Creepy Burial Practice For Freaky Friday...!

Burial rites and practices have changed over the years and will probably continue to do so for a long time.

Many of these practices seem odd and extreme to us now, and with good reason. They had a very high creepy factor! This article from Listverse shows just what I mean!

Thousands Of Dead Under Church Floorboards

Before separate cemeteries were created in old England, the preferred place to bury the dead was in churchyards. There was much profit to be made from this practice. A particularly famous and grim example of the profit from London’s prolific dead occurred at Enon Chapel. The preacher of the church, who was motivated by profit, began to inter the city’s dead at a rate of 30 per week beneath the floorboards of his church. The piles of dead bodies kept accumulating until there were over 12,000 bodies. This was unsustainable for a church basement, and compromises were made.

Corpses were stacked to the ceiling, and the gases seeping through the floorboards caused parishioners to faint and children to be accosted by corpse flies during Sunday school. Eventually, the basement couldn’t hold all the bodies so the dead were carted away to be dumped in the Thames River. Occasionally, parts fell out of the carts during such journeys. This horrified local residents who found skulls littering their streets. The chapel was eventually shut down once authorities discovered what was happening, though it was later bought by another party and turned into a dance hall. The parties were called “dances of the dead.”

I'm sorry, but this is definitely NOT a church I would want to attend! I'm funny that way!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Donut holes for everyone!

How's This For Scary...?

If you think that a nuclear threats are never present inside the borders of the U.S., better think again.

The scary part is when you find out that WE caused the threat to ourselves!

Minot, North Dakota

Don’t think that fumbles with nuclear weapons are a thing of the past; the most recent such incident happened in 2007 at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.

The mission was supposed to be pretty simple—deliver a load of unarmed AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles to a weapons graveyard. A dozen of them were loaded onto a B-52, six on each side. The officer in charge came and gave a quick inspection with a passing glance at the missiles on the right side before signing off on the mission. If he bothered to look on the left side, he would have noticed something quite interesting—the six missiles were all still armed with nuclear warheads, each with the power of 10 Hiroshima bombs.

This fun fact went unnoticed for the next 36 hours. During that time, the missiles flew across the country to Louisiana without any kind of safety protocols in place or any other procedure normally required when transporting nuclear weapons.

In the end, things turned out fine, which is why this incident was never classified as a broken arrow. Rather, it’s a “bent spear,” an event involving nuclear weapons of significant concern without involving detonation. Even so, when word got out, the public was quite distressed to find out exactly how easily six incredibly dangerous nuclear weapons can get misplaced through simple error.

Now, I don't know about you but this makes me more than just a little uncomfortable. Wonder how many other times something like this has happened and we were never told?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. If it doesn't rain, we can move outside.

Will Rogers On Western Wednesday...!

Not many men are more recognized from our early days as Will Rogers. I'm sure that most of us remember him from some of the early films he did, or from reading some of his more famous quotes.

This article from History.com tells a little of his history as an entertainer, and I think you'll find it interesting.

Nov 4, 1879:

Will Rogers is born in Oklahoma

On this day, the cowboy philosopher and humorist Will Rogers, one of the most beloved entertainers of the early 20th century, is born on a ranch in Cherokee Indian territory.

The son of a respected mixed-blood Cherokee couple, William Penn Adair Rogers grew up riding and roping on the plains of Oklahoma. An indifferent student, he earned only average grades in school, but he was by no means the ill-educated common man that he later liked to pretend. He was, in fact, highly literate and well read. In 1898, he left his family ranch to work as a Texas cowboy, and then traveled to Argentina where he spent a few months as a gaucho. But Rogers discovered his real talent when he joined Texas Jack's Wild West show in 1902 as a trick roper and rider under the stage name "The Cherokee Kid." For all his skill with ropes and horses, Rogers soon realized that audiences most enjoyed his impromptu jokes and witty remarks. Eventually, Rogers began to focus on making humorous comments on world events and created a popular vaudeville act with which he traveled the country.

In 1919, Rogers' first book, The Peace Conference, was published. In the 1920s, he achieved national fame with a series of movie appearances, radio shows, lecture tours, magazine articles, and regular newspapers columns. Amazingly prolific, Rogers eventually wrote seven books, an autobiography, almost 3,000 short commentaries called "daily telegrams," more than 1,000 newspaper articles, and 58 magazine articles. Rogers' warm, folksy manner and penetrating wit were hugely popular during the Depression, and his concern for the welfare of average folks was genuine. He contributed frequent charitable performances in support of the victims of floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes worldwide.

On August 15, 1935, Rogers was on a flight to Asia with the famous pilot Wiley Post when the craft developed engine troubles and crashed near Point Barrow, Alaska. The crash killed both men. Rogers was only 55.

Funny how you sometimes find out things about someone that proves they were more than they seemed to be. Such was the case with Will Rogers. A true American entertainer worth a great deal of respect!

Coffee out on the patio today, if that's OK with ya'll.

An Invite From Grandma...!

Baby Sis sent this one to me and it hits home enough that I wanted to share it with you! After all, it is almost the holidays, right?

Dear Family,

I'm not dead yet. Thanksgiving is still important to me.

If being in my Last Will and Testament is important to you, then you might consider being with me for my favorite holiday.

Dinner is at 2:00.
Not 2:15.
Not 2:05.
Two. 2:00

Arrive late and you get what's left over.

Last year, that moron Fred, fried a turkey in one of those contraptions and practically burned the deck off the house. This year, the only peanut oil used to make the meal will be from the secret scoop of peanut butter I add to the carrot soup.

Jonathan, your last new wife was an idiot. You don't arrive at someone's house on Thanksgiving needing to use the oven and the stove. Honest to God, I thought you might have learned after two wives - date them longer and save us all the agony of another divorce.

Now, the house rules are slightly different this year because I have decided that 47% of you don't know how to take care of nice things. Paper plates and red Solo cups might be bad for the environment, but I'll be gone soon and that will be your problem to deal with.

House Rules:

1.The University of Texas no longer plays Texas A&M. The television stays off during the meal.

2.The "no cans for kids" rule still exists. We are using 2 liter bottles because your children still open a third can before finishing the first two. Parents can fill a child's cup when it is empty. All of the cups have names on them and I'll be paying close attention to refills.

3.Chloe, last year we were at Trudy's house and I looked the other way when your Jell-O salad showed up. This year, if Jell-O salad comes in the front door it will go right back out the back door with the garbage. Save yourself some time, honey. You've never been a good cook and you shouldn't bring something that wiggles more than you. Buy something from the bakery.

4.Grandmothers give grandchildren cookies and candy. That is a fact of life. Your children can eat healthy at your home. At my home, they can eat whatever they like as long as they finish it.

5.I cook with bacon and bacon grease. That's nothing new. Your being a vegetarian doesn't change the fact that stuffing without bacon is like egg salad without eggs. Even the green bean casserole has a little bacon grease in it. That's why it tastes so good. Not eating bacon is just not natural. And as far as being healthy... look at me. I've outlived almost everyone I know.

6.Salad at Thanksgiving is a waste of space.

7.I do not like cell phones. Leave them in the car.

8.I do not like video cameras. There will be 32 people here. I am sure you can capture lots of memories without the camera pointed at me.

9.Being a mother means you have to actually pay attention to the kids. I have nice things and I don't put them away just because company is coming over. Mary, watch your kids and I'll watch my things.

10.Rhonda, a cat that requires a shot twice a day is a cat that has lived too many lives. I think staying home to care for the cat is your way of letting me know that I have lived too many lives too. I can live with that. Can you?

11.Words mean things. I say what I mean.
Let me repeat: You don't need to bring anything means you don't need to bring anything. And if I did tell you to bring something, bring it in the quantity I said. Really, this doesn't have to be difficult.

12.Dominos and cards are better than anything that requires a battery or an on/off switch. That was true when you were kids and it's true now that you have kids.

13.Showing up for Thanksgiving guarantees presents at Christmas. Not showing up guarantees a card that may or may not be signed.

In memory of your Grandfather, the back fridge will be filled with beer. Drink until it is gone. I prefer wine anyway.
But one from each family needs to be the designated driver.

I really mean all of the above.

Love You,

Grandma

Call me crazy, but I agree with a whole lot of what Grandma says. Time to start making "family gatherings" more about the family, don't you think?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Almost feels like Spring again out there!

A Tale Of Ravens For Monday Mysteries...!

So many legends and myths we've heard over time include ravens and crows, we have to wonder why.

Whatever it is about these birds that sparks our imagination has been around for a very very long time. Maybe the Ancients knew something that we don't, ya reckon? Well, here is yet another story to ponder.

St. Vincent’s Ravens

Ravens are often connected with holy figures as well as the demonic. St. Vincent has a raven as one of his symbols in addition to the cross and fire. Like many Catholic saints, St. Vincent’s end was a bloody one. He served under the Bishop of Saragossa in Spain, and when the Roman Emperor Diocletian brought his condemnation of the Christians to Spain, it was Vincent who acted as the spokesperson for the bishop and for the Church. After he was imprisoned, tortured, and then imprisoned again, his faith began encouraging others around him to convert to Christianity—quite the opposite of what the Romans intended.

Not surprisingly, the emperor was less than thrilled about this. He put the still-living Vincent on display as a warning, which also failed. Vincent died while still in prison on January 22, 304, and his body was thrown into a bog where it was meant to be food for scavengers. A raven landed near the body, though, and chased away any animal that got too close. The body was then thrown into the ocean, but washed up several days later, at which point it was recovered by his followers and given a proper burial. Later, in 1173, St. Vincent’s bones were taken to Lisbon after the city declared him its patron saint. It was said that a group of ravens escorted his bones to Lisbon Cathedral, and for nearly 800 years, the descendents of those ravens lived at the cathedral. Unfortunately, the last of St. Vincent’s ravens died in 1978.

So, can you remember any stories or urban legends from around your area that inclde ravens or crows? If so, share them with us. I'm always in the mood for a good mystery story, ya know?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Chilly but it's dry, OK?

November 2nd Cartoons...!

Hard to believe but it is already November! Time to set the clocks back and get ready for Winter, ya know?

Maybe we should enjoy what good weather we have left with some old fashioned 'toons!



Even the characters in the 'toons have to winterize, I reckon.



Won't be long before Winter is here, even in the South!



Winter is necessary, I reckon...but I'd rather have Spring and Summer all the time. Maybe a touch of Fall once in a while!

Hot coffee out on the patio this morning. Anyone rather have hot chocolate?

The Killer Fog...!

Just when we get to thinking our weather is bad, along comes a reminder of just how fortunate we really are.

Of all the natural disasters in history, this one sort of stands out to me, mainly because some of the resulting deaths might have been prevented.

The Fog That Killed 12,000 People

By Debra Kelly on Wednesday, October 29, 2014

In 1952, weather conditions led to a massive smog descending on and gathering over London. Visibility was less than 30 centimeters (12 in), the air was black with coal and pollution, and the usually bustling city ground to a standstill. By the time the smog had cleared, 4,000 people had died from exposure to the pollution, and another 8,000 would die in the following weeks from complications. The smog would lead to increased awareness of the problems of pollution over city centers.

London has long had something of a romantic relationship with their fog. Our image of the Industrial Revolution often involves people wrapped in long trench coats, making their way through the pea soup that’s settled over the streets, barely pushed back by the gas lamps that line the sidewalk. That’s not an old image, either; in 1952, a smog settled over London that not only stayed for four days, but led to the deaths of more than 12,000 people.

On December 5, 1952, several factors came together in what would be a deadly mix. A prolonged cold spell meant that people were firing up their home heating units, meaning smoke was pouring from every residential chimney in earnest and for days, more smoke was added to the already heavy output that was gushing from factories across the city. A relatively new phenomenon was also adding to the problem—cars. An anti-cyclone was hovering over the area, keeping the smog from rising off the city. The wind that normally would have helped disperse the smoke had died, and smoke kept building up until the city turned black.

At the height of the event now dubbed The Great Smog, visibility was so bad that it was impossible for people to see their own feet. Cars were abandoned in the street as people sought shelter indoors, although they were no better off. People were so distracted by the fog that many lost track of friends and family members, whom they would later find had died in what they thought was the safety of their own homes.

Some did make it to hospitals—on foot, as even the ambulance services had stopped running. Nurses recount admitting patients whose lips had turned blue, patients who were struggling to breathe against the suffocating smoke. In the four days that the smog had settled over the city, about 4,000 people suffocated. For many fairly healthy individuals, the smog was survivable—but among the dead were children, the elderly, and chronic smokers whose lungs and respiratory systems were already comprised.

Schools closed, and so did airports and train stations. Buses stopped running, and among the first to die were the cattle that were on sale at the Smithfield Market. When they were butchered, it was found that their insides had turned black from the smoke and their meat was unusable. People’s clothes were permeated; even underwear turned black.

Winds came on the fourth day, and cleared out much of the smog. For many, the damage was already done, though, and another 8,000 people would die in the following weeks from smog-related illnesses.

The Great Smog of 1952 wasn’t the first time the city had been halted by smog and coal tar in the air. In December of 1873, the death toll was about 40 percent higher than usual because of the smog that settled over the city. Other smogs happened in 1880, 1882, 1891, and 1892, most severe around areas where there was a heavy concentration of factories and, consequently, workers.

After The Great Smog of 1952, legislation was passed to begin eliminating coal use in factory and residential fires. Originally, paraffin was used in place of coal, but the deadly event led to a long-lasting awareness in the city of the potential impacts of pollution.

Just imagine how something like this could have affected a large city here, like New York City. When the air gets bad enough to turn black, we are all in trouble! Know what I mean?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Don't worry, there's no fog...yet!