Otomi Poem

The river goes by, goes by  And never stops.   The wind goes by, goes by  And never stops   Life goes by  and never comes back.  Aztec   A World of Poetry   

New York City (Times Square):  In its current iteration since 2008–09, a 11,875 pounds (5,386 kg) ball covered in Waterford Crystal panels has been lowered from the top of One Times Square.  The Times Square Ball was originally made of wood and previously metal; during the 1980s, an illuminated apple was used in its place.  In 2009, an enlarged version of the new LED-equipped ball became a permanent fixture year-round atop One Times Square.

Niagara Falls, New York:  A ten-foot Gibson Guitar is dropped from a specially designed 120-foot scaffold at the stroke of midnight at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Watertown, New York:  A beach ball is dropped at noon New Year's Eve, which kicks off the city's season-long winter celebration, Snowtown USA.    

Chagrin Falls, Ohio:  A ball of popcorn is dropped.

Cincinnati, Ohio:  A flying pig is "flown", not dropped, confirming there is at least one occasion "when pigs fly".

Elmore, Ohio:  A sausage is dropped.

Marion, Ohio:  In the home of the annual Marion Popcorn Festival and the home of the Wyandot Popcorn Company, a giant ball of popcorn is dropped.

Port Clinton, Ohio:  A walleye fish named "Captain Wylie Walleye" is dropped.   

Allentown, Pennsylvania:  Allentown's own liberty bell is dropped to commemorate the period when the Liberty Bell was stored in Allentown during the American Revolution.

Beavertown, Pennsylvania:  A stuffed beaver is dropped.

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania:  A 100-pound yellow illuminated Peep made out of fiberglass.  (The producer of Peeps, Just Born, is based in Bethlehem)

Dillsburg, Pennsylvania:  Two pickles are dropped; the "Lil' Dill" at 7:00 p.m. ET (midnight in Ireland, in celebration of Dillsburg's Irish founders), and "Mr. Pickle" at midnight.

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania:  A giant M&M is dropped at midnight UTC to correspond with midnight in sister city Letterkenny in Ireland.  This changed to a Dove chocolate bar in 2012–13; both Dove and M&M's are manufactured in Elizabethtown.  

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania:  For 2014, a steel mushroom was dropped.  Kennett Square, often called "The Mushroom Capital of the World", is one of the largest growers of mushrooms.

Lebanon, Pennsylvania:  A 100-pound stick of Lebanon Bologna is dropped.  The bologna itself is distributed to a local food bank and animal shelter following the drop.

McClure, Pennsylvania:  A kettle is dropped in honor of McClure Bean Soup Festival.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_objects_dropped_on_New_Year%27s_Eve    

These 10 Venison Dinners Will Knock Your Socks Off by Food Dude   https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/venison-dinners/    

Favorite books read by The Muser in 2023    

The Switch (2017) by Joseph Finder 

The Executor (2010) by Jesse Kellerman

Believe Me (2018) by J.P. Delaney

Bordeaux (2008) by Paul Torday

Anything is Possible (2017) by Elizabeth Strout

To Cut a Long Story Short (2000) by Jeffrey Archer 

Ella Minnow Pea (2001) by Mark Dunn 

Born a Crime:  Stories from a South African Childhood (2016) by Trevor Noah

A Man Called Ove (2013) by Fredrick Backman    

In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you. - Mortimer J. Adler, philosopher, educator, and author (28 Dec 1902-2001)    

The Ultimate Best Books of 2023 List:  Reading All the Lists So You Don’t Have To Since 2017  by Emily Temple  December 23, 2023  I now present to you the Ultimate List, otherwise known as the List of Lists—in which I read all the Best Of lists and count which books are recommended most.  This year, I sorted through 62 lists from 48 publications, which yielded a total of 1,132 books.  (I can only say:  yikes.)   94 of those books made it onto 5 or more lists, and I have collated these for you here, in descending order of frequency.  See the lists at https://lithub.com/the-ultimate-best-books-of-2023-list/  

The love of one's country is a splendid thing.  But why should love stop at the border? - Pablo Casals, cellist, conductor, and composer (29 Dec 1876-1973)  

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2762  December 29, 2023