Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Poem for Wednesday


Rima, Sonnet 134
By Petrarch
Translated by Sir Thomas Wyatt


I find no peace, and all my war is done;
     I fear and hope; I burn and freeze like ice;
     I fly above the wind, yet can I not arise;
And nought I have, and all the world I seize on;
That looseth nor locketh holdeth me in prison
     And holdeth me not, yet can I 'scape nowise;
     Nor letteth me live nor die at my device,
And yet of death it giveth none occasion.
Withouten eyen, I see; and without tongue I plain;
     I desire to perish, and yet I ask health;
     I love another, and thus I hate myself;
I feed me in sorrow, and laugh in all my pain;
     Likewise displeaseth me both death and life;
     And my delight is causer of this strife.

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On Wednesday, my younger son graduates from elementary school and my older son from middle school. This means I have to get up very early and get all dressed up and do a whole bunch of things, so this will be a short entry. I don't have a lot to report from today, anyway, since I was home doing work and answering a lot of correspondence. *g* And scanning photos. Older son's last day of school Tuesday was spent at Six Flags on roller coasters and the Nantucket, which is apparently a flume that left him quite wet (which is probably a good thing as it was very hot out and he came home with his nose a bit sunburned). Younger son had a pizza party in class and came home with a crowd of boys who wanted to play some Wii Mario game; I sent them all outside to ride bikes instead.


The packet boat Charles F. Mercer on the C&O Canal last weekend.


The boat is named for the Virginia politician who was the first president of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Company in 1828. It is staffed by park employees and volunteers in period costume.


The Charles F. Mercer was built to replace the old Canal Clipper, retired after damage from storms. Last time we saw it, the cover was not yet over the top.


Mules tow barges and packet boats through the locks. The Charles F. Mercer can carry 70 passengers on two levels up along the Potomac River.


It costs $7 for adults to ride, $5 for kids, information here.


Since we had to pick older son up from his field trip, we had dinner out (mall Thai, not the best but passable). My two articles for the day were an inconsequential one about the Filmation founder and the animated Star Trek series, and a fun one about a Vulcan in Canada...okay, actually just a guy with green blood. Really. Hey, have to have some distraction from US prisons banning religious books. And now I'm stressed about my stress. I'm so glad I never saw a single episode of The Sopranos so I don't have to be involved in the hysteria over the finale, at least!

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