.
We recently discovered a show/series on Cinemax called “Strike Back” – it’s become our newest guilty pleasure.
There’s plenty of nice eye candy for Paul and me (some of it is definitely for “mature” audiences, though, IYKWIMAITTYD)
There’s lots of guns, too.
Continue reading
.
Oh, my – if this doesn’t get you up off the pew, dancing in the aisles, nothing will….
.
(“How Can I Keep From Singing” sung by Eva Cassidy – available on CD or MP3)
.
.
“What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.” – Lord Melbourne
.
Don’t let the administration or the media get away with telling the world that this came about because of some cheesy video clip. They are saying that in order to draw attention away from their shitty Foreign Policy which – along with many other factors that have nothing to do with the United States – allowed this mayhem to occur.
The arrogant head of this administration was convinced that his goodwill and charisma would be enough to sway the opinions of people who – in many cases – have the mindset of primitive tribal cultures.
.
I’m tired of living in interesting times –
Here’s a calming counterpoint to all of the madness that is going on half a world away:
.
(“Over The Rainbow” by the incomparable Eva Cassidy – available on CD or MP3)
.
I suppose every generation has its share of “Where were you when….?” moments – those “somethings” that happen that are so big, so life-altering, and which affect so many people that the vast majority of them have a memory etched into their mind of where they were when they heard the news, how they felt when they heard the news, and how it changed their life forever.
I can still remember that morning – it started off like any other morning. Rachel had gotten up early and was already dressed and on her way to high school with her friends, Michelle and Sarah were getting ready for school, and Paul was getting ready for work. I was resting in bed, waiting for Rebecca – who had turned 2 months old the day before – to wake up for her morning bottle.
Paul came into the bedroom and said he had just heard on the radio that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and it was on fire.
(l to r) Bev and Me, 1964
(l to r) Me and Bev, 2004
.
Today would have been my little sister’s 50th birthday.
Miss you like heck, Sis….
.
(“Again Someday” by Blackmore’s Night – available on CD or MP3)
.
Been feeling a little melancholy lately (hence the lack of posts the past few days).
I’ve got a post scheduled for Sunday which – along with the recent deaths of my uncle and my cousin, as well as Lady’s passing – has me in my current state. I’ll be fine in a couple of days; I just need a break right now.
.
(“Wish You Were Here” by Blackmore’s Night – available on CD or MP3)
.
Twenty years ago today, a spirited whirlwind of a girl blew into our lives:
Watch out, world – this one is loaded for bear…..
….and we have never been the same. Where has all that time gone?
God has a wicked sense of humor – ask any family that has more than two kids, and they will tell you that the third kid threw them for a loop. Just when you think you have the whole “parenting” thing figured out – you’re thinking you know everything there is to know about raising kids – the third one comes along, and you realize that you don’t have the first CLUE…..
By the time Sarah came along, we had been parents for 6 years. Poor Sarah got the “leftovers” – we were a lot calmer about things, but we were also just plain tired. Rachel was starting kindergarten and Michelle was only a year old, so Sarah got whatever energy we could muster up at the end of the day.
.
…..She had drawn her first breath; she quietly drew her last, with no farewell but one loving look, one little sigh.
With tears and prayers and tender hands, Mother and sisters made her ready for the long sleep that pain would never mar again, seeing with grateful eyes the beautiful serenity that soon replaced the pathetic patience that had wrung their hearts so long, and feeling with reverent joy that to their darlings death was a benignant angel, not a phantom full of dread.
When morning came, for the first time in many months the fire was out, [her] place was empty, and the room was very still. But a bird sang blithely on a budding bough, close by, the snowdrops blossomed freshly at the window, and the spring sunshine streamed in like a benediction over the placid face ….. a face so full of painless peace that those who loved it best smiled through their tears, and thanked God that [she] was well at last……
– from Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Patient and long-suffering, Lady put up with a lot….
The time finally came to let our beloved family pet, Lady, go. She had been with us for so long that it is hard to remember a time when she wasn’t here. She “grew up” with all of the girls – she was already part of our family when Rebecca was born.
.
Something pretty for a Saturday afternoon:
.
.
This beautiful arrangement of Towles van Zandt’s original is from Lyle Lovett’s “Step Inside This House” album (available in CD or MP3 format).
.
The Fat Lady Has Sung
Koch's Tour 