When I am dead, my dearest,

Sing no sad songs for me;

Plant thou no roses at my head,

Nor shady cypress tree:

Be the green grass above me

With showers and dewdrops wet;

And if thou wilt, remember,

And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,

I shall not feel the rain;

I shall not hear the nightingale

Sing on, as if in pain:

And dreaming through the twilight

That doth not rise nor set,

Haply I may remember,

And haply may forget.

- Christina Georgina Rossetti

Talk happiness. The world is sad enough
Without your woe. No path is wholly rough;
Look for the places that are smooth and clear,
And speak of them to rest the weary ear
Of earth; so hurt by one continuous strain
Of human discontent and grief and pain.

Talk faith. The world is better off without
Your uttered ignorance and morbid doubt.
If you have faith in God, or man, or self,
Say so; if not, push back upon the shelf
Of silence all your thoughts 'till faith shall come.
No one will grieve because your lips are dumb.

Talk health. The dreary, never-ending tale
Of mortal maladies is worn and stale.
You cannot charm or interest or please
By harping on that minor chord disease.
Say you are well, or all is well with you,
And God shall hear your words and make them true.

ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

The Two Glasses
THERE sat two glasses, filled to the brim,
On a rich man's table, rim to rim.
One was ruddy and red as blood,
And one was clear as the crystal flood.
Said the glass of wine to his paler brother,
"Let us tell tales of the past to each other;
I can tell of banquet, and revel, and mirth,
Where I was a king, for I ruled in might;
For the proudest and grandest souls on earth
Fell under my touch, as though struck with blight.
From the heads of kings I have torn the crown;
From the heights of fame I have hurled men down.
I have blasted many an honored name;
I have taken virtue and given shame;
I have tempted the youth with a sip, a taste,
That has made his future a barren waste.
Far greater than any king am I,
Or than any army beneath the sky.
I have made the arm of the driver fail,
And sent the train from the iron rail.
I have made good ships go down at sea,
And the shrieks of the lost were sweet to me.
Fame, strength, wealth, genius before me fall;
Ho, ho! pale brother," said the wine,
"Can you boast of deeds as great as mine?"
Said the water-glass: "I cannot boast
Of a king dethroned, or a murdered host,
But I can tell of hearts that were sad
By my crystal drops made bright and glad;
Of thirsts I have quenched, and brows I have laved;
Of hands I have cooled, and souls I have saved.
I have leaped through the valley, dashed down the mountain,
Slept in the sunshine, and dripped from the fountain.
I have burst my cloud-fetters, and dropped from the sky,
And everywhere gladdened the prospect and eye;
I have eased the hot forehead of fever and pain;
I have made the parched meadows grow fertile with grain.
I can tell of the powerful wheel of the mill,
That ground out the flower, and turned at my will.
I can tell of manhood debased by you,
That I have uplifted and crowned anew;
I cheer, I help, I strengthen and aid;
I gladden the heart of man and maid;
I set the wine-chained captive free,
And all are better for knowing me."
These are the tales they told each other,
The glass of wine and its paler brother,
As they sat together, filled to the brim,
On a rich man's table, rim to rim.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Happy Valentine's Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYb89RaFt5k

Images for thought:

Every 6+ years friday the 13th falls on the eve of valentines day. Does that portend unlucky in love? The Knights templar were destroyed, so to speak 700 years ago and now they want an apology from the pope, and we celebrate Darwin, Washington and Lincoln's birthdays.

Quite a disparite collection of celebrations in close order, don't ya think. How to celebrate: all, none, or choose a favorite? 'Tis a conundrum!

Conundrum: Pulling a condum over one's head to prevent an further production of mental offspring.

Georg von Rosen - Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer)

Hump Day: Wednesday!

Seems like it was just Monday.

On call.

Fix lunch

exercise; strength training

shower

eat

drive

orthopedics

motel

read

sleep

OMG, is it Thursday already?

He left the hotel around 9:00 o'clock, headed for the library.
"I'll stop at the Rite Aid first, and pick up some lunch supplies , can't remember what time the library opens on Saturdays."
Pulling into the library parking lot he notices 3 or 4 cars and thinks that the library must be open. Looks at his watch: 0920. Noticing drivers sitting in their cars, he gets out and goes to the entrance door to check the time schedule: Sat: 093o t0 1700.

Back to his car, and a call to his wife from the car phone.

More and more cars come and park; 8, 10, now 15. "Must be a book club meeting he says to his wife."
"Maybe they all want to use the computers," she replies.
"Doubt it, but they're going in so I better get a move on. I call you later. Love you!"
"OK, love you too hon."

While waiting at the desk for his computer slip he notices people coming in with framed art works. A number of peg boards were set up in the main section of the library.

"Must be an art show today?", he asks the library worker.

"yes, there is," he replied.

An hour later as he was leaving he had to walk through the display and so he stopped to admire the various pictures. Some were paintings, others were photographs. There were pencil drawings and watercolors. Most were excellent work to his eye. One colorful photograph off to the right caught his attention, making him think: I think I recognize that shot.

Moving closer, he recognized this photo; he'd seen it before, in the artist's studio. The artist had been showing him his portfolio.

Yes, this was the art work of his brother!

It's my weekend on-call. I'll spend the weekend either reading in my motel room or working in the OR. Maybe I'll get to the library which is just a block from the motel. They have computers for public use. No, I still haven't replaced my lap top, so I'm at the mercy of public access for my blogging.

To my favorite daughter and first born:

Happy Birthday Michelle!

You always make your mother and I proud!

Dad