The Past is Prologue...

The first post on My Minnesota arrived on November 5, 2012. Today we're uploading post number 730. That's two years worth of "daily" posts over 739 days, or an average of .99 posts per day. (We missed a few days last year while in the hospital for some surgery.) I suppose that means for the next year we could be going through the "terrible twos." (Some of you may claim we've been at that since day one.) We may experiment with some directional changes but will try to keep any tantrums to a minimum.

If you've been watching you might have noticed that the general format we've followed includes commentary and / or seasonal observations plus photographs and, most days, a poem that's relevant to the day's topic. So much for poetry not having any relevance for daily life.

hairy(?) woodpecker female

Photo by J. Harrington

With the premature arrival of Winter this year, the bears are tucked away and woodpeckers are back at the feeder. That means once again I have to brush up on the differences between downy and hairy woodpeckers. No problem distinguishing either of them from the occasional pileated.

pileated woodpecker
J. Harrington Photo

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up, as you know. That means it's time to take stock of what we have done and how much we appreciate life as it is. While poking about on Twitter this morning, I came across a piece that gets into how being one of the 1% isn't all good, for anybody. Not that I'm worried about becoming a 1%'er, but I have noticed some tendencies along the lines of "the more I have the more I want." Our advertising and marketing folks have been really successful with me. This season of sharing and gratitude is a good time for me to once again focus on my half-full cup instead of spending much time "supposing."

Suppose

By Phoebe Cary 

Suppose, my little lady,

      Your doll should break her head,

Could you make it whole by crying

      Till your eyes and nose are red?

And would n’t it be pleasanter

      To treat it as a joke;

And say you ’re glad “’T was Dolly’s

      And not your head that broke?”

Suppose you ’re dressed for walking,

      And the rain comes pouring down,

Will it clear off any sooner

      Because you scold and frown?

And would n’t it be nicer

      For you to smile than pout,

And so make sunshine in the house

      When there is none without?

Suppose your task, my little man,

      Is very hard to get,

Will it make it any easier

      For you to sit and fret?

And would n’t it be wiser

      Than waiting like a dunce,

To go to work in earnest

      And learn the thing at once?

Suppose that some boys have a horse,

      And some a coach and pair,

Will it tire you less while walking

      To say, “It is n’t fair?”

And would n’t it be nobler

      To keep your temper sweet,

And in your heart be thankful

      You can walk upon your feet?

And suppose the world don’t please you,

      Nor the way some people do,

Do you think the whole creation

      Will be altered just for you?

And is n’t it, my boy or girl,

      The wisest, bravest plan,

Whatever comes, or does n’t come,

      To do the best you can?

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