Skip to main content

Happy New Year


It's raining here today, and too nasty to do anything outside.  I have finished cleaning up from Christmas, so it seems like the perfect day to work on a quilt that needs to be finished by January's end.

I'm happily sewing, and my Grandmother's memory suddenly appeared,  shaking her finger at me, telling me I know better.  Grandma was convinced that if you sewed on New Year's day, you would be called on to make a burial shroud before the year was over.  It had actually happened to her and taught her a lasting lesson.

It is fifty years later, and if everyone I know passes away in 2013, I'm pretty sure I won't be asked to make a burial shroud.  I can make quilts, but nothing else.  That's a great comfort to me, because I'm not going to waste this day because of a superstition.

Another superstition concerning New Year's day is that you can't wash clothes, because you will wash someone out of your life.  I don't remember if Grandma believed this, unless it fell on Wednesday. Everyone knew it was a terrible sin to wash on Wednesday.  I've read the Bible through many times, and still haven't found that particular verse concerning rules about doing laundry.

So don't wash or sew if it makes you uncomfortable.  Whatever you do, be determined to make this year the best that you possibly can.  I challenge you to do something exciting this year that you have never done before! We'll talk about it on this day in 2014. Right now, I have to go put some laundry in the washer.

Comments

  1. lil red henJanuary 1, 2013 at 11:16 AM

    Smiling at this Wanda -- I'm thinking I may start a jigsaw puzzle. Be sure and show us your quilt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Faith, Folklore, and FriendsJanuary 1, 2013 at 3:08 PM

      Happy New Year to you, Charlotte. It will be a while before the quilt is ready to show! :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.
Post a Comment
Read more

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie.  It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house.  After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there.  I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then.  I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important.  It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things.  We call it Holy Smoke.  Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan.  It helps to use your hands (or hand, if you have t
Post a Comment
Read more

Cedar Trees in Cemeteries

If you ever wander in old cemeteries, and I know many of you do, you are bound to see some cedar trees. The tradition goes back to the early days of the United States and even earlier  in Europe.  Cedar trees were not always used, but some type of evergreen trees were planted because they were a symbol of everlasting life.  Some  Cherokees believed that cedars contained powerful spirits, including the spirits of the departed buried beneath them. Perhaps because they are known as burial trees, there are many superstitions that surround cedars.  My grandmother told us in no uncertain terms that if we planted a cedar tree, we would die when it was large enough to shade our graves. Some others are: Never transplant a cedar tree; it will bring bad luck. If you transplant a cedar and it dies, you will die shortly. Planting a cedar tree in your yard welcomes poverty. Some say Christ was crucified on a cedar tree, and will bring bad luck if you burn it. If a cedar tree com
1 comment
Read more