Wednesday, December 22, 2010

While I have a minute...

Hi. Truthfully I have had little desire to sit at the computer for any length of time the last few weeks. Things will calm down after Christmas. There's nothing bad going on it's just a very busy time of the year. With 3 holidays and 3 birthdays in a little over a month combined with changes at work leading to my rather erratic work schedule I have had little desire to do much of anything when the day is over. OK enough guilt over my recent absence from the blogger world. I have not been over to Spaces since last June. Does anybody know if the photo albums will dissapear along with the blogs? I'm not worried about losing my pictures because I have everything saved off line. I'm just curious. I suppose I could go there and seek the information out but at the moment I'm not up to dealing with the cluttered nonesense that Spaces has become.

At this time I'd like to remember a mutual friend to a lot of us who left us about a year ago, Ducky. A very nice woman who had many things to deal with in her life. She had her ups and downs during the brief one or two years I knew her but she was always kind and tried to maintain a good attitude. I still have two emails from her just days before she passed. Nothing special. A music site and a YouTube video but I haven't had the heart to delete them. Merry Christmas Ducky. 

I'm not sure why the text in my last post appeared the way it did. I'm sure it was something I did. Sorry about that folks. In boring local news, we got our first bit of snow yesterday. It's was just a couple of inches but that's enough to snarl things up on the road. Cape Cod had it much worse with up to a foot of snow in spots. It's only a matter of time before we get a good sized storm. I know I've said it many times before but I'm always amused when some people act so surprised and panicked when it snows in the winter. I can understand this in warm climate but this has been a yearly occurrence during my lifetime around here. It has been established that we will get snow during the winter months. I say deal with it or move.

Last year I went to the resurrected presentation of the Enchanted Village. It's the recreation of a little town during Christmas maybe 100 years ago. When I was a kid this was presented annually by the then most famous department store in New England, Jordan Marsh. Every year my mother would take my sister and I into Boston for Christmas shopping and a trip to the Enchanted Village. I realize now what an undertaking it was for her because there were no malls in the area and there were only two in the country at the time. Dragging us by bus and train into town. Of course we got to eat lunch in the big city which was fun. We got to mess around in the toy departments while my mother was busy shopping. Several hours into the day we would get cranky and want to go home. Traveling home at rush hour on those crowded trains was always an adventure. I don't know how she did it.

Eventually Jordan Marsh was bought by Macy's in the late 80's and the name Jordan Marsh disappeared after probably 100 years along with the Enchanted Village. It was resurrected some years later by the city and displayed on the Boston Common. That ended, I'm sure, because of budgetery cuts and it dissapeared again. Two or three years ago a local New England furniture retailer bought up all the sets moving figures, had the refurbished and set it all back up in one of his furniture stores. Aparently he remembers the Enchanted Village from his Childhood. What the hell I'll give him a plug. It's Jordans Furniture. I did buy a couch and a recliner from him. Anyway this is my long winded explanation for the little slideshow I put together this morning. I posted these pictures on Spaces about a year ago. I used "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" before as well so this a bit of a retread but that's what I have at this time.
So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, whatever is proper or improper to say in these times of political correctness... oh don't get me started. Enjoy your family and friends. They're the only presents you need.

I'm outta here, but quite merrily so!

7 comments:

  1. Hi Paul, I have been watching your video, the full screen version. Very nice job!!
    Merry Christmas to you too!!

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  2. I have sensed for awhile you have lost your Zippy from your DoDah. Now I maynot be the smartest gal around but all I can say is exhale and let the world roll off your shoulder. If I am mistaken , well forget I wrote this ;-/
    I miss Duckie too Paul. Also Curtiss and another friend I've lost. Life goes on and so do memories. I hope your work hours get normal and wait... I know what it is!! The all telethon Christmas music playing while you are working! That's it!
    I wish you merry holidays Paul. You are ah good friend to me. I hope I made you smile. Hugs.

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  3. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, too!

    Ducky...RIP.

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  4. Merry Christmas dear friend. I am grateful for our friendship.
    Carole

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  5. And did you see, it's your hat I am still wearing. the one you created for me and you are responsible for my name on my blog..the Admiral, due to that picture you made for me while I was running for President and fighting against the ACORN militia..against the squirrels. :-)

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  6. Oh Paul I see your in for some deep snow! Oh and very windy too! Keep warm and be safe my friend.

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  7. Man, have I got some catching up to do, Paul...

    I remember the photos in your Enchanted Village video. I wonder; have you ever been to The House On The Rock? On the lowest level there is a winding turn of the century recreation of a place much like the Village. Both are lovely!!!

    I hear you about Spaces. I can't bring myself to scuttle the Little Boat; gonna let MSN do the deed for me. I've been gradually copying/pasting all my content from that blog into a loooonnnggg Word document (complete with comments) and it's been quite a chore. The thing which blindsided me was reading comments from bloggers who are no longer with us for one reason or another. I remember each one--several who have fallen off the radar without a word, and others who left us far too soon, as Duckie did--and I miss them all. Some, like you, made the jump to this new place, and I've been so happy to continue our ties of friendship.

    I wish for you the bestest, brightest New Year ever, and want to remind you you'll always be a good egg in my eyes!

    *hugs Paul very bigly*

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