Biblical Sanitary Laws and Quarantine. Why Should Christians Celebrate the Passover? Feline Update.

Sanitary Laws and Quarantine from the Bible.

“There are things that Moses wrote about that science didn’t learn about until thousands of years later.

The biblical laws of sanitation were clearly ahead of their time! There was really no way to fully understand the reasons for these laws until the invention of the microscope, the discovery of bacteria and the pioneering work of pathologists in recent centuries, yet these ancient biblical laws have proven scientifically valid today! People who touched a dead or diseased animal or person—or even garments or secretions from a sick person—were to bathe and wash their clothes and avoid contact with others. Contaminated garments were to be washed or burned—important sanitizing principles that are still followed today.

Dwellings that showed signs of mold, or that had harbored sick individuals, were to be cleaned, repaired or destroyed, to prevent the spread of disease (see Leviticus 13–15). Porous vessels that came into contact with dead animals were to be broken, since they would harbor bacteria. People showing signs of sickness were to be isolated—quarantined—until examined by a priest and declared well. People were to wash after having sex. Tattoos and cuttings on the flesh were also forbidden (Leviticus 19:28), for reasons that include the risk of contracting disease. Modern physicians warn that tattoos and body-piercing carry a risk for contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis and HIV/AIDS (International Journal of Infectious Disease, 2001, 5(1), 27–34).

In Deuteronomy 23:9–14, we learn that human wastes were to be buried, away from human dwellings. Today we call this sanitary waste disposal, and its benefits are widely understood but not always practiced—especially in poverty-stricken areas. History is filled with epidemics of typhus, cholera and dysentery, linked to the careless dumping of human waste into streets and rivers, or feeding human waste to animals that are then eaten. Burying human waste breaks the life cycle of many parasitic organisms that spread disease.

This simple practice is much more effective, and less expensive, than treating disease after it breaks out—and God put this principle in the Bible thousands of years before mankind's science understood its benefit!

While some scholars assert that the biblical laws were not given for reasons of health, this same commentary states that "the spiritual and hygienic reasons for the laws may still be affirmed. They are remarkably valuable in the area of public health… These laws protected Israel from bad diet, dangerous vermin and communicable diseases... These were rule-of-thumb laws that God gave in His wisdom to a people who could not know the reason for the provision" (ibid.). Thus, the idea that these biblical laws are outdated and old-fashioned and have nothing to do with health is simply nonsense!”  Excepts from: https://www.tomorrowsworld.org/magazines/2004/march-april/bible-health-laws

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Leviticus 13 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Law Concerning Leprosy

“13 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ² “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes on the skin of his body like a ^[a]leprous sore, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. ³ The priest shall examine the sore on the skin of the body; and if the hair on the sore has turned white, and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a leprous sore. Then the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him ^[b]unclean. ⁴ But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and its hair has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the sore seven days. ⁵ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore appears to be as it was, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him another seven days.

⁶ Then the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and indeed if the sore has faded, and the sore has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. ⁷ But if the scab should at all spread over the skin, after he has been seen by the priest for his cleansing, he shall be seen by the priest again. ⁸ And if the priest sees that the scab has indeed spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him ^[c]unclean. It is leprosy.

⁹ “When the leprous sore is on a person, then he shall be brought to the priest. ¹⁰And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the swelling on the skin is white, and it has turned the hair white, and there is a spot of raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is an old leprosy on the skin of his body. The priest shall pronounce him ^[d]unclean, and shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.

¹² “And if leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the one who has the sore, from his head to his foot, wherever the priest looks, ¹³then the priest shall consider; and indeed if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. It has all turned white. He is clean. ¹⁴But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. ¹⁵ And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him to be unclean; for the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy. ¹⁶ Or if the raw flesh changes and turns white again, he shall come to the priest. ¹⁷ And the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the sore has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean who has the sore. He is clean.

¹⁸ “If the body develops a boil in the skin, and it is healed, ¹⁹ and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest; ²⁰ and if, when the priest sees it, it indeed appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore which has broken out of the boil. ²¹ But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in it, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days; ²² and if it should at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a ^[e]leprous sore. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread, it is the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

²⁴ “Or if the body receives a burn on its skin by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white or white, ²⁵ then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the hair of the bright spot has turned white, and it appears deeper than the skin, it is leprosy broken out in the burn. Therefore the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. ²⁶ But if the priest examines it, and indeed there are no white hairs in the bright spot, and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall isolate him seven days. ²⁷ And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has at all spread over the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous sore. ²⁸ But if the bright spot stays in one place, and has not spread on the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn. The priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar from the burn.

²⁹ “If a man or woman has a sore on the head or the beard, ³⁰ then the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if it appears deeper than the skin, and there is in it thin yellow hair, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a scaly leprosy of the head or beard. ³¹ But if the priest examines the scaly sore, and indeed it does not appear deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale seven days. ³² And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the sore; and indeed if the scale has not spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the scale does not appear deeper than the skin, ³³ he shall shave himself, but the scale he shall not shave. And the priest shall isolate the one who has the scale another seven days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scale; and indeed if the scale has not spread over the skin, and does not appear deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes and be clean. ³⁵ But if the scale should at all spread over the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶ then the priest shall examine him; and indeed if the scale has spread over the skin, the priest need not seek for yellow hair. He is unclean. ³⁷ But if the scale appears to be at a standstill, and there is black hair grown up in it, the scale has healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸ “If a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the body, specifically white bright spots, ³⁹ then the priest shall look; and indeed if the bright spots on the skin of the body are dull white, it is a white spot that grows on the skin. He is clean.

⁴⁰ “As for the man whose hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. ⁴¹He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean. ⁴² And if there is on the bald head or bald forehead a reddish-white sore, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. ⁴³ Then the priest shall examine it; and indeed if the swelling of the sore is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, as the appearance of leprosy on the skin of the body, ⁴⁴ he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him ^[f]unclean; his sore is on his head.

⁴⁵ “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall ^[g]dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.

The Law Concerning Leprous Garments

⁴⁷ “Also, if a garment has a ^[h]leprous plague in it, whether it is a woolen garment or a linen garment, ⁴⁸ whether it is in the warp or woof of linen or wool, whether in leather or in anything made of leather, ⁴⁹ and if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a leprous ^[i]plague and shall be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ The priest shall examine the plague and isolate that which has the plague seven days. ⁵¹And he shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, in the leather or in anything made of leather, the plague is an active leprosy. It is unclean. ⁵² He shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, whether warp or woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of leather, for it is an active leprosy; the garment shall be burned in the fire.

⁵³ “But if the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, ⁵⁴ then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the plague; and he shall isolate it another seven days. ⁵⁵ Then the priest shall examine the plague after it has been washed; and indeed if the plague has not changed its color, though the plague has not spread, it is unclean, and you shall burn it in the fire; it continues eating away, whether the damage is outside or inside. ⁵⁶ If the priest examines it, and indeed the plague has faded after washing it, then he shall tear it out of the garment, whether out of the warp or out of the woof, or out of the leather. ⁵⁷ But if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in anything made of leather, it is a spreading plague; you shall burn with fire that in which is the plague. ⁵⁸ And if you wash the garment, either warp or woof, or whatever is made of leather, if the plague has disappeared from it, then it shall be washed a second time, and shall be clean.

⁵⁹ “This is the law of the leprous plague in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or woof, or in anything made of leather, to pronounce it clean or to pronounce it unclean.” From: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+13&version=NKJV;NIV

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Why Should Christians Celebrate the Passover?

“Jesus Christ and the apostles kept the Passover. What does Passover mean for Christians today?

Photos.com

Christians who observe this annual memorial marking Jesus’ death are reminded that eternal life is possible only through Jesus Christ.

The first of God’s seven annual festivals is the Passover (Leviticus 23:5). Passover falls in early spring in the Holy Land and is a reminder of how God spared His people from death in Egypt. To rescue His people from slavery, God took the lives of all the firstborn Egyptian males (Exodus 12:7, 26-29) but passed over the Israelites’ homes that had the blood of a sacrificed lamb on their door frames.

The blood of the Passover lamb foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which passes over the sins of people who repent in order to spare them from eternal death. The New Testament makes clear that Christ is the true Passover Lamb (compare Exodus 12:21 with 1 Corinthians 5:7). In observing His last Passover with His disciples, Jesus explained that the symbols of bread and wine represent His body and blood, offered by Him for the forgiveness (or passing over) of our sins and the death penalty our sins have earned for us (Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24).

The death of Christ actually took place during the daylight hours that followed the Passover evening—which was still the same date according to Hebrew sunset-to-sunset reckoning. Christ was sacrificed on Passover.

The New Testament Passover is a memorial of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. This is also when baptized members of the United Church of God renew our agreement to come under the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect Passover Lamb, for the forgiveness of our sins. We approach this period of the year with deep spiritual introspection. We commemorate the Passover on the 14th day of the first month of the sacred year with a service based on the instructions of 1 Corinthians 11:23-28 and the Gospel accounts of the New Testament Passover that Christ instituted.

This solemn service begins with a brief explanation of its purpose, followed by foot-washing (based on Christ’s example and instructions in John 13). Then the minister gives an explanation of the symbols of the Passover, unleavened bread and wine, which represent the body and blood of our Savior. Each baptized member of the Church eats a small piece of the unleavened bread and drinks a small glass of the wine (Mark 14:22-24).

Christians who observe this annual memorial marking Jesus’ death (1 Corinthians 11:26) are reminded that eternal life is possible only through Him (John 6:47-54; Acts 4:10-12). Jesus’ sacrifice is the starting point for salvation and the foundation of the annual feast days that follow. The next one is the Feast of Unleavened Bread.” From: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/why-should-christians-celebrate-the-passover

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Update

Just like most places, not much going on here.  No Bible studies, no church, except online.  A quick trip to the Post Office to mail a package, and to the grocery store to buy fresh salad and veggies.  Everybody ‘distanced’ and there were 6’ spaces marked out on the floor at the registers.

But I got a cat!  While I was in the store a lady was buying several enormous bags of dog food.  I commented that she must have a lot of dogs, and she said she was a rescue. I said well, "All I want is an old cat", and she said "I have one".

The cat’s human died and the cat was left in the house for ages before they found him.  They thought he was dead, but revived him.  He is still skinny and his hair coat isn't what it should be, but now he is here, safe in my apartment.

He probably has Upper Respiratory Infection because he was with a lot of other cats at the rescue and he sometimes coughs with a little sneeze, but with good care he should get better in a couple of weeks.  He is a very loving and well-behaved Siamese.

On the Sabbath, I watched sermons online, and it was a quiet and enjoyable day

Orinoco Goose. Salmon Saved. Pigeon Guillemots. Merlins. BirdNote: Goldfinches and the Gigantoraptor. WWII Declared.

 

For “Winged Wednesday”:

Orinoco Goose

“Highly social Orinoco Geese can often be seen in pairs or family groups, with the male distinguishable only by his larger size.

Although technically shelducks (mid-sized waterfowl), they are named "goose" because of their heavy flight style. Orinoco Geese often take a flying hop to perch in tree branches, but beyond resting and nesting in tree cavities, the species is terrestrial in its habits. Most feeding is done in daytime in open areas near water, but this "goose" migrates almost exclusively during twilight or at night.

The Orinoco Goose is declining across much of its range due to hunting and habitat loss, but conservation measures are ongoing in a number of protected areas. One stronghold for the goose occurs in Beni, Bolivia, in an extensive, sparsely inhabited area of lakes, marshland, and seasonally flooded savannas.

Here, ABC’s partner Asociación Armonía protects habitat and has erected artificial nest boxes for the Orinoco Goose at the Barba Azul (Blue-throated Macaw) Reserve. Recent research by Lisa Davenport and colleagues has shown that although some of the Beni's Orinoco Geese are resident breeders, others breed in Peru's Manu National Park and fly long distances to stay in this part of Bolivia outside the breeding season.”

Watch footage of the Orinoco Goose on YouTube.

Help ABC conserve this and other birds and their habitats!

Photo: Dan Lebbin; Range Map by NatureServe

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A Victory for our water-winged friends:

Let The River Flow - Judge Grants Salmon a Chance To Live

“Corporate giants lose court battle over Klamath/Trinity rivers water.  There are few victories sweeter and more dramatic than the one just wrested by Earthjustice attorney Jan Hasselman and his tribal allies in a Fresno, California courtroom last week. They did nothing less than save an entire run of chinook salmon from a corporate grab of the water needed by those fish to survive their spawning run up the Klamath/Trinity rivers system.

Chinook—or king—salmon are crucial to the ecosystem. (Dec Hogan / Shutterstock)

The drama—and believe me, it was a mix of theater, unexpected turnarounds, and life-or-death arguments—climaxed late yesterday when a judge agreed that these salmon need the water more than the mega-farms which wanted it as a hedge against next year's bottom line.

Dozens of Native America tribal members demonstrated outside the courtroom as U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence O'Neill heard the warning of what happened 12 years ago during a drought year like this on that same river system. That year, a water grab authorized by the Bush administration left as many as 70,000 salmon dead in the rivers, with the next generation rotting in their bellies.

Years later, those rivers were empty of salmon, as were the larders of tribes along the river, and the future of the commercial/recreational fishing industry that depends on healthy salmon runs. The collapse of the fishery was so severe that California and Oregon declared formal states of emergency, and Congress appropriated $60 million in disaster relief for fishermen.

The spectre of the 2002 disaster and scientific testimony that showed it could happen again this year convinced Judge O'Neill to let the Trinity River flow into its natural bed, rather than allow its diversion hundreds of miles south to Central Valley mega-farms.

Salmon are expected to begin their run to spawn within days. (Dec Hogan / Shutterstock)

But here's the real bottom line...Hasselman et al prevailed, and because of that, in the next few weeks one of the biggest chinook salmon runs on record will race up the re-invigorated Trinity/Klamath rivers with a much-better chance of giving life to the next generation.  So stay tuned as we follow the fish home.”      More at: http://earthjustice.org/blog/2013-august/let-the-river-flow-judge-grants-salmon-a-chance-to-live   by Terry Winckler

P.S. Read our press release for quotes from the court and our on this great day for Pacific Northwest salmon.”

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A Citizen Scientist With A Special Tattoo!

“Executive producer Chris Peterson visited citizen scientist Govinda Rosling on Whidbey Island for a special show about breeding Pigeon Guillemots. (See Friday's show.) She got some great pictures, including one of a very special bird tattoo!
See for yourself >>”

 

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A Merlin Stoops

“Ever heard of a Merlin eating dragonflies? See a couple incredible series of photos from Gregg Thompson here and here.

A Merlin dives off its perch to hunt emerging dragonflies.
See this incredible image >> “

Learn more about Merlin on BirdNote!

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BirdNote: Goldfinches and the Gigantoraptor

 

 

Upcoming Shows

Common Murres SUNDAY Common Murre Fathers Take Over by Bob Sundstrom  LISTEN NOW ►

MONDAY Why Birds Collide With Buildings Featuring Annette Prince, Director of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors  LISTEN NOW ►

Gigantoraptor TUESDAY Gigantoraptor by Bob Sundstrom  LISTEN NOW ►

Least Sandpipers WEDNESDAY Power of the Important Bird Area Designation Featuring Pete Pumphrey of Eastern Sierra Audubon LISTEN NOW ►

European Goldfinch THURSDAY Vivaldi's Goldfinch by Bob Sundstrom  LISTEN NOW ►

Pigeon Guillemots FRIDAY Citizen Scientists Monitor Pigeon Guillemots Featuring Govinda Rosling of the Pigeon Guillemot Research Group LISTEN NOW ►

Arctic Tern SATURDAY Migration - Long, Short, And In-Between by Bob Sundstrom   LISTEN NOW ►

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On This Day:

Britain and France declare war on Germany, Sep 3, 1939:

“On this day in 1939, in response to Hitler's invasion of Poland, Britain and France, both allies of the overrun nation declare war on Germany.

The first casualty of that declaration was not German—but the British ocean liner Athenia, which was sunk by a German U-30 submarine that had assumed the liner was armed and belligerent. There were more than 1,100 passengers on board, 112 of whom lost their lives. Of those, 28 were Americans, but President Roosevelt was unfazed by the tragedy, declaring that no one was to "thoughtlessly or falsely talk of America sending its armies to European fields." The United States would remain neutral.

As for Britain's response, it was initially no more than the dropping of anti-Nazi propaganda leaflets—13 tons of them—over Germany. They would begin bombing German ships on September 4, suffering significant losses. They were also working under orders not to harm German civilians. The German military, of course, had no such restrictions.”

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Yesterday:

Jay had said that he would mow, but when I spoke to him on the phone, I knew I didn’t want him here, so Misty and I had our walk around here.

Walking is a little painful right now as when I put my back out a few days ago, it has made my left knee hurt.  As it was a holiday, I couldn’t get through to the glass shop about my broken van window, or the chiropractor, to make appointments. 

Ray come over to paint the area over my front porch steps, so that the new roof can be installed.  This required being on an 8’ step ladder with the back legs on a step, and the front ones on cement blocks.  As this is something that I wouldn’t want him to be doing alone, I stayed with him to help.  We had to move the ladder and blocks many times to get it done. 

When he was doing the lower parts, I was able to rake up some pine needles and get them to the burn pile.  I also raked a bunch of the driveway gravel away from where the next ladder and block set-up would be, so that the ladder will be sturdy.  That is on the corner of the house, but we didn’t get that part done yesterday.

Anahuac, TX. Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Bike Tour, Sept. 8th. Texas Gator Fest, Sept. 12-15. Japanese Surrender. Ford Falcon. Happy Labor Day.

 

For “Travel Tuesday”: Let’s visit Anahuac, TX in the Texas Gulf Coast region.

“Home to some of the best beaches in America, the Texas Gulf Coast region draws millions of visitors to this Texas playground. Stretching some 350 miles from South Padre Island & the Rio Grande Valley, all the way to Beaumont & the Louisiana border, this region is renowned for its wildlife & natural beauty, as well as the home of America's space program. Discover the Beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast Region.”

The Story of Early Anahuac: The Beginning

“Nestled along the banks of the Trinity River in present day Chambers County; lies the historic town of Anahuac. For over 150 years this small sight played a significant part in early Texas History. It has a colorful past, and is a tale worth retelling. The earliest inhabitants of the Texas coast were members of the Karankawa Indian tribe. Made up of several bands, including the Cocos, and the Kopans, the Karankawas were a nomadic people, moving with the change in climate and the availability of food. They ranged all long the Gulf from near Galveston Bay to present day Corpus Christi.

Their name is generally believed to mean "dog raisers" due to the canine like animals kept by the tribes for hunting game. Archeological evidence from skeletal remains indicates that the Karankawa were an unusually tall race, with strong limbs and broad facial features. They were excellent runners and swimmers capable of long endurance.

The Mexican term Anáhuac comes from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The name has various meanings, including "center", "world", and "city", but it also means "capital". Anáhuac is the pre-Columbian name of the Valley of Mexico and its former lake basins around Mexico City, often including the Lerma and Pánuco river systems. Despite the name, neither the city of Anahuac, Texas nor the immediate region were ever part of the Aztec Empire.

Other sources say that the first dwellers in this area were the Anahuaconian Indians. In 1721, Frenchman Jean Baptiste de La Harpe reached this area. The area became known under the name Perry's Point, named after Colonel Harry Perry, who erected a military post here in 1816.

First hand accounts from the first Spanish explorers mention the practice of using rendered alligator grease for protection against mosquitoes and flying gnats. The smell must have been overpowering! One of the most persistent stories regarding this tribe is the alleged practice of cannibalism. While there is actually some evidence to support these stories, most acts of cannibalism were performed on an enemy to gain their strengths, NOT out of pure hunger. Feared and hated by the settlers, the struggle to defeat them was ruthless. Despite coming to the aide of the Texans during the revolution, the tribes were forever treated as enemies. Numerous attempts at treaties would fail and by 1858, the few remaining members of the tribe were annihilated by Texan forces led by Juan N. Cortina.

Established in the 1830s by the Mexican Government as the capital of Texas, Anahuac (pronounced "anna-WHACK") is one of the oldest settlements in Texas. It was at Fort Anahuac that Texans first rose up in opposition to the Mexican Government, a resistance which culminated in the Texans winning their freedom from Mexico in 1836. There are over 30 official Texas Historical Markers throughout the area, including a 1936 Centennial Marker, commemorating this historical site and the people, places and events which ultimately led to Texas` independence.”

Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge

“In addition to its historical significance, Anahuac and the surrounding area is a naturalist's delight! With its prolific wildlife and its beautiful waterways and estuaries, Anahuac attracts a cross-section of tourists from bird watchers to hunters and fishermen. The City of Anahuac is the county seat for Chambers County and is the home of over 2200 people.

Southeast of the city of Anahuac is the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge which is popular among birdwatchers because almost 250 species of birds (see external link) have been reported there. Anahuac NWR is home to several species of marsh birds called rails including Yellow Rail, Clapper Rail and Black Rail.

 

The 1935 discoveries of the Anahuac and Turtle Bay oilfields brought another period of economic development for Anahuac. Voters approved the incorporation of the city of Anahuac on October 30, 1948, and elected attorney Everett Cain mayor on January 8, 1949. The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1963 by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The refuge is located sixteen miles southeast of Anahuac. The Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce organized the first annual Gatorfest in September 1989, an event that drew 14,000 people to Fort Anahuac Park.”

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 September is a busy month in Anahuac:

2013 Texas Gatorfest Festivities

Schedule

Thursday, September 12

6 pm  Gates Open
6 pm–Midnight  Food/Drink Booths & Beer Garden
6 pm–Midnight  Carnival Rides
6 pm–Midnight  Attractions & Merchant Vendors
6 – 8 pm   Airboat Rides
6:30 pm  BGS – High Street Band
8:30 pm  BGS – Jason Cassidy
10:30 pm  BGS – Aaron Watson Band
Midnight   Gates Close

Friday, September 13

6 pm  Gates Open
6 pm–Midnight  Food/Drink Booths & Beer Garden
6 pm–Midnight  Carnival Rides
6 pm–Midnight  Attractions & Merchant Vendors
6 – 8 pm  Airboat Rides
6:30 pm  Seth Candan & Company
8:30 pm  Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band
10:30 pm  Wayne Toups & ZyDeCajun
Midnight  Gates Close

Saturday, September 14

7 am – Noon  Fly In @ Chambers Co. Airport Anahuac
10 am  Gates Open
10 am–Midnight  Food/Drink Booths & Beer Garden
10 am–Midnight  Carnival Rides
10 am–Midnight  Attractions & Merchant Vendors
10 am–Midnight  Marsh Pit Stage & Karaoke
10 am – 6 pm  The Great Texas Alligator Roundup
10 am – 8 pm  Airboat Rides
10 am – 8 pm  Alligator Education Tent
10:30 am  Gator Motorcycle run
11 am  Trinity River Boat Tour
12 noon  Trinity River Boat Tour
12 noon  BGS – 11th Hour
1 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
1 – 7 pm  Misc. Stiltwalkers & Clowns
2 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
2:30 pm  BGS – Jody Booth
3 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
4 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
4:30 pm  BGS – Quaker City Night Hawks
5 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
6 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
6:30 pm  BGS – Whiskey Myers
8:30 pm  BGS – Stoney LaRue
10:30 pm  BGS – Josh Abbott Band
Midnight  Gates Close

Sunday, September 15

Noon  Gates Open

Noon – 6 pm  Food/Drink Booths & Beer Garden
Noon – 6 pm  Carnival Rides
Noon – 6 pm  Attractions & Merchant Vendors
Noon – 6 pm  Marsh Pit Stage & Karaoke
Noon – 6 pm The Great Texas Alligator Roundup
Noon – 6 pm  Airboat Rides
Noon – 6 pm  Alligator Education Tent

Noon  BGS – Mark IV Band
1 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
1 – 5 pm  Misc. Stiltwalkers & Clowns
2 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
2:30 pm  BGS – Buck Yeager Band
3 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
4 pm  Trinity River Boat Tour
4:30 pm  BGS – Al White

 

Alligators, a boat tour to see the wildlife and a mud the dress all in one day??? Yup! We will start with a early morning boat ride to see if we can catch a glimpse of the wildlife in Anahuac that will include birds, snakes, alligators, etc. Then we will move to a location for a mud the dress shoot. 

The time is getting near that we’ve all been waiting for – the 2013 Texas Gatorfest!  Savor the foods from a wide variety of vendors, shop our Merchant Booths, ride the carnival rides, hear live music, see the Stiltwalkers, interact with the Clowns, take Riverboat Tours and Airboat rides, watch the Great Texas Alligator Roundup and the Gator Motorcycle Run.  We’ve got it all and it starts Thursday, September 12th at 6 pm and runs through Sunday, September 15th gate closing.”

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“Welcome to Anahuac - the Alligator Capital of Texas. Come join us for live music, airboats, Cajun food, alligators, carnival rides and much more.”

Texas Gator Fest   Live gators ...

 

“Anahuac is the Alligator Capital of Texas. Come to the 2013 Texas Gatorfest for live music, live alligators and a good time.

 

Texas Gatorfest celebrates the alligator which outnumbers our citizens over 3 to 1! Entertainers - Cross Canadian Ragweed and many others.  35,000 attendees expected.”

Fort Anahuac Park, Anahuac Texas

Get Directions

Anahuac - Texas Gatorfest

“This is a short documentary about a town festival in Anahuac, Texas that kicks of the 30 day alligator hunting season.”

Apart from seeing the dead alligators, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Anahuac, TX.

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On This Day:

Allies celebrate V-J Day, Sep 2, 1945:

“On this day in 1945, the USS Missouri hosts the formal surrender of the Japanese government to the Allies. Victory over Japan was celebrated back in the States.”

“Japanese Surrender - A Rare Record Of History - Amazing Footage Sept 2, 1945.

This film is believed to have never been seen before, only shots of the surrender were known.  If you are a history buff you will enjoy this. General McArthur's voice is a rarity in these old film clips. This is an actual film made of the surrender ceremony of the Japanese to McArthur in Tokyo Bay in September 1945.

Interesting the other signers to the document, from New Zealand/Australia to Europe/Russia.  We always saw the "stills" but never the film itself.  Click here: Japanese Surrender”

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Ford introduces the compact, fuel-efficient Falcon, Sep 2, 1959:

“On September 2, 1959, at a news conference broadcast to viewers in 21 cities on closed-circuit television, Henry Ford II introduces his company's newest car--the 90-horsepower, 30 miles-per-gallon Falcon. The Falcon, dubbed "the small car with the big car feel," was an overnight success. It went on sale that October 8 and by October 9, dealers had snapped up every one of the 97,000 cars in the first production run.

In 1959, each one of Detroit's Big Three automakers began to sell a smaller, zippier, lower-priced car: Ford had the Falcon, while General Motors had the Corvair and Chevrolet had the Valiant.

After years of building huge, gas-guzzling, lavishly be-finned cars, American companies entered the small-car market because European carmakers like Volkswagen, Fiat, and Renault were selling their little cars to American buyers by the thousands. (Foreign-car sales in the United States had jumped 1,060 percent since 1954 and accounted for about 10 percent of the nation's new-car sales.) Executives in Detroit hoped that cars like the Falcon would "drive the imports back to their shores."

Mostly, people liked these smaller cars because they were inexpensive. The Falcon cost about $1,900 (about $14,029 in today's dollars)--still much more expensive than even the priciest of the European imports (the Triumph and the Simca sold for about $1,600, while a Fiat, the cheapest car you could buy, cost about $1,000), but more affordable than any other American car. In addition, more fuel-efficient cars like the Falcon also saved their drivers money on gas.

Many people believed that the introduction of American compact cars would permanently transform the automobile industry. The "desire of American car buyers for sensible automobiles," one industry executive told a reporter, would soon make big, inefficient cars obsolete. Unfortunately, though the Falcon was an immediate sensation--Ford sold more than a million of them in the car's first two years on the market, and its design went on to inspire the iconic Ford Mustang--this did not prove to be the case. Today, small cars account for less than 20 percent of new-car sales.”

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Labor Day

“In the United States, Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of their country.

End of summer, Labor Day has come to be celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white or seersucker.

In U.S. sports, Labor Day marks the beginning of the NFL and college football seasons. NCAA teams usually play their first games the weekend of Labor Day, with the NFL traditionally playing their first game the Thursday following Labor Day. The Southern 500 NASCAR auto race was held that day from 1950 to 1983 in Darlington, South Carolina. At Indianapolis Raceway Par, the National Hot Rod Association hold their finals to the U.S. Nationals drag race. Labor Day is the middle point between weeks 1 and 2 of the US Open Tennis Championships held in Flushing Meadows, NY.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay, and had our walk down there.  We put one more metal section on the roof, this time it is where the screen porch and front porch roofs meet. The next panel will be a translucent one over the front door.

We can’t do much more to that area, until Ray paints it, hopefully, today.

Lip Tattoo In Mexico. "Burning Desire"!!

From Peggi’s Journal: http://www.rvliving.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4515

Please note  ------- it is Peggi that had this done, NOT me:

<----- Before tattoo.

“Early TUESDAY, John and I headed to Mexico. The weatherman promised rain, but I was on a mission – thankfully the rain held off till late that night. For the past few years I have wanted to have the outline of my mouth tattooed with an outline. Mexico promotes this procedure big time plus eyeliner (top and bottom) and eyebrows too.  (In my working life I used to sell Vanda Beauty Counsellor and giving facials was a daily event).

 "I ‘ve decided to hold off on the eye area for now, but the older I get the more the outline of my mouth seems to fade into infinity. Yes I routinely added a line with a lip pencil and fill in with colour, but I eat that topical application off.   

"NOTE... I only mention this in case there are other ‘older’ ladies who sometimes winter in the Rio Grande Valley with a similar problem. I selfishly trying to show others how brave I was.

"Our first stop was at the Elegante Boutique for a great $9.00 pedicure. It gave me time to think about putting my wishes into reality. While there I decided to bite the bullet and request an appointment with Alma, the Tattoo Artist. To give me an idea what she planned to do, she first outlined my mouth with pencil. Since it looked very natural I agreed to the Tattoo. The procedure took about 30 minutes. This is one without make-up ----->

"For those who do not know how this comes down. Alma injected a freezing solution to the two central-side portions of the top and bottom inside lip area. She then began tattooing a fine line to the outline of my mouth with a light plum colour. I admit that I did have a minor bit of discomfort during the procedure and for the first couple of days after I left her chair; but thanks to a prescribed cream, it was not an unpleasant experience.

"Five days later, I cannot believe how extremely natural my mouth looks. Only downside is my outside lip area still feels a bit dry – so I still must continually use a lip gloss. That too is slowly changing. I chose to only have the outline – without the fill-in colour. 

<----- After
"My appearance or smile is slightly different but now when you meet me, I at least have a subtle upper lip outline. Would I do this again? You bet! FYI cost was $75.00 and all hygienic actions were taken. (with fill-in colour included, cost is slightly over the $100.) I look at this slight modification as simply a necessary evil to getting older. Not everyone is affected the same way but very few of us are even close to perfect. “

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When I asked Peggi's permission to copy and paste this, she agreed and sent me these pictures, of before and after.

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This morning, when they said on the Houston news that there would be no wind today, that set my schedule in motion for today. A great day for burning the mound of pine needles that were in the burn pile.  It has just been too windy to think about doing it before now.
I checked with our little private weather station across the road, Squirrel Tree Ranch, Willis, Texas (PWS) on Weather Underground, and it also said that there would be NO wind this morning.

As Jay wanted to work, I drove down to get him.  We strung water hoses out there, and wet down around the pile before lighting it. 
After trying out some 8 O’Clock Colombian coffee that I bought yesterday, (voted A+), we raked front, back and side yards, burning all the old pine needles, and piling more and more on the fire until they were all gone.  One way to get exercise!

The whole place looks a lot better today.