2012 exits tonight



"My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near"

If I had to choose just one poet as my favorite it would be Robert Frost.  While scanning and sorting more photos I  found these photos of Uncle Carl with horse and primitive sleigh.   No identification of dates or place but I am thinking this is the late 30's or very early 1940's before World War II looking at Carl as a young guy here.  Where in Pennsylvania  who knows.  When I saw the horse drawn sleigh I thought of, no not Jingle Bells, but Frost's  "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" a poem I have used through my life for different events. I have put quotes from that poem with these photos, it seems to suit them, don't you agree?  One of my projects for the coming year  is to create my own greeting cards using thoughts, sayings, poems, reflections. 

What is that tied up into the tree behind the horse in the first photo?  A box?  For what?  A marker for the hunt, but I see nothing to confirm that and this looks like a wide open field,  new  snow or the last of it ?  So many questions and thoughts generate from just a couple photos. 

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.

 

"Promises to keep" the refrain that ends the poem was the theme I used for my Business and Professional Women's presidency year back in the 70's in California.  It's an appropriate refrain for life, much to do and press on, "...we have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep."  The political leaders of this country would do well to read and understand that refrain. 

Now  in moving to the New Year which will happen  quietly here for the two of us, we have no desire  to be out and about on this of all nights.  Jerry laughs, "It's the worst of nights, too many amateur drunks out there."  The warm comfort of our home suits us just fine.  There is much to be said about contentment.  Truly I do not think I have seen a  midnight hour since I don't know when, my eyelids will not stay open that long, so tonight will be no different.  Tomorrow is the Rose Parade and bowl games, we here on the Wisconsin border will be rooting for Wisconsin in the Bowl and watching with interest,  Monty Ball, Wisconsin Badger go to guy and whom I say is my cousin.  Based on the DNA research that Ancestry.com has done for me I have 7th and 8th cousins all over, so who knows.  Somewhere in the Ball genealogy are many secrets.....This New Year's poem by Edgar Guest is a great way to close the old and welcome the new year.   Happy New Year to all of you.. 

New Year Abides

We spent the  past day purchasing and then installing a new printer/scanner which resulted from bringing home my new Bold Blackberry smartphone replacing Pearl after the two year  contract period had expired by months.  I had debated and analyzed since October and  the other day was feeling bored so Jerry suggested we go to the Verizon store and take care of what needed to be done.  Actually we could have kept on the month to month business with Pearl, but she was starting to  demonstrate some dementia, losing her touch now and then and not staying charged up.  So it was time for her to do into the box for safekeeping in the event of needing a backup.  

I believe now (too late because he is already amongst us)  that Bold is a Blabbermouth and when I was not listening he got the attention of the old HP printer/scanner and convinced it to give up it's achy existence.  The former HP printer had been limping along and I thought it  would make it for a  bit longer, but Bold told it "enough is enough and be done with you" and so it did!  Just the other day we were in Sam's and Jerry suggested we get a new printer, but I said, "Oh no, I have it working it will be fine for a while!"  I didn't know what conversations were going on...Bold had his own challenges the first afternoon as I could not download my ringtone, "Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels, that's what I had in Pearl and it is most distinctive.  When we hear the fiddle play, "Fire on the mountain, run boys run!"  We know it's the cell phone.   I chose to stay with Blackberry rather than going Droid because I do not like the touchscreens and felt I am accustomed to Blackberry and would have less to learn, which proved to be almost right.  However, after a few hours I have conquered most of Bold and we are rolling along merrily.  Except that Bold, as I said, is a Blabberer and I am sure it is a HE as opposed to Pearl who is a she. No woman would tell another to go "get done with yourself" like Bold did!  Maybe Bold is somehow tied into the death panels so many are wary of with Obsama Care.  (That is another topic of conversation and interest to me because I do believe everyone should do  end of life planning which can come at any time, but I hate to see our government sticking it's nose into this process as well, but then the one paying the bill has the ability to make the rules or something like that.  Anyway that is for another time.)  

Back to gadgets and appliances, most of us home owners have been suspicious for some time that appliances and electronic gadgets communicate in languages unknown to us and behind our backs, constantly plotting so that we spend more $ and more$ upgrading, replacing and on the hamster wheel of electronicism purchasing. 

We are both  somewhat skilled with the technology but still had issues with the new HP 6500A + Office jet printer, but it's now a go and set up wireless so we hope to be able to print from upstairs when we are using the laptop.  After  three hours efforts we needed some alcoholic refreshment to celebrate and acknowledge ourselves!   My Belvedere Polish Vodka martini hit the spot and Jerry stuck with his beer.  But today the  6500 began to chew up the paper as I tried to print a belated Holiday greeting letter.  After some diagnostics it behaved and is doing what it needs to do.  Meantime we are toying with whether or not to  get another landline to accommodate its FAX capability, something we need infrequently and have managed to do by paying our local Charlie's Office Supply in town or going to our friendly Wells Fargo Banker who obliges us for free.  So that is a question for the New Year to  hook up the fax and pay another landline and associated taxes or not?  Will we or won't we?

Meantime,  in honor of 2011 lurking behind the door, wrapped in a swaddling diaper,I wish you all the best of evenings and the happiest in the year ahead.  I have one more post to prepare on the three books I have completed so that will get into this old year, but for this post, I close with  the following, again by Edgar Guest, the people's poet of days gone by.