When I was young, Shirley Temple movies were shown on TV quite often. I loved her movies which were always entertaining and uplifting. One of my favorite of her films was with her friend Bill Robinson who was a fabulous dancer himself. He appeared as a dancing butler in movies with young Shirley Temple. Click the photo if you would like to purchase Shirley
Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 3 (Dimples / The Little
Colonel / The Littlest Rebel) (1936)
In this video Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dances the stairs with a young Shirley Temple From "The Little Colonel" (1935)
"The Day the Music Died", dubbed so by Don McLean's song "American Pie" refers to the tragic aviation accident that occurred on February 3, 1959, near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing rock and roll musicians 22 year old Buddy Holly (Peggy Sue), 17 year old Ritchie Valens (La Bamba), J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson (Chantilly Lace), and the pilot Roger Peterson. Singer Don McLean memorialized Holly, Valens and Richardson in the 1972 No. 1 hit “American Pie,”
Ironically, Holly, who influenced such artists as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney, and his band, the Crickets, had just scored a No. 1 hit with “That’ll Be the Day,” and his last single was "It Doesn't Matter Anymore."
"...with each passing decade, the myth of Buddy Holly has grown by substantial degrees." ~Claire Suddath, Time
Buddy Holly's career only lasted a year and a half with only one number one single, yet his influence on early rock 'n' roll is almost unmatched.
"Both John Lennon and George Harrison learned to play guitar in part by listening to Buddy Holly records. The first Rolling Stones' single released in the U.S. was cover of Holly's "Not Fade Away." ~Claire Suddath, Time
Buddy Holly and The Crickets - Peggy Sue - Live on The Arthur Murray Party (29th December, 1957)
Today is the festival of St. Brigid, the beginning of the old Celtic season of Imbolc, or Imbolg (pronounced i-MOLK or i-MOLG ), also called (Saint) Brigid's Day, a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring. Christians, especially in Ireland, observe February 1 as the feast day of Saint Brigid (of Kildare), one of the patron saints of Ireland. St. Brigid's Blessing "Go down on your knees, do homage, and let blessed Brigid enter the house" May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell. Bless every fireside, every wall and door. Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof. Bless every hand that toils to bring it joy. Bless every foot that walks its portals through. May Brigid bless the house that shelters you.
Brigid is also referred to as the "triple goddess of Smithcraft (with Celtic warriors invoking her protection before battle), Healing, and Poetry and the Arts. In folklore St. Brigid became the principal focus of the feast of Imbolc.
Imbolc - the coming of Spring - the great wheel of the year turns again on February 1st, with the ancient sacred day of the Celtic goddess Brigid - Mother Goddess of Ireland - also called Brigit, Bride, Brighid, and Brigantia. The root of her name means 'bright' or 'exalted', and possibly 'firebrand'." ~Hamish Burgess Celtic Artist
Reference to this holiday is found in some of the earliest Old Irish literature, from the 10th century. It was a festival of the hearth and home, and a celebration of the lengthening days and the early signs of spring. Celebrations often involved hearthfires, special foods, candles or a bonfire if the weather permitted. Fire and purification were an important part of the festival. The lighting of candles and fires represented the return of warmth and the increasing power of the Sun over the coming months.
St.Brigit's Cross
The wickerwork cross, known as St.Brigit's Cross, has been a popular talisman of St. Brigid since the 17th century and it is widely believed to be a Christian symbol. But its origins lie in much older traditions and folklore. It is thought to have origins in the ancient symbol for the sun. Many rituals are associated with the making of the crosses.It was traditionally believed that a Brigid's Cross protects the house from fire and evil. It is hung in many Irish kitchens for this purpose. The cross is usually woven out of rushes and sometimes straw. It
consists of a central square surrounded by four arms at right angles and
adorns the doors and rafters of Irish homes, usually in the kitchen,
warding off fire and evil. Traditionally, before being placed the crosses "would sometimes be blessed with holy water, a ritual with connotations simultaneously Christian and Pagan."
This video will show you how to make your own St. Brigit's Cross:
Bowie and Elvis share January 8 as a birthday, both Capricorn according to western astrology. They, also, are both born in the Year of the Pig in Chinese Astrology. Chinese Astrology Years of the Pig 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 David Bowie (born David Robert Jones January 8, 1947) Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977) According to the popular Chinese myth the animal ruling the year in which a person is born tremendously influences his or her behavior and traits. Pig people are said to possess considerable determination and if they set their minds on something will pursue it and attain it. Good careers for people born in the year of the pig are in music, food, writing, and looking after others. They are often imbued with the energy of wealth and the support of
others. The person born in the Year of the Pig accepts the existing
richness of life. They are said to be tolerant, generous, and peaceful. They are well liked for their honesty and warm nature, which was true of Elvis and I think it is true of Bowie. Are you a fan of one or both of these men? Do you think these attributes fit them? Want to read more about Elvis? Check out Elvis The Martial Artist
One of my favorite holiday traditions as a kid was enjoying my grandmother's fruitcake. Have you ever tasted a really good fruitcake? My grandmother made the most awesome fruitcake in the world! Assumption Abbey Bakery in Southwest Missouri makes an awesome fruitcake almost as good as my grandmother's! The Abby is located near Ava, Mo., nestled in the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks. Jasper Mirabile, Jr. recently interviewed Assumption Abbey’s Father Cyprian on his ‘Live! From Jasper’s Kitchen’ radio show and wrote an article about the interview on kansascity.com.
He writes that "only eight monks, tirelessly and lovingly work at producing these cakes each day" and that "the task begins early each morning when one of the monks begins cracking 265 eggs."
What makes the cakes so good? Mirabile writes that the fruit is first soaked in burgundy wine, added to the batter then baked. Then the monks inject each cake "with over 1 ounce of rum and then soak them in corn syrup." After each cake if finished, the monks gather and pray over each cake. This is a quote from the Abby's website:
"O GOD, CREATOR OF ALL THINGS BLESS NOW THESE CREATIONS OF OUR HANDS. THAT THESE CAKES MAY BE RECEIVED AS TOKENS OF YOUR LOVE AND SHARED WITH FRIENDS AS HINTS OF YOUR EUCHARISTIC FEAST...."
If you're not a fruitcake lover, this
dark, rich, traditional style fruitcake will make you one! Each cake is made with raisins, pineapple, currants, citron, walnuts, and wine and laced with rum. The monks of Assumption Abbey produce 125 fruitcakes a day! That's
almost 25,000 cakes per year. You can order you cake here: Assumption Abbey Bakery It comes in a decorative, re-useable tin
and weighs about 2 lbs. A good fruitcake is aged. If it contains alcohol and is wrapped in alcohol-soaked linen before storing, it could remain edible for many years. Tell me about your fruitcake experience in the comments!
When I was young, Shirley Temple movies were shown on TV quite often. I loved her movies which were always entertaining and uplifting. One of my favorite of her films was with her friend Bill Robinson who was a fabulous dancer himself. He appeared as a dancing butler in movies with young Shirley Temple.
him.
