Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 -2011

Christmas and New Year’s Eve…and the week in between….

A time of endings and of beginnings; a time of counting blessings and of counting losses....of things and people gone from us….of successes and of mistakes.

Sadness and joy…two emotions common the year ‘round, but especially common at this time of year.

And the older we get, the more we have to be grateful for. And the more we have had to part with….the more we have had to regret.

Such are the ways of life.

How to be joyful, to really be able to count blessings as 2010 ends?

Our Church Study Group read into the Rule of St. Benedict this year…and he has some good advice.

The Dear Old Saint advises that the ‘joy chokers’ are such negatives as fear; cynicism; boredom; low self-esteem; taking life too seriously; loss of wonder; greed; guilt; bitterness; and busyness.

Get rid of all or most of the chokers, and the New Year has a chance.

So, think well of yourself. Have faith in the future. Don’t take self too seriously. Be ready to marvel at the world around. Be happy with the blessings counted. Don’t envy what others have. Forgive. And take time to smell those red flowers.

And as midnight approaches on the last day of December, consider the following words written long ago in a Dear Land across The Pond:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.


We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.


We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.


And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.


As midnight of the last day of December approaches, we'll take a right good-will draught with several friends. We'll laugh and dance with them and we'll think of and remember those with whom we are not .

Happy New Year to all our Family and Friends.

We will think of you often.

Please think of us.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

BE SAFE

The Christmas lights are up.
A few decorations remain to be done inside.

The ‘village’ is back in business. We think of it as a little Brigadoon.
Every year the Grandkids get to pick which of the wee folk they are.
We do the same.

There are two garlands with lights to be placed between two rooms.
And then we are done with that lot.

The pantry is well stocked; the bar as well.

We will head out for gas after Church for the snowblower, for a flaming grand storm is predicted for Sunday and Sunday night.
God save us!
And the Church adult Christmas party is on for tomorrow night.

We are taking a fruit bowl. Will pick up that bit on the way to the gas station.

Have just finished the annual Christmas Letter, the one that goes into all the cards we send out.
An annual chore – a labor of love.
Dear Wife is proofreading it as I write.

Tomorrow we start to make out the cards.
The cycles repeat.

Between Church and the start of the big storm we hope to split some more firewood.
A good direction from Dickens: “Heap on more wood for the wind is chill."

Thank the Lord for a warm, dry house.

Be safe out there!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

ONCE IS ENOUGH - 7 DECEMBER 1941

And so we sit down to keyboard a bit late again.

Not, this time, late in the day, but late in sitting down, for this is an important anniversary, one which we usually precede with some sort of commemoration.

For this is the anniversary of The Infamous Day, 7 December 1941, as coined by President Roosevelt, in so many words, so very eloquently.

Several thousand survivors of that horrendous day survive and they help us to ‘keep’ the Day, as it were.

The Great Pacific Fleet was not ready. The might of the United States was not ready. The leaders and people of the United States were not ready.

Even after VE and VJ Days, when the nation should have known better, the paramount thought among leaders and people was to disarm, to disarm as quickly as possible and to ‘get back to normal.’

Hindsight is quite an advantage, and those folks can perhaps be forgiven.
To some extent.

For a short time the effort seemed to be possible.
And then reality.

The decision was made, within a few short years of victory, that such unreadiness should never again prevail.

And so the sacrifice of that day and of the four years of days that followed were perhaps not in vain, for they started the preparation of the Republic for the new world which was coming into existence, the world of the Cold War and all the struggles and the sacrifices which would eventually ensue, then and thereafter.

Perhaps that is the true meaning of Pearl Harbor: that the best way to prevent war, to prevent catastrophe, is not to foolishly attempt to outlaw war or to ignore the signs that it is coming, but rather the best way is to prepare for it with force so overwhelming, so terrible, so all-knowing, that no enemy, whether rational or not, would dare to even approach the brink.

As Churchill said regarding WW2 appeasement, They had the choice of preparing for war or for preparing for peace. They chose to prepare for peace. They got war [paraphrase].

Let us hope the Good Guys never make the same mistake again.

Friday, December 3, 2010

DAILY WORDS

It occurred to me this morning, after the second or third coffee, that as dictionaries grow in size, so do our everyday vocabularies change.

And much as we often do not notice the little changes in ourselves as we live from day to day, so we do not notice the changes in our vocabularies.

I have a list somewhere of words/phrases that I grew up using, but, of course, I cannot find it now.

But a few terms do resonate…and I still use all of them.

I used to tell my students that they didn’t have to use coarse language to impress people in conversation. Try to use a few antique words and phrases instead and people will sit up and take notice.

Here are a few:

We used to watch the police go by in their prowl car.

We used to sit by the fireplace in the front room.

We looked forward to the arrivals of the milk men and the bread men in their horse drawn wagons.

And some of us wanted to be coal men or ice men and make deliveries to all the houses.

And it was exciting to watch the tinker sharpen the shears and knives and clippers when he came through the neighborhood.

And then there was the pumice stone on the shelf by the bathtub.

And we were directed not to lallygag on the way home.

And we used to play monopoly on the verandah.

And we always made sure everyone had a serviette for all meals.

And the sofa was a chesterfield.

And we needed to be careful of our spectacles.

And we needed to tie our laces carefully when we put our boots on.

And in bad weather we always wore our galoshes.

And there you have the list as I recall it as of now.
I am sure there are dozens and dozens more of such antiques.

I look forward to remembering.