A Christmas Poem

I don't know where this poem originated.  It has been around the internet for quite a while.  Nonetheless, it is well worth rereading!

Merry Christmas to our service men and women.

We thank you!

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
 
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
 
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
 
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
 Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
 
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
 
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
 
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "It’s really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
 
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas Gram always remembers.
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of Nam,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures - he's sure got her smile."
 
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
 
"I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.
So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
 
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
 
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Monochromatic Morning

 Our first snow of the season fell last night.

I love waking up to a world I've missed for months!

This black and white view waited outside my bedroom door .

The bare trees seem even darker against the pure white snow.

The valance over the kitchen sink is trimmed in crystal drops.

They appeared more like icicles this morning!

At a different angle, you would have seen the smoke,

billowing up from the outdoor boiler...

a sure sign that winter is near.

Though the snow was light,

the sead heads bowed in respect

of this symbol of winter.

The paling green of a willow bush

peeks through the tender reeds.

Here, you see the willow is losing its battle,

succumbing to the shorter days and chillier nights.

The horses don't notice the temperature dropping.

Their furry coats have grown plush,

insulating them from the brisk air.

Dear Anonymous,

I will no longer be allowing anonymous comments on this blog.  For an explanation, click HERE.

Comment Spam... Ugh! a.k.a. Dear Anonymous

I don't know if you've noticed or not...  Your comments used to post immediately, but now they have to be moderated.  Seems a few bad apples spoiled the bunch again.


Yep, those spammers got me really annoyed!  When I'd read the comments to my posts, there would also be some ad for a male enhancement prescription.  Do they really stir up business this way?

It started out with an occasional ad, but now it's gotten to be a daily thing.  They've hit all three blogs!  And it's not just the male enhancement products anymore.  Everything from thyroid medicine to arthritis drugs have been linked to in my comments.  So I'm pulling the plug.

I hate to do it, but I'm blocking anonymous comments.  I have friends that comment without logging on, and some that don't have an account.  I used to look forward to the anonymous comments.  Most often they were from people I knew.  But now I've reached my limit.  No more anonymous comments.  At least for a very long while.  I'm hoping that by blocking them, they will get deleted from whatever computer generates them.  (Though I'm doubtful the spammers will ever go away.)

Note: Anonymous friends, please feel free to e-mail your comments to me.

The Bengal Barn Revisited

Well, here it is!  Remember back in the middle of

November when I posted 1-2-3 First Down?

This is the infamous Bengal Barn where it all takes place...

This past Sunday we went there to watch the Battle of Ohio.  Mr J, his son and I are the only Browns fans there.  There is one Steelers fan that is married to a Bengal fan.  In the corner is a big screen topped by a smaller TV.  There are other smaller screens lined up on both sides, plus one by the food area.  You never have to miss a play.  You can even see one screen from the bathroom!

The facilities are somewhat primitive... Notice the urinal on the right?  The TP holder matches the arms on the throne.  Bengal stripes are everywhere!  Check out the bar stools...

The half time baby shower was going on, so the main corner cleared out.  Notice the front row seating?  Yep, airline seats.  There's another set behind the bar.  I'm surprised they haven't yet been reupholstered in Cincinnati colors.

Aside from the creature comforts, it's a lot like a tailgate party!  There's always lots of hot food, salads, snacks and desserts.  (My step-son is the tall guy in the only Browns jersey, as if his height didn't make him stand out enough.) 

Here is a great view of the main TV area...

Hope you're enlarging some of these to check out all the Bengal paraphernalia on display.  See the Bengals onesie hanging to the right of the white cabinets in this next shot?

 

My DIL's mom has had it hanging there, waiting until the day DIL had a baby to put it on.  Since she's due in January, she gets to take it as soon as the season is over.  However, once Brady outgrows it, it goes back on the wall!

Here's a good shot of pregnant DIL and the airliner seats....

As I mentioned earlier, there was a baby shower during half time... a Bengal baby shower!  Despite how much it hurt, the group also respected Daddy's team.  Here are some throws they made for Daddy and Mommy's cuddle time with Brady...

Daddy's throw is folded up here.  They made it 7' long for him!

I wonder how Mommy and Daddy are going to decide what Brady wears...

Of course, babies need lots of blankies...

They apparently didn't want to buy any more Cleveland Browns material and went with a generic fabric in the Cleveland colors.  They also made little hats in these patterns.

I have to admit...  it was the most fun I've ever had at a baby shower!  But hey, shove the gifts back in the bags... the third quarter is starting!   Uhhhh.... 1 - 2 - 3 FIRST DOWN!

(Note:  Mommy has definitely ruled out Quinn as a middle name!)

Unbeatable Black Friday... while supplies last

This is a recycled post from last year when I was still a MySpace blogger.  I've always felt that Black Friday was in complete contrast to what Christmas is about; and what happened last year on Black Friday really pounds home the point...

It's Walmart's Fault the World Sucks!

       I guess by now, most everyone's heard about the WalMart worker that was trampled to death, while working the doors on Black Friday.  I don't know if it's been confirmed, but another witness said a young woman suffered a miscarriage in the crowd.  (later found to be untrue, but could have happened)  That was Walmart's fault, too.  And you've probably heard about the shooting in the Toys R Us store.  That was probably Toys R Us' fault.  

     In the Walmart event, the blame is for not having appropriate crowd control.  Are you kidding me?  So if I go shopping and they don't provide enough security, I can knock someone down, use them for a doormat and blame the store for my behavior?  And how can you possibly not feel someone's body under your feet?  Granted, the people at the front of the lines are probably not to blame.

      I was in a crowd like that once, when some soap opera stars visited a local mall.  It scared me to death!  I had put a friend's daughter up on my shoulders to protect her.  It was only seconds before we were surrounded by a shoving mass.  A guy next to me was pushing against me so hard, he was twisting the toddler's let against me making her cry.  I told him he was hurting her, to which he replied, "Hey Lady, we want to see too."  OMG!  What kind of animal responds that way?  There were mothers using their baby's strollers to push their way through for a better spot.  Yes, the babies were in the strollers!  Luckily my friend and I were able to slowly work our way backwards and sideways into a music store where we took shelter until the crowd dissipated.  We were terribly frightened!  I understood what it was like in that Cincinnati rock concert crowd.  It stunned me how civilized people could act that way!

      I haven't seen the footage showing the Walmart shoppers entering the store, but I'd bet the people in front had little control of their own movement.   When the first ones felt the body underfoot, they probably could do nothing about it.  We can't expect two or three decent people to be able to hold back a crowd of hundreds.  I can't imagine feeling a person being tramped by my own feet and not being able to stop and help them up and out of harm's way.  It would be a nightmare that haunted me forever!

     Personally, I've never participated in Black Friday shopping.  I've heard horror stories about how people grab things away from others.  Fights break out in toy departments.  The worst of human nature is put on display for the sake of profits.  Modesty aside, it is beneath me to act that way!  My own daughter came very close to being the only little girl in town without a Cabbage Patch doll for Christmas one year.  I wasn't about to fight for one!

     So who is to blame in the Walmart tragedy?  For starters, the people who did the pushing!  It's a shame we probably won't be able to isolate the individuals that started the chaos.  They should be brought up on charges of manslaughter at the very least!  So do I think the retailers are innocent?  Certainly not.  But not just because of insufficient security...  I don't think it's entirely a store's responsibility to control the conduct of the individuals shopping there.  (Don't we know it's wrong to shove people?  Do we need a large police officers' presence to prevent this?)  But the retailers do cause the chaos by turning Christmas shopping into a race... a competition to see who gets there first.

     Lots of stores advertise a much-wanted item at a ridiculously low price, only to offer just one or two items at the price.  Whoever is third in line is out of luck, unless they can shove their way to the front of the line!  When did this start?  Why did this start?  Why not just mark a reasonable percentage off for that entire day?  Or how about everyone that makes a qualifying purchase that day is entered into a drawing for the dirt-cheap deal?  After all, isn't it about getting shoppers out spending money in their stores?  Not about selling that one hot item at 4 am?

     I will continue my boycott of Black Friday, but it will have no effect.  There are too many people out there looking for that great deal.  Besides, I look forward to Thanksgiving.  I'm not about to cut it short so I can get to up at 2 am to go shopping!  Whatever it was that Walmart offered that morning, I hope the person that got it realizes it wasn't worth the price...

2008 Black Friday sale ad