Danbury Library Blog

Researched that song we sing and mangle every New Year's Eve--because no one knows the words. Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne (translation "long ago") in 1788. Bandleader Guy Lombardo made it a New Year's Eve tradition beginning in 1929 on radio and later on television. Impress friends and family by knowing the words:

SHOULD auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min'?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?

We twa hae rin about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl't i' the burn,
Frae mornin' sun till dine; 10
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.

And here 's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine;
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne! 20

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

GLOSS: gowans] daisies. fit] foot. dine] dinner-time. fiere] partner. guid-willie waught] friendly draught.

Posted by Mary at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many people associate model trains with Christmas. A set of model trains running around the Christmas tree is a cherished Christmas memory for many of us. Connecticut has played a large part in the history of model railroading. The Merriam Manufacturing Company of Durham, CT was one of the first to manufacture painted tin trains around the 1830s. George Brown of Forrestville, CT introduced the clockwork mechanism to American toy trains in 1856. Edward Riley Ives (a distant cousin of Danbury's composer, Charles Ives) founded the Ives Manufacuring Company in Plymouth, CT (it later moved to Bridgeport). The Ives Manufacturing Co. was the premier toy train manufacturer in the early 20th Century with its brilliant marketing campaign using the "Ives Railway Line" and telling its young customers that the success of their railroad depended on their management skills. Their slogan "Ives Toys Make Happy Boys" was a key component of their success. And don't forget to visit the Danbury Railway Museum.

Posted by John O'Donnell at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since I'm old enough to remember when "Merry Christmas" was the common greeting of the season, before the supposedly more politically correct and generic "happy holidays" became the common phrase, I'm going to extend a wish for a Merry Christmas to one and all today. (People who didn't celebrate Christmas would generally just tell me that fact and wish me a good one anyway, and even non-Christians still frequently celebrate the secular aspects of the holiday.) You can, of course, choose your favorite from the following list if you'd rather: Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy New Year, Bah humbug! I certainly hope no one chooses the last item and that everyone at least chooses the next-to-last. In any case, everyone here at the Danbury Library hopes you have a wonderful holiday season. May it be filled with health, happiness, hope and good cheer!

Posted by Mark at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

'Tis the season! The holidays are upon us once more. It's a time for gatherings, parties and celebrations. It's a perfect time to share joy, cheer, presents, and, let us not forget, germs. With the cold, wintery season upon us, and stores, homes and libraries filled with more people, it's easy to spread - and catch - colds, viruses and germs. I myself had a run of conjunctivitis this week. It has since subsided, although I had hoped I'd be able to spread my own personal style of holiday cheer to my friends and family. Alas, perhaps next year. Here's just a couple of tips on how you can protect yourself from germs, and to ensure that you have a very happy, and healthy, holiday season and new year:

• Carry around a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Use it liberally!
• Use anti-bacterial wipes and clean your keys, desk, computer keyboard, door handles.
• Bleach and vinegar are potent germ killers - use cleansers with one of these ingredients, or adding a small amount to a spray bottle filled with water can do the job as well.
• Wash your hands with warm soap and water early and often, for 15 seconds.

Click here for some more tips and tricks on staying healthy, from The Nurses' Notebook.

Posted by Merry at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)