Poem for Tuesday

Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs
May 25th, 1961
By John F. Kennedy

This is not merely a race.
Space is open to us now;
and our eagerness to share
its meaning is not governed
by the efforts of others.
We go into space because
whatever mankind must undertake,
free men must fully share.

I believe that this nation
should commit itself to achieving
the goal, before this decade is out,
of landing a man on the Moon
and returning him safely to the Earth.
No single space project in this period
will be more impressive to mankind,
or more important
for the long-range exploration of space;
and none will be so difficult
or expensive to accomplish.

We propose to accelerate the development
of the appropriate lunar space craft.
We propose to develop
alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters,
much larger than any now being developed,
until certain which is superior.
We propose additional funds
for other engine development
and for unmanned explorations --
explorations which are particularly important
for one purpose
which this nation will never overlook:
the survival of the man
who first makes this daring flight.

But in a very real sense,
it will not be one man going to the Moon --
if we make this judgement affirmatively,
it will be an entire nation.

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You're right: that's not a poem. But that doesn't make it any less poetic. And I always think of it on this date.

My holiday cards arrived -- not the fannish ones which were printed last weekend, but the ones with photos that are being sent to relatives etc. Shutterfly now lets people write an entire holiday message on the upper flap above the greeting and signature, and I am very pleased with how the photo of Castle Howard and the kids came out -- they have much more tasteful borders this year, too. We also had a bunch of prepaid print plan photos that had to be ordered today, since the prepaid plans are only good for two years, so soon we will be getting actual printed photos from our trip to England. I want to do an artsy photo album from that trip but for now having the family photos and friends we met there will be lovely.

Apparently my brain's way of dealing with having to write two long, plotty holiday exchange fics (each of which is already considerably longer than required, and showing no signs of slowing) is not only to provide endless crackfic ideas but to unfold the entire fics themselves, so that all I have to do is write them down...it's a lot of fun, but how am I supposed to write the things I need to write? I want to sit down with my writing partner and work on our two neglected series but we both have guilt-inducing fic responsibilities! Not to mention real work!

News today: Shatner is writing slashy books about young Kirk and Spock, Nimoy says he is Spock except when he isn't, Braga says he should have listened more to the Star Trek fans...oh, news flash! Thank you, Brannon, I no longer feel badly about blowing off Threshold for Boston Legal (say what you will about Shatner, call him whatever you must for his new DVD club, but he has mastered the art of listening to his fans...and apparently Nimoy has too, if he knew enough to take back I Am Not Spock).

Kids today: younger son cannot seem to master the spelling of "restaurant," probably because it is a silly word that always looks wrong to me too, though I do not think it is fair that I had to listen to a temper tantrum about it. Me today: Home writing, because the van was in being serviced and it rained too much of the afternoon for me to go anywhere. Van will still be in tomorrow since there was a recall on one of the parts, meaning I have to drive everyone everywhere instead of being stuck in the house...husband to work, kids from bus stop to Hebrew school, etc.


A puppy slips on the rocks at Scott's Run, one of perhaps 15 dogs we saw there.


A husky and friend by the Potomac River, into which the waterfall at Scott's Run spills.


Here is the husky contemplating a swim.


And I'm not sure what breed of dog this is but she was very friendly.