Archive for December, 2009

Sick Leave

Monday, December 7th, 2009
For those few who may have noticed my recent absence, I’m afraid I’ve been on sick leave and may be for a while longer. The day after Thanksgiving Leslie and I tackled the long-put-off job of painting the main floor of our home, and by the time we finished late Sunday night we knew [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments »

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Saturday, December 12th, 2009
I still can’t take Skye for his daily walk because my lower back is still out of alignment and walking often triggers instant, intense pain. However, I am well on my way to getting ready for Christmas. I’ve already baked six different kinds of cookies and am getting ready to start making my [...]

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Lam’s Enter the Chrysanthemum

Thursday, December 17th, 2009
My problems with my back have made it impossible to spend much time at the computer, but they haven’t prevented me from fulfilling my pre-Christmas duties (cookies are done, presents are bought, most of the home-made candy is made, I made it to my daughter’s performance at the Tacoma Christmas Revels (though I’m sure I [...]

Posted in Fiona Tinwei Lam | 6 Comments »

Hardy’s “Darkling Thrush”

Thursday, December 31st, 2009
I included this poem in my January 1, 2002 entry and I still haven’t found a better poem to start a new year. Perhaps it’s a testament to the value of art that this poem written at the beginning of the 20th Century seems as valid today as it did the day it was written. THE DARKLING [...]

Posted in Thomas Hardy | 7 Comments »