| Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes and calls and gifts. Regular calls and and Zooming have never felt so important. It makes a big difference, and it’s only going to be more important as the long gray winter settles in. A lot of my life these days is reading. Last year Tamar got me a membership in a plan from a bookshop that sends a book every month or two. Last month’s book was a family history called “House of Glass” that follows the family of the author from around 1900 to the present. They originated in southern Poland, and after some pogroms that followed the First World War they moved to Paris, where they lived in comparative peace and prosperity through the interwar period. The author’s grandmother married an American and moved to Long Island in 1938, but always pined for the elegant Paris of her youth. Two of her three brothers survived the war and continued to live in France. The characters are fascinating and their adventures, especially during the war, were amazing. I’ve also been reading and enjoying a series of books in Catalan by a man named Jesus Moncada about a little town called Mequinensa where two rivers meet. His works are gently comic, and a lot of fun to read. They remind me of Lake Wobegon, but they are much more tied to history, because the author grew up in the town during the period after the Spanish Civil War, and that colored everything for him. The election results are the best news we’ve had in a long time. We’re all very relieved, but the Evil One in the White House’s refusal to concede is very upsetting. I think he’s just doing this to get attention. It’s hard to conceive of anyone less suited to the position of President. Another worry is the rapidly rising rates of COVID around here. They’ve put out an advisory that basically repeats the order of last March but is less compulsory. May we all survive this in good health, and be able to see each other very soon! (The picture was taken in Rogers Park just after sunset a few days ago. The music is me playing a recorder duet that I used to play with Grandmother Genie.) |
| Created on 14 November 2020 by Samuel Ethan Fox |
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| Hi Sam |
| Nice to check in and how things are going in the world of Sam. Thats a very nice recording of you and Aunt Genie. Be wel... |