Last night was the annual 
Hobart Hoedown, a large student blockparty that typically results in multiple arrests (more than 20 last night) and leaves trash and destruction spread across North Amherst. Several years ago, after a particularly bad year, the town went to great lengths to prevent the event from going out of control, but such efforts have declined. Last night, my family got to listen to drunk people walking up and down the street screaming obscenities, the sound of trash cans being thrown into the street, the sound of squealing tires jumping curbs and running over lawns. This morning, driving to the store, we saw cans, cups, and trash strewn across the streets and lawns. The worst damage looked like a bus shelter which had been destroyed and set on fire. There were similar annual parties in Kalamazoo and East Lansing. I've never understood the attitude that underlies this behavior. I remember talking to people at a party who had done these kinds of things in their youth and they couldn't explain it either, other than to say that it had seemed cool at the time. Just as I give myself permission to not have known better at the time, I guess its the perogative of college students to act stupid every year. This morning the Associated Press is saying that the party was broken up
Town police said they broke up an annual spring party near the University of Massachusetts campus Saturday afternoon before it could grow out of control, preventing a repeat of last year's unrest.
Sorry -- it didn't happen that way.
By contrast, today is a beautiful day. It is sunny and cool with a nice breeze. The boys and I went out to pick violets to make violet jelly. What a pleasant occupation, to sit in the grass and pick violets. Anyone who has ever felt a pang of regret for not living some place where there are 'exotic' flowers, has never looked at a violet up close. There was a fellow who went to high school with my brother who became a botanist. He used to describe his field trips to study plants as "going out vegetating". While we was working on a Master's degree, he began studying violets. And then, of course, he would go out "violating".