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```*+*```Grand Rapids Canoe Race```*+*```

Once more the Grand Rapids Canoe Race was held. An event that is becoming a tradition in Heathfield to hold. Those here and of allied castles and friends all gathered for the excitement of man in a canoe pitted against the elements. In this case fast moving waters that feed into the Crystal Gold Lake. Slickers were being passed around and quite a few found that the waters are getting quite cool this fall season; although not freezing.  Plenty of guards and volunteers were handy to help those out that got pitched into the waters. Towels and blankets abound. Food and drink helped warmed those up who partook of what was offered. Fires blazed in contained pits to gather around while enjoying the event. Faelan Callihan seems to favor the megaphone as he and his brother were announcing while the event was taking place. The end results found James Roy Callihan and Angel O'Banain in a tie for first and second place while Victoria with Constance, Julia with Brooke and Eliana with Sahure tied for third. A race off conducted across the lake determined the final winners which were: James Roy Callihan coming in first, Angel O'Banain in second and the team of Eliana and Sahure in third. All had a wonderful time without any accidents in spite of the more potentially dangerous event. --submitted by Faelan Callihan

```*+*``` Allied Castle Events```*+*```

Log Rolling  The Kingdom of Telarus hosted a Log Rolling event on the eve of September 13, at their Swan Lake, where citizens of the Kingdom met and mingled with friends of other lands. A tricksy, slippery event where two opponents face off on the log, intending knock each other off and into the water, the night made for many a laugh, as well as a cold ducking! Eight men and women braved the lake's chilling waters, amongst them Faelan and Morgan Callihan of Heathfield, Seleste DarkFire and Damien Rane of Devonshires, Joseph Stetson of Salaria, Loras Royce of the Moors, Ethan Gains of the Angels' Port, and three citizens of Telarus, Elysia Nouveau, Moon Silvereagle and Marie Norese. While the brothers Callihan romped with success, the final of it came down to Morgan against Seleste, called Storm, who sent him into the water to triumph as the winner! Thankfully blankets, towels and warm drinks were available to warm those participating as well as those spectating, making for a fun evening all round. --submitted by Alannah Callihan

Regatta  Telarus's Jewel of the Sea Regatta circuit held its second race of the inaugural season on September 19th, in the harbour at Telarus, playing host to five racers with urgings for others to join in. Amongst those captains participating were Heathfield's own Joseph Walsh, sailing his Gypsy Queen with Brendan O'Sionna and Flynn Harkness, Telarus's Captain Silvereagle, sailing her Silver Breeze, from Devonshires/StoneCross sailed Captain James Scarlett with Queen Victoria and Lady Constance on the Queen's Wrath, and a pair of independent captains, Ethan Gaines of Angels' Port sailing the Glorious Angel, and Alaina MacKenna, with the Silent Drifter.

The race was exciting, with a strong beginning from Captain Silvereagle, but Captains Walsh and Scarlett stayed hard on her heels, the Gypsy Queen nigh overtaking the Silver Breeze as they rounded the buoy marking half-way, but all was for naught. The Silver Breeze sailed swiftly into a first place finish, with Captain Scarlett's Queen's Wrath taking second, and Captain Walsh and crew sailing into third.

Per the circuit's organizer, Lady Delia, all three Captains hold a seed for the year's Championship race, to be held in November at Telarus. We are all cheering for Captain Walsh to bring the title of Circuit Champion home to Heathfield!  -- submitted by Flynn Harkness

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Healer's Touch
by Samantha Golden

Bayberry - The early American colonists found the bayberry tree growing throughout the East, but they used it to make fragrant candles rather than medicines. Initially bayberry was used medicinally only in the South, where the Choctaw Indians boiled the leaves and drank the decoction as a treatment for fever. Later, Louisiana settlers adopted the plant and drank bayberry wax in hot water 'as certain a cure for the most violent cases of dysentery,' according to a medical account. Bayberry was popularized by Samuel A Thomson, a New England herbalist and creator of the first patient medicines. he touted it as second only to red pepper for 

producing 'heat' within the body. Thomson recommended bayberry for colds, flu, and other infectious diseases in addition to diarrhea and fever. Later others prescribed the astringent herb topically for bleeding gums and internally for diarrhea, dysentery, sore throat, scarlet fever, menstrual difficulties and even typhoid. It has also been prescribed using the herb externally for varicose veins.

Healing with Bayberry:  Two hundred years ago bayberry was widely used medicinally. It's a shame it's been almost forgotten, because science has shown this native American herb may have some real benefits in treating fever and diarrhea.

Diarrhea: Bayberry root bark contains an antibiotic chemical (myricitrin), which may fight a broad range of bacteria and protozoa. Myricitrin's antibiotic action supports bayberry's traditional use against diarrhea and dysentery. Bayberry also contains an astringent tannins, which add to its value in treating diarrhea.

Fever: The antibiotic myricitrin also helps reduce fever, thus lending credence to bayberry's use among the Choctaw Indians.

Intriguing Possibility: Myricitrin promotes the flow of bile and might potentially be of value in the liver and gallbladder ailments, but yet no research demonstrates this.

Rx for Bayberry: For a decoction, boil 1 teaspoon of powdered root bark in a pint of water for 10-15 minutes. Add a bit of milk and drink cool, up to 2 cups a day. You'll find the taste bitter and astringent. A tincture might go down more easily. In a tincture, take 1/2 teaspoon up to twice a day. Bayberry should not be given to children under age 2. For older children and people over 65, start with a low strength preparation and increase strength if necessary.

Safety Factor: The high tannin content of bayberry makes the herb of questionable value for anyone with a history of cancer. In various studies, tannins show both pro and anti cancer action. Tannins' effects on human cancer remain unclear. Small quantities have never been implicated in human tumors, but Asians who drink large quantities of tea, which contains tannins show unusually high rates of stomach cancer. Adding milk neutralizes the tannins, which may be why the tea loving British have a low rate of stomach cancer. Only recommended amounts should be taken and for extra safety, add milk. Bayberry should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor. There are some other minor side effects such as stomach distress, nausea and vomiting. --Taken from The Healing Herbs by Michael Castleman

Life Around Here

There are more ships in the harbor as merchants are getting in as much trade as they can before winter sets in. The taverns in turn have a burst of patrons and the port area a little rougher this time of the year. Trees are starting to turn color as rich golds, orange and reds are starting to appear with the cooler edge to the breeze. Mornings and evenings have been cold while the daylight hours have it warm like summer still. It is advise to take a wrap with you for this is the cold and flu season. Barrington hospital is already seeing cases of such but nothing too drastic that rest and plenty of fluids wont mend.

Stocking up for the winter still continues as the chopping and stacking of wood can be seen all across the lands. Blankets of all sizes and shapes are seeing an increase in sales. Winter clothing is being brought out in the wardrobes. The marketplace on the whole bustling more than the hotter summer months while the clothiers are busy mending and making new alike. Some businesses will not see much of a difference for the coming winter months while others close down like the lumber and mine mills in Ballicastle. The season will see more of certain individuals than summer had while many will be indoors more.  --submitted by Marcy McGuire

Births: None this month. Marriages: None this month  Engagements: None this month.  Deaths: None this Month. Citizenship: None this month.

1) Count the number of foggy mornings in August. This number will be the same as the number of snowfalls for the following winter, or if you're not a morning person...

2) Count the number of days from the first snowfall until Christmas. This number will also give the correct number of snowfalls to expect, or...

3) Count the number of days from the first snowfall of the season to the preceding New Moon. This, too, will tell you what the coming winter will bring.

Obtain the breastbone of a recently deceased local goose. The length of the breastbone indicates the length of the ensuing winter, while the color of the breastbone indicates its severity. A plain white breastbone indicates a mild winter. A mottled breastbone indicates a more severe winter, and the more mottled the breastbone the more severe the winter to come.

Should a goose's breastbone be hard to obtain observe the moss growing on any nearby tree: the more moss on the south side of the tree the harder the coming winter. One can also watch squirrels burying their nuts: the deeper they bury them the lower the lowest temperature will be for the upcoming winter. Fruit trees blooming twice in one year are a certain sign the winter will be severe, and when rabbits habitually take shelter in brush piles a severe winter is assured.

Halloween superstitions:

First, put your clothes on inside out. Then walk backward to where two roads meet. If you wait until midnight, you will see a witch!

~Ghosts don't have shadows and leave no footprints.~
~Wearing garlic around your neck will keep vampires away!~
~Shooting a werewolve with a silver bullet is supposed to kill it.~
~If you throw a key at a ghost, the ghost will disappear.~
~If a candle flame turns blue, it means a ghost is in the house.~
~Some people believe that cat bones make you invisible.~

OTHER LIFE FORMS

Knockers -- Also known as kobolds, these enigmatic creatures most commonly live in mines, mimicking the sounds of miners by tapping against the rock walls. It is said that they do their own mining at night when all the humans have departed, but since they do not appear to craft metal, it is unclear what they are seeking under the ground.

Knockers are valued because they will warn miners of impending disaster (like collapses) by pounding on the walls. Sometimes the pounding sounds like it's coming from all directions, alluding to a large number of creatures, but this may merely be a trick of the acoustics.

Knockers cannot abide whistling and swearing. They will cause small showers of stones to fall on anyone performing these actions or in other ways disrespecting them.

Outside the mines, knockers can be found in wells, caves, and sometimes even in basements. Like their goblin cousins, they tend to collect human artifacts and find them fascinating.

Their first finger is specialized for tapping on cavern walls. The skin is translucent and covered in fine hairs like a peach. The ears can move independently, like those of a cat. Rocks collected are sometimes worn around their neck calling them 'gob stones' and claim they have magical properties.

   -- submitted by Kathleen Frasier - from Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide. Everyone should have one!

October

October is the tenth month of the year and one of seven with the length of 31 days.  It begins (astrologically) with the sun in the sign of Libra and ends in the sign of Scorpio. The name is from the Latin word "octo" for eight.  October was the eight month in the Roman calendar.  In the Japanese calendar, the month is called Kan'na dzuki. The traditional birthstone amulets of October are opal, sapphire and tourmaline and the calendula is the month's tradition flower.

The Romans adapted Celtic practices as their own. But in the first century AD, Samhain (which falls on November 1st) was adapted into celebrations of the other Roman traditions that took place in October, such as their day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.  Her symbols was the apple which might explain the origin of our modern tradition of bobbing for apples. The thrust of the practices also changed to become more ritualized. As belief in spirit possession waned, the practice of dressing up like hobgoblins, ghosts and witches took on a more ceremonial role.

The custom of trick or treating is thought to have originated not with the Irish Celts but with a ninth-century European custom called souling.  On November 2, All Soul's Day, early Christians would walk from village to village begging for "soul cakes" made out of square pieces of bread with currants. The more soul cakes the beggars would receive the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of the dead  relatives of the donors.  At the time it was believe the dead remained in limbo for a time after death and that prayer, even by strangers, could expedite a soul's passage to heaven.

The Jack-O-lantern custom probably comes from Irish folklore. As the tale is told, a man named Jack, who was notorious as a drunkard and trickster, tricked Satan into climbing a tree. Jack then carved a cross on the trunk of the tree, trapping the devil.  Jack made a deal that if the devil would never tempt him again, Jack would release him from the tree. (http://www.egreenway.com/months/)  -- submitted by Mary Colleen McAndrews

Autumn
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

With what a glory comes and goes the year!
The buds of spring, those beautiful harbingers
Of sunny skies and cloudless times, enjoy
Life's newness, and earth's garniture spread out;
And when the silver habit of the clouds
Comes down upon the autumn sun, and with
A sober gladness the old year takes up
His bright inheritance of golden fruits,
A pomp and pageant fill the splendid scene.

  There is a beautiful spirit breathing now
Its mellow richness on the clustered trees,
And, from a beaker full of richest dyes,
Pouring new glory on the autumn woods,
And dipping in warm light the pillared clouds.
Morn on the mountain, like a summer bird,
Lifts up her purple wing, and in the vales
The gentle wind, a sweet and passionate wooer,
Kisses the blushing leaf, and stirs up life
Within the solemn woods of ash deep-crimsoned,
And silver beech, and maple yellow-leaved,
Where Autumn, like a faint old man, sits down
By the wayside a-weary.  Through the trees
The golden robin moves.  The purple finch,
That on wild cherry and red cedar feeds,
A winter bird, comes with its plaintive whistle,
And pecks by the witch-hazel, whilst aloud
From cottage roofs the warbling blue-bird sings,
And merrily, with oft-repeated stroke,
Sounds from the threshing-floor the busy flail.

  O what a glory doth this world put on
For him who, with a fervent heart, goes forth
Under the bright and glorious sky, and looks
On duties well performed, and days well spent!
For him the wind, ay, and the yellow leaves,
Shall have a voice, and give him eloquent teachings.
He shall so hear the solemn hymn that Death
Has lifted up for all, that he shall go
To his long resting-place without a tear.

--submitted by Marcy McGuire

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The Lore of the Door
by Wren

Between the heavens and the earth
The way now opens to bring forth
The Hosts of those who went on before;
Hail!  We see them now come through the Open Door.

Now the veils of worlds are thin; 
To move out you must move in.
Let the Balefires now be made, 
Mine the spark within them laid.

Move beyond the fiery screen, 
Between the seen and the unseen;
Shed your anger and your fear, 
Live anew in a new year!

-   Lore of the Door
--submitted by Viola Clarendon

October
by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild, 
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all. 
The crows above the forest call; 
Tomorrow they may form and go. 
O hushed October morning mild, 
Begin the hours of this day slow. 
Make the day seem to us less brief. 
Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 
Beguile us in the way you know. 
Release one leaf at break of day; 
At noon release another leaf; 
One from our trees, one far away.

--submitted by Regan Callihan

Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On A Gate
by Unknown

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said,
"Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one said,
"But we don't care."
The third one said,
"I see witches in the air."
The fourth one said,
"Let's run, and run, and run."
The fifth one said,
"Get ready for some fun."
Then whoosh went the wind,
and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!

--submitted by Lei McAndrews

Halloween
by Harry Behn

Tonight is the night
When dead leaves fly
Like witches on switches
Across the sky,
When elf and sprite
Flit through the night
On a moony sheen.

Tonight is the night
When leaves make a sound
Like a gnome in his home
Under the ground,
When spooks and trolls
Creep out of holes
Mossy and green.

Tonight is the night
When pumpkins stare
Through sheaves and leaves
Everywhere,
When ghouls and ghost
And goblin host
Dance round their queen.
It's Halloween.

--submitted by Angel O'Banain

Did You Know?

The Sacred Center - From Delphi in ancient Greece to the Norse ash tree Yggdrasil to the Sun Pole of the Sioux Indians, every culture once had a sacred place that it believed to be the symbolic center of the world. The supernatural was once believed to enter the world at its center, a sacred place often marked by what was known as the navel stone. It was through this stone that an imaginary vertical line or axis ran, and this axis linked the material world with the mystical, spiritual world. Here, access might be gained to other worlds, heaven, hell, and the realms of spirits and the dead. The imaginary vertical line that runs through the center is often referred to as the cosmic axis because it places the earth at the center of the cosmos with heaven rising above it and the underworld yawning below. This sacred center is commonly known by its Greek name, omphalos, which means navel. Thus the navel of the world, symbolically at least, is the point from which all life on earth springs. Medieval European cities often contained navel stones which apparently helped ensure the continued luck an prosperity of the city. By locating and marking the center of the earth, ancient peoples hoped to chart the natural world and even gain control of it. From this, the best of all vantage points, the movements of the sun and moon might to observed against the distant horizon. Monuments such as large standing stones or wooden poles, were frequently set up and used to chart the movements of heavenly bodies. Thus, using the sacred center, the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west might be fixed and a calendar could be developed, of the ceremonial year or of the different seasons, and of the best times for planting and harvesting crops.

To ancient peoples, locating the omphalos was essential to the creation of civilization, culture and religion because it helped separate the safe, human world from the stormy, dangerous world full of natural forces. Because the sacred center of the world was believed to be so important, legends explaining how it was found occur in the mythology of almost every culture. The people of ancient Greece, for example, believed the Delphi was the center of the earth. They thought the site was chosen not by human beings but by the gods. According to myth, two eagles were sent out from the extremities of the earth by Zeus, the king of the gods; under the point at which their flight paths crossed, the sacred center of the earth, Delphi, would be found. To commemorate this myth, the artworks of ancient Greece often showed two eagles facing opposite directions, perched on the sacred stone that marked the spot where their flights intersected. Two such stones have been found at Delphi. One was a cone of gray stone shot through with quartz veins. Some scholars speculate that it was placed directly beneath the inner sanctum of the Temple of Apollo. A second elaborately carved stone is now in Delphi's museum. This sacred omphalos stone is rounded, about three feet high and covered by a delicate interlaced pattern caved in bas-relief whose meaning is unknown. Some researchers claim the pattern holds the key to mysterious powers that are active at the site. Other scholars believe, however, that they were just decorative, since such patterns are common motif in primitive art. The Celtic peoples, too, carved a similar type of swirling design into stones found at Turoe in Ireland and Pfalzfeld in Germany.  -- submitted by Samantha Golden (taken from the book Earth's Mysterious Places, Reader's Digest)

RECIPES of the MONTH