Ice Storm 2026

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I was hoping to upload a pic from our recent ice storm but some glitch is preventing me. In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from one of my favorite short stories “The Snow covered up the grass with her great white cloak, and the Frost painted all the trees silver. Then they invited the North Wind to stay with them, and he came. He was wrapped in furs, and he roared all day about the garden, and blew the chimney-pots down. “This is a delightful spot,” he said, “we must ask the Hail on a visit.” So the Hail came. Every day for three hours he rattled on the roof of the castle till he broke most of the slates, and then he ran round and round the garden as fast as he could go. He was dressed in grey, and his breath was like ice.” (The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde)

Auld Lang Syne (For The Sake of Old Times)

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 The Beatles captured perfectly the meaning of “auld Lang syne” in their obscure little song titled “The Two of Us”. This one stanza is at the heart:

“You and I have memories

That stretches out ahead”


Memories are precious, because over time, the bad ones fade away. You remember someone showing you a heart made with their hands in a backward look; a trip to the zoo or a park. Maybe an unexpected meeting of an old friend; meaningful conversation; music. Maybe decorating for the holidays or throwing a party, the humor of a private joke, a very expensive meal; a concert; a family reunion, a scent ...


Memories give hope when used properly. 


Books do both. They look back and look ahead. This is why I love the classics. A quote is one thing, an idea we like to carry forward, but reading the source material is another, looking back. 


Head into a blessed new year with good books. Make new memories! Look ahead with curiosity and interest! For the sake of old times, read a book. Always.


Happy New Year!



Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881). “Inaugural Address at Edinburgh.” Vol. 25, pp. 364-374 of The Harvard Classics

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