Precession

The days pass. The change in the season is apparent from the growth of green things, the baby birds learning to fly. and the increasing warmth of the Sun on this old and graying head. Another sign has become apparent.
Yesterday morning I was awakened by my invisible friend, proudly announcing his presence outside with his chirping whistle. I looked at the clock and noticed that it was 4:38 A.M.. This morning the same thing happened with one difference. It was 4:26 A.M.. Morning comes earlier each day. In a few weeks the cycle will reverse.
Soon will come the days of frost and cider and cinnamon doughnuts. Soon will come the season when New England celebrates its bounty and glides into the season of rest. Rest that tests the mettle of all of us Swamp Yankees. I have seen 256 seasons and, lo and behold, miracles of miracles, I have seen the Red Sox win the World Series! That was something my Father long anticipated but never saw.
I will not see it this year if it happens. The television that I have now shows nothing but snow, how appropriate for a New England television. I am the victim of digitalization. It has been two days now and I am enjoying it. I never realized how much of my life was spent under the spell of the Cyclops in the corner. The only things that I miss are 2 1/2 Men and Stargate. I also miss Oswald and Joey, my two personal heroes and role models. Released from my bondage, I read, I clean, I cook, I walk, and I stare at this Cyclops on the desk. There is still Wikipedia but that is small comfort. There is little joy in reading things that you already know. Once again the joys of the library blossom forth. I feel a need to once again try to understand Hesiod.
Th Asiatics gave us the zero and the alphabet. Stern rules that allowed no deviation. The Romans gave is the law. Stern rules that allowed no deviation. The Germans gave us astronomy, stern rules that encompassed the Universe. The Greeks gave us the Question. The gift that allows us examine the rules. They questioned everything. We celebrate their achievements in geometry, philosophy, drama, poetry, and sculpture. Hesiod dealt with religion and myth. Might he have discovered something that has been overlooked? Those subjects have been much on my mind lately.
Long ago I read something that I have always remembered. As you journey out in a search for knowledge, you will meet a Greek coming back. The Greeks spent so much time and effort and thought on discovering the secrets of life, you would think that they might have spent a little more time looking for a decent cheese. The French did.