Once again, as the world appears to be on the brink of “World War 3” re: Iran, etc., I flew to Boston yesterday and encountered on my journey only good people of every persuasion, color, and dress. Helpful, kind, smiling, Such a disconnect from what the media, both mainstream and much of alternative, presents!
Once here, instead of worrying about what the Deep State Swamp is playing out now, or how all the so-called ‘powers that be’ are playing with us now, I go with son Sean, and grandkids Kiera and Drew to check out a real swamp in drippy, early January.
Lots of complaining. “Are we really doing this today? Why? It’s horrible out.”
“Oh come on. You can handle it. It’s fun! Best day ever!
First view, from viewing platform.
On and on, we kidded around, each one in turn threatening to balk: what are we doing walking around this (swamp) “pond” on such an awful day? but then, what do you know, we got into the swing of things. Son Sean, 17-year-old Drew, 19-year-old Kiera.
As we began our sloshy walk around the pond, Kiera told us about her dilemma. She is at the University of Colorado, a sophomore in Architecture, with an emphasis on environmental design. And this semester, she wants to take a certain course, which is only going to be offered once, via a grant. And the problem is, it’s off campus, two miles away, and she doesn’t have time to walk back and forth. Plus, she doesn’t know anyone in the class who lives near her who could give her a ride. “What’s the class?” I ask. “Design in Space,” she tells me.
Of course!
Geez!
At some point, I decide to just take pics. And what a swamp it is!
This evening, they’re all watching a football game, the “decisive” game between the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans. Before dinner we played a nasty game of Blokus, where the goal is to invade each other’s territory by exploiting every corner and laying your own pieces down. The one with the fewest pieces left over wins. Hmmm . . . reminds me of the state of the world. As usual. And how games are designed to program us to become competitive and predatory.
Of course Drew won. He always wins. He won our Scrabble game last night, too, coming up with the word “quan.” Huh?
On our sloggy walk Sean looked it up on his phone. “Siri: define quan: ‘A female’s polite let-down during a first date using very subtle signs.’
Tomorrow, tubing down a hill, then the movie Little Women. Drew balking. Wants to see the new Star Wars. He’s outnumbered. “Just watch it because it was made in [nearby] Concord, Drew.” Says Sean. “It’s only two hours out of your life.” We laugh and kid about a lot, around here. Takes the edge off, during this gathering Saturn/Pluto storm.
This is the only weekend the three of us are together, since both Kiera and I leave next Saturday and Drew’s back in school tomorrow.
Kiera and I plan on doing a bit of sleuthing this week on what kinds of urban permaculture projects are going on in the Boston area. Plus visit Nancy, a dear old friend of mine, now living an hour north of here, and caring for her husband, Ray, now with dementia, and formerly a fellow student with Kiera’s grandfather Patrick, at Harvard in Architecture. Full circle, for this kid. And she never even knew him. He died after seeing her only once, at her birth.
