Happy vacation, Cynthia. The first days of a vacation are so sweet - it feels like a luxuriously long time stretched out ahead of you.

Too easy? Ha! Are you sure you didn't write these questions for Jeopardy? I'm not sure that even clues will help me enough.

TM

I am with TM - Alex will be calling!! Hey, if you watch,. which I do - you may have noticed that 2 of the winners this week were Canadian!! It takes so little to make us happy!! lol

As to the trivia, oddly enough in my research, I don't think I stumbled across any of these. Except maybe something about the first one, which my brain has obscured. I need to make some tea and get my mind started!!

Nancy - who is also on a 1 week break from training - yea for us, Cynthia.

Well if I knew these I have forgotten, although, I think somewhere in the grey matter something is swirling around for #2 & #3.

Annette

Yes, yippee for those of us who are on vacation or retired(!).

Temps today are supposed to be in the 60s. I need to WALAT (walk around looking and thinking) in the garden/yard and start to picture how I would like it to be. Do any of you incorporate sculpture? One neighbor has has a bird bath with a statue in it, but I am not so much interested in statues of saints. I do have a goofy rusty iron moose peeking out in one spot (sort of a joke gift, but I do love him).

I may actually get a couple of things planted that I had given up on and decided to overwinter in their pots. I always find discarded broken stuff when I dig in the back yard. Luckily, no body parts yet, although Annabel came home from a walk with Chuck carrying a deer bone (picked clean). He wouldn't let her bring the jaw bone though. I am thankful for small favors-ha.

Hmmm. One more clue. The third is harder. Will have to be hints. Did you know the partridge was used as a mythological symbol in ancient times of divine kings? Then, once you have that connection, take the numbers and connect them with Biblical references. # 7 and #9 were ones that I did not say, aha, I see that. #12 also. The rest seem obvious once you know them. It is the numbers, not the gifts that count (ooh, bad pun-sorry).

Cynthia

OK, I think I have a pretty good guess for number one, thanks to your clues, Cynthia. Will ponder the others.

TM

I am drawing a blank on all of the questions. Had trouble connecting again with GW and am off for a busy day. Will check back later for more clues or answers.

Hard to think of you planting and planning as I shovel snow and only see a bit of garden where the snow removal man pushed too deeply along the drive. Hope he didn't dig up any plants or I will be planting as well, in frozen soil. Had to push some plants back into the soil last winter for that very reason.

#1. I am not Catholic, but I think the new Pope seems wonderful.

#2. I am so pathetic. I need to get better organized-I'd lose my head if it weren't attached. I keep thinking of things I need, but can't remember where I stuck them. Sigh. Would it help to tell you that the ships in the original version of the song were each delivering certain items to the cathedral in Cologne, Germany?

#3. Random thoughts and hints: this is the time of year when we think of the old and the new. We like to donate now rather than do heavy gift-giving because the greatest of these is charity... Growing up, our minister would recite the Christmas story from Mark-no one has ever done it better. Five-our friends of the Jewish faith would know this for sure. Six-back, way way back to the very beginning (Biblically speaking of course). Eight-aren't we all blessed? Ten-no rules to follow on vacation...well, no school rules anyway! Eleven-just ignore the betrayer and you'll get this number. 12, 9, and 7 are not familiar to me, so can't offer hints, although 12 has to do with a recitation we said at our church every Sunday and that they probably still say.

Cynthia

Yes, Bobbie, I have been having trouble on GW today, too.

Okay, now to step away from clues and hints. For all of you masterful gardeners-do you think it would be best to just wait at this point and keep the ceanothus and muhly grasses in the garage for winter and plant come spring? They can get light there and when warm enough, I can sit them on the deck. I am afraid they won't like being planted now and then getting hit with very cold weather. Sigh. I wish I hadn't been so lazy in the fall.

Well, I was thinking I had a clue about #!, now I am sure. 2 & 3 still elude me. I have see the cathedral at Koln or Colonge - were you aware that it is the only building to survive Allied bombings in WW2? Very ancient looking building, which brings me no closer to the answer.

Nancy.

Well, Nancy, perhaps you should reread my posts and then think back to your question of last week for the answer to #2. I was going to call it Köln, but you beat me to it! That won't help though. When I was young, my family took a river cruise on the Rhine and I remember the cathedral vaguely. I would love to go back to Germany some day. That is unlikely.
Cynthia

Think I have the first one from Cynthia's first set of clues. I have a small statue of a Greek goddess that was my Mom's which is placed in one of my deck pots. It is white but not marble. Used to see lots of statues in the yards in St. Louis but don't see many in this area. I saw a statue of Renoir's at the MMA in New York of a nude woman arched backwards that would make a wonderful bird bath. Still looking for a reproduction.

Was going to say soldiers for 2 but must not be as referenced to last Sunday's question has me going in another direction.

Regarding the twelve days I know the answers to 2, 3, 4, 8, 10 and 11 from the clues. Might have 7 but will be patient and wait for other clues. The best and greatest gift is the first and the reason for the season.

Bobbie, I can't give you clues for 7 because I am not familiar with the reference. I asked Chuck since he grew up Catholic, but he didn't know either. Aha! Just looked it up (I'm allowed-my question-ha-so pathetic). I just read Chuck the riot act since it is from the Catholic catechism. He had to have learned it way back when!

For six, also go back to the beginning, the very beginning as I said.

For nine...anyone here like fruit cake? I may try to make one, but it will probably turn into a holy mess.

Twelve, now this we did knowand say in the Presbyterian Church!

Cynthia

Batteries going dead on both my school laptop and the iPad. Yikes. Will come back in the morning, so you will still have time to answer and maybe I will come up with another clue or two in the meanwhile.

With DH's help I have 6 and 12. Maybe having his help is cheating as he is a retired Presbyterian pastor. I should have gotten them on my own as they are obvious now. Our churches did not say this creed every Sunday though that is the practice in some churches. Also forgot to include 5 in my previous post from your Jewish clue.

Maybe we have 9, fruits of the spirit?

1. St Frances
2.
3-1. Jesus (edited from God the Son)
3-2. Old and New Testament
3-3. Faith, Hope, and Charity
3-4. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
3-5. Torah
3-6. Days of the Creation
3-7. Virtues, including patience
3-8. The Beatitudes
3-9. Fruits of the spirit
3-10. Ten Commandments
3-11. The Disciples
3-12. The Apostles Creed beliefs

This post was edited by mnwsgal on Sun, Dec 22, 13 at 3:48

The only one I got was St. Francis, though my first guess was St. Nicholas.

I am in awe of Bobbie's deductive skills. It was a great set of questions, Cynthia, just too much for me. Thanks for the entertainment.

TM

The only one I came up with was St. Frances. I'm having trouble logging on is anyone else having the same problem this morning?

Annette

Four stars for Bobbie and her DH! Absolutely fair in my mind to make it a team effort-I have done the same if you remember! Oh, and the Christmas story that Dr. Faulds used to recite was Luke 2:1-20. I still love to hear it, but no one can match his telling. Also, it HAS to be the King James version for me.

Three stars for Tm and Nancy who got one and probably for Annette as well although she never got back to post!

#1. Yes, it was St. Francis of Assisi who, in 1223, started his Nativity Plays in Italy. The people in the plays sang songs or 'canticles' that told the story during the plays. Sometimes, the choruses of these new carols were in Latin; but normally they were all in a language that the people watching the play could understand and join in! The new carols spread to France, Spain, Germany and other European countries. (Taken from the website-see carols history link below)

#2. The Three Ships in the original version were said to be carrying the skulls of the three Wise Men to the cathedral in Cologne. Also see link (Carols stories)

#3. Won't go through each of these, but again, the carols stories link goes through them all. I will add to that to tell you that the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, knowledge, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord (wonder and awe).

The Nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

All words to live by no matter what one's religion or whether one follows any religion or not.

I wish you all joy, health, and laughter this week and throughout the year. Thanks for playing!

Cheers,
Cynthia

Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of fun and info here!

Yikes! TM reminded me of what should have been my question today and what I had originally planned earlier in the week. Completely forgot when Saturday and the 100th birthday of the crossword puzzle arrived. I am ashamed since solving those is one of my favorite pastimes! So here is your star TM! I had planned to give you the name of Arthur Wynne who invented the crossword puzzle and ask you to identify what he invented 100 years ago. Sorry TM!

Cynthia

Love the stars, including the star crossword!

Enjoyed reading some of the items from your link. Did we have a trivia question one year about the Christmas Pickle? Not a Tradition my German family celebrated though we do relish our pickles.