Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Grass Power

(No, not that kind, Doobie Brothers.)




Regular old grass turns out to be the toughest species on earth, according to the excellent BBC series Planet Earth, one of young environmentalist Dylan's favorites, which we watched with him recently.

The grasses of Africa sustain the largest and most varied herds of animals on earth, but grass grows everywhere, even in the polar icecap. In his book, The World Without Us, Alan Weisman details how grasses and other plants would quickly reclaim our cities, towns, highways, and farms once human beings became extinct.

I was reminded of both during today's walk through the Mission District, when I saw blades of grass spurting up through the cracks in sidewalks, courtesy of our recent winter rains. Winter here is our greenest season, almost the diametric opposite of life in Michigan, where I grew up...



Speaking of Michigan, and long ago times, an old friend, Tom Miller, who has commented on my blogs from time to time, sent this precious example of the way we looked then. This particular photo includes Tom and my sister Kathy. I don't think any of us recall the occasion, or who the photographer was...

-30-

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