Monday
4 December 2017

— a veritable sparrow convention at the California redwood feeder.

Good Morning All,

The best news is Johs and Holly are both arriving on 23 December and staying two whole weeks. I have already alerted Skype and Flowerpot, whose response was to get up on their hind legs, assume a waltz position, and twirl around the living room. Pretty much my sentiments exactly!

Happily, I have already been making preparations, much of it down in the basement, where over the past week we have gone from sixteen as-yet unsorted boxes and bags down to a mere six. (But don’t worry, we still have a few dozen bags and boxes in the garage.)

I have also done a number on the bathroom, including making more shelf space available near the crapper, in case there is a sudden influx of crossword puzzle books.

Keep this under your hat, but on the windowsill in each of J. and H.’s rooms there is now a poinsettia in a nice pot. And today is the day I put up our outdoor Christmas lights. (I looked everywhere for a couple of strings of multicolored lights, preferably with flashers, but the Danes disdain them, as it were. They seem to think that strings of soft white lights are preferable for the simple reason they are so beautiful.)

Among the other hobbies, I collect are people’s names, which stand out for one reason or another. Such as the most melodious name I've ever heard, that of a Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs: Uffe (Oo-fuh) Elleman Jensen.

For other reasons, a favorite, as I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned, is the name of one of our student’s father’s. The student’s name was/is Yitwah Chung. He was a brilliant student who went to M.I.T. His father’s name was/: Fuk Yu Chung. 

It is a tribute to what a warmly and closely knit school we were back in those days that to my knowledge no classmate or teacher ever ribbed Yitwah about that. 

Still, I like to imagine the dialogue that may well have occurred at some evening school function including parents. For example, with the U.S. Ambassador, whose name happened to be Dick Sweat.

Mr. Sweat: Hi, I’m Dick. What’s your name?
Mr. Chung: Fuk Yu.
Mr. Sweat: Hey, all’s I asked was your name.
Mr. Chung: Fuk Yu.
Mr. Sweat: Keep your shirt on, pal, all’s I asked was your name.
Mr. Chung: Fuk Yu. Are you deaf, Dick Sweat? Fuk Yu Chung.

Anyway, all the names in today sonnet are actual names of actual people:

An Honest to God Real People Sonnet
C. R. Magwaza

Doctors Croak, Kadivar, Clapp, and Slaughter
May not, I tell you, marry my daughter.

They can go and try their luck with the likes
Ida Clare, Jean Poole, Kandi Apple, and Hazel Nutt.

Les Moore, Les Payne, and my dentist Les Plack

Can have the next waltz with Helen Back.

Doug Graves, Donny Brook, and witty Hugh Morris
Should with Iona Ford and Jo King join the chorus.

Milly Graham, Mary Christmas, and Marsha Mellow
Deserve more than Luke Warm and Pepe Roni for a fellow.

Polly Esther, Sally Forth, Tish Hughes, and Mary A. Richman
Are all nuts for Mike Raffone and Robin Andis Merryman

Lynn C. Doyle, Olive Yew, Linn O. Liam, and Liv Long
With Manny Kinn and Marty Graw do lift our hearts in song.

Go Well and Stay Well,

Bhekaron

P.S. One Johs snap, one Holly snap: