Clan MacFarlane Worldwide, Inc.

Clan MacFarlane Worldwide, Inc.  Annual Membership Meeting 

April 27, 2019  2:00 PM in the CMW Tent in Woodland, California

1. Welcome and Call to Order/President’s Report – Laurie McFarland Jackson
2. Treasurers Report – Treasurer Chuck Poland
3. Membership Report – Sandy McFarland Morgan
4. Genealogy Report - Genealogist Mary Helen Haines
5. Elections Report – Christina McFarland Helms
6. Publications Report – Marie Robb
7. Merchandise Report – Wil Goldstein
8. Internet Committee (website, Facebook) – Preston McFarland
9. Heritage – Preston McFarland
10. Games and Gatherings - Bill Lennox
11. New Business
    1. AMM locations 2020 and 2021 **
    2. Scotland 2020 Trip – Laurie
12. Flowers of the Forest
13. Adjourn

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** Suggestions from the CMW Board are described, below (Recommendations can also be taken from the floor during the AMM.):  

1. Stone Mt, Georgia http://www.smhg.org/  Located in the Northeast suburbs of Atlanta GA.  It is held mid-October.  On Saturday and Sunday, the meadows and meandering tree-lined paths will be transformed into the impressive mix of sights and sounds of a Scottish Highland Games presented in a uniquely southern style.  CMW has not been in this location for almost a decade.  We have many members in the south.  
2. Livonia, Michigan https://highlandgames.com/  First weekend of August.  Fly into Detroit.  Plenty of hotels just a couple of blocks away.  Friday ceilidh, Saturday Games with everything.  Our Canadian friends can make it, centrally located, oldest continuous game in the U.S.  This is a favorite game for Elliott Macfarlane.  He has his MacFarlane Co. tent set up there, and he said he would be happy to assist.  Elliott also suggested, “The grounds are big and we can put up a tent or maybe use a building.”  Our Jenna and Andrew McFarland (with son, Windom) host our tent at these games. 

Previous AMM Locations include 2x Estes Park, Colorado, 1x Stone Mountain, Georgia. 2x California (Pleasanton and Woodland), 1x Scotland, 1x Tennessee, 1x Fergus, Canada

The March 2019 Loch Sloy! is now digitally available. 
Click the attachment to download. 
(Available with paid membership)

Passover - Easter and the Hard Boiled Egg

Food again.... but it is one topic that can draw us all together.  Right?

This Friday is Passover.  Passover is that major holiday in the Jewish faith to celebrate the release of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.  Celebrated over a period of seven days, there is always a seder feast on Friday. I just noticed that on the typical seder plate, there is always placed a hard-boiled egg.  In fact, if you want to test that idea, and you happen to find yourself in Edinburgh Friday, you can join the Chabad of Edinburgh for their Passover Seder feast at the MacDonald Holyrood Hotel 8:00 p.m.  Just be sure to send your R.S.V.P.

Sunday is Easter Sunday (and my husband's birthday, and our anniversary).  Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, And those of us who celebrate Easter, have already scrambled (no pun intended) to buy a dozen or so eggs for hard-boiling and then dying the typical spring colors of pink, green, blue, pink, and yellow.  Then somehow, the Easter Bunny will locate said hard-boiled and dyed eggs and hide them strategically so that our small children and grandchildren can commence to hunt for same eggs, jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and more.  Depends on your particular Easter Bunny.

So I wondered if there was a connection between the two traditions of use of the hard-boiled egg.  Fortunately for me, someone had already undertaken the research to help us understand the two traditions.  Is there a connection?  You'll have to wade through this fascinating article about the eggs and their use in our traditions:  https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium-are-passover-eggs-and-easter-eggs-related-1.5461517  Several theories for both holidays are explored and explained.  For me, I think it is just a very common and useful food that has taken on a purpose for the holidays.  Besides, the egg is such a convenient little food full of so much nutrition.  No wonder we all turn to the egg.

I will not even begin to relate the article to you.  The hard-boiled egg (or the egg that was emptied by blowing it out) is indeed fully discussed.  By the way, I have NO fond memories of blowing eggs for Easter.  If you haven't experienced it, try it just once.  And if you find yourself waking up from passing out, so be it.

I hope you enjoy your family and friends this holiday weekend.  As for Steve and me, he has threatened a Red Lobster in my future.  I'm hoping for something ummm... more to my liking.

Happy Passover!   Happy Easter!

(And to my beloved, Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary!)

Say Cheese!

While we are packing our home, there aren't a ton of choices for dinner.  We are trying very hard to work through the food we have in store.  You know... canned soup, mac 'n cheese, frozen pizza, and sandwiches.  So tonight, it was mandarin orange stir fry vegetables (no... not recommended) and a Havarti grilled cheese sandwich.  

I love cheese.  The family owned a cheese shop and I learned about Jarlsburg, Gruyere, Gorgonzola, Brie, Gloucester, Stilton and on and on.  But tonight it occured to me that I had never heard of a good Scottish cheese.  Surely they exist.

And it appears that indeed, they do exist.  

How about a great Red Anster?  Alisa Craig?  Criffel?  Dunsyre Blue?  Morangie Brie?  Cambus o'May?  Wow!  I had no idea.  Now when in Scotland next year, I have added testing all these cheeses to my bucket list.  

If you can stand reading all about this tempting cheese, then please follow this link to the same photo above, as well as a wonderful article about each of these varieties of cheese.  https://food.list.co.uk/article/29509-the-best-scottish-cheeses/ 

In the meantime, I might actually see if any of this is available outside Scotland.  Wouldn't it be fun to try these?!