After A While

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

~Veronica A. Shoffstall

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Merry Christmas Baby!!

Merry Christmas Baby!

My all time favorite Christmas Song. To do that song any real justice, you really need to hear Lou Rawls sing it. There is nothin' that can top his version. Very Bluzey, Very Smokey, and Very sensual to your ears and soul. (Good thing my neighbors like that song!) :)
Damn! I can't seem to locate his version that I can download here for your enjoyment.
I have found a link on Rhapsody. You may have to download the player (it only takes a second.) It's worth it though. You'll find it here: Merry Christmas Baby!
Though this version, (IMHO)does not evern come close, I have been able to locate Bruce Springsteen's version.
Enjoy. And when you are done listening to that one, click on the one below. It's a classic. Make sure you check out Lou Rawls though.(It's a party in my own head!) :)

~ Merry Christmas Baby!

~Greeneyezz

Band-Aid
Do They Know it's Christmas time?

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Yes Virginia, There IS a Santa Claus

Several people on Yada had been debating the issue on whether it is right to tell their child about Santa Claus. I only had the time to make one quick comment, though it looked like that sparked off several thoughts from others. This, in turn, made me think about the Classic story about this very topic, written on September 21, 1897. According to Newseum:

Eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York's Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history's most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

Below is a copy of the Original newspaper article from that wonderful day. You can click on the picture to make it bigger. I have also copied & pasted a transcribed version of it too.

"DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old. "Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. "Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.' "Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?" VIRGINIA O'HANLON."115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.
They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! He lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

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Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Since shortly after Thanksgiving, I had been posting only Christmas music by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. I had seen them a few years back as I've almost was mesmorized by this music. Not your 'tradional' style of christmas music, TSO is typically most similar to 'Rock Opera'.
I really like it and have all their CDs. There isn't one song that I don't like from them.

Sit back, watch the show on my sidebar, and listen for a bit.

Merry Christmas!

~ZZ

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A NEW FORUM!!!

Hey!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have a new forum. I have dropped the prior format that I was using, in favor of a phpbb format. This is most similar to both Mark Blum's and Doboy's style of forum.
Mine is called ZZ's Playroom and is located on my sidebar, just below the music video.
I would also like to thank Mark and Doboy for being the inspiration to develop something similar. Thank you.

You are invited to peruse this, and if you'd like to engage in any discussion, or just post a funny comment, you will need to register first. There is still an ability to send Private Messages to other members.

I would love to have you aboard and sharing your thoughts and ideas on things; as well as welcome you to add stories, newsbits, and other interesting and/or amusing info.

You all make it interesting. I just provide the venue for it.
I hope to see you around the playroom sometime soon!

~ZZ

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Deck The Halls 2006

Went to Seneca Lake's Deck The Halls last weekend. I'm just getting around to putting up a post about this.
I've written about my excursions in Wine Country before, though I think this is the first time I've posted photos. Just a bit of background info on this event. It's sponsored by The Seneca Lake Wine Association and includes 28 wineries. You are given a grape vine wreath at your starting point winery. At each winery you stop at, you are given an ornament to put on the wreath. You are also given a small appetizer, that has been paired with one of their wines; and you are free to complete a full wine tasting after that. In addition to the wreath and ornaments given, included is a recipe booklet with all the recipes that we tried along the trail. It's a fun time, though usually quite busy. Our typical jaunt down there includes starting on the West side of Seneca Lake, Stopping in Watkins Glen and then hiking it over to Keuka Lake to stay at a B & B in Hammondsport ant returning the following day to complete the East side of the lake and then return home. This year, due to there being so many of us, (13), we stayed in a hotel instead. A map showing all the wineries we went to, can be seen here.
Below are a few pictures that I snapped along the way.

Picture below is from Hazlitt Winery. This is always a fun place.
OK. POP Quiz - What's unusual about this picture????



This is a common scene at some of the Wineries. This was also taken at Hazlitt Winery. No I do not know these people, but it's quite common for there to be a tail-gator at one winery or another, particularly during Deck The Halls.



This was taken at Anthony Road Winery. I consider Anthony Road among one of the top 'success story' wineries on Seneca Lake. They used to be a very tiny operation...with their actual winery not much larger than a shed. Ann and John Martini, the owners have done quite well for themselves over the years; so much in fact that they have built a whole new structure next to the old 'shed'. Below are pics. The walls have all been hand-sponge painted and as you can see from the top, there is a wonderful Stencil pattern of grapes and grape vines that surround the perimeter of the building.



This is Camille. She is a part time worker at Anthony Road, and a blast to have her wait on you! She knows our group quite well, and we look forward to seeing her on these trips. The handsome man you see along side the bar is my nephew....enjoying his first time at a Deck The Halls.



Another pic of Anthony Road with a few in our group.



After stopping for the evening, we ended up at a hotel in Corning. I've been doing the Deck the Halls Wine Tour for the last 13 years, though this is the very first time we stayed in a hotel and not a B & B. There were 13 in our group and we were unable to find a B & B to accommodate all of us. We were thankful for the night crew turning a deaf ear to us, as we all sat in the lobby area and partied for the rest of the evening.



More pics of us at the hotel.



B. B. B. B.!!!! *Shakes head and giggles* Below he's cracking a joke related to wedded bliss and his wife. (It's a damn Good thing your wife J.'s got a good sense of humor!!!) :)



More pics of the evening.


B. and T. didn't seem to hit it off too well in the beginning. Obviously toward the end of the evening they were buddies and sharing wicked secrets!


It was a good time had by all! Looking forward to next year!

~ZZ

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