A Traveller's Joy

December 24, 2009

December 18, 2009

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost
New Hampshire
1923

December 17, 2009

Igor and Snowflakes

I work in a hospital;

and a friend sent me a poem

after hearing me discuss

the ugly and beautiful

side of familes

in hospitals

during the holidays.

Her Long Illness

Daybreak until nightfall

he sat by his wife at the hospital

while chemotherapy dripped

through the catheter into her heart.

He drank coffee and read

the Globe.

He paced, he worked

on poems, he rubbed her back

and read aloud.

Overcome with dread

they wept and affirmed

their love for each other, witlessly,

over and over again.

When it snowed one morning Jane gazed

at the darkness blurred

with flakes.

They pushed the IV pump

which she called Igor

slowly past the nurses' pods,

as far

as the outside door

so that she could smell the snowy air.

(By Donald Hall

From a collection compiled by Garrison Keillor)

December 15, 2009

Anyone?

Wanted:

Christmas Memories
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Anyone?

Anyone?

December 10, 2009

Spirit of Christmas

Does an 8 year-old boy have the Spirit of Christmas?

My brother Pat, was 8.
I was 5.

He and I were always fascinated by my father's basement workroom;
his place of quiet
and wood dust
and exotic-colored paints and pungent varnishes
of fine and grand pieces and parts
of model airplanes
built of light-as-a-feather tissue-thin papers
and fine balsa wood
layers of paint and varnish
and hours and hours of tender ministrations.

A workshop also crowded by large-and- heavy tools-of-the-trade
sheet metal cutters
wrenches and sledge hammers
table-top vises
for the fire-filled furnaces
and boxy air conditioning units
that were the work behind the man.

And dust and cobwebs
and nails and screws and bolts
CB radios
old broken television sets
two to three ashtrays filled with gray powder
pipes and boards
and "projects" to be fixed for my mom;
toaster-not-toasting
radio-with-no-music
lamp-of-no-light-and frayed-cord
broken bird house

And in early December
as Pat and I crept into
the dark and dusy cave
of my father's workroom;
there on the workbench

a wooden structure;
3' tall, 4' wide (!)
house-shaped,
and yet
huge
green exterior walls
a red roof
(looks like our house!)
and the front of this house
hinged and open
to expose internal
tiny
separate
rooms
with blue walls
pink walls
yellow walls
red (!) walls
and soft-warm-and-sweet chocolate walls.

It was lovely
and I gasped with the beauty.
While my brother's eyes grew wide
(and frightened ?!)

"What IS it?", I asked.

He paused.

And thought.

And pondered.

(Remember the scene from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas",
when Grinch is questioned by Little Suzi-Who
about why he is taking the tree from their home?
And the look on the face of the Grinch as he
comes up with the whopping lie?)

My brother had the same look on his face...
Smiling
(evil - or good?)
charming
sweet
innocent...

"Why, it is a BIRD HOUSE,
with separate rooms for each
little bird
to live and sleep in",
he proclaimed proudly;
and swore me to ultimate secrecy
not to tell Dad that we knew.
NOT to tell mom and ruin the wonderful surprise.

And I promised
and forgot about the
large bird house,
happy to be "old enough"
to be entrusted by my
older and wiser
brother
with such a good secret.

Christmas morning:
We woke
crept downstairs from our bedrooms
to the tree and
all the wonderful sights.

(No birdhouse in sight?)

And as we completed unwrapping.
My father brought out the surprise
not to my mom -
but to ME!

Yes,
a wonderful dollhouse.
A wonderful secret.

And an 8-year old's
Spirit of Christmas.

M

December 09, 2009

Time #2

Three Challenges to everyone:

Favorite Christmas Memory

Worst Christmas Memory

Spirit of Christmas

300 words or less per entry/per topic.

I will have mine (and hopefully yours, too) posted before the 25th.

December 08, 2009

Time

Treezup!

November 28, 2009

We Should Change The Name

The people of the United States
should consider the history behind
the Thanksgiving holiday,
and petition the courts for a name change.

Perhaps change the name to:
"Thank a Native American for Helping Strangers Survive-Day"

I don't see Hallmark picking up on that opportunity.

Maybe change the name to:
"Sharing Food With Friends-Day"

Yes; much less politically charged.

I'll call Hallmark and the courts,
right after you pass more turkey and dressing left-overs.

November 21, 2009

Lost in Iowa and Now?

I have had to post an advertisement on Craig's List:

Following a Yard Sale advertisement in an Iowa newspaper a few weeks ago:
A family member in Iowa had an estate sale in early November,
and accidently sold two items that were NOT to be in the sale.
This yard/estate sale was held on Brown Street in Davenport,
and at the nearby park pavillion behind the house.

I am hoping the two people who purchased these items will contact me;
so their money can be returned, and the items returned to me.

----A 1920-1930's style lamp with cloth cord.
The lamp is approximately 20-24" tall.
I have been advised that this lamp was re-sold
by the dealer who purchased it at a recent antique sale in Des Moines, Iowa.

----An Eastlake style small dresser with mirror.
The dresser and mirror was refinished 20 years ago,
has brass teardrop dresser pulls,
three obvious drawers and 1 "hidden" drawer at the bottom.
It is believed the dresser was purchased by a gentleman
who may live in a nearby Davenport neighborhood.

Both items belonged to my late grandmother;
the dresser was refinished by my late father,
and both were stored at my family member's home
until I could find safe transport to my new home.

They were both sold by mistake.
If you recognize either of these items,
please call me.

November 15, 2009

Celebration #2

A cosy spot to curl up and read a good book.
Just in time for the holidays.
M

November 08, 2009

Celebration #1 and Other Events

Celebration #1:
Consisted of some good tequila and triple sec,
fresh limes, crushed ice, and salt for the rims
of the margarita glasses;
purchased while in Guadalajara, Mexico.

We are celebrating the successful sale of our Illinois home.

Our Illinois house was in the need of
someone who could enjoy the warmth and comfort
on a more regular basis:
More than we were able to offer
the last few years.

In 2005-2006 we were in Chicago most weekends,
300 mile round-trips, which limited "home time".

In 2007 we were in France for 100 days;
also limiting "home time".

In 2008 we traveled to Santa Fe for 9 months;
also limiting "home time",
and within our first few months here;
realized we were destined to move to Santa Fe "for good"

Early 2009 we prepared our house for sale;
found a great realtor,
and a nice electrician,
chated with a cement flooring repairman,
painted and spackled in all the rooms,
and put in shiny new appliances,
and a shiny new furnace,
and a shiny new A/C system.
Paid someone else to climb the 30 feet up
to scrape and paint all outside wooden areas;
including all 30+ wood frames around each window,

and all other wooden touches found on our craftsman-style house.

And on the 2nd of November:
A new person took ownership
of a warm house with many happy memories.
I'm planning on sending him a Thank You card.

Other news of note:
Thanks to Deb & Wayne who shared the idea of "date night";
Wednesday is now our offical night.

We are still planning Celebration #2;
maybe by December.