We Didn't Go Back to the Wildlife Preserve Today
I did Google "Alonso F Bonsal," though to learn more about why he gave the land to Montclair and there was no information about him on the web. Instead, perhaps his grandson has a Myspace profile. How odd that there's nothing about Alonso Bonsal other than the Max Shulman-esque profile of possibly the next, next generation.
Instead, we planted bulbs in the front-, back- and side-yards:
- Boogie Woogie Lily Trees
- Purple Prince Lily Trees
- Landini Lily
- Parrot Tulip Mixture
- Candle in the Night Tulips
- Czardas Daffodils
- White Lion Daffodils.
My legs hurt already -- from hip to calf -- from crouching over the trowel. We were outside for a bit more than three hours, but probably almost an hour of it was spent, talking with a neighbor. He's a camera-man for one of the sports organizations and we found out today that he also plays the drums in a band that covers everything from Pearl Jam to Neil Young.
Music as a Bridge
I didn't want to disappoint him by saying that I was unfamiliar with Pearl Jam's music, and that I preferred disco and R&B. "I *love* Neil Young," I exclaimed when he finally named an artist whose music I'd heard. And I do, actually.
He was introduced to me after freshman year of college by a high-school girl whose mother paid me to tutor the girl in how to study for college. It was touching that her mom wanted her to succeed in college, but it might have been too late.
The girl drove a Camaro or similar car and seemed to be the sort, who probably skipped school as often as she attended it. I might have written about this experience here before, but after the last session, she asked me if I wanted to listen to some music before she dropped me off at home.
Yes.
We drove to the Cove, part of the shore of the Long Island Sound in Stamford, and sat in her car -- feathers, hanging from the rear-view mirror -- silently listening to Neil Young. At the time, I felt like the scene of us was cool, and at the same time, a little pathetic. I didn't know if I had helped her have a brighter academic future, or if the sessions with me might have boosted her confidence a bit, and/or might have given her mom some hope.
I wonder what the girl and her mother are doing today.
