The Quadrangle Times March 2020 Newsletter of The Quadrangle Residents Association Written and Produced by The Quadrangle Residents LOVELIEST OF TREES . In A.E. Housman’s iconic poem, a Shropshire Lad regrets that he has only fifty years left “to look at things in bloom…[and] see the cherry hung with snow.” Unfortunately, most of us here don’t have that much time ahead of us. To make matters worse, we were recently reminded of life’s impermanence when the dozen trees that formed the beloved allée along the fire road were rudely cut down and chopped into untidy heaps of wood chips. How can this be? Despite Housman’s vision, it turns out that the lifespan of an ornamental cherry tree is between twenty and thirty years. Indeed, those of us who walk regularly along the allée (which extends from the pond up to the Building Three parking lot) had noticed that each successive storm left newly broken limbs strewn on the ground and splintered, truncated branches with fewer and fewer leaves. Then one day the landscapers who maintain our grounds whipped out their chainsaws and, in a single day, cut down all our beloved cherry trees. This was not a surprise—at least, not to the Landscape Committee, who gave their (however reluctant) consent. But like our pets, these trees had grown old and feeble long before we were ready to give them up. Residents and visitors came out to survey the devastation and pay their respects. John King, being both enterprising and forward thinking, rescued some wood from the chipper in the hope that, once cured, it could be used for residents’ future woodworking projects. But now there is light at the end of the allée. First came the twelve young replacement trees that were stacked alongside the glen, their roots bundled in burlap. Then, when conditions were right, the landscapers planted them between the remains of their predecessors. Finally, the old stumps were ground into mulch—which, in turn, will be used to replenish the soil and help other plants thrive. Because the flip side of having a short lifespan is that cherry trees grow fast and mature early, we can hope that within our stay here we will once again be able to see “the cherry…hung with bloom along the bough.” In the meantime, we can take delight in all the other lovely trees that grace our walks—watching them grow and change with the seasons and the years. In a single day, they cut down all the cherry trees. In a single day, they cut down all the cherry trees. RESIDENT WEBSITE GOES PRIVATE The Quadrangle’s resident website, QRAcentral.org, is now private. In other words, only residents can log onto the site. This means that all information on the website is accessible to residents only. Instructions for how to access the website have been emailed to those residents for whom the committee has addresses. The website currently contains the calendar of events, descriptions of the committees and activities, and other information of interest to residents. In the future more material will be available, including current and past issues of the Quadrangle Times, and the Residents Directory. QRAcentral does not replace any of the sources of information that currently exist (Ch 78, bulletin boards, the QT, and so forth). It merely offers residents another way to access this information. For example, you can now conveniently pull activities directly from the QRAcentral calendar into an electronic calendar, thus saving time and helping ensure that you don’t miss out on any programs or special events. EVENTS IN MARCH 2020 THURSDAY NIGHT LECTURES Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium Mar. 5: Janny Scott: “The Beneficiary: Fortune, Misfortune, and the Story of my Father.” Mar. 19: Robert D. Hicks, PhD: “Spit Spreads Death: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918–19 in Philadelphia.” MUSIC Saturdays, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium Mar. 7: Astral Concert: harp, French horn, & flute trio Mar. 21: Marcantonio Barone, Nancy Bean, & Lloyd Smith perform Beethoven. Happy Birthday, Ludwig! SECOND SATURDAY Saturday, Mar. 14, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium. The Alex Otey Trio performs popular American songs. OPERA IN THE AUDITORIUM Sunday, Mar. 22, 1:30 p.m., Auditorium. A rousing production of Rossini’s Barber of Seville. SCRIPT-IN-HAND PERFORMANCE Sunday, Mar. 8: 2:30 p.m., Auditorium Resident thespians perform Travels with My Aunt, a theatrical adaptation of a Graham Greene comic novel. SUNDAY TALK: “THE HOLOCAUST” Sunday, Mar. 15, 3:00 p.m., Auditorium. Pete Stern will share reflections about his experiences. VOLUNTEER INFORMATION SESSION Wednesday, Mar. 25, 1:00 p.m., Auditorium RSVP presents volunteer opportunities to help match residents’ interests and availability with local programs. ART EXHIBIT OPENS: “PREVIEW OF SPRING” Saturday, Mar. 28, 4:00–5:30 p.m., Gallery Q2, outside the Forest Grill and 2nd Floor Game Room. Chairs: Christine Brady and Joan Wallick. Enjoy refreshments at this Opening Event! READERS GROUP Tuesday, Mar. 10, 3:30 p.m., Auditorium. Lillian Sigal will present Alice in Wonderland. POETRY GROUP Tuesday, Mar. 24, 7:30 p.m., Auditorium. “Residents Choice” continues from January. GREAT CONVERSATIONS Alternate Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., Club Room. Mar. 5: “Puppy,” by Richard Ford. Mar. 19: “The Heifer,” by Melissa Hardy. MOVIES MARCH 2020 CINEMA AS ART Tuesday, Mar. 3, 7:30 Auditorium Bryn Mawr Film Institute’s Jacob Mazer presents Martin Ritt’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, based on John le Carré’s novel. Stars Richard Burton. CURRENT MOVIES Mondays/Tuesdays, 7:45 p.m., Channel 99 Mar. 2/3: Pain and Glory, 2019 (112 min.) Spanish w/subtitles. A film director in physical decline reflects on the choices he has made in his life. Mar. 9/10: Ad Astra, 2019 (124 min.) Brad Pitt searches the solar system to find his father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of Earth. Mar. 16/17: High Life, 2019 (110 min.) A space-survivors movie about love and intimacy, suffused with anguished memories of a lost Earth. Mar. 23/24: Toy Story 4, 2019 (90 min.) Woody and the gang, together again, on a road trip that gets a little out of hand. Who could resist? Mar. 30/31: The Ground Beneath My Feet, 2019 (108 min.) German w/ subtitles. A metaphor-driven fable of sorrow and anger about the way we live now. CLASSIC CINEMA Fridays, 7:45 p.m., Channel 99 Mar. 6: Sunrise, 1927 (110 min.) Farmer plans to murder his wife. Hauntingly beautiful silent film. Mar. 13: The Last Detail, 1973 (105 min.) Comedy-drama. Sailors transport kleptomaniac to the brig. Mar. 20: The Rainmaker, 1956 (121 min.) Burt Lancaster cons desperate town & Katherine Hepburn. Mar. 27: Open City, 1945 (105 min.) Rossellini’s neo-realist portrayal of Italian Resistance. Subtitles. SATURDAY FILM FESTIVAL 1st and 3rd Saturdays, 2:00 p.m., Auditorium Mar. 7: Argo. Thriller based on a true story. Ben Affleck rescues Americans from Iranian captivity. Mar. 21: Little Miss Sunshine. Comedy-drama about the exploitative child beauty pageant industry. MARCH 2020 TRIPS COMMITTEE NEWS Check for seats for the March 5 trip to the American Swedish Historical Museum. Lunch at L’angolo Restaurant. Sign up this month for the trip to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on Thursday, March 19, for a special exhibition, Awakened in You: The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton. Works by 76 African American artists, several by PAFA alumni, on display in the Landmark Building. Lunch on-site. Sign up THIS month for a trip to the Wayne Art Center on Wednesday, April 1, for Art Quilt Elements 2020, the 14th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Art Quilts. Lunch to follow at Turning Point Restaurant. Do not miss the trip to the Barnes Foundation on Wednesday, April 22, for a special exhibition, Marie Cuttoli: The Modern Thread from Miro to Man Ray. Tapestries, with designs by Picasso, Braque, and others woven for the modern era. Important Notice: New York On Your Own, on Wednesday, May 13. Cutoff date for reservations is April 24. Commercial bus, seats for family and friends. Sign-up begins March 6. >>>TRIP SIGN-UP REMINDER<<< When signing up for a trip, follow the directions at the bottom of the trip poster. • If there is a fee for the trip, Concierge MUST HAVE YOUR CHECK with your name and the name of the trip to reserve your seat. • For trips with no fee, use the registration form on the shelf below the posters. ************************************************************************** SCHEDULED TRIPS Thursday, March 5 – Swedish Museum Thursday, March 19 – Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Lunch on-site Wednesday, April 1 – Wayne Art Center Wednesday, April 22 – The Barnes Foundation *************************************************************************** --TripsChair. LIBRARY NEWS This month we offer some features of our Library beyond the shelves of books. The Card Catalog A visitor stepped into the Library recently and remarked, “A card catalog! How charming!” Apparently card catalogs carry with them a hint of the obsolete in this computerized world. But, despite the “Patron Search” option available on the computer, we still keep our card catalog up to date with each acquisition, thanks to our Library volunteers. They enter new additions to the Library on the computer, while at the same time printing two, and occasionally three, cards. Try browsing through the catalog some day; a world awaits you! Magazines A resident recently wrote that the magazines are not up to date. While we pay for the newspaper subscriptions (Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal), all of our magazines are donated by residents.