Today I was coming home from a theatre in Arlington Virgina and I caught sight of the Potomac River. It got up into the 60’s today, but hte water was still fairly cool, and it had been raining all morning, so there was a fabulous cloud of mist rising off the water. It was almost too nice to be driving past without stopping. Sadly, it seemed to be time to admit that I have caught another cold, and I just came home for some tea-and-sock-knitting therapy.

I didn’t get very far on the sock part, because I ended up in a long conversation about Mister Rogers. I am a child who very much grew up in the Neighborhood, and when he died it hit me as hard as my own grandparent’s deaths. It was even harder than when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street, probably because I understood it better. What I hadn’t realized when I was young was just how frighteningly smart Fred Rogers was. He wrote all the scripts, wrote (or helped to write) all the music (which was all played live, right there in the scene. Including the theme music.) and built and operated all the puppets. He also came up with things like this from King Friday XIII: “Scintillate, Scintillate diminutive stellar orb. How inexplicable to me seems this stupendous problem of your existance. Elevated at such at an imeasurable distance, in an apparently perpendicular direction from this terrestrial planet which we occupy. Resembling in thy dazzeling and unapproachable efulgance, a gem of purist carbon, set solitaire in a university of space. ”

“Efulgance”? who uses words like that on a children’s show? Mr. Rogers did, and that’s one of the reasons I have so much respect for him. So. I leave you to meditate on a few things: Every body’s
fancy. I have always wanted to have a neighbor, just like you. I like you for you. And, of course- I’ll be back, when the day is through, and I’ll have more ideas for you. And you’ll have things you’ll want to talk about. I will too.

Also, Fred Rogers’ mother knit all his sweaters. I’m guessing that she’s where he got his amazing patience from, cause woah. That’s a lot of sweaters.