Apple Picking (Week Twenty-Nine)

On Friday, Stephen and I rented a car and drove to an apple orchard about sixty miles north of the city. It was the first time we've left Manhattan since March. It felt stressful in some ways and relaxing in others. Like everyone else in the country, we were discussing the implications of the leader of the Republican Party's recent diagnosis. All things considered, we didn't understand the need expressed by centrist Democrats and the NYT editorial board to go out of one's way to wish him a speedy recovery. We speculated about what Trump would have to do in order for these same people not to wish him a speedy recovery: exactly where and how do they draw the line? If, four years ago, we had said to these people: "If I told you that this man will be responsible (at least to some important extent) for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people; that he will openly espouse white nationalism; that he will do everything in his power to disenfranchise voters around the country; that he will set up detention centers at the border and separate parents from their children; that he will gut environmental regulations (like all of them); that he will work relentlessly to eliminate health care for millions of people; that he will refuse to pay taxes despite constantly bragging about his fortune; that he will try to privatize schools and social security; that he will refuse to acknowledge global warming as an existential threat and subsidize the fossil fuel industry; that he will do all of that and so much more (for this is only a partial list of what he will do); with all of that in mind, would you still think it imperative for those of us who oppose these measures to 'set politics aside' and wish him a speedy recovery from an infection that he has often claimed was a hoax? Because if the answer is 'yes' I would like to know exactly what might prevent you offering this advice."  

The trees were just beginning to turn. 

It felt good to see the fields and the trees, even from a car. 

We understood the impulse to flee the city. Here, it was easy to social distance while buying apples (and donuts and hot cider!) We thought about our neighbors who had left the city in March. Stephen asked where they lived, and it seemed possible that it was somewhere around here. 'Or maybe closer to Albany,' I said, although I actually had no idea. People leave the city and vanish into these paintings, frozen in time. We had no plans to leave for more than a few hours, but I admired the empty road. Maybe if I lived in the country, I thought, I wouldn't have to go running at 4:30 am to have the streets to myself. 

This week I recorded a new song called 'Fear on the Ground Fear in the Sky'. Can you guess what it's about :)

Recording notes: I've been working on my finger-picking skills, which you can hear on the main guitar line (played on my 'pride and joy,' a 1972 Fender Telecaster Custom) that runs through most of the song. I tried using an acoustic guitar, but it was too screechy with my fingers moving around, so I went with the electric. Lyrically, I don't think the song is 'anything to write home about' but when I think about my favorite songs, there are quite a few where the lyrics -- except for a few words here and there -- are more 'impressionistic' and that's the effect I wanted to achieve here. I'm still recording these songs on my iPhone with Cubasis 3.0, which I recommend for anyone looking for something a bit more 'robust' and nuanced than GarageBand (not that there's anything wrong with GB!) For those of you looking to catch up on the full roster of Death Culture @ Sea, here's the full playlist. 

In a few weeks, we're going to find out what's around the bend. Let's hope it's the first step in a speedy recovery for a country that's been sick for far too long. 

Comments

[Mark]

Love the essay and love the lyrics. Be well!

[Fran]

i was angry when I saw our PM do the same "A spokesman for Scott Morrison said "the Prime Minister has sent a private message to the President wishing him a speedy and full recovery"." In a bloody "private" message too. Prefer the French govt spokesman "This demonstrates that the virus spares no one, including those who have shown scepticism," Attal said on French television. "I wish him a swift recovery."" or even the Chinese newspaper editor "President Trump and the first lady have paid the price for his gamble to play down the COVID-19," Hu said.

"The news shows the severity of the US's pandemic situation. It will impose a negative impact on the image of Trump and the US, and may also negatively affect his re-election."

[Matt]

Or this tweet I just saw from Dan Savage: "It feels like Ronald Reagan got AIDS" (!)