The Children of Cronus (A Greek Tale)

In the beginning there was nothing but chaos in the world, surrounded by unending water, and a god known as Oceanus ruled over all. The goddess Eurynome wished to make order, and so she separated sea from sky from land, and soon three new gods ruled. These were Gaia, or Mother Earth, Uranus, who ruled the heavens, and Tartarus, who ruled the terrible region beneath the ground.

Soon afterward, Gaia and Uranus married, and their children were the Titans, great, hulking giants. The leader of all the Titans was Cronus, and it was he who possessed power over all the creatures -- every creature on Earth and in the sea, in the heavens and underground.

Gaia, Cronus' mother, could see into the future, and she understood that all things change. She tried to teach this to her children, but Cronus just scoffed at her.

"I will rule forever," he said. "That is my wish, and so it shall be."

Gaia shook her head. "One day, one of your own children will take away your power," she said. "That is the way of the universe."

When Cronus heard this, he vowed he would never let a child of his defeat him. Each time his wife, Rhea, gave birth to a child, Cronus stole into the nursery, lifted the baby from its cradle and swallowed it whole.

When Gaia realized what her son was doing, she despaired. She decided she must do something to save the world from such cruelty and vanity, and so when Rhea next gave birth, Gaia was there by her side.

When no one was looking, Gaia lifted the baby out of the cradle and hid him beneath her robes. Then she replaced the baby with a stone she had wrapped in a blanket.

"Where is my son?" Cronus cried, storming into the room. "Give me my son whom you have called Zeus."

Gaia stepped away from the cradle, and Cronus reached in, picked up the blanket and swallowed the stone disguised as his son.

"Now go," Cronus said to Gaia, and she hurried away, carrying the baby to Crete, far from his father's reach.

In Crete, on Mount Ida, Gaia gave Zeus to the nymph Amalthea. "Care for this boy as if he were your own," Gaia instructed Amalthea. "Protect him from Cronus. Though Cronus is his father, he must never find this boy."

Amalthea took Zeus into her arms and into her heart. She hung a cradle from a tree so that Zeus could lie in a bed that could not be found either in heaven or on Earth or in the sea. Then she gathered young men from everywhere and trained them with shields and spears to be the young boy's protectors.

"Whenever the baby makes noise," Amalthea instructed them, "you must be louder still. No one in the universe must hear this child's cries. No one must know of his existence."

Now Amalthea owned a goat that gave the richest, sweetest milk, and it was this milk that Zeus drank when he was only a baby swinging in the cradle that hung from a tree.

One day as the goat was wandering, she chanced to catch one of her horns on a tree limb. When she tried to free herself, the horn broke from her head and fell to the ground. Amalthea picked it up. "I will take this to Zeus," she said, and to protect the horn, she wrapped it in fresh herbs and carried it to Zeus.

When she put it to the lips of the boy, fresh juice flowed from it, and when she removed it from his lips, she saw that it was full of wonderful food -- fruits and nuts and nectars, anything anyone would ever wish to eat.

And that was only the beginning of the extraordinary powers of that magical horn of plenty. No matter how much Zeus ate or drank, the horn was always full, and never was there a treat Zeus wished for that did not appear.

Zeus grew strong and powerful. And although he loved Amalthea and Crete, he began to long for his home.

At last he decided he must go home, and so he did, but as soon as he arrived, he became entangled with Cronus, though Cronus had no idea this was his son. He knew only that he felt threatened by the very sight of this powerful young man.

"Leave my land," Cronus demanded, "or I shall have to wage war against you."

Now Zeus understood Cronus was powerful, and he could never fight him alone. He would need the aid of his lost brothers and sisters, and so he called upon all those who loved him to help him to remain in his place of birth.

The very next day Cronus was tricked into swallowing a potion of herbs that he thought would make him invincible. Instead, the potion caused him to throw up five of his children whom he had swallowed at their births -- Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.

Emerging from their father's mouth full grown, all the children joined their brother, Zeus, to fight their father.

Just as Gaia had predicted, Cronus was defeated, and so Zeus triumphed over his father and over his father's family of giants, the Titans. And he triumphed, too, over his brothers and sisters, for he was the one who had rescued them.

When the war ended, and the world was theirs, Zeus crowned himself the supreme god of the universe. Then he divided the world among his brothers and sisters, giving each a place to rule. Hestia was made goddess of the home; Poseidon, god of the sea; Demeter was goddess of the harvest; Hera of marriage and childbirth. Hades became god of the underworld where once Tartarus had ruled.

Zeus made a special place for the gods, a place that forever afterward was known as Mount Olympus, and to honor his nurse, Amalthea, and the horn of plenty, he transformed them into stars where, ever since, they have watched over all of us.

Cloud Bread recipe

15 minute Cloud Bread recipe
INGREDIENTS
4 Large Eggs
1/2 tsp Cream Of Tartar
1/4 Cup Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Crack the eggs and seperate the whites from the yolks. Put all the whites into a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer for 1 - 2 mins.
Add the Cream Of Tartar and whisk again for another 1 min. The mixture should start making soft peaks
In another bowl, add the yolks and the cream cheese and mix on high until well combined. Gently fold this mixture into the egg whites.
Spoon out the final mixture onto a tray lined with baking paper. They do fluff up a bit in the oven so leave enough space to breathe!
Put in the oven on  375¤f for 15-20 mins until slightly golden brown on top. Serve and enjoy!

Hoolihan and the Milk White Calf (An Irish Fairy Tale)

Long ago atop a hill near Tipperary, a farmer grazed his cattle. The land was lush and green, and the cattle grazed contentedly. One night, as the farmer sat beneath the faint starlight and the cattle lazed peacefully in the thick grass, a horselike creature with flaming wings and beard and a dragon's tail suddenly appeared in the sky.

Before the farmer saw the creature, he heard a wild flapping of wings. When he looked up, his eyes nearly popped from his head, for there was a creature such as he had never seen, hissing and shooting fire from its nostrils. Quaking with fear, the farmer could not move. He sat and stared -- and as he did, the creature transformed itself into a massive, hideous hyena with enormous claws and horns.

"What do you want?" the farmer wailed, but before the words had left his mouth, the creature once again transformed, this time into a gigantic ape with webbed feet and a wide peacock's tail. The creature roared and bellowed and screamed and howled. The farmer, terrified beyond imagining, covered his head with his blanket.

This did him no good, of course, for the creature was the Queen of the Fairies. The fairies, you see, lived upon this hill, and they had grown weary of the farmer and his lowing cattle. They begged their queen to scare him away.

The Fairy Queen took one deep breath and blew, and off the blanket flew.

The poor farmer began to quake, but he could not move or close his eyes. Paralyzed with fear, he stared as the cattle began to run wildly about the hill, kicking up their legs. They ran this way and that, and did not stop until the sun rose and the creature vanished with the light.

The next day the farmer, too afraid to return to the hill, hired a man to be his herdsman. The herdsman knew nothing of the fairies, and so he climbed the hill, happy for this pleasant job. But that night, as the herdsman sat upon the hill, a huge lion appeared, with an elephant's trunk and huge talons. The herdsman screamed, and the cattle, once more terrified, began to run again. In their fright, some raced downhill and tumbled into the river, and some lay as if dead upon the ground, afraid to move.

The herdsman quit that night.

The next night another man took his place, but once again the Fairy Queen, in hideous disguise, scared the man out of his wits. The farmer, desperate to use his land, hired one man after another, but each one quit after one night on the hill, and soon the word spread. The farmer could find no one to look after his dwindling herd. He gave up and left that hill to the fairies.

Happy to have their home again, the fairies spent their nights singing and dancing, sipping dew from acorn cups, spreading out their feasts on the mushroom caps, climbing the lily stalks, and donning bluebells on their tiny heads.

Now in that country there lived a brave fellow named Hoolihan who claimed to be afraid of nothing. "I play the pipes," Hoolihan said, "better than any man alive. And nothing in the world scares me."

Now the farmer heard the braggart's words and said, "I'll pay you well to look after my herd if you'll take them to the hill over yonder. But be warned. The fairies live there."

"Well," said Hoolihan, "I'm certainly afraid of no fairies," and so he set off to the hilltop that very night.

As the moon rose, Hoolihan began to play his pipes, and as he did, he could feel the fairies brushing past him. A moment later an enormous black cat standing on the tips of its razor-sharp claws came to him. The cat mewed in a voice so shrill and loud, it sounded like a thousand cats mewing at once. Then the cat swelled to 10 times its size and whirled around. But Hoolihan grinned and said, "So you'd like to dance, would you? I'll play my pipes for you." And so he did.

With that, the Fairy Queen transformed into a gigantic salmon wearing a bright-red scarf and matching boots, and Hoolihan laughed and said, "I've never known a salmon who could dance," and the furious Fairy Queen transformed herself again, this time into a beautiful milk-white calf with mild eyes.

She moved to Hoolihan's side and brushed up against him. She was trying to fool him, of course, but Hoolihan was no fool. He dropped his pipes and leaped upon her back.

Shaking with rage, she raced from the hilltop straight to the River Shannon, and beneath the shining moonlight, she bounded across the river in one gigantic leap. On the far bank, she kicked up her heels and flung poor Hoolihan onto the ground.

Hoolihan landed with a thud, but he just looked up and said gaily, "Not a bad leap for a calf. But can you dance?"� The amazed Fairy Queen turned into her fairy self. "You are a bold young man," she said. "Will you have the nerve to return the way you came?"

"Happy to," Hoolihan answered, and so the Fairy Queen turned back into a milk-white calf and Hoolihan leaped upon her back. In one more bound, they were over the river and on the hilltop once again. The cattle stared in amazement at the brave Hoolihan.

"You have shown courage and good spirit, Hoolihan," the Fairy Queen said, "so much so that I will promise you that while you keep a herd upon this hill, you will not be harmed. At dawn you must tell the farmer that it is you and you alone who will be permitted to graze his cattle on this land. And if I can ever help you, just ask for me."

She vanished then in a puff of smoke.

Hoolihan passed the message to the farmer, and from that day on it was he alone who looked after the farmer's cattle. He ate and drank at the farmer's table, and the farmer paid him well. All his life Hoolihan was never troubled again by the fairies, and he never asked the Fairy Queen for a thing. He was happy on the hilltop with his pipes.

When he died, an old, old man, he was buried in the bright green valley known as Tipperary, but afterward, no one climbed to the top of that hill, for there was never another man as spirited and brave as Hoolihan.

Easy Dinner Rolls

Easy Dinner Rolls makes about 15 rolls
Oven to 375ºF. 

You'll need:

1¼ cups warm water
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. yeast (instant)
⅓ cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
3½ cups flour


Dissolve yeast in warm water and sugar in a large bowl. Add in oil, salt, egg and flour until combined. (little bit of extra flour if dough is too sticky)
Shape immediately into about 15 rolls and place in a greased 9x13" cake pan. Let raise for about 15-20 minutes.
Bake rolls for about 15-20 minutes. 

Ranch Broccoli Salad

Ranch Broccoli Salad

2 heads broccoli, cut into small florets

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 small red onion, diced

¾ cup no added salt green olives

2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese (not imitation)

1 cup Aldi's Classic Ranch Yogurt Dressing



In a large bowl combine the broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, onion, olives, tomatoes, cheddar, and dressing and gently toss.

Nowhere to Rest (A Nigerian Tale)

Once upon a time, a man named Akunna lived in a village named after his family. They had been the richest family in the whole land, and Akunna inherited all the wealth.

Akunna was hard-working, but he was selfish and unkind. He lived alone because no one loved him or wanted to be with someone so greedy.

One day, after he had eaten breakfast, Akunna was sitting on his front porch when he saw a man dressed in rags walking by. He looked so strange that Akunna decided he must be mad. He tried hard to ignore him, but the man stopped right in front of Akunna and looked him directly in the eye.

"Please, give me some food," he begged in the saddest voice Akunna had ever heard.

But Akunna never gave anything away, and rather than feeling generous, he was angry that someone would be so bold. He grabbed a handful of rice from his plate and threw it at the beggar, who picked it up and ate it fast. He sighed with pleasure and licked his fingers.

And then, before Akunna's eyes, the man transformed from a poor beggar into a beautiful angel of heaven.

Akunna fell to his knees to beg for mercy, but the angel only smiled and said, "Do not be afraid. You were kind enough to share your rice, so I will grant you three wishes."

As the angel's words sank in, Akunna grew excited at the prospect of three wishes. With barely a moment's hesitation, he pointed at his big armchair. "That is the only chair I own," Akunna told the angel. "I bought it so I could sit comfortably after a hard day's work. But sometimes people come to visit me, and they take my chair. I wish that if anyone but me sits in that chair, it shall toss the occupant high into the air and let him fall to the ground."

The angel found this request odd, but he said, "So it will be."

Akunna was filled with joy, so then he pointed to a tree outside his door. "I planted that tree many years ago to make my house look nice, but my neighbors steal the leaves and say it cures children of every illness. I do not like people stealing my leaves. Please put a spell on the tree, and if anyone plucks a leaf, he will get stuck to the tree."

"So it will be," the angel said. "And your third request?"

Akunna led the angel to his shed, and he pointed at his shovels, hoes and rakes. "See these tools? I bought these for a great deal of money, but my neighbors are forever borrowing them, taking advantage of my good nature. Please make these tools so heavy that no one but me can lift them, and if they do, the tools will drop at once on their toes."

"So it will be," the angel sighed, and he disappeared.

A few days later, as Akunna was preparing supper, Satan appeared at his door. Naturally, Akunna didn't recognize him, so when Satan asked to sit in his chair, Akunna smiled and said, "Of course."

Satan sat, and the chair tossed him up in the air. He fell to the ground and hurt his leg. He began to swear and limped away while Akunna laughed.

The next day, as Akunna was preparing to go to work, he heard a commotion in his yard. When he looked outside, he saw his neighbors limping away from his shovels, hoes and rakes. "That will teach you to borrow my tools!" he laughed. He laughed so hard that he could barely catch his breath.

Later that very afternoon, as he was walking back from work, he saw a woman carrying a child on her back. She walked up to his tree and reached up to pluck a leaf. As she did, the tree pulled her close. She was stuck to the trunk. Akunna burst out laughing.

That evening, as Akunna was eating supper, still laughing at the plight of his visitors, he suddenly collapsed from a heart attack. As he fell to the floor, the woman was released from the tree, and all the other curses Akunna had wished for vanished.

A few days later, Akunna's workers wondered why he had not come to work. They went to his house and found him dead.

When Akunna reached the gates of heaven, the angel who had visited his home and granted his wishes greeted him. Akunna didn't recognize the angel, who now had heaven's glow in his eyes and was bathed in light.

"Hello," the angel said as he produced a large book and invited Akunna to read what had been written about him.

As Akunna read, he realized that the only good he had ever done in life was offering a little rice to the angel of heaven. Everything else he had done was greedy, selfish or cruel.

"I'm sorry," the angel said, "but I cannot invite you into heaven. You will have to go to hell."

When Akunna reached the gates of hell, Satan was waiting. But when Satan recognized the man who had cruelly launched him out of the chair, he refused to let him enter hell.

Because of his lifetime of bad behavior, Akunna had nowhere to go. And forever after, he was left to wander eternity alone, with nowhere to rest.

"Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder," the third CD in the audiobook series, is now available. For more information, please visit www.mythsandtales.com.

The Mandarin Ducks (A Tale From Japan)

Once upon a time, a samurai lived in the king's court in Yokohama. He served as the king's most trusted aide. The samurai had lost an eye in battle, and ever since that time he had been unable to join his fellow warriors. His spirit longed for the great adventures he had once known, and for the wild world outside the palace walls. He sometimes dreamed so vividly of the world beyond that he wondered what was more real -- his dreams or his life in the palace.

The samurai's greatest pleasures were his walks through the forest, the sound of flowing streams, the scent of lotus blossoms and wisteria, and the sight of creatures moving freely just as once he had.

One day the king called the samurai to his chambers to show off his latest treasure. When the samurai saw the bamboo cage, he felt his heart sink. There, locked in the cage, stood a handsome mandarin drake with his magnificent plumage, his crested head and scarlet beak. "Beautiful, isn't he?" exclaimed the king. "My hunters captured him for me."

The samurai looked into the drake's dark eyes. "Sire," said the samurai to the king, "you must not keep him. He is meant to live free."

The king frowned. "Who cares?" he said. "I wish to own him, and whatever the king wishes, the king shall have."

The samurai looked outside, beyond the palace gates. There, at the edge of the stream, he spied a mandarin duck less colorful than the drake. The samurai realized that this creature with feathers the color of soft wood was the drake's partner. She was mourning her beloved.

"The drake's mate needs him," the samurai argued, "and he needs his freedom."

The king flew into a rage. "You dare to question your king?" he cried. "Go away from my sight until you understand the drake is mine."

All that day the samurai mourned for the mandarin drake, and when he slept he dreamed of the creature flying away. If anyone understood how the poor caged creature felt, it was the samurai, trapped as surely as the drake.

That night, when everyone else was asleep, one of the maids crept into the room where the king had left the cage. Spying the captive bird, she too felt her heart break, for she also longed for freedom.

She opened the door to the cage, and the drake looked into her eyes.

"Go now," she whispered, and she moved to a window and opened it. When she looked outside, she saw the drake's mate framed in the waning moonlight.

A moment later both mandarins flew away.

The next morning, the king discovered his newest treasure was gone, and he sent his guards to seize the samurai.

"You," said the king to the startled warrior standing before him, "you stole my drake."

The samurai bowed. "It seems my dream has come true," he said. "I stand before you, guilty of freeing the drake."

"I sentence you to death by drowning," the king commanded.

Hearing this, the maid could not keep quiet. "Sire," she said, stepping forward, "it is I who freed the drake. I am guilty, not the samurai."

Now the king's fury exploded. "You too shall die, then. You both are guilty!" he roared, and the guards led the samurai and the maid to the dungeon. Tying their arms behind their backs, the guards departed. "Tomorrow at dawn you will die," they told the prisoners.

But hours later an odd thing happened. As the king sat down to feast, two richly dressed messengers appeared at the palace gates. "We come from the Emperor of Kyoto," they told the guards. "We have been sent to tell the king that all prisoners sentenced to death must be sent to the emperor's court."

The king knew he must obey the emperor's wishes, but in his fury he wanted to find some way to punish the samurai and the maid. "You will go to the court," he told them, "and face your death at the emperor's hand. But you must walk there, unguarded, in the night."

With that he sent the poor maid and the samurai, their hands and arms bound, into the dark forest. He refused to send protection from the forest beasts. "And you shall have no food or water," he said.

The two began to walk into the inky darkness, the maid trembling, the samurai despairing that he could not protect them. "We shall surely die here if not in the emperor's palace," the maid said tearfully, but they walked on, and as they did, they told each other of their dreams of freedom, of the wonders of the world the samurai had so long missed and the maid had so longed to see.

Suddenly they heard flapping wings high above them, and they smelled a sweetness in the air and felt a soft breeze caress their skin. "Who is there?" the samurai called, but the only answer he received was another flapping of wings. In the next moment, the ropes fell from his arms. He turned to the maid and untied the ropes that bound her. Now, to their amazement, they saw that they had safely reached the edge of the forest, and the sun was beginning to rise.

"We are free," the astonished maid said, and so they were. And there, on the edge of the forest, the maid and the samurai built themselves a house, where they lived to a ripe old age, surrounded by their many children. But they never forgot to be thankful for the gift of the mandarin drake, the same gift they had given to him: a loving partner and blessed freedom.

A Dreamer's Tale (A German Folktale)

Once upon a time, long ago, there lived a man in Bavaria. Ali was his name. He was a friendly, smart fellow of many talents. But Ali believed most of all in following his dreams. His family and friends often teased him. "The dreamy one," they called him, laughing behind his back. "He'll never make anything of himself; he's too busy looking at the clouds."

Ali didn't listen. He paid close attention to his dreams.

One night, he awoke from a dream in which he saw himself sitting in the middle of the medieval stone bridge in Regensburg. A voice was telling him if he went to the bridge, he would become a very rich man.

The next morning, Ali packed his things into a sack and started on his way to Regensburg. He dressed in warm clothes -- the days were becoming cool, the nights were cold, and he thought he might have to stay for a while.

"Where are you going?" his brother asked.

"To Regensburg," Ali replied. "I dreamed that if I went to the bridge, I would become rich."

His brother laughed. "You are a fool, brother, but I know you will do as you like."

Late that evening, Ali reached the bridge. He leaned against a wall and wrapped himself in warm blankets. And he began to wait.

Ali waited through that night and the next day and the next. After a few more days, people began to whisper about the strange young man wrapped in blankets, waiting on the bridge over the Danube. They tried to imagine what he was doing there, but no one had any idea. He was not a beggar -- that they could see. But he never left his post.

Then one day, a merchant stopped at his side and looked down. "Young man, please tell me what you're doing here. You've been here every day for two weeks, and it's growing cold. Why don't you go home?"

Ali smiled and said, "I dreamed I should go to the bridge in Regensburg and I would become rich."

The merchant burst out laughing. "A dream told you to come and you listened?" He called to others crossing the bridge to come listen to this crazy man.

"He's here," the merchant told the others, "because he dreamed if he came to the bridge, he would become rich."

One of the women who had been passing by laughed. "Don't you know the only way to become rich is to work like a dog?" she said. "Dreams are fantasies."

"Dreams are lies!" another woman added.

"Dreams are delusions," said a man.

"Dreams are a fool's paradise!" an old man sighed.

But Ali went on smiling. He nodded and listened. And when the others walked away, he said to the merchant, "Don't you ever dream?"

The merchant laughed again. "Of course I do."

"And what do you dream?" Ali asked.

The merchant sat down beside him and wrapped one side of the blanket around his own shoulders. "Let me tell you, son. I once dreamed that there was a pot of gold buried beneath the tree on top of that hill over there." He pointed beyond the cathedral.

"Which tree?" Ali asked.

"That one, there," the merchant said, indicating a monumental oak tree with copper leaves gleaming beneath the autumn sun.

"And what did you do about your dream?" Ali asked.

"I recognized it was a fantasy," the merchant said. "I only remember the dream because it was a beautiful dream. Remembering it makes me smile. But I know that life is reality, and dreams are not."

"But what if your dream is real?" Ali asked. "What if there is a pot of gold buried beneath that tree?"

The merchant put an arm around Ali's shoulders. "If the dream is real, then I shall give you my dream pot of gold."

"Thank you, sir," Ali said. "That is very generous of you."

The merchant and Ali said farewell to each other, and Ali waited until he was gone. Then he stood up, walked to the cathedral and borrowed a shovel from the groundskeeper.

Ali walked up the hill, dug beneath that towering oak, and sure enough, he found the pot of gold.

And he lived happily ever after, always paying careful attention to his dreams.

"Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder," the third CD in the audiobook series, is now available. For more information, please visit www.mythsandtales.com.

The Tale of the Hunchback (From the Arabian Nights)

Once upon a time in the city of Basrah, a tailor and his wife went out seeking entertainment. They came upon a little man, a hunchback, who proved to be so amusing they invited him home as their guest for supper. The hunchback happily accepted, and once they were home, the tailor's wife prepared a marvelous meal.

As the hunchback was eating, he tried to make the couple laugh by sticking an enormous piece of fish into his mouth. Alas, in that fish was a huge, sharp fishbone. When the hunchback swallowed, the bone stuck in his throat, and a moment later he appeared to have choked to death. "Woe is us!" cried the tailor. "What shall we do?"

His wife said at once, "Come along," and she wrapped the hunchback in her shawls and carried him out of the house. The tailor trundled along behind her, and his wife cried, "Step away! My poor child has smallpox. We must get to the doctor's house!"

Everyone ran away when they heard the cries, for they did not want to become ill. When the couple reached the doctor's house, his servant girl let them inside. The wife said, "Give your master this silver coin and tell him to come see my child." While the girl ran to fetch the doctor, the tailor propped the hunchback's body up at the bottom of the stairs, and the tailor and his wife ran away.

The doctor, coin in hand, ran downstairs to care for his new patient. Alas, he hurried so fast, and the stairway was so dark, he tripped and fell, and at the bottom of the stairs, he toppled the hunchback. "Oh my," he cried when he discovered that the hunchback had no pulse. "I've killed my patient!" Then he ran to his wife to tell her the tale.

"We'll toss the body into our neighbor's yard, and we shall not be blamed," she said. They carried the body into their neighbor the steward's garden and propped him up against the wall that led into the kitchen.

Now the steward was forever chasing and beating the cats and dogs who, he was convinced, stole his butter. This night when he returned home and lighted his candle, he was startled to see a man standing at his back door.

"Aha!" he cried at the sight. "To think that all this time I've blamed the animals when it was you, a common thief!" He lifted the mallet he carried and struck a blow upon the hunchback's chest.

The hunchback fell to the ground, and when the steward saw that he was dead, he cried out in despair. "A curse upon my butter!" Then he quickly lifted the hunchback and carried him away through the deserted streets until he reached the marketplace. In a dark alley, he leaned the hunchback up against a wall and ran away.

Soon afterward the king's broker passed by on his way to the baths. Earlier that week, someone had stolen the broker's turban. When he turned the corner and spied a man leaning against the wall, he thought the man was wearing his turban. The broker raised his arm and let out a cry. "You'll not steal my turban again!" and struck a blow upon the hunchback's chest.

Just then the watchman appeared, and seeing one man beating another, he ran to stop the fight. When he discovered the hunchback was dead, he hauled the broker to the governor and accused him of murder. The governor announced he must hang for his crime.

The gallows were set up in the heart of the city, and the executioner prepared to hang the broker. But just as the rope was being tied around the broker's neck, the steward pushed his way through the crowd. "Do not hang him. I killed the hunchback," and he told the tale of striking a deadly blow in his garden.

"Hang the steward!" the governor said. But at that moment the doctor ran to the gallows and cried, "Another innocent must not die on my account," and he told his tale of killing his patient by accident.

"Hang the doctor!" said the governor. But the tailor ran to the gallows and shouted, "No! I am to blame!" And he told his tale of the fishbone.

Upon hearing this story, a barber who stood in the crowd pushed his way to the gallows and said, "I humbly ask if I may examine the hunchback's body?"

The governor commanded that the body be laid before him.

The barber knelt over the hunchback and then smiled. He drew some medicines from his pocket and rubbed the hunchback's neck. Then, using his pincers, he drew the fishbone from the man's throat, and the hunchback sneezed, stretched, and opened his eyes.

"You see!" the barber cried, "he's not dead at all!"

Everyone who watched was amazed and filled with admiration for the barber. When the king heard the whole tale, he ordered that it be inscribed on parchment in letters of gold. He asked of his court, "Have you ever heard a story more amazing than this tale of the hunchback?"

Well, of course they had, but you will have to wait until another day to hear those stories.

The second book collection of wonderful tales from "Tell Me a Story" is available for $14.95, plus $3.50 for postage and handling. Send your orders to "The Spectacular Gift," in care of Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, Mo. 64141; or call (800) 642-6480. Be sure to indicate your newspaper's name on your order. Allow three to four weeks for delivery.

The Shoemaker and the Elves (A German Folk Tale)

Once upon a time, a shoemaker and his wife were struggling to make enough money to keep a roof over their heads. No matter how hard they tried, their lives grew more difficult, and at last the day came when the shoemaker had just one piece of leather in his entire shop.

He sat down as he had every day for many years, and he carefully cut the leather. As the day wore on, he began to sew a pair of shoes. But when night fell, he set the shoes down on the table and closed the workshop door, promising himself he would finish the shoes the next day.

In the morning when he opened the door, he found a pair of finished shoes sitting in the spot where he had left his work.

"How can this be?" he asked, scratching his head.

But he wasted no time. He hurried to the market and sold the shoes. With the money he earned, he bought more leather. For the rest of the day, he sat in his workshop cutting the new leather for more shoes.

The next morning when he returned to the shop, to his astonishment he found several pairs of beautiful shoes sitting on the table where he had left the cut leather. Again, he hurried to market. This time he earned even more money, and he bought more leather. Again he carefully cut out leather for several pairs of shoes and left these on his worktable.

In the morning, once again, he found still more shoes awaiting him -- there were sandals, boots, ballet shoes, clogs, brogues and moccasins. The shoemaker was overjoyed to know that his mysterious visitor had returned, and so he began to leave pieces out, ready for the stranger's delicate handiwork. This went on for weeks. Every morning the shoemaker found more shoes awaiting him.

The shoemaker's reputation began to grow. He became known for making some of the most beautiful and sturdy shoes in his village, and the couple's money troubles began to lift. The shoemaker and his wife were very grateful.

One night, as it was nearing the holiday season, the shoemaker's wife said, "We must find out who is helping us, so we can do something to thank them. Let's hide in the workshop to see."

And so they hid in the little closet behind the worktable and waited.

At midnight, the shoemaker and his wife heard voices singing a pretty little tune. They peered out of the closet and were amazed to see two tiny elves with no clothes on climbing through the window. The elves were singing and dancing, turning somersaults and leaping into the air -- the happiest fellows the shoemaker had ever seen.

After they had danced around, the elves sat down at the table and began to make shoes. When they had finished cobbling together a dozen pairs, they disappeared out the window. The shoemaker and his wife ran to the window just in time to see the elves vanish in a shaft of moonlight.

"Elves?" the shoemaker's wife whispered. "Elves have come to help us! We must find a way to thank them."

"Yes," the shoemaker agreed. "What can we do?"

"They had no clothes on," his wife said. "We can make them some clothes!"

The shoemaker agreed that was a wonderful idea, and so for weeks they worked. The shoemaker sewed two tiny pairs of beautiful boots lined with fur, and the shoemaker's wife stitched up two little fleece jackets with matching shirts and warm wool trousers.

On Christmas Eve, the shoemaker set out the gifts on the worktable. Then he and his wife hid in the closet to wait and watch.

At midnight, sure enough, they heard the elves' song. A moment later, into the workshop they leaped. The elves were turning somersaults, but then they saw the table. They stopped singing and turned to each other and stared.

"Where is our work?" one of them asked. He picked up the fur-lined boots and cocked his head. He tried one on, and then another. The other, meanwhile, picked up the shirt, jacket and pants and tried those on. They were a perfect fit. Soon they were both dressed in their handsome new clothes. Once again, they danced and sang, happy as ever.

But there was no leather to sew, and so they leaped out of the window and vanished in the moonlight.

The shoemaker and his wife were very happy to know the elves liked their new clothes. They went to sleep feeling satisfied that they had helped the elves. On Christmas morning, the shoemaker cut his leather and left it out on the table for the elves.

But when he returned to the workshop the next day, he found no shoes. He ran to tell his wife, "Our elves have not returned."

"Never mind that," his wife said. "We shall work again, just as we always have."

The shoemaker agreed. Once again, he set to work just as he'd done for all those years before the elves came. And just as before the elves came, the shoes he made were as beautiful as ever.

"Tell Me a Story 3: Women of Wonder," the third CD in the audiobook series, is now available. For more information, please visit www.mythsandtales.com.

Silver-haired bat

Silver-haired bat
Identifying Features

The silvered-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) is a medium-size bat. It's dark brown-black hairs are tipped with silver giving it an icy appearance. The silver-tipped hairs do not extend to the face or neck. Their ears are short, rounded and without fur.


Migration/Hibernation

Silver-haired bats typically hibernate in small tree hollows, beneath sections of tree bark, in buildings, rock crevices, in wood piles, and on cliff faces. Occasionally they will hibernate in the entrances to caves, especially in northern regions of their range.

Habitat

Silver-haired bats are among the most common bats in forested areas of the United States. They are considered to be a solitary, tree-roosting species.

Range

Silver-haired bats are found throughout the United States (with Florida as an exception), northward into southern Canada. Their northern limit is in Alaska. They are also found southward into Mexico.

Wild Status

Silver-haired bats have no special endangered or threatened status at this time. Human activities such as logging, clear-cutting for development and roads, and general deforestation may pose a threat for the bat in the not too distant future.

Diet

Silver-haired bats are insectivorous. They are known to take flies, midges, leafhoppers, moths, mosquitoes, beetles, caddisflies, ants, crickets, and they have been observed consuming larvae on trees and occasionally spiders. Silver-haired bats mostly feed in mid-flight, but will occasionally go to the ground to obtain food.

Predators

Predators of silver-haired bats include skunks, owls, feral cats, and raccoons.

Reproduction

These bats form maternity colonies in tree cavities or small hollows. Mating takes place in early fall and fertilization is delayed until the following spring. Two pups are born between late June and early July. Just before birth takes place the female will begin to roost with her head facing upward. She will hold her tail membrane forward to form a cup-shaped basket which will catch the pups as they are born.

Life Span

It is estimated they can live up to12 years.

Size

Weight 0.25-0.45 oz (8 to 12 g) Wingspan 10-12 in (27-31 cm)

Extra Fun-facts

Silver haired-bats are one of the slowest flying bats in North America .
The scientific name of the silver-haired bat is derived from Greek and Latin words meaning "night wandering shaggy bat."

Cave myotis bat

Cave myotis bat
Identifying Features

The Cave myotis (Myotis velifer) is a medium-sized bat with brown or black fur on its back and paler fur on its underside. Its ears are short and pointed and its eyes are small.


Migration/Hibernation

During the summer these bats can be found roosting in caves in groups of 2,000-5,000 individuals. Some of these will stay and hibernate over winter, but most appear to be migratory over short distances.

Habitat

As indicated by their name the cave myotis prefers a cave habitat, but will choose other roosting areas if a suitable cave is not available. These alternate areas can include mines, rock crevices, abandoned buildings, barns and under bridges.

Range

These bats are found throughout the southwestern United States from central Oklahoma and Texas to New Mexico, Arizona and extreme southeast California. They also extend their range into Mexico and Central America.

Wild Status

The cave myotis is considered to be doing well and is listed as a species of least concern.

Diet

Cave myotis are insectivores. They feed upon a wide variety of insects depending upon which are available on any given night. They find their prey by using echolocation. This method of hunting helps them to determine the size and form of their prey as well as helps them avoid obstacles during flight.

Predators

Predators vary, but can include hawks, snakes, owls, raccoons, feral cats and coyote.

Reproduction

Mating occurs in late fall, but as with many other bat species the female will store the sperm until early spring. They give birth to a single pup in June or July. The young learn to fly at three weeks old.

Life Span

Their life span is approximately 10-15 years.

Size

Weight 0.4-0.5 oz (12-15 g). Wingspan 11-13 in (28-33cm)

Extra Fun-facts

These bats have been known to roost in swallow nests if other suitable root sites are not available.
These bats are very sensitive to human activity and will abandon a roosting area if disturbed.

Peter's Ghost-faced bat

 Peter's Ghost-faced bat
Identifying Features

Peter's ghost-faced bat (Mormoops meglaophylla) is a medium sized bat that is reddish or reddish-brown in color. They probably get their name from their unusual looking face. Their large ears are rounded and join at their for head. This makes their small eyes look like they are actually in their ears. They also have leaf-like skin flaps protruding from their chin.




Migration/Hibernation

Ghost-faced bats live where winters are not very cold. They appear to remain active year-round, neither hibernating nor migrating.

Habitat

Ghost-faced bats are typically found in desert scrub habitat roosting in caves, abandoned mines, tunnels and old buildings.

Range

Their range extends form southern New Mexico, Texas and Arizona, through most of Mexico and extending into Central America.

Wild Status

Currently ghost-faced bats are listed as a species of least concern and receive no special federal status.

Diet

There is not much information about the dietary habits of this bat. They forage on insects while in flight, and generally hunt for insects high above the ground instead of near foliage or water.

Predators

Predators include owls, snakes, and hawks.

Reproduction

Mating occurs in early winter with one pup being born in late May or early June.

Life Span

Their life span is really not know. It is assumed that they live around 20 years in the wild.

Size

Their weight ranges from 0.45-0.70 ounces (12.75-19.8 gm). Their wingspan is 14-15 inches (35.5-38.0 cm).

Extra Fun-facts

In Mexico, bat feces (guano) is used by local people as fertilizer.
Colonies of ghost-faced bats in Latin America can reach over 500,00 in number.

Damascus Goat

The Damascus goat is a breed of domestic goat generally used for milk production. It is mainly raised in Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria. The breed is also known by some other names such as Aleppo, Baladi, Chami, Damascene, Halep or Shami.

 The Damascus goat is a native breed of the Middle East, and it has been raised in big herds throughout the region. This goats were exported by the British at some time in the nineteenth Century. They were taken to Cyprus where they were then bred and raised in large numbers. It was during this time that the breed picked up the name “Damascus“. In addition, detailed descriptions of the Shami appear in classic Arabic literature, religious texts, and folklore; these sources all refer to the goat’s special character, striking characteristics, conformation, and nobility. Because of being noble and having striking characteristics, the Damascus goat was used for creating many other goat breeds. And there has been interest in the breeding and genetics of this goat. A Damascus goat named Qahr won the first prize for the “Most Beautiful Goat” title at the Mazayen al-Maaz competition in Riyadh on June 13, 2008. Read more information about this goat breed below.

The Shami is a multi-purpose goat historically providing its owner with milk, meat, hair and fine leather. If she receives proper care and quality feed the doe is able to produce large quantities of milk, and many are particularly noted for their ability to kid triplets or even quadruplets. Additionally, the typical Shami is characterized by an especially noble conformation and bearing that conquers the heart of all that see her. And finally, her quiet and gentle nature is another important reason that her owner and his family may choose to keep her.

 Shami milk has proven to be markedly rich in protein and fat, its quality and composition changing according to the food the doe receives. The ability to produce milk under the radically, rapidly changing weather conditions between cold to hot and the relatively high amounts of milk solids found in her milk has made the Shami the preferred goat breed of the Middle East.

Today the Shami is often kept as an exotic pet because of her intrinsic beauty and ability to adapt to human lifestyles, but traditionally her role has been that of a small food factory - her easily digestible milk used as a food for the raising of infants, to meet the dietary needs of elderly or sensitive persons who have problems digesting normal food, and as a proven home remedy for curing blisters, mouth sores, and more. The milk is typically cultured to produce labaneh, leben, yogurt, and other fresh cheeses for home use, and often these products are marketed locally to supplement family income.

Most recently new commercial dairies specializing in the production of gourmet and ripened cheeses have been established in Israel using milk produced from Shamis, hybrids, and Nubian goats.

The Shami’s many excellent characteristics make her a successful progenitor for the development and improvement of other caprine breeds - in particular, to improve size, meat, milk production, and body shape.

 The various outcrosses that have been introduced over long periods into the original Shami goat population have given our modern Shami a correspondingly broader genetic base. Even so, the modern Shami retains its ability to pass on its excellent characteristics to goats of other purebred and cross breeds.

While in the distant past the major colors were reddish brown, brown and black, nowadays one may find Shami goats in many different colors. Today one commonly finds grey in many different shades, derivatives of white and beige, and various mixes of white and darker colors. The subject of color is one of style and personal preference, and it seems that every few years the fashion changes and a different color is in vogue.

Additional traits of the Shami goat include long legs, long lines in both neck and body, a small Roman-nosed (convex) head, and long ears that hang down from the upper part of the skull; all these contributing to a unique appearance of nobility and pride.

 The true Shami is beautifully clad in a long haired double coat, offering protection from the rain and the cold on the one hand, and from the harsh ultra-violet rays of the sun, on the other. It is typically able to survive and thrive on scarce pasture and little feed.

The height of the Shami doe taken from the shoulder in a straight line to the ground measures about 75 cm or more, her weight ranges from between 60 - 80 kg according to her size, the way she was raised, and her body condition. Bucks are typically much larger and heavier than does.

Without a doubt the most striking characteristic of the breed is its specially shaped head - which is clearly convex on the bridge of the nose; the very expressive eyes, and the long ears carried close to the head and gracefully falling downward.

In the past, the Shami goat was used to create the Nubian, Indian, and other goat breeds - in particular, it was used to establish the Anglo-Nubian, and in all likelihood is the source of the breed’s long ears and Roman nose. The Nubian’s shorter coat resulted from crossing Shami goats with British shorthair breeds.

http://www.lazerhorse.org/2015/09/12/the-damascus-goat-looks-really-strange/

Modern Breed Standard & Notes on Selection

Below is a description of the ideal Shami goat that we use as our breed standard:

 Shami Color Variety - Click for larger image! General Appearance - A goat possessing a particularly aristocratic bearing, arresting beauty, great nobility, and charisma coupled with a strong body structure, long legs and height. Although many of these traits cannot be strictly measured by measuring tape, they are, nonetheless, strikingly obvious to even the most casual observer, and impossible to ignore.

Body Condition and Color - Body condition should be muscular and full, not too thin and not too fat. All colors are acceptable, the shade and markings according to the preference of the breeder and market demands.

Coat - Double and long (as necessary), lustrous and in good condition, free of foreign debris, parasites, etc.

 Shami Doe Head - Click for larger image! The Head - The most recognizable characteristic of the breed. Convex (extreme Roman-nosed) in front, with upper and lower jaws meeting squarely and correctly. Goats with long, protruding lower jaws find it more difficult to nurse and graze; animals displaying this characteristic are less acceptable. Very long ears are placed at the upper part of the skull and fall downward at the sides of the head. The head size should be in correct proportion to the body and attached to a long, highly carried neck. Too large of a head lessens the nobility of the Shami.

Eyes - Full of expression and with tight eyelid to protect the eye from dust and debris. The preferred iris color is milk white with a black pupil in the center of the eye, but brown, pinky brown, and black are also acceptable. (Today, at the writing of this standard, the majority of our breeders prefer the white color).

The Neck must be long and attach cleanly into high Withers which flow smoothly into the back.

The Back must be straight and strong, neither convex nor concave.

The Loins are the portion of the spine not supported by ribs and should give the appearance of great strength. These attach to a wide, generous croup.

The Croup continues the topline, and should have a gently sloping appearance, to allow for easy kidding. Too steep a slope is undesirable.

Normally the Tail is carried gaily, vertically to the ground.

The Limbs should appear powerful with strong bone and well developed musculature apparent from both front and behind. They should be straight and parallel, showing especially great width from behind to allow the development of a well-attached udder capable of great milk production. From the front the build should also appear wide, with straight, parallel legs that offer both stability and room to encompass a well-developed chest, with plenty of space for heart and lungs.

Distinguishing male from female - Sexual differences between doe and buck should be immediately obvious.

The Female (doe) - should appear finer than the male (buck), with the long and fine neck indicative of good dairy character. Both fore and hind legs should appear strong, but correspondingly finer and more delicate than the male’s.

The doe must have a well-developed digestive system with a large rumen allowing for large food capacity and good ability to utilize feed for maximum milk production. A heavy, meaty doe will utilize her food for meat production rather than milk production.

In order to produce a modern doe which both represents the original ancient beauty and the ultilitarian advantages of the Shami, we must pay great attention to the development of a well-attached, wide udder, velvety smooth on the outside and spongy and soft from within. We select for teats that point downward and not to the sides, since both hand and machine milking are done in a downward direction - proper teat placement means that no milk is left in the lower portion of the udder. When the teats are pointing sideways, one must push with the hands each and every milking in order to get the last ½ liter of milk.

In our country, until recently, the selection of does based on proper teat placement and structure has been largely ignored - the area given most attention has remained the head. Even today a doe with a nice head will sell for more money than a good dairy goat with a less typical head - even if she gives less milk.

Recording daily milk yields and keeping individual production records is a very new phenomenon in our local goat industry. In contrast to our well-established dairy cattle industry where we can most precisely rank dairy bull performance, our dairy goat industry is in its infancy. Most bucks used to date have not sired enough daughters to allow us to accurately measure their breeding value.

The buck’s power, strength and size should be immediately apparent. The head should be very typical, with a strikingly convex foreface and an especially expressive eye (white color preferred). The ears must be very long and made of soft flexible skin, carried close to the head, and fall downward.

The buck’s neck often appears somewhat shorter than that of the doe, but this is an optical illusion - it is its comparative massiveness and thickness that make it appear so. As a rule, bucks with long necks pass on better dairy character to their offspring.

Overall, the buck’s body structure should show more massive muscling than that of the doe.

One must look for large, well-developed testicles with a squarer build and largest development at the bottom. All four limbs should appear broad and powerful with strong hooves, preferably dark in color.

 The most important distinguishing factor and mark of excellence of both buck and doe is their ability to pass on his or her good traits to their offspring. When making breeding choices, one must always be certain that the buck and doe do not share identical faults so as to not strengthen these faults in future generations.

Today, the Ministry of Agriculture of Cyprus is involved in an ongoing project dedicated to the improvement of their local Shami goat, and occasionally they publish their results. Some excellent Cypriate stock was imported into Israel a few decades ago and has greatly influenced our local animals. In Cyprus selection is being done primarily on the basis of health profiles and milk yields, with less emphasis placed on preserving the typical Shami head or other distinguishing physical traits of the breed.

Here in Israel we are convinced that the correct approach is to actively select both for distinct Shami physical type and beauty and for the utilitarian characteristics of the dairy goat. Using this method we hope to produce the most excellent and beautiful Shami goats in the world.

Additional Notes for the Breeder

* The Shami breeder must be particularly attentive to physical faults in the head that affect the health profile and proper functioning of the animal. For example, a Roman nose so extreme that it restricts the nostrils and impairs proper breathing is actually a deformity. An overly protruding lower jaw that makes nursing or feeding difficult is a definite fault.

**Breeding bucks should be selected from mothers known for their good dairy characteristics, high milk yields, and excellent daughters - they themselves should display the typical Shami head, proper conformation, beauty, and nobility.

When a particularly beautiful buck is identified, he should be tried on a limited number of dissimilar does. The more daughters a buck sires from dissimilar does, the greater our ability to assess whether he is consistently transmitting specific desirable traits.

Kids must be judged according to their quality in relationship to the quality of their dams and the other does in the herd. Once the female kids are grown and producing milk, we can decide whether or not to continue breeding with a particular buck, based on his daughters’ quality and performance relative to the other does in the herd.

*** In modern dairying, speed of milk flow during milking is a key factor to consider in doe selection decisions. In large milking herds the amount of time it takes for a doe to let down her milk is critical, as time saved in the milking shed can be used for taking care of the many other chores necessary to proper herd management. In a herd of 100 does, if each doe takes one minute more for milk letdown than average, the extra time spent in the milking shed will be formidable.

In Conclusion

We hope that this article will provide a basic picture of the Shami breed and a bit of background about our preservation efforts. Today, Arab and Jewish Shami breeders in Israel and the Palestinian Authority cooperate closely in a common effort to preserve the original Shami goat.

We warmly invite all readers, both in the Middle East and beyond, who shares our interest in Shami goats to contact us directly or through the Goatworld site. By uniting our efforts and working together, we can ultimately produce herds of high quality, high-performing, typical Shami goats for the benefit of all.

Our email addresses are:

Mr. Kuti Aharon kutiaharon@hotmail.com

Ms. Tzviah Idan idanatiq@netvision.net.il

http://www.goatworld.com/breeds/shami.shtml