Earth Day and others

lovely bride pre me

I love this picture of Judy.  This was taken before we met and it captures her serenity.  The girl with the beautiful locks is the girl I married.  She remarkably still puts up with me.  This was probably taken some time around 1970, the year of the original Earth Day.

In 1970 I was a sophomore at Wayne State with an uncertain future and not knowing what I wanted to do with my life.  The campus was filled with political activism, people opposed to the war in southeast Asia and with concerns about the current political system and its leaders.  Me, I was more concerned with finding a way to have girls like me.  All this activity was a passing event in my life but I was not too sure of myself and hoping for the best,  listening to all the chaos around me.  There were loud bands playing at the center of the campus.  There was Fred the poet doing handstands at the amazement of all.  He was an old guy with a flowing white beard, reputedly he was a figure model for the art department for pay.  I made new friends that liked me for who I was at that moment, with no past social failures to deal with.  It was truly a new day.

This concept of Earth Day in 1970 was foreign to me.  I had never thought of sustainability for our planet, not in the least.  The organizers presented ideas that were so big I couldn't wrap my head around them. Took clean water and air for granted.  Did not worry about garbage and where it goes and all the plastic waste that now proliferates.  Never thought that many things do not degrade in the earth and last for hundreds of years.  Most recently was faced with the disquieting reality of plastic waste washing up on the Atlantic coast on our Florida trip.  When I viewed it, I was infuriated.  We need to do more.   

Listening to classical music while I write this today.  This music is not only lovely and melodious but it is even and countable, time signature wise, no dissonant elements anywhere.  How on earth did these composers put all these instrumental parts together?  Forging harmony and a melodic line makes for a sometimes moving experience. 

Viewed a couple of notable films on Netflix yesterday.  The Beautiful Fantastic is a lovely small film about an obsessive girl living in the English  countryside and her interactions with a grumpy widower gardener and their ensuing friendship over flowers.  This is a wonderful rainy or snowy day viewing.  Tom Wilkinson the recognizable British actor does a yeoman's job in his portrayal.   Worth a look.

The Giant Mechanical Man is a 2012 film that was largely filmed in Detroit with the Detroit Zoo as a primary setting.  Its a good, not great film starring Pam from the Office and Chris Messina from the Mindy Project.  But the real hit for me was the Zoo.  Been there many times with kids and without. We have trod the path shown in the many times.

All for now
Stay safe