The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson

I fled Him down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped and shot precipitated
Adown titanic glooms of chasmed hears
From those strong feet that followed, followed after
But with unhurrying chase and unperturbed pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat, and a Voice beat,
More instant than the feet:
All things betray thee who betrayest me.

.........


jpr: Too long for the blog but extraordinary in its passion.

Daisy Ashford

Daisy Ashford, full name Margaret Mary Julia Ashford, later Devlin (7 April 1881 – 15 January 1972) was an English writer who is most famous for writing The Young Visiters, a novella concerning the upper class society of late 19th century England, when she was just nine years old. The novella was published in 1919, preserving her juvenile spelling and punctuation. She wrote the title as "Viseters" in her manuscript, but it was published as "Visiters"

The First Rose of Summer by Robert Gilfillan

'Tis the first rose of summer that opes to my view,
With its bright crimson bosom all bathed in the dew;
It bows to its green leaves with pride from its throne--
'Tis the queen of the valley, and reigneth alone.

Oh! why, lovely stranger! thus early in bloom,
Art thou here to assure us that summer is come?
The primrose and harebell appear with the spring,
But tidings of summer the young roses bring.

Thou fair gift of nature (I welcome the boon),
Was 't the lark of the morning that 'woke thee so soon?
Yet I weep, thou sweet floweret! for soon, from the sky,
The lark shall repose where thy leaves wither'd lie.

Oh! if beauty could save thee, thou ne'er wouldst decay,
But, alas! soon thou 'lt perish and wither away;
And thy kindred may blossom, and blossom as fair--
Yet I 'll mourn, lonely rosebud! when thou art not there.



jpr: My rose bushes have new leaves already.

war birds

COI agents in training!

COI continues

The investigators at the Criminal Ornithological Institute, COI are ever vigilant.

Veronica Hamel

From the old TV show "Hill Street Blues". There is some penetrating "thing" in her face?@#$!

cheaters

My tests are open book open notes but that doesn't stop the cheaters!!!

Natterjack Toad

three species of amphibian found in Ireland: Natterjack Toad, Common Frog, and Smooth Newt.

Spring Buds by Keller Williams

On the last naked day of winter
On the eve of a fateful thaw
I was imprisoned in frozen pieces
Of heart-broken laws
Then down fell an angel renegade
Her halo read "Morning Star"
Wounded by the doom of a comet tail
She was sealed with a scar
Then a sweet lightning struck
And the earth opened us
Like spring buds
Why she ever fled heaven
And why I would hibernate
Answers why we would meet here
To equal our altered states
Then a sweet lightning struck
And the earth opened us
Like spring buds
With a sacred heart-shared rhythm
We blossom through the spring
Star of the Morning shines now
On her own two wings
Then a sweet lightning struck
And the earth opened us
Like spring buds

Catrinel Menghia

Romanian model...beats deer antlers anyday!!!!!!!!!

WORLD'S MOST MARRIAGES

When it comes to most monogamous marriages Glynn Wolfe aka Scotty Wolfe, also holder of most divorces record, is in a league of his own.

During his 88 year life Glynn Wolfe was married 29 times, leaving behind 28 ex-wives and one widow.

The shortest of his marriages was a mere 19 days, while the longest lasted an impressive 7 years.

His first wife was Marcie Walsh McDonald who he married in 1926, his last was Linda Essex who he married as a publicity stunt in 1996 as she was the holder of the record for the most marriages for a female.

some marriage trivia

Over 75% of people who marry partners from an affair eventually divorce.

Hammurabi’s Code (ca. 1790 B.C.), an ancient Babylonian law code, contains some of the oldest known and recorded marriage laws. These early laws defined marriage as a contract that paradoxically served to protect women and restrict them. According to the Code, a man could divorce his wife if she could not bear children or of she was a “gadabout” who humiliated her husband in public and neglected her house. Additionally, she could be “pitched” in a river if she committed adultery

In ancient Greece, Solon (638-538 B.C.) once contemplated making marriage compulsory, and in Athens under Pericles (495-429 B.C.), bachelors were excluded from certain public positions. In Sparta, single and childless men were treated with scorn. In ancient Rome, Augustus (63 B.C.-A.D. 14) passed drastic laws compelling people to marry and penalized those who remained single

marraige

"My mother says to look for a man who is kind....That's what I'll do....I'll find somebody who's kinda tall and handsome." -Carolyn, eight years old


"Never kiss in front of other people. It's a big embarrassing thing if anybody sees you....If nobody sees you, I might be willing to try it with a handsome boy, but just for a few hours." -Kally, nine years old

Stuck On You by Kenneth J. Miller

You're sucrose, you're glucose,
You're fructose and more,
From your head to your feet...
Which are stuck to the floor.

You're Hershey's, you're Snickers,
You're sweet English Toffee.
If you spit in my cup,
You'll just sweeten my coffee.

I love you so much
That I'm getting frenetic,
But I can't even kiss you,
'cause I'm diabetic.

You make me smile by Ogden Nash

"You make me smile when I feel sad
You forgiveme even if I make you mad
You taught me what’s right and wrong
You also taught me how to sing a song
There’s one more thing you need to know
You are loved more than words can ever show
There is nothing mo that I can say
Just have a lovely valentine’s day
I claim there ain’t
Another Saint
As great as Valentine."

a poem by John Keats

Bright Star, Would I Were Steadfast as Thou Art



Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature's patient sleepless eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth's human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors;
No yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillow'd upon my fair love's ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever or else swoon to death.


jpr: getting things heated eh john

Ancient Irish Games

The Ancient Irish seem to have practice a number of outdoor sports : running, jumping and ball games like hurley. Gaming pieces and dice have been found and there are references to a board game using wooden pieces. Two board games called "brandub" and "fidchell" were being played in Ireland about the 7th century A.D and possibly much earlier.

Walter Pond, cont'd.

There is a scene of American life familiar to most; it occurs in the evening of a long day, a harried working mother trying to cook and serve dinner for her energetic young, the TV's blaring, homework scattered on the kitchen table, chaos reigns. Soon after the phone was answered in Walter Pond's house, I knew that this was the scene I had interrupted with my strange and bothersome request.
"May I speak to Walter Pond, please?" (sound of pots clanging together, kids screaming, water running."
He's not here!
"Can I leave a message?"
Yeah, I guess you better, because he's not going to be home until really late.
"My name is Megan and I'm calling from Maine."
Yep.
"I have an old photo album that lists his name and an address in West Haven."
Okay.
"I'm wondering if maybe it belongs to him or his father or grandfather and if so, I'd like to get it back to him."
Okay.
"Can I leave you my number?"
Sure, go ahead.

I wondered as I gave her my contact information whether she was actually writing it down. I mean, who could blame her, it was a strange request and she clearly had her hands full. As I hung up, I thought, okay, at least I tried. I had a feeling that even if he got the message Walter Pond wasn't going to be calling back. A week has gone by and he hasn't.

Ascending the Stork Tower By Wang Zhihuan

The pale sun is drooping along mountain ridges
Into their termini.
The Yellow River is flowing
Into the Pohai Sea.
I wish to go up another story of the tower
To exhaust my eye-sight
Reaching a distance of one thousand li.

jpr: One li today is 1/2 kilometer.

Yellow River

The Yellow River is called the "the cradle of Chinese civilization", as its basin is the birthplace of the northern Chinese civilizations and is the most prosperous region in early Chinese history. But frequent devastating flooding, largely due to the elevated river bed in its lower course, has also earned it the unenviable name "China's Sorrow".

Moon over Maine

jpr: My kingdom for an ocean!

"Pelvis with the Distance", Georgia O'Keeffe 1943

When you take the time to really look at bones up close, it's a religious experience. Recognizing the beauty in the structure of living things gives undeniable proof of the existence of a Divine Creator. God the artist has made each of us a masterpiece.

Drinking wine by Tao Qian [365- 427]

I made my home amidst this human bustle,
Yet I hear no clamour from the carts and horses.
My friend, you ask me how this can be so?
A distant heart will tend towards like places.
From the eastern hedge, I pluck chrysanthemum flowers,
And idly look towards the southern hills.
The mountain air is beautiful day and night,
The birds fly back to roost with one another.
I know that this must have some deeper meaning,
I try to explain, but cannot find the words.

Walter Pond, Part 1

About 15 years ago I was given a small old bound photo album as a gift. The photos inside detail the life of a family in the early 20th century - a trip to the Statue of Liberty, canoeing on a lake, the friendship of two young girls, perhaps sisters - all yellowed photos glued carefully onto the pages. On the front cover, written in pencil, reads: Walter L. Pond, 300 Noble St., West Haven, Conn. Recently I have become interested in returning the book to its original owner, or his descendants. As much as I have loved looking at the pictures over the years, it just seems the right thing to do - now that I have a child, preserving family history seems all the more important. So the other night I googled his name and address and found a Walter Pond Carpentry and Repair in Guilford, Conn., a few towns over from West Haven. And I decided to give him a call.

winter night by CHIEN WEN-TI (The Emperor)

My bed is so empty that I keep on waking up;
as the cold increases, the night-wind begins to blow.
It rustles the curtains, making a noise like the sea.
Oh that those were waves which could carry me back to you.

Moonlit Night by Du Fu [712- 770]

The moon shines in Fuzhou tonight,
In her chamber, she watches alone.
I pity my distant boy and girl-
They don't know why she thinks of Chang'an.
Her cloud-like hair is sweet with mist,
Her jade arms cold in the clear moonlight.
When shall we lean in the empty window,
Together in brightness, and tears dried up?