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Because Meowmie is facing possible surgery in the early part of March 2005 we have revived this page from last year for our new members or for any kitties who wish to go over it again. You will get points whether you did it last year or not. There is only this one page this
month so all our activities are here. We added a bit for Easter since it is in March this year.
  The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have it's origins in Germany, where it was first mentioned in German writings in the 1500s. The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany during the early 1800s. And were made of pastry and sugar  As with the Easter Bunny and the holiday itself, the Easter Egg predates the Christian holiday of Easter. The exchange of eggs in the springtime is a custom that was centuries old when Easter was first celebrated by Christians. From the earliest times, the egg was a symbol of rebirth in most cultures. Eggs were often wrapped in gold leaf or, if you were a peasant, colored brightly by boiling them with the leaves or petals of certain flowers. Today, children hunt colored eggs and place them in Easter baskets along with the modern version of real Easter eggs -- those made of plastic or chocolate candy. |
 | Cats do NOT wear shoes of any kind but they found the horseshoe interesting. The horseshoe is considered lucky for many reasons but here are some we found associated with a number: it is commonly held in place by seven iron nails! Since ancient times, the number seven was considered very important. Life was divided into seven ages; a rainbow has seven colors; astrology once held that seven planets made up the universe; there are seven deadly sins; a seventh child was thought to have special powers; there are seven days in a week; the moon changes from one phase to another every seven days; and a long-held belief states that the body goes through a radical change every seven years. |
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SNAKES: St.Patrick is most known the world over for having driven the snakes from Ireland. Different tales tell of his standing upon a hill, using a wooden staff to drive the serpents into the sea, banishing them forever from the shores of Ireland. One legend says that one old serpent resisted, but the saint overcame it by cunning. He is said to have made a box and invited the reptile to enter. The snake insisted the box was too small and the discussion became very heated. Finally the snake entered the box to prove he was right, whereupon St. Patrick slammed the lid and cast the box into the sea. While it is true there are no snakes in Ireland, chances are that there never have been since the time the island was seperated from the rest of the continent at the end of the ice age. As in many old pagan religions serpent symbols were common, and possibly even worshipped. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to that pagan practice. SHAMROCKS: The Shamrock,in Irish "Seamróg", symbolises the Trinity, that is, the Christian idea that there is One God but Three Persons in the One God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before the Christian era it was a sacred plant of the Druids of Ireland because its leaves formed a triad. Famous stories tell of how St. Patrick used the shamrock in his teaching. Preaching in the open air about God and the Trinity, he illustrated the meaning of the Three in One by plucking a shamrock from the grass growing at his feet and showing it to his congregation. Just as the shamrock is one leaf with three parts, so God is one entity with three Persons.
The legend of the shamrock is also connected with that of the banishment of the serpent tribe from Ireland by a tradition that snakes are never seen on shamrocks and that it is a remedy against the stings of snakes and scorpions. The shamrock was a sacred plant for the Druids, and three was a mystical number in the Druidic religious tradition. It is probable that St. Patrick was aware of the significance of using a shamrock to illustrate this spiritual metaphor.
Believe it or not, the color of St. Patrick was not actually green, but blue! In the 19th century, however, green came to be used as a symbol for Ireland. Thanks to plentiful rain and mist, the 'Emerald Isle' is indeed green year-round, which was probably the inspiration for the national color. |
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The harp is an ancient musical instrument used in Ireland for centuries. It is also a symbol of Ireland (and of course of Guinness!). Harpists, who were often blind, occupied a honored place in Irish society and, together with bards (or poets) played an important role in the social structure, supported by chieftans and kings. O'Carolan was one of the most famous harpists, and many Irish melodies inspired by him survive to this day. |
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Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
Barbara Hambly has worked as a school teacher, a model,
a waitress, an all-night clerk in a liquor store and as
a karate instructor. She is a Southern California lady, although she spent a brief time in New South Wales,
Australia. Her interest in fantasy began when she read
The Wizard of Oz and has continued ever since.
She attended college in California, specializing in
medieval history. She now lives in California. Bride of the Rat God
OK...so it is not everyone's favorite...but Meowmie loves
Pekingese dogs...so she likes this one best! It is little known
and probably difficult to find.
Set in Hollywood in 1923, it features a daffy
leading lady named Chrysandra Flamande...not her
real name, of course...and thankfully a pal named Norah, who does most of the "work" in the
book while Chrysandra vamps and fusses over her adored
Pekingese pals.
The sultry star of the silver screen is approached by an elderly Chinaman, to warn her that the Oriental necklace she wore in her latest film has an evil past, and can still attract the attentions of an ancient devil-god from Manchuria. After a number of people associated with her film company are killed, Chris and Norah, begin to take the Chinaman very seriously indeed. But can they find a way to foil the devil-god before it takes Chrysande as its sacrifice?
Supposedly, Hambly got the idea of this one from her own Pekinese dogs, and it combines elements of Hollywood history, magic, Chinese culture, cameras, dogs, romance, and a myriad of adventure for some believable and interesting characters.  BLACK JASMINE BUTTERCREME |
Green is the color of life, of plants and of spring. Green is the color of the seasonal renewal and the triumph of spring over cold winter and thus of Hope and Immortality. The Chinese associate green (and black) with the female Yin - the passive and receiving principle. Yellow, on the other hand, is associated with the male Yang - the active and creative principle.
Green can be produced by mixing blue and yellow (additive mixing) and thus unifies the spiritual aspect of blue and the emotional warmth of yellow. Both of these aspects bring about growth and wisdom. Green is also known to connotate lack of experience.
Nature and the color green has been revived in Impressionism partly because of the advent of tubes for pigments which made it possible to paint directly on location. Monet uses in this painting the color of hope together with the symbol of a bridge. The bridge stands for uniting peoples and revives hope for peaceful future.
Medieval minesongs described green as the color of love, on the other hand it also represented demons and evil serpents. Dragon had a positive connotation in the philosophy of ancient Chinese where it represented divine power of change and supernatural wisdom and strength. Thus it was often associated with the color green. This positive symbol was reversed in Christianity and the dragon became a monster of evil and destructive powers. Christian demons were green-skinned and green-eyed dragon-like creatures spitting deadly venom
Green has a soothing and harmonizing effect due to its closeness to nature and therefore was the preffered color for living rooms and drawing rooms.
Positive healing effects of the color green for the body and the soul were already recognized by Hildegard von Bingen, a famous medieval healer. Even today we use to go for a walk in the woods to calm down and relax. Blackboards in modern schools and pool tables are green because this color has pleasant effect on our eyes and contrasts nicely with other colors so we can concentrate on the essential.
Green is the color of free passage in road traffic. Advertising associates green with ecological products.
Green is the color of the prophet Mohammed who himself declared it his favorite color and who's cloak and turban were green. Even today only his direct successors - the Kaliphs - are allowed to wear a green turban.
The connotation of green as the color of hope and renewal, however, has been maintained in Christianity till our times. Green is the color of Sundays and the altars in Catholic Churches are decorated with a green cloth on such days. Christ was depicted in old paintings wearing red and Mary usually wore blue draperies, whereas the Holy Ghost was often shown as a white pigeon on green background.
Establishment of the Green Party in Germany in 1980 brought this color into politics. Green refers to the protection of the environment as the main tenet of the party.
What we know as a "green card" came in a variety of different colors at different times in its history. We still refer to them as "green cards" for the same reason dismissal notices are called "pink slips," sensationalized news is called "yellow journalism," and intended distractions are called "red herrings." In each case, an idea was originally associated with an actual item of the respective color. A Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) alien living in the United States may carry a card that is not green, but refers to it as a "green card." The person does so because the card bestows benefits, and those benefits came into being at a time when the card was actually green.
People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.
Different Shades of Green
Turquoise 1. Which colors are "Yin" and "Yang"? 2. What effect does green have in living rooms and drawing rooms? 3. Is a "green card" actually green? 4. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize what? 5. What is your favorite in the different shades of green? 6. Which number is associated with both luck and the horseshoe? 7. Ireland's lack of snakes is probably due to: 1-The Ice Age 2-Allergy to Clover 3-Vigilant Cats 8. What is the ancient musical instrument of Ireland? 9.What sparked Ms. Hambly's interest in fantasy? 10.Name one of the dogs in "Bride of the Rat God"? 11.Does your family do the Easter Egg Hunts?
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