2/18/23

 Saturday, February 18, 2023

In bed at 10, up at 5:30, 5 pss, 1 glass of petite syrah.  Woke up thinking of Sinantra's September Song.  23℉, high of 37, wind WSW at 13 mph, ranging from 8 to 17 and gusts to 32 mph producing wind chills of 4℉ to 30℉, currently 11℉.  Sunrise at 6:45, sunset at 5:26, 10+41.

September Song by Kurt Weill

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you

Wow, the things we learn from looking up an old Sinatra song.  September Song was written by Kurt Weill, famed collaborator with Bertolt Brecht on The Threepenny Opera.  He was born in Dessau in eastern Germany, son of a cantor, and fled in 1933 when the Nazis took over.  He was married to Lotte Lenya and was a serious classical composer as well as composer of songs for musical stage plays.  He composed another of my favorite songs, as sung by Nancy Wilson, My Ship.  He was decidedly a Leftist, like so many Jews of his era, but not Left enough for Brecht, who broke off their relationship for that reason.  He was another great talent who died way too young, just after his 50th birthday, of a heart attack.

I listened again to Sinatra's September Of My Years album, struck by how philosophical the songs are and how uniquely he delivers them.   Once Upon a Time, This Is All I Ask, How Old Am I, . . .  Then listened again to Nancy Wilson's Broadway My Way which I first bought on Okinawa in 1966.  Another treasure, including Kurt Weill's My Ship and so many others.  I'm reminded of driving to the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1966 or 1967 with Major Frank Peterson to see and hear her perform in person.  Frank, a jet pilot, was the only Black officer I knew in the Marine Corps and became the first Black Marine to be appointed to General rank.  A great guy and fellow fan of Nancy Wilson.  Great way to start the day.

Police Brutality, Police Mendacity  This morning's WaPo contains an article by Ashley Parker and Justine McDaniel titled From Freddie Gray to Tyre Nichols, early police claims often misleading:  An examination of seven prominent deadly cases where initial statements by authorities turned out to be false or incomplete.  I need to give more thought to the issues they raise.  

Iwo Jima, the night before the landing.  78 years ago today my Dad was one of about 70,000 U.S. Marines crowded onto a  ship offshore of the small island of Iwo Jima.  The troops on those ships were insufferably jam-packed, 'sardined.'   You can't move without bumping into another Marine (or corpsman.)  The canvas 'racks' for sleeping or resting are piled high, one atop another, maybe 15 inches of separation, just enough to permit the occupant to turn over or to sleep on his side.  He may have been aboard a troop transport ship, one that carried its own small landing craft (LCVPs) or aboard a large landing ship, pershaps an LST or LSD.  I wish I had asked him on one of the rare occasions when we talked of his experiences on Iwo.  

Burning the Yahrzheit Candle for Kitty