Hope

Yah - I've been wearing diamond studs in my ears for decades... and decided I want to wear other earrings, too - without taking out my diamonds! So, it was a pure fashion choice and desire not to possibly lose my studs by taking them on and off. They're smallish and now I can wear hoops and danglies and all sorts. I feel fancy! Off to Claire's Boutique with you! ❤️

I feel exactly the same, Dawn. I just got second holes in my earlobes this past February. I've finally decided it wasn't heathen or hussy or poor example to do so, after lo, these 45 years or so they've been in style.. 😉 I feel cute now I won't ever like men with earrings or multiple piercings, gauges, etc., on anyone. I do not like tattoos; it's marking up the beautiful skin Jehovah gave us (imo). Care needs to be taken we're not strolling too close to the permissiveness of the world. Doing so will undoubtedly start to cause divisions amongst us - and that's unthinkable.

Knocking on wood was for good luck. One of those lame pagan rituals adapted by "Christianity" and said it's about the cross... 😕 Pagan Roots: Many cultures, including Norse paganism, revered trees and forests. Spirituality and Trees: Norse mythology, for example, features the World Tree, Yggdrasil, which connects different realms and is associated with fate and the Norns. Seeking Protection: The practice of knocking on wood may have stemmed from the belief that spirits resided in trees and that knocking would awaken them for protection or to acknowledge their presence. Avoiding Jinxes: In modern usage, "knock on wood" is often used to prevent something mentioned from going wrong or to avoid tempting fate. Christian Adaptation: Some theories suggest that Christian reformers adapted the pagan practice, linking the "wood" to the wood of the cross.

It's a particularly American holiday, though. I've always explained my not celebrating it for that reason- it's nationalistic. It could end up being divisive amongst our friends. Plus, we are to be thankful for God's blessings every day, not just one big day a year, that features excess in many cases. I'm from Chicago, too 😉

The custom really got started when the bubonic plague was happening. I can understand hoping for God's blessings to prevent that sneeze from meaning a death-dealing illness. It's just considered polite, now. Like toasting.. ☺️

Not on the US site as of 11.37p June 30...

Anglo-American - as prophesied ❤️

Didn't see that coming.. 😕

My son has a ball python he's had for several years. He eats a medium sized rat about once per month. They are very interesting pets. No bother, cheap to feed and look extremely cool. When he was a kid he had a python too. We used to do The Ritual: wear a bathrobe with a hood on it, light candles, and present the living sacrifice at feeding time. Ours is a macabre family at times.. 🐍🐁☠️

Quote from AP: "The Israeli military declined to comment on Trump's statement. Iranian state media had no word on what response Tehran had to the ceasefire." https://apnews.com/live/iran-israel-war-updates-6-23-2025

Mel Brooks is producing Spaceballs 2. I'm just happy to see him still bright and hilarious at age 98!

...

Due process and habeas corpus are written into the Constitution. Those rights apply to every *person* here on US soil not only citizens. According to law. An article with good explanations of the detail: https://clearwaterlawgrouptricities.com/5-rights-of-undocumented-immigrants/

For what it's worth, I wrote and had the news positively confirmed by a brother I know at Warwick... 😢