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I've neglected writing for awhile, since this is a busy time of
year for any lover of the outdoors. Mornings are the best time
for bike rides - the earlier the better. The paved trails
through the woods are surprisingly busy, with joggers, dog
walkers, and fellow peddlers. Being a student of human nature, I
can't help but notice that some days, like this morning, almost
everyone I pass by on the trail speaks, and seems to be in a
cheerful mood. Other days, very few do. I haven't yet figured
out why.
Two weeks ago, M and I biked to a stretch of street where I had
spied a big patch of dewberry vines blooming back in the early
spring. I was hoping most of the city folk in the area wouldn't
know what they were. It looked as if some had been picked,
but we were able to get enough for a pie. Being in shorts and
tank tops, we paid with blood - literally. But a wild berry pie
is pretty good.
This has been the year for the birds to establish their
dominance. The woodpecker that was destroying the house
finally moved on. M says she scared it away for good, but I
don't know... The smaller birds have discovered that
building nests in human spaces can be safer than building in
trees, so we had one nest in the garage and one on top of a
light on the back patio. I thought they were done making
babies for the year, so I was going to remove one of the nests,
but when I climbed up on the ladder and started to pick up the
nest, there were four little open beaks pointing straight up. I
told them "I'm not your mama," and put the nest back. There's a
nest just like it here in the city on a sprinkler head mounted
on the wall just outside my apartment door. The parents are much
more aggressive here, dive bombing me anytime I go in or out the
door. It seems like most city dwellers learn aggression quickly,
whether it's protecting their young or driving on the freeway.
The outdoor concert schedule is in full swing now. Last
weekend, it was nostalgia time, with $10 lawn tickets for the
Moody Blues. As much as I like their music, I think it's time to
hang it up - sorry to say those once golden voices are no longer
so. Last night, the symphony gave a free concert downtown
in Hermann Park. The selections were excellent, as was the
violin soloist. I was surprised to see that the crowd
included a large number of Southeast Asians - people you are
much more likely to see doing acrylic nails than at a dress-up
full-price performance at Jones Hall. I guess they know to take
advantage of a great opportunity when they see it.
Before the last piece, Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, the
conductor spoke passionately about the artist's life in Russia,
and how it affected his music. You see, he was attracted to
other men, and living in a society where any deviation from
"normal" was just not allowed, his existence was rather tragic.
Symphony audiences are one of those groups where extremes of
social values are pushed together. The older, well heeled
conservative crowd has to share their love for the music with
the artistic, predominantly socially liberal bunch who in large
part compose and perform the music. How ironic that some
of those in the first group see no hypocrisy when they declare
their dislike for the talented people who feel compelled live
their lives differently. |
