Friday, January 30, 2009

If you get snowed in again ...

... here's something edifying to read. Which side are you on?

The Spider and the Fly

a poem by Mary Howitt (1799-1888)

published in 1829.

"Will you walk into my parlor? " said the spider to the fly;

"Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy.

The way into my parlor is up a winding stair,

And I have many pretty things to show when you are there."



"O no, no," said the little fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."
"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the spider to the fly.


"There are pretty curtains drawn around, the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in."
"O no, no," said the little fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed.


"Said the cunning spider to the fly, "Dear friend, what shall I do,
To prove the warm affection I've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome; will you please to take a slice?"


"O no, no," said the little fly, "kind sir, that cannot be;
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see."
"Sweet creature!' said the spider, "You're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!

I have a little looking-glass upon my parlor shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir,' she said, "for what you're pleased to say,
And bidding you good-morning now, I'll call another day."

The spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly fly would soon be back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready to dine upon the fly.

Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty fly, with the pearl and silver wing:
Your robes are green and purple; there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead."

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little fly,
Hearing his wily flattering words, came slowly flitting by.
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue;

Thinking only of her crested head--poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlor; but she ne'er came out again!

And now, dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly, flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed;
Unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Stolen rare bird

Cheryl, take a look at this video.

People who sell birds should be on the lookout for this hot rarity.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/

Monday, January 26, 2009

The Cypress in my Living Room

Shortly after Christmas I was in Trader Joe's. In the check-out line they were quietly giving away small potted trees. I chose this attractive pyramidal specimen which the tag identified as Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Elwoodii'. By googling that name I found some info on it. Also called False Cypress. It still looks pretty good after a month indoors.
Botanic Name: Cupressus (Chamaecyparis) lawsoniana 'Elwoodii'
Common Name: Dwarf Lawson Cypress
Size: 10'h x 6'w
Sun: Sun-Part Shade
H20: occ. H2O/moist
Resistance: high

Description: A dwarf selection of our beautiful native Lawson Cypress, this cultivar grows slowly to 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide, a great size for a conical specimen shrub or a dense evergreen hedge. The Lawson Cypress likes full sun on the coast, or afternoon shade inland, and regular water during the warm months. The 'Elwoodii' selection has also been used as a container or bonsai specimen.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Email from Canada

Hi Priscilla,

Uzma and I watched and very much enjoyed the whole inauguration...Amazing ceremony. When Omer [age 10] came back from school he wanted to watch the whole thing on computer.

Tomorrow Omer will be sharing his favorite sentence from Obama's speech with his teacher and classmates, "the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness". He wrote this in his school agenda.

During our evening walk, Omer, Danial and I spoke about the difference between kingdom and democracy. We concluded "King stay until he dies and then nominate his son, and in democracy PEOPLE send "the bad guy" to Texas :) and Danial [age 7] says, in Helicopter :)

There are many challenges for Obama but the HOPE is there.

Aamir

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Say it again!

Story
On a sunny day in January, 2009, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The old man said, "Okay", and walked away.The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush." The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Bush is no longer president and no longer resides here." The man thanked him and, again, just walked away. The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Bush."The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Bush. I've told you already that Mr. Bush is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?" The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it." The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir."

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Hilarious

A friend sent me this link. It's "The MOM Song" I couldn't stop laughing.

The MOM Song

Monday, January 12, 2009

Amelia


Couldn't resist linking to this story about a feisty heifer out in Montauk.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Philadelphia Flower Show

I just had a brilliant idea! Let's all go to the Philadelphia Flower Show! It's March 1st through March 8th, 2009. I've never been to it but have always wanted to go.

How 'bout if we all meet there one day ... or... drive there in a small group? It would be such a pick-me-up in the drabness of winter. That redhead in the picture, could that be Cheryl?


Philadelphia Flower Show

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Little boy in red

Daddy, can you fix my helmet?

Hurry up, Daddy, I want to ride!


Okay, Daddy, you stand over there and watch me.



Hi, lady! See my new bike?

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year!

"Janus was the Roman god of beginnings and was regarded as the custodian of the universe. He was also the guardian of gates and doors. To the Roman he was lord over the first hour of every day, the first day of the month and January, the first month of the year (which was named after him). Two heads back to back represent Janus, each looking in opposite directions. His double-faced head appears on many Roman coins.

"Janus also represents the transition between primitive life and civilizat­ion, between rural and urban existence. He also maintains the balance between peace and war and youth and old age. Janus was considered to be a great king during the Golden Age and brought the people peace and great wealth. He introduced money, cultivation of the fields and the law. He was considered the protector of Rome."
-- ©2004 Wendy Brinker