Poem for Tuesday

On the Ruins of a Country Inn
By Philip Freneau

Where now these mingled ruins lie
A temple once to Bacchus rose,
Beneath whose roof, aspiring high,
Full many a guest forgot his woes.

No more this dome, by tempests torn,
Affords a social safe retreat;
But ravens here, with eye forlorn,
And clustering bats henceforth will meet.

The Priestess of this ruined shrine,
Unable to survive the stroke,
Presents no more the ruddy wine,--
Her glasses gone, her china broke.

The friendly Host, whose social hand
Accosted strangers at the door,
Has left at length his wonted stand,
And greets the weary guest no more.

Old creeping Time, that brings decay,
Might yet have spared these mouldering walls,
Alike beneath whose potent sway
A temple or a tavern falls.

Is this the place where mirth and joy,
Coy nymphs, and sprightly lads were found?
Indeed! no more the nymphs are coy,
No more the flowing bowls go round.

Is this the place where festive song
Deceived the wintry hours away?
No more the swains the tune prolong,
No more the maidens join the lay.

Is this the place where Nancy slept
In downy beds of blue and green?
Dame Nature here no vigils kept,
No cold unfeeling guards were seen.

'T is gone!--and Nancy tempts no more;
Deep, unrelenting silence reigns;
Of all that pleased, that charmed before,
The tottering chimney scarce remains.

Ye tyrant winds, whose ruffian blast
Through doors and windows blew too strong,
And all the roof to ruin cast,--
The roof that sheltered us so long,--

Your wrath appeased, I pray be kind
If Mopsus should the dome renew,
That we again may quaff his wine,
Again collect our jovial crew.

--------

The giant fans and dehumidifiers are gone! And the carpets have been steam cleaned, though the furniture has not been moved back because 1) the carpets are still drying and 2) the furniture is all going to have to be moved again when the contractor comes to fix the ceiling and repaint everything. The cats, who had to be locked in my room while the carpet was being cleaned because the Big Terrifying Machine of Doom was in the truck with hoses going out the front door and who then got their paws wet when they went racing out to freedom, believe that this entire incident was designed specifically to make their lives miserable. So I was stuck in the house today, and will be stuck in the house much of next week, but we did get out to buy a replacement microwave. (Microwave, computer, flood...we're done for the month, right? RIGHT?)


The Brown Cabin, built in 1868 in an area of the county that later became Brownstown, dismantled and moved by students from Farquhar Middle School and reconstructed near Meadowside Nature Center.


There are several other cabins on the site...


...some built by students, some recreations by the park service.


I'm not sure who built this shed but it reminds me of a hobbit dwelling, only straight lines instead of round.


And this made me think of Godric, Helga, Rowena and Salazar. See, I DO still talk about fandom.



Had dinner at the mall where we visited Sears, stopped in Bath and Body Works for my only real delight of the day, a free sample of the awesome new Velvet Tuberose lotion that I shall have to go back and purchase in greater quantity. Came home and tried to watch Heroes and Journeyman, the former on the outside chance that Kaito Nakamura and Angela Petrelli will have nasty flashback sex, the latter on the outside chance that...actually I don't know what I'm waiting for on that series since Kevin McKidd probably isn't going to travel all the way back to Rome. *g* Journeyman had a better sense of humor for awhile -- I liked the blind date (and that the girl being stalked wasn't a knockout but a brain), and I howled when Katie asked whether Dan had a gun in his pocket and told him not to give her a punchline. I can't warm up to Livia because as Dan says she's all woo-woo faux woman of mystery, so I root against her and I don't want to see Katie and Dan's brother getting closer, and then Dan starts to remind me too much of Vorenus and it's just not good, though I am reasonably curious about the whys and wherefores (Dan and Jack's father was interested in time travel, huh?)

Heroes is holding my attention though not my passion this season, which I guess would be more of a problem if I'd really adored it last season...mostly I adore Noah and am going to be very upset if he dies like in the painting (it's not entirely clear to me from the glimpses I've had that he is in fact dead), and I also like Claire and understand exactly where they're both coming from and appreciate that they're making decisions out of love even if they're the wrong decisions because neither one will trust the other enough. I'd rather see more Micah and less Monica, though I'd really rather see more Niki and Nana and the heck with the kids! I'm ambivalent about the Evil Cabal -- I don't want it to get too X-Files with Mulder-and-Samantha type stuff with the kids, and it already is, a bit. I wish Matt and Mohinder would just get married and adopt Molly already and forget the Daddy-Bogeyman stuff.