A Second Chance for the Pillars of the Earth

More than a decade ago, I made my first attempt at reading Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth (1989), after hearing that it was one of the annual readings by our late brother-in-law Bob Reedy. A year and a half later saw the miserable failure of my effort. Into a tome of 1011 pages, I covered no more than a mere 20 pages. Partly, it was because of my ignorance about the cathedral building; partly, it was because of unbearable hardship in 12th century England, but mainly it was Tom Builder's fruitless search for work and ambition to be a cathedral builder reflected too closely to my own life and career.

Last month, I decided to try Follett again by listening to his Fall of Giants (2010) on eAudio, and surprised myself by actually enjoying it. July 8th, 2023 marked not only the revival of our book club after nearly four year's inactivity, but also my renewed effort at the Pillars, for it was the club's choice of the month.

This noon, I completed my epic journey by completing approximately 41 hours' listening. It was not without trepidation and anxiety when I first started, but it is with a full triumph when I finished. The Pillars of the Earth unfolds like a human life, from childhood, youth to maturity in an anarchic society ridden with extreme betrayals, disasters, turmoil and violence, during the time between the sinking of the White Ship and the killing of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. No wonder I wanted to find a way out on more than one occasion. However, curiosity won the upper hand about the fate of different characters. 

According to Ken Follett, the book took him three decades from the start to finish. His readers will find themselves taking a similarly long time to reach the end when Jack Jackson is finally able to move on, the 66-year-old Philip becomes Bishop of Kingsbridge, and King Henry repents publicly for his order to kill Becket. Follett begins by telling a story of cathedral building, but ends by tracing a familiar tale of human life. That is perhaps one of the reasons that Bob chose to reread each year.

Goats Are Finally Here at Neary Lagoon!

After a long-anticipated wait and media hype about the unaffordability of hiring goats to clean grassy areas in California, many people in Santa Cruz, myself included, gave up the hope to see goats this year chewing away unruly yellow bushes along the two sides of the Neary Lagoon wood ramp. In addition, the City Parks and Recreation Department kept unusually quiet about any possibilities.

July 10, I went to the Lagoon for my normal Monday walk, and was pleasantly surprised by the sight of hundreds of goats already munching at the end of the ramp's right-side. I took several deep breaths of familiar goat smells, and marveled at those efficient and content grass cleaners. "They managed to settle on a price," a smiling man in a wheelchair told me. The same evening, I shared the news with both Paul and Leni, and resolved to take her there after the Boys and Girls Club this week, in case those goats would complete their mission ahead of schedule.

Goats working away at the right side of the ramp July 10, 2023, Neary Lagoon

We eventually made it late yesterday afternoon, having waited a long time for Leni to get her cherry slush treated by the club at the 7-Eelven at Laurel and Chestnut. To my slight disappointment, she was not as interested as I had hoped. She just charged forward along the ramp from one end to the other, and then turned to the concrete ramp on the lagoon. Understandably, she was more fascinated by ducks and other waterfowls. 

Leni and ducks July 11, 2023, Neary Lagoon

After counting more than 100 of them in a short stretch, Leni changed her mind and wanted to double back to revisit goats, instead of exiting from the other end of the concrete ramp. Maybe the observation of waterfowl sharpened her sense of animal appreciation. She was in no hurry to leave, but lingering to see goats drinking and dueling, or little kids and lambs crying for their mothers. She was reluctant to leave the scene after 7:00 pm when it was getting dark with an encroaching fog. 

Leni and goats July 11, 2023, Neary Lagoon

It dawned on me that Leni's change of heart had a lot to do with up-close and personal experience. We tend to dismiss people or events when not directly involved or invested. If only we come a little closer, more details and relevant features will be revealed. Being an eight-year-old, Leni is easy to cross that line, willing to accept those working goats like family members. Since she can do it, why not us?