Layng quietly in fields

Layng quietly in fields
Glstening lights

Monday, December 21, 2015

Looking for the “Heavenly Host.”



Today's Tids Issue 3,490
Opening Stuff:

I can’t tell you exactly what I was doing the first time I heard the story, but I remember sitting in a pew in a cavernous church, probably squirming hoping it would all end, when the words I had never heard before started to drift into my young mind: “An angel of the Lord visits the shepherds and brings them ‘good news of great joy’; ‘to you is born on this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.’ The Angel tells them they will find a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The Angel is joined by a heavenly host who sing, ‘Glory to God in the Highest heaven, and peace on earth…” And I sat there and all I could do was imagine how unbelievably fantastic that chorus in the sky must have sounded. I have heard many beautiful choirs with powerful orchestras singing glorious praise, but I still haven’t heard what I as a mere kid in short pants envisioned that day. Someday I hope to find it. I’ll let you know.

I also thought at the time, what the hell is swaddling.

Artificial Christmas trees certainly look perfect and are definitely easy to use year after year. But, there is something about walking through a Christmas tree farm on a cold day; something about the magnificent aromas of fresh cut pine wafting throughout the home that just can’t be replaced with a man-made, symmetrical shape with lights.

Is a mere kid the goat version of a mere cat?

Get ready for the year of the legacy. Everything the 0-Man will be doing in 2016 will be all about shining his record for his legacy and keeping all of the promises he made in two elections. The real problem with him keeping his promises was that they were bad ideas when he made them -- And worse now.

The Question:
If you have been reading this Morning Mess for ten or so years, you have probably seen every decent pun that has ever existed. Name your favorite five and I’ll give you mine. Bonus: Who are the five all time NHL Goal Scoring Leaders?

The Headlines:
--Wall Street looking For Bargains After Last Week’s Sell-Off; Expect Crazy Week To End Mad Year; Dow Up over 120 At 10:30.
--Woman Driver Repeatedly Turns Car Into Vegas Strip Crowds Killings At Least One, Injuring Over 50; Eye Witness Say It Looked Like A Massacre; Police Say It doesn’t Appear To Be Terror Act.
--6 NAT Troops Kiled In  Afghan Suicide Attack.
--And The Winner Is Miss Colu…Uh-Oh, Hold That Tiara – It’s Miss Philippines; Funny Man Steve Harvey Has Philippinos and Colombians Gasping As He Misreads Winner Announcement At Miss Universe Contest.
--Russia Building Strong Business Ties In Africa.
--Gun Manufacturers Love Obama Factor That Pushes Up Sales.
--FIFA Bans Blatter For 8 Years.

Had a good discussion with a guy I know who has a reliable source on Andros, the Greek island which is a favorite landing spot at 1,000/day of Syrian and other ME refugees. Some facts from eyes on the island with no agenda: They all come with no money, no assets, except a smart phone – encrypted. Over 80% are men between 20 and 30 years old. The pics you see of Mother with baby are selected by photojournalists from the few available to enhance their story of pathos. In addition, the new arrivals take refuge the first night in Greek Orthodox Churches where they proceed ot remove all crosses. Have any news programs reported that? The locals also say they leave lots of trash behind them, which basically is not unlike tourists to Newport.

I was at a small but creative outdoor garden shop full of some pretty original Christmas accessories. It was very cold, and one of the clerks, sipping on wine, was burning a pine sprig in a warming fire. She looked up at me and smiled, “I like to enhance the smell of pine in the area. I nodded and said, “You must be the aromatherapist,” She said thanks for making me feel important.

The journalistic gushing after the Dem debate last night sounded like Niagara Falls, but it was much shallower.

Where do fashion or decorating trends come from? More than likely it’s some editor of a magazine sitting in front of a keyboard facing an empty screen thinking, “What the f--- am I going to write about today?” The real talent of the cultural writers, theater critics or fashion/home décor writers isn’t the critique or design idea itself, but how they justify it culturally. So our House & Garden editor looking for a new angle is thinking, well pink and green is way too lily Pulitzer in a Black Lives Matter world. “Aha,” says the writer, “how about Pink and Blue, two colors normally used separately to define sexes. But, thei modern up to the minute writer rationalizes, “Pink and Blue together conforms to the blending of sexes in the new culture. Welcome to the Cousinart era! I can

Have you noticed how people who use artificial trees always take the time to make a little excuse about why they are using them? There must always be a little guilt tucked away somewhere

The Christmas Carol by Dickens has been bringing happy tears to appreciative eyes for 173 years. I wonder how Star Wars will be affecting people in 2150.

Photos don’t lie, but they certainly can deceive.

After year end tax selling and stock dumping, a list of some pretty good stock buys to check out come into focus for year end portfolio replenishing. 1. Energy secretor stocks like Occidental Petroleum, National Oilwell Varco and Stage Stores. 2. Retailers like Amazon, Nordstrom and Macy;s. And #3. Small caps NII Holdings, Jernigan Capital, Tribune Publishing, and dry bulk shipper Navios Maritime Holdings.

The President will spend a lot of time tooting and telling the country that the only way to keep all of his good things going is to elect Hillary. That’s your next twelve to fourteen months. Get used to it.

Actually, around these days I often feel like I have a lot of money in my pocket. This is good and invigorating until I reach into my pocket and pull out a couple of napkins form a Christmas cocktail party. It’s somewhat like the Peurto Rican economy.

I have an artificial tree, and I feel a little guilt when I see family’s trooping around picking out a life one. But, this little tree of ours is a special one, a little quirky, only slightly better looking than the Charlie Brown classic. But, I still miss that smell of pine which was always so much a part of the Christmas home filed with happiness.

Criminal enterprises may be finding a good venue for money laundering in house rehab and flipping.

I was reminded the other day about how exciting a good, close High school or College swimming meet can be.

RI like too many states these days seems to be so tied to the regulations demanded by the acceptance of federal funds that logic is ceasing to exist. That the wonderful human factors generally associated with regional differences are being blended into statistical norms. And the left wing Senators here keep on touting the bringing home of the bacon forgetting that they are putting their constituents in shackles. Big government is a giant Cuisinart.

I read where Microsoft is ramping up their efforts to bring software for holograms into more general usage. The opened a studio in NYC where it is expected ad writers and TV commercial producers will grasp onto the technology. I hate to say it, but I can also see in the future Christmas tree holograms? Maybe they can create some digital aromas.

I faced a sense of deep despair Saturday. I walked into my local supermarket and discovered that unaware that I was about to enter a black hole -- they had totally rearranged the snack department! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! I spent ten minutes looking for two of my favorite orange treats, but to no avail. Talk about a blue Christmas.

Some days the Tids reads like a Gift shop. But our sappy sayings are all original.

The Parking Lot Chapter 35 continues.
     “James is dead?” Jeremiah slumped back into his pillow, his mouth open. His mother came back over from across the room.
     “We are all saddened, and sorry we had to bury him while you were sleeping. Do you want to lay here for a minute and pray. We can leave.”
    “No, no. I need to know what’s happening.” Mussatta took his hand. His mother brought up a chair and sat. The two women looked at each other.
    “You father thinks we as a family have a obligation to bring peace to this small town. We own so much of the land, even more since the small battle against the Howland’s and Reynold’s families. Howland has lived, but he has been defeated and will be judged in court by the people. Richard says it would be best for us and our neighbors as well as Red Shoes and the Wampanoags to come to an agreement where more of the people can use our lands.”
    “The men of key families have rode to gather in the big home overlooking the Sakonnett Bay just above the tribal lands. Your father has a plan to control the lands that are yours and ours and also our neighbors, but let others use it for the good of the community.”
   “The Howland family has plenty of good land by the fish laden waters. They control the bridge to the big island, but we control all roads to the rest of the lands. Your father thinks the remaining Howland’s and their friendly families, without the volitile temper of the old man, will work well with us and everyone.” She looked at Musatta and then her son. “We talked with Musatta about what you own, and she agreed. This had to be done.”
    Jeremiah turned an looked at his wife and squeezed her hand harder. It was the first positive emotion she had felt in nearly a month.

The Answer:
Ok, I’m not going to tell you that “Easy Climber Stair Lifts” drive me up a wall.! But I will give some of my favorite puns in no special order: 1. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. 2. A hole has been found in a nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it. 3. No matter how hard you push the envelope, it will still be stationary. 4. Atheism is a non-prophet organization. 5. A dog gave birth to puppies by the side of the road and was cited for littering. 6. I wondered why the baseball kept on getting bigger, and then it hit me. 7. A midget fortuneteller who escaped from prison was a small, medium at large. 8. If you jumped off a bridge in Paris you’d be in Seine. 9. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they set a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too. And one I may like best (until I see the next one) – Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced impressive calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail, and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him …tada…a super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis! 
Bonus: Last night Jaromir Jagr moved into 4th place all time. The rest are Wayne Gretsky, Gordie Howe, Brett Hull, Jagr, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito, Mike Gartner, Mark Messier, Steve Ysermanand number 10, Mario Lemieux. But, I’ll take Bobby Orr any day to start my team. Here’s the entire list for you. http://statshockey.homestead.com/alltimegoals.html

And then, there’s a woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One goes to a family in Egypt and is named Amal. The other goes to Spainand is named Juan. Years later Juan sends a picture of himself to his mother. She is pleased and tells her husband she wished she had a picture of her second son, He replies, “If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.”

Heard any heavenly music lately?

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