Journal Entries
Hindu saying
Posted Jan 20, 2004
Yesterday I put a piece in AWW about the last time I ever saw my father. I did it in a hurry last summer for Father's Day and shazz put it in the Post. I've always wanted to revise it - flesh it out.
Dad had Alzheimers. He died in the early morning hours of Dec 26, 1999. He was a truly brilliant man and watching him progress through this disease was absolutely heartwrenching. And terrifying. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get a handle on it.
Anyway, I found the following saying in my mailbox this morning and found it comforting. And timely because Dad was on my mind again.
"When body and mind grow weak, the Self gathers in all the powers of life and descends with them into the heart. As prana leaves the eye, it ceases to see. “He is becoming one,” say the wise; “he does not see. He is becoming one; he no longer hears. He is becoming one; he no longer speaks, or tastes, or smells, or thinks, or knows.” By the light of the heart the Self leaves the body by one of its gates; and when he leaves, prana follows, and with it all the vital powers of the body."
-Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Discuss this Journal entry [26]
Latest reply: Jan 20, 2004
Christmas journal
Posted Dec 19, 2003
Christmas is upon us once again and I’m torn between Bah, Humbug! and wanting to have a Holly, Jolly Christmas. Due to physical exhaustion, it’s unlikely that I’ll do the latter. However, in the spirit of the season, I have put together a few items here for those of you perkier right now than I am…….some poetry, a recipe for Russell Stover fudge, and a joke making it’s way round the internet that you may or may not have already heard. And if you need to know how to keep your poinsettia alive after Christmas and get it to rebloom next year, check out the Christmas edition of The Cranky Gardener in 
. (shameless self-promotion)
Happy holidays, dear friends.
David’s First Christmas
Once there was a little boy
Who had a brand new Christmas toy.
He kept it with him all the day;
He wouldn’t put that toy away.
He loved it so ‘cause it was new;
It was so soft and cuddly , too,
That when time came to go to bed
He clutched his toy, and tears were shed.
He kept it in his chubby hand,
For little boys don’t understand
That in the morning when he’ll rise
And open up his sleepy eyes
The brand new toy will still be there,
Waiting for his happy stare;
And at his shout of wondrous glee
The toy will say, “Come play with me!”
His mother got him all tucked in,
Then watched his pout turn to a grin.
She tiptoed out and left him there,
And on the way she said a prayer
That all through life he’ll find great joy
In simple things like one new toy.
“Dear God, please let his life be bright,
Just like his dreams this Christmas night.”
December 1987
Christmas Elves
Santa is really a super guy,
In fact I love him dearly;
And his reindeer are all brave and strong –
They deserve applause, clearly.
But there’s another group in Christmas Town
Folks hardly ever mention;
Even old Frosty the Snowman
Seems to get more attention.
To correct this dreadful oversight
Is the purpose of this tale,
For without the wee folk of the north
Each Christmas would surely fail.
You know that elves make Santa’s toys,
But I bet you’d never guess
The dozens of other chores they have
That make Christmas a success.
Pixies hitch the reindeer to the sleigh;
A gnome shines Santa’s boots.
Snow nymphs make Christmas morning white;
Brownies fill baskets with fruit.
They bake the cookies, hang the tinsel,
Drag in the big Yule log.
They light the candles and ring the bells –
They make bonbons and eggnog.
So remember Santa’s helpers
When Christmas comes around,
And know you have a lot of friends
Up north in Christmas Town.
December 1988
Christmas in San Antonio
Christmas in San Antonio
Seems strange at first, you know.
How can there be Christmas
Without ice sickles or snow?
You’ll never hear a sleigh bell
Or the glide of blade on ice.
There’s no smell of fir or cedar,
No hot ale with pungent spice.
We hang colored lights on palm trees,
Chili peppers on the door.
The nativity sits among the fronds,
Straw angels do adore.
Santa’s name is Pancho Claus;
He arrives by barge, not sleigh.
Stockings are hung on doorknobs;
Tinsel makes the cactus gay.
On Christmas day we eat tamales
And turkey on the grill
We sit among bright flowers,
Safe from winter’s chill.
At midnight there’ll be fireworks
Lighting up the sky,
To remind us of the Christmas star –
For that’s the reason why
Our hearts always soar at Christmas,
In the snow or in the sun,
As each one whispers the age-old hope –
Maybe this year peace will come.
December 1989
The other night I was invited out for a night 'with the girls.' I told my
husband that I'd be home by midnight, "I promise!"
Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easy.
Around 3 a.m., a bit blitzed, I headed for home. Just as I got in the
door, the cuckoo clock in the hall started up and cuckooed 3 times.
Quickly realizing my husband would probably wake up, I cuckooed another 9
times. I was really proud of myself for coming up with such a quick witted
solution (even when totally smashed), in order to escape a possible
conflict with him.
The next morning, my husband asked me what time I got in and I told
him midnight. He didn't seem disturbed at all. Whew! Got away with that
one!
Then he said, "We need a new cuckoo clock." When I asked him why, he
said, "Well, last night our clock cuckooed 3 times, then said, 'Oh, shit,'
cuckooed 4 more times, cleared it's throat, cuckooed another 3 times,
giggled, cuckooed twice more and then tripped over the cat and
farted."
Ok, here’s what you’ve been waiting for. This is the quintessential fudge recipe. Throw away your others, you’ll never use them again. There have been many rip-offs over the years, but none of them have quite the same flavor and texture. Variations are possible by adding raisins, coconut or cherries.
Russell Stover Fudge
In a large mixing bowl combine:
12 oz. Package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 giant Hershey bar, broken into pieces
1 pint of marshmallow cream
1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
In a large sauce pan put:
4 ½ cups of sugar
1 tablespoon butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 can evaporated milk
Bring to a boil and boil slowly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the hot syrup over the chocolate and nuts in the bowl. Beat until the chocolate melts. Spread on a lightly buttered cookie sheet and cool. A jelly roll pan is the perfect size. This recipe makes 4 pounds of fudge.
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Latest reply: Dec 19, 2003
Thanksgiving poems
Posted Nov 26, 2003
Hi everyone. Here are a couple of Thanksgiving poems from my friend Audrey in Little Rock.
~~ Thanksgiving ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T'WAS THE NIGHT OF THANKSGIVING,
BUT I JUST COULDN'T SLEEP;
I TRIED COUNTING BACKWARDS,
I TRIED COUNTING SHEEP.
THE LEFTOVERS BECKONED
THE DARK MEAT AND WHITE,
BUT I FOUGHT THE TEMPTATION
WITH ALL OF MY MIGHT.
TOSSING AND TURNING WITH ANTICIPATION
THE THOUGHT OF A SNACK
BECAME INFATUATION!
SO, I RACED TO THE KITCHEN,
FLUNG OPEN THE DOOR
AND GAZED AT THE FRIDGE
FULL OF GOODIES GALORE.
I GOBBLED UP TURKEY AND BUTTERED POTATOES,
PICKLES AND CARROTS, BEANS AND TOMATOES.
I FELT MYSELF SWELLING SO PLUMP AND SO ROUND,
'TIL ALL OF A SUDDEN,
I ROSE OFF THE GROUND!
I CRASHED THROUGH THE CEILING,
FLOATING INTO THE SKY,
WITH A MOUTHFUL OF PUDDING
AND A HANDFUL OF PIE.
BUT, I MANAGED TO YELL,
AS I SOARED PAST THE TREES:
'HAPPY EATING TO ALL,
PASS THE CRANBERRIES, PLEASE!'
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY,
MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER
STAY OFF OF YOUR THIGHS.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~
~~
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Latest reply: Nov 26, 2003
Happy Halloween
Posted Oct 31, 2003
Hello spooks, goblins and anagramed folks.
For your Halloween enjoyment -
limericks in A1924661
recipe for Jack-'O-Lantern cheeseballs in A1924553
a short story ,'The Three Deaths of Jeremiah Harper' in the Under Guide A1937199
And Wolfgang asked me to tell you to check his journal in the morning. You will find the menu for a buffet at the Dandelion Diner honoring El Dia de los Muertos. He will begin serving at noon CST (6 pm GMT) on Nov. 1 and will throw out the leftovers to the birds 36 hours later. He's cooking up a whale of a lot of food, so come early and stay late.
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Latest reply: Oct 31, 2003
So simple and so good
Posted Oct 19, 2003
I don't know why I didn't hear about this sooner. A friend and I were talking about those expensive flavored coffees. So I told her we could probably make them cheaper ourselves. And she told me what she does when she wants a chocolate flavored coffee. It's inexpensive and easy and tastes good. I know because I just tried it.
You take a package of instant hot cocoa mix and instead of using water to make it with you use freshly brewed coffee. How easy is that? 
Discuss this Journal entry [15]
Latest reply: Oct 19, 2003
Hypatia
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