The Iron Age

Hello World, Well, May is certainly charging along like the proverbial Dashing Dan with a train to catch, and here it is, already past the mid-way point of the month - and if you're anything like me, with nothing to show for it, I dare say. Of course, if you're looking for a show, you need look no further than our buttercups, which burst upon the scene like a golden yellow bombshell featuring a cast of thousands. We had been enjoying the resurgence of our creeping phlox, in spite of the gardeners' vigorous efforts to eradicate it, and just stumbled across a colorful display of wild phlox along the driveway, whose heavenly fragrance could never be duplicated. Now indeed the time has come when the stately chestnut trees are showing off their cascades of creamy blossoms all over town, except of course, across the street from our house, where the neighbors recently had their venerable chestnut tree cut down, and more's the pity, alas. Joyce Kilmer wasn't just whistling Dixie when he observed, "I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree," and that's not just a lot of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, believe me. It goes without saying that Mother's Day was last Sunday, and it turned out to be a lovely day, which is so remarkable lately as to excite comment. Here at the old homestead, things got underway with donuts and presents, which is very possibly my all-time favorite way to start any day and thanks ever so. Then we headed out to a local nursery, and reveled in their beautiful plants on every side, like a rainbow of tiny treasures. We snapped up petunias and marigolds galore, plus more dwarf celosia that we found so enchanting last year. Apparently there's a worldwide impatiens blight going on now, so there's none of that to be had anywhere, and we had to content ourselves with vinca, dianthus, stock and verbena in its place, but frankly, those are pretty big shoes to fill, and I have my doubts that these interlopers will be equal to the task. I was dismayed to learn that it was too late for pansies, but it was right on time for canna, so I threw caution to the wind and decided to take a chance on them. A vibrant hanging fuchsia rounded things out, and we were good to go. It was late when we got home, so we left the plants out in the yard - only to scramble outside after them the next day and have to drag them all inside, owing to the ominous reports of frost overnight on Monday and Tuesday, and once again, thanks so very much not. I can tell you that we were certainly not expecting frost in the middle of May, and did not find it very funny, but probably somewhere, Joyce Kilmer is having a great big laugh, I shouldn't wonder. On the local hoops scene, the plucky Knicks have been staying alive against the Pacers, and playing them tough through 5 games so far, which even their most ardent fans might not have dared to hope. Elsewhere, it didn't take long for Chicago to be eliminated by the juggernaut that is Miami, which at least gave the surly Nets faithful something to cheer about anyway, if only sardonically. Then to the astonishment of literally dozens of hard-core hockey fans in both cities, the Rangers actually beat the mighty Capitals in 7 games, which not only stymied the odds-makers, but served to prove once again that The Age of Miracles has not passed. Setting the stage for an Original Six match-up, they then moved on to face Boston (after their own grueling series against Toronto) and promptly lost the first game in overtime, thanks not. I keep saying that nothing comes easy in the playoffs, and it's probably a blessing in disguise that they don't last longer - after all, the athletes might be up for it, but I don't think the fans could take it. And speaking of the short and sweet, I was delighted to learn that the official slogan of the Kentucky Derby is: "The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports," and frankly, I can't think of any way to quarrel with that. It must be said that Bill took exception to my offhand synopsis of the big race last week, and justifiably so, as it was an eye-popping example of rip-snorting, full-throttle, high-octane horsepower that not only had to be seen to be believed, but even then, you still couldn't believe it. It's all too easy to say that there's no surprise when the favorite wins the race - but bear in mind that at the 3/4 pole, with only the homestretch left, Orb was in 15th place out of 19 horses, and not only caught up to all of the horses that had been in front of him the whole way, but somehow managed to outrun them by almost 3 lengths at the finish. Anyone who didn't see it live at the time, or hasn't already seen the video replay of it, please do take a few moments out of your busy schedule to watch something truly exceptional, and I can guarantee that you will be duly impressed. Orb Wins the 2013 Kentucky Derby - YouTube Next up is the Preakness Stakes, and as much as everybody loves the darling of Churchill Downs at Pimlico, personally, I have to say that my money's on Affirmed. The summer movie season started off with a bang already at the beginning of May, and we banged it right back, by going to see "Iron Man 3" in 3-D at our local cinema. I had never read the comics, and had no idea what the character was all about until we saw "The Avengers" a while back, and found it hugely entertaining. When we heard that the new IR3 was going to come out, we knew that first we would have to catch up with the rest of the world, and watch I and II, so we would be prepared to understand what was going on in the latest installment of the franchise. We were disappointed to find out that the first two were not available in 3-D, because my personal feeling is that everything is better in 3-D, especially something that you're not particularly interested in seeing in the first place - it really gives it a lot more pizzazz and adds an extra layer of visual excitement to even the most humdrum subject matter. Unfortunately, when we went to the movies on Thursday, we discovered that we had missed the IMAX version of the new one, when "Star Trek Into Darkness" opened in theaters and took its place. Now, I thought the first two were a bit slow getting off the ground, and although the special effects were outstanding, there wasn't as much action as I expected from your basic superhero movie. The third one has all the action a person could possibly hope for, and then some, with only the merest wisp of a plot to stand in the way of a staggering procession of fiery crashes, mid-air explosions, car chases, equipment meltdowns and building collapses - all culminating in the captivating idea of blowing up the President of the United States on an offshore oil rig. (Which I don't mind saying, some days that doesn't sound like such a bad idea after all.) The 3-D and special effects are spectacular, and you will certainly not fall asleep at any point, try as you might, whether seeing Gwyneth Paltrow in a sports bra is exactly your cup of tea or not. It's true that Don Cheadle might not be everybody's idea of an action figure side-kick, but Ben Kingsley is hilarious as the evil Mandarin bent on world domination, or best offer. I said to Bill later that nowadays - between the 3-D and special effects, separate shooting locations and complicated stunts - sitting through the credits all the way to the end is like watching another whole movie, that's how long it takes to get them all in. But it's always worth it in these Marvel Studio films, for their quixotic little epilogues, where they may tease an upcoming release, provide a clue that solves a mystery in a previous story, or tie together some loose ends that had come unraveled, presumably when excess footage had been left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. This one featured someone else we remembered from "The Avengers," and although his diffident remark, "I'm not that kind of a doctor" might not seem like grand comedy on an epic scale, I can assure you that for those of us who understood what was going on, it was uproariously colossal in its own (puny human) way. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised, if you listen hard enough, that you can actually hear Joyce Kilmer laughing - through the trees, that is. Elle