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January 31 Secret  a poem from
 Seasons of the Heart my first published book of poetryThe lazy afternoon sighed
and whispered in my ear today,
and asked me
my secret of happiness.
He startled me quite,
for he was usually so quiet and
seemed
to know all the answers in his peculiar languid world.
Suddenly, his question disoriented
my very being
and sent me into the strange
world of my dreams
because I couldn't answer his disturbing challenge.
It was necessary that I answer,
however,
so I merely
and vaguely said,
"Life itself,
my dear sir, is the secret of happiness."
He smiled from ear to ear,
tipped his hat,
said, "Thank You" and went along his lazy way.
Copyright 1988 by Evelyn M. Wallace
Published by Saxifrage Books
First Edition copies can be obtained @
or check out my book list for the link
Perfect as a Valentine's Day gift !
  My love for you is no secret !
The Castle Lady  January 24 Start Anew Artist unknown I will start anew this morning with a higher, fairer creed;
I will cease to stand complaining of my ruthless neighbor's greed;
I will cease to sit repining while my duty's call is clear;
I will waste no moment whining and my heart shall know no fear.
I will look sometimes about me for the things that merit praise:
I will search for hidden beauties that elude the grumbler's gaze.
I will try to find contentment in the paths that I must tread;
I will cease to have resentment when another moves ahead.
I will not be swayed by envy when my rival's strength is shown;
I will not deny his merit, but I'll try to prove my own;
I will try to see the beauty spread before me, rain or shine;
I will cease to preach your duty and be more concerned with mine.
-S.E. Kiser
The Castle Lady with dutiful and beautiful thoughts...and kisses!
Proverbe du Jour: You master your enemies not by force but by forgiveness. - A Mom
Congrats to the Nuggets for their fantastic win against Utah Jazz- 117-97 ! Way to go, J.R., Kleiza and Nene !
 January 20 America Becomes America Some years ago one of my fav bands put out a song titled, "Become America." Today when I was watching the inauguration and listening to the inauguration speech I thought of this song again, because it's been more than ten years since it was released on mainstream radio and it seemed so appropriate, especially today. The band which is called The Call was one of the first Christian rock bands to break out on a secular radio network with the song "I Still Believe". Here's the song:
refrain *When will America become America ?
When will America become America?
When will the home we love
Mean freedom for everyone?
When will America become America?
 When will the killing stop?
When the last child has dropped?
How long must mothers tears
Rain down on streets of fear?
When will the home we love
Mean justice for everyone?
When will America become America?
When will the homeless poor
Walk with their heads held high once more?
Children playing on haunted streets
Where dogs and vultures eat.
Politicians weave their spell-
Words spoken from the mouth of hell.
When will America become America?
With the very lives they gave
Soldiers, the young and brave
A sign for the world to see
A promise for you and me
Angels may keep their watch
Heaven may count the cost
When will America become America?
Today, America finally became the America our forefathers invented !
Bon courage, The Castle Lady !
 January 16 Castlerigg, Stonehenge and other Stone Circles   When I first began researching castles on the internet I happened to stumble upon a page on a stone circle in Cumberland, Castlerigg, which piqued my interest in them and I have been meaning to delve deeper for some time to find out more. In England they are considered to be druidical by some people but they are not unique to England at all. Scotland, Ireland and Wales have numerous such sites and they can be found in various places throughout Europe, Russia and Scandanavia including Brittany in France and are called by various different names such as domrings and thingsteads in Scandanavia or cromlechs in France and Portugal. They consist of mostly menhirs (literally, the Breton word for long stones) which are unhewn stones, set up at intervals in a circle or ovoid configuration principally on level ground. It has been suggested by experts that the British stone circles were set up for the purpose of observing the rising and setting of the stars- like an observation point- for the various festivals and sacrifices to be made.
 Aerial photo of Castlerigg Even though Stonehenge is by far the most famous of these, Castlerigg has the distinction of being the first scheduled (scheduled: documented as historical ) ancient monument in Great Britain (1883) beginning the process of historical and archaeological preservation in England and her possessions. Under Canon Hardwick Rawnsley the grounds were purchased in 1913 and the conservation of it was donated into the care of the National Trust. The stone circles of Cumberland have been determined to be the earliest in the entirety of Europe and this one may have been constructed by 3200 BC, which would make it an Early Bronze age monument. The stones match the local metamorphic slate having the distinction of basically conical-type shapes with the tallest stones being measured at 2.3 meters in height. The circle sits on a high plateau above Keswick at Castlerigg Fell and all of the highest peaks in Cumbria can be observed from there. These are Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Grasmoor and Blencathra.
Starting in the 18th century, antiquarian and archaeological studies and excavations have been carried out at Castlerigg- starting with William Stukeley in 1725 and later C.W. Dymond in 1878 and 1881 who drew up a flawed but basically precise map of the placement of the stones overriding an earlier work by Benjamin Williams in 1856 who had observed two more cairns than was noted by Dymond later. The actual excavations were carried out by W. Kinsey Dover a year later who took soil and burned wood (or charcoal) samples much of which was lost but from which his observations were written.
This early study by the antiquarians and archaeologists stands today because further excavation is unlikely to be permitted due to the erosion from visits which have been taking place through the centuries. None of the stone circles of Cumberland have ever been scientifically dated in a modern context. However, English Heritage conducted a geophysical survey in 1985 so that an interpretation of the phenomenon could be made available for visitors. A report of the findings has not yet been officially published.
Two men who have been writing on the subject of stone circles for nearly fifty years, Aubrey Burl and Alexander Thom, take opposite approaches to what the implications and possible uses that these monuments could have been used for and why they are worth the speculation. Neither writer deals with any of them on an individual basis, however, and they both make strong opposing statements in the area of intelligent use and early Briton primitivism. Both of them have written books which might help you find out more if your interest takes you further than this article. I will add them to my book list so have a look if you dare!
 The most intriguing and popular stone circle monument in the world is, of course, Stonehenge. Located on Salisbury Plain near Amesbury in Wiltshire, this 5,000 year old World Heritage Site configuration resembles the dolmans (two upright stones with a lintel stone placed on top) seen at Carnac in South Brittany in France. However, the stones are so strategically placed and unusual in their placement in relation to other stone circles it has received much more attention by scholars of the Stone and Bronze Ages. It has been asserted that it is in fact a huge astronomical calendar- one of its most remarkable features.
Stonehenge has the distinction of being encircled by a ditch three hundred feet in diameter and the site is approached from the northeast by a wide avenue. Looking at the photo you will see the stone formations very close in proximity in comparison to other stone circles and sites, and it comprises four rows of large stones with the outer two forming a double circle one hundred feet in diameter, the third row shaped like a horseshoe with the opening toward the wide avenue, and the inside forming an ovoid angled enclosure. The outside circle of sarsen stones had thirty upright menhirs 13 & 1/2 feet in height with a continuous line of lintels, at one time, of which sixteen remain. Quite a few of the upright stones along the rows have toppled or overturned and not all are accounted for- meaning that the original numbers of stones of some of the rows are unknown. The Altar Stone and Slaughter Stones lie flat, as always, and are key to the configuration along with the Friar's Heel (an upright stone) which stands in the avenue approaching the monument. The three form an axis which points to the place on the horizon where the sun rose on Midsummer Day in 1680 BC and some archaeologists assume that because of this it was built as a temple for sun worship. There are others who speculate that it was a sepulchral monument and was added to until the late Bronze Age and many artifacts found at the burial mounds in the area support this idea.
T- 0870 333 1181 www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge
 Kerzerho
Carnac in Brittany, France is exceptional because there are an incredible amount of stones erected over a very large area that are within the commune of Carnac itself and extends east within La Trinite'-sur-Mer. At one time more than 3,000 stones were counted at this extensive site which defies true explanation. No other such site has such a huge collection of stones- the most remarkable feature so, of course, legend was used to explain which runs from Merlin turning a Roman legion to stone (his fabled nearby spring at Paimpol makes this an accessible reason) to a Christian legend that Pope Cornelius was pursued by pagan soldiers who were also turned to stone. Legends aside, there must be a natural reason why so many large stones were available in this relatively small area. It has been determined that some of these stones may date as far back as 4500 BC !
There are long alignments of menhirs and dolmans of which the latter were extended to alle'e couvertes near Carnac and further north is the Kerzerho at Erdeven. These alignments were upright stones placed so that they could be roofed with lintels to form covered alleyways. Scattered stones in upright positions are all around the sites which extend into the peninsula down into Quiberon and a tumulus (a dolman covered over well with stones as a burial mound) can be found at Gavrinis at the Gulf of Morbihan fifteen kilometers away from Carnac. Another is the Merchant's Table at Locmariaquer at land's end near Carnac and there are other burial sites as well.
Er-roc'h-Feutet
 Literally thousands of ancient granite rocks in and around the site are arranged in various configurations including small dolmen tombs such as Er-Roc'h-Feutet and quadrilateral enclosures called tertres tumuli. The stone circles, which in France are referred to as cromlechs, are very much like those found in England. The placement of them is obviously not random but were precise placements which include the burial places. The cromlechs can be found at the Me'nec alignments both east and west ends and at Kermario there is one on the east end. The west end of the Kerlescan rows has a cromlech consisting of 39 stones. It has been suggested that some of these configuration are astronomical observatories like Stonehenge and the massive menhir at Locmariaquer is linked to this exact purpose. (Most of the stone circles- such as at Castlerigg- have such outlying stones, generally far afield.)
James Miln, a Scottish antiquarian, conducted the first excavations in the 1860s and found many stones out of place or no longer standing. He and his assistant Zacherie Le Rouzic did much to gather artifacts in and around the area and the collection numbers in the thousands. The Muse'e de Prehistoire was established on these artifacts by Robert Miln and Le Rouzic became the director of the museum becoming an internationally recognized expert on the local megaliths. Through their influence, work was eventually carried out subsequently to re-erect stones in the 1930s and 1980s although locally the work has been considered controversial.
If you visit these sites do not be surprised to see sheep grazing around the stone alignments as it is part of a new management strategy to keep gorse, weeds and moss under control.
 Qui t'aime' pour toujours ?
Le Chateau Demoiselle bien sur !
Proverb of the Day: Remove not the ancient landmarks... Prov. 23:10a
January 06 A No-Limit Person After seeing Jim Carrey's movie (which I mentioned in my New Year's Eve entry, 2008 A Year in Retrospect ) I started thinking about some flash cards I've kept on my person for quite a few years. They came from a motivational course which was titled How to be a No-Limit Person. Any time my life tends to get stalled in some small or large way I pull them out and start reading them again because it's the fastest way I know to get myself in gear. These six flash cards always seem to do the trick and I may add that with these I don't have to do the New Year's Resolutions bit. Resolutions only work if someone is solely motivated by the pressure of beginnings. How about finishing what you started? Here we go:
1. Be a No-Limit Person starting now.
Don't just read this, teach yourself: "Everything that makes me feel inadequate results from my perception of what's out there."
The difference between being a No-Limit Person and feeling frustrated, resentful, unhappy and neurotic is not because you have problems. We all have to deal with sickness, getting older, our children disappointing us, etc. So just keep reminding yourself:
I cannot always control what goes on outside,
but I can always control what goes on inside.
2. Start making good choices.
Don't ever forget that you are the sum total of the choices you make and stop making excuses for bad choices. Are you shy? Nervous ? Scared to get up in front of a group ? Afraid to speak out ? Do you get angry too much ? Just remember:
Anything inside that immobilizes me, gets in my way, keeps me from my goals, is all MINE.
I can throw it away if I choose.
3. Take some risks and stop worrying.
Start listening to those inner signals that help you make the right choices- no matter what anyone thinks. The next time you get nervous about others' opinions, look them mentally in the eye and say,
"What you think of me is none of my business."
This happens to be a book title but is also great advice, so start using it.
4. Expect to stay healthy.
It's amazing how expectations affect not only your life but your health. You get a sniffle and say, "Oh boy, here it comes. Tomorrow it'll be in my chest and the next day a fever, and I'll have to miss work." Or you can say: "I don't want this. I'll get some extra rest, keep active, not focus on this, just not let it get in my way."
You can set yourself up to be sick or you can choose to stay well.
5. Take charge of your feelings and regain control of your life.
People who panic or get depressed usually do so because they have lost control- they give up responsibility for how badly they feel. As a result they let others take charge of their life- thinking it's easier- and turn around and blame others for their troubles.
You created these feelings yourself.
6. Live this day as if it were your last.
Remember the bumper sticker that said, "This is the first day of the rest of your life?" Revise that to: "This is the last day of my life and I am going to live it as if I didn't have any more."
The truth is, I don't and you don't. The past is over and gone. The future is not guaranteed. We all know someone- our own age- who was killed in an accident. ( For me that is absolutely true. A fellow Job's Daughter initiate of mine was hit by a car on her orientation day at college. She was killed instantly and I'll never forget how beautiful she was- she had also just become engaged with her High School sweetheart. I believe we were both seventeen years old at the time.) Death can happen at any time. So, if you get nothing else out of this, keep this one idea in your mind and...
stop acting as if life is a rehearsal.
 January 03 December 31, 2008~ An NBA History Maker   #11 Anderson #43 Kleiza Coach Karl of the Nuggets has made NBA history right on time this year. On the last game of the year 2008, Nuggets won 114-107 over the Raptors making history for George with the distinction of becoming the 10th coach to reach 900 victories. He is well respected by most players and coaches in the NBA but he is quite humble in that he credits his assistant of 12 seasons Tim Grgurich for being a big support for him and is as surprised at his success as much as anyone. Obviously very few coaches have made this milestone so his humility may just be his way of coping with success. The numbers speak volumes, don't they?
As a coach he won his first game on November 15, 1984 when he worked for the Cavaliers (Cleveland) and has been bouncing around for quite some time, first as coach to the Golden State Warriors ('86-88), Seattle Supersonics ('92-98), Milwaukee Bucks ('98-2003) and has been coaching the Denver Nuggets since 2005. His playing career was very short, being only two years, when he signed on to the ABA's San Antonio Spurs right out of UNCarolina in 1973 turning down an offer to play for the New York Knicks. He became their assistant coach when they joined the NBA in 1976, then took a hiatus from the NBA coaching for the CBA's Montana Golden Nuggets winning a Coach of the Year award twice- once in 1981 and again in 1983. When he came back to the NBA in 1984 he coached the Cleveland Cavaliers and was summarily dismissed from that team in 1986. After that it was a roundelay as he was with Golden State Warriors until 1988. Back with CBA's Albany Patroons for a brief season he again won Coach of the Year in 1989 !
He started his first truly successful run with Seattle SuperSonics, coaching them from 1991-1998 leading them to the Finals in 1996 but unfortunately lost six to the Chicago Bulls. Nevertheless, the SuperSonics made the postseason every year while Karl coached them, winning three division titles, making or breaking the 50-win mark all seven years of his tenure with them. Ironically in 1994 they made the 63-win and then were upset in the first round by the Denver Nuggets, making an NBA first.
Induced by a better contract, he took on the Milwaukee Bucks as head coach in 1998 and turned a struggling team into steady winners through three years of work. They didn't make the grade in 2001, however, missing the NBA Finals by one lost game. By 2002 they fell from the number one spot for the Eastern Conference and didn't make the playoffs. He was fired after another bad season in 2003 even though the Bucks made the playoffs but with a win total slightly topping the .500 mark.
Serving as an NBA analyst for ESPN and coaching the FIBA World Championship in 2002 seemed to turn everything around for Coach Karl because on the momentum of the international basketball experience he decided to return again to the NBA to coach the Nuggets by January 27th of 2005 and revitalized the Nuggets enough for them to make it to the postseason. Enthusiasm returned to Denver, something that had not been evident since the exit of Hall-of-Famer Alex English and Sidney Schlenker as owner. Many of the draft picks made have been a direct result. Through bouts with cancer both with Karl and his son Coby these four years with the Nuggets have been an incredible journey of keeping the faith, putting in hard work and pressing on for excellence. The results speak for themselves. By the second half of the 2004-2005 season they had achieved a 32-8 record which was unprecedented for the Nuggets. As a matter of fact what George Karl has achieved with the Nuggets in these few years is one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA history. Just this season, he has helped this team not unknown for their injuries and health problems to 44 wins and a Northwest Division title- the Nuggets first division crown since the 1987-88 season.
 On the negative side of the spectrum, December 31, 2008 proved to be a downer for an Eastern Conference player by the name of Vince Carter. Without going into the details too heavily he had to be physically escorted off the court by a team official after he received a double-technical foul against the Detroit Pistons and instead of accepting the charge, began arguing with refs and insisting on staying on court- despite Coach Lawrence Frank's ( coach for the New Jersey Nets) attempt to control him. (Interestingly, Allen Iverson, now a Detroit Piston, did very well in this game.)
 As a result of his arguing Carter was ejected from the game entirely. This is an example of how a wrong attitude in NBA Basketball can cost a player. Generally a player can be fined, but even long-term suspensions can result- as we witnessed with the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith back in winter 2006 against the Knicks- but expulsion from a game ought to be enough. This was not meant to be a contact sport in the way that pro football can be but sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.
Check out some new photos in the Nuggets' teeming photo album for more on this momentous day.  My basket is teeming with kisses for you all !
The Castle Lady January 01 Happy New Year ! !
For the Christ child who comes is the Master of all; No palace too great, no cottage too small. - Phillips Brooks (Dec. 13, 1835- January 23, 1893) |
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