What is a Quafaie?


Quafaie (pronounced: kwa FAY) are fantasy creatures that exist in the fantasy writing of Hugh Kemeny, and are created by him. They are primarily in Hugh Kemeny’s Black Phoenix short stories...

To learn more, read this post: What is a Quafaie?

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Daily Factoid

From the Kitchen Cupboard
To prevent soap residue and mold buildup on shower curtain liners, spray them with a solution of 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar twice a week. No need to rinse.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 26 Mar 2013



Man in the Moon?
Many countries have tales about the images that seem to appear on the surface of the full Moon. In Japan, people see a rabbit makeing mochi (a sticky rice cake) with a big wooden hammer.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 27 Mar 2013

Friday, March 29, 2013

Daily Factoid

Do not keep in the old ruts . . . keep your eyes open to every new thing that is really better than the old; but stick to the old if it is good, until are quite sure you can do better
- The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1893
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 23/24 Mar 2013



What a Bargan
Through known at the time as "Seward's Folly," Secretary of State William H. Seward's agreement to buy Alaska from Russia in 1867 was a good deal - the entire state cost $7,200,000, or about 2 cents per acre.l
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 25 Mar 2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Daily Factoid

Coffee Concert
German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, born on this day in 1685, wrote an entire cantata about coffee addiction. Translated as "Be Silent, Stop Chattering," the piece is a comedy about a young woman whose father forbids her to marry until she gives up coffee.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 21 Mar 2013



Gesundheit!
If you sneeze once,
someone is speaking highly of you
If you sneeze twice,
someone is speaking ill of you.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 22 Mar 2013

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Daily Factoid

Birth Verse
Who, in this world of our thier eyes
In March first open, shall be wise,
In days of peril, firm and brave,
And wear a bloodstone to their grave.
- Tiffany and Company, 1870
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 19 Mar 2013



How to Finde Your Perfect Mate
Upon hearing the first coo of a dove in spring, take off your left stocking and look into the heel of it. You will find a hair the same colour as your true love's
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 20 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

Cast away anxiety, distrust, and worry. Realize calmly and trustingly that the Devine Law works and is all-powerful.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 27 Mar 2013



Our thought must be clear and ordered. When this is done, we shall see, to our surprise, that it has become creative.
- Sri Aurobindo
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 23/24 Mar 2013

Friday, March 22, 2013

Daily Factoid

Do not give advice unless you have the wisdom to go with it.
- Irish proverb
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 16/17 Mar 2013


Socking News
to eliminate static cling in clothing, stroke a wire clothes hanger over the fabric several times. 
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 18 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

Whatever harm a foe may do to a foe, or a hater to another hater, a wrongly directed mind may do one harm far exceeding these. 
- The Dhammapada
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 22 Mar 2013 


There are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God - namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and the protecting care of a perfect sage.
- Sri Shankara
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 16/17 Mar 2013

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Daily Factoid

A dimple in your cheek,
Many heards you will seek:
A dimple in your chin,
Many hearts you will win.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 14 Mar 2013



Watch your step
Stay off soggy lawns. Too much pressure can compact the soil and inhibit the rooting of new grass.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 15 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

Perfection in mediation comes from persevering devotion to the Supreme.
- Patanjali
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 21 Mar 2013 


Is it not pleasure to learn and to repeat or practice from time to time what has  been learned?
- Confucius
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 15 Mar 2013

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Daily Factoid

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, "I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway." 
- Maya Angelou, American poet (b. 1928)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 12 Mar 2013


Ladies First
Term: 1850-52
First Lady Abigail Fillmore, wife of Millard Fillmore (13th U.S. president), was born on this day in 1798. A schoolteacher, she was appalled by the White House's lack of books and started a library on the second floor.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 13 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

We know now that toleration is not sufficient toward another religion. We must accept it.
- Swami Vivekananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 20 Mar 2013 



A heart at rest sees a feast in everything.
 - Hindu Proverb
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 11 Mar 2013

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Daily Factoid

Mario Party
March 10 is MARIO DAY. 
If your name is Mario, you can celebrate!
The event comes from this month's abbreviation, Mar, and the date, 10.
When put next to each other, the characters "spell" MAR10.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 9/10 Mar 2013



Roasted Reds
Halve a red bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Lay the halves on a broiler rack, cut sides down; broil until the skin is blackened. Remove from the broiler, place in a brown paper bag, and close tightly. Let the peppers steam for 10 minutes, then peel off the skin.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 11 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

I have always fought . . . to retain my own scale, which is a dot. . . . I would like to remain that pulsating dot which can reach out to the whole world, to the universe.
- Chandralekha
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 19 Mar 2013 



Amass that wealth which has nothing to fear from kings or thieves, and which does not sesert thee in death.
- The Mahabharata
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 9/10 Mar 2013


Monday, March 18, 2013

Daily Factoid

Historic Happenings
On this day in 1897, Dr. John Kellogg served the world's first cornflakes to his patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 7 Mar 2013



Poor Richard's Advice
If you could not be forgotten,
as soon as you are dead and rotten,
either write things worth reading,
or do things worth writing.
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1743
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar;  Fri 8 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

Everything is perfect,
it just needs a little improvement.
- Suzuki Roshi
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 18 Mar 2013 



Do not believe a thing simply because it has been said.
- Buddha
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 5 Mar 2013

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Daily Factoid

A Tad Too Serious
President Lincon's family moved into the White House in March 1861. While there, his son Tad, having been given the make-believe rank of lieutenant, sentenced a doll to execution for falling asleep while on duty. The president had to write a pardon for the doll. 
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 5 Mar 2013



We don't believe in rheumatism and true love until after the first attack.
- Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (1830-1916) 
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 6 Mar 2013

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Daily Factoid

Garment Gab
The 10-gallon hat got its name from the braided hatband: The Spanish word galón meand "braid."
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 2/3 Mar 2013


What good is running if you are on the wrong road?
- English proverb
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 4 Mar 2013

Friday, March 15, 2013

Daily Factoid

Dig In
During a good thaw, pull up some parsnips from the garden. They'll provide a winter dose of vitamins B1 and C and a boost of calcium and phosphorus.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 28 Feb 2013



March First
The early Roman calendar started with March (then called Martius) and contained only 10 months. January and February were added around the late 8th century B.C.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 1 Mar 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Daily Factoid

Heady Relief
To Treat a nagging cough:
  • Boil 3 tablespoons whole flaxseed in a pint of water.
  • Strain.
  • Stir in 3 tablespoons sugar plus the juice from two lemons.
  • Cool the mixture.
  • Sip, as needed.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 26 Feb 2013



May the members of each home strive to wear a smiling countenance, speak only kind words, and do as many kind acts as possible; and thus make home so attractive that it will always be returned to with the highest pleasure.
- The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1900
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 27 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

Death means change of form. It is inevitable and it is happening every minute. You are not the same person you were a minute ago. A part of you is already dead and a part is being born.
- Sri Swami Satchidananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 14 Mar 2013 


We can be nourished by the best values and practices from many traditions. 
- Thich Nhat Hanh
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 4 Mar 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Daily Factoid

Poor Richard's Advice
The ppor have little;
beggars, none;
the rich, too much;
enough, not one.
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1743
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 23/24 Feb 2013



Early Advantage
Spread wood ashes around lilacs, even over snow, to encourage growth and bloom in spring.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 25 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

The net of Tao is wide, and no one knows how it is cast.
- Lao-Tzu
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 13 Mar 2013



Diligence, persistence, strength, perception, and courage - even God stands in awe of him that possesses these.
- Vihramacharita
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 2/3 Mar 2013



Today's Tarot
1) Card of the day (the important aspects of the day ahead)
2) Attend to this (personal issues that will require attention)
3) What to look out for (feelings, desires or reactions that could arise)



Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Daily Factoid

Pie Primer
When making a fruit pie, add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice to the filling. This will help the fruit to keep its color and will bring out its taste.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 21 Feb 2013



A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 22 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

The true source of rights is duty. If we discharge our duties, rights will not be far to seek.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 12 Mar 2013



The key to an easy relationship with other people is not to inpose your ego, nor crush the ego of others.
- Swami Prajnanpad
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 26 Feb 2013


Today's Tarot
1) Card of the day (the important aspects of the day ahead)
2) Attend to this (personal issues that will require attention)
3) What to look out for (feelings, desires or reactions that could arise)


Monday, March 11, 2013

Daily Factoid

From the Kitchen Cupboard
To soften rough hands and feet, massage them with a mixture of 1 part water to 3 parts baking soda.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 19 Feb 2013



Birth Verse
The February-born shall find
Sincerity and peace of mind,
Freedom from passion and from care,
If they the amethyst will wear.
- Tiffany and Company, 1870
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 20 Feb 2013

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Daily Factoid

Wood Wisdom
Each of the following items can be made from one cord of wood:
12 dining room tables
942 1-pound books
4.5 million commemorative postage stamps
7.5 million toothpicks
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 16/17 Feb 2013



I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.
- George Washington, 1st U.S. president (1732-99)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 18 Feb 2013

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Daily Factoid

Valentine Treat
To form a heart-shape cake, backe one round and one square cake, using pans of the same center width. Position the square cake as a diamond. Cut the round cake in half and place each half-round along an upper edge of the diamond. Cover with frosting.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 14 Feb 2013



How to Find Your Perfect Mate
Cut your fingernails on nine Sundays in a row, and you will marry your heart's desire.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 15 Feb 2013

Friday, March 8, 2013

Daily Factoid

Ladies First
Term: 1825-29
First Lady Louisa Catherine Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams (6th U.S. president), was born on this day in 1775. Lousia was unhappy at the White House, in part due to bitter politics during her husband's term. She took solace in writing plays and cultivating silkworms.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 12 Feb 2013



Special Days
For many Christians, Lent begins today, the seventh Wednesday before Easter. It is a 40-day period for reflection, penance, and prayer that often includes fasting or giving up something special.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 13 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

WE cannot do more than one thing at a time and do it well. But if we concentrate on that one thing wholly, we succeed not only in doing it well, we do it much more quickly, thus we save our time and energy for the next task which lies before us.
- Paramananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 8 Mar 2013


As we go on living our outer life, we must devote some time each day to making our mind introspective, that we may develop our subtler powers of perception.
- Paramananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 25 Feb 2013



Today's Tarot
1) Card of the day (the important aspects of the day ahead)
2) Attend to this (personal issues that will require attention)
3) What to look out for (feelings, desires or reactions that could arise)


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Daily Factoid

Historic Happenings
On February 10, 1982, in Bromont, Quebec, 28 skiers performed back flips while holding hands.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 9/10 Feb 2013



The most wasted of all days is the day when we have not laughed.
- French proverb
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 11 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

When you see clearly, the problem is solved.
- Krishnamurti
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 7 Mar 2013


Wherever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars that you see.
- Shunryn Suzuki
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 21 Feb 2013



Today's Tarot
1) Card of the day (the important aspects of the day ahead)
2) Attend to this (personal issues that will require attention)
3) What to look out for (feelings, desires or reactions that could arise)


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Daily Factoid

Bird Boycott?
Birds may not revisit your feeder if it offers commercial birdseed full of fillers. To lure them back, make your own mix by combining niger, safflower, and black-oil sunflower seeds with unsalted peanuts.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 7 Feb 2013



Learn well your grammar,
And never stammer,
Write well and neatly,
And sing most sweetly.
- Rules and Regulations, by Lewis Carroll, English writer (1832-98)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 8 Feb 2013

Daily Inspiration

The way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.
- Lao-Tzu
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 6 Mar 2013 


A single bad word can destroy a vast quantity of good.
- Valluvar
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 18 Feb 2013

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Daily Factoid

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. 
- Anne Bradstreet, American poet (c. 1612-72)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 5 Feb 2013



Think Again
In 1964, a United Artists executive rejected Ronald Reagan (born on this day in 1911) as the lead for the film The Best Man, allegedly saying, "Reagan doesn't have that presidential look."
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 6 Feb 2013

Monday, March 4, 2013

Daily Factoid

Very Important Prognosticator
A woodchuch of few words, Punxsutawney Phil, famous for his Groundhog Day weather predictions, has the lengthy full title of "Punxsutawney Phill, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extrodinary."
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 2/3 Feb 2013



Cooking Calamity
Even the tiniest bit of egg yolk in separated egg whites can affect their leavening ability. To remove the yolk, touch it with a cloth moistened in cold water. It will cling to the cloth like a magnet.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 4 Feb 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Daily Factoid

Force of Nature
For a Winter Bouquet, 
gather brances of apple, deutzia, forsythia, lilac, peach, pear, pussy willow, or wisteria. Bruise the cut ends and set the branches in water. Keep in a cool place and mist frequently. Once blooms appear, display in a warm area and enjoy!
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 31 Jan 2013 



Beauty
isn't worth thinking about; what's IMPORTANT is your mind. You don't want a 50-DOLLAR HAIRCUT on a 50-CENT HEAD.
- Garrison Keillor, American humorist (b. 1942)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 1 Feb 2013

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Daily Factoid

Good-Bye, Garlic
To get rid of Garlic Breath:
Chew on lemon peels
Or Eat Yogurt
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 29 Jan 2013



If snow begins at mid of day,
Expect a foot of it to lay.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 30 Jan 2013
  

Friday, March 1, 2013

Daily Factoid

Ladies First
Term: 1869-77
First Lady Julia Grant, wife of Ulysses S. Grant (18th U.S. president), was born on January 26, 1826. Having suffered years of hardship during her husband's military career, Julia thoroughly enjoyed her time at the White House, where she hosted elaborate functions.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 26/27 Jan 2013



The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not "EUREKA!" but "THAT'S FUNNY. . . ."
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 29 Jan 2013

Daily Inspiration

Your mind is set on the Eternal from the very beginning, because you are essentially pure Spirit, ever united with God.
- Swami Satprakashananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 1 Mar 2013


From the rain-god food arises;
From the worship comes the rain.
- The Bhagavad Gita
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 16/17 Feb 2013



Today's Tarot
1) Card of the day (the important aspects of the day ahead)
2) Attend to this (personal issues that will require attention)
3) What to look out for (feelings, desires or reactions that could arise)