Yesterday I was getting some last-minute Christmas cards sent, and as my hand ran roughshod over some glitter and “arts and crafts” frost I felt a little of magic from Christmases past. We are still in the season of Christmas. I hope that I can see him in everyone that I meet. Also, a shout out to Saint Nicholas for his spirit of gift-giving!
Not all the buildings in Londonderry are crumbling though. Take a look at this beauty perched atop a hill on a backroad in Vermont. That’s the unique and mystical quality of a new year. We don’t have a clue whether it will be good news or bad for our nation or ourselves. At the end of the day, all I can really do is be grateful for the gift of life with all it offers, the good and the bad.
Strap on your seat-belt, America, because it looks like we are going over the “fiscal cliff.” Still not sure what it is? My layman’s understanding is that it means higher taxes, across the board budget cuts, and not a whole lot of leadership by Congress or the President. I may be wrong, but there are signs that our economy is stagnating. My evidence? Buildings going to ruin in prosperous towns like Londonderry, Vermont. I am a sucker for old buildings. I know it costs a whole lot of money and sweat to keep buildings from falling into oblivion, but I can’t help it for being sentimental. Not to mention I have friends without work, family members unable to sell a good home, and people “tweeting” about $8.00 for a gallon of milk.
Ever wonder why there is an Eastern-style dome atop the old Colt factory in Hartford, CT? I know that I do. A quick surf of the internet does not reveal an answer, although one story involves a bodyguard who killed a potential assassin with a Colt firearm. Right now the debate is raging in the United States over the merits of stricter gun control. After the shooting in Newtown, CT public opinion is tilted against the pro-gun camp. I certainly won’t volunteer to go knocking on doors to disarm those packing heat.
My last post was at the end of November, and I am still reading Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones.” Definitely hoping my discipline receives a shot of steroids in the New Year. I have a graveyard of creative projects awaiting renovation and completion.
Finished Dante’s Inferno, but still no breakthrough with my writing assignments. Like a Berlin Wall of grayness that I can’t seem to take a sledgehammer to. Running late now for work, but I did find Natalie Goldberg’s “Writing Down the Bones” buried in my formidable pile of must read/when I get to it/maybe never books. I read the preface, intro, and skimmed through the rest. I will be back for more. In the meantime it’s off to the F train. Post-Inferno, the next book on deck is the U.S. Constitution. In College, I had that puppy memorized, but the poly-sci section of my brain is in need of a good dusting.