(early November 2021)
A couple
days ago I noticed a brace of unfamiliar birds on the feeder out front.
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In a couple
days I am setting out on a short vacation. It will begin with a quick trip to
Endeavor and the retail outlet of Andy's Meats, the meat processing facility
for Chicago's Andy's Deli. A friend and I are looking to stock our
freezers with enough kielbasa and other Polish delectables to last us through
the winter.
After I get
home and empty my cooler, I will immediately jump back in my car and head for
Osseo, 150 some odd miles up I94. That evening I am to meet 1-3 high school
classmates for dinner. I haven't seen any of them for 30+ years so it should be
fun evening of reminiscing and catching up.
After that I
have sundry plans to do some hiking. I am thinking of walking a stretch of the
Buffalo River State Trail the following morning before hitting the road once
again. This time I'll take Highway 53 north to the Chippewa Moraine State Recreational Area where more hiking awaits. The Frau and I were there back in 2009 and we stood on a ridge and watched a storm approach as a flock of
hummingbirds gorged themselves on the many feeders at the interpretive center.
It looks
like there's a chance for snow up there so I must remember to pack
appropriately.
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I recently whipped up a batch of beef paprikash.
********
I've been to
the movies a few times recently. The first was to see the Icelandic film Lamb.
Without
giving too much away – the trailer gives rather a lot away, in my opinion – the
story is thus: a couple who have lost their daughter find that one of their
sheep has given birth to a human-sheep hybrid - a shuman, if you will. They take it in as if it
was their daughter. The husband's brother shows up and relationships become very
strained. At one point the child-chimera's father returns…
I really liked this movie. Low-level tension hung over everything and there was a lot of Nordic stoicism too so, when tempers flared and passions were loosed, they were all the more dramatic. There was an element of fantasy to it as well in the form of some folkloric elements and I just found that all of these ingredients added up to an enticing tale.
After Lamb,
I went to see the latest James Bond movie.
While I
rather like Daniel Craig as Bond, I was forced to ban my Frau from viewing his
outings several years ago as the British secret agent as she enjoyed seeing Craig's butt in Casino
Royale just a bit too much for my liking. I am unsure how well that ban has held up.
No Time to Die has a sepulchral feel to it that hangs over the events of the story. Quite appropriate for the ending, which I won't spoil. It was a fine Bond movie with plenty of chases, pretty women, and stuff blowing up. I am looking forward to seeing who is cast in the role next.
********
My latest read:
The gist is
that we evolved in natural environments, not cities, so our brains are wired in
a certain way so as to flourish best in certain respects in fields and forests
instead of urban canyons and office cubicles. In general, people tend to be more at
ease, less stressed, and focus on the positive when out in nature as opposed to
being in cities.
Williams
notes that this isn't really a new idea and quotes Frederick Law Olmsted as
saying that nature "employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises
it". Olmsted designed some parks down in Chicago but I am not sure which
ones. Didn't he work on the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893?
We meet a
Korean park ranger named Park Hyun-Soo who works at the Jangseong Healing
Forest which is dominated by cypress trees. He touts the benefits of the
activities offered there such as mediation and tea ceremonies. Hyun-Soo also
promotes the effects of the phytoncides from the trees as there is research
that shows inhaling them can reduce stress and blood pressure.
Later we
meet and follow a group of veterans with PTSD going on a rafting/ camping
adventure in Utah. For some, the exposure to nature was a mere diversion. For
others, it brought them out of their shell and they found some happiness in
socializing for the first time in a while.
Williams is
even-handed in her accounts. She admits that nothing is a cure-all and that
being in nature can affect different people differently.
A very
interesting read and highly recommended.
********
Bonus photo.
Here's a picture of a very naughty cat that looks rather angelic because
of the way the light comes in over her head. Don't be fooled!
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