For years, I've been looking for a particular poem about snow. I heard it only once about 20 years ago, being recited on a weekend morning t.v. show, one of those magazine types. Just cannot remember the name of the guy who was the commentator. Was it something like Osgood and was he the one who was posthumously found to be a bigamist? Dunno.
This poem, though, went along these lines: "No path, no fence, no grass, no shed..." and so on (but of course, much more skillfully than that), and ended with something like "...just snow."
That long preamble is leading up to this: A lot of my familiar landscape has vanished. The back steps are gone, the driveway is gone, all the bushes are gone, the neighbors' garden is gone, the sidewalks are gone...
There's just snow.
WIDER: Dennis Perrin's is one of the blogs I read regularly. He gets a little annoying at times (okay,who doesn't?), but I like a lot of his stuff. Here's a gem which illustrates perfectly the attitude of so many "if I wish hard enough, maybe it'll come true" liberals:
"...stop those wars right now, Mr. President! Or the next time I vote for you, I won't be smiling."

Gee-oh-gosh, it snowed! Wonder why nobody predicted it--hah! I got phone calls yesterday from sister Betty and brother Larry, basking in sunny climes--California and Florida, respectively--and a web cam call from Singapore son, Mike (ditto). They had all been apprised that a lotta snow was on the way in Jersey. Well, if I had been in a deep coma for days, I may not have known, but of course, it was all over the newspaper and the Internet and, for all I know, tacked up on telephone poles. I was already pretty well stocked up, but I went to Acme to get ingredients for what I'll bring to the Super Bowl party at the H.'s tomorrow. Well, it was so jammed I finally left without getting anything. No matter, I'm going to assume the guys and gals on the snow removal teams are on the job and will deliver us before the day's over. At 6:30 am, I've already seen two snowplows on my street.
Considerably worse than the snow itself is the wind; guess that's why it's called a "blizzard." It's whipping up pretty good and there are high drifts all over the place.
WIDER: Headline from Antiwar.com:
Eight Americans Died for Worthless Afghan Base
Executive Summary Notes Base Had 'No Tactical or Strategic Value'
by Jason Ditz, February 05, 2010
I wonder how parents, spouses, children--those who loved the eight human beings--felt when they recently got this news. (The slaughter took place Last October.) And what further horror it must have been to understand that, according to the story, the base would have been abandoned soon anyway. The powers-that-be just didn't get around to giving the order, but oh, well--these things happen and we can't dwell on the past, and what are you doing for lunch? There's a new restaurant downtown...

Spent yesterday stocking up before the big blizzard that's expected; got bread, juice and veggies. Received an always-welcome web cam call from P. and N. in the morning. Walked without Susan, as she and Walter are in Aruba.
Went to rehearsal last night. A "Girls Night Out" had been scheduled for Saturday, but with the snow forecast, it was postponed. After a lot of discussion, it was decided that it'll be on Saturday, the 20th. That's the weekend Mike will be here, so that lets me out, I'm afraid. I'm disappointed, but it can't be helped.
I've decided to end attending rehearsals once the actors are "off book" (have their lines memorized). After that, I'll just have to accept the fact that I won't be in it, and will concentrate on trying to get a part in "Blithe Spirit," which will be staged in November.
WIDER: This from a commenter on "Truthdig.Com":
"...it won’t matter much if the president under whom the imperial dream and glory come to an end is a Demo or a Repub—both of the two wings of the War Party will be to blame. A plague o’ both their houses!"
Folks, them's my sentiments exactly.

Great fun yesterday at Ellen V.'s in Forked River. As described a few months ago, she lives in a neat house right on the canal. Has a dock, but no longer a boat, but it's oh, so lovely to be on the water. We saw three majestic swans floating around and, in the summer, of course, there are boats going by.
Ellen served a nice lunch of pea soup, warm rolls, salad, and sherbert, along with a good red wine and coffee. After a talkfest of several hours, we went over the script. She's playing Ouiser and I cued her. Greatlen enjoyed it and I stayed until 4:30. We have rehearsal tonight, then Girls Night Out on Saturday. We're all going to bring a covered dish and libations--it should be great fun. I'm going to duplicate a flyer from my sister's "Santa Barbara Minute Film Festival" and distribute then. I know dirctor Tara has contacts in show biz and others may, too.

Full day yesterday. Les and I went to the breakfast at Shore Diner and greatly enjoyed it. The group, "Season For Nonviolence," presented awards to several honorees besides Norm.* SFV seems to be composed mainly of African-American church-goers and we chatted after with a number of them. Going home, I remarked to Les that I miss interaction with Black people. Where I live now, there just aren't any and I don't often see them in stores. I guess some of us have become polarized. I have, and I wonder how I can rectify that. I'm thinking about the possibility of joining something in Atlantic City, but I'm not sure what.
We didn't get home until after twelve and I had to rush a bit to get ready for my Scrabble group. That was great fun, as ever, and Barb, Pat, and Les stayed until five o'clock.
Talked to brother Jim, and Pat's nieces, Amy and Donna, to check up on SIL Therese's and BIL Bill's surgeries. Therese is home and doing fine and Bill is progressing, although slowly.
It was a good day; the only aspect I regret is the ingestion part. I had a bagel with cream cheese and two Danish at the breakfast, then cheese straws, grapes, and chocolate-covered pretzels during Scrabble. Okay, I'm going to put it behind me.
I'm looking forward to "reading" with Ellen V. at here place in Forked River today. Hope the snow that fell last night isn't going to keep me home. Looks like an inch or two--darn.
WIDER: *The honorees included NJ-R congressman Frank LoBiondo. Considering his consistent pro-war voting record and the fact that he sits on several armed forces committees, that seems about as sensible a choice as Obama getting the Nobel Peace Prize.

Finished up the guest room, reserving some things for the thrift store, tossing others. Went to the cemetery, then stopped at Smithville to go to the candy shoppe (oh yes, they had to add the "pe"). Bought chocolate-covered pretzels for our little Scrabble club today; after, stopped at Shop-Rite and Santori's.
Neighbor Leslie and I are going to attend a breakfast this morning honoring Norm Cohen, the local president and guiding light behind The Coalition For Peace And Justice, of which we're membera.
WIDER: In a long and--as usual--closely reasoned piece today in his "Empire Burlesque," Chris Floyd writes about "Obama's Wild Weekend: A Worldwide Surge In War-Mongering." Here's one of the sad-but-true part:
"These days, alas, we find that to many progressives, actions that were considered rank crimes and national shames under Bush have been magically converted into "tough choices," "necessary evils," "practical politics" or even far-seeing "11-dimensional chess" when they are committed by Obama. So the anti-war row is now a lot harder, and longer, to hoe."
Boy, ain't it da troot. That's why I've said and will said again that Obama's election was about the worse thing that could have happened to "the peace movement." So-o-o many people I know, including a slew of my "liberal" relatives, simply refuse to believe that O. and his gang are just as evil as what's-his-name, lately in the catbird seat. They're sure Obie has some grand and beneficent scheme we just can't know yet, to end the carnage and lead the middle eastern sufferers into the light.
Couldn't resist adding this, a headline from "Common Dreams":
"Peace Prize' President Submits Largest War Budget Ever"
GEEZ! Orwell wouldn't have had the guts to make it up!

Stuff and nonsense yesterday. Snow was cleared off the sidewalk and driveway early and the streets are fine. Not much going on except boring housework. Enjoyed a cam call from Ellen in the evening; her computer's finally fixed.
WIDER: Came across some interesting sites that contain essays advocating the forming of a third party. The idea is to have candidates run in all congressional races. I impulsively wrote the author, Jeff Robey, telling him that I'd run for one. He wrote back with his phone number (he lives in Jersey City), I called him, and we had a good talk.
I'm not one hundred percent positive I want to do this, but I'm definitely interested in the movement. If we can organize, then make the message known to enough people, we may have a shot. We can at least, maybe, crystallize people's thinking around the idea that we're being screwed and we need to form a resistance. Jeff sent me some web sites I want to check out and I'm going to direct him to a number I read, including "Dead Horse," "Hugo Zoom," "A Distant Ocean," "Anti-War.Com," and, of course, in my opinion, the very top ones--"Empire Burlesque" and "Once Upon A Time...."
Come to think of it, there's also "North Toward Home" and "Truthdig"--lots more, in fact. Well, we'll start with the ones I mentioned.
WIDER STILL: As ever, Chris Hedges nails it. In TruthDig.Com, he writes on the press, sadly fallen from the place it held--or, at least, appeared to hold:
"...once our power elite became incompetent and morally bankrupt, the press, along with the power elite, lost its final vestige of credibility. The press became, as seen in the Iraq war and the aftermath of the financial upheavals, a class of courtiers."
But it all should be read:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_creed_of_objectivity_killed_the_news_business_20100131/