So long, Bruce - I'm gonna miss you - Poem for Bruce - Happy New Year TV watching

 The couch is no longer a bed. Bruce relaxes while he gets ready for Joanne Fabian to pick him up and take him to his new family in Ambler, PA.

Ambler was formerly the asbestos capital of the world. Cough cough cough. Oy, my left lung is aching.

Bruce will spend New Year's Eve with his new family: Matt, his wife and 3-yo daughter Lorelei.

Me, I'm all alone in the empty house.

To celebrate, I took Scott to the train station at 8 pm, then went to B&N where I was gonna read some Hafez poetry as mentioned tonite on the news

Muhammad Hāfez-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمس‌ دین محمد حافظ شیرازی‎), known by his pen name Hāfez (1325/26–1389/1390),^[1] was a Persian poet. His collected works composed of series of Persian literature are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran who learn his poems by heart and use them as proverbs and sayings to this day.

Dick Davis, his British translater, said he is virtually unknown outside Iran. His mission is to expand the reach of Hafez, and lucky for you, my ELEVEN delicious readers, you have now heard of him.

Davis considers Hafez the "Bach" of poets, meaning he uses all the previous forms of poetry but surpasses them. Read about him on the PBS website. When I looked, it said, Be the first to comment. Dyou think I did?

I cooked lentils in my new Hamilton Beach crockpot aka crock of disapptmt. Bought it at the Hatboro thrift shop for about $8, brand new.

No one should buy it. Why? B/c it doesn't have a shut-off valve. If you cook something for four hours you've gotta be around to turn it off.

Defeats the purpose.

Joanne Fabian picked up Bruce but only after the new family's documents were approved, including background checks.

Joanne is the International Residential Coordinator of
www.thecambridgeinstitute.org | www.gphomestay.com.

Since I am now a total toady of Facebook, I "liked" the site and posted a couple photos. 

It shocked me to see the pic which shows how short I am. But gorgeous as Gabor.

What in tarnation?

To console me from not going in to B&N - they didn't even list they'd be closed early tonite! - I went to Bonefish Grill and bought me some thick and creamy clam chowder. I bought it cuz it was the cheapest item on the menu and was healthy and DELICIOUS!

Tell me how YOU'RE spending New Year's.

Oh, look, they never pay attention to me.

I'm gonna watch my new Netflix. I discovered


Meet George Gently and his new partner whose name I haven't memorized yet.

And this one is pretty good


Steve Van Zandt, the singer, plays a gangsta who moved to Norway to stake out a new territory. He's an excellent actor.


TO YUAN “BRUCE” LI
December 31, 2013

The stork delivered you
in a VW Jetta
o Chinese son
mine for
nine holy days
at Christmas time.

I loved your face
and tall slender body
a bamboo
swaying with the wind

We teach each other
Boy and mom
Together we watch
Tank Man at
Tienamen Square
you love his bravery
as we watch his last stand
before he is marched away
and vanishes forever
like last night’s dream

The sound of your laughter
that of a confident
seventeen-year-old
spills from your bedroom
into this empty house
Christmas lights in
the front windows
cheer me from
the departure of
Sarah and Dan

How brave thou art!
Kissing mother and
father goodbye
in Anhui province
by the wide Yangtze River
then flying in three
silver airplanes
across the rippling Pacific
where unseen fishermen
pull in their catch
then across the Midwest
where Asians are
exotic
bound up in stereotypes
then on to Philadelphia
to study at a renowned
Catholic prep school

Religion is not for my boy.
“Science is my god,” you proclaim
sure of yourself
as the morning sun

On wintry mornings
with white clouds
scurrying by
you do your tai chi in
the backyard
the sparrows pause
in flight
the woodpeckers
stop their hammering
charmed by your
Baryshnikov ballet steps
and rhythmic breathing

And proud mother
that I am
watch you from the
kitchen window
underneath the barren maple
and will continue to see you
my Chinese son
Yuan Li
long after you have gone.