Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Rites and Privledges

It's beginning to look like spring. Finally. The temperature is up, the grass is beginning to green (although more slowly than the wife would like) and the flowers that have been dormant have begun to sprout.

I have some favorite rites of spring.

For many years when I was younger, one of these rites was that on the first day of spring (which I designated March 21) I would listen to a recording of a radio program called SARATOGA SPRINGS. All ninety one, four minute episodes. It was originally produced by a group called ZBS, and was broadcast on NPR in the early
90's. I loved it, and listened to it until the tapes wore out. By that time, they had ceased releasing the entire chronicle, and put of a cd of "THE BEST OF.." which wasn't as interesting.

For some reason, spring makes me think of the movie ROXANNE. Steve Martin's ode to Cyrano. I thought the movie was terrific; I especially love the bit in the bar, concocting insults on his nose. "Laugh and the world laughs with you; sneeze, and it's goodbye, Seattle!"

Of course, baseball. There is nothing on this earth as exciting to hear as the sound of a wooden bat striking a baseball. And how I long for the old days of the small ball.....you know what I mean; lead runner beats out an infield hit.....hit and run gets him to third....single up the middle to score the run. And I really miss the squeeze bunt. If you've got a hot runner on third with one out and a left hander at the plate, send that f*cker home!

The smell of freshly mowed grass. Not so much if I have to mow it, mind you, but I do enjoy the fragrance. And I suppose I like the therapy of mowing the lawn; turning chaos into order, straight lines......I have Monkish tendencies when it comes to the lawn.

Charcoal. With anything cooking. I married my wife for her barbecue acumen.

There are many things to do; the fence and the deck could use a new coat of stain, I still need to sort out the storage room downstairs, the garage looks like Dresden, and there is a lot of yard work yet to accomplish.

Perhaps I'll just pop in that cd of SARATOGA SPRINGS, and get to it.

Ah, the joys of spring.

1 comment:

Kizz said...

I just finished reading Steve Martin's autobio. Have you read it? Really good stuff. Inspiring and humbling in good ways.