Neddy's Palaver

You Need to Start with Pork Chops, Japanese Style!

These young Japanese girls can teach us everything we need to know about catching dragons. First thing - strap a meaty pork chop onto your forehead and the toothy dragons, who cannot resist the temptation, will head right for it … or YOU! “Dragon-san is falling! Dragon-san is falling!” The girls lose heart as the dragon escapes into the audience. Poor Dragon-san never even captured a single pork chop. Isn’t there a Japanese version of PETA in Japan to protect these poor dragons from such abuse from these wicked girls?

If you want to discover the insanity that is Morning Musume, here they are.

Look out Loudoun and Fauquier Counties! The big enchilada that is Fairfax County is about to take over your horsey status as “Horse Country.” A movement is underway to banish horse-less carriages in favor of more horses, bicycles and walking in Fairfax County, Virginia.

In future, beginning July 2009, Fairfax County residents seeking admission to their own taxpayer funded park-lands, must pay a fee if they arrive in a “horse-less” carriage, but no fee if they arrive riding a horse. This is blatant discrimination against non-equine modes of transportation. Why is Fairfax County trying to become horsey Fauquier County? If one employs a horse-less carriage instead of a horse to transport oneself, why should the horse be favored in entering into government owned parks.

Do horses pay taxes to Fairfax County? I do not know. I do not own a horse, because Fairfax County will not allow me to stable one upon my minuscule Fairfax County property. But Fairfax County does allow me, for now at least, to keep a horse-less carriage on my property, and I do know that my horseless carriage indeed pays taxes to Fairfax County.

I demand to be allowed to keep a horse, so that I can get into Fairfax County’s parks without paying a penalty.

Read today’s WaPo for this latest revelation about Fairfax County’s Plan to charge its own tax-paying residents to enter publicly own parks.

If you are interested in fighting Fairfax County’s City Hall on this “additional” tax on horse-less carriages, read PatCleary.com.

Hope Springs Eternal

Yesterday, Captain Cliff and I put up another Bluebird house. I never stop hoping for the return of my Bluebird of Happiness.

I’ve only seen about a dozen bluebirds in my entire life. At my old house, a long time ago, I often saw a flying blue streak at the bottom of the ravine which I knew had be a bluebird as there is nothing else in nature that brilliantly blue. But, as for seeing a Bluebird up-close and personal, I think the third time I actually saw one was the very day that I moved into this house. I peered from my new kitchen window and one was sitting on the deck rail. He sat there a long time and then, away he flew, as if to signal “mission accomplished.” I never saw him again. Then about two or three years ago, about this time of year I spotted one again on the deck rail. When I looked more closely, there I discovered at least a dozen on the deck and in the trees. Yes, we were infested with Bluebirds. Then, they all flew off - never to be seen again. Almost every year since, I have put up a new Bluebird house, but they’ never come to stay.

Today, January 5th is the Eve of the Epiphany.

For our ancestors, who celebrated “Old Christmas,” the night preceding January 6th is the Eve of Epiphany. It was on this night, over 2000 years ago, that the Magi came to Bethlehem to find the baby Jesus.

Today, the Day of Epiphany is still known as “Old Christmas,” which was the day that Christmas was celebrated before the calendar changed in the 18th century. One of the old beliefs concerning the Day of Epiphany was that a person should never lend anything to anybody on Old Christmas Day, because the lender would never get it back again. Also, the Eve of Epiphany is the night when the Holy Spirit manifests Itself upon the earth in many subtle ways. Upon that night, no matter how hard the ground was frozen, elder bushes would sprout from the ground. Even more mysterious is our ancestors’ belief that at midnight on Old Christmas Eve, if they crept silently into a barn or field, they could hear the cattle and sheep praying. At the exact stroke of midnight on Old Christmas Eve, animals would start moo-ing and baa-ing and bellowing as though they were crying, in remembrance of their own ancestors who had been present in the stable at Bethlehem to witness the birth of the Christ Child and His revelation to the Magi.

A wonderful book that I am reading about celebrating Christmas in England of long ago is “Old Christmas” by Washington Irving.

• “On The Twelth Day of Christmas”
• Old Christmas in Rodanthe, North Carolina.
• Epiphany 2007

The image, The Epiphany, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

On the fourteenth day of February, half way through the second month of the year, the birds of the fields begin the choosing of their mates who will help them feather their nests and raise their brood. This yearly event went not unnoticed by ancient humans who came to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day in emulation of the ways of the birds.

The fowl of the air continue to reveal sweet mysteries of life for humans of the female gender on Valentine’s Day. The young woman who spies a robin redbreast flying o’er head on Valentine’s Day, will marry a sailor. A young woman who first sees a lowly sparrow, is prophesied to marry a pauper who will spend his life making her happy. And the fortunate young girl who spots a goldfinch on Valentine’s Day, will marry a rich man.

In a previous post I referred to the author of this old poem as anonymous, however I have recently found it connected to Elizabeth Cheney.

Overheard In An Orchard

Said the Robin to the Sparrow
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin
“Friend I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”

–Elizabeth Chaney - 1859

The Tonight Show Video: Boo Boo the Chicken Does Leno (Video No Longer Available)

The Book of “Extraordinary Chickens”
You will crack up as you watch Marian Morris arrive carrying Boo Boo and a towel to wipe Boo Boo’s chicken poop. You will laugh even harder as every time that Marian laughs, she waves around Boo Boo’s poo-poo towel in the face of the guest sitting next to her. As all are laughing so hard, none of them seems to notice, and since the Bird Flu has not yet arrived in Arkansas, I suppose it is of no consequence. However, I do wonder why everyone, including Nurse Marian, refers to Boo Boo as a “him.” Strange indeed!

DISCLAIMER: CDC warns “DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!”

Mouth-to-Beak Resuscitation of The Arkadelphia Chicken — It’s For the Birds! And it’s for you, if you cannot get enough of Boo Boo’s unbelievable adventure. It’s a kind of Lazarus story of resurrection from the dead.

Boo Boo is a $2.37 chicken from the farm store and she fell into a pond and drowned. Marian Morris is a retired nurse who wasted no time using her skills to save Boo Boo. She described the mouth-to-beak resuscitation, “Well, you open up this little beak and it’s got this little tongue and you don’t see an airway. So, I just blew hard. It’s the first time I’ve done CPR on a beak.”

Her sister-in-law, co-owner of Boo Boo, said, “I couldn’t believe it when she put her mouth right over that chicken’s beak and started blowing into it. His eyeballs just opened up and then she would stop and they’d close and she’d do it again and his eyeballs would pop open and when Jackie came home, I says, ‘You will not believe what your sister did.’”

Jackie, the other owner, decided that Boo Boo needed to be rushed to ICU because she was still having some troubles. On Jay Leno’s show, Marian Morris described it as an Arkansas ICU—a cardboard box with a hairdryer inside. As Becky, the wife of Jackie, explained: “So, my husband put it in the box and put it out here in the sunshine and I was out here reading my bible. I just got to the part where Lazarus was raised from dead and that chicken give a squawk and jumped out of that box and sat on the side and I called my husband I said, ‘You won’t believe this chicken has come alive.’” (Thanks Martha)

Boo Boo’s Official Web Site
Linked at “basil’s blog” and “Wizbang’s” Carnival of Trackbacks.

Billy goats seem to understand that life is more interesting with variety instead of sameness.

The image, GOAT WISDOM 3, was originally uploaded by maplecs100. It is posted here from

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck would chuck wood? Not much if he sees his shadow. Happy Groundhog Day!

On Old Christmas Eve, or the Eve of Epiphany, young children and those of faith who walk with the Spirit can hear the animals pray.

Today, the Eve of Epiphany, was Old Christmas Eve to the pioneer mountain folk of Appalachia. On this night they knew the Holy Spirit to be abroad in the land, with manifestations unknown at any other time or season. At the exact stroke of midnight, when Old Christmas begins, God’s lowly beasts and creatures around the world begin to pray. We may hear them if we quietly listen. We hear their soft animal crys of praise to God if we listen with faith. We understand their words if we listen with our hearts. For in Bethlehem, so long ago, the beasts of the stable witnessed the birth of Mary’s son, and they were present when God revealed the Christ Child to the three king seekers. Today, people no longer celebrate Old Christmas. However, wondrous happenings can still be witnessed by those bravehearts who seek to find the truth for themselves, on Old Christmas Eve.

When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

~~Matthew 2: 9-11 Listen to Matthew’s Christmas Story