By the Middle Ages, a legend came about that when Jesus was born during the winter, all the trees in the world shook off the ice and snow and sprouted new leaves of green. At this time Christians became more lenient to practices having to do with the evergreen trees.

Records became more clear during the Renaissance of the trees symbolizing Christmas which started in Lativa in 1510. There is no real proof but it has been said that the Christmas Tree was invented by Martin Luther the Protestant reformer. Legend also has it that the Christmas tree started with medieval plays that were based on stories from the bible which were put on as a part of the Church’s worship. The Christmas tree finally became very popular in the 17th century, even though many protestants felt that it took away from the true meaning of the evergreen, being Jesus Christ. But in time Churches put their trees in their sanctuary and decorated them with lights and ornaments.

Gold is uniquely made up of a soft metal which makes it a cinch to forge but is super strong. Gold never corrodes, tarnish and can not rust. It has been used for centuries to make jewelry, coins and even used in various types of art. Being an element it is number 79 on the periodic table, with the symbol being Au. When it comes to chemical functions and electronics, Gold is extremely useful because it is a great conductor of electricity and heat. Did you know that just about every computer world wide has a touch of gold somewhere inside it? I was very surprised whent I first learned that piece of interesting information.

When the king tried to arrest 5 well known higher ups he lost most of the people who supported him and Parliament claimed him to be a tyrant. So the final outcome was that Bishops were all voted out. After the Irish rebellion, Parliament and the king felt they needed an army. So another contribution to the Civil War was that Parliament felt they should have control of the army because they knew how much the king was angered and they were afraid it would start a war. Since the people did not trust King Charles the control ended up in the hands of Parliament.

Included in the Constitution is the Bill of Rights which has a special lists of rights for all people. At first some people disagreed with the Constitution because they were afraid that it did not consist of enough to protect their rights, so in return promises were made which in turn ended up being the Bill of Rights. This Bill that was added helps to protect important ideas, it protects what people want to say freely, it allows people to think for themselves, and they also give rules to police officers that also protect the people and the laws in turn are also affective but kept from being too harsh. After the Constitution was passed the Bill of Rights were added shortly after, which was one of the first 10 changes that had been made to the Constitution.

This very important document was written in 1776 and on the 4th of July it was ratified and thus became the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It was approved and signed by fifty six Continental Congress delegates. At this time John Hancock was the President of Congress and represented Massachusetts. The final out come is of great importance due to the fact that the Declaration clarifies the identity of the new U.S. and at the same time defines the powers that was given to it’s new government. They also deemed it necessary to clearly state that they had absolutely no military connection or loyalty to Great Britain.

It only lasted a year, but it came back into our lives in 1942 and lasted for 3 years. Through an act of Congress the USA made the messing with time a law in 1966. The USA is not  the only place that practices time change. Other counties like Great Britain and Canada also embrace this tradition.

The day and time that we actually move the tic-tock up an hour or back an hour has changed a few times over the years. The main reason we change our hours and minutes one way or the other is to save on our light bill. Sounds like a good idea, right? Studies have shown that we save $1,000,000,000’s of dollars each year by doing the time adjustment. Another benefit of the time adjustment is a measurable decrease in car crashes and deaths. More car crashes happen in the dark than in the light.

As with any law there are individuals that aren’t real happy about the bi-annual change. Moms and Dads worry about their children going off to learn in the dark. Owners of chickens claim it throws off their chickens natural clocks and makes them lay less eggs for a couple of weeks both in the spring and in the fall. On the flip side, makers of BBQ’s and sports equipment see a boost in sales when it stays lighter later.

As spring approaches families and animals naturally want to be in the fresh air more. By adjusting the time this allows people to embrace the outdoors earlier in the season. In the fall families are getting ready for winter, by adjusting the time makers of hot chocolate, firewood and tea see a big jump in their sales.

“Samhain, or Halloween is a time for honoring your ancestors and those who have passed from this life. Yule is the celebration of the sun returning. Yule celebrates the winter solstice and the beginning of the days becoming longer. Imbolc happens the first part of February, it’s the middle of winter and we are starting to prepare for spring.

Ostara is the next turn of the wheel and it symbolizes the launch of spring. It occurs on March twenty first and is the time when there is much light and there is darkness. Rebirth is in the air, flower and animals are born. Beltane is celebrated on May first. It is the start of the summer season. Beltane starts the growing season. Litha celebrates the summer solstice, or the longest day of the year. Lammas is the middle of summer and it’s the beginning of the harvest season. Mabon is the end of summer and the end of the harvest season.

Each turn of the wheel is called a Sabbat and a Sabbat occurs about every six weeks. There is always a celebration or ritual to welcome each season and turn of the wheel.

In an astonishing two years Barack Obama has squandered overwhelming popularity to become one of the most controversial  figures in American history.  Although he had a record of being one of the most leftist United States senators of all time, the ignorant American people are surprised by his  leftist policies. It appears the otherwise ignorant and or preoccupied voting populace has seen enough of this new branded version of a failed socialist direction. The economy has left far too many people short on the opportunities that have once seemed common place. America’s elite on the other hand have increased their wealth exponentially. This shows the hypocrisy of leftist politics. Instead of evening the playing field for the common man. The economically elite are as powerful and corrupt in a way that is new and invigorating to them.

The state of Washington has many mountainous areas. In the Cascade Mountains is Mount Rainier which is one of the highest mountains in the nation. Most of the population of Washington lives in the Puget sound Lowland. This is a part of the ocean that extends between two pieces of land.  The Pacific Ocean gives Washington very mild seasons and a lot of rain year round. The farms need to use irrigation systems and are famous for Washington apples. The state of Washington produces more apples then any other state in the U.S.

In 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted which was the first eruption since 1857. This eruption caused a lot of damage to the Cascade Mountains.  The volcano shot out ash and rocks that covered a huge area. It started forest fires and melted all of the mountain snow, which caused major flooding. Trees were knocked down, wildlife and crops were threatened. People in the nearby towns had to be evacuated. It took about five years for the greenery to return and to this day is still not 100% where it once was. The Columbia River Gorge is the boundary between the northern state of Oregon and the southern state of Washington.