Ponderous thoughts I was pondering ...

The lawn is starting to take on a crispy brown appearance, far too early this year. 

Ponderous thoughts I was pondering while watching my backyard turn brown before my very eyes:

** It's been a dry time here at Fearless Mansion, and as a result, the lush green lawn of which I was so proud just a few days ago is transitioning to a crunchy brown a lot sooner than normal.

There is a benefit to this; I would normally be out mowing by now, but it's not necessary -- and that's a good thing for my aching left knee, which forced me to turn a three-hour job last week into one that covered three days. I finished the last segment a week ago today and it is the area closest to Fulton Pond, so it may be drawing some moisture from it as ground water to keep it green. Otherwise, most of my lawn in front and back is heading toward dormant status in a hurry.

There is some rain forecast for tomorrow, but it sounds more like a wave of showers and not a soaker. And I do try to follow the restrictions upon watering here in town because water supply has been a thorny issue for Mansfield for decades -- and especially since the completions of Interstates 95 and 495 made this town a desirable place for industry and residential growth.

Selfishly, though, I'm glad I don't have to be out there mowing today. I could be performing trimming duties along the fences or return to varnishing my back steps, but my knee is so sore, I just want to do nothing that requires moving. 

But there is also good news on the knee front ...

** I've been putting it off and putting it off in hopes that the knee would heal itself as it has so many other times since college. But yesterday I finally sent a message to my primary care provider and I will have a "virtual" appointment later today -- healing in the era of the coronavirus pandemic, yes, but at least it's a start. I'm too old to be in pain all the time and too young to be immobile. Updates as we know what is to follow.

** One of the things that convinced me to seek medical help with the knee was a trip to the supermarket yesterday. I would not have been able to make it up and down the aisles if not for the shopping carts, and even then, the knee (even with the brace) buckled a couple of times.

I do want to thank one young woman near the meat counter that noticed when it buckled and I used the cart to keep my balance, and asked if I was all right. I assured her that I was. I appreciated the moment of kindness enough that I forgave the two other people that did not observe the one-way aisles, and the one person that seemed determined to run her cart right up my ass when it was obvious that I was struggling to walk fast and was hugging the right side of the lane to give her the opportunity to go around me.

** It appears that the intense emotion in the wake of George Lloyd's killing by Minneapolis police is starting to subside, although there are still instances where the message is being attacked and undermined by the presence of looters or instigators looking to discredit the peaceful protests.

That being said, I think we've reached a point where the message is taking hold. People of good conscience are identifying with the deep anguish felt by the nation's African-American community, and rejecting the pompous blustering by an impotent Commander-in-Chief that is trying to spin the unrest as insurrection against the United States government. There are extremists at both poles of the argument, but I have to believe that the gains in race relations since the 1960s are going to eventually prevail over the setbacks to the cause of equality that have taken place during Donald Trump's morally corrupt administration.

Look, I'm a white guy. No denying it and no apologizing for it. I grew up in a practically lily white environment and my family was torn in its understanding of equality -- my Italian grandparents having faced discrimination and marginalization when they arrived here from Sicily in the early 1900s, and my maternal ancestors having been steeped in the white-supremacist culture of the deep South. All that being said, it was much easier for my father's side of the family to become part of American society within one generation because our skin color wasn't significantly different than the ruling class.

Racism was not present in my household growing up, aside from a few defining moments that I won't describe here only to say that they helped my Southern mother break from her upbringing. I've made my own mistakes in my lifetime and I'd like to think I've learned from them. I had a lot of "white privilege" along the way, but I also had a different sort of privilege -- that of covering a professional football team for more than four decades and learning from the African-American athletes that comprised the majority of those teams.

Barack Obama, the president we need right now, but not the one we have..

I asked this question to one racist individual on social media the other day. "How can you understand what black people in America are feeling right now unless you, your family, your grandparents and those before them faced institutional persecution because of the color of their skin for every minute of their lives?" Of course, he called me a libtard snowflake or some similar insult. But the fact remained, unless there is persecution in your background, perhaps you can't respond to the moment and fully appreciate what it means to a person of color when another member of his or her race has been targeted for excessive force by white police officers simply because of the color of his or her skin.

For eight years, this country was led by an African-American president that conducted himself with the highest level of dignity. Barack Obama wasn't the perfect President -- that man or woman has yet to be elected -- but he was a man of compassion, of faith, of belief in the systems of government and how they could benefit all Americans, not just the rich, privileged and white. And his family was equally dignified, great examples and role models for all Americans. And for the past three years, a privileged white man of questionable morality and intelligence has done his level best to eliminate every good thing President Obama tried to do for the nation that he governed with the intent of being the best president he could be for the entire population, and not just the 13 percent that shared the color of his skin.

President Obama has spoken up more in recent weeks, and I'm glad he has. We need to be reminded of our better angels and not the demons that are currently in office.

We need to be better. We need to fight the hatred that has a grip upon those elevated erroneously to power in 2016. 

All for today. Stay safe and be nice to each other.