Last evening’s weather had a few sprinkles here and there, but the temperature was quite pleasant despite the ferocious winds. It was up to 59 degrees throughout the night but is plummeting downward to hit 31 degrees by 9 PM.

I am returning to The Park early to assist with some other areas and will return to the far reaches of The Transportation Center to spend 4PM – 11 PM in The Roundhouse Cafe. Last night, I had three fantastic high school students assisting me: Hannah and Brady from Beavercreek High School, and Nathan from Oakwood High School. Tonight, I will be joined by Sarah from Centerville High School and Dalton from Fairmont High School. I have known Sarah and Dalton since they were bitty tykes and now Sarah is a sophomore and Dalton a senior.

Tomorrow will be a stay-at-home day so I can attend to a number of things before teaching commences at 3 PM – 11:45 PM.

I thought I would post a winter poem today. I may do this frequently.

“The Darkening Thrush” byThomas Hardy, ‘
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires…

Composed on the last day of 1900 – and also, therefore, on the final day of the nineteenth century (if you follow the convention that the twentieth century began in 1901, that is) – ‘The Darkling Thrush’ takes a single frost-ridden scene, a moment of wintry wonder, and meditates upon its meaning.

Here, Thomas Hardy sounds his characteristic note of ‘unhope’: the speaker wants to share the hope he detects in the thrush’s ‘full-hearted evensong’, but – much like the speaker of Hardy’s Christmas poem, ‘The Oxen’ – he cannot quite find it in his heart to be optimistic. Follow the link above to read the poem in full and learn more about it.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: Bust of Col. Edward Deeds and my Friday night crew!