DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   I love to watch old horror movies.  The new one are most of the times a little on the gory side, but the old ones are still fun to watch.  The people in these movies have no common sense.  If they had, they would all survive their little escapades  with hitchhikers, vampires, zombies and any monster in the local vicinity.  So, I submit for your reading pleasure:  Rules To Survive Scary Encounters . When the old lady or gentleman in the inn or tavern tells you to avoid a certain place, DO IT!  The locals generally know what they are talking about. Despite how late it is, drive on through.  Ignore your travelling partner's yawns, snores, and protests of fatigue and keep on going. NEVER! stay at Mom and Pop hotels.  The kids have been known to harbor homicidal tendencies. If, for some unforeseen reason, the car inexplicably breaks down in the middle of the night, DO NOT leave it's shelter.  Stay put!  Lock the doors, and if one is available, put o

    La Mercè, Patron Saint of Barcelona     The legend goes that on the night of 24 September 1218, the Virgin appeared simultaneously to King Jaume I, Saint Pere Nolasc and Saint Ramón de Penyafort. She asked all three to create an order of monks dedicated to saving Christians imprisoned by the Saracens. It was the time of the wars of religion.     Centuries later in 1687, Barcelona suffered a plague of locusts, and placed itself in the hands of the Virgin of La Mercè. Once the plague had been overcome, the Council of the City named her patron saint of Barcelona. The Pope did not ratify this decision until two centuries later, however, in 1868. The Origins of The Annual Festival    After Pope Pius IX declared the Virgin of La Mercè the patron saint of the city, Barcelona began to celebrate a festival in the month of September. La Mercè really took off in 1902, when under the impulse of Francesc Cambó, the festival became the model the those that are currently held all ov