New Year's Resolve

At South Ferry the other morning, walking through the phalanx of somewhat intimidating private (?) security guards with sniffer dogs, I saw one Labrador seemingly waiting at its handler's feet. But then he tugged the leash a few times and said: "come on! You ate too much again!" And finally the dog stumbled to its feet and yawned. What's that old saying? "The price of liberty is…"? And that price includes overfed Labradors. 

Later on that same day(!), I saw this sleek beast awaiting its debut on the streets of Manhattan. What could it be? 

It turned out to be a Tesla, one of the new electric/battery-powered cars, which its maker hailed as the next big thing during the economizing of the Great Recession. 

The Ford Mustang is fifty years old. Recently, a New York Times writer wrote lustily about the latest model of Mustang, and the sound of its V8 engine that will go from 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds… will there ever be a sound from a fast electric vehicle that will invite such rhapsodies?

Not Much In The Way Of Icicles Yet

When icicles hang by the wall,
And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,
And Tom bears logs into the hall,
And milk comes frozen home in pail,
When blood is nipp’d and ways be foul,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,
And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,
And birds sit brooding in the snow,
And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,
Then nightly sings the staring owl,
Tu-whit;
Tu-who, a merry note,
While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.