~*~CASUAL COMMUNITY NEWS~*~
Issue 1 - 26th November 2001
Editorial
Welcome dear friends and fellow reprobates to the
first edition of ~*~CASUAL COMMUNITY NEWS~*~
It has finally arrived, the paper BY the members FOR the members!
Sometimes, it takes something like this for us to see just what a
talented crowd we have in the community of Casual Chat. I took on
this task with some trepidation, mainly because my experience
with a newspaper was..errr...NIL! ....but I'm a quick learner
<S>
I would like to congratulate our new Forum Manager TRISHA! We all
know she loves Casual and we couldn't have a better person at our
helm.
A little bird told me that she has come up with a very
interesting way to save water, I'll not steal her thunder though
and let you all ask her yourselves how.
It is also rumoured that after her recent trip to California she
now has a taste for well done bread!
We had some exciting news! Becca and Michael have become engaged.
We send them our Congratulations, they are a wonderful couple.
No date has been set for the wedding yet and any rumours that I
am checking out bridesmaid dresses in catalogues are totally
fictitious. (I just accidentally stumbled on some wedding sites)
Not much news on the home front this weather. I had planned to
treat myself to a new CD writer this weekend. A sort of early
Christmas present to myself. (well... if I'm not good to myself,
who the heck will be?). However my delightful children (commonly
known as "the sprogs") decided to murder my microwave.
It's kind of hard to write CD's on a microwave, it keeps melting
the discs!
So, folks, I hope you enjoy our first edition and keep those
articles coming in! We plan many more editions.
Any articles, suggestions, rumours <S> letters to the
editor <cringin'>, please Email them to me LyndaAtCasual@Compuserve.com
Lynda [Editor]
Please remember, this is a fun/interesting/informative addition
to the many features on offer at Casual Chat, critique is welcome
but nothing that attacks members, personalities or other fora
will be welcome.
Content
Editorial........................................................................................Lynda
The Reluctant Cowboy.................................................................Rascal
Pets and Holidays.........................................................................Lillyrose
Indianapolis Informer....................................................................Lizzie
Sun Dance...................................................................................Becca
The Modern Woman - Part I.......................................................Anonymous
Welcome to the personal section of casual Community News. Since
coming into this forum , I have been curious about the day-to-day
activities of the regular participants. With this in mind, and at
Lynda’s request (or threat) I will tell a little of my life
in Southern California, USA.
The Reluctant Cowboy 
First off let me introduce myself. The
bulk of you know me as Rascal, my "real life" name is
Mike. As most things in my current life, Rascal is horse related.
The other screen name I rarely use ,Wallaby gent is also taken
from a horse. I will attempt to explain why horses have come to
dominate my life.
Approximately 19 years ago my wife (Donna) and I reacquainted
after a four year two failed marriages (one hers, one mine) and
got married. (I shoulda married her the first time but that’s
another story.)
Shortly after this we relocated from Arizona to Southern
California. Upon arrival we set up household in a mountain town
called Crestline. Crestline is a small resort town in the San
Bernardino mountain range. On the rare clear days (or when the
smog isn’t so thick you can cut it with a knife) in Southern
California you can see them. They are the mountain range that run
north to south inland of the great basin that is known as Los
Angeles. I was enamored with the area because of the seasonal
change, the forest and the mountains. Yes folks it does snow in
Southern California. It was worth at least five days a year away
from the office. (Sorry, I can’t make it, I’m snowed in.)
As most resort towns tend to have a lot of activity on weekends
and holidays and are a ghost town during the week my wife needed
an activity that would keep her from going stircrazy. She has
always loved horses and has ridden most her life. We bought our
first horse, Mirage, a schitzo Arabian that spooked at everything
in the forest. I’m not sure if a pro rodeo cowboy could sit
this horse through one of her spook episodes but my wife rode her
everywhere. One of her riding friends asked us to transport her
daughter’s horse from central California to Lake Arrowhead
where we were stabling Mirage. We then picked up Katrina Chexx (Katy)
for her and eventually purchased her as my riding horse. Katy is
our first quarter horse and will be with us as long as she lives.
Together we’ve gone countless miles and seen some of the
most beautiful country in the western United States.
When our daughter (Nichole) hit her seventh birthday we decided
to get her involved in horses instead of boys, so we decided to
breed Katy. I figured the best way to get her to love horses was
to make a baby. My wife looked long and hard for the proper
stallion to breed to and finally found Wallaby Bar. Wally was a
gorgeous quarter horse stallion with outstanding bloodlines.
As I indicated earlier, the mountain resort we live in gets quite
cold in the winter months. Katy was due to foal in February and
night temperatures can get down to the teens. (Fahrenheit for you
Ukers) We found a boarding ranch for Katy down in the flatlands (Redlands)
that allowed us to set up our travel trailer next to the stall so
we could witness the blessed event. We lived in that awful thing
for about three weeks. I estimate we combined for about four
hours of sleep a night. It was inevitable, my wife and I both
fell asleep for about two hours and Wallabys Rascal (my screen
name Rascal) was born. Rascal ‘cause he snuck out of the
womb and we missed it. As a yearling we started to show Rascal
quite successfully. Because of this success we elected to breed
Katy back to Wallaby Bar.
I left for the office one morning, the same morning my wife was
going to inquire about rebreeding Katy and upon my arrival home
that evening I was informed "Guess what, we’re in the
horse breeding business."
After a few expletives that I can’t repeat here I calmed
down enough to listen to my wife’s explanation. It seems as
though Wally’s previous owners were going through a bad
divorce. Wally was in the care of the husband and the wife
retained ownership. Not a good situation for Wally. He was about
250 lbs underweight and his hip muscles were so deteriorated that
his backbone was visible to his tail. It took a good year to
bring him back to full health.
Wally was an exceptional stallion and taught me a lot about the
breeding business. He gave us about 50 of the finest quarter
horses in California. There was not a single mare we bred to that
the progeny was superior to the mare, in looks, conformation and
attitude. Many stallions can be rank and very difficult to
handle, Wally was always easy to handle and a true gentleman to
the ladies. (This spawned my other screen name Wallabygent).
Sometime after acquiring Wally a position for ranch manager
opened at the boarding stable in Redlands, (we continued to board
our horses in Redlands after Rascal was born) so we packed up,
rented our house in Crestline out and moved onto the ranch. I was
now surrounded by horses. Horses are amazing animals that can
escape from their corrals, can dig up and break water lines, have
a tendency to colic and usually accomplish these feats between
the hours of 2:00 and 4:00 A.M.
We are now responsible for over 100 horses, have three dogs and a
cat. We have retired Rascal from the show ring and remain quite
proud of his accomplishments. Wally developed laminitis and we
unfortunately had to put him down. He was a good friend that I
miss dearly. He always greeted you with a whinney and I still
miss his call when I go to that barn. I continue to share the
local trails with my wife and my other love Katy and we still try
to explore all the beautiful country in the western United States.
My wife and I love camping in our motorhome but would not
consider it without our horses.
So as you can see, I was kinda steered into the horse business by
my wife, I sometimes think of it as being railroaded into it.
There is numerous times when I debated getting rid of the horses
or divorce. I have come to the conclusion that if I did the
latter, divorce would be a foregone conclusion. I often complain
about it and threaten to become horseless but my wife knows that
I’m a big windbag and doesn’t pay any attention to my
threats. Seriously folks, I love my life just the way it is and
wouldn’t change a thing.
So my dear friends that is my life as I perceive it. Please share
a portion of your life so we can come to know you better.
Holidays and Man's Best Friends
Happy Holidays and Happy Pets
I know we all think of the holiday's as time gets
so close for all of our families with, friends and family coming
in and out, but let's not forget are little friends the Cat's,
Kittens and Dogs and Puppies.
We all seem to think of all the other little details but some how
forget to think of how our little pet's will fair the storm of
Strange looking packages coming into there safe little kingdom,
also all the people that seem to come from no where, but have
found there way to there little
part of the world called they Domain! ... Please remember if your
pets are not able to join in with the others at the Christmas
dinner or with just friends coming in and out to give you
presents, bringing in all those goodies, that Rover and Max's the
cat would love to dive right into what they have brought you, and
to there house, I say this because they to think it's there
presents, what's your is there's <S> Please Remember No
Chocolate for are Cat's and Dogs, Chocolate is very Toxic to
them, they can not eat that at all, also Cookies and milk will
not be good for them, Just make sure to leave that out for Santa,
way up high, that will be the best for them, and for Santa
<S> Then we have the Famous TURKEY BONES... That is A big
problem for Dogs, when you look at that big turkey bone and say (
Duke will love this ) well he might love it but it will, as he
eat's it splinter in many little sharp pieces that will go into
his tummy cause, serious Intestinal injury and even death.
so if you want to have your pet have a Holiday treat, please take
off all the meat from the Turkey and give them some not a lot but
just a little and they will be the happiest pet's in Town.
If you have a pet that is a little afraid of strangers and they
seem to get upset then it's a good idea to find a safe place or
room in the house, if you have a Cat or kittens make sure they
have there water,
and there food in the room with them at all times, also remember
that they need there kitty litter box as well, so no mishaps in
or around the room you have chosen for them. Also don't forget
the Toys for Cat or Kitties this is important for them they to
need to keep busy, also the Catnip that is what they really like,
there are so many toys out there with Catnip in them that they
will be so happy if you make sure they have one, or you can just
put it on there blanket or pad that the sleep on that will make
them happy...
Now If you have a Dog or puppy you can buy them some little
diaper papers that you can get at your local pet store, where you
put that down, there is an enzyme in it to attack that dog or
puppies to it...
so there will be no place like going where you feel comfortable,
this is made just for that purpose...Your Pet will be happy and
so will you!
Also Don't forget there Food and water and a Toy for them to play
with, with your Dog or Puppies, you might want to give them
something to chew on, this will help with the no chew zones of
the room or place you have chosen for them, and it keeps them
busy while you are visiting with Friends and Family... remember
if you have a Dog that you notice that Growls at people you
really want to make sure that they are away from your friends at
the holiday season, you might not think, that they would not bit
a anyone but they are growling for a purpose, they don't
understand why there are other people around when this is
there Domain and these are my family, and I don't know you !! so
be on the safe side, and keep them away from visitors.
(( Don't for get they are the Masters of the House Not You !! ))
If you dog or Cat is outside make sure there is a safe place for
them to keep warm in the dropping temperatures they don't know
how to do this them selves so you might want to make sure that
there water is not frozen over and there is a safe place away
from the elements, there are many good dog house's out there or
you might want to get a doggie door to the
garage or into the laundry room that they can get threw and find
a place to keep warm...
Oh Christmas Tree.. Oh Christmas Tree.. and all those Blinking
Lights...
Now we have that wonderful Christmas Tree ... that to many a Cat
is a beautiful and most thoughtful Present to have thought of for
them,
they look at all that as a Neat New Toy with all those Blinking
Lights and Balls that they can play with it's like how wonderful
they have Hit
the Jackpot with all those neat enticing Toy's Hanging on the
Tree, and just for me !... Most of the Ornaments will not be
hazardous as long as you do not use Tinsel and don't use real
popcorn for the stringing that will just make them want to climb
right up that wonderful tree that you brought for them and eat
all those Bright hanging Tinsel, if swallowing that string of
tinsel, it can lead to serious Intestinal injury and even death.
so if you live with a Cat, consider leaving tinsel off and not
using real popcorn, as with tinsel the string that is on the
strung popcorn can be just as dangerous, also those small lights
strung on the tree, particularly if they are blinking, can invite
batting and even chewing behavior from playful cats. if your pet
pay's lot's of attention to those make sure that they are
supervised while near the tree.
Now we have the water under the tree that will keep the tree
alive but might not be to good for Cat or Dog, we use those
little packet's that keep the tree from drying up to soon, well
that is also a very toxic drink for our Cat or Dog, so make sure
your tree water is covered in a way that they cannot get to it,
you will be doing cat and dog a big favor...
Some Cat's like to do a little nibbling on all those nice
poinsettia Plants and holly ( Particularly the red holly berry )
they are toxic if eaten, so if you can hang them in a high place
or out of reach, that will be my advice, but remember that cat's
can scale many High counters, to a
very Determined Cat that is a challenge for them, so make sure
you have that in mind when placing your best plant's around the
house for
Christmas.
Candles ...
to avoid the risk of fire from being knocked
accidentally, candles should always be placed safely
out-of-reach from your Cat and Dog...
Dogs and there Tails ... and Tree's OH MY"ssss...
Are dogs like to wag there tails because they love us and that's
there
automatic way of showing us that we are excepted, but that can
cause a tree to come down or have it's ornaments to come off, so
keep a safe zone for Dogs and there wagging, they to like cats
like to sniff and eat what the thing is good for them and like
that cat they will try, so keep a safe zone for them as well this
will keep them happy and you too with Tree and Trimmings...
To All I wish the Best of the Holiday Season... Keep Safe and
Keep the Love for You and Your PETS at this Wonderful time of
year...
Lillyrose [Host]
ARTICLE FOUND IN YELLOW
PAGES OF INDIANAPOLIS INFORMER
as reported by Clark Kent
Tragedies happen in the country as well as the
city nowadays. It has many times been said by some of the more
"sophisticated " folks that Indianapolis is a corn
field with lights. Now everyone is entitled to their own opinion
and while visiting this city I managed to interview a couple from
one of the more rural areas of the county and this is what they
said to me, in their own words.
"Well, now it all seems as if it is a dream.
Pappy and I decided to make our yearly visit to the City, as
opposed to a visit to town, the difference being the City is a
bigger place. Now when we go to the City we make
it an all day trip and try to see the sites and them funny,
strange looking people who sit down on the Circle downtown. It
was sure a site to see, some of them folks looked like
people who sit down on the Circle downtown. It was sure a site to
see, some of the folks looked like far unners to me. A trip to
the City always makes for a lot of talkin when you get home and
the neighbors come to visit."
Well about 6 O’clock in the evening Pappy and I hooked up
the mule and started for home. We had about all we could stomach
of the City and all the goins on in there. We are country people
and even if they do say we live out yonder in the hills and
hollars, we still got our pride, I wore my best cotton dress and
Pappy wore his newest bibs. I always enjoy the ride home as it’s
quiet and we don’t have to breathe those nasty car smells.
We finally come to the end of our road, and dad blame if it wasn’t
black as pitch. Paw looked at me and said I wonder whut is goin
on. He whipped up that dang mule and we went down that road so
fast we left our dust behind. When we finally cum to orr place we
almost missed it, some dirty rotten rustler had done been there
and made off with every stalk of corn in the field. And if that
weren’t bad enough they took the lights too! Those doggone
gas lights cost a fortune. I had counted on that corn all year,
cuz I was going to make me a fancy dress from the silk on those
ears. Aww it makes me cry just to think about it.
Lizzie
copyright
Sun Dance of the Lakota
Nation
The Sun Dance is a sacred ritual that was usually performed
during "the moon of fattening" or in white man’s
term, June or "moon of cherries ripening" which is July.
This ritual was first revealed in a vision to a Lakota by the
name of Kablaya. Wakan Tanka, the Lakota’s God, felt the
People had become lazy in how they conducted their praying, so in
order to appease him, he gave them a new way to prove their
devoutness - the Sun Dance.
During the Sun Dance the participates or Dancers will offer their
bodies as a sacrifice on behalf of all the people. With their
sacrifice the Dancers hope that the people will gain strength and
a better understanding of life.
Usually a very large tipi was constructed. Many ritual objects
were either gathered or made for the ceremony. One such object
was a round rawhide circle that would represent the sun. It was
painted red in color, with a small blue circle in the center. The
blue circle represented Wakan Tanka. Before the actual Dance,
many singers would sing sacred songs with a drum beating a steady
rhythm. The drum, round in shape, represented the universe and
with it’s steady beat, the pulse.
The most important part of the ceremony was the "rustling"
tree or Cottonwood tree. A select group of people would search
for the perfect tree. Once the tree was decided on a sacred Pipe
would be smoked - making offerings to all four directions. One
person would be chosen to make the first cut on the tree. The
making of the first cut was an honor as it was considered to be
"counting coup" on the chosen tree, or enemy, as the
tree was then considered. After the first cut was made, everyone
would help in the chopping of the tree, making sure that once it
was felled, it didn’t touch the ground. The tree was then
carried to the area where the Dance would be held. After the tree
had been erected in the center of the dancing area, it would then
become a sweat lodge for the cleansing of the participates of the
Sun Dance. When all was in place, the entire area was then
purified with the smoke of sweetgrass.
The Sun Dance ceremony would take place over a period of many
days. On the last day, the dancers would prepare themselves for
the coming ordeal. Before the ceremony the participates would
have a wreath of sage placed on their heads, around their wrists
and ankles. The medicine man or Shaman would then ask them to
state what their sacrifice would be. The usual sacrifice would be
either the cutting off of pieces or piercing of the flesh. It is
the Lakota’s belief that the flesh represents ignorance. The
tearing or cutting of the flesh represents freeing the body of
ignorance. If the sacrifice chosen was to be the piercing of
flesh, a small sharp piece of bone or stick with a rawhide thong
was used. Once the flesh had been pierced, the rawhide thong was
then attached to the Cottonwood tree.
While they danced they would blow eagle bone whistles in order to
get the attention of Wanka Tanka, to not only praise him but to
show the sacrifices they were making for the people. They would
continue to dance until the rawhide thongs had been ripped free
or they collapsed from exhaustion. Sometimes the dancing could
continue on for many hours, if not days. Once the dancers had
proven that their sacrifice was worthy and was accepted by Wanka
Tanka, family members would help them to the sweat lodge where
another sacred pipe would be smoked. Then all would return to the
central tipi where a huge feast in celebration of the completion
of the Sun Dance would be held and enjoyed by the entire tribe.
Becca
The Modern Woman Part 1
(or how they take over
our World!!!)
Well,,,,,,,,just what does that statement mean I hear you ask!! 
Lots of things to lots of people,,,,,you bet! To the female of
the species
it usually conjours up images of a woman "taking control of
her life" (whatever
that may mean!) To the male it means the one you, maybe, thought
was the woman
of your dreams turning into a bloke in drag!. Wearing a suit,
cutting her hair short and
worst of all, wanting us ( the poor downtrodden male) to do our
share round the house!.
Wowwww,hang on a minute,,,,,,lets take a few steps back and look
at just how this
female managed to "evolve" from the sweet young lady
you met last year!!!!!,,,,,,,,
As usual you and your mates are out having a couple of drinks on
a Friday night,(usual
training for Saturday night),,Surely you remember how that used
to go,,,,
1. Wake up Sat.am (not sure who's house you ended up at)
2. Get home in time to "crash out" in front of the tv
watching sport.
3. Prepare for Saturday night out,search for clean shirt,(there
must be one in here somewhere
because you can remember doing some washing a couple of weeks ago!)
4. Imbibe at your hostelry of choice followed by a top of the
range Haute Quisine meal,(Curry or
Kebab)
5. Wake up Sunday (at some stage!!!)
Anyway,, I digress from the topic,,,,,
So you see this stunning young lady, start chatting,, buy her a
drink etc etc,,,,,,
Within a couple of weeks your life has started to change (for the
better it would seem!)
You agree to her coming round to your place,,even though this
entails a frantic search for
the carpet,, you know its down there somewhere,,,,emptying the
pedal bin in the kitchen (why
do those liners always rip when you remove them??) Clearing away
all those pots,pans plates,
cups etc ( so thats where my favourite cup is!!) And ,,,,,,worst
of all,,,,,,,,,,,,,having to stuff all your
clothes in those big wooden things in the bedroom. (dam, so thats
what they're for!!)
Then,, and to your total amazement you hear,,,,,"mmm this
place looks like it could do with
a womans touch". Secret female code for "this place is
a pigsty"!!!
Now for the clever ones amongst us the plan is working (we think)
,,will she take the hint and
make use of all those new tubs of cleaner, polish etc that you've
spent all your money on?.
Well of course she will,, we all know she wants to be able to say
to you "Now doesn't that look
better?". Of course it does,,,,genetically women are
designed to carry out domestic tasks <ducking
at this point>.
However, the "modern woman" would hotly dispute this
statement,,why??,,,simple,,,,they want a cleaner
to do the work for them <authors note,, ALL cleaners are
women,,ergo all women are cleaners!!>
Time passes and the Friday/Saturday nights out with your mates
stop. You have to take her out somewhere
nice,,have "friends" round for dinner,, or have a
"quiet night in" ( the latter one having some distinct
advantages weg)
Life changes,,,,Saturdays are spent "shopping". Now
what does that mean?,,,wandering aimlessly
from shop to shop, looking at the same thing and trying to fathom
out whats different (apart from the
price tag!). She never actually buys anything, unless there is a
sale on,,,now hows this for female
logic,,,,,
"I bought this,,, for £/$50,, and "saved" £/$30
because it should have been £/$80",,,,can you make
her understand that she hasn't really "saved" £/$30,,,,shes
just spent less, because we all know if
it wasn't in the sale she wouldn't have bought it in the first
place!!!!!
You used to go shopping when you actually needed to buy
something,essentials like food/beer etc.
Now you go to look!!!!!!!!!
She is spending more and more time at your place.. and then one
day you hear that phrase,,,,,,,
"I'm always here these days,maybe I should move in!!!!!!"
Careful guys,,this is one of those trick questions,,,,,delay over
the answer and she'll take it as a "NO"
then you've lost your new cleaner/cook.
If ,,on the other hand you dive in and say "YES",,,,beware,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
, life as you know it may never be the same again
ANON
to be continued,,,,,,,, (as long as you girls
don't find my address before the next installment!!)
Well Folks, thats it!
I hope you enjoyed it.
Now get writing all those articles for the next edition of ~*~CASUAL
COMMUNITY NEWS~*~