Good Things! Happy 2025!

 

Had an eye exam lately? No? Well, you should!

I recently had one and was asked if I wanted to pay extra for a digital test to get a better picture of the retina. The machine is called "Octomap".  You know I said "yes"! (You look into the machine and have to push a button when you see the green light. I think I am remembering this correctly!)

The company that makes the machine is "OPTOS". It was invented by a man from Scotland named Douglas Anderson after his son lost all vision in his left eye in 1990.  Interesting to me, Douglas Anderson had nothing to do with the medical field. (His background was in industrial engineering design.)  He had been told by his son's doctors that with the available tests that they were able to get "only a glimpse" of his son's eye. Mr. Anderson is in the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.  You can read more about him here.  I also have a video for you!

I love finding out about people who have brought good things into the world.  I find it interesting that the company founded by Robert Anderson is based in Dunfermline, Scotland.  When I read that it rang a bell for me...isn't there someone else associated with that town? I looked it up, Dunfermline also is the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie! (I hope you know who he is, I have written about him before!)

Along with the theme of good things in the world, I'm sure you all must have heard that Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia. What good work this former President of the United States has done! Perhaps all that he has done is not that well known in other countries, but it should be now that he has passed away. (Why do we never highlight a great person's life until they have left us?) I am very proud to say that he is a fellow Georgian, just like me. I thought he and his wife were just wonderful people. Wish we had more like them. 

We are almost into the new year now. I am wishing all of you good things.  I just read the last post I did last year, and I will echo that and say, "Here's to 2025 and all who sail in her!"

A few photos for you that Richard took at Christmas....

Good things? Custard creams really are!

My favorite ornaments: Joseph's Coat of Many Colors and Jacob's ladder that Christopher made at Sunday school when he was only 5. The little red bear came with a potholder but it didn't have a face. I sewed one for him! And I crocheted quite a few snowflakes too! (The black tea ornament is brand new this year from a dear friend.) 

Note: I have a plaid blanket as a tree skirt and at the top of my tree is a "glitter" ink pen! They have very expensive "bits" that you can buy to go around the base of the Christmas tree, called "collars". I used bright red foil paper that stands up very nicely! Anybody wants to know how to save money, just ask me! HA!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Like Mr. Peanut says, "Let's SHELL-ebrate" and have "a nut to celebrate"!

OH!  Before I forget, the Wallace and Gromit film will be on Netflix on this Friday, January 3rd!  PLEASE, don't miss it!  I think I have read that it has gotten a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That is an amazingly rare thing!  (Those of you in the UK have already gotten to see this, you lucky people!)

If I can't bring good things into the world, it is my job to point them out!

Good King Wenceslas/ See Amid the Winter's Snow

 

"Good King Wenceslas" is a song that I never heard until I was an adult.  It was on a cassette tape of Christmas songs that I bought in England in 1985. That particular version is very similar to the one that I have here for you, with the one male voice very deep and strong and the other male voice, in a high child's voice. Listen to it and see if you think as I do, that it is most effective that way.

It is appropriate that I share this with you today as it is St. Stephen's Day! (Saint Stephen is the first martyr of Christianity.) In my generation, many of the guys had the name of Stephen, shortened to "Steve". Thinking back on my childhood, I am remembering that in one of my classes, we had four boys named "Steve"!  (Also, in that very same class, we had four Michaels, all called Mike too!)  I think those eight guys all liked it as the teacher tended to ask questions of the few boys who were not "Steve" or "Mike"! 

Now, where was I before I got to thinking about all those STEVES and MIKES? Oh yes, music, of course!

I hope you all know that I love so much of the Christmas music! I love all the hymns and all the popular songs, and I love even the obscure strange ones that no one else knows! 

Sometimes you might enjoy a song in a most unexpected place! We were watching an episode of "Eastenders" on TV. (It is a long running series on TV, and I remember seeing it when the very first one aired! Richard watches it with me, bless him, even though I think it is a struggle sometimes!) Anyway, I hope you can picture it, we are watching it, and Richard is trying his best to stay awake and appear interested when we hear a choir that began to sing "See, Amid the Winter's Snow".  It was beautiful! It was a choir called "Somewhere 2 Sing" and it is an amateur choir!  We both enjoyed the singing and thought they were very good. I don't have a video of this choir but I found a video of the song that I like very much.  (It was also on that same cassette tape from 1985!)

THIS video is from the Cambridge Choir of King's College. Here are the lyrics: 

 

See amid the winter's snow
Born for us on earth below
See the tender lamb appears
Promised from eternal years

Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail, redemption's happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Lo, within a manger lies
He who built the starry skies
He who throned in height sublime
Sits amid the cherubim

Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail, redemption's happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Say, ye holy shepherds, say
What your joyful news today
Wherefore have ye left your sheep
On the lonely mountain steep?

Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail, redemption's happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

As we watched at dead of night
Lo, we saw a wondrous light
Angels singing "Peace on earth"
Told us of the Saviour's birth

Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail, redemption's happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Teach, oh teach us, holy child
By thy face so meek and mild
Teach us to resemble thee
In thy sweet humility

Hail, thou ever blessed morn
Hail, redemption's happy dawn
Sing through all Jerusalem
Christ is born in Bethlehem

Feedback

 

Both of these hymns seem very English to me.  Therefore, I wanted to share them with you here since I am Georgia Girl with An English Heart!

And since I am from Georgia, did you know that the man who wrote "Jingle Bells" married a woman from Savannah, Georgia? Yes, indeed James Lord Pierpont was from Massachusetts but after he relocated to Savannah to be the organist and music director of the Unitarian Church of Savannah, he never returned North again! It is believed to have been written in 1857 so it is a very old Christmas tune for us Americans! (Although "Jingle Bells" is known all over the world.)

I really must visit Savannah again sometime; it is an interesting place to see!

No snowy photos for you but we have had some foggy days! All photos from the Monastery here in Rockdale County, Georgia.

Oh, and remember I told you I love touches of red! The amaryllis bloomed! Hope you all had a joyful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year.  

Last Christmas

 Hey!

Are y'all ready for Christmas? It's practically here!

"Last Christmas" by Wham was #1 last year in the UK and I just read on the BBC that it is #1 again this year!  In 1984, it did not go to number one, it was number two.  The song from Band Aid, "Do They Know It's Christmas" claimed the top spot that year.

Have I shared videos by Evan and James with you before?  Here is a video of them with their cover of "Last Christmas".

Really do like this song! I think these young guys do a fantastic job! George Michael was a genius songwriter, It is sad that he is no longer with us, but his music is much appreciated.

In my Christmas decorations, I love to have touches of red here and there. In honor of that, I am showing you a photo of the rose breasted grosbeak that visited us in October.  It is a juvenile; the fully grown male would have been bright red on his front side! (Rose breasted grosbeak, the name should tell you that!) 

Colorful umbrellas!  I've seen this done in several cities from around the world, but this is from the town of Conyers, Georgia, where my husband and I live!  Wherever you are in the world, hope you have a very merry Christmas.  

When You're Smiling (Autumn Leaves but NOT YET)

 Well, ALOE there!  (Here is a photo of Richard's ALOE plants!)

The final for "Strictly Come Dancing" is this Saturday in the UK. I have shown you some videos of Chris McCausland and his partner, Dianne.  It pleases me so much that they are in the final! 

Here is the video of them dancing to "When You're Smiling"!  I love it and I hope they win! (UPDATE as of Saturday Dec. 14th:  THEY WON!!)  Yay! This pleases me so much!

 Just in case you don't know the lyrics, I have them here for you! 

Guess what, this song as of 2024 is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN.  You can get out there and sing your heart out!

When you're smilin', when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you
When you're laughin', when you're laughin'
The sun comes shinin' through

But when you're cryin', you bring on the rain
So stop that cryin', be happy again
Keep on smilin', 'cause when you're smilin'
The whole world smiles with you

When you're smilin', when you're smilin'
The whole world, it smiles with you
When you're laughin', oh babe, when you're laughin'
The sun would-a come shining through

But when you're cryin', you bring on the rain
So stop that sighin', come on and be happy again
Keep on smilin', 'cause when you're smilin', baby
The whole world smiles with you

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Richard and I have been busy with lots of "end of year" kinds of things, but we have been able to enjoy our colorful Autumn leaves! They are very late this year we have noticed but no one else seems to think one thing about it! (Also, Richard and I just marvel at the colors while most folks just kind of yawn and shrug...what is WRONG with people!)

This photo and the ones following were just taken, yesterday! (Dec. 12th!)

This is a blueberry bush!  Can you believe that this gives you wonderful blueberries and then, you can enjoy these red leaves in the Autumn?

As my Daddy used to say when I would ask for a tree ID, this is "some kind of oak".

 

                                    Peace be with you all!

 (Photos taken at the Monastery, Rockdale County)

Richard is very good with plants (as well as photography!) 

This photo was also taken Dec. 12th, and it is in our backyard! 

The following are some photos from the end of November...

This is a hickory tree in our own backyard!  It is a beauty!

 

At the Monastery, the monks allow the gingko leaves to fall, and you just walk on a carpet of yellow...

On the way home from the Monastery, we sometimes stop in at Publix.  Richard took a photo of this tree in the parking lot there!

Hey! I promise I made a Thanksgiving meal. I really didn't just heat up a frozen pizza!  We had this the day AFTER Thanksgiving. I just had to try it.  How was it?  Well, I really liked it but then, I have very simple tastes! It wasn't really a pizza. It was like a croissant type of crust with some yummy turkey and seasonings on it.  I didn't think the green beans added anything to it but then, they didn't ask me. LOL!

Hope all of you are looking forward to Christmas! Be nice and NOT naughty!