Simmering Pot Pourri

A good way to fill your home with "Instant Magick". Say, for instance, the kids are fighting, your spouse is grouchy and every one is disturbing you. Toss some herbs in a little pot along with a few drops of fragrant oil and put it on to simmer. As the properties of the herbs and oils are released throughout the house, just watch the atmosphere change!

Simmering Peace: vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon balm, apple slices and/or apple oil or simply use apple juice or cider in place of the water you would simmer the herbs in. Toss in a bit of clove or cinnamon as a catalyst to kick the whole thing off.

Simmering Prosperity: chamomile flowers, lemon slices, basil, bay leaves, pine needles, ginger,

Simmering Love: pink rose petals, rose oil, cardamom.

Simmering Romance: red rose petals, coriander seeds, patchouli, and red wine to simmer it in.

Simmering Creativity: yellow rose petals, star anise, orange slices, peel or oil, instant coffee.

Simmering Protection: 3 bay leaves, peppermint, rosemary, elder flowers, hyssop, lavender oil.

(Thanks 'anonymous' for your contribution)

Citrus Salmon Fillet
Salmon fillets are easy to make. The orange and lemon flavors add a great zip to the taste.
" 1/2 cup (125 grams) finely chopped fresh parsley
" 3/4 cup (180 grams) finely minced fresh dill
" 4 cloves minced garlic
" 1 and 1/2 T. olive oil
" 3 T. fresh lemon juice
" 2 cups (500 ml) fresh orange juice (not from concentrate)
" 6 salmon fillets
" 3 T. slivered toasted almonds
" 6 Lemon slices
Blend all the ingredients except the salmon and almonds together. Coat bottom of baking dish with half the mixture. Place fillets in baking dish and spoon the rest of the mixture over the fish. Top with the almonds; cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree F (190 degree C ) oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, place the lemon slices on top and bake 5 more minutes.

Poem by Dianne Drinkwater

Eye of newt, wing of bat
long black dress, large pointy hat,
huge warty nose, long fingernails too,
I am a stereotype, it's what i must do.
Fly on my broom & cackle away,
from dusk, all night, till the break of day,
back to my shack to make bad spells,
conjure up evil, straight from hell,
pick my herbs and sprinkle a few,
it's what we're like, it's what we must do.
To many this is what they believe,
we're steroeptype Witches on All Hallowes Eve!

Catholic Light Switch

(Did they really think this through?)

What Makes 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.

How about achieving 103%?

What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:

H-A -R -D-W-O -R -K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K -N -O -W-L -E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5
= 96%

But ,

A-T -T -I -T -U -D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,

B -U -L -L -S -H-I -T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S -S -K -I -S-S -I -N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7
= 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, its the Bullshit and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

Strange UK Laws
Post by ukschalke on Jul 30, 2009, 6:47pm

In 1965, the United Kingdom began to update its legal system. Over two thousand obsolete, outdated and strange laws have been repealed since then, but plenty of funny laws are still on the books today.

Below are 20 randomly chosen strange U.K. laws.

1. Dying is illegal in the Houses of Parliament.
A law prohibiting anyone from dying while inside the Houses of Parliament has been voted as the most ridiculous law by the British citizens.

2. Put Stamps properly.
Placing a postage stamp bearing the monarch’s head upside down on an envelope is considered as act of treason.

Also, defacing or destroying anything bearing a likeness of the monarch is illegal. This includes burning paper money or tearing a stamp apart.

3. The Library Offences Act of 1898 makes it illegal to gamble in a library.
The law also prohibits obscene or abusive language. Misbehavior carries a fine of £200.

4. No cannons or bear-baiting.
The Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 states that no one, “except persons acting in obedience to lawful authority, may discharge any cannon or other firearm of greater caliber than a common fowling-piece, within 300 yards of any dwelling house, to the annoyance of any inhabitant thereof”.

Under the same Act, those who “keep or use or act in the management of any house, room, pit or other place for the purpose of fighting or baiting lions, bears or other animals” can be fined £2,500.

5. Scolding was illegal for almost 400 years.
A law passed in 1585, making it illegal for women to “cause a nuisance with abusive or argumentative language”. A woman guilty of scolding had to wear a scold’s bridle, or metal cage, enclosing her head. The Criminal Law Act of 1967 finally abolished the punishment, and women may now scold freely.

6. Trespassing is illegal, except by huers and baulkers.
An Act of 1603 comes from an ancient custom in Cornwall. People known as “huers and baulkers” would stand on the cliffs and shout to fishing boats, directing them toward schools of fish. The Act gives those on the cliffs the right of entry onto the lands of others, and a defense against trespassing.

7. The Town Police Clauses Act of 1847 threatens a £1,000 fine for hanging washing across the street.
Beating or shaking carpets, rugs or mats is also illegal. Doormats may be beaten, but not after eight in the morning.

This Act also outlaws the singing of profane or obscene songs or ballads, wantonly discharging firearms, making bonfires, flying kites, sliding on ice or snow, extinguishing a lamp or willfully and wantonly disturbing residents by ringing their doorbells.

8. It is illegal for two adult men to have sex in the same house as a third person.
Henry VIII outlawed homosexuality in 1533. "Molly houses" began to appear in England in the late 16th century. These brothels offered gay men a place to have sex, and also catered to sado-masochistic and transvestite tastes. Lawmakers saw molly houses as a threat to public morality. Police monitored the houses to entrap male prostitutes, especially during the 1840’s, as Victorian moral standards rose.

9. The Queen’s Corset
From a statute of 1324 called the Prerogativa Regis, any whale or sturgeon found on the United Kingdom coastline, or caught in seas adjoining the coast, must be offered to the Crown.

Traditionally, the head belongs to the King. The tail goes “to furnish the Queen’s wardrobe with whalebone” for her corsets. These days, in practice, the Natural History Museum deals with beached whales.

All wild deer, swans and bears are also the property of the royal family.

10. One may not drive a cow while drunk.
The Licensing Act of 1872 explains that operating a horse, cow or steam engine while intoxicated carries a prison sentence or a £200 fine.

11. London hackney carriages must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats.
The London Hackney Carriage Laws have stayed the same for over a hundred years, and still apply to modern-day taxis. The oats and hay were for the horse, of course. Disputes still arise, and some firms have manufactured tiny bales of hay, so taxi drivers can stay within the law.

In London, it is illegal for a person with the Plague to flag down a taxi. No cab may carry corpses or rabid dogs.

12. Ancient security laws.
A lot of the laws refer to medieval wars such as the conflicts that England had with Scotland or Wales hundreds of years ago, and are to do with the fact that no foreigner during these times was ever seen in the country, so that if one were to be seen then it might mean they were invading. Here are some more bizarre laws:

In York it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a crossbow upon seeing one, except for on Sundays. However any Scotsman caught drunk or with a weapon can still be shot on a Sunday, except with a bow and arrow.

Similarly in Chester it is legal to shoot a Welsh person with a crossbow, as long as it is within the city walls and is done after midnight.

In Chester, Welsh people aren’t allowed to enter the city grounds before sunrise and from staying after sunset.

13. Some kind laws towards women.
In London it has been illegal for a man to hit his wife after 9pm. Indeed, wife also needs some time for rest. This law is very humanistic.

By law it is legal for a pregnant woman to relieve herself anywhere she wishes.

14. The eating of Mince pies on Christmas day is illegal.
It was once also illegal to celebrate Christmas altogether because it wasn’t considered puritan enough even though it was a religious celebration.

15. Do not pretend you are older than you are.
It is illegal to impersonate old age pensioners in the London area of Chelsea.

16. Your pet should behave as well.
It is an executable offense to allow your pet to mate with a pet of the royal house without permission.

17. It is illegal to leave your car keys in an unoccupied vehicle.

18. Suicide is a capital crime.

19. It is illegal to either shave, work or to mow your lawn on a Sunday.

20. Tarot card readings and fortune telling are illegal as these are classed as forms of witchcraft.

Many of the articles, stories and pictures on this page are copyrighted and must not be copied or reproduced in part or whole without prior written permission from the owner.© Brenda Diskin 2008