Introduction

I long ago developed a habit of hanging names on the objects that I need to care for. A name reminds me that a thing has its own identity and I need to respect it. My trees had been unnamed for too long. While snipping at them, I came up with Peter, Paul, Mary -- although my young niece who was 'helping' had opinions that differed from mine as to exactly which of the Alaskan cedars should be Paul, and which Mary. It isn't as though one is going to be exploring town without the others, so I suppose it doesn't matter that much.

Protest music
As I recall, even as a kid I liked that group's music -- in spite of the fact that the neighbor kids called me Mary sometimes, since I have two brothers named Peter and Paul. Probably, Puff (The Magic Dragon) was my first exposure to their music, and I never did believe it was some sneaky pro-cannabis anthem -- even if all the grownups said so. They sang lovely folk songs, and their particular harmony was an easy thing to learn to love. I still do. They also performed -- still do, in fact -- protest songs. I knew their rendition of Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind before I heard Bob Dylan's. They sang Pete Seeger's If I Had a Hammer and my all-time favorite of that genre, Where Have All the Flowers Gone. Music with social and political themes have long been an effective teaching tool for both those too young to understand the issues, and the older who are not well equipped to cogitate -- but can be influenced by their emotions.

When I first noticed PP&M, I was too young to understand a lot about that war going on in Southeast Asia in the 60s. But I did learn from their music -- as well as from Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and (of course) Dylan -- the spirit of protest, social action, and the right and responsibility to question authority. Even today, I greatly admire Bob Dylan's lyrics especially, and am amused by his voice. (I still do a killer early Dylan impression.)