I consider myself a very organized person. We moved here only six months ago and we already have all of our boxes unpacked and everything in their place, so I thought.
When I found this Christmas poem last week that I wanted to share with you I knew I had the perfect picture to go with it. Here lies the problem. I couldn't find my photo albums to scan the picture into my computer (the picture is from 1992, before digital). So I began looking around the house for my photo albums.
Now mind you, one of my hobbies is photography and before digital cameras I would print most of my pictures and put them in photo albums. I knew I was looking for at least seven albums so they won't be hard to overlook. Hmmm. The only boxes we hadn't gotten to were the ones in the attic, but these consisted of "attic stuff". I thought maybe the movers put my photo albums in the attic so I went up there. I sorted, organized and relocated every single box up there and NO PHOTO ALBUMS! (This is a lot of work for one blogpost).
I gave up and forgot about it. One of the things on my "to do" list is to scan in some old negatives I have (remember 35mm film?) so my brother and I could get a good laugh at ourselves as youngsters. This afternoon while I was looking at my negatives I found the picture! So now I may share with you the poem The Christmas Cat by Marcia K. Leaser
On padded feet the little cat
came silently creeping by.
Dad swears he never saw him--
neither did Sis, my mom, nor I.
But nonetheless, the whiskered pest
sneaked past four sets of eyes.
When next viewed, our furry friend
was grinning and purring with glee.
I looked at Dad, my sis, and Mom,
and they three looked at me.
Then we all laughed,
for the sly little cat
was atop the Christmas tree.
He wasn't actually "atop" the Christmas tree but he was mischievous like that!
Rest in Peace my beloved Riprap, AKA "Rippy"
For Christmas I have asked to turn this blog into a book (super easy at blog2print.com) so I need to stop posting for a while so the manufacturer doesn't get confused! But I did want to do one more post.
*** Update: I've figured out how to turn my blog into a book without needing to stop posting for a while, YIPPEE!! So on with the posts!! ***
I have mentioned Ideals Magazine before and how much I love to read the poems and short stories contained in them. While I was organizing my books last night I came across this poem taken from Christmas Ideas 1951 entitled Hello, Again by Nina Gertrude Smith:
Hello, again, it's Christmas! in the postman's ring,
In a little child's face, on the snowbird's wing:
In the "sh-sh-sh" of secrets; colors, sounds, and smells-
In a stranger's warm, sweet laughter hear the golden bells!
Christmas in the sacred story of a Yuletide's song,
In a new re-captured glory righting every wrong.
In the joy of giving, giving... Christmas in the air; Faith and hope and love are living-
Christmas, Christmas, everywhere!
I have a few old issues of this wonderful magazine but it is no longer in print.
Taken from www.thenewmagazinecity.com they said "Ideals Magazine has ceased publication. Ideals enriched life with inspiring stories, beautiful poetry, and touching reader contributions. Each issue of Ideals Magazine offered page after page of spectacular full-color photographs, wonderful drawings and paintings, as well as heartwarming scenes of seasonal celebration".
Now I know I could go onto ebay and find more Ideals magazines but I just like to stumble upon them every now and then. I would like to share with you a poem taken from the January 1956 Old Fashioned issue of Ideals:
How Grandma Danced By Mary Mapes Dodge
Grandma told me all about it,
Told me so I couldn't doubt it,
How she danced, my grandma danced:
Long, long ago.
How she held her pretty head,
How her dainty skirt she spread,
How she slowly leaned and rose -
Long, long ago.
Grandma's hair was bright and sunny,
Dimpled cheeks, too, oh, how funny!
Really quite a pretty girl -
Long, long ago.
Bless her! why, she wears a cap,
Grandma does, and takes a nap
Every single day: and yet
Grandma danced the minuet -
Long, long ago.
"Modern ways are quite alarming,"
Grandma says, "but boys were charming"
(Girls and boys she means, of course)
"Long, long ago."
Brave but modest, grandly shy;
She would like to have us try
Just to feel like those who met
In the graceful minuet -
Long, long ago.
When I read this poem it reminded me so much of my grandmother. She lived to be 100 years old and she was a wonderful woman. She would tell me stories of how she and my grandfather would dance the night away at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach; oh how she loved to dance. She went to be with her one true love, my grandfather, in heaven in 2007 and I believe they are still dancing up there too.
