Thursday, December 31, 2009

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?



Maybe it's much too early in the game
But I thought I'd ask you just the same.
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night
Welcoming in the New Year... New Year's eve

Maybe I'm crazy to suppose
I'd ever be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations you'll receive
But in case I stand one little chance,
Here comes the jackpot question in advance
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's Eve?

But in case I stand one little chance,
Here comes the jackpot question in advance...
What are you doing New Year's... New Year's Eve?

Blue Moon


Diane Shaw

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold

Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the Moon had turned to gold

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Monday, December 28, 2009

Blog Maintenance

As you have noticed I have switched to a new commenting system called ECHO. I got Eco because HaloScan is passing on, will cease to be, will expire and go to meet it's maker, will be a stiff and be bereft of life, will soon rest in peace, will be pushing up the daisies! Its metabolic processes will soon be history, it will soon be off the twig, will soon to kick the bucket, will soon shuffle off its mortal coil. Its curtain is ringing down and it will soon join the bleedin' choir invisible! In short, it will soon be no more.*

I have found out that with this new system some people cannot leave comments on my blog. Hopefully this is a problem that ECHO is working on but until then if you cannot leave a comment e-mail it to me at my gmail account (peregrina@gmail.com) and I will copy it over to my blog. I know this is a pain but I do appreciate your comments and would miss them greatly.


*Plus HaloScan recommended them and told me I would lose all my comments if did not switch soon (OK, its true, I panicked.)so I did what they suggested.

Rules For Being Human

1. You will receive a body. You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for as long as you live. How you take care of it or fail to take care of it can make an enormous difference in the quality of your life.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time, informal school called Life. Each day, you will be presented with opportunities to learn what you need to know. The lessons presented are often completely different from those you think you need.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error and experimentation. You can learn as much from failure as you can from success, maybe even more.

4. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it (as evidenced by a change in your attitude and ultimately your behavior) then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no stage of life that does not contain some lessons. As long as you live there will be something more to learn.

6. “There” is no better than “here”. When your “there” has become a “here” you will simply discover another “there” that will again look better than your “here.” Don’t be fooled by believing that the unattainable is better than what you have.

7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. When tempted to criticize others, ask yourself why you feel so strongly.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you create with those tools and resources is up to you. Remember that through desire, goal setting and unflagging effort you can have anything you want. Persistence is the key to success.

9. The answers lie inside of you. The solutions to all of life’s problems lie within your grasp. All you need to do is ask, look, listen and trust yourself.

10. You will forget all this. That fact is itself a lesson.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas


King's College Choir

O Come All Ye Faithful
O come, all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

God of God, Light of Light,
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten not created.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens, of heaven above!
Glory to God, in the highest!

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, Now in flesh appearing.

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Christmas Song


-Nat King Cole

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping at your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright,
Tiny tots with their eyes all a-glow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight

They know that Santa’s on his way
He’s loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh,
And ev’ry mother’s child is gonna spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it’s been said
Many times, Many ways
Merry Christmas to you.

(Musical interlude)

And so I’m offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although it’s been said
Many times, Many ways
Merry Christmas to you

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

That's What I Want For Christmas (2)

Our kindergarten students wrote their letters to Santa this week:

Dear Santa,
I want some new hairbands with pink bows or white kittens. Something else I want for Christmas is Moxie Girlz 2 , MP3 player and a white stuffed kitten with a pink bow in it's hair. I hope you can come to my house this year because I've been nice by helping my mom feed my dog Missy.

Hailey

P.S. I want a white shirt with my name on it.


Dear Santa,
How do you get in my house? Can I have for Christmas a deer stuffed animal, pheasant stuffed animal, football players-Vikings and Green Bay
(Pro football teams), balloon, pet turtle, a real NASCAR (I'm sure he means a toy car), earrings for Mom, motorcycle for Dad, and a stuffed panda for my brother.

Caleb


Dear Santa,
What I want for Christmas is a Nintendo DS and a pet monkey. I also want a pet turtle and a pet lion. Santa, I have been very good this year and I am going to leave you cookies and milk. Please come to my house.

Kaden

(OK, remind me not to visit Kaden's house after Christmas.)


Dear Santa,
How are your elves? How's Mrs. Claus doing? How is Rudolph? Is Rudolph's nose still shiny? I've been very good this year. I want a Nintendo DS and the baby nursery game also. I look forward to opening my presents. If you give me extra presents I'll leave you cookies and milk. To get in my house use the key under the mat.

Hadleigh

(Sweetie, you do know we all know where you live, don't you?)


Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year. I helped my best friend Vivian put her mat and blanket back were it goes
(after class nap time). How have the elves been this year? Does Rudolph have a brighter nose than usual? I love to pet my kitties and sometime I would really like to pet Rudolph. When you come you many come through the door because we don't have a chimney. I will have cookies waiting for you.

Lyden



Dear Santa
What I want for Christmas is Toy Story Pop-up Play World and a go-Kart that look like Grave Digger. I also want a Nintendo DS and a Batman Obstacle Course. I am going to leave you chocolate cookies and milk.

Cutter

(I don't think Santa will be able to fit that Batman Obstacle Course in his sleigh.)


Dear Santa,
I've been very, very good this year. I am also very excited that I am going to get a present. I like to leave cookies and milk. I am very excited to leave reindeer food. I also like to put up a Christmas tree every year. I want a toy car from the toy store. I also want a bicycle with training wheels.

Adam


Dear Santa,
I don't have a very big chimney. I want some dominoes, please. I want a tool box, please. I want a book bag
(backpack) for hiking, please. I wonder about Rudolph. I'll give you some cookies! I've been good and only lost one clip(?) on the third.

Joshua


Dear Santa,
I would like a puppy, kitten, teddy bear, Barbies, puppy posters, necklaces, makeup, shoes, books. How are your elves doing? How many cookies would you like? I would like to have a Barbie movie. I really want and like snowmen. I want a fish for Christmas. I would like butterflies also. I would really like a reindeer. I would like to have a bear. I want a jacket for the cold. I really want it to snow.

Kara

(She got the last thing on her list today and I'm hoping she gets that jacket.)


Dear Santa,
This year I have been a really good girl and this year I would like some gum, crayons, flashlight, and a pen. Santa how many cookies would you like? This year for Christmas I hope I can get lots of presents under my tree. This year for Christmas I am going to play games with my sisters. I hope it will snow. I hope you have a very great Christmas.

Taiya


Dear Santa,
I want a remote control John Deere tractor and ice skates-any kind. And a chalk board with chalk. And I'm going to make you some chocolate chip cookies. And I want a train track with a train that comes with batteries.

Shannon Lee


Dear Santa,
This year I would like a Barbie Doll and a Nintendo DS because I have been a good girl this year. And I would like Santa to come down the chimney. Thank you.

Bailey


Dear Santa,
What I want for Christmas is a Barbie and DS and a bike. I want these toys because I have been very good this year. I want to make cookies for you. The cookies are going to be chocolate chip cookies.

McKenna


Dear Santa,
How are you, the elves, and the reindeer? What I would like for Christmas is a pink horse and a Barbie and a bear and a car. How do reindeer fly? How do you get into my house? And I will leave you cookies.

Vivian

(Ah, Lyden's friend.)


Dear Santa,
I will leave cookies for you. How much do you weigh? I would like a football and a Nintendo DS. Santa, you can come in the chimney. I have been good this year.

Isaac


Dear Santa,
I've been really good this year!!! I was wondering how you fit in your sled? How old are you? And how much do you weight
(sic)? I'm going to leave you cookies, milk, and carrots for your reindeer. Where is the North Pole? For Christmas this year I really want a bike, flowers, stickers, and some hot red lipstick. I hope you have a great Christmas!

Kylee


Dear Santa,
A dolly reindeer is what I want. How are you doing, Santa? I will leave you delicious tree-shaped cookies on Christmas Eve. How is Mrs. Claus? I also want a bell for Christmas. How are the reindeer? I will also leave you milk. Merry Christmas.

Amanda


Dear Santa,
I want one-blade ice skates, a real huge diamond. I will leave cookies for you, Santa, with frosting and a glass of milk. I love you Santa!

Mia

(If you are only going to ask for only two things it makes sense that one of them is really huge.)


Dear Santa,
Will you bring me presents this Christmas? I hope you bring me a bike. Are you going to eat the cookies and milk in the kitchen? I would wish for a PSP
(PlayStation) this Christmas! I hope you give me or get me the iPod. Will you wake me up?

Alvaro


Dear Santa,
I would like when you bring me presents. I want a Nintendo DS. And I promise to try to be good. I will make cookies for you Santa, maybe. I like Rudolph. I like to open your presents. How is Rudolph? Does his nose still shine? Are you
(sic) eyes greenish-bluish? How are you going to come to my house? I want games with my Nintendo like Hannah Montana. I will maybe remember to put my key under the mat so you can come in. I want lots of board games. I want most of all is lots of dog games for my Nintendo DS.

Dawn

(And since she promises to try and be good, Santa will bring her everything she wants, maybe.)


Dear Santa,
I have been really good this year. I have been nice to all my friends and classmates. This year I want a nice metal, blue pocket knife. Also, Santa, how has Rudolph been doing? I will have cookies and chocolate milk for you. We have a chimney and I will tell my Dad not to light the fireplace. Also, how are all the elves? I would also like a toy gun. Thanks so much and I can't wait until Christmas!

Eli


Dear Santa,
I will leave homemade cookies and milk for you. I am very excited about Christmas this year. I was just wondering if I could borrow your hat for awhile? I don't know if you remember but earlier this year I sat on your lap and asked for a Nintendo DS and a kitty.

Jordyn

(I wonder what he is going to do with Santa's hat?)

That's What I Want For Christmas


-Nancy Wilson

When you said yesterday that it's nearly Christmas
What did I want and I thought just love me, love me, love me
That's what I want for Christmas

When I walk through a room let them see you need me
Walk through a room let them see you love me, love me, love me
That's what I want for Christmas

Anyone can wish for all the trinkets in the window
Some can even buy the things they see
But the presents that I want
You'll never find in any window
Bring me love and bring it just for me

When you come home at night
Take me in your arms and hold me
And kiss me, and say you love me, love me, love me
That's what I want for Christmas

Hold me
Kiss me
That's what I want for Christmas

Monday, December 21, 2009

I See The Lights

Today is Winter Solstice which marks the end of night's slowly creeping consumption of daylight. From now on the nights will grow shorter and the days longer. We move from the soul's despair of "a winter's day in a deep and dark December" to its joy in realizing that "the party lights" are not that far away.


A winter's day
In a deep and dark December
I am alone
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow
I am a rock I am an island

I've built walls
A fortress deep and mighty
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship
Friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock I am an island

Don't talk of love
But I've heard the words before
It's sleeping in my memory
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings
that have died
If I never loved I never would have cried
I am a rock I am an island

I have my books
and my poetry to protect me
I am shielded in my armor
Hiding in my room
safe within my womb
I touch no one
and no one touches me
I am a rock I am an island


And a rock feels no pain
And an island never cries
-Simon and Garfunkel





(Party lights, I see the party lights)
Woo-oh, ooh,
(They're red & blue & green)
Party lights
(Everybody in the crowd is there)
Mama, I wanna go, go, go, go, go, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah
(Mama, Mama)

Well, Mama, dear, oh tell me, do you hear?
They're partying tonight
I tell you I can't sleep
Because across the street
Oh, oh, oh, oh, I see the party lights

I see the lights, I see the party lights
They're red and blue and green
Oh, everybody in the crowd is there
But you won't let me make the scene

Mama dear, oh, look-a-here, look here
There goes Mary Lou
I see Tommy and Joe
Oh, oh, and Betty and Sue
Oh, oh, oh, oh, there goes my boyfriend, too

I see the lights, I see the lights, I see the party lights
They're red and blue and green
Oh, everybody in the crowd is there
But you won't let me make the scene
Listen to the party, Mama!

(instrumental)

Hey, Mama dear, oh, look-a-here, look here
I'm feeling oh so blue
They're doin' the Twist, the Fish, the Mashed Potato, too
I'm here a-lookin' at you

I see the lights, I see the lights, I see the party lights
They're red and blue and green
Oh, everybody in the crowd is there
But you won't let me make the scene

They're doin' the Fish, they're doin' the Twist
The Watusi, the Mashed Potato
I see the lights, I see the lights
They're doin' the Bop, I wanna go
(Mama, mama)
I want to go
I want to go
I want to go

-Claudine Clark

You will find a scientific explanation of Winter Solstice here.

You will find an article about Winter Solstice customs and traditions here.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Christmas Quotes

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?
-G. K. Chesterton

"And a Merry Christmas to you too, Mr. Scrooge."
-Me

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Christmas, Christmas Time Is Near

We are getting closer to Christmas day so here are a few links to help get you into the mood:

1. Christmas lights.

2. Christmas trees.

3. The Jackson 5 singing Jackson 5 singing Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

4. Snowmen.

5. Listen to Christmas carols. (Don't forget to ask them to sing Adeste Fideles.)

6. If that's not enough here are Alvin and the Chipmunks singing The Chipmunks Christmas Song. (Click on "more info" to see the lyrics.)
.
7. Now that you are in the mood you can finish up by writing your own Christmas carol.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I Guess God Finally Called Him Home

Television evangelist Oral Roberts died yesterday. He will be remembered for blackmailing his supporters into giving him 8 million dollars back in 1986 by telling them that God would "call me home" if they failed to do so.

Why do most TV evangelical preachers seem to prove Lord Acton's observation that, "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Reading is FUNdamental

The BBC believes that most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do my reading habits stack up?

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen (X)
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien (X)
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling (X)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (X)
6 The Bible (X)
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
8 1984 – George Orwell (X)
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott (X)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller (X)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien (X)
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faul
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger (X)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell (X)
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald (X)
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams (X)
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (X)
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll (X)
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Graham (X)
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens (X)
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis (X)
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis (X)
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne (X)
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell (X)
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown (X)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany – John Irving (X)
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding (X)
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan (X)
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen (X)
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens (X)
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley (X)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon (X)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck (X)
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold (X)
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas (X)
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac (X)
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding (X)
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens (X)
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker (X)
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson (X)
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens (X)
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker (X)
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White (X)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom (X)
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (X)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad (X)
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery (X)
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute (X)
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare (X)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl (X)
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

(Wow, 47, who'd of thought?)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Doesn't It Seem That As You Get Older

The younger people look? I'm talking about like when you look at photos of you parents at the age they were when you were a child and are surprised by how young they look. Or when watching an old movie you find yourself surprised by how young an actor looks who you thought of as old when he was age forty. Well, I'm here to tell you this doesn't just happen with people. I worked at the library this morning and one of the books I cataloged was this:



I swear Lady and Tramp looked older when I was a child.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Walking In A Winter Wonderland


An open area in a farmer's field. Can you spot the turkey?



A sheltered area in the trees




A snow angel. While I was viewing this image in the camera I heard a loud crashing, branches breaking sound in front of me. I looked up and coming out of the river and through the underbrush was a deer. He was headed straight for me so I quickly lifted my camera to my face and snapped a photo right before he veered to the left and bounded away. Unfortunately, since my camera was in image viewing mode, I did not get the photo.



My husband and Little Sally Pumpkinhead. She was very curious about I was doing. Who knows, it could have been something to do with food.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Quick! What Book Does This Image Make You Think Of?


I'll wait........doo, doo, doo, do-do doo doo do (final jeopardy music), you can hum along if you like.

Did you guess Charlotte's Web?

DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, YOU WIN!

Which is probably why the newer copies of this book have this cover:



I only know about this book because it (with the old cover) was one of the books I cataloged today. Working at the library today was pleasant since it was closed due to the blizzard. I got a lot done without the interruptions. My husband and I also took the dogs for a walk down to river and I'll post some photos from that tomorrow.

I do love snow days, everything becomes easier and more laid back.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Last week's high and low temperatures were 55F/12.8C and -4F/-20C respectively in my little town. Right now it is 17F/-8.3C with a brisk wind blowing. Tomorrow a blizzard hits with winds up to 40mph predicted so I think I can safely say winter is officially here in my little piece of the world. I just got back from the grocery store where I bought a carton of eggnog and tomorrow I plan to hunker down with at least one glass of Bourbon spiked eggnog while watching the wind blasted snow outside my window race sideways down my street on its way to Texas.

I discovered during the last snow storm that snow can be dangerous in ways you cannot anticipate. I drove my car over to the library during the storm and when I pulled into the parking area and stepped on the break pedal the car jumped the curb. I pushed harder and the engine roared while the car inched across the sidewalk toward the building. I did not know just what was happening but I took my foot off the break and quickly shifted the transmission into neutral. The car stopped moving. I shifted into park and looked down at the break pedal while I put my foot back on top of it. That's when I learned what I had done.

I was wearing my winter boots for the first time this season and I could not feel the break pedal under my foot. I had put my boot on the brake pedal but I had not centered it and part of the boot was over the gas pedal. When I pushed the brake pedal down I also pushed the gas pedal down causing the car to move forward at the same time the brakes were trying to stop it. The harder I stepped on the brake, the stronger the car tried to move forward. Fair warning to you all.

Now, whenever it gets this cold a certain song starts playing in my head so I thought I would share it with you today. Johnny Mercer and Margaret Whiting's version of Baby It's Cold Outside:



I really can't stay
(But, baby, it's cold outside)
I got to go way
(But, baby, it's cold outside)
This evening's has been
(Been hoping that you'd drop in)
So very nice
(I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice)

My mother will start to worry
(Beautiful, what's your hurry)
And Father will be pacing the floor
(Listen to the fireplace roar)
So really I'd better scurry
(Beautiful, please don't hurry)
Well, maybe just a half a drink more

The neighbors might think
(Baby, it's bad out there)
Say, what's in this drink
(No cabs to be had out there)
I wish I knew how
(Your eyes are like starlight now)
To break the spell
(I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell)

I ought to say no, no, no, sir
(Mind if I move in closer)
At least I'm gonna say that I tried
(What's the sense of hurting my pride)
I really can't stay
(Baby don't hold out)
Ahh, but it's cold outside

I simply must go
(But, baby, it's cold outside)
The answer is no
(But, baby, it's cold outside)
This welcome has been
(How lucky that you dropped in)
So nice and warm
(Look out the window at that storm)

My sister will be suspicious
(Gosh, your lips look delicious)
My brother will be there at the door
(Waves upon a tropical shore)
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious
(Ohh, your lips are delicious)
Well maybe just a cigarette more
(Never such a blizzard before)

I've got to get home
(But, baby, you'll freeze out there)
Say, lend me a comb
(It's up to your knees out there)
You've really been grand
(I thrill when you touch my hand)
But don't you see
(How can you do this thing to me)

There's bound to be talk tomorrow
(Think of my life long sorrow)
At least there will plenty implied
(If you caught pneumonia and died)
I really can't stay
(Get over that old out)
Ahh, but it's cold outside

-Frank Loesser

Friday, December 04, 2009

Quiddler



Right up front let me tell you that I hate the game of Scrabble. As some of you know I am a terrible speller since I do not have the ability to visualize words in my head. Short words I can handle since I can memorize them along with some longer words that I am able to break down into smaller syllables but other words, I draw a blank. Imagine my delight during the Thanksgiving holiday when I was introduced to a word game in which my disability is an advantage. Quiddler is a game of short words. The more short words you can come up with, the more points you score. The more points you score, the greater your chance of winning.

Let's just say I did very, very well.

More information about Quidder here.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

That's What It's All About

It is interesting how people who you have never met can have a great effect on you life. Most of the time you never find out why but other times, if you are lucky, you do. Today I read about the death of Robert Degeny on his 104th birthday. Who is Robert Degeny you ask? Why he is the man who wrote the modern version of The Hokey Pokey. A form of this song has been around since the 18th century and some say the original song was anti-Catholic and made fun of the Latin words used by priests during Mass.

In the mid-nineteen-fifties bandleader Ray Anthony had a hit record with his version of The Hokey Pokey. Singing it are vocalist Jo Ann Greer and The Skyliners.



You put your right foot in
You put your right foot out
You put your right foot in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Left foot]

You put your left foot in
You put your left foot out
You put your left foot in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Right arm]

You put your right arm in
You put your right arm out
You put your right arm in
And then you shake it all about.

[Spoken: Left arm]

You put your left arm in
You put your left arm out
You put your left arm in
And then you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Right elbow]

You put your right elbow in
You put your right elbow out
You put your right elbow in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Left elbow]

You put your left elbow in
You put your left elbow out
You put your left elbow in
And then you shake it all about.

[Spoken: Head]

You put your head in
You put you head out
You put your head in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Right hip]

You put your right hip in
You put your right hip out
You put your right in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Left hip]

You put your left hip in
You put your left hip out
You put your left in
Any you shake it all about.

[Spoken: Whole self]

You put your whole self in
You put your whole self out
You put your whole self in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

[Spoken: Backside]

You put your backside in
You put your backside out
You put your backside in
And you shake it all about.
You do the Hokey Pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!

You do the hokey pokey
The hokey pokey
You do the ho-key pokey
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!


I have fond memories of dancing or skating to this version of the song as a child- and that's what it's all about.

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Jack Frost Nipping At My Nose

I woke up this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground, streets and sidewalks. It had all disappeared by the time I left the library after working five hours. Everyone who came in commented on the cold and added that if it wasn't for the wind it wouldn't be so bad. It wouldn't of but that did not help me while I was outside doing a very thorough poop patrol of the yard.

(Go here to learn why I try to clean the yard before any big storms hit.)

Right now I am snuggled up on my couch with my hands wrapped around one of my new mugs (The red one). Nothing like a mug of hot cream of tomato soup to make you feel very grateful to be inside a warm house and not outside in the cold with Jack.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Time To Kick Back With A Good Book

Our world, so we see and hear on all sides, is drowning in materialism, commercialism, consumerism. But the problem is not really there. What we ordinarily speak of as materialism is a result, not a cause. The root of materialism is a poverty of ideas about the inner and the outer world. Less and less does our contemporary culture have, or even seek, commerce with great ideas, and it is that lack that is weakening the human spirit. This is the essence of materialism. Materialism is a disease of the mind starved for ideas.
-The American Soul by Jacob Needleman