Need HELP in Portuguese.......

We LOVE this "fado" song by Chico Avila and are dying to have the lyrics (letra) in Portuguese - can ANYONE help us??? It's such a beautiful story about a beggar and obviously Chico feels he and the beggar could change places at any time due to twist of fate - love this song - please HELP put the lyrics in Portuguese - thanks so much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WJx0vS7-ao

Of all the diseases.....Alzheimer's.....

Of all the horrible diseases there ARE out there, my own opinion is that Alzheimer's is the worst. I hate it because it ROBS the individual of their dignity. My friend was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 4 years ago. Indeed it did get worse. What was so sad was that she loved to pass the time READING books...a few months after the diagnosis she could no longer read - letters just jumbled on the page. She forgot what her only grand-daughter was named and forgot whether or not her family had visited at Christmas. Before she left the state (her son and daughter-in-law had to put her in a nursing home closer to where they live) - they held a "farewell party" for her at her church - alas, she didn't recognize anyone (in spite of having attended that church for over 25 years). She is still RELATIVELY young in age and it disgusts me that no cure has been invented for this disease. She was once a teacher - now, she cannot remember her own name at times; this is way too sad. Anyway, dear friend (and God knows whom I pray for) - I keep you in my ever nightly prayers. I miss the "real you" SO, SO much!!! We used to chat for hours on every topic under the sun. At this time, I just pray that God leaves you some dignity as your grow older and as the disease so rapidly eats you up. Bless you, dear friend!!

Do you think the fish is FRESH????

Love this photo of cats waiting for the fishing boats to unload. Taken in Sao Miguel, Azores - courtesy of SATA airlines.

The BABIES were BORN today!!!

The two baby birds hatched today. Both Mama and Papa took turns bringing them worms. Aren't they precious??? I apologize for the "cloudiness" of the photos but had to take it thru the glass storm door (which could use a good cleaning) as Mama would have flown away had I made any noise opening the storm door. So we're GRANDPARENTS now!!!

A REALLY GOOD MAMA......

This Mama bird has been sitting on her eggs outside our front door for about two weeks now (she's so faithful). We can't wait to see the babies when they're born.

My favourite Norman Rockwell painting....

The late, great artist, Normal Rockwell was so under-appreciated during his lifetime. He brought people's emotions to life. I have many "favourites" but this one is by far my favourite: "Do Unto Others......"

Sete Cidades......

Oh, how I love fairy tales and tales of lore. In the Azores there are two lakes side by side named "Sete Cidades" (literally "Seven Cities") - and here is the story. There was a princess who had blue eyes who fell in love with a shepherd boy who had green eyes. The King was not too happy about this!!! Logically, he wanted her to marry royalty. He forbade her from seeing the boy again. She did so on ONE condition - that they might have one LAST meeting. The two met, and when they realized it was the last time they would see one another, they began to CRY and CRY - his tears from his green eyes formed a green lake. Her tears from her blue eyes formed a blue lake. Isn't that a beautiful story??

The Cake House....

There are homes that were in vogue in the 1850's called Octagon Houses, so called because they are indeed eight-sided. If you would like to learn more about them, there is a Wikipedia explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octagon_house We have one of these in the town where we live, but much as I say "Octagon House" my husband always calls it the "cake house" - I suppose it does look a bit like a cake. What do you think?

Milkman's Porch.....

In simpler times - one had a "milkman's porch" (whatever outside area you designated for the milkman to deliver milk). It was so ecologically sound!! One put the empty (rinsed) milk bottles in a container and when the milkman came by, he knew you would need 5 or 6 bottles of milk depending upon how many you left. Of course the bottles of milk he left were pasturized and sanitized. How many of you WISH we could RETURN to such a simpler, ecological time?? Speaking of glass and recycling.....check out these drinking glasses made from recycled glass - they range from simple recycled wine bottles to very fancy.

Shoes imbedded in a wall....a very old tradition

Last year we went on a Tour of Homes that included a home from the 1700's that had been restored - during the restoration process the owners found a SHOE in the wall. Apparently, it is a very old tradition - purposely left in the wall by the builder to bring good luck and fertility to the family who will live in that house. Fascinating! Here is an article called: "Shoes in the Wall" When owners of old houses begin renovations, they should be aware that they might turn up some unexpected treasures in the walls of their homes. Two Wayland families have discovered a trove of old shoes hidden in the house walls, a reflection of an ancient superstition that hiding shoes in a house as it was being built, would ward off evil. Jennifer Swope, assistant curator of the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities, points out that although hundreds of these concealed shoes have been found in buildings in both Europe and Eastern United States no one has ever photographed these finds in the exact site where they have been found. When tearing out the wall in an old chaise house about eighteen years ago, James and Mary Reed found a baby's white, ankle-high shoe, some small wooden toys and some ears of corn. Their Old Sudbury Road home has been the site of so many additions since the earliest part was built about 1750 that they were not sure whether the shoes were hidden at the time the chaise house was built or in a later renovation. The Raymond Johnsons who live in the Brintnall-Loker house, the oldest house still standing in the Cochituate area, have found shoes in two different locations in their home. In an upstairs wall, near a window, four well-worn shoes--none of them mates--were found. The photograph at the right shows a common custom of having several members of the family each contribute one shoe to the cache. In the second instance, a toddler's little shoes had been deliberately built into the wall near a downstairs fireplace. Hidden with it was an old sleigh bell. The toy tree shown right was found with shoes in the Reed house. The Johnson shoes are currently being researched to determine their age and whether they have been buried in the walls at the time the house was built in 1740, or whether they were added in a later building improvement. The Wayland shoe finds have been listed on an international index of concealment shoes, maintained at the Northampton (England) Museum. More than a thousand concealment shoes, some dating back to the fourteenth century, have been reported in Western Europe. In this country these shoes have been discovered mostly in New England, but there have also been reports of buried shoes as far south as Virginia and far west as Missouri. Why would shoes be deliberately built into a home or public building? Some have speculated that the tradition stems from the prehistoric custom of killing a person and placing the body in the foundation to insure that the building holds together. Later shoes were used as a substitute for a human sacrifice. Shoes may have been chosen, because over time they take on and keep the shape of the wearer's foot. Shoes were hidden near openings in the home--doors, windows, chimneys--the perceived weak places in the building that were thus protected from evil by the shoe owner's spirit. About half the shoes registered in the concealment index are children's shoes. Women's shoes are more common than men's. Shoes are almost invariably well worn, perhaps because the donor didn't want to waste an expensive new shoe on the project, or perhaps because a well-worn shoe is more likely to retain the shape of the wearer's foot and hence his spirit. Though shoes are the common denominator, more than two hundred different personal possessions--coins, spoons, pots, goblets, food, knives, toys, gloves, pipes, even chicken and cat bones--have been found hidden with them. Considering how widespread and long lasting this folk belief has been, it is curious that nowhere was it described in writing until references began to appear in mid-twentieth century archaeology literature in scholarly journals. Some speculate the tradition of hiding shoes was a male superstition, kept secret almost out of fear that telling about it would reduce its effectiveness. Others feel contemporary writers did not describe it since superstition ran counter to prevailing religious beliefs and the Puritans punishment of witchcraft and magic was well-known. When removing walls especially around windows and doors, under roof rafters and behind old chimneys, homeowners should be aware of the possibility of turning up concealment shoes. While most are found in eighteenth and nineteenth century homes, a find hidden as late as 1935 has been reported. If shoes are found, they should left exactly as they were discovered and photographed. Items found with the shoes are as important as the shoes themselves and should also be saved.

The Long Way Home.....

There is something pretty cool about living in a small town. Normally, I walked our daughter (whom I'll call Nissa to protect her privacy) to and from school. But there were times when I was busy working, so I advised her to ALWAYS, ALWAYS walk down Providence Street because she had so many "aunties" and "uncles" on our street that no-one would dare grab her or kidnap her. I noticed a few times she seemed to be coming from another street, which made me uncomfortable (as we didn't have any friends on that street). So, I purposely decided to walk her home the next day. When we got to the corner she said "Let's go down Cherry St. instead". "Hmmmmmmm" - well Mums have instincts and I knew there must be a reason she preferred to go down Cherry St. (which was not as pretty a street as Providence St.) So I said "No, let's go down Providence St. as normal". About midway home when nearing a home where dear friends Jim and Beth lived.....Nissa began to really lag behind and in fact slowed down to a snail's pace. "Something's going on" I thought. Suddenly as I waved to Jim sitting on his porch he yelled back "So....Nissa....how much is 8 times 8? And what about 8 times 9" The "mystery" was solved. Nissa knew that if she walked down Providence St., "uncle" Jim would surely be sitting on his porch (especially as he had just retired) GRILLING her on her multiplication tables. They say "it takes a village to raise a child". I'll tell you one thing...she certainly memorized her multiplication tables!