The 2nd Friday in May is the warmest day so far in the week. The four “seasons” are linguistic conveniences: spring, summer, fall and winter. Nature is mute, except for us humans. It is our job to label, and we continue upon our crafting of symbols, which fit within the already existing universe of a particular language. I understand that English is a distinctly mongrel language, having borrowed terms willy-nilly from far and wide. No concern at all for “purity” here. Go with what works, what gets-the-job-done.

I am a chapter or so into Games, Agency As Art by C. Thi Nguyen. The author is a philosopher of gaming which certainly seems to be good work if you can get it. Nguyen is a good writer, describing with methodical clarity, (and some humor) the logical and psychological transformations which make “play” universally engaging.

Baseball is not my “cup of tea.” I’d certainly smuggle with me a book if I were treated to a game at one of the major league stadiums. Manifestly not everyone is like me, as thousands upon thousands of us take great enjoyment from playing and from following professional players compete in the game.

I have contracted a spring cold. Nature will run its course, and I will do what I can to treat the symptoms. So far I am mildly inconvenienced. Good health, vitality is a delicate balance of biological factors of which we will never understand more than a sliver, a mere fraction. Microbes and viruses do what they do, and the immune system defends to the extent possible. 

A springtime treat for all is the color and delicacy of form of various types of blooming vegetation. It’s as if the “open” on nature’s program of procreation and abundance is that of visual splendor. Photography is a superb stop-time technique with the aim of contemplating objects that the eye and mind jitter by, as we assume they are “common.” “Common” means simply our failure of mindful attention.

Enjoy these images of European Columbine, Spirea, and Lily of the Valley.