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It's that time of year again where the air breathed in holds a rejuvenation with each breath. The scent of rich earth being tilled over and seeds sown. Flowers blooming in a rainbow of colors leaving their scent to fill the air. Green finally seen again and becoming more prominent each day. Daffodils, tulips and other such early blooming wild flowers add color in patches or whole fields. Gardens are being tended and bushes trimmed. Winter's debris being swept, burned and tilled away. Cottages, manor homes and castles are being cleaned out just like the earth being refreshed and prepared for the summer months ahead. The marketplaces are thriving with vendors calling their wares, shops with their doors and windows open have a burst of sales. There has been an influx of new citizens to take part and become a part of the bustle within the lands.

Love is in the air much like the birds pairing up and making their nests. There will be a few weddings by the end of this year, engagements and courting. This year there seems to be an abundance over the past, leaving ones to speculate on the why or just enjoy that part of life that makes it worth living. New families have moved in so there are quite a few new faces to meet. The Thistle has been staying open late. Soon those who gather there will gravitate to the lake. They say that no news is good news and so this past month it has been quiet in that respect yet alive in everyday things and living. The ladies will be gathering soon to organize some events to invite citizens and allies alike. A quiet spell is often needed to sit back and reflect on one's life and where they want it to go. This has been a time of such, that nap before life picks back up in the rush. --submitted by Marcella McGuire.

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Healer's Touch
by Samantha Golden

Apple - An apple a day keeps the doctor away. The old rhyme is truer than ever -- particularly if the doctor is a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, or oncologist. Apples may be good for both diarrhea and constipation and may help prevent heart disease, cancer, and some types of stroke -- top three killers. Although few contemporary herbalists consider the apple to be an herb, it has venerable tradition as a healing agent. So much of what the ancient herbalists believe about the healing powers of this delectable fruit has been scientifically supported that it's time to le the apple resume its respected place on the herbal roster.

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans loved apples and developed dozens of varieties, but it was ancient India's traditional Ayurvedic physicians who first prescribed them to relieve diarrhea. Applesauce is still a diarrhea treatment today. Traditional Chinese physicians have used apple bark for centuries to treat diabetes, another use supported by modern science. The German abbess/herbalist Hildegard of Bingen prescribed raw apples as a tonic for healthy people and cooked apples as the first treatment for any sickness. Around the same time in England, people said, "To eat an apple before going to bed, will make the doctor beg his bread." This evolved into our saying about "an apple a day."

Not everything the English had to say about apples was so apt, however. English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper recommended apples for hot and bilious stomachs, inflammation of the breast and lungs, and asthma. He also suggested boiled apples mixed with mil as a treatment for gunpowder wounds. Eclectic physicians recommended raw apples for constipation, baked or stewed apples for minor fevers, apple bark decoction for intermittent fever (malaria) and apple cider as a refreshing drink for patients with fever.

Diarrhea: Some studies show that pectin helps relieve diarrhea because intestinal bacteria transformed it into a soothing, protective coating for the irritated intestinal lining. In addition, pectin adds bulk to the stool, which helps resolve both diarrhea and constipation. Some diarrhea is caused by bacterial infection. One study shows apple pectin is effective several types of bacteria capable of causing diarrhea. No wonder pectin is the pectate in the over the counter diarrhea preparation, Kaopectate.

Hearth Disease and Stroke: Pectin may help reduce blood cholesterol, a key risk factor for heart disease and some types of stroke. In the presence of pectin, the cholesterol we eat remains in the intestinal tract until it is eliminated. So eat an apple for dessert when you hav meat and dairy products, and enjoy some protection from their cholesterol.

Cancer: A high fiver diet will help prevent several forms of cancer, particularly colon cancer. Pectin binds certain cancer causing compounds in the colon, speeding their elimination from the body according to studies.

Diabetes: Physicians also recommend high fiber diets to control diabetes. Several studies show that apple pectin helps control blood sugar (glucose) levels in diabetics.

Lead Poisoning: European studies suggest apple pectin helps eliminate lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals from the body. Cleansing the body of these poisons is yet another reason for people who live in polluted cities to enjoy the proverbial apple a day.

Wound Infection: Although the pectin in apple fruit is this herb's major medicinal component, apple leaves contain an antibiotic (phloretin). If you cut yourself out in the orchard, crush some apple leaves and press them onto the wound as first aid until you can wash and bandage it.

The Safety Factor: Strange but true, apple seeds contain high levels of cyanide, the powerful poison. It takes an estimated 1/2 cup of seeds to kill the average adult, but considerably less to kill children and the elderly. Many parents are familiar with the stomachaches young children develop when they eat apple cores. The small number of seeds in the typical core poses little risk of serious poisoning but children should be taught not to eat apple seeds. Eat all the fresh apples you want, just stay away from the seeds. If apples cause minor discomforts, such as diarrhea or constipation, eat less or stop eating them. If diarrhea or constipation does not improve within a week, consult a physician. Do not attempt to treat diabetes, high cholesterol, or colon disease solely with herbs. In such cases, apples should be used to complement professional medical care. --Taken from The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman

Life Around Here

There have been reports that the Valdez family has been practicing and the theater slowing preparing to be opened in a few months with them settling in and adjusting to their new home. We look forward for this long awaited entertainment. There have been many new faces about and some not seen in a while. A warm welcome back to Keifer Douglas is extended and heretell he will be joining the ranks of shipwright with his brother Thomas and Collin McAndrews. On the same token, we welcome back Joe Walsh and crew after a long journey abroad, he is safely back. Check out the new shops and Tavern established.

On a sadden note the family of Braidy had to move on. Family matters taking them back to their previous location. Those here of the lands that had the privilege of knowing them,  wish them well and hope that some day they are able to return again. An Irish blessing upon them: May the road rise up to meet you and may the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine upon your face and the raindrops fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the small of His hand! --submitted by Marcella McGuire.

Births: None this month. Marriages: None this month. Engagements: Mikhail Piotr Kryepki announces his engagement to Rosalind Antonia Lancaster. A mid to late summer wedding is planned, but no official date has been set as of yet.  Deaths: None this Month. Citizenship: Please welcome Aelia Lascaris, Rayen, Marlana Cherill, Eleanor Lancaster, Veronica Valdez,  Lorelei Barre and Declan Connell.

Articles from Citizens and Visitors

I'd like to begin this submission with an apology to the reader; I am neither a writer, nor an author, by profession.  That should become readily apparent as said reader progresses through this article.  What I hope to present in a straightforward, unbiased manner is an outside perspective of Heathfield, an opinion and view from a visitor.  I am not a citizen of the realm, nor have I made up my mind as whether to seek citizenship or not.  My relative indecision, however, is not a poor reflection on the realm, its citizens, nor the monarchy.

Now, as to how I came to visit Heathfield.  I found myself between assignments.  Although I do travel frequently as a condition and circumstance of my employment, I do not often travel with the perspective of a holiday vacationer.  I generally arrive at a given location, complete my assignment, and move on.  While visiting one of the more frequented watering holes in a different realm, I'd heard some of the locals there speaking of a place called Heathfield.  The timbre and tone of the conversation were quite kind to the realm; it almost seemed a place of myth, were I to have judged it by what I'd overheard.  The monarchy was fair and generous to the realm's citizenry, and visitors and travelers were made to feel most welcome.  I had also heard tell that a substantial portion of the current populace were transplants, people who had come from other realms and countries for the purposes of a visit, and who subsequently found themselves staying on.

Being an inquisitive sort, and having some free time on my hands, I decided to come and see if what I'd overheard was even remotely true.  Upon my departure and subsequent arrival, I purposely chose to come into port at a late hour.  It was nearly midnight when I arrived.  Among the first things to strike me was how clean and well maintained the docks and piers were.  Usually, ports and harbors are prime haunts for all manner of cutthroats, pickpockets and doxies.  I found virtually none of any of those sort awaiting me.  I did encounter several soldiers and guardsmen assigned to the city watch.  They were courteous and civil, and provided me with precise directions on where I might seek lodging and perhaps a bit of fare.  The Thistle, I was told, was the place to go.  So, it was there that I went.  It did not take me long to see that the things that I'd heard about the realm were very much true.

Upon arriving at The Thistle, I was greeted by several of the local citizens.  To a man and a woman, they were friendly, cordial, and most eager to help a visiting stranger.  I was treated as a long lost friend or relation, and not as a stranger to be wary of.  I was afforded a room to stay in, and whatever I wished to eat or drink, and all compliments of the monarchy.  I am no more the world's foremost conversationalist than I am the world's foremost orator, so I hung back a bit and just listened for the most part.  What I found were amiable people who seemed genuinely interested in the events and happenings of their friends' and associates' lives.  What I did not find were irritating, nosey lookie-loos.

I've been in Heathfield for about two weeks now, and in that time, I was pleased to discover that the things that I had heard about the place were true.  I heard no insurrectionist talk, no whisperings or undercurrent of sedition.  The citizens of the realm genuinely seem to care for their home, and as I'd mentioned earlier in this article, a great many are transplants from other regions and areas.  Too often in life, we take for granted what is good.  The grass always seems greener elsewhere.  It was a pleasant surprise for me to find a place where the indigenous citizens and the transplants alike held the realm with equal regard.  Those who were not born to these fair shores seem every bit as appreciative of what they have here as those who come from generations of naturalized Heathfielders.  That, in and of itself, says more for the realm than anything else that I could write of here.  As I mentioned earlier, I'm not quite sure as to whether I'll be staying on to become one of those transplants, but I can see why so many who came only for a visit subsequently decided to stay.  The monarchy and citizenry of Heathfield have much to be proud of, and it's easy to see, even for an outsider, that they love and appreciate what they have here. --submitted by Wilson Kilcher

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In the April edition of "The Heathfield Gazette", I submitted an article in which a brief mention was made of the Heathfield Graveyard Cemetery manor being haunted by several ghosts.  In that same article, I had promised to give greater details once the haunting was resolved.  I am both happy and relieved to relate to the reader that the manor is no longer haunted.

Before I go on, I would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to several hearty and courageous souls for their assistance and participation in the resolution of the haunting.  Heartfelt appreciation goes to Michael McAndrews for his invaluable aid, without which I may very well have lost two people that are very, very dear to me.  I would also like to thank Abigail Frasier for assistance and information rendered on more than one occasion.  To my darling cousin, Cassie Saxton, I offer my thanks and love for supporting me throughout the arduous weeks when the events and circumstances of the haunting became truly horrific.  Lastly, but most assuredly not the least, I give sincerest and most genuine adoration and thanks to Keriann Frasier.  Miss Frasier has stood resolutely by my side from the very beginning of the haunting, and right on through the final moments, and beyond.  Her support, caring and comfort were invaluable to me during the darkest, most trying hours.

Now, as to the ghosts themselves.  Four spirits haunted the manor directly, those of a young boy and his younger still sister,  that of their devoted nanny, and a very dark, vile entity that sought dominion over and possession of them.  It seems odd that the spirits of the children, Georgie and Bella, are no longer in the manor.  Although we had a rather rocky and tumultuous beginning, after a time, I was able to convince them that I meant them no harm. Before too long, they began to follow me about the manor, always leaving a little hint of clue as to their presence.  Now that they are at rest and at peace, I almost miss them ... almost.  What follows is a rather generic accounting of the haunting.

In times past, one of the former caretakers at the graveyard took it upon himself to aid citizens under unjust rule to escape their oppressors.  After a time, his efforts were uncovered, and he was seized and put to death.  His wife was dragged from the manor, and taken to where the caretaker had been slain, and was put to death on that same spot.  As they did not perish in the manor, their spirits were not directly bound to it.  Georgie and Bella, tragically, did perish in the manor, succumbing to smoke inhalation.  Their nanny, Nancy died as well, caught in the flames as the manor was put to the torch.  Caught in his own treachery, the man responsible for the deaths of the caretaker and his family, and the nanny, likewise perished in the manor.  The spirit of this man, a general, sought to assert dominion over the spirits of the nanny and the children for his own infernal machinations and designs.  Through the intervention of those people mentioned earlier in this article, the dark entity's designs were foiled.  The spirits of the parents, the children, and the nanny were reunited, and guided unto eternal rest.  Successful though our efforts were, they were not without peril and grave personal danger.  To try and relate the specific details of the final encounter of the haunting is beyond the skill of my modest capability to write of them.  Even though I was an active participant, I find it hard to believe what happened. I don't have the skill to make the reader fully understand what exactly occurred in the haunting's final resolution.

If you wish a more detailed, historically accurate accounting of the haunting, and the events that lead up to it, please contact Miss Abigail Frasier at the library.  She can direct you to the proper texts and documentation.  If you wish a more personal accounting of the haunting, please feel free to contact me at the graveyard, or at "The Thistle". --submitted by Mace Saxton

OTHER LIFE FORMS

Trolls -- Trolls are afflicted with a ravenous and never-ending hunger that leads them to devour whole flocks of livestock. In particular they have a taste for sheep, but they will eat whatever they can catch. Trolls can survive extreme weather conditions and therefore tend to settle as far as possible from human settlements. Nocturnal by necessity since sunlight will turn them instantly to stone, tolls are more common far to the north, where it is dark for months at a time.

Water tolls live primarily in or near freshwater and usually make their home in a makeshift nest of rushes and mud along the banks of a bog or deep river. Bridges are also good places to build beneath as they provide shade even in the winter months.

As soon as a troll moves into a new lake or river, it beings evacuating stones and debris to keep channels deep enough for it to move about easily. Greater depths allow it safety from the sun, as trolls are able to hold their breath for hours on end.

Though they appear brutish, trolls can communicate in the local tongue and are skilled at word games. There are reports of trolls carrying off captives for reasons other than hunger. One northern species, Bauer's troll, has even been recorded as deceiving humans into believing it can live in accord with them. People would do well to recall that trolls are malicious opportunists always on the lookout for their next meal.  -- submitted by Kathleen Frasier - from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide. Everyone should have one!

May

May Day is May 1, and refers to any of several holidays celebrated on this day. May 1was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures, and many elements of these holidays are still celebrated on May 1 today, such as the Maypole. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer: hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now the 22nd) was "midsummer."

Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen, celebrating Green Man day and dancing around a Maypole. May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries. It is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility and revelry with fetes and community gatherings. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the May Pole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.

In many countries, this day is still celebrated as a labor day, or even in the Irish calendar as the first day of summer, just like in the past. (Taken from Wikipedia)

For Jessa, Mine
by Declan Connall

Hope
by Emily Dickinson

"Hope" is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –

And sweetest – in the Gale – is heard –
And sore must be the storm –
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm –

I've heard it in the chillest land –
And on the strangest Sea –
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb – of Me.

--submitted by Eleanor Lancaster

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Spring
by William Shakespeare

When daisies pied, and violets blue,
  And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
  Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
      “Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
  And merry larks are ploughmen’s clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
  And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
      “Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.

--submitted by Mary Collen McAndrews

On A Thunderstorm
by Ibrahim Ben Khiret Abou Issac

Bright smiled the morn, 'till o'er its head
The clouds in thicken'd foldings spread
A robe of sable hue;
Then, gathering round day's golden king,
They stretched their wide o'ershadowing wing,
And hid him from our view.

The rain his absent beams deplored,
And, soften'd into weeping, poured
Its tears in many a flood;
The lightning laughed with horrid glare;
The thunder growled, in rage; the air
In silent sorrow stood.

--submitted by Abigail Frasier

Did You Know?

Water - Sacred and Strange. Water is a necessity for life and is treated with great respect by most cultures around the world. In myth and legend, water is the magic liquid that can cure any number of ills, promote immortality and even bring the dead back to life. In ancient times many civilizations considered water to be sacred. Wherever the rivers flowed, springs welled up out of the ground, or waterfalls rushed over rocks, some spiritual force was felt to be present and was worshipped by all who visited. Prayers and sacrifices were offered at these sacred places and people came to be cured of the ailments or to seek answers to their problems. Faith in the sacred qualities of water is deep seated in the human psyche. It survives today in the belief in wishing wells and the revitalizing powers of mineral spas.

Sacred sources: apart from their life giving properties, springs and their man made counterparts, wells, have been considered since earliest time to have special qualities. Some were associated with gods, goddesses, saints, spirits, and even demons. Many were said to have the power to restore health -- to clear the eyes, mend limbs, cure diseases and ease childbirth. Although virtues of the thermal springs at Bath in the west of England are disregarded by conventional physicians today, their mineral rich waters still enjoy a reputation for being able to alleviate rheumatism and diseases of the skin. The waters were popular with the Romans, who built a temple dedicated to Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, there. At this site, archeologists have discovered altars and carvings as well as hundreds of lead tablets inscribed with ancient prayers and curses. The people of every country in which such springs occur believe them to have special healing powers. After a widespread plague in Rome caused thousands of deaths in 3 BC, a temple containing thermal springs dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing, was established in an attempt to rid the land of disease. The temple was sited on a small island in the river Tiber, called Insula Tiberina and remained a popular center of healing. Thermal baths can still be found in some parts of Italy; the Aquae Termi baths in Alessandria, in the north of the country are sill in use. Holy springs and wells are not as dramatic as megalithic monuments such as Stonehenge and Carnac in France. Yet sacred waters once played an important part in religious ritual. If modern dowsers are to be believed, water can be detected beneath almost all ancient sacred sites.

Rituals at wells: At some healing wells, it is not enough simply to drink the water to effect a cure. The sick person was also required to perform the time honored rituals that were customary at that well. Some of the wells, for example, were only active on a certain day of the year or at a certain time. For example, wells dedicated to St John were believe d to cure aliments only on the pagan festival of Midsummer. Sometimes the water had to be used in special ways,. In places were total or partial immersion was the custom, stone tanks with steps leading into the water were built. Elsewhere it was sufficient simply to wash the affected area of or drink the water. At other wells, the water had to be drunk from a special receptacle. Legend has it that the Whooping Cough Well in Perth, Scotland, the water had to be drunk from the horn of a cow in order to be effective. The ancient ritual of hanging a piece of cloth on a nearby bush is the custom at several holy wells. People seeking physical or spiritual relief still hang up pieces of cloth, called clooties, near these wells. The custom is a form of sympathetic magic according to legend, the affliction leaves the sufferer as the cloth decays.

Holy Springs and Wells: Coventina's Well in Northumberland, England, was dedicated to Coventina, a local Celtic healing goddess adopted by the Romans. Discovered near a Roman temple, the well was found to contain a remarkable collection of offerings to the goddess: carved heads, over 10 altar stones, figurines, jewelry, a skull and more than 14,000 coins. The well was the principal temple of a cult dedicated to water nymphs, the elemental spirits of water who were thought to reside there. Despite the coming of Christianity, local people often remained devoted to their pagan wells. In an effort to convert them the wells were simply rededicated to a Christian saint, thereby giving them a new spiritual significance. In the 6th century, St Brigid, abbess of Kildare, Ireland, became popular partly because she bore the same name as the Celtic goddess. Some of St Brigid's holy wells may once have been dedicated to the goddess: one of these wells, in County Dublin, in now a Catholic shrine. Other holy wells were founded by early saints. The 7th century medicinal well at Holywell, Wales, bears the name of St Winifrid, who, according to legend, was decapitated by a spurned suitor. The severed head was later replaced by St. Beuno, who breathed new life into the girl. A strong spring burst out of the stony soil where the head had fallen.

Experiments on Water: Unlike most liquids, which contract as they are cool and freeze, water contracts as it cools down to 38 degrees F (4 C) and then expands as it freezes into the solid state. This explains why ice floats on the surface of lakes and ponds. Ice itself is one of the most perfectly bonded structures known, with precise crystalline lattices that persist even when water returns to its liquid state, almost as if water retains a memory of its icy crystalline state. Whether or not water has some sort of memory has been the focus of several controversial experiments.  -- submitted by Samantha Golden (taken from the book Earth's Mysterious Places, Reader's Digest)

As the flowers bloom, and the birds sing, we know that it is spring. It means that it is spring cleaning time! Personally, it is a great time to break out the brooms, and dust rags to clear out the dust and clutter that has accumulated since the winter. Here are a few tips to make the most of your time while cleaning.

 First, gather all your supplies before you start cleaning. It is a time saver instead of going to look for them later. Then just remember to always start from the top to the bottom. Dust the ceiling with a broom first, or dust the top shelf before the lower ones. Dust falls, so you always want to dust down and across. If you 

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