Who am I? Sagittarius or Ophiuchus?

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

WHO AM I? SAGGITTARIUS or OPHIUCHUS?

Should I have an identity crisis?

Through the years I’ve existed on the Zodiac list as a Sagittarius, being born between November 23 and December 21. 

Sagittarius is represented by Chiron, a mythical being called a centaur:  half-man (an archer)and  half-horse. The Sagittarius motto is “It is better to know how to learn than to know.”

Some of the Sagittarian traits are:

• Seeking knowledge and wisdom, never tiring of the quest for what is yet to come.
• An outgoing and joyful mood, which can become more sullen if the Sagittarian feels their wings have been clipped.
• Not losing hope, even in a restrictive situation, is an inspirational perspective that leads the Sagittarian to their greatest success
• Glossing over problems or avoiding difficult situations*

 Well, that pretty much describes me! Or does it?

 The news this week is that I fall under a different sign.

 Parke Kunkle, a Minnesota Planetarium Society board member, claims that  the earth has tilted and realigned itself, relocating the sun into “a different constellation than it was 3,000 years ago” when astrology began and the twelve astrological signs were designated. Thus, many persons now fall under a different sign than they thought they did.

I’m one of those. Not only do I fall under a different sign, I fall under

26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter U

26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET:

THE LETTER  U

Monte Holland

Several persons have expressed an interest in having my husband, the Rev. Monte W. Holland, post an online series of devotions. Through their encouragement, Monte will post a weekly devotion on CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS. To read the introduction click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction. Click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter T to read the previous post on the letter T.

Return to this site each Saturday to read his devotions.  Carolyn C. Holland

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 ALPHABET OF THE BIBLE – THE LETTER U

     Use hospitality to one another without grudging. (1 Peter 4:9)

     Why would anybody want to come into our house to stay? Our outside yard is never fully manicured. Our house is cluttered and too full of things. We often are busy with other activities that keep us from being the “perfect  hosts.”

     And yet I married a hospitable woman. She’s always been ready to open her door to those with special needs.

     As I look back there were many that came and stayed for a while. There was the woman who was so lonely and distraught that she considered suicide.  She stayed for a few weeks.

     There was the man who was reluctant to enter a church because “It might fall down.” He came for a little time to “dry out.” He stayed a couple of weeks.

     There was the homeless woman who stopped by from time to time to get a meal, to clean up and get a good night’s sleep.  The odor she left behind reminded us of how difficult it is to be homeless.

     There was the woman who stole from our church and

How to Make a Beaver Fur Hat

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

This week I received the following question by my new-found sister, Darlene: So, tell me about your “hats”.  I notice you almost always are wearing a hat   So begins our saga of getting to know one another. I referred her to my post Hats Make a Statement, which would answer her question.

     Although I am kind of late (I had the date wrong…) I am posting the following in celebration of National Hat Day, which was January 15, 2011.

HOW TO MAKE A BEAVER FUR HAT

From about 1550 until 1850, felt hats were fashionable in much of Europe… European gentlemen wanted fine hats. Quality hats demanded the best felting material available. Beaver fur was an excellent raw material. Beaver fur is tight yet supple and will hold its shape far better under rough wear and successive wettings than felt made from wool or other types of fur…. By the late 1500′s, the beaver was extinct in western Europe and was close to extinction in

Oprah and I: Adoption Reunion Experiences

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

OPRAH AND I:

ADOPTION REUNION EXPERIENCES

     I was nine years old—just eight days short of being ten—when my mother gave birth to a daughter she placed for adoption. Oprah said she was nine-years-old when her mother gave birth to a daughter and gave her up for adoption.

     I was living with my mother. Oprah was living with her father.

     Neither of us realized our mothers were pregnant. This was more understandable with Oprah, who wasn’t living with her mother. It was less understandable for me, living in the same apartment with my mother and sister. But back then, what did I know?

     Both adoptees spent years searching for the identity of their bio-mothers. My sister Darlene discovered her bio-mother’s identity on

Counting the Homeless in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

COUNTING THE HOMELESS

IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

 

The coalition will conduct the annual census of homeless in the county from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday. The census is required to receive federal money for homeless assistance programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

     This announcement about the Westmoreland Coalition on Housing (Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania) stated that the census, which will check shelters, the streets and even all-night business to find people without permanent places to live, is required for the county to receive federal money through the Department of Housing and Urban development homeless assistance programs.

     I wondered how the extreme eastern area of the county would fare. Because there are many moneyed people in Ligonier Township (which includes Ligonier and Laughlintown), the area has a reputation of being wealthy. Yet, as I drive down its rural roads, I see (sometimes rundown) trailer homes across from million dollar mansions.

     So what would the census in Ligonier Township show?

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     Volunteers will be stationed at five sites in the county where homeless families and individuals are being asked to report that night. In perusing the list of sites to be covered by the census (Lighthouse Mission in Arnold; Union Mission in Latrobe; Salvation Army in Jeannette; Schooner Youth Center in Monessen; and Welcome Home in Greensburg) there was no indication Ligonier Township was even considered as a site

Moving Day

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

MOVING DAY

I’m sitting in a corner of an empty room, on a piano stool I found amongst the stack of items on the patio. A wall serves as my back support. I’m waiting for the moving truck—oh, there it is: it had recovered from its problems driving to this house, problems caused by snow-covered, narrow roads.

     Joanne arrived before the truck, bringing her dog and cat to the house. The cat was scared shitless by the move. Joanne put both animals in main bathroom, removed the cat from the cage, and shut the door.

She searched for her car keys, which were finally located in her purse, set on the floor against a dark wall, camouflaged well. She spoke briefly to the movers and shot off a few instructions to me before she left so she could clean the house she was abandoning for this new-to-her house.

     I was left in charge of the movers. For a few minutes while they were working, the sun actually shone, casting shadows across the snow in Joanne’s yard. It was cold, but because the doors had to be kept wide open I turned the heat down as low as I dared.

     Don enjoyed conversing more than the moving tasks, although he did fulfill his share of the moving duties. He was a wild and woolly character who lives in the country during the winter, and the city of Hazelwood (part of the greater area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) during the summer. He said it is a bad area.

     “I like living in the city,” he said with a drawl. “When I was young I lived up north where it was uncivilized. Now it’s getting civilized. I don’t like civilization. But I like living where I can go to Starbucks for coffee. I like making them nervous by asking for goat’s milk, which they don’t have.”

     He has seven chickens, but had hundreds at one time in his life. He protects his land with “do not” signs—do not swim, hunt, smoke, etc.

     Jitterbug, his friend, was on a television program.

     “He is bearded and wild-eyed. He didn’t own the mineral rights on his land, and the Marcellus shale gas people came onto his property and poisoned his water. His cows are dying. They attribute it to the poisoned water.”

     Don is bearded and almost wide eyed.

     “On Earth Day in April, when I get my beard shaved off, I will dye my hair blonde, I’m graying up too much. It’ll be like a new me. I’ll wear

26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter T

26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET:

THE LETTER  T

Monte Holland

Several persons have expressed an interest in having my husband, the Rev. Monte W. Holland, post an online series of devotions. Through their encouragement, Monte will post a weekly devotion on CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS. To read the introduction click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction. Click on  26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter S  to read the previous post on the letter S.

Return to this site each Saturday to read his devotions.  Carolyn C. Holland

ALPHABET OF THE BIBLE – THE LETTER T

     Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift. (2 Corinthians 9:15)

     There were a huge number of gifts under our tree at Christmas. We receive more gifts on Valentine’s Day and on our birthdays. It is difficult to count all the gifts we receive in a year. And yet I don’t think there would be even one that we would call an inexpressible gift.

     As the Contemporary English Version says, this gift from God is too wonderful for words.

⁶ Remember this saying, “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest.” ⁷ Each of you must make up your own mind about how much to give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give and don’t feel you are forced to give. God loves people who love to give. ⁸ God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. ⁹ The Scriptures say, “God freely gives his gifts to the poor, and always does right.” ¹⁰ God gives seed to farmers and provides everyone with food. He will increase what you have, so you can give even more to those in need. ¹¹ You will be blessed in every way, and you will be able to keep on being generous. Then many people will thank God when we deliver your gift. ¹² What you are doing is much more than a service that supplies God’s people with what they need. It is something that will make many others thank God. ¹³ The way in which you have proved yourselves by this service will bring honor and praise to God. You believed the message about Christ, and you obeyed it by sharing generously with God’s people and with everyone else. ¹⁴ Now they are praying for you and want to see you, because God used you to bless them so very much. ¹⁵ Thank God for his gift that is too wonderful for words! (2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (CEV))

     What is this inexpressible gift? It is the gift

Lions Still Guard Majestic Buildings

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

NOTE:

This is the 500th post on this site!

Visits registered 85,000 yesterday!

Overall top posts:

CHILD ABUSE AND SCRIPTURE

CHILDREN LEFT HOME ALONE (or in cars alone)

IN SEARCH OF THE ARABELLA: A Story of Two Boats

KILLED STRANGELY: A NEW ENGLAND MURDER STORY

THE HOLOCAUST STORY OF A TEENAGE VICTIM (Part 1)

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LIONS STILL GUARD MAJESTIC BUILDINGS

SCRIPTURE: And twelve lions stood there on one side and on the other side on the six steps…   (1 Kings 10:20   KJV)

REFLECTION: I try to visit to my childhood home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, every few years. Each time, I trace the roads I traveled as a child. On one street is the former Rockingham Hotel, now a more permanent residence for local persons. One corner of the building holds a restaurant called the Library.

     Two sets of eight steps lead to the entrances of the hotel. Each stairway landing is guarded by

Writing About (Historic) Buildings

CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS

WRITING ABOUT (HISTORIC) BUILDINGS

     The Beanery Writers Group (Southwestern Pennsylvania) members have an opportunity to visit and write about a Frank Lloyd Wright structure, in any genre the writer chooses. Once the idea was seeded, I realized that doing this would present a challenge to many of the group members, including myself. 

     We are preparing for this project by visiting and writing about local structures: two unusual restaurants, a historic building built in 1799 which is now a museum, a Catholic church Basilica, the county courthouse, etc. Because these excursions have proven how difficult it is to write about historic structures, I searched the ‘net for guidance. I discovered that there’s a scarcity of instructional material to glean from.

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     Buildings, like people, have stories to tell about their community’s and the nation’s past. Embedded in historic structures and landscapes are traces of past lives that are clues to how our ancestors lived, and how life today evolved. To write about them is to bring these traces to life.

     Historic structures, with a wealth of history, legend, and folklore on their doorstep, provide fertile material for factual and fictional writing. The writer’s imagination, inspired by the iconic locations, can run wild, using descriptive style and creating imaginative stories based on both fact and fiction.

     There are different approaches to writing about historic (or current day) structures.  

• Describe in detail a general overall view of the structure, a room, or an item(s) on display. Use all your senses, but remember: descriptive writing does not include opinion.
• Use personal interviews, research (libraries and Internet—caution, though—make certain the information is accurate), and documentation (public records, newspaper stories) to write a factual piece on the history of the structure. Support this with information on the structure itself and/or its contents, in part or in whole. Include the date the structure was built, its architectural style, how the structure changed through the years

• Explore the people connected with the structure: the builder, the owners through the years, who worked in the structure, who visited the structure and why.

• What was the structure’s original use? How did it reflect its certain historical era. How did it change through the years (additions, renovations, etc.)? What is its current use? Why were these changes made? What construction, special to its purpose, was used? What is the relationship between its construction and its purpose?
• Why do you think that people are interested in visiting this building?
• Can these buildings tell us anything about (to continue reading click on: How to Write About (Historic) Buildings)

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 ADDITIONAL READING:

DEVELOPING CHARACTERS IN NOVEL WRITING

Eavesdropping—the good and the bad of it

JOURNALIST ETHICS CONCERNING THE RECEIPT OF GIFTS

Journalism Rules and Professionalism: I had neither!

INTEGRITY: A JOURNALISTIC CODE OF ETHICS REVIEW

THE WRITING LIFE CONTINUES

THE WRITING LIFE: There’s a World Out There?

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26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter S

26 DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE ALPHABET:

THE LETTER  S

Monte Holland

Several persons have expressed an interest in having my husband, the Rev. Monte W. Holland, post an online series of devotions. Through their encouragement, Monte will post a weekly devotion on CAROLYN’S COMPOSITIONS. To read the introduction click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: Introduction. Click on 26 Devotions Based on the Alphabet: The Letter R to read the previous post on the letter R.

Return to this site each Saturday to read his devotions.  Carolyn C. Holland

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ALPHABET OF THE BIBLE – THE LETTER S

Strive to enter the narrow door; for many I tell you, will seek to enter and not be able. (Luke 13:24)

     Living the Christian life is not “a piece of cake” or “a walk in the park,” metaphorically speaking. We are hard wired with a tendency to stray from the “straight and narrow.”

     The annual arrival of the Lenten season reminds us that sin is real, and that living as a Christian must be intentional.

     During winter I’m caught out on icy roads from time to time. Sometimes it is a country road that has a crown in the middle. As I travel along, I must stay alert to keep the car from sliding left into the opposing lane, or right off the edge of the road.

     Today’s verse reminds me of coming upon a narrow bridge on a crowned icy road. It requires