Father Dear Father

Today's Link
Midwife With a Knife


Saying of the Day

Short swallow-flights of song, that dip
Their wings in tears, and skim away.
~Alfred Tennyson

Picture of the Day

Robert's Picture Challenge
(Let's see your front door)



Wrap Up

My Explorer problem remains but I have a better handle on it. My left hand column is not gone. It has been pushed to the bottom.What I can't understand is why it works fine in Firefox which is the browser I use. In the morning I visited some blogs showing their front doors and others during the day.In the afternoon we worked on the layout. We unpacked the Christmas passenger cars.Then we ran the train. It ran well . The only trouble we had is that once it uncoupled on its own. Then I visited my links. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

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I have been in a nostalgic mood for the last week or so. I began remembering three sad songs my Mother and Grandmother sang.
I share one with you last week and after much searching I found this one which comes from the American temperance movement.
Both my Mother and Grandmother were non drinking Methodists. Here is the song:

COME HOME, FATHER

Father, dear father, come home with me now,
the clock in the steeple strikes one,
You said you were coming right home from the shop,
as soon as your days work was done.
Our fire has gone out, the house is all dark,
and mother's been watching since tea…
With poor brother Benny so sick in her arms,
And no one to help her but me.

Chorus:
Hear the sweet voice of the child,
which the night winds repeat as they roam,
Come home! Come home!
Oh, father, dear father come home.

Father, dear father, come home with me now,
the clock in the steeple strikes two,
The night has grown colder and Benny is worse,
but he has been calling for you.
Indeed he is worse, ma says he will die,
perhaps before morning shall dawn.
And this is the message she sent me to bring,
come quickly or he will be gone!

Chorus

Father, dear father, come home with me now,
the clock in the steeple strikes three,
The house is so lonely, the hours are so long,
for poor weeping mother and me.
Yes, we are alone. Poor Benny is dead,
and gone with the angels of light.
And these are the very last words that he said:
"I want to kiss papa goodnight."

Chorus

They did like their songs sad.

News from Pigeon Falls
The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal.

Tommy Uk stopped at Mrs. Trumble’s for coffee and last night. Then he finally got up enough nerve to ask her if she was Mary Maxim. Much to his surprise she admitted she was. Then she told him her story. She had grown tired of Holywood life. So much divorce. So much immorality. There were no real values. She had plenty of money. She didn’t do drugs and had invested well. She didn’t need to work so one day she just packed up and left. She didn’t want to explain why or talk about it so she choose to just disappear. Then she met and married Mr. Trumble. When they decided to move to Pigeon Falls they were afraid people would talk about the old guy married to the young girl so she decided to play an old lady. By the time Mr. Trumble died people knew her as old Mrs. Trumble and she just decided to continue the game. Her greatest role ever. It became a very enjoyable role.
Tommy UK felt there was something else but he didn’t know what or how to ask about it. All the community questions had been answered. Still he felt that something was missing.
She asked him not to tell anybody. Let them keep guessing. Their gossip about her will keep them from gossiping about somebody else. Besides she would like to tell the town herself when she was ready.
Tommy UK agreed to keep her secret as long as he could. But he knows he probably will tell Tammy and possibly Nancy. You know how it is with secrets. They drip out.