Saturday, December 31, 2016

New Years Eve

This was written in 1850, but I think it's just as relavent. Maybe it's just that things haven't changed as much as we think they have. Sorrow for the past, worry over the present and hope for the future. Wishing everyone a Good 2017!


  • Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
  • The flying cloud, the frosty light;
  • The year is dying in the night;
  • Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
  • Ring out the old, ring in the new,
  • Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
  • The year is going, let him go;
  • Ring out the false, ring in the true.
  • Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
  • For those that here we see no more,
  • Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
  • Ring in redress to all mankind.
  • Ring out a slowly dying cause,
  • And ancient forms of party strife;
  • Ring in the nobler modes of life,
  • With sweeter manners, purer laws.
  • Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
  • The faithless coldness of the times;
  • Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,
  • But ring the fuller minstrel in.
  • Ring out false pride in place and blood,
  • The civic slander and the spite;
  • Ring in the love of truth and right,
  • Ring in the common love of good.
  • Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
  • Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
  • Ring out the thousand wars of old,
  • Ring in the thousand years of peace.
  • Ring in the valiant man and free,
  • The larger heart the kindlier hand;
  • Ring out the darkness of the land,
  • Ring in the Christ that is to be.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Monday, December 26, 2016

The Day After

We had a great Christmas weekend. My husband and I sang at the Christmas Eve service and were able to sit with our family and enjoy the Christmas morning service at church. Then over to our daughter's house for Posole (Hominy, pork roast and red chile stew), tamales, beans, tortillas and all the fixings that go with that. Although we are not Hispanic, my husband and I were raised in New Mexico and raised our children there for the most of their childhood, so this is traditional Christmas food to us. (Plus, you can only eat so much turkey and ham which is what we had at Thanksgiving!)

We enjoyed watching our 3 oldest grands open presents and then headed home to crash. Talked to our son and his two little boys. The youngest turned 2 on Christmas Eve so he has had a double load of presents. The older boy will be four on January 6th so he's practically a Christmas baby too!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend!


Thursday, December 15, 2016

"Oh, The Weather Outside Is..."

...strange! Today the high was 41 F. Tomorrow it will be 74F and Saturday it will be a high of 73F and a low of 18F!  Sunday it will be a high of 30F and a low of 15F with wind chill in the single digits. Yes, it's definitely winter in Texas!







Life is Quiet

 Not a lot going on right now, getting out in the mornings while it's relatively cool-as in mid to upper 80's instead of 100's)-...