By David Fortier 

Come Sunday morning, we will have had at least one day of temperate weather. I will take it. And I did take advantage of the weather by taking a long walk down Kelly’s Hill and through Page Park, with Quinn, daughter No. 4’s Australian Shepherd. 

I take the back road with the barriers, so no vehicles are allowed. This is, as I found, part of the disc golf course, which according to a bunch of people, mostly younger, is a gem. The walk also borders the “no mow” zone that the parks system initiated recently. Signs inform people of the benefits of such a program, including how it helps keep the temperature down. 

By the pond, a few people sit on benches or lawn chairs enjoying the environs. (Plenty of people were on the disc golf course. I overheard at least one conversation between two people, one of whom was learning the game: “So, here I would use the putter?”) 

The pool is filled with swimmers, and according to one person who was leaving after a swim, the water is terrific. 

*** 

At some point during the week, Mary and I learned from a yellow sign posted on the sugar maple on the tree border in front of our house that the city’s tree arborist has determined the tree is a hazard and that the city will be taking it down—unless someone objects. We will not be objecting. Mary and I discussed this and decided that it’s time, even though we have done our best to fertilize the soil, add nitrates, and have it pruned – just this spring.  

Throughout the week, I managed to take a walk each evening even though there was that humidity and heat. On my walks around the neighborhood, I started to take into account what types of trees might replace the one that is coming down. We don’t want anything that will grow too high and spread too wide. The last thing we would want is a tree that would take down powerlines or cause other issues, such as tearing up the sidewalk.  

We know that trees not only add to the aesthetics of a neighborhood but also have benefits, just like that “no mow” program I mentioned above. Trees moderate the temperature and take carbon dioxide out of the air and produce oxygen. A single tree cannot do this alone. We need lots of trees. Yet, we have been heading in the opposite direction lately, out of a defensive posture, since storm damage from trees has increased. 

Why not be more proactive? It might be a good thing for the city to consider instituting a program to replant trees when they come down and assist residents with their choice of trees, even to the tune of helping out with costs. In the end, everyone would benefit. It’s not a new idea. New Haven is one of 20 “tree cities” in the state. Included are Fairfield and Greenwich. Click here for more information about the state program. Click here for more information about the Arbor Day Foundation’s program nationwide.

*** 

Reading/listening this week—an interview with prolific author Joyce Carol Oates that appears in the New York Times and a podcast that features Yuval Noah Hariri, intellectual and historian. 

The Oates interview with David Marchese addresses time, our limited time on earth and how we have choices about how to spend it. Seems as if we might have heard this before, but Oates has an interesting approach. It might be best for young people to check it out. The interview is headlined, “Joyce Carol Oates Has Figured Out the Secret to Immortality.” Click here. 

Harari is the author of “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,” that takes on the idea of “cognitive revolution” that occurred, allowing homo sapiens to come to dominate Neanderthals. The conversation with Fridman is hours long—it can be taken in in segments—and it covers a lot of territory, punctuated with plenty of personal anecdotes and wisdom from a person who finds meditating for two hours a day an antidote to the merciless onslaught of information and who once a year goes on a silent retreat that lasts up to 60 days–and still gets to produce plenty of scholarship.

Of course, we all can’t do this, most of us won’t even try. At the same time, it is important to listen to a person who does and has for insights that get pulled out of the ether of silence and diligent study. The podcast, “#390 – Yuval Noah Harari: Human Nature, Intelligence, Power, and Conspiracies” is available here. Click here. 

Have a great week! 

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org. 

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