Hope Springs Eternal
in the human breast - ALEXANDER POPE
Some experts have discussed that Pope was referring to human beings’ belief in an afterlife that would be better. But many of us like this saying as referring to our everyday circumstances. And remember how much was made of Bill Clinton as "“The Man from Hope” which referred to the town in Arkansas; but many of us wanted to believe that he could save us and this gave us hope.
This morning Dan Rather and Team Steady posted a wonderful Substack on this very subject, and it includes an amazing video prepared as the background to Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful”—definitely have your hanky ready!
I’m writing this before I sit down to enjoy my Sunday paper. Yesterday I got so involved with this’s and that’s and never finished my Saturday read nor the puzzle, so I’m determined to focus today on catching up. Another clever writer here (Doc Blase’) noted that it is hard to keep up so I was glad to get an overview from that post this morning.
And I’m looking forward to this Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at BankSquare Books (which has moved relatively recently so be sure to get the latest location) to finally meet Maura Casey in person and get my two autographed copies of her book “Saving Ellen.” Maura is interviewed in our local paper today, and I will enjoy reading that soon. My BFF Carol is heading off for Ireland this morning, and when she returns in ten days or so, I will have a present for her. The family that Maura describes will definitely resonate with another woman of Irish background.
Another spark of happiness recently came from the fact that I finally got the Satisfaction of Judgment filed on the court records for the five-year long saga of paying off a credit card bill at $35 a week. I had actually completed the total amount by the end of November and had noted the need for the SAT at that time. For whatever reason, it was not forthcoming in a timely fashion, and although I have a great credit score now and don’t want any more credit anywhere, I just wanted that final step to be completed. Persistence is one of my positive attributes, and I must say it feels great to have succeeded (I choose to ignore the fact that it should have been done much earlier and that there are actually penalties to them for not having done so. I’ll be magnanimous today.)
Meanwhile, I just heard the train whistle blowing which reminded me of my recent trip to the City. I would like to go again soon and pretend that I am 19 still.
RESIST ALWAYS
TTFN
You bring up the afterlife. Is that something you believe in?
If my question is perceived as invasive, sorry, and I’ll understand you not answering.
I miss the train whistles that have been a constant throughout my life. There have been short periods when there weren't any but now the nearest tracks are over two mountains and that's just the spur that goes to the quarry. But it does have to whistle for a crossing now and then and when I am outdoors and the weather is clear, I hear that whistle in the distance.
My house is next to an abandoned right-of-way (the locals pronounce it right away). Some of the older people recall driving on the tracks to get to a place where they could buy beer but after the Allison floods in 1972 one of the bridges over the creek washed out and since then all the rails have been removed -- even the ones in the tunnels. Then the road bridge over the place where they had to excavate to get through an extension of the hill was removed and filled in. Last to go was a rail bridge over a road but the bridge over the creek is still standing.