The woods are lovely
Dark and deep,
But I have promises
To keep...
And miles to go,
Before I sleep.
And miles to go.......

So long 2007 - - and Good Riddance

C'mon 2008 - - Lookin' for that Happy Happy Joy Joy - - Do I hear an AMEN ??!!! YAY-Y-Y !
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The way you wear your hat;
The way you sip your tea;
The memory of all that;
No, no, they can't take that away from me.

The way your smile just beams;
The way you sing off-key;
The way you haunt my dreams;
No, no, they can't take that away from me

We may never, never meet again
On this bumpy road to love,
Still I'll always, always keep the memory of...

The way you hold your knife;
The way we danced til three;
The way you changed my life;
No, no, they can't take that away from me.
No, they can't take that away from me.
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Thanks, George, and Happy New Year to all -
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...and to all a Good Night.

Moe

This is so far off any current topic that I think I'll call it "I wandered away from Christmas and Politics, and this is where I ended up..."

Do you remember my mentioning that I took typing in High School. Well, I did , or, rather, it took me. I was never very good at it and, frankly, I'm still a 'hunt-and-peck' kind of gal. The idea behind this course was to teach college bound kids how to type, for reports, and papers, and job applications. Basically, it was business typing with really long paragraphs. A farce at best, but I did learn how to set up a 'proper' business letter. Some of you have probably never even seen a 'proper' business letter.

These are my recollections. First you start with your address on the upper right hand margin (street # lined up with town name). FYI: Zip codes had been invented, but no one really used them til the late 60's. Skip a line and then put the date, or, you can center it on the page. Next you skip another line and, lined up on the left margin, you put the Company name and address. Skip another line and on the left margin; "Dear Mr. Whatcherface". Skip a line, 'Tab' (5 spaces?)....and you were good to go. Until you get to the "Sincerely"s. That must be centered. Skip 4 or 5 lines and type your official name (Mrs.- none of this Ms. bull - and your full name). There's a lot more stuff about cc's and encl's, but this is already hurtin' my brain. We spent a whole 2 weeks on envelopes, with measurements and even stamp placement. Can you see now how I almost flunked this course? And that's why they called them secret-aries. They were the only ones who could remember the "Secrets of a Successful Business Letter".

There have been a lot of changes to the keyboard, since the days of pre-electric. Manual typewriters are the reason for the "qwerty" keyboard we've all come to know and...tolerate. They tried making an alphabetical type keyboard, but the typing whizzes were so fast that the keys kept jamming. They had to space the keys so that the t-h-e's and the i-n-g's didn't clog up the procedure. Moot, now, but, can you imagine if they changed it. I hear you can get your keyboard layout reconfigured...but...Huh! What I really miss (how full must my life be...) is the upper and lower period key and the same for the comma key. Mind you the manual typewriter had no " 1 " (you used small L-l), but it did have a 1/4 - 1/2 key. I just noticed, there're no 'cents' signs anymore! But there are exclamation points !!!! boy, was that one a pain. You had to use the apostrophe and a period. The good news was, "You never use an exclamatory sentence in a business letter."

I figure this is probably a lot more than you've thought about your keyboard in a long time (if ever) and, really,....Why should you...You have shopping to do...lists to make....meals to plan...political commentary to analyze... just be sure to step "over the lazy dog"

Take it easy on yourselves...It's only the holidays...They'll be back next year.
I'm gonna go google the typewriter song, again.....Ta

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I am not a political being - - believe that - - and I really don't care to enter into a political discussion....

BUT...

I have just 'heard' someone else say they have a candidate they really like, but they probably won't vote for him because he could never get elected......well.....no, he can't......not if you don't vote for him ..... AR-RG-H !!

Well, now, let me see.....here on page 39...(just kidding, the pages aren't numbered), we have an alphabet that you may have seen a more spiritual version of...

Avoid collagen ; Bloom late ; Celebrate ; Dance at weddings ; Eat more chocolate ; Fall in love again ; Go grey ; Hold hands ; Inspire ; Jettison grudges ; Kiss like you mean it ; Laugh ; Mend fences ; Nurture friendships ; Open doors ; Perspire with aplomb ; Quit whining ; Rekindle romance ; Spoil babies ; Teach someone to read ; Upset convention ; Volunteer ; Wear red ; eXpect joy ; Yield gracefully ; ZING.
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How about some of my favorite birthday cards - -
(Front): I've seen 50 year olds look a lot worse than you...(Inside): Get used to this kind of compliment.
(Front): Just because it's your Birthday, doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you
......(Inside): I'm going to be nice to you because my Mom taught me to be kind to old people.
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The philosopher Jaeger once said, "You can't always get what you want," and also noted "...but if you try, sometimes, you get what you need."
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May those who love us, love us
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles, so
We'll know them by their limping.
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"You're never too old to do goofy stuff." {Ward Cleaver}
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Dear Lord - I pray for the Wisdom to understand a man, the Love to forgive him, and the Patience for his moods. Because Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll just beat him to death.
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"When Life gives you lemons, smile politely, and throw them away when Life isn't looking..."
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Wake up in the morning,
Get yourself to work.
Fraggles never fool around,
Fraggles never shirk.
Your duty's always waiting,
And duty must be done.
There's ping-pong games that must be played,
And songs that must be sung.
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Ta, for now.....
**

Of course, there never really was a Camelot. It was just that most of us were too naive and content. We had WWII and Korea behind us. Done. We were ready for pretty, and happy, and home, and fun. And, yes, we elected a President who was handsome, who had a beautiful, cultured wife, and his children were adorable, and his huge family was a close knit bunch, and they all loved their mother. Camelot.

On the afternoon of November 22nd, 1963, someone breached the walls of Camelot. There isn't a person of that era who doesn't remember exactly where they were when they heard. I was in typing class [luol]. They announced it on the PA system and sent us home, a busload of shaking, sobbing, teens. There we sat for I don't remember how many days, glued to the TV and speaking in hushed tones. The caisson, the magnificent horse with the boots backwards in the stirrups, John-John's salute, Jackie's widow's weeds...a nation, some say world, in mourning.....

....and we became a nation in flux. Yes, I said flux. And we began to flux all over the damn place.

Burn your draft card, take off your bra, sit anywhere on the bus. Sing-along, sit in, march, stand up, take your pill, drop out, and make love not war - twice. Not everyone, of course. But we were getting deeper and deeper into Viet Nam, and losing another generation of young people was just too much to ask.

Even the Church was in flux. We listened to the newly formed Ecumenical Council un-decree a lot of customs that the older generations were attached to. The Mass in English! The dress code! The kiss of Peace! Hootenannies! Eventually, even Friday night burgers!

I don't feel knowledgeable enough to comment on the politics of the day. I was a self involved teenager. My sense of Johnson was of an old uncle who mumbles. And, "Tricky Dick?", well, say what you will, for whatever reasons, he 'ended' the war. Or, as I recall, basically he said "Enough".

The real 60's were a joyous, horrendous, psychedelic, fearful, ever changing and growing as a nation, time. Every strata, every age group, every ethnicity, was on the move forward. And then they killed Martin, and soon after, Bobby.

I truly mourned the loss of Martin. We were finally making real progress. People were beginning to come together and the movement, led by Martin, was the force making it happen. Many people had 'the dream'.

Two months later, when my clock radio woke me one morning, I felt paralyzed by the weight of the news. I went downstairs and stood at the foot of my parent's bed until they awoke. I remember my mother staring at me for a few moments and asking, in barely a whisper, as if she already knew...."what?". As I burst into tears, I burbled, "They've killed Bobby". I don't remember if we got any days off, but I do remember watching the train, for hours, that took him home.

If you think this is a sad story...one of the saddest parts is that it really happened...to all of us. And the world was never the same. "In short, there's simply not, a more congenial spot, for happily-ever-aftering, than here in Camelot."

P.S. And, if you think of it, on Thanksgiving {Nov. 22nd}, remember to be thankful to any over-the-hill hippies you may still have in your life...or, not. All we were saying is, Give Peace A Chance.

I recently found myself taking the VA to task over one of its procedures. That is, the protocol it follows when a Veteran passes away. There have been a lot of complaints about the services they provide. And rightly so. But, when a Veteran dies, there is no agency I have ever had the privilege of dealing with, that honors its dead with more grace.

When my father (WWII) passed away, he chose to be buried in a National Cemetary. They were ever so solicitous of, my mother first, and then the rest of us. A very touching memorial praising my father's service was completed by the playing of taps. Very moving, and my mother was presented with a flag. When Mom (WWIII) passed, a few years later, we had a similar service, presented again by the VA. We donated Dad's flag to the Library in his town. When my dahlin' passed, we gave his flag to his brother, whom he never got along with, but loved to pieces. Love the Flag protocol.

I actually love the protocol that I ended up complaining about. Not for it's substance, but for it's timing. I didn't really notice the mailing so much when my Dad died. There were just too many other things to do, and paperwork to organize, and Mom to get squared away. When I received my own, it really bothered me. Don't get me wrong, it's lovely and I will cherish it always. It's a beautifully embossed and formally written on parchment, certificate that says "The United States of America honors the memory of {your loved one}. This certificate is awarded by a grateful nation in recognition of devoted and selfless consecration to the service of our country in the Armed Forces of the United States." It is really a wonderful testament.

My complaint ? First, let me say, my husband was extremely proud to have served. It was something he carried with him always. He loved this country, with all its faults. He wasn't afraid to complain, loud and long, but his dedication to preserving our way of life, never wavered. My complaint is, and my suggestion to the VA was, this should have been presented to him, when he was alive. He would have been so pleased. Especially after Viet Nam, this would have meant so much to him. As I'm sure it would to any soldier.

So, basically, that's what I told the Veteran's Administration. They really do have a lot of other problems, and so many people to care for. I just wanted to thank them for the flags and explain why I think they should make a change and honor the living, too.

Okay......NOW Veterans Day is over.
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For those of you still able to take nourishment

******** HAPPY VETERANS DAY *******

Truly, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, and
with every free breath I take....THANK YOU.

I stand for motherhood, America, and a hot lunch for orphans.
Take off your hat, sir, Betsy Ross's Flag is passing.
Do you see it on the hill at Gettysburg,
'Neath that great Triumphal Arch?
If you see it as he's trampling through the Grapes of Wrath,
Stand up and March, March, March.

Four score and seven years ago...
March, march...
Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead...
March, march...
Remember the Alamo...
March, march...
One if by land and two if by sea...
March, march...
Glory, Glory, Hallelujah !
Stand up and March, March, March.