Sunday Kipling

It's beautiful here in southern Utah. Bright, sunny and warm. We put up the Christmas lights last night and today Lu is working on the tree and interior decorations. She loves her holiday decorationing.

Angus is happy and healthy. He's such a good dog. We are considering, considering mind you nothing has been decided, adding another member to the family. I'm perusing the shelters for a rescue. We'll see but I think a companion would be good for the boy.

The turkey is holding out. I did buy a 20 pounder after all. Love me some turkey sandwiches.

We bought a dish washer yesterday. We haven't had one since we moved into this house and it's high time we moved back into the late 20th century. It's a cold installation, this house has never had one before so I have to do everything from wiring to plumbing. Pics next week. On that note why is it that salesmen will risk pissing off a customer who declines the extended warranty by trying to browbeat them into submission? I don't want it, thank you very much, and if you insist on irritating me I'll just go somewhere else.

I'm going in to the freezer in a bit to see what goodies are buried within it's arctic depths. Mmmmmm, frozen meat. I hope this day finds you all hale and ready for the Christmas holiday. Please remember what this season is all about and don't stress yourselves out shopping. Buy ammunition. Have a great Sunday my friends.

Six

The Benefactors

Ah! What avails the classic bent
     And what the cultured word,
Against the undoctored incident
  That actually occurred?


And what is Art whereto we press
  Through paint and prose and rhyme--
When Nature in her nakedness
  Defeats us every time?


It is not learning, grace nor gear,
  Nor easy meat and drink,
But bitter pinch of pain and fear
  That makes creation think.


When in this world's unpleasing youth
  Our godlike race began,
The longest arm, the sharpest tooth,
  Gave man control of man;


Till, bruised and bitten to the bone
  And taught by pain and fear,
He learned to deal the far-off stone,
  And poke the long, safe spear.


So tooth and nail were obsolete
  As means against a foe,
Till, bored by uniform defeat,
  Some genius built the bow.

Then stone and javelin proved as vain
  As old-time tooth and nail;
Till, spurred anew by fear and pain,
  Man fashioned coats of mail.

Then was there safety for the rich
  And danger for the poor,
Till someone mixed a powder which
  Redressed the scale once more.

Helmet and armour disappeared
  With sword and bow and pike,
And, when the smoke of battle cleared,
  All men were armed alike.   .   .   .

And when ten million such were slain
  To please one crazy king,
Man, schooled in bulk by fear and pain,
  Grew weary of the thing;

And, at the very hour designed,
  To enslave him past recall,
His tooth-stone-arrow-gun-shy mind
  Turned and abolished all.

All Power, each Tyrant, every Mob
   Whose head has grown too large,
Ends by destroying its own job
  And works its own discharge;

And Man, whose mere necessities
  Move all things from his path,
Trembles meanwhile at their decrees,
  And deprecates their wrath!