AUTHOR R. ANN SIRACUSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It isn't the destination that matters -- It's the journey that counts!
Contact me!
  • HOME
  • BLOG
  • BOOKS
    • All For A Dead Man's Leg
    • All For A Fist Full Of Ashes
    • Destruction Of The Great Wall
    • All For Spilled Blood
    • First Date
    • Halloween In The Catacombs
    • All In The Game
    • Family Secrets: A Vengeance of Tears
  • ABOUT ME
    • Resume
  • PHOTO ALBUMS
  • RESOURCES
  • MY ORGANIZATONS
  • BLOGS ABOUT ANN
  • Blog
Posted May 21, 2026
Blog Topic:

JUNIA: Was She The Only Female Apostle?​
*****

It's The Journey That Counts!
Life's journey is not to arrive safely at the grave in a well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, at 90 miles an hour with your hair on fire, totally worn out, and shouting, "Wow! What a ride!"
Anna-grams​
● In the never-ending Siracusa saga, our latest mishap took place on May 7 when Luciano had another fall, this time breaking a bone in his neck. He says it is not painful, but he will have to wear a horsecollar all the time for six months. That should be a barrel of fun!​
Anagrams
● Apocalypse = Soapy place? ~ Manuel Torrinha 

● Doomsday predictions = Sad, dry decomposition
~
Aronas Pinchas

​
● The lake which burneth with fire and brimstone = Both enter rich, weak, unsafe. Debt n' whirl hit him. ~ Maria Cecilia

● The End of the World is Nigh = Down this hole frightened
~ Donald L. Holmes


●  Death Star scenario = Consider as a threat!
~
Jason Lofts
​
Quotes
​● “What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly.”
~ Richard Bach


● “Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.” ~ Albert Einstein

● “This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.”
~ T. S. Eliot

● “Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.”
~ Eckhart Tolle

● “We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

● “Anticipating the end of the world is humanity's oldest passtime.”
~ David Mitchell

● “What does it mean to die when you can live until the end of the world?”
​
~ Anne Rice
​You Had One Job...
Picture
MY BOOKS
Works By R Ann Siracusa
Tour Director Extraordinaire Series
Humorous Romantic Suspense
Book 1 - All For A Dead Man’s Leg
Book 2 - All For A Fistful Of Ashes
Book 3 - Destruction Of The Great Wall
Book 4 - All For Spilled Blood
Book 5 - All For A Blast of Hot Air

Tour Director Series Short Stories
First Date
Halloween in the Catacombs
Christmas Plans Gone Awry
Elves For Christmas


​Other Books and Short Stories
A Timeless Melody 
The Last Weekend In October
All In the Game
Family Secrets: A Vengeance of Tears

Tiffany
Time in a Bottle


​
Amazon Link to R. Ann Siracusa Books
Barnes & Noble Link to R. Ann Siracusa Books



Granny Mythbuster Rides Again
Commonly Believed Myths that Aren’t True...Now. Knowledge is a Work in Progress.
Picture
Picture
Picture
MYTH: The Founding Fathers of this Country created the two party system in the original founding document.
​
TRUTH: “In 1787, when delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia to hash out the foundations of their new government, they entirely omitted political parties from the new nation’s founding document.”

www.history.com/founding-fathers-political-parties-opinion

This was not by accident, either. Some of the framers of the Constitution – including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison -- wanted to avoid the kind of divisions that had prevailed in England, and considered parties as factions they wanted to discard in favor of a more democratic government.

The US Constitution created by these founding fathers is a federal, representative, democratic republic, an indivisible union of sovereign States: “Federal’’ because power is shared among three levels; ‘‘democratic’’ because the people govern themselves and have the means to control the government; and ‘‘republic’’ because the people choose elected delegates by free and secret ballot. www.govinfo.gov/

They believed parties were factions that threatened to divide the electorate into competing groups who might use violence to advance their interests. Parties might also disrupt the separation of powers, especially in the case of unified government where loyalty to a party could interfere with the system of checks and balances.

Thomas Jefferson, who was serving a diplomatic post in France during the Constitutional Convention, believed it was a mistake not to provide for different political parties in the new government.

In 1789, Washington ran unopposed without a party affiliation to win the first presidential election in the nation’s history. He chose Jefferson for his Cabinet so it would be inclusive of differing political viewpoints and, perhaps, because he thought Jefferson might
oppose the new government if not included.


George Washington, in his farewell address after two terms as President of the United States, gave us this warning:
"The spirit of party serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection.” www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/

"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion."

According to the editorial notes from mountvernon.org/library/ , Washington is warning the American people against the negative impact that opposing political parties could have on the country. During his presidency he witnessed the rise of the Democratic-Republican party in opposition to the Federalists and worried that future political squabbles would undermine the concept of popular sovereignty in the United States.

Sources:
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-108hdoc94/pdf/CDOC-108hdoc94.pdf
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/george-washington-on-political-parties/
https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-first-president/second-term-1793-1797
https://www.history.com/articles/founding-fathers-political-parties-opinion
https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-first-president/political-parties
https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/past-projects/quotes/article/however-political-parties-may-now-and-then-answer-popular-ends-they-are-likely-in-the-course-of-time-and-things-to-become-potent-engines-by-which-cunning-ambitious-and-unprinci


​​
Picture
  • Mothers' Day
    ​Sunday
    May 10


May Observations
● National Date Your Mate
   Month
● National Duckling Month
● National Family Month
● National Foster Care Mo. 
● National Good Car-
   Keeping Month
● National Hepatitis
   Awareness Month
● National High Blood
   Pressure Education Month
● National Meditation Month
● National Moving Month
● Healthy Vision Month/UV
   Safety
● Home Schooling
   Awareness Month
● Huntington's Disease
    Awareness Month
● International Civility
   Awareness Month
● International Drum Month
● International Respect for
   Chickens Month
● Trauma Awareness Month
● Ultraviolet Awareness Mo. 


​​Weekly Observations
● Emergency Medical
   Services Week (3rd Week)

● Frog Jumping Jubilee
   (14-17)

● Great American Brass
   Band Week (29-31)

● Healthcare Documentation
   Integrity Week (18-24)

● Healthy/ Safe Swimming
   Week (19-25)

● International Pickles Week
   (3rd Week)

● Jerusalem Day (Eve.25
    -Eve.26)

● National Backyard Games
  Week(18-24)

● National Frozen Yogurt
  Week (25-31)

● Older Americans Mental
   Health Week (25-31)


​Enhance Your Vocabulary
Irish English Words Added To The Dictionary in 2025


● inspo = (adj) = Informal short form of inspiration, often used online. Example: I save workout inspo videos to stay motivated.
● cancel culture = (n)  The practice of publicly criticizing and boycotting someone for offensive behavior or opinions.
● doomscroll = (v) To spend a long time scrolling through negative or upsetting news online. Example: I stopped doomscrolling before bed because it made my anxiety worse.
● side-eye = (n)  A look (or reaction) that shows irritation, confusion, judgment, or disapproval.
● touch grass  = (v) To participate in normal activities in the real world especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions. Telling someone to touch grass is a humorous way to tell someone to stop spending so much time online and reconnect with real life. 
● situationship = (n) A romantic relationship that isn’t clearly defined or official. Example: They act like a couple, but no labels — it’s a situationship.
● hard pass = (n) A strong, definite refusal. Example: A five-hour meeting on Friday afternoon? Hard pass. 

Source: 

https://www.espressoenglish.net/new-english-words-for-2026/

Proudly powered by Weebly