Last found/checked: 26-JAN-14
Location: Solve the puzzle found here:
Distance: ~ 1.5 mile roundtrip
Terrain: Level paved path, but off trail to find the box
Around the globe, the Chinese New Year celebrations will take place based on January 31, 2014, which is the start of the Lunar New Year. Preparations for the New Year often begin during the last month of the lunar year. It is an auspicious occasion, and great detail is taken in its readiness. The home must be cleaned thoroughly. The past year's dirt is swept away, and clutter is straightened out. This is done so that negative aspects of the past year are not brought forward to the New Year. On New Year’s Eve, family members must return to the parent's home for a special meal together. Various foods are prepared and eaten because of their symbolic significances. The food must be abundant, and there must be some left over at the end of the meal. The New Year will therefore start with plenty. It is hoped that there then will be abundance throughout the year.
In Chinese Astrology there are five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water) and twelve animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) forming a complete cycle of sixty. This means there are five different types of Horse years: wood horse, fire horse, earth horse, metal horse and water horse. 2014 is a Wood Horse year.
The year of the Horse is a time for progress; it is a very happy-go-lucky, frantic and wild year that is both adventurous and satisfying. There will be an upward turn to the year with a deal of good humor. It is a year for going it alone, perhaps with some shocks in store, but on the whole a courageous and daring year.
People born in the Year of the Horse are highly animated, active, and energetic. They are typically very elegant, independent, gentle, and hardworking. Horse people are extemporaneous and quick-witted. They are quite intelligent and use their practicality to their advantage in their business and personal lives. Their sharpness makes them quick to pick up new skills and they are able to handle many tasks at one time. However, this ambition can be harmful because Horse people often don’t finish what they start for fear of missing out on the next big challenge. Horses are trustworthy, friendly and open-minded. They are good friends to have and will always be honest with you. Although they are good confidants, Horse people do enjoy their alone time and are usually independent people who prefer to rely on themselves to achieve their aims. Their most striking characteristic is their strong self-confidence. Thus the Year of the Horse is a time for all people to go forward confidently in the direction of their goals and dreams, just as the horse gallops at top speed toward its destination.
General Horse characteristics: Mentally and physically active, career-minded, extrovert, achiever of success through hard work, loves flattery and to be the centre of attention. Popular, entertaining, has many friends, sensual, intelligent, cheerful, impatient, violent when not getting own way.
Traits for specific Horse years:
FIRE – Jan 25, 1906 to Feb 12, 1907 and Jan 21, 1966 to Feb 8, 1967
Traits: High strung, powerful, inconsistent, alluring and motivated by strength of will.
EARTH – Feb 11, 1918 to Jan 31, 1919 and Feb 7, 1978 to Jan 27, 1979
Traits: Reliable, rational, motivated by prudence, accurate and slow.
METAL – Jan 30, 1930 to Feb 16, 1931 and Jan 27, 1990 to Feb 14, 1991
Traits: Affectionate, egotistical, motivated by "challenge", fruitful and obstinate.
WATER – Feb 15, 1942 to Feb 4, 1943 and Feb 12, 2002 to Jan 31, 2003
Traits: Flexible, amusing, lacking consistency, motivated by "action" and self-absorbed.
WOOD – Feb 3, 1954 to Jan 23, 1955 and Jan 31, 2014 to Feb 18, 2015
Traits: Helpful, motivated by advancement, dependable, methodical and quirky.
Under the influence of the Wood Element, the Wood Horse is one of the most patient and creative members of the Horse sign. While other members of the Horse sign are burdened with indecisiveness, the Wood Horse is capable of picking a direction in life and working towards clear goals. The Wood Horse takes this same determination into their personal relationships, which they are heavily committed to. With gifts of understanding and a calm demeanor, the Wood Horse is very successful in cooperative social situations. The Wood Horse has a bit of adventurous side and is not afraid to commit fully to the unknown.
Start the New Year by trotting from the parking lot and taking the paved trail heading west. Go confidently in the direction of your goal, passing a “stable”, a playground and a sport court. Head into the woods, gallop across a bridge, and then cantor around a field. Pass another “stable” and play area. Pull on the reins to stop when you arrive at a boardwalk. Turn around and amble back ~20 steps where there should be a multi-trunk on your left. It’s time to show your adventurous side! Take ~12 steps south to a smaller V-tree. Be courageous and daring by uncovering the horse’s stable under the base of the small fallen tree, just west of the V-tree. Please finish what you started and replace her carefully before heading off on your next big challenge. Your intelligence and self-confidence should guide you back to your starting point.
In honor of the Year of the Horse, you may want to start/end your search with a meal at s’rorepmE Kitchen, 18900 W Bluemound Rd.
"Kung Hei Fat Choi!" (Cantonese for "Congratulations and be prosperous!")
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