Greetings to all folks near and far. I send prayers to all who have been affected by the tornadoes, other bad weather and wild fires.

I missed sending you my list of May articles on June 1. My apologies for that. Here are my articles for May 2011:

Flora, Goddess of Flowers
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art6990.asp

Persephone as Symbol of Life and Death
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art5652.asp

Demeter's Vengeance
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21077.asp

Life On The Front Porch
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11058.asp

Mari, Supreme Goddess of Basque Mythology
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14564.asp

I hope you enjoy the articles. I love feedback from readers -- so please feel free to comment on any or all of the articles.
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I have added a new thread in the forum, titled "Ponders Corner". Come on by and leave a post for others to ponder on, or see if you can answer a question about someone else's pondering -- like why is it called HAMburger when there is no ham in it? Silly things to ponder on are sometimes very interesting when you find out the answers.
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Mark Twain quote:
"Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint."
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Did you know that if wasps are looking for a place out in the open to build their nest that it will be a dry summer? Watch for signs of weather predictions by observing Nature's critters.

Speaking of critters -- when my daughter was on her daily run up on the little mountain last week, she came upon a startling sight. Stretched across the trail, which is six feet wide, was a large bull snake. With the head hidden in the bushes on one side and the tail hidden on the other side of the trail, the snake was over six feet long and about as big in diameter as a fire hose filled with water. Bull snakes, although not venomous, are constrictors and quite strong. They resemble a rattlesnake in appearance but have no rattlers. They will act like a rattler, coil up to look like they are ready to spring and even make a clicking sound in their mouth that sounds like the rattler's tail shaking. My daughter was quite relieved when she realized the snake was after a Jack rabbit. The snake stopped long enough to look at my daughter then went on his way. Daughter said she ran faster than ever to get down off the mountain. She still goes up there every day, but is now more aware of her surroundings and has a buddy to run with her.

Be safe when out in Nature, be aware of your surroundings, learn about the habitat and habits of the critters in your area, and always have a buddy with you.
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If you would like to see articles on particular subjects, send me a message. Your interests and requests are important to me and I welcome your comments.

Have a great day.

May your home be filled with laughter and may it ring from floor to rafter.

Blessings to you and yours. May you walk in peace and harmony.
Phyllis
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http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=131

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Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Folklore and Mythology Editor
http://folklore.bellaonline.com

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