It's almost 2011. I'm already hearing shotguns being fired -- an old German custom here. I can remember my grandfather doing it, but I never quite understood why we needed to shoot the New Year. I'm sure there's a reason, though.

In any event, Happy New Year! (Remember to eat ham hocks, collard greens, and black-eyed peas January 1 so you'll have good luck.)

Snow...

It snowed at my house. All night and into the morning...

Christmas In The Foyer

I suddenly remembered that I had a little already-decorated Christmas tree and actually managed to find it amid the renovation upheaval. So here it is in the foyer being all cheerful and Christmas-y. I like it. This is much better than no decorations at all. I was considering going to Ace Hardware and buying an official "Charlie Brown" tree for $9.99, and I'm glad I don't have to -- though it certainly would have matched the decor.

Anyway, I'm feeling the Christmas Spirit now and sending it to all of you.

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Happy New Year.

(Now I'm off to assemble the potato salad...)

It's Time To Remember The Almost Christmas Stranger

It's almost Christmas Eve Eve again, the time when my mom and I remember our family's long ago "almost Christmas stranger." (My baby sister was too young to remember that night.)

Here's the link to the story if you haven't already read it. There is also the recipe for my late sister-in-law's wonderful Christmas cake.

Feeling Better...

I'm leaning more toward feeling "good" now, so I thought I'd show you something uplifting in case you're not.

Bluebirds.

In the birdbath.

I love bluebirds -- as you may already know. I had to work to ignore how very cold and windy it was when this photo was taken, though. There was ice floating in the birdbath water, but they don't seem to be wired to care as far as I could tell, keeping their eyes on the prize instead and focusing on the end result. (Clean feathers?) I must say they looked very fluffy and spiffy afterward.

I am so behind on all things Christmasy because of the "under the weather" episode. And the house is still mid-renovation. (Invisible shower leak rotted the floor.) I have no place to put a Christmas tree because of all the furniture and fixture relocation necessary to make room for the carpenter, et al. to do their work. There's a toilet in the bedroom, rolled-up floor covering, an unpacked shower door and sink in the hall. There's also a sink on the front porch (among other things).

But I'm not going to worry about it. I'll just make do with photos from "Christmases Ago." (see below)

I could put a bow on the front porch sink, I guess. Maybe a little greenery. Or a poinsettia. If the songs are correct, Santa already knows where I am without it. (I'm hoping he'll bring me somebody who'll want to "manga" my entire rights-reverted backlist.)

In any event, I hope your holiday preparations are going well, and I'm wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a decidedly Happy Holiday Season.

Oh, Bother.

Under the weather. (Blah and Ow.)

Missed Thanksgiving.

Carpenters working on water-damaged floors.

Can't find ANYTHING.

Need haircut.

Thus concludes The Official Whine Session for the day...

FYI: RWA Pins

The apparently now discontinued RWA-PAN Pin:

Cheerleading of Yore

My recent venture into JV-Football Spectatorship (EVERY single game + scrimmage) has made me recognize how far "cheerleading" has come. Back in the day it was pretty much a matter of popularity, voice volume, and nerve. Candidates cheered before the student body and then there was a school-wide vote. AND one's family had to have a certain cash flow in order to make the honor, should it be bestowed, possible. It cost money to dre$$ the part.

It still costs money, but now cheerleading is clearly a highly skilled discipline if not an actual sport. No cheerleader could do those kinds of gymnastic moves when I was in high school, and as a result, none of them ever had to get a joint "iced" or wrapped on the sidelines as if they were actually playing the game. And rather than there being a "razzle-dazzle showtime" where fans merely watch and listen, the old cheerleading simplicity always invited serious group participation. I didn't see much of that in any of the games I attended.

I happened to find a mimeographed (you know what that is, right?) sheet of the absolute FIRST cheers for the newly consolidated East Rowan High School tucked away in one of my old yearbooks. Some of them I no longer understand, like the ones where truck-ing, and camel-ing, or Susie Q-ing is called for on the field. (What?) And there's a particular word in one of them that doesn't mean now what it meant then. Modern day cheers seem to be all about positive reenforcement. We're the absolute "BEST," even if we're down six TDs.

ANYWAY, here are some of the antiques -- and don't laugh. I mean it:

E H S

E H S

East Rowan High School,

Yes, Yes, YES!!!!!

BLUE RED WHITE

Let’s go Blue

Lets go red

Let’s go white

Let’s fight, fight, FIGHT!

1 2 3 4

1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Who you gonna yell for

M-U-S-T-A-N-G-S

Mustangs, Mustangs

Fight, fight FIGHT!

WITH A V WITH AN I

With a V with an I

With a C, T, O

With an R, with a Y

With a GO TEAM GO!

All hail VICTORY

VICTORY, VICTORY is our cry

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y

We will win it

You doggone right

East Rowan Mustangs

Fight, Fight, FIGHT!

FIRST YOU BOOGIE WOOGIE

First you boogie woogie

Then you truck on down

East Rowan is going to town,

Susie Q to the left

Susie Q to the right

Come on team

Fight, Fight, FIGHT!

WE’RE FROM EAST HIGH

We’re from East High

And we couldn’t be prouder,

If you can’t hear us now,

We’ll shout a little louder.

(Repeat 4 times)

And in closing, the original and probably long-forgotten school song:

EAST ROWAN HIGH SCHOOL SONG

Our school all cheers for Mustangs

Yea, we hail thee

To thee we will be true,

Cheers for Mustangs

Yea, we hail thee,

On to victory.

The Mustangs, yes, they are the greatest

They fight right to the end!

We will always raise our banner

For DEAR OLD EAST ROWAN!!!!!

And THAT is all for this time. (Tell me you're not laughing.)

Found History (963rd Field Artillery-WW II 1944)

My late father had a number of photographs taken while he was a cannoneer in the 963 Field Artillery during World War II. Most of them have been lost in the shuffle of time.

But I found two the other day, two he had sent to my mother while he was overseas. I can't imagine how he managed to get film developed in the middle of a war, but he apparently did. I believe these were taken sometime around the Battle of the Bulge. He was twenty years old and he hadn't heard the news yet that he had a baby girl. Both photos are labeled.

"Loading the gun" this one says on the back. I believe he's the one on the right helping with the ramrod.

And this one says: "Firing the gun." He may be the one kneeling with his head turned away from the noise.

Both notations are written in unfaded blue-black ink. He had a very nice handwriting, my father. I'm struck by this because I've seen very few things he'd actually written. None of his letters survive. There are the brief captions on the backs of these two photographs, and a note in a velvet jewelry box containing a gold locket embellished with mother-of-pearl and an real-looking enameled violet with an amethyst center he'd given my mother during their wartime courtship.

It said simply: "To the one I love."

Link to another photo.

THE MUSIC BOX

BOOK NEWS: A Reissue

THE MUSIC BOX, formerly a Silhouette Special Edition titled TENDERLY, will be released in April 2011. It's currently available for pre-ordering on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and Borders.