Happy New Year!

I started this New Year's Poem, it still needs some work, but thought I'd share it:

Twas the night of New Year's Eve, and all thru the house,
All were glad they were home safe, not out with the cows.
The stockings, skirts, and pants were tossed over floor and chair,
While the acrid stench of gunpowder wafted thru the air.
The children were sprawled out -- all across their beds,
While "Facing The Giants" replayed in their heads.
Mama in her nightie, and I in walking shorts,
Were just settling in from our "night out" of sorts.
When out in the sky, there arose such a banging clatter,
I thought it wise to grab a gun before seeing what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Peeked around the shade, hoping for no close blasts.
The moon glowed softly on the dew (of our grass),
While the streetlights shone into almost every crevasse,
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But 2 blazing roman candles, and rednecks! with beer!
It was a tubby driver, not lively nor quick,
But I knew in a moment he was full of "old Nick."
More rapid than a Civic, his battered F150 came and went,
Spewing black smoke, tobacco juice, and dropping roman candles (all spent).
To the end of the street, he sped with great gall,
Hung a fast U-turn, and flew back thru the pall.
He was jolly and messy, as was the passenger elf,
And I laughed when I saw them, in spite of myself.
His windows were open, from which country music did whistle,
As they left our small street, like a defunct scud missle.
And I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
Happy New Year to All!! as he lit up the night.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

I got about two-thirds of the way thru the poem on the first. I was way too tired and needed to more sleep in order to function properly, so I crashed. I've gradually added to it, but it's still rather rough. Maybe I'll refine it next year.

Anyway, we had a great New Year's Eve. First, we went to our regularly scheduled church service; turnout was (surprisingly) about what it normally is. After church, a few people decided to go home, but most stayed for a potluck dinner. (We have an ex-catholic man in our church, he contends he was 40 pounds lighter before he became a Baptist and started attending so many fellowship dinners.)

After a wonderful meal, with lots of desserts, everyone pitched in to clean up, then most of the adults played Pictionary. I, on the other hand, have never been a great fan of the game (I'd rather bang my head against the wall), so I took the kids to a big open room and let them run wild for awhile. They were sufficiently tired to sit quietly later when we all went back to the auditorium to watch "Facing the Giants" (one of three movies produced by Sherwood Baptist Church). We'd timed the movie to end fifteen minutes before midnight, but due to some technical difficulties (no one thought to clean the DVD before playing it) we went seven minutes over our target time. As the lights came on, and we gathered into groups, the Pastor asked two of us men to "pray in" the New Year, and then he would close. (In years past, more people have prayed, but our time was abbreviated.) Since the other man went first, I ended up being the one actually praying as the old year ended and the new one began. (Don't tell anyone, but I snuck in a kiss from my wife before the Pastor started his prayer. We have a tradition of kissing in the New Year.) =) The rest of the evening, while short, went well also. If we can keep our kids in bed until 7.30am it's a good day, but after their long night, they slept in til 9.30am!


In closing, I thought I'd mention that it's actually illegal to have any fireworks in our county that explode, but you wouldn't have known it by what went on outside that evening. About 30 minutes before midnight we heard fireworks begin to explode in the air all around us. When we walked outside, there was a lot of smoke wafting around and they were still going off. Even an hour and a half later we still heard the tremendous explosions of "mortar" fireworks. The "verse" above was initially based on this New Year's Eve, but I was forced to sprinkle in some poetic license to flesh it out and make it rhyme. Hope it made everyone smile, and that your New Year is a happy one!






PS -- It appears that no one in America in any position of authority is interested in disclosing where the President Elect was born, so I've (unhappily) decided to retire Project Lightning. My wife is glad I didn't attract any. Personally, I'd have loved to have seen what would have happened to the DNC when their house of cards came crashing down. Perhaps someday, if I'm ever in the area, I'll go to the federal repository, do the research myself, and see what happens when the records are made public. I suspect then there will be some lightning.