Winter

End of year – Reflect
On accomplishments, regrets
And chance to start fresh

New year/New blog

A few hours early -- I've just launched the inaugural entry of my new blog: Books I Buy and Why

Christmas/Winter

Silent Night instead
Of usual lullaby --
Little boy sings too

Christmas/Winter

Chilly cat nestles
On white blanket on cold night –
Sparks fly, kitty runs

Christmas/Winter

Here's a lovely poem about Christmas:

Friday morning: Dog
Brings spine of dead animal –
Merry Christmas, me!

Christmas/Winter

Tired little boy
Wrestles his mommy in church
Now can’t sleep tonight

Christmas/Winter

Cranberry Sauce

Replace the water
With orange juice and cut the
Sugar in half – done

poem du jour

Two sets of grandparents within driving distance makes for one long day for one little boy.


Christmas here and there
Lots of presents – still not done –
More gifts tomorrow!

Christmas/Winter

Cleaning and cooking
All day for the family
Mean Merry Christmas!

Christmas/Winter

Candlelight service
Evokes the right Christmas mood –
Warm weather does not

Revised Christmas Songs

I've run out of new Christmas songs to transform, so I'm using two I already revised and answering emails.

The first was for my "partner-in-rhyme" and it used to be We Wish You a Merry Christmas:

I hope you are feeling better
I hope you are feeling better
I hope you are feeling better
Christmas sucks if you’re sick!

The second was for my brother and it used to be Jingle Bells:

Snickers bars, Snickers bars
Make the downstairs smell
I know how it happened but
I promise not to tell

Christmas/Winter

I'm on the short poem track this week...

Winter’s first day and
Longest night and finally
Cold Christmas weather!

Revised Christmas Songs

I'm running out of songs...

(Rudolph)

Buster the black and white cat
Has a very glossy sheen
And underneath the tree lights
His coat, it positively gleams

He wonders how I can spot him
When under the tree he hides
But his shiny coat and face “C”
Make him really easy to find

On this coming Christmas Eve
The Christmas tree will glow
And Buster with his glossy coat
Under the tree will give a show

Then when the tree is taken down
Buster will lose a place to sleep
But his glossy and shiny coat
Buster cat will always keep

Revised Christmas Songs

This happened twenty or more years ago, but my brother and I still laugh when we hear "Sleigh Ride" -- OK, maybe I laugh harder than he does -- nobody thought I was tingling in the grocery store.

(Sleigh Ride)

My brother was singing
A ring-ting-tingling tune
At the top of his voice
So I had no choice
I left

I thought I’d outsmarted
And we had parted
But then

However, I quickly learned
When I stopped and turned
He was back

We were standing in the market
In the produce aisle
Everyone was staring at us
And they had a smile
I could feel the blood rush
To my face
And boy was my face red
I just wanted to leave that place
And so I turned and said

“Jeff, please stop tingling!
Remember you’re in a grocery store”
The crowd all scattered
And then they chattered
Some more

My brother stopped his singing
His ears were ringing
With laughs

He found his ring-ting-tingling
Quite embarrassing
With me

Revised Christmas Songs

(Up on the Rooftop)

Up on the rooftop I glimpsed some green
So I stopped to survey the scene

A neighbor had wanted “Noel” in red
But he had written “Nole” instead

Hee, hee, hee – a big laugh for me
Hee, hee, hee – a big laugh for me

Up on his rooftop in red and green
My neighbor endorsed a rival team

Revised Christmas Songs

(Let it snow)

Oh, the weather outside is soggy
And at night it’s getting foggy
Driving here is such a pain
Stop the rain, stop the rain, stop the rain!

The traffic is barely moving
So why is this guy shoving?
Bad drivers are such a drain
Stop the rain, stop the rain, stop the rain!

Christmas is just next week
No wonder those shoppers are freaked
But I’m not the one to blame
For their dangerous driving game

I know we never will see snow here
I can live with that but I fear
The barrage of drops on my panes
Stop the rain, stop the rain, stop the rain!

Revised Christmas Songs

Here is my version of Frosty:

(Frosty)

Chloe the wild cat
Likes to try to run away
She does lurk about
When the dog is out
And then dash outside to play

Chloe the wild cat
Tries to steal our turkey lunch
And our ham and beans
And spinach greens
And even Christmas punch

Chloe has one quality
That’s why we let her stay
She is the only one
To leave the tree alone
She’s my favorite on Christmas Day!

Chloe the wild cat
Loves to run and loves to eat
And on my lap
She takes a nap
Wild Chloe cat is sweet

Bumpity-bump bump bump
Bumpity-bump bump
She’s running to the sink

Bumpity-bump bump
Bumpity-bump bump
And from the tap she’ll drink

Revised Christmas Song

There was a parade Saturday night in the neighboring town. Here are the highlights (or lowlights -- depending on your sensibilities)

(Toy soldiers on parade)

Watch the sun dipping
Moms with strollers tripping
Across the not-quite-closed-off street

Everybody’s bumping
Kids on sugar jumping
More than once I had stomped-on feet

Light the lights!
It’s almost night
Titusville is on parade

Muskets are booming
Muscle cars vrooming
Hawkers yell to sell their ware

Cymbals are plashing
Midget cars crashing
You can’t see that just anywhere

Here the bells ringing
Here the choir singing
Of peace on earth, goodwill to man

See the church floats glowing
Christmas spirit showing
They tell it to anyone they can

Light the lights!
It’s almost night
Titusville is on parade

Walkers candy throwing
Dump trucks fake snow blowing
Neither makes my taste buds sing

On a vintage fire truck
Comes Santa Claus – Oh what luck!
End of the parade does that fire truck bring

Light the lights!
It’s fully night
Titusville was on parade

Revised Christmas Songs

(Here comes Santa Claus)

Here comes the mailman
Here comes the mailman
Down my long driveway

He’s bringing letters
Ads and flyers
And lots of bills to pay

Christmas shopping by computer
Can make your shopping trips light
But when you’re all done
And the bills come
Your credit card statement’s a fright

Revised Christmas songs

(Silver Bells)

Christmas snow, Christmas snow
Won’t grace my rooftop any year
Christmas snow, Christmas snow
In Florida does rarely appear

All the songs about Christmas
Seem to mention the snow
Or cuddling up by the fire
But in far south at Christmas
It rarely does snow –
It is seventy degrees or higher

Christmas snow, Christmas snow
Won’t grace my rooftop any year
Christmas snow, Christmas snow
In Florida does rarely appear

Revised Christmas songs

(Winter Wonderland)

Shoes on sale – are you buying?
Hat and gloves – are you trying?
It’s no fun to be broke
My accounts are a joke
Walking through the mall at Christmas time

Over here is a new bag
And look, see? There’s a sales tag
I’m setting it back
On the sales’ rack
Walking through the mall at Christmas time

If only I had come into a windfall
Then I could chuck my budget to the breeze
Maybe Santa will increase my savings
I wonder if I asked him “pretty please”?

Santa Claus is looking funny
Mall-wide stores want my money
With bells, lights and tree
This mall wants something from me
Walking through the mall at Christmas time

Revised Christmas songs

I did exercise a bit of literary license here. We don't have a suit of armor in the hall. We keep ours in the parlor (sitting room) because the hall is too narrow. :)

(Jingle Bells)

Santa hats, Santa hats
Dress up one and all
From cats, to dogs, to baby
To armor in the hall

The house was looking bleak
No green or red in sight
I thought I’d cheer it up
On this dreary night
So upstairs I searched
And Santa hats I found
Then I had the bright thought
Of passing them around

Santa hats, Santa hats
Dress up one and all
From cats, to dogs, to baby
To armor in the hall

Revised Christmas songs

When the tuxedo cat is not knocking over the the tree by attempting to drag his 19-pound body up it, our oversized puppy has a go at it by trying to rub against it -- and, yes, I do worry that she might think it is indoor plumbing.

(We wish you a Merry Christmas)

I wish we had left the tree down
I wish we had left the tree down
I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for “kids”

The cats, dog and boy
Like to scatter the joy

I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for kids

The cats like to climb its branches
The cats like to climb its branches
I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for “kids”

The dog tries to knock it over
The dog tries to knock it over
I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for “kids”

The boy likes to take the bells off
The boy likes to take the bells off
I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for kids

They all steal the shiny gold drums
They all steal the shiny gold drums
I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for kids

The cats, dog and boy
Think the tree is a toy

I wish we had left the tree down
It’s too tempting for kids

Revised Christmas songs

Our tuxedo cat has the most unfortunate marking of a white "C" on his otherwise black face. It gives him away in the tree all the time.

Revised Christmas Song
(Oh Christmas Tree)


Oh, Christmas cat, Oh Christmas cat
I see you hiding in the tree
Oh, Christmas cat, Oh Christmas cat
On your face is a big white “C”

Your fur is almost wholly black
Except your ruff, and paws front and back

Oh, Christmas cat, Oh Christmas cat
On your face is a big white “C”

Revised Christmas songs

Revised Christmas Song
(Jolly Old Saint Nicholas)

Silly little Sophie pup
Please don’t pull so hard
Yes, I see that house lit up
And a Santa in the yard

Santa Claus is rooted down
He’s in the yard to stay
Silly little Sophie pup
Won’t you please obey?

Revised Christmas songs

Revised Christmas Song

I’m dreading such a wet Christmas
Just like the weather of this week
Where the rain gutters dribble
And people quibble
Because they can’t drive properly in the street

I’m dreading such a wet Christmas
Every time I dry a pet
May your days be bright until sunset
And may none of your Christmases be wet

Revised Christmas Songs

Oh, you better not shop
At home on the net
Buy at one pop
Money quickly is spent
Credit cards are easy to use

When January comes
And your budget is tanked
There will be bills to be paid
And friends to be thanked
Credit cards are easy to use

Did you really need those toy trains
For Uncles Bob and Phil
When your bathrooms all need new drains
And brand-new window sills?

Oh, you better not shop
At home on the net
Buy at one pop
Money quickly is spent
Credit cards are easy to use

Revised Christmas Songs

Today my friend and I started writing revised Christmas songs. Admittedly, I was not very witty with the first one. Perhaps I'll do better tomorrow. I do know I won't be re-writing Christian Christmas songs, because that just seems wrong.

Revised Christmas Song:

Trash the house with bits of plastic
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
'Tis the season to go spastic
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Fake pine needles strewn on the floor
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Do I need a wreath on the glass front door?
Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la