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?

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Daily Factoid

How To Find Your Perfect Mate
Wash a handkerchief tonight and hang it over a rosebush. In the morning, after it has dried, the initials of your true love will appear in the wrinkles.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 30 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

The path of duty lies in what is near, and men seek for it in what is remote.
- Mencius
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 30 Apr 2013 
 

We suffer because we come in contact with so many things that are not in harmony with our real nature.
- Paramananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 16 Apr 2013

Monday, April 29, 2013

Daily Factoid

Color Coordinated
The state cat of Maryland isthe calico. Its orange, black, and white coat shares the same colors as the state bird (Baltimore oriole) and state insect (Baltimore checkerspot butterfly).
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 27/28 Apr 2013 



Do not forget the family garden. Vegtables aid very much in maintaining the health, happiness, and well-being of the family and materially reduce the cost of supplying the family table.
- The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1916
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 29 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

To forget one's ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.
- Chinese Proverb
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 29 Apr 2013 


The good I meet with goodness, the bad I also meet with goodness. For virtue is goodness throughout.
- Lao-Tzu
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 15 Apr 2013

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Daily Inspiration

Self-realization is nothing but seeing God literally.
- Ramana Maharishi
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 27/28 Apr 2013



I am imperfect and want to be perfect - this alone is the starting pont of my nonviolence.
- Acharya Mahaprajna
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 13/14 Apr 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Daily Factoid

When the peacock loudly bawls, 
Soon we'll have both rain and squalls.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 25 Apr 2013



The Meanings of Trees
Beech . . . . . prosperity
Elder . . . . compassion
Hawthorn . . . . . . hope
Oak . . . . . . hospitality
Sycamore . . . curiosity
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 26 Apr 2013

Friday, April 26, 2013

Daily Factoid

Only believe half of what you hear. Then get it in writing.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 23 Apr 2013


Founding Father
On This Day in 1766, Robert B. Thomas was born in Grafton, Massachusetts. The first of 13 editors of The Old Farmer's Almanac, he published 54 editions before he died in 1846, while reading page proofs fro the 1847 Almanac.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 5 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

No one is wise by birth, for wisdom results from one own's efforts.
- Krishnamacharya
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 26 Apr 2013


Whoever interrupts the conversation of others to make a display of his fund of knowledge, makes notorious his own stock of ignorance.
- Sa'di
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 12 Apr 2013

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Daily Factoid

Do You Know Your Queens?
Match each queen with the fact about her.

1) Queen Elizabeth I
2) Queen Elizabeth II
3) Queen of the West
4) Queen Hippolyta

a)  born on April 21
b) Wonder Woman's mother
c) Daughter of Anne Boleyn
d) Dale Evans

Answer (highlight with mouse): 1-c; 2-a; 3-d; 4-b
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 20/21 Apr 2013



Hot Spot
Place dark stones around (but no touching) the base of heat-loving plants. The rocks will absorb heat from the sun and transmit it to the surrounding area.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 5 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree, in the midst of them all.
- Buddha
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 25 Apr 2013


Death is extraordinarily like life, when we know how to live. You cannot live without dying. You cannot live if you do not die psychologically every minute.
- Krishnamurti
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 11 Apr 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Daily Factoid

Start a Coleus Collection
Cut a 4-inch-long section from a coleus plant; remove any flowers and all but two or three leaves. Put the cutting in water and place it in bright, indirect light. Change the water often. Once roots establish in 2 to 3 weeks, transfer the cutting to a pot filled filled with soil.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 18 Apr 2013



It isn't raining rain to me,
It's raining daffodils;
In every dimpled drop I see
Wild flowers on the hills.
- Robert Loveman, American Poet (1864-1923)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 5 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
- Kahlil Gibran
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 24 Apr 2013



One is all; all are one.
When you realize this,
what reason for holiness or wisdom?
- Seng T'San
Wisdom of The East daily calendar;  Wed 10 Apr 2013

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Daily Factoid

Birth Verse
She who from April dates her years,
Diamonds should wear, lest bitter tears
For vain repentance flow; this stone
Emblem of innocence is known.
- Tiffany and Company, 1870
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 16 Apr 2013



Historic Happenings
On This Day in 1810, Lewis M. Norton patented a vat for forming pineapple-shaped cheese.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 17 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

Accept the situation in which you find yourself and try, at the same time, to adapt to it. You cannot escape from it.
- Swami Prajnanpad
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 23 Apr 2013


If you water the root of a tree, the whole tree is taken care of. But if you forget the root and care only for the branches, you cannot keep the tree alive.
- Swama Satprakashananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 9 Apr 2013

Monday, April 22, 2013

Daily Factoid

Planting is one of my great amusements.
- Thomas Jefferson, 3rd U.S. President (1743-1826)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 13/14 Apr 2013



A Little Lemon
if you need just a few drops of lemon juice, poke a lemon with a tooth pick and squeeze. Reinsert the toothpick and store the lemon in the refrigerator. It will keep longer than if you had cut it open.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 15 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

Who sees all beings in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear.
- Isa Upanishad
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 22 Apr 2013 



Oh, if you only knew yourselves!
You are sols; you are gods.
If ever I feel [that I am] blaspheming,
it is when I call you man.
- Swami Vivekananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 8 Apr 2013

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Daily Factoid

Inadvertent Invention
In 1853, a diner at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, sent his "too thick" fried potatoes back to the kitchen twice. The angry chef then fried paper-thin potato slices - wich delighted the diner. The potatoes became a house specialty; today, they're called potato chips.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 11 Apr 2013 



Feathered Friends
Fill Bird Feeders to attract chickadees, nuthatches, and tufted titmice. Not only are these birds fun to watch, but also they clean up insect larvae and eggs on trees and shrubs.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 12 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

There is nothing insignificant anywhere.
- Paramananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 5 Apr 2013 



Depend not on another, but lean instead on thyself . . True happiness is born of self-reliance.
- Manu
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 6/7 Apr 2013

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Daily Factoid

From the Kitchen Cupboard
To relieve a diaper rash, first bathe the baby and dry the affected area completely. Then, coat your hands with vegetable oil and rub the oil onto the baby's bottom. Repeat with every diaper change.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 9 Apr 2013



April prepares her green traffic light and the world things, "Go."
- Christopher Morley, American writer (1890-1957)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 10 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

In those moments when we forget ourselves - not thinking, "Am I happy?" but completely oblivious to our liettle ego - we spend a brief but beautiful holiday in heaven.
- Eknath Easwaran
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 20/21 Apr 2013 


He whose mind is not tranquil can know neither peace nor happiness.
- The Bhagavad Gita
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 4 Apr 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

Daily Factoid

Small Wonder
The smallest frog in North America is the Little Grass Frog. It is about 1/2" to 5/8" long.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 6/7 Apr 2013 



Ladies First
Term 1974-77
First Lady Betty Ford, wife of Gerald Ford (38th U.S. President), was born on this day in 1918. Diagnosed with breast cancer while living in the White House, she raised public awareness of the disease by openly discussin her condition and the screening and treatment options available to women.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 8 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

A man is a universe in minature, and the universe, a giant living body . . . 
- Kabir
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 19 Apr 2013 


Know Him, the Spirit, to be one alone. 
Give up all words contrary to this.
He is the bridge of immortality.
- Mundaka Upanishad
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Sat/Sun 30/31 Mar 2013

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Daily Factoid

A Bit About Spit
For the superstitious:
Spitting helps wishes to come true and wards off evil.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 4 Apr 2013


There will be a rain dance Freiday night, weather permitting.
- George Carlin, American comedian (1937-2008)
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 5 Apr 2013

Lack of posting

Life has been a bit of a rollercoaster - mostly in terms of being busy, but also related to focus on things, especially posting to this blog.

I'm off for a naked weekend away (with the BNBC). I intend to spend some time evaluating some of the elements in my life that are distracting me, and bringing my focus back to what is important in my life.

I do intend to post more to this blog even if it's not a focus of mine - I see this blog as a place to post interesting videos, links, photos, etc that I see online and want to 'keep'. Therefore more posting will occur

Thanks to my followers for coming to my sporadically posted blog.

Daily Inspiration

Crowd out bad habits by substituting  good habits in all departments of life.
- Paramahansa Yogananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 18 Apr 2013 


The mind is susceptible to suggestions. It learns whatever you teach it.
- Swami Brahmananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Fri 29 Mar 2013

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Daily Factoid

Red -Letter Days
Spanish conquistadors used indelible ink made from the liquid in avocado pits; the milky fluid turns red when exposed to air.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Tue 2 Apr 2013


Pass the Mustard
On this day in 1936, astronaut Virgil I. :Gus" Grissom was born.
In 1965, hw became the first person to eat a corned beef sandwich in space, after a shipmate smuggled the treat onboard.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Wed 3 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

WE gain our freedom when we realize our most true nature.
- Rabindranath Tagore
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Wed 3 Apr 2013 



The secret of success lies not so much in abundance of thought as in our ability to follow one well-chosen subject to the exclusion of all others.
- Paramananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Thu 28 Mar 2013

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Daily Factoid

Color-Coded
In general, hens with white earlobes lay white eggs and hens with red earlobes lay brown eggs.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Sat/Sun 30/31 Mar 2013



Poor Richard's Advice
The most ezquisite
Folly is made of
Wisdom spun too fine.
- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1746
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Mon 1 Apr 2013

Daily Inspiration

God is conscience . . . He is a personal god to those who need His personal presence.
- Mahatma Gandhi
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 2 Apr 2013 


Let the wise man guard his thoughts.
- Buddha
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Tue 26 Mar 2013

Monday, April 1, 2013

Daily Factoid

Sweet Success
Sow peas as soon as the soil can be worked. The earlier they mature, the sweeter they'll be.
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Thu 28 Mar 2013




March borrowed of April, April borrowed of May,
Three days, they say:
One rained, and one snew,
And the other was the worst day that ever blew.
- English proverb
- The Old Farmer's Everyday Almanac Calendar; Fri 29 Mar 2013

Daily Inspiration

Those who realize thier folly are not true fools.
- Chuang Tzu
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 1 Apr 2013


To recognize one's essential unity with the Supreme Being is the ultimate Goal of life.
- Swami Satprakashananda
Wisdom of The East daily calendar; Mon 25 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)