Merry Christmas!

From our little family to yours!

1 Ollie 'Til Christmas

Ollie the Santa better get here soon and bring me good treatos pup.

2 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the how on earth could you believe I've been anything but the bestest boy all year after seeing this photo pup.

3 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the savoring delicious fall air pup.

4 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I hate the summertime heat and flies and why did you make me come out here pup.

5 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the public service announcement about why selfies are bad for your health pup.

6 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the advertisement for walking through the woods on a snowy evening pup.

7 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the advertisement for summertime lake life pup.

8 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the advertisement for winter lake life pup.

9 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and this one's name is Helen Jane and she likes to snuggly snoozle with me pup.

10 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of "friends" and this one's name is Jerky McJerky Squirrel pup.

11 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and this one's name is Molly that rhymes with Ollie pup.

12 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and this one's name is Octopus Wearing a Santa Hat pup.

13 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and this one's name is Zoey pup.

14 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and this one's name is Judge pup.

15 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I've got lots of friends and every single one of them is in my bed pup.

16 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the OHMYGEE I love this fluffy white stuff pup.

17 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the what the fluff is all this fluffy stuff pup.

18 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the I got into it and I know it pup.

19 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the it's Monday and I'm too tired to hold my head up so I'll rest it on my butt pup.

20 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the criss cross applesauce pup.

21 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the sorta looks guilty but maybe he's just a sneaky little spy pup. 

22 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the definitely fully guilty and knows it pup.

23 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Ollie the innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt pup (he's guilty).

24 Ollies 'Til Christmas

Here we are again. The blog has been utterly idle, but you better believe we're back for the latest edition of the Crazy Christmas Countdown featuring Jolly Ollie and his antics. For now, we'll ease in with a peaceful, dozing little pup (even though he's likely drooling on my pillow).

Ollie, the deceptively peaceful and pleasant pup.

A Poem For A Friday

Disappointment
by Tony Hoagland

I was feeling pretty religious

standing on the bridge in my winter coat

looking down at the gray water:

the sharp little waves dusted with snow,

fish in their tin armor.

 

That’s what I like about disappointment:

the way it slows you down,

when the querulous insistent chatter of desire

            goes dead calm

 

and the minor roadside flowers

pronounce their quiet colors,

and the red dirt of the hillside glows.

 

She played the flute, he played the fiddle

and the moon came up over the barn.

Then he didn’t get the job,—

or her father died before she told him

            that one, most important thing—

 

and everything got still.

 

It was February or October

It was July

I remember it so clear

You don’t have to pursue anything ever again

It’s over

You’re free

You’re unemployed

 

You just have to stand there

looking out on the water

in your trench coat of solitude

with your scarf of resignation

            lifting in the wind.

 

Brightspot is helping to manage the NH "Poetry Out Loud" competition, an annual event where high schoolers learn and recite poems. The state champion then goes on to the nationals. This week, we've been recording student recitations - usually the semi-finals are regional competitions held in-person around the state, but for obvious reasons, this year they're virtual.

But whew boy, it has been so amazing to see these kids bring poetry to life like this. Along with Amanda Gordon's out-of-this-world poem reading at Biden's inauguration, it's such a great reminder that hearing poetry is an entirely different thing than reading poetry. Doing both is the jackpot.

Anyway, long story short, it has revived my interest. A colleague passed along this poem and after multiple reads, I'm loving it. I've never thought about the release disappointment could bring or that freedom that might come with losing out on something. Fascinating to find the inside out flip side of things. Lovely.