Nothing focuses a septuagenarian's attention like the realization that are only 7 days left until the Jolly Fellow and his bag of goodies will be once again up on the rooftop worrying the shingles and making the Will Fleeceya Insurance agent nervous. While Santa may think he's cute flying from roof to roof causing untold damage to the attic support structure, your homeowners policy price tag is on the rise. Am thinking about enlisting Donald Trump's help in this matter, as he has an answer for everything...uttered through lips that are pursed into a square. Do you know how hard that is? Just try it sometime. In front of a mirror. Come-on, try it. I double dog dare you.
Meanwhile, in the words of an old song, "And the days dwindle down, to a precious few...."
Meanwhile, in the words of an old song, "And the days dwindle down, to a precious few...."
Hitting the Art-Lites of 2015
One thing that can be said about the HoDo in the center of beautiful downtown Fargo is that they really know how to throw a party. No Thunderbird wine served here. None of those tiny wieners either. Grand cheeses, fresh fruit, medium-rare bison, and hand-made pastries are the snackies du jour'.
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Once again, Dear Reader, Miss Susan has been busy bringing art to the teeming masses. Here we catch her explaining the concept of relativity and the tendency of paint to continue to spray out of the air brush if one just tosses it onto the worktable with out regard to where it might land. But then again, serendipity frequently plays a role in creating new and interesting art work. |
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The Old Goat and his wife of four minutes and thirty seconds retreat up the aisle at St. Boniface in Lidgerwood. One-hundred degrees that day, my carnation hath already wilted. We celebrated our 50th Anniversary in July by visiting the oldest Icelandic church in North America. Yup, that's in Mountain, ND. The population is 82 and 64 of them are in the local nursing home, cleverly located next to the funeral parlor. There was no place to eat in Mountain, but fortunately the Cenex place had some stale Twinkies and several beef jerky. We took the stash back to the B&B and stared at each other across the lumpy bed.... |
Little Internation Queen rescued from Louts
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Before Miss Susan was to transition to the role of Mother Superior, she had been known to consort with some undesirable types. Here she is on the evening she was crowned "Fastest Horsey Girl on Campus" and given some sort of cheap, tawdry trophy. Take a look at these guys—the guy on her right looks like he's taking her to jail. The guy on the left doesn't trust the guy on the right...what more needs be said.
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I know, Dear Reader, that you've been wondering how long these wild and crazy behaviors have been going on. Need I say more...I think the photo captures the matter very well. Her older brother Peter had been tasked with keeping her on the horse. It's my understanding that she fell on her head several times that day despite Peter's best efforts. Perhaps she can't be totally blamed for that early sophomoric behavior noted above. At least her early select of riding apparel underwent modest improvement. 
Master Teddy was called in last week to assist the Midcontinent Cable dudes with a tricky install. After about an hour's close supervision he was able to get them to do the job right. He did the final placement of the plastic lid over the terminal. Good help is still hard to find. 
Graedyn seems to have inherited some of his old man's engineering interests having created a science project that eliminates waiting at a red light when there are no cars for miles around...stay tuned for a five-star wreck coming to your neighborhood soon. (Just kiddin' Graedy.)
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It is easy to fathom why her mother, Regina, was determined to transfer Miss Susan from NDSU to UND the next autumn. Nothing good would be forthcoming from her hanging about with these clowns. Looks like the one dude has already passed out. Fate being what it is, he probably turned out to be a politician who voted to cover up spills in the Bakken oil patch.
One hopes, however, that the sins of the grandmother will not be visited on the granddaughter. But it is not hard to envision this young girl in a white leather jacket with fringes all about. It would seem that Miss Courtlyn has this riding business well in hand at the moment.
This is what Teddy looks like from the front, ably assisted by Miss Megan and Rhonda for the celebration of his Mighty Fifth. Earlier that afternoon he had bowled 255 in the neighboring alley. Unfortunately the score was invalidated in that the manager said skeletons were not real people so they couldn't roll real scores. "Bah," said Teddy in a low voice. 
Seldom do we have the pleasure of seeing these two guys on the same three square feet of asphalt. 'Twas on the occasion of their first cousin Brenna Finley's wedding in the Cities. The Morrissey cousins were able to work in a little madness along the way.
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Collusion, Dear Reader, one can only call it collusion |
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Cousins, cousins, cousins of the Morrissey/Agnew bloodlines. Firsts, seconds, and scrambled families as we wait for scrambled eggs. Bro-in-Law Lou Bushard said he'd buy breakfast if we didn't include him in the picture, so the Christmas Goat quickly found an angle where he didn't appear. Question for the day: which family member will want to smash my iPhone for using this photo?? Probably several. Note: isn't the Goat looking good? Oh, wait, he isn't here is he. Well, take my word for it.
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After a seven year slog, the Old Goat has finished the family history/memoir opposite...currently available at Smashwords.com and Barnes and Noble for folks who use tablets and readers of the electronic variety. Now, spoiler alert—It'll cost you pretty dearly...a buck ninety-nine to be precise. However, I have recently discovered a way to give it away for free at Smashwords. Anyone living a life without direction or meaning and wishing to download for free, may contact the Old Christmas Goat for a coupon code. At that point, however, you are obligated to read it, at least through the dedication and preface. Footnotes and appendices are optional. Working on a hands-on edition for 2016...stay tuned. |
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With Brevyn giving us his version of Silent Night, we want to wish for you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May 2016 be the year that Peace breaks out all over the world... that God's blessings will change the fickle nature of man, and that the learning of love for all of mankind will spread throughout the earth.
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Pax Vobiscum—Peace be with you
