Sophia The Cat, Lammas Day and Rosh Hashanah

Greeting to all and welcome new friends to the East Wing.

There was a near war in the East Wing this past week, somehow Gray Lady James acquired a copy of an email which Sophia The Republican Cat sent to some of her distant relatives around the country.

Don’t know how the Gray Lady got the email, she just did. Maybe from the neighbor cat, maybe from the mailman, maybe from the stork, I don’t know. The point is The Lady had the letter and demanded to know why this Cat Of A Different Color would send out such garbage.

Cat and the dog were close to blows when I choose to step into the fray. Stepping in between warring cats and dogs takes a certain amount of courage if ya know what I mean.

With the Gray Lady on one side barking her head off and the Calico Cat on the other side with that special look in her eyes, I knew I had a hand full to keep peace in the East Wing. Holding each at arm’s length and yelling “shut up and listen ! Only one talk at a time and I mean it!” got their attention.

Sophia spoke first, she said “ I have a proposition to make, I will only ask one question, If my question cannot be answered, my email will be included with the next Ramblings From the East Wing, If my single question can be answered, then I will become a card carrying democrat”.

Well, the Gray Lady damn near went through the roof. “Why you @#$#%$#@ cat! What is your stupid question Sophia? The cat just smiled and said “Deal or No Deal?” At that point, trying to keep peace in the East Wing, I said “deal”.

One thing about the Calico Cat, she’s not afraid to get in your face when it comes to politics. But this time she just gave the Gray Lady one of those “Sophia The Cat Smiles” and said “which one of the statements that I made is incorrect?

It’s easy to tell when the bird dog doesn’t catch the bird. Gray Lady James, a text book picture of the German Short Hair Pointer. But that day she missed the bird. And I am obligated to send you the cat’s email.

SOPHIA WROTE:
This is not easy for me to concede but I have to own up to the fact that you Blue Cat Democrats were right.

You told me if I voted for McCain, the nation's Hope would decline, and sure enough there has been a 20 point drop in the Consumer Confidence Index since the election, reaching a lower point than any time during the Bush administration.

You told me if I voted for McCain, the US would become more deeply entangled in the Middle East, and sure enough, tens of thousands of additional troops are scheduled to be deployed into Afghanistan.

You told me if I voted for McCain, that the economy would get worse, and sure enough unemployment is damn near 10.0% while the new stimulus packages recently sent the stock market lower than at any time since 9-11.

You told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more "crooks" in high ranking positions in Federal government and sure enough, several recent cabinet nominees and Senate appointments revealed resumes of scandal, bribery and tax fraud.

You told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more "Pork at the trough" in Federal government and, sure enough, 17,500 "Pork Bills" showed up in Congress in just three weeks after you democrats took control of Congress.

You told me if I voted for McCain, we would see more deficit spending in D.C. and sure enough, Obama spent more in just 30 days than all other Presidents together in the history of the nation. A 3.8 trillion dollar budget, with a 900 million dollar per day interest on this current debt.

Well, I ignored you Blue Cat Democrats last November and voted for McCain. … And you were right. All of your predictions have come true. This must be the change you kept telling me about last year, right?

And I never saw it coming. Are you guys smart or what !?!

Well that will be the last time I’ll agree with Sophia before first thinking it through to all possible conclusions. But I will say for the rest of the week, Sophia walked around with a special swagger in her step. It kinda reminds me of President Obama, somewhere between jive and acting stupidly.

I’m not sure if he is on her email list or not. I bet not. She’s still mad about the President picking a dog and not a cat for the official White House Pet.

In case ya missed it Lammas Day was yesterday August 1st . Lammas Day marks the beginning of the harvest. In old England, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain, wheat or barley, consecrated in churches, and eaten.

From the Old English hlaf, “loaf,” and maesse, “mass” or “feast,” Lammas is very old indeed. Lammas originate from the ancient English festival called the Gule of August, which marked the beginning of the harvest, traditionally August 1st . The early English church kept this pagan dedication of the first fruit but converted it to Christian usage. over the centuries, “loaf-mass” became corrupted in spelling and pronunciation to Lammas.

It’s kinda interesting to note how many special day such as “Lammas Day” have roots in pagan history. I think even that Easter Bunny was part of one of those deals where someone in early Christianity just couldn’t let the Easter Bunny slip away with the pagans, he probably just liked chocolate rabbits or maybe colored eggs.

There is another interesting thing that after Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as it does by day. So if ya ever wanted to try that “hearing the corn grow at night” now is the time to start listening.

Have you noticed that on certain days, we celebrate events by eating customary foods? Some are so well know, that even if ya don’t like it ya tend to eat some just because. Like corn beef and cabbage with that green beer. YUK ! The 1wife makes it every year.

But there are many other not so well know such as January 6th : On Epiphany, people eat a cake with a lucky bean baked in it. Whoever finds the bean is the king of the feast, in memory of the three kings who traveled to find baby Jesus on this day.

June 21st : In Sweden, people celebrate the Summer Solstice by eating the first strawberries of the season.

September or October : During the Jewish observation of Rosh Hashanah, honey and foods colored orange or yellow are eaten to symbolize a bright and sweet new year.

I don’t remember for sure why that Rosh Hashanah thing is not on the same day each year, but I think it’s kinda like Easter, it has to do with the moon and seasons and stuff like that. It’s the Jewish New Year Festival and those folks eat honey and yellow and orange colored food on that special day.

I don’t know that many yellow and orange colored foods, good think I’m a hillbilly and not a Jew, else I’d be in big trouble come Rosh Hashanah.

I wonder if they had a really big parade and a football game every year on the same day, if they could get that Rosh Hashanah Festival to settle on the same day.

After all, ya can’t just go building those floats any time, ya gotta know well in advance an plan these things out. Just getting the flowers together for the floats is a big deal. Plus all the work to get all those marchers, it’s hard to get good marchers now days, everybody’s too lazy to march.

I suppose they could get the President to give ‘um marchers, he gives everything else, now even helps ya buy new cars. I wonder if hamburgers are next?

I don’t even know who is going to put the football game together, It may end up the Pharaohs Army and the Hebrew Slaves.

That being the case, I’m betting on the Slaves, I think they won the first time these two met rather convincingly. Seems I remember, Pharaohs Army got drowned about midway through the first quarter. And from that point on the Children of Israel never looked back. Yah, I expect it to be 2 and 0 at the end of the game. I’m definitely betting on the Slaves.

I love August, it’s always hot and steamy, but be sure to take the time to note on which day in August the first heavy fog occurs, and expect a hard frost on the same day in October. I don’t know why this happens but I’ve watched this one a lot and most every year it works, year after year.

I better clarify my position here on this frost thing, I’m talking ‘bout if ya live in a place that has summers and winters. I’m not saying it’s gona frost in Palm Beach or Key West, or Cape Town for that matter. ( I do appreciate your invention last week to visit Cape Town, but I don’t fly well, in fact I no longer fly at all, so I will come and visit just as soon as the bridge is finished) I bet it will frost just outside the East Wing in October, will let ya know.

I love air conditioning more than hot. My office is cold by some peoples standard but I have to, ‘cause my two office cats wear full coats. I’ll have to tell ya about the office cats some day, Miss Kitty and Little Brother, both black and white. Miss Kitty has opposing thumbs, yes opposing thumbs, four of ‘um. She can grasp objects. Like Sophia, Miss Kitty has also learned to read. Unlike Sophia, Miss Kitty is learning to write. Opposing thumb and all, no reason not to. She can already write CAT and is working on the DOG.
Summer Sunday visiting in the East Wing,,, ah, what a way to while away this beautiful evening. Your presence has made our day, we thank you for coming.

What a most beautiful summer day, this August 2, 2009. Thank you Lord.

Stay safe in Baghdad and Afghanistan

From the East Wing, with Sophia doing her politic thing, Lammas Day, and Rosh Hashanah
I wish you well,
BobbyRay