Today Irish and non-Irish alike celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by wearing green or those who are caught not wearing green are pinched affectionately. Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962, Savannah dyes its downtown city fountains green. Missouri University of Science and Technology – St Pat’s Board Alumni paint 12 city blocks kelly green with mops before the annual parade, Jamestown, New York’s, the Chadakoin River is dyed green each year

Originally the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue, not,in fact, green. However over the years the color green and its association with Saint Patrick’s day grew. Green ribbons and shamrocks were worn in celebration of St Patrick’s Day as early as the 17th century. He is said to have used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinty to the pre-Christian Irish, and the wearing and display of shamrocks and shamrock-inspired designs have become a ubiquitous feature of the day.

However you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day –

may you experience the LUCK of the Irish!

Here is what Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, has to say:

The Ides of March (Latin: Idus Martiae) is the name of March 15 in the Roman calendar. The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other months.^[1] The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 709 AUC or 44 B.C. Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate led by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus and 60 other co-conspirators.

According to Plutarch, Caesar was warned by a seer to be on his guard against a great peril on the Ides of March. On his way to the Theatre of Pompey (where he would be assassinated) Caesar saw the seer and joked “Well, the Ides of March have come,” to which the seer replied “Ay, they have come, but they are not gone.”^[2] This meeting is famously dramatized in William Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned to “beware the Ides of March.”^[3][4]

Here is what has happened this day is history according to infoplease.com/day in history:

March 15 44 B.C. On the “Ides of March,” Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the senate house by a group of conspirators led by Cimber, Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus. 1493 Christopher Columbus returned to Spain after his first visit to the Western Hemisphere. 1820 Maine became the 23rd state. 1917 Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, is forced to abdicate his throne (March 2, old style calendar). 1937 The first hospital blood bank in the United States was established, in Chicago, at Cook County Hospital. 1965 President Lyndon Johnson asked Congress for legislation guaranteeing every American the right to vote. 2003 Hu Jintao was chosen to replace Jiang Zemin as the president of China. 2004 Scientists reported the discovery of Sedna, the most distant object in the solar system.

Brevard, N.C. – The Brevard College Tornados men’s basketball team continues postseason play on Saturday, March 13th, at Christenberry Fieldhouse in Augusta, Ga. after winning the 2010 Food Lion SAC tournament to earn the conference’s automatic qualifying bid.

The Tornados (21-9) achieved the bid by defeating Wingate on March 3rd, then surviving a pair of close games at Catawba Valley Community College on March 7th and March 8th against Carson-Newman and Catawba to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in Brevard College history.

The Tornados received the No. 8 seed in the Southeast Region and draw top-seed and regional host Augusta State University (26-3) in the first round.

This will be the first matchup between both teams.

The Tornados enter the game having won four of their past five contests, led by SAC Tournament MVP Jonathan Whitson. Whitson, a 6-7 forward from Clyde, N.C., is second on the team at 17.8 points per game and leads the way averaging 8.2 rebounds per contest on his way to holding the Brevard career highs in both scoring and rebounding, breaking the 2,000 point mark on Sunday against Catawba in his 20 point, 12 rebound effort. For his career, Whitson has 2,013 points and 933 rebounds.

Joining Whitson on the All-Tournament team was junior guard Josh Roper who averaged 25.7 points per game in the tournament and is Brevard’s leading scorer on the year, having set school records in scoring, assists, field goals made and field goals attempted in his first season as a Tornado.

Seniors Sam Carlisle, Nathan Whitmire and Darin Dellinger have also played key roles in the Tornados postseason run with Whitmire scoring 20 points in the win over Carson-Newman, while Dellinger added 18 points and Carlisle had 16 in the win over Catawba in the championship.

I was reading an article from RISMEDIA, March 8, 2010 quoting some staggering statics. ComScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released a study on social networking access via mobile browser. The study found that 30.8% of smartphone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January 2010, up 8.3 points from 22.5% one year ago. Access to Facebook via mobile browser grew 112% in the past year, while Twitter experienced a 347% jump.

Mobile Browser Access of Facebook and Twitter Posts Triple-Digit Growth
Access of leading social networking sites via mobile browser continues to see significant growth. In January 2010, 25.1 million mobile users accessed Facebook via their mobile browser, up 112% from the previous year. MySpace attracted 11.4 million users, approximately half that of Facebook, in January. Interestingly, Facebook’s mobile browser audience surpassed MySpace in February 2009, three months earlier than the Facebook audience exceeded that of MySpace on the PC-based Internet in May 2009. Twitter, which has experienced tremendous growth in both mobile and PC-based visitation, attracted 4.7 million mobile users in January, up 347% versus year ago. These figures do not include access of the social networking services by the nearly 6 million mobile phone owners who do so exclusively through mobile applications.

See you on Facebook and Twitter!  Happy posting!

Here is your answer. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® have developed and rolled out a great homeowner website that has….

• Improvement Ideas with How-To’s
• Maintenance Suggestions
• Tax & Incentives
• Finances & Insurance
• News & Activity

The HouseLogic Story

What is HouseLogic.com?
HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools—from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®—that can help you make smart and timely decisions about your home.
What can HouseLogic do for me?
With content covering home improvement, maintenance, taxes, finance, insurance, and even ways you can get involved in and enrich your community, HouseLogic can help you increase and protect the value of your home by helping you make confident decisions.
Why did NAR create HouseLogic?
NAR has been a champion of homeownership rights and opportunities for more than a century. Helping consumers become more informed, responsible homeowners is important to the stability and value of the housing market – and your overall enjoyment of your home.

From time to time, NAR may ask you to partner on issues or legislation that may impact you as a homeowner.  It’s up to you whether to participate in these causes.
Will my information be shared? I can’t stand junk mail, spam, and dinnertime phone calls.
We’re with you. We’ll NEVER share or sell your email address or other personal information you may provide us with anyone without your explicit consent.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz?

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies.. Awards tarnish.. Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz.

See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials.. the most money…or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most!

“Be Yourself.. Everyone Else Is Taken!”

As I sit here at the computer at 8:30am surrounded by windows, I am marveled by a winter wonderland as the snow continues to fall. All the trees and bushes are covered with fresh clean white snow  promising 4 to 6 inches of new snow today. So, not having school age children, what is an adult to do on a Snow Day? Rooting around on the web I came across this little To-DO list from e-How To Do Just About Everything instructing Adults how to enjoy and get the most out of  a Snow Day. MAY WE ALL ENJOY OUR SNOW DAY!

How to Enjoy an Adult Snow Day

By Jennifer Glennon

Snow Days are not just for children any more. When the weather gets nasty, it is common for businesses to close and the adult population to get a snow day. The difference between a child’s snow day and an adult one is that children know how to get the most out of the day and enjoy it. Now is the time for every adult to do the same thing. It is time for all of us to enjoy an adult snow day.

Step 1  Put on your most comfortable sweats and lounge wear and make sure that you do not even think about putting any other clothing on during your adult snow day. One of the things that we as adults need to use this day off for is to relax and recharge our inner systems. It is important to be comfortable and not stressed over the growing to do list at home on an adult snow day.

Step 2  Heat yourself a cup of hot chocolate on your adult snow day. This is one of those treats that does not need to be saved for only children. You can drink the hot chocolate just the way it is or you can add some liquor to make it truly an adult treat.

Step 3  Curl up on the couch and put on some of your favorite movies or read some of the books that you have been meaning to get to. An adult snow day is like a mini vacation and needs to be looked at in this way. Make sure that you have a nice warm throw blanket to curl up under to truly enjoy your snow day.

Step 4  Order take out for dinner and do not worry about cooking. An adult snow day is one where you want to treat yourself to things that you would not normally have. Order your favorite take out food and have it delivered for dinner to make the perfect ending of your adult snow day.

The Heart of Brevard announces the creation of the “White Squirrel Festival MUSIC FUND.”  This is a fund through the Community Focus Foundation that will allow for tax-deductible donations by individuals to support the festival concerts.

The 6th Annual White Squirrel Festival takes place in downtown Brevard over the Memorial Day Weekend (May 29-30, 2010).

16 concerts will be held throughout the weekend, which are absolutely FREE to the public.

The only way to keep these concerts FREE to the public is through business sponsorships and now, individual donations.

Where else can you see Steep Canyon Rangers and Jupiter Coyote perform at one festival?!

Jupiter Coyote headlines Saturday’s performances.  For over 18 years Coyote has played “Mountain Rock” – a mixture of Southern Appalachian boogie, bluegrass-infused, funk-rock– in more than 4,000 concerts.  Jupiter Coyote has shared the stage with The Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic, String Cheese, The Radiators, and Kansas to name a few.

Steep Canyon Rangers will close the weekend concerts on Sunday.  The Rangers base their music around a stunning catalogue of original songs, drawing on the sounds of early bluegrass, honky tonk, and blues.  Nominated for 2 international Bluegrass Music Awards in 2008 (including Album of the Year, “Lovin’ Pretty Women”), Steep Canyon Rangers have toured worldwide to festivals in Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and Canada.

They are joined by new and former favorites:  Michael Reno Harrell, High Windy, Galen Kipar, Odd Meters, Jonathan Scales Fourchestra, The Shakedown, Dave Desmelik, Davidson River Taiko, Smokey Joe Show, Mike Creech, Wilsin, Brett & Adam, and others.

2009 White Squirrel Festival

This is your chance to be part of the only White Squirrel Festival in the world and showcase the talents connected to Transylvania County!  Show your support for these fine musicians and the warm hospitality of this mountain community.

Donations can be mailed to the:

Community Focus Foundation

c/o Heart of Brevard

175 East Main Street, Suite 200

Brevard, NC  28712

(Memo:  White Squirrel Festival Music Fund)

For your tax-deductible donation, you can receive:

(Please indicate preferable tee shirt size)

$50 Level

White Squirrel Festival 2009 Tee Shirt

$100 Level

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Signed Poster

(2009 band signatures)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Tee Shirt

$250 Level

-Private Tour of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility

(home of Elliott, the festival white squirrel)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Signed Poster

(2009 band signatures)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Tee Shirt

$500 Level

-CD Box Set of either Jupiter Coyote or Steep Canyon Rangers

-Private Tour of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility

(home of Elliott, the festival white squirrel)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Signed Poster

(2009 band signatures)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Tee Shirt

$1,000 Level

-Two CD Box Sets of Jupiter Coyote and Steep Canyon Rangers

-Private Tour of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility

(home of Elliott, the festival white squirrel)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Signed Poster

(2009 band signatures)

-White Squirrel Festival 2009 Tee Shirt