Sandy Didner
 

Happy New Year everyone.  On the last day of the
New Year I remember the goals I made last  year and at least I accomplished 2. 
One I published my book The Conspiracies of Dreams and the second was I devised
documented research papers that were imaginative and my students could  not
plagiarize the topics.  I told one boy that he was an artist who lived 35,000
year ago in southern France and he had to descrbe his subjects, his artistic
materials, his food and shelter.  Another was a Moslem architect who built the
Taj Mahal and a third built the first mosque in Africa.  I assigned a girl who
is majoring in nursing  to be Walt Whitman who was a nurse in Washington, D.C.
during the Civil War.  She was aghast that there was no soap, no antibiotics, no
anesthestic besides whiskey and cholorofom, and the bandages were filthy sheets.
  The best essay was one about Harry Bailey, who was the innkkeeper of the Tabard
Inn the night Geoffrey Chaucer  came to  dine with 29 pilgrims on their way to
Canterbury.  All in all, I devised 37 different people ranging from Buddhists
priests who lived in 1000 B.C. and carved statues in 5 miles of caves to a Jew
who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto during the 1940's.  NO ONE COULD PLAGIARIZE!!!
And they all learned how to document research using the MLA style.
Now if I
could only calm my dog Duffy down and cure his arthritis and make Pippen, my
Shih Tzu a little peppier ( we joke that he is training to become a statue) my
year would be complete.  Regards to all from David, Pippen (if he stops
sleeping, Duffy, if he stops barking) and me.
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Alan Fleishman shared I fucking love science's photo.

Duffy, Pippen and I went to the most beautiful dog park in Florida tonight.  It is called Okaheelee which is a Seminole Native American name and is on the northern border of the town of West Palm Beach.  As we were leaving the park, the sun was spreading glorious purple and gold beams beyond a lake which is fringed with palm trees.  On our way home we saw many front yards decorated with reindeer, snowmen, elves and trees decked with tinsel and artificial snow.  I thought how incongruous these decorations are with the place where Christ actually was born.  I have been to Bethlehem, walked the streets of Jerusalem, and these Judean places where Jesus lived are similar to the palm trees (date palms to be correct) and the tropical vista of Okaheelee Park than they are to the Yuletide scenes which Northern Europeans have inculcated into Christmas.  In fact, the reindeer, Christmas tree lights, and Yule log are pagan memes added over the years to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.   Upon reflection, I think almost every holiday adds a little from every time, every place, and every culture to enrich its meaning to people who celebrate it.  It is interesting to reflect how people celebrated holidays an era ago, a century ago, and a millenia ago.  
Actually, the best place to celebrate any holiday is with family, dear friends, and the animals we love.
My holiday, which ended today, with 8 candles glowing, will actually begin tomorrow when one of my sons will take me to Orlando where we will meet my oldest son, my daughter in law (whom I adore) and my wonderful grandchildren.  Sadly,  youngest son, his wife, and my husband cannot join us.
We must leave Pippen and Duffy at home with Dad since Harry Potter likes owls, but dogs are not allowed at Universal Studios. What a pity.   However, Epcot, here we come.
Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, a Cheerful Kwaanza, and a festive Festivus to all and to all, a good night!