Time Enough at Last

Time Enough at Last

 

Remember Henry Bemis, a bookish little man with thick horn-rimmed glasses wants only one thing out of life; the time to read.  Fortunately  the Series of Unfortunate Events in Henry’s life is fiction. His lot in life was permanent. Ours is not.  Even as corona-virus (2019-NCoV) surrounds us in trepidation and apprehension for now, there will be a welcome conclusion soon.  Isolate,self-quarantine or simply practice social distancing are some advice.  So,  Time enough at last is upon us. Make of it what you will. For me, reading is the order of the day. Usually at arms’ length, are Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, Richard Dawkins, Sean Carroll, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nick Lane, etc.  A few days ago, they were to be found back in the book case. As John Prine said, “I’m across the river on the other side of town
In my mind I’m on the other side of town”.  I needed to go some place far away and fiction was the finest initiative. When I was a kid, I only read books and magazines resting on science or nature. Then one day, I found a treasure trove concealed in our attic. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway, On the Beach, Nevil  Shute, Johnny Got His Gun,  by Dalton Trumbo. and many other great finds as well, including  John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Emily Elizabeth DickinsonMark Twain to name a few. Years later I found out the previous owners son, was an avid reader.  Soon my science, nature books and magazines, gathered dust, but only temporarily.

 

So, these are the order of the day for now.

 

Christmas cactus (updated)

A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

In spite of what you may have heard, Christmas cactus is a lot more drought tolerable. This one was neglected for months without water. I thought it was a lost cause. There were spider webs between the appendages. A year ago, I would water it enough to moisten the soil. Let it completely dry out and moisten again. Indirect sunlight a few hours a day. With all the turmoil and apprehension surrounding us, It was pleasurable to wake to a beautiful bloom.

Other side of town

“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”– Carl Sagan

A clown puts his makeup on upside down
So he wears a smile even when he wears a frown

I’m across the river on the other side of town
In my mind I’m on the other side of town

Light years ago. Back home

You can’t go home again

 

It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. Looks the same, smells the same, feels the same. You’ll realize what’s changed is you.

 

Above: July 4th, 2008, Berkley Ma. Top image, my first home that I remember. Taunton, MA.  It laid by the banks of the three mile river. I remember every room, every square inch, every snowy  day, every thunder storm.

You leave home, you move on and you do the best you can.
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am.

I thought if I could touch this place or feel it
This brokenness inside me might start healing.
Out here it’s like I’m someone else,
I thought that maybe I could find myself.
If I could walk around I swear I’ll leave.
Won’t take nothing but a memory
From the house that, built me.

 

Carl Sagan mentions such things as false memories and confabulations, and they are not rare at all. Misrememberings are the rule, not the exception. They occur all the time. They occur even in cases where the subject is absolutely confident – even when the memory is a seemingly unforgettable flashbulb, one of those metaphorical mental photographs.”  You take it  from here.

Dighton to Taunton

North Dighton, leaving such a friendly neighborhood was painful.  However, the folks in my new neighborhood continue to welcome us with the same warmth as our Dighton neighbors did. The images below are from my Dighton back yard. Lets see what East Glen will offer me.

View from East Glen

Not quite Dighton,  but any port in a storm. Tawny Port maybe.

4.5+ billion years old, still looks good. 

 

A Wild Turkey’s “beard” is the tuft that looks a bit like a miniature horsetail dangling from its breast. Year-old males have beards up to about five inches long, while toms three or more years old can have beards that are 10 inches or longer. Rarely, a tom will have one primary beard and one or two smaller beards just above it.

Summer is almost gone.

It’s Labor Day. Where did my summer go. Every season has it’s unpleasant mood. Labor Day is at the top of the list for me.  It was much worse while in school, but not much better over 50 years later. Summer fades into Fall, shorter days, irritability and anxiety along with a bunch of other Clinical definitions bullshit of seasonal disorders. Hell, I am making my self depressed now. 

we’re meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?