Fern Hill

So Yesterday, as I said, my father replaced my car battery. I'm glad he did too as my car is starting wonderfully now. (Knock wood) I had forgotten to add this little tidbit though.

My father had my young nephew with him when he came to do the car repairs. My nephew is four years old and he's just a laugh riot. He was sooooo excited to be going to Aunt Surry's house! I, however, was appalled when my dad told me that B-boy really wanted to see my little apartment.

My place was an unholy mess of boxes of books; knick knacks and whatnot. Laundry was piled up in my bedroom; ready to go into the machines on my days off. Needless to say, it looked like my apt had been hit by a hurricane!

I was laughing as I was telling my nephew that my place wasn't normally this messy, but I was slowly undergoing a complete re-organization. I told him where I was moving everything, how I'd put my bookshelves together by myself. I also told him about getting the new furniture, and how I needed to make room for everything. I showed him my favorite tree, just outside my balcony, and we took a photo. He said to me, "Yes, A. Surry, it really is messy and I don't see any toys."

Oh I nearly fell over laughing. Then he spotted the microphone attached to my computer; launched into questions and felt he just HAD to make use of it. So I quickly buzzed into a yahoo chat room. (with the complete hope that no one would curse a blue streak while my nephew was standing there listening) I queued up the voice chat and started asking my nephew some questions. He was delighted!!! The room was delighted!!! All was well with the world!

Well done to me and well done brave B-boy!!!

Sweet story for you ... and now onto the rest!!!

ஜ~§Quote Of The Day§~ஜ

The world needs anger. The world often continues to allow evil because it isn't angry enough.
Bede Jarrett

ஜ~§The Question Of The Day§~ஜ

How has technology impacted the quality time you spend with your family?

ஜ~§The Word Of The Day§~ஜ

Rachmanism

PRONUNCIATION:
(RAK-muh-niz-uhm)

MEANING:
noun: The exploitation and intimidation of tenants by landlords.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Peter Rachman (1919-1962), a landlord in London who became notorious for unethical practices including driving out tenants to maximize revenue from his rental properties. Another fellow who got his name in the dictionary for harassing tenants is Charles Boycott (1832-1897), a British land agent in Ireland, whose mistreatment of tenants resulted in his getting ostracized, i.e. he was boycotted.

USAGE:
"It is a story of pure Rachmanism. She had been threatened, had her rent cheque refused, her electricity cut off, and seen her absent neighbours' flats cleared of all their possessions, while rubbish was dumped outside her door."

ஜ~§Poem Of The Day§~ஜ

Fern Hill

Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.

And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and
cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.

All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was
air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the
nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.

And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking
warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.

And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace.

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would
take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

Dylan Thomas

ஜ~§Recipe Of The Day§~ஜ

Spaghetti w/ Pinto Grigio and Seafood

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
3 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio (or other white wine)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds clams, washed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups arugula

Preparation:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until tender but not brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimp, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the clams have opened, about 7 minutes.

Add the spaghetti to the seafood mixture. Add the salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the arugula. Stir gently and place on a serving platter. Serve immediately.

Brightest Blessings,
~Surry~