The Yuletide

Now that Thanksgiving is tucked away in our tummies it's time to think about the Next Big Holiday.

On December 27, 2006 Elizabeth, Laura, and I will host a family get-together for all those innurested.

The festivities will begin at 4pm and go on until 7 or so. There will be catered chow of sufficient quantity (apps & entrees) as well as various libations, yuletide music, and lots of chatter about those not in attendance.

Please let us know if you are coming so we will know how much chow to buy. By 15 December would be appreciated.

Please pass the word to family members who may not blog.

RSVP either here in the comments section, by email (tbillsimpson@mac.com) or by telly (908) 234-9383.

Hope to see you all. Enjoy your shopping.

Tis the season of consumption,

POE

This Morning

Half the Truth - Jack Gilbert

The birds do not sing in these mornings. The skies

are white all day. The Canadian geese fly over

high up in the moonlight with the lonely sound

of their discontent.Going south. Now the rains

and soon the snow. The black trees are leafless,

the flowers gone. Only cabbages are left

in the bedraggled garden. Truth becomes visible,

the architecture of the soul begins to show through.

God has put off his panoply and is at home with us.

We are returned to what lay beneath the beauty.

We have resumed our lives. There is no hurry now.

We make love without rushing and find ourselves

afterward with someone we know well. Time to be

what we are getting ready to be next. This loving,

this relishing, our gladness, this being puts down

roots and comes back again year after year.

Greetings from the West Coast

The Hunt/Simpson West Coast Branch Thanksgiving Division checking in. All of the kids were here, plus bro bill and my mom, Wendy's sister and family, and friends from LA. Alex and Wendy cooked dinner Liz and Helen decorated and I cleaned up after everybody went to bed, tryptophaned-out as they were. There are a few pictures below of the assembled masses. It was a little cool that day, it only got up to 76, otherwise, all is well in LaLa Land.

Greetings from El Helen. Life is all well. My grades are up, and my volleyball carreer is very successful. My school team was League champion. My new club team is only in pre-season, but the team looks pretty good so far.

Happy Holidays.



























They aren't really your friends, are they.

Thankful For

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone.

Four generations, vintage 1980.
L. to R. : Mary Oplinger, Helen Brown, Sara Simpson, Mary Shaffer.

RUD2

Cold Turkey
By Kurt Vonnegut


Many years ago, I was so innocent I still considered it possible that we could become the humane and reasonable America so many members of my generation used to dream of. We dreamed of such an America during the Great Depression, when there were no jobs. And then we fought and often died for that dream during the Second World War, when there was no peace.

But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America’s becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas.

Salute to R.U.

Hi All- Just wanted to give a big hoo-ray for the Scarlet Knights. Finally, the great state of NJ can be proud of its football team!! Head Coach Greg Schiano and the boys have done a fantastic job thus far and hopefully it will continue!! Oh..... by the way, though I am ecstatic about Rutgers success, it does not mean that my loyalty has shifted from our beloved Nittany Lions! PSU is still #1!!!





History is made.......















Bedlam in Piscataway.......

Eureka!

Elizabeth Mary Shaffer Simpson Whoops It Up After Fat Crook Hastert and Chicken Hawk Rummy are told by the American People to Piss Off.




It may be hoping too much, but for one night anyway, Democracy Lives!

Republicans or Democrats, when they get too arrogant, too far out of line, when they start fondling pages and getting 2500 young Americans killed and ten thousand more horribly wounded just to line their already swollen pockets, when they tell the rest of the world to kiss off, when they act like their shit don't stink enough americans go to the booth and send em down the stink hole. sure, we're a bunch of selfish materialistic egotistical bastards but we still got a pretty good country here so out with the swine and when these young piglets get too fat we'll throw them out on their asses also.

The Bush Nightmare is Over! Cheney's Been Castrated! Bring me Virginia!

Maine State Soccer Champs

Will's high school, R.W. Traip Academy (where I used to teach), won the Boys Class C Maine state soccer championship today, 5-1 over Piscataquis H.S. Traip's record this year was 14-5, but they went undefeated in the playoffs, including a 1-0 double-overtime, three-set shootout to win in the semifinals--truly a game to remember. Today's game was a bit of a rout; we were one man down due to a red card at the end of the first half, but still scored 4 goals to take the cup.

Election Day Aught Six

If we can believe the polls and pundits we will be CLEANING HOUSE come Tuesday. If so, the long national nightmare of the Bush Debacle will be all but over. And if, by Providence, the House of Lords swings Left we might get to watch Bush & Boys go in front of the firing squad. But until I see the results on Wednesday morning I will be skeptical. I fear the voting booths will be tampered with, the Righties will hang on by a thread, declare a mandate, and we will have two more years of murder and mayhem, corruption and coulter.




but make no mistake, lefty or righty, elephant or ass, meth snorting male prostitute seeking homo hating bible thumper or black african baby snatching self righteous midwestern london living fake blond bimbo you gonna pay, baby. PAY AND PAY AND PAY.



by the way, TV is worth watching this weekend. the campaign ads have turned downright noxious.

don't forget to vote. unless, of course, you plan to vote republican. they had their chance to foul things up. now we have to swing back the other way, find some balance, then the Dems can screw things up and we'll swing like the pendulum back to the right.

back and forth we americans go,
munchin on snacks nice and slow
listenin to bono shout
no more DARFURS!
sittin on our asses
spreadin funky gases
can't wait for another episode of
dancin with the STARS!

good night and good luck. we'll need it.

Halloween Parade

We did the Halloween parade in Portsmouth last night.

Maia was Carrie; Mary was the Golden Girl.

CS went as Elvis' Inner Self. As we all know, Elvis was a mess inside. And he wore bad shoes.