This lovely oak towers over the house on Main Street in the town of North East that used to belong to the gentleman that owned the movie theater - now long gone.  And what is amazing to me is that it was planted there long after I had grown into manhood.  As a kid I can remember a towering White Pine that dominated the town and could be seen from miles around.  Sure and time sees all changes.

Book Review The Mullah’s Storm

Book Review

The Mullah’s Storm, (©2010)

Author – Thomas W. Young

I seldom read war fiction about the middle east because I find the situation there so politicized and so much a pawn for this country’s oil and corporate greed that I cannot bear to indulge in doing so.  So against my usual judgement I picked this book up at a used book store and glanced at a few pages.  I was immediately drawn in despite my above misgivings.  The book jacket describes Mr. Young’s background – his chips, so to speak – as a flight engineer for the Air National Guard through-out the world in military hot spots and in Afghanistan in particular along with his various military honors including the Air Force Combat Action Medal.  His background serves him well in this work of fiction conveying a realism to the non-stop military action that composes the book from beginning to end.  Well written, riveting and morally compelling without recourse to maudlin clichés.  If you like war fiction this will satisfy you completely and if like me liking war stories only occasionally then you will find this novel a non-stop read.  Four Star.

Decoy - Head by Himself, Body by Nature

Booksellers, Antiques, Beans, Leaves, Etc

I stopped by my favorite (actually the only one in this area) used books store and admired their new - to them - display cases and which shop connects by a small doorway to my favorite coffee stop cozily adjoining.  And also as a bonus Erin was showing her recently published book - more of to follow.

I Do Not Like Thee Saffron Creek

I do not like thee, Saffron Creek

The reason why - I will here speak

(For Xmas is not yet begun

and I think your decor is no fun

wait a bit and in December 

this Holiday we can then remember)
For this I think- and think to wreak
I do not like thee Saffron Creek

The poem- that I've butchered -  is said to have been written by satirical English poet Tom Brown in 1680

The anecdote associated with the origin of the rhyme is that when Brown was a student at the Christ Church, Oxford, he was caught doing mischief. The dean of Christ Church, John Fell, 1625–1686), who later went on to become the Bishop of Oxford, expelled Brown; but offered to take him back if he passed a test. If Brown could extemporaneously translate the thirty-second epigram of Martial, (a well known Roman epigramist), his expulsion would be cancelled. The epigram in Latin is as follows:

Non amo te, Sabidi, nec possum dicere quare;

Hoc tantum possum dicere, non amo te.

Brown made the impromptu English translation which became the verse:

I do not like thee, Doctor Fell,

The reason why - I cannot tell;

But this I know, and know full well,

I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.