To Fix a Hammock

Princeton is full of resouceful people who see possibilities where others have given up hope. Which is why anything placed at the curb with any utility at all tends to disappear before the trash man comes.

I did my part with this hammock recently, found disappearing into the long grass at the curb of a neighbor's. Having never had a nice hammock, I decided to mend my way to lazy hours swinging softly in late summer sunlight.

How strange in this extravagantly commoditied age to encounter the need to weave rope together and tie something other than shoelaces. These bowline knots brought back memories of sailing, setting up tents at a summer camp, and other now rare collaborative, manual activities that brought such satisfaction.

A little spare rope, a half hour of puzzling, weaving and tying, and the hammock was ready for anyone who might dare extract themselves from the great rush, to relax into a view of the open sky.