Tuesday, April 18, 2017

"Listen my children and you shall hear ..."

How many of you had to memorize the midnight ride of Paul Revere? Well, it's the 18th of April and very year it comes to me like a ghost of the past. How can I remember this when what I did with my shoes eludes me? I would nearly book bet that your dad or grandfather could (and would) quote some poem they remembered from their school days, but wondered where they had left their reading glasses. I only remember certain parts of what he used to spout on occasion. "You're a better man than I [am], Gunga Din!" and various other numerous poems and prose. He knew them from beginning to end. [You know I have to be grinning at the memory - Dad sitting in his favorite living room chair, his white shirt sleeves rolled half way up, his dress slacks dotted with paint smears, and his feet bare - he's reciting something with gusto. My dad should have been an actor, not an artist!] I only have a few pictures of my dad. My ex said my family pictures were ruined, but some of the 'ruined' pictures are still around. He took them for spite. Jerk. I do have many memories and I can still see him in my mind's eye. Too bad that I can't print them to share with my other kids.

My electric pressure cooker comes today. I'm kind of excited. I hope it works good! I want to make Red Mike and Violets! [Corned beef and cabbage] I'm anxious to take a gander at the cookbook that comes with it.

I finished that collection of The Twilight Zone and have ordered the Doc Martin series to watch before bed. It's due in today, too. I had been streaming Lark Rise to Candleford, an episode each day. Guess that's where my GBs went. Maybe, I don't know how that streaming thing works. I saw 8 episodes before it didn't really want to work. Yesterday, I watched an episode and it was fine, no jerking or stopping or circling. 

I seem to have diarrhea of the keys this morning. Have a good, day, night, whatever.

38 comments:

  1. I love this post and your memories of your dad. I can remember some elderly guy in my family saying: "You're a better man than I [am], Gunga Din!" My dad wasn't into reading poetry so I know it wasn't him quoting Kiping. You said you wish you could print your mind's eye pictures of your dad to share with your kids, and I'm here to tell you that you can draw word pictures of him like you did here. I'll bet they'd love it if you did.

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    1. It could have been your dad - it was required reading back then.
      I have shared my mind pictures. The younger generations don't 'see' it. :-(

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  2. I can relate to you on this, I remember pictures of family that I had and often search for knowing they suffered the same fate you described, good thing is even though I have a hard time remembering where I left my coffee, my memories are still clear and nobody can take those.

    Have a great day.

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    1. Bleep shame, isn't it?
      BTW - I am on your blog, blogger hates me and puts me on as Mauds with no picture. It's a new wrinkle. Sorry. I can't figure out how to fix it.

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    2. Your picture and name shows correctly in the comments on my blog, looks like blogger gave you a break there :)

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    3. Yes, I don't know why Blogger got that glitch though. We have never had a good relationship. :-)

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  3. I had to memorize a poem in 9th grade. I chose Fog by ee commings.

    The fog comes
    on little cat feet.

    It sits looking
    over harbor and city
    on silent haunches
    and then moves on.

    I even had to Google that to remember.

    My mom used a pressure cooker all the time. Apparently they can be dangerous if not used correctly. We never knew that so there were no worries.

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    1. I don't remember who wrote the Midnight Ride or if that was even the name. I remember the whole thing otherwise.

      This one is an electric model with buttons to push and timers. Hopefully it will be safer.

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  4. My mother taught me Abou Ben Adhim (not sure about spelling) when I was a child and I can recite it now. But as you say, can't remember what I was supposed to be doing.

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    1. Getting older is funny that way, isn't it? Seems we all have the same problem after a certain age. :-)

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  5. Doc Martin and Lark Rise are great. Although I don't think I'd want him as my doctor.

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    1. Doc Martin is funny, but I agree, wouldn't want him as my doctor, or even my neighbor, for that matter! LOL!

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  6. My Dad could always recite poems and dialogues he'd learned long ago. I remember a couple, the Gettysburg Address, the preamble to the Constitution and Abou Ben Adam, a poem.
    I really liked Larks Rise, have you watched Cranford?

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  7. Too bad you don't have pictures of your dad. But your description of him shows his memory will never fade away... Twilight Zone, love those old episodes!! Good luck with your pressure cooker... Gary has tried some pretty unique recipes in ours.. some good, some not-so-good. Spring is finally here!! Enjoy yours :-)

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    1. The mail lady delivered some packages - she said there were 3, I only found 2 - the liner and a frying pan. NO pressure cooker! I tried to call the post office and all I got was what sounded like dial-up bleeps and whines. She's an old Jane and maybe thinks she brought up all the boxes........ Argh! Was going to try to cook DH some beans for supper!
      Bummer!

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    2. Update! The UPS driver brought the cooker. Never had an order split that way. He came after DH got home - too late for beans. :-(

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  8. My husband saw in the paper this morning, that today is the ann. of Paul Revere's Ride!

    All I know is that first line. Guess I am not good at memorizing. Hats off to someone who was so good at it, like your father.

    My too! I remember loads of random stuff. But today's thing, I forget. OLD AGE, me thinks. -grin-

    My husband is a cross-word puzzle fanatic. He loves to ask me for answers. I know a lot of them. But then when I don't know, he is disappointed. lol.

    Those series, do you get them from Netflix?

    And "streaming"... I don't even know what that means, let alone, how to do it.

    I get films/series out of library system. Which has a LOT!!!

    But we really need Closed Caption ability, to know what's being said. Even "American"/English ones. And the Brit ones, we are totally lost at, without CC. Just got one called "Shetland." A BBC mystery series. HOPE it has CC, or back it goes. :-((((

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    1. Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
      On the 18th of April in '75, hardly a man is still alive, to remember that famous day and year.
      He said to his friend, "If the British should come by land or sea tonight, hang a lantern aloft in the North Church tower as a signal light. One if by land, two if by sea,
      and I on the opposite shore will be, ready to ride and spread the alarm through every every middlesex, village and farm."
      Hmm, I know there is more and I thought I knew it all, tarnation!

      I have been buying my series from Amazon.
      New to streaming, myself. I do that from my Amazon Prime account, certain movies and shows are free to stream. To stream, you watch it as it comes in, no saving or stopping it to go potty. It's like it's "on" and you watch. I do not have a Netflix (or other) account.
      Baby steps with all this techie stuff, haha.
      I would love close captioning on everything!

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    2. Whoa! I looked it up - my teacher didn't have me learn the whole thing, thank heaven, it goes on and on and on - very good though!

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  9. I love to hear the classic poems read or quoted. Sounds like you have some wonderful memories. Made me smile:)

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    1. I don't remember enough of it, but Dad used to quote Hiawatha and I could almost see it.

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  10. Lovely memories of your Dad. I throughly enjoyed Doc Martin series on Netflix. Enjoy🙂

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    1. I hope to start the Doc series tonight. :-) :-) :-)

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  11. Technology is great while it works. But such a pain when it doesn't
    I used to hate memorising poems at school. We didn't have to remember that one.
    I have forgotten them all as soon as I didn't have to remember them anymore
    But it's lovely that this memory brought a nice on of your father along with it
    Hoping your recent purchases don't disappoint looking forward to seeming what you cook up

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    1. Life was simpler before technology - learning poetry was much easier than learning a new operating system. Ha Ha.
      DH looked at the big thing (Pressure cooker) and asked me if I was ever going to actually use it. Ha Ha - I (like a lot of people) have things I bought that are gathering cobwebs. I hope it works well! Sure does take up a lot of space though ...

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  12. I think at one point in my social life at school I remember learning that, I don't recall it now! BUT in the 9th grade I took Shakespeare and though I don't remember it all but I can quote a big part of, "To be or not to be that is the question," from Hamlet and a big part of "Out, out brief candle" from Macbeth! And of course my fav, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo. Deny thy father, refuse thy name or if thou will not be sworn by my love, and I will no longer be a Capulet! haha.....okay, that is out of my system!!! haha.....Hoping you enjoy your pressure cooker, I am scared of those. I try to read each night before bedtime. I am now reading the story of the dead Jonbenet Ramsey.

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    1. Ha Ha Glad you worked that out. I never learned Shakespeare, absolutely no desire.
      Jonbenet, what a sad story, that poor child.

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    2. I don't know if they ask student to resight any thing anymore. But my client can resight Shakespeare.
      Like know one I can see.
      Dora

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    3. I don't know if that's a 'thing' anymore. :/

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  13. Streaming does use up quite a bit of your data allowance. It's why I don't do it. I wait for things to be available on DVD, then I buy them.
    We never had to learn about Paul Revere, not that I remember anyway.

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    1. I'm running out of space for my DVDs. (That's what I tell myself anyway.)

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  14. I wonder if you pc (pressure cooker) comes with a warning about trying to make applesauce. I had just a glimpse of an old memory just now, so it could be unreliable, but it seems to me that my grandmother stopped using her (1930s-vintage-probably) pressure cooker when she tried to make apple sauce and the thing blew up and there was apple sauce all over the kitchen.

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    1. Yes, applesauce, spaghetti, oatmeal and something else that I can't remember. I will be careful. :-)

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  15. Have you tried out the pressure cooker yet?

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  16. Enjoy your weekend, S.J.
    Happy Earth Day.

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