Lots of Shiny Things
from the Speller:Today's NY Times reports that there will be a memorial service today, presented by the American Turkish Society, for the late Ahmet Ertegun, with several notables speaking, including Susan Steinberg. Ertegun made an impression on me when I was young and mostly ignorant because of his unusual name. I used to wonder if he was real. Years later, when I knew a little more, I realized that he was Turkish.
Also in the Times today is a story about pedicab drivers in New York. The subheadline is "Drifting Through Manhattan in a Pedicab, as Though Down the Mississippi on a Raft." The story makes me want to go to NY and ride in a pedicab. A driver says of his work, "You're outside all the time. You start when you want, quit when you want, take whatever days off you want. You're pretty much your own boss. It's one of the last bohemian jobs left." Sounds like great work to me, though it's being threatened -- of course -- by new regulations.
Okay, so there are more important things in the day's news, but this one caught my fancy.
Here are the miniature spring flowers, joining the crocuses and daffodils:
These are Iris reticulata. Next to them are Tete-a-tete daffodils, but I don't have a good picture. And here is my new mailbox, given me by my doctor-artist neighbor, whose house was formerly #9: 
Views are of its west, south, and east-facing sides. Zack's ship is still supporting it but needs to be repainted to match the shiny new box.
One more note: March 7 will mark the 20th anniversary of -- ????
7 comments:
oh flowers! We are so far from that:-(
Were you "mostly ignorant because of his unusual name"? That's a strange reason to be (mostly) ignorant.
I wonder if it is not just the taxi driver's job that is threatened, but himself (her-) as well. Do people try to rob taxi drivers?
To Anonymous: Yeah, I apologize to folks in the more northern extremities of Zone 6. We are in the same zone, but our spring is a month or so ahead of the northern reaches. To Caleb: Huh? I don't understand your response. -- Mom
Caleb: Oh, I went back to see what you were referring to... I said "mostly ignorant" to refer to my overall state of awareness of the world at that time in my life (which was a little younger than you are now). What I meant, and maybe didn't express too well (though my intention in "Shards" is above all to make clear statements) was that at that time in my life I was so ignorant of the world.... That's all. And I must say that part of the ongoing adventure of life is that one is continually more aware, and that that's part of the joy of it all. (Not that what one is aware of is necessarily cause for joy -- I'm just saying that the growing awarenesss of things is a joy.)
P.S. I'm a little exasperated at the need to establish identities here. I seem to be publishing as "St. Dunstan Library" (my alter ego), and it's difficult to switch to my other Blogger account without retyping my remarks.
On some Atlantic Records years ago the producer was "Nugetre" (I don't remember what the given first name was), which I eventually realized was Ertegun spelled backwards. And who was Nesuhi Ertegun, who's listed as 'supervisor' of John Coltrane and Don Cherry's album, The Avant Garde?
Lee
Must be his son. Or grandson. Or maybe not. I don't know if it's a common name. (Like SERUTAN is NATures spelled backwards?)
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