEVERAL WALKS AND RIDES ON THE WILD SIDE

Chilly here but at least the drizzle has stopped.  Sniffly this morning, not sure if allergies, dampness or—please no—catching something.

 

MORNING INSPIRATION:

 

SAM IS HOT EVEN WHEN HE’S NOT JAMIE…..YUMMY.

 

OUR LESS KNOWN TOWNS/CITIES THIS WEEK IS #DADE CITY FLORIDA:

 

Dade City is on US 98 & 301 just south of where they join up.

Dade City is a city in Pasco County, Florida. It is popular with tourists for its antique stores, restaurants and historic architecture including the Pasco County Courthouse, Hugh Embry Library, and Edwinola. The annual Kumquat Festival is hosted downtown and the surrounding area is a large producer of the tart kumquat, a citrus fruit eaten whole.  The population was 6,437 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pasco County.[3] Dade City is located in the Tampa Bay Areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dade_City,_Florida

The Tocobaga Indians, who were the original inhabitants of the region, had small villages in the northern part of Tampa Bay.  http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/florida/dade-city

Florida’s history as a US  territory is deeply stained with the blood years of the Seminole War (1835-42)…(Major) Dade..who died (in a massacre) at the beginning of the major conflict is honored in the name of this town. (PLACES IN THE SUN/Bloodworth & Morris).

The town has an interesting history and is one of central Florida’s oldest incorporated places, celebrating the centennial of its incorporation in 1987.  (THE BEST SMALL TOWNS UNDER THE SUN/Howard)

 

Points of interest:

 

 

One mile north of Dade City off Highway 301 North,
east on Pioneer Museum Road

352-567-0262

http://www.pioneerfloridamuseum.org/

“Where an early twentieth-century village has been partially reconstructed on part of the museum’s twenty-acre grounds.”  (Best Backroads of Florida/Waitley)

 

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Location
12449 Withlacoochee Blvd.
Dade City, FL 33525

(352) 567-0264

http://www.pascocountyfl.net/index.aspx?NID=303

This wilderness park consists of 406 acres, however, the Withlacoochee River is located on 610 acres of natural wilderness land with an abundance of wildlife to see such as Bald Eagles, Swallow Tail Hawk, Red Tail nd Red Shoulder Hawk, Turkey, Great Blue Heron, Red and Gray Fox, Florida Panther, Bob Cat, Alligators, Golpher Tortoise, Black Bear, River Otter, Snakes, Owls, Racoons and Wild Hogs.  There is an 1840’s replica of an Indian Village with a School House, Church, Trading Post and Cracker House as well as a Log Cabin. The Church can be reserved for small weddings and then you can have your reception at one of the shelters and make it a memorable day.  Observaton Tower AND  a 3 1/2 mile perimeter nature trail, a 1.7 mile all-purpose paved trail and other trails totaling 13 miles. The paved trail can be used for bicycles, rollerblading or walking.

 

 

Giraffe Ranch

 

 

…you’ll experience first hand, the lives of giraffe and other species from around the world living under huge live oaks and open grasslands in a setting that is right out of Africa.  … a licensed working ranch that specializes in exotic species as well as domestic cattle and horses. Learn about exotic animals from an expert guide from the comfort of specially designed 4-wheel drive vehicles or by camel-backed safari. … conservation efforts and how we are helping to preserve species that are endangered or extinct in the wild.

Mickler Rd                                                                                                                      Dade City

(813) 482-3400

http://girafferanch.com/index

 

 

Top Drawer Antiques

getlstd_property_photo
 CHECK OUT TRIP ADVISOR FOR MORE POINTS OF INTEREST:  http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g34167-Activities-Dade_City_Florida.html
“It’s always sunny in the Sunshine State. Except for at night.
”
Jarod Kintz, Sleepwalking is restercise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEWTON’S NEUROSES THE APPLE MAN HAD ISSUES

 

 

 

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Good morning–hope it was a good weekend. I did BBQ on Friday night (4 Rivers–just like my experiences in Texas–https://4rsmokehouse.com/menu/) Saturday morning was a Greek Festival (http://www.htgocorlando.org/) and then Drink sampling at Enzian/Eden Bar (http://www.enzian.org/food/eden_bar).  Sunday I had nails and hair (http://www.haircuttery.com/#3).  Now I’m cleaning the garage and trying to get my homes organized after Halloween—HELP.

 

and a good morning to Jamie (OUTLANDER http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander)and crew

 

 

I just bought a book:  CURING HICCUPS WITH SMALL FIRES— BY Karl Shaw it’s about Great British Eccentrics and after reading a couple chapters I thought I’d look further into:

 

SIR ISAAC NEWTON…According to Shaw:
“As a student…He would wake up, then forget to get out of bed, and sit immobilized for hours as a rush of new ideas came into his head.”

Einstein credited Isaac Newton, the father of physics and arguably the founder of scientific certainty, with “the greatest advance in thought that a single individual was ever privileged to make.”  https://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/winter-2008/isaac-newton/

Newton never seemed to understand the notion of science as a cooperative venture, and his ambition and fierce defense of his own discoveries continued to lead him from one conflict to another with other scientists.  http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-newton-9422656#international-prominence

Newton blamed his dog for setting his lab on fire, which ruined 20 years worth of research.   http://www.ask.com/science/weird-isaac-newton-136057083b56c4ec#

Again according to Shaw:  “…alchemy became an obsession.  He was anxious to prove that a substance known as ‘child of Satan’ gave off magnetic rays that would attract the life force of the world. …the greatest mind in science spent over thirty of the most productive years of his life trying to change base metals into gold….”

(He) was, as considered by others within his own lifetime, an insightful and erudite theologian.  He wrote many works that would now be classified as occult studies and religious tracts dealing with the literal interpretation of the Bible…Although born into an Anglican family, by his thirties Newton held a Christian faith that, had it been made public, would not have been considered orthodox by mainstream Christianity; in recent times he has been described as a heretic. …Newton refashioned the world governed by an interventionist God into a world crafted by a God that designs along rational and universal principles. These principles were available for all people to discover, allowed man to pursue his own aims fruitfully in this life, not the next, and to perfect himself with his own rational powers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_of_Isaac_Newton

(But)…in vulgar modern terms Newton was profoundly neurotic of a not unfamiliar type, but …a most extreme example…with profound shrinking from the world, a paralyzing fear of exposing his thoughts, his beliefs, his discoveries in all nakedness to the inspection and criticism of the world.  http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Extras/Keynes_Newton.html

He had two nervous breakdowns. In 1678, after engaging in a dispute over aspects of his theory of optics, Newton is believed to have suffered a nervous breakdown. In 1693, he had another, after which he retired from scientific research. Newton blamed his second breakdown on lack of sleep, though historians mention other possible causes, including chemical poisoning from experiments as well as the accuccumulation.*  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/isaac-newton-facts-physicist_n_4058836.html

 

 

CHECK OUT MY STORE ABOVE–JUST CLICK ON STORE

and do we have any Newton collectibles?

 

 

In 1727, just weeks before his death, Isaac Newton burned volumes of his own manuscripts. What did those papers contain? After spending much of his life studying the ancient art of alchemy, the codes of the bible, and trying to predict the apocalypse, did he discover something the world was not prepared to face?  http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/series/822/mystery-files/140539/isaac-newton

 

He died a virgin. Newton never married and, though it’s impossible to verify, is widely believed never to have had sex.    (OK now we know why the nervous breakdown. )http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/09/isaac-newton-facts-physicist_n_4058836.html

 

* In 1979, Spargo and Pounds69 … four samples of hair, reasonably thought to have been Newton’s and acceptably labelled in three, for gold, mercury, arsenic, antimony, silver and lead. High values were obtained for mercury in all the hairs, and for the assays of gold, arsenic, antimony and lead from three of the samples. From these findings it was concluded that Newton’s ‘nervous breakdown’ of 1692 and 1693 was due principally to poisoning by the metals, especially from mercury but additionally from lead, which he used so frequently in his alchemical experiments. Besides being based on physical measurement, the raised levels in the hairs of the metals other than mercury can be explained in Newton but less easily in others. ted effects of chronic psychological depression

 

 

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.   Isaac Newton