. . Fabulous family portrait, a gift by Tom, our son in law, who is an artist. Given to us on Christmas day 12/25/2020. It enters the annals of our pandemic time for two reasons: One is that it is COVID-19 that brought us closely together as an extended family in our house in Alford, … Continue reading
. . I found something interesting in an interview with Michael Foucault by James O’Higgins in SALAMAGUNDI 1982 entitled “Sexual Choice, Sexual Act.” I stumbled on this article by accident, and what I found interesting has nothing to do with the subject matter. Here is the excerpt that caught my attention: MF: On this question … Continue reading
.. Today the German General Consul notified me that I received the German Federal Republic’s “Grosses Verdienstkreuz mit Stern”, which translates into “Knight Commander’s Cross”, an order of merit. Wow! I have become more important now. I was given the choice of getting the medal now in a quick personal meeting with the General Consul, … Continue reading
Hosta in fall colors in front of my house in the Berkshires . . Amid the anxiety about COVID-19 and the election, and the possibility Trump will fight tooth and nail to stay in power, the miracle of the fall descends on us. Fall is a saturation of beauty accumulated over the spring and summer. … Continue reading
. . I had the honor of receiving a letter by Angela Merkel congratulating me on my 80th Birthday. Here it is. I’m adding a translation below. Sehr geehrter Herr Professor Frank, zu Ihrem 80. Geburtstag gratuliere ich Ihnen sehr herzlich. Ihren Ehrentag nehme ich gerne zum Anlass, Ihnen fuer Ihre Verdienste um die … Continue reading
Posted on the fence at PS 199 70th Street Upper West Side, New York October 2020 . . .
. I mean this as a time document. Years from now it will not seem possible that these things have gone on today. A bankrupt sociopath planning a fascist takeover, about to enter a debate with someone who observes the rules. Who destroys the post office in order to slow down or totally stop absentee … Continue reading
. . Yesterday, after a downpour, the dill plant in my garden sparkled with thousands of little droplets. For some reason, dill plants become enormous in my garden — 8 feet tall. Its hundreds of umbellules (I just learned it: little flower clusters) attract bees, wasps, hummingbirds, and butterflies. When the flowers go to seed, … Continue reading
. The voice is something a serious writer is looking for; it is the gestalt of his language gestures; it distinguishes her from other writers. The voice, then, is all we are after, without mentioning it hardly ever in our writers’ group. The voice as a separate spiritual embodiment of a person appears in the … Continue reading
. Horst Kaechele, one of my friends from college, a scholar deeply immersed in the pursuit and re-evaluation of psychoanalysis. From the little I know, his work in Ulm was aimed to quantify therapist-patient interactions in psychoanalytic therapy. He had a distinguished career and wrote numerous books in his field. Psychoanalysis was a field which … Continue reading
. . We ordered 3 air filters for a Scandinavian air filtering system of very cool design, from WISH. After waiting several weeks, no filter had arrived and I tracked the order. Below is the track, verbatim. May 13, 2020 — Placed Order May 14, 2020 — Wishpost order generated — China May 16, 2020 … Continue reading
. . Ellen Kozak, an artist and friend wedded (in addition to her spouse) to an animated being that lives and moves right by in front of her house in New Baltimore, New York: Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the river that flows both ways, the native American name for the Hudson river. Seldom have I met someone – … Continue reading
. I recently had to drive to Pittsfield to get a window replaced in my car. This is an arduous procedure and took an hour and a half, enough for me to walk around. What I found is this collection of bottles flattened on the road. Notable is the change of scenery from one item … Continue reading
. . Christo died on June 1, 2020. What a man! What a character! In my mind he will keep on wrapping. Bridges, domes, trees, entire cliffs. I saw his spectacular Central Park installation in February 2005 and took a lot of pictures. One was of three clowns dressed in garments whose colors were complementary … Continue reading
. . Every square inch counts. Here are peas, cucumbers, pole beans and lettuce all sharing a single plot. The peas and cucumbers will go up the trellises on either side; the beans will climb up the strings; and the lettuce will mature before being shaded by the beans. There is a flat stone in … Continue reading
. This is the Happy Birthday tableau I made for Carol’s birthday. It exemplifies the “Make Do” spirit of a family in Quarantine. . .
. I wrote this in response to a request by the North-Rhine Westfalia Academy of Sciences and Arts (Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Künste) to which I belong as an extraordinary member. The Academy ‘s leadership was hoping to celebrate its 50th Anniversary this year, before the plan was destroyed by the Pandemic. Instead, … Continue reading
. . Lila Bujaldón de Esteves, professor of German Literature at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, whom I met at a visit to this university in 2019, sent me an interesting article, which appeared in the Frankfurter Allgemeine. It deals with Borges’ fascination with the German language. She also sent me Borges’ … Continue reading
. . My son Ze, a.k.a. creator and narrator of Sploresville, asked for submissions on the theme of Permanent memories, in the form of a (5,7,5) Haiku. I missed the deadline by one hour. Here is my contribution: Saw a house in flames, Just three years old, in the War, Stable of night-mares.
