Positively Saint Swithin

 by Mauverneen

Happy St. Swithin's Day! 

Who? You may well ask. We haven't heard too much about St. Swithin here in the states - if you've heard of him at all. He was the reverend bishop of Winchester in England (you may have heard of Winchester Cathedral) sometime during the Middle Ages.  

Saints are usually known for their miracles and good works, and although his reputation is of a kind man, dedicated to serving the needy, apparently the only miracle attributed to St. Swithin during his lifetime was the repair of a basket of broken eggs someone dropped. His notoriety came posthumously. Important people, like bishops, were often buried in tombs inside churches. Swithin requested to be buried outside however, "where the sweet rain of heaven may fall upon my grave". Legend has it that after his remains were moved indoors, there was a great storm and it rained for weeks.  

A tradition was born. Whatever the weather on this day, it will be so for the next 40.

"St Swithin's Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin's Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more"

No one takes it seriously, not these days anyway, and no statistics back it up, but it's a bit of fun to keep track to see how close the prediction might come. 

I keep thinking about those eggs though. What with the price of them these days, maybe we can somehow ask St. Swithin if he might like to be the patron saint of a new cause. 

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint.

                                       However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it!

  Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com

See more photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

and visit my website: http://mauverneen.com

Positively FUN

 by Mauverneen

Are we having fun yet? It's said Time Flies when you're having fun. So we must be, because time is flying. Have you noticed? Although the days are longer for a few months, they seem shorter. Not enough time. Not enough time. I read somewhere that over the next couple of months there are three days where the earth will spin faster. Why? And how do they know this? https://www.livescience.com

The Fourth of July was this past weekend. There were picnics and cookouts and pool parties and fireworks. Lots of fireworks. Fun. Not so fun for some.  

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Not just little girls, or young girls, but older 'girls'. Women. Women wanna have fun. Everybody wants to have fun. And we should. 

Everyone's idea of fun is different. Parachute out of a plane? Climb a mountain? No thanks. Hot air balloon ride? White water rafting? Yes please. And it can change. What you once thought was fun as a kid may not sound so fun now that you're an adult. But the memories? Ahh. They can bring a smile and we say "Boy, that was fun."

We all need a little fun. So give it some thought - but not too much - Find the time and go do something fun! 

As always, words and photos are my own, and require permission to reprint.

                                       However, feel free to share the blog in it's entirety. In fact, I encourage it!

  Interested in photo prints? Contact me! maureenblevins@yahoo.com

See more photos at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-mauverneen-blevins.html

and visit my website: http://mauverneen.com

Positively Tuesday Reboot

by Mauverneen

July already! July 1st, to be exact. The Half way point. I haven't posted here for about a year. I think it's time I restarted. I guess I needed the break, but it's time to start being positive again! At least on Tuesdays!

After a week or so of hideously humid weather, this morning was glorious! Look at that blue sky! It's such a pleasure to step outside and not break into a sweat, to be able to sit it the shade and revel in a cool breeze. 

Here's the deal: We all try to banish negative thoughts and words from our Tuesdays. I'll share some photos, stories, positive quotes to help get us through the day. I would appreciate it if you signed up for my Positively Tuesday blog. It only comes out on Tuesdays and I send you no other emails. Never. 

On Saturday I had the pleasure of being part of an author fair. Two of my cohorts from my writers group were also there. We had a fine time checking out the other authors and visiting with each other. Holly Coop, poet and Sue Mydliak, paranormal novelist.

Hope to see you here next Tuesday!