Neddy's Palaver

Vanquished, Vanished

Come, come, come …
Let us ponder the America of our memories:
We sang like the birds of the field; we sang of freedom;
When we sought opportunity, we found it awaiting us.
America was a dream, a vision of seekers;
America was a dream that lasted ten score and thirty years.
The dream that was America encountered the anarchy of liberty;
And was felled by the anarchy of immorality.
We beg forgiveness of our founders, our fathers;
We weep for the blood they shed for us.
The America that was their dream is now our master.
Freemen no longer, we are serfs to toil land that is not ours.
We live the lives of the slaves of old, lives of quiet desperation;
We beat our breasts in despair knowing we sold our posterity into bondage.
We still pray, but not to God; We still sing, but not of freedom.
We tell tales to our children and they laugh,
For, as we recollect our remembrances,
Our children hear fairy tales of long, long ago.
We talk to those who sacrificed for freedom,
And they ask: “Did we win or did we lose?
Was God with us or were we against God, in those days?
Was freedom worth the blood we spilt?
Or was freedom but a mysterious nothing,
A mere longing of our souls?”
We will soon go away too, we who have the memories.
When we are gone, will seekers ever dream that dream again?

You Need to Start with Pork Chops, Japanese Style!

These young Japanese girls can teach us everything we need to know about catching dragons. First thing - strap a meaty pork chop onto your forehead and the toothy dragons, who cannot resist the temptation, will head right for it … or YOU! “Dragon-san is falling! Dragon-san is falling!” The girls lose heart as the dragon escapes into the audience. Poor Dragon-san never even captured a single pork chop. Isn’t there a Japanese version of PETA in Japan to protect these poor dragons from such abuse from these wicked girls?

If you want to discover the insanity that is Morning Musume, here they are.

I made this Christmas card using Picnik. My 2008 Christmas Card, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s FLICKR account.

My Christmas Gifts For You

Twas The Night Before Christmas read to you by Librivox.org.
• Saint Francis and the Creche
• Old Christmas Eve
• An American Christmas Carol
• Christmas Archives
• The Christmas Story
• Annie’s Wiseman Page
• A White House Christmas
  See the Barney Cam!
• A Swedish Merry Christmas
• A Victorian Christmas Scrapbook
• Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
• “Old Christmas” by Washington Irving
• A Neddy Christmas

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

Remembering warmer days on the beach at Assateague Island, whilst hoping for warmer days to return again. Remembering days that will never come again, whilst I “shed a bitter tear.”

The sea was wet as wet could be,

The sands were dry as dry.

You could not see a cloud, because

No cloud was in the sky:

No birds were flying over head—

There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter

Were walking close at hand;

They wept like anything to see

Such quantities of sand:

“If this were only cleared away,”

They said, “it WOULD be grand!”

“If seven maids with seven mops

Swept it for half a year,

Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,

“That they could get it clear?”

“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,

And shed a bitter tear.

(”The Walrus and the Carpenter” from “Through the Looking Glass” by Lewis Carroll)

The image, Assateague Island, was originally uploaded by barneykin. It is posted here from Barneykin’s Flickr account.

Visit Neddy’s Archives for more of Edna’s writings.

The poem “Ingratitude,” by William Shakespeare (1564-1616), is a lesson from the ages. It should be a part of the education of every child to learn to be grateful. Unfortunately, in America, few parents read Shakespeare and it seems that few parents understand the importance of teaching graciousness to their children. In fact, it is obvious that many American parents actually teach their children “ingratitude” as a “refined” vice. Perhaps for this reason Shakespeare’s poem “Ingratitude” was included in Mary E. Burt’s 1904 anthology entitled “Poems Every Child Should Know,” (#16). Does your child know any of the included poems, such as this one from Shakespeare?

Blow, blow, thou winter wind,

Thou are not so unkind

As man’s ingratitude;

Thy tooth is not so keen

Because thou are not seen,

Although thy breath be rude.

Freeze, freeze, thou bitter sky,

Thou dost not bite so nigh

As benefits forgot;

Though thou the waters warp,

Thy sting is not so sharp

As friend remembered not.

~~William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Some people are being followed by Shirley and Marcy Goodnest. Are you one of them?

A mother was concerned about her young son’s safety while walking to school, however he did not want the embarrassment of his mother accompanying him. She, wanting to give him some independence, yet know that he was protected, came upon a plan. A neighbor who daily walked with her toddler, offered to follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so as not to be conspicuous. She did this for an entire week.

As the young boy, Timmy, walked and chatted with a school mate, kicking stones and twigs, his friend did notice that the same lady was following them every day. Finally he said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?”

Timmy nonchalantly replied, “Yeah, I know. That’s just Shirley Goodnest, and her little girl Marcy.”

“Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?” asked Timmy’s friend.

“Well,” Timmy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, ‘cuz she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, ‘Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life’, so I guess I’ll just have to get used to it!”

May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy follow you all the days of your life, and in case you don’t remember the 23rd Psalm, here it is:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

(Received from the Internet without attribution. Thanks Martha.)

Watch closely and learn to make the amazing “fluffernutter” that has the entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts in one big kerfuffle. There are but three ingredients: bread, peanut butter and fluffer butter. Apparently, some in that great state are concerned that kids do not get enough nutrition from the fluffernutter and are calling for Spaghettios instead. Hmmm - which would have more nutritional value, a fluffernutter made with whole wheat raisin bread and banana slices or Chef Boyardee’s canned noodles? The Fluffernutter

This is a very old and “expensive” recipe. The “fluff” part of the recipe was originally sold by its inventor for $500, a lot of money in the days of The Great Depression. He had been selling “fluff” door to door in Massachusetts … and people were buying it. The formula for fluff is amazingly simple; a well-beaten mixture of only four ingredients: corn syrup, sugar, dried egg white, and vanillin.

Fluffernutter

• Marshmallow Fluff
• Peanut butter (smooth or creamy)
• 2 slices bread

Spread peanut butter onto one slice of bread. Cover with Marshmallow Fluff. Top with second slice of bread and enjoy! A favorite with kids of all ages.

On this page is video: Fluffernutter How-to

Nutritional Value Per Serving (Two Sandwiches): calories 412, fat 22.2g, 45% calories from fat, cholesterol 3mg, protein 12.4g, carbohydrates 49.8g, fiber 2.2g, sugar 28.0g, sodium 386mg.

The image, fluffernutter excellence, was originally uploaded by 2inches. It is posted here from Neddy’s favorites.

May 1st is Mother Goose Day, according to The Mother Goose Society.

This is quite an incredible performance by a thirteen-year-old of the difficult soprano coloratura aria from Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute”, the “Queen of the Night” aria, which reaches a high f6. Singing in the German language and costumed in lederhosen, note at the very beginning that the teenager is backed by two rows of darling blond boys looking up at him. Shouldn’t this young man be on “American Idol?”

Linked at Mudville Gazette’s “Open Post” and Wizbang blog’s ‘Carnival of the Trackbacks LIV’ .