A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

It's nice to have been blogging long enough to have created certain traditions. This is the third year that I've linked to this homemade e-card on my site. The photo is of the Rocky Mountains and was taken when we once returned from Calgary by Greyhound.


Click this banner to view the photo, see falling snow, and hear a midi tune.

Labels: Alberta, Canada

There's a big sign on a local church that suggests we put Christ back in Christmas. First, maybe we could take a little look into its history and origins. Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't mention a date for Jesus's birth but spring would've been a more likely season. Shepherds generally wouldn't be out herding in the middle of winter.

Early Christians focused on Easter and did not celebrate the birth at all. Eventually, the church got around to creating Christmas in the fourth century. Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan winter festivals. If you can't beat 'em then join them. Although celebration of the Feast of the Nativity had reached Egypt by 432, the folks in Scandinavia weren't observing it until the eighth century. More recently, due to Puritan forces, celebrating Christmas was outlawed in England and some of the American colonies in the 17th century.

Yet, we have now instituted and accepted this as a Christian holiday. And frankly, I'm a bit tired of the politically-correct proclamation of Season's Greetings. In the local stores, I could only find cute winter decorations and Santa Claus ornaments. I vowed that if I ever saw a creche for sale that I'd buy it. I did, so I did.

Labels: Christmas

I had to read it as an adolescent but didn't have the necessary background to make sense of it. Now, an 11.5 mm disc can hold it, Henry Fonda and all!

During this time of year we see more than our fill of cute, little snowmen and jolly Santas; therefore, this movie ought to be required viewing. In this era of perceived automatic entitlements, this film ought to be required viewing. Nowadays when we think that only modern technology has anything useful to say, this 65-year-old cinema classic ought to be required viewing.


I got the DVD of The Grapes of Wrath at the library and watched
it yesterday afternoon.

Labels: movies

There was something a little sad about seeing the out-of-season,
kiddie section of Queen's Park yesterday.

I had to get out and try to take some pictures with my new camera. Unfortunately, the weather wouldn't cooperate. I wasn't out for long as the ground was soggy and I hadn't put on good shoes. It started pouring and I was completely alone in Queen's Park. During the summer the kid's water slide is busy. It's right near the seasonal petting zoo. But on a rainy December day it looked empty and forlorn. No children's voices could be heard.

On a similarly creepy vain for the holidays, guess what show was on CBC the other evening? Rudolph is pretty cute. The program as a whole, though, is weird and slightly warped. Even Burl Ive's soothing voice really doesn't make the jerky animation and silly story palatable. Yet, I stayed glued to the television just as I probably had for many of the years since it was created in 1964.

Labels: camera, television

One grandfather died when my mom was a girl. My father's father passed away when I was three or four years old. Yet, I did grow up knowing both grandmothers.

My maternal grandmother, whom we called Nana, worked as a telephone operator for years. She was affected by the technological development of Ma Bell. First, she worked locally. Then, she had to travel to the next town for work. Finally, over her time with the one-time monopoly, she ended up commuting quite a distance from Sunapee, New Hampshire. These changes occurred because of the development and regional addition of call-switching equipment.

This photo and small article were part of an in-house publication at a time close to her retirement. She was working in Claremont, New Hampshire in 1969. As well as Nana and a very scary Santa, I am in the photo with my sister, a cousin, and a neighbour girl. You may click the image to load a very hefty PDF copy of it.

Labels: New Hampshire, Sunapee

I figured out why I've always been a huge fan of Windows-based computers; namely, it is because I like mucking around with things. Even as a kid, I loved ripping the back off an appliance. Usually, everything went back together successfully although occasionally with a few fewer pieces.

For some reason, I can never help but check the current firmware in my peripherals. For instance, I noted that my D-Link wireless router had an update several months beyond what I was running. Of course, although everything was working well, I just had to throw away the existing configuration. After a few hours, I ended up rolling back to my original setup. I could get my notebook to connect but it wasn't able to obtain a valid IP.

The exercise although futile was mildly interesting. I renamed my wireless network WindTalker. So clever, eh?

I'm adding a greater number of entries about Christmas than in the past two years of blogging. This is partly due to the fact I take many more digital photos than in the past. It took me a while to get to the point where I snap something every day and copy to Flickr. There are now over 1200 pictures available there. If you aren't marked as a friend or family member there will be slightly fewer.


Scenes worthy of an image are everywhere. This is our City Hall.

Labels: Christmas, Flickr