One reason I missed NP Radio is because I woke up at one minute to seven (what a wonderful night’s sleep that was) and found myself with sixteen minutes to comb my hair and race up to our Church on Woodland Avenue. I didn’t want to be late for the Men’s group.
Today’s presentation was an explanation of the Superior Street Project by an LHB engineer. But before it got started one of our members, an old pastor, began by telling us the story of one of his church’s old parishioners. She was always busy helping everywhere. She was alone with a wealthy family to the east she had little use for. When she died the family insisted that her remains be sent to the East cremated and forgotten. The church couldn’t stop that but they could at least hold their own memorial service for her. It was packed.
Our pastor read us the Carl Sandburg poem he had read at her service. Its titled, “The Junk Man”
I AM glad God saw Death
And gave Death a job taking care of all who are tired of living:
When all the wheels in a clock are worn and slow and the connections loose
And the clock goes on ticking and telling the wrong time from hour to hour
And people around the house joke about what a bum clock it is,
How glad the clock is when the big Junk Man drives his wagon
Up to the house and puts his arms around the clock and says:
“You don’t belong here,
You gotta come
Along with me,”
How glad the clock is then, when it feels the arms of the Junk Man close around it and carry it away.
After the reading my fellow bass in the choir offered the lyrics of the song “For the Beauty of the Earth.” It was the song my Mother chose for us to sing at my Father’s funeral.
As for the presentation. It was very interesting. For a hundred and twenty years our narrow main street has been left largely untouched under its “skin.” One of the many features which are being replaced touches on Old Central. The steam pipes from the Steam Plant that heats downtown buildings also heat Old Central. But we have steam pipes. I had been hearing that the school district needed to begin planning to retro fit Old Central for the new hot water heat from the Steam Plant. I doubt we’ve done anything yet. Not with the cost of fixing the old building having ballooned from $18 million to $48 million dollars. It needs to be done now before the steam heat is discontinued. Old Central is not ready for the Junk Man.
