Classic Style

F or about ten hours Saturday, it was possible to forget about our complete and utter lack of leadership -- amid the ongoing loss of lives and related, unresolved social issues boiling over -- through physical labor outside. -- Heinz-Ulrich

The center bed with our well ventilation pipe and a few Black-eyed Susans that I was able to salvage. T he last three late afternoons and early evenings before sunset have been spent giving some much overdue TLC to three garden beds in front of Totliegh-in-the-Wold.  Backbreaking is something of an understatment, but the end results are worth it.  A two inch bed of mulch will follow tomorrow  plus a few deer-resistant perennials before moving onto other beds that need some weeding and revamping.  Whew! Heinz-Ulrich The bed beneath the small tree with a rather nicely rendered tree-ring if I do say so myself.  Roots close to the surface prevented a nice, crisp edge, so I improvised with some unused bricks to set the bed off from the surrounding lawn. And the bed beneath a big, old Oak.  Again, roots close to the surface of the ground made edging difficult, but I did what I could.  Mulch for all three areas tomorrow (Sunday).  The bed around the mail...

It's amazing how the interiors of so many adults' homes resemble that of a particularly sloppy teenager. W ork-related Zoom and Teams meetings in the time of Covid-19 the last ten weeks or so have provided interesting, albeit unwanted, insight into how an awful lot of families apparently live their daily lives.  In a word, clutter seems to be the rule rather than the exception.  But a cluttered living space has adverse effects contrary to what a lot of people might claim. Now, before you protest and point out that we are not living in 'normal' circumstances, hold on a second.  Living amid mess is not a recent phenomenon by any means, but something I began to notice about 20 years ago when The Grand Duchess and I, not yet married, or parents, and still relatively carefree young academics, began to accept a lot of dinner and party invitations from work colleagues for Friday and Saturday evenings.  Almost always, I kid you not, the living spaces of most of the homes, to...

A few well-dressed men of a bygone age listening to the latest news broadcast.  Possibly from the BBC's Home Service about events in Spain? W hat has happened to reason and common sense in the Time of Corona?  Where is our sense of decency?  Did we ever truly exhibit either, or were they simply nice ideals?  It seems that now, more than ever, we could all do with more of the three as well as a healthy dose of focus, calm, self-control, and cooperation.  More thinking about the good of others and the whole rather than simply just ourselves.  What is it about times of crisis that cause some of us to think, act, and speak in the most unpleasant of ways? -- Heinz-Ulrich

As above in my basement office, a.k.a. Zum Stollenkeller. . . T hought I'd use the two-hour meeting as an excuse to dress a bit more professionally than the usual corduroy jeans and Rugby jerseys of the last nine weeks or so since MSU sent all of us home and courses went remote through to the end of the semester at the start of the month.  It's amazing how much I come back again and again and again to a navy blazer, olive chinos, and penny loafers.  Easily the most versatile pieces in what is, admittedly, an overly extensive professional wardrobe at this point, which ain't necessarily a bad thing in my book.  That much easier to stave off the pilled company fleeces in earth tones with corporate logos emblazoned across the chest. As far as today's attire goes, this time everything is worn with one of my brand spanking new Mercer button-downs.  This one is The James Bond small Tattersall by the way.  Comfortable fit, lovely collar roll, more than long eno...

Freshly showered and cologned for Mothers' Day 2020, though not shaven.  Hey, it's still the weekend. W ell, after almost nine weeks since my last visit to the stylist for a haircut, I finally gave up the ghost and decided to do something about it since I was beginning to look decidedly shaggy, and said stylist's salon won't be open again until the end of May.  At the earliest.  Late Saturday afternoon, I threw caution to the wind, fired up the recently purchased Wahl Color Pro trimmer, and went to work.  This was on the heels of watching many, many how-to videos from the last couple of years on YouTube.  I played it safe and used the #8 guard (slightly longer then 1") plus the tapered right and left guards for around the ears and temples.  The Grand Duchess used my small, battery operated trimmer to clean up the nape of my neck and hairline there.  It won't win any awards, but it's about on a par with the cuts I got during my fascination with traditio...

H urrah!!!  The Young Master just passed the test for his green belt in Tae Kwon Do about 30 minutes ago via Zoom.  Once again, I am just bowled over by his determination.  Since The Grand Duchess is usually the one who gets our son set up each afternoon and Saturday mornings with the computer, and often supervises from nearby, much of this was new to me.  I have not really witnessed him in action since the last belt test at the end of February.  His increase in skill, coordination, focus, speed, and form in just a little over two months is head spinning.  He has practiced six days a week for 1-2 hours a day since the end of March when everything went into lock-down mode, so I shouldn't be surprised, and he has indicated that he wants to help teach the martial art once he turns 14.  That's just 3.5 years away, by which time I expect he'll have his black belt, or be just about there.  Anyway, we pick up the belt in a drive-by ceremony early Sunday ...