In the spring, the poet tells us, a young man’s fancy turns to love. A newly married homeowner doubtless finds his fancy turned to crabgrass and outdoor painting. An older man of middle years — here is the category to which I belong, having this week officially become a grandfather — may find, I believe, his fancy turning in spring to some classics from the past. Here are a few that I have recently enjoyed.

Rod Stewart

The Brit’s a classic by himself, but here I’m touting his marvelous CD Stardust: The Great American Songbook. “Stardust,” “What A Wonderful World,” “Night And Day,” “Blue Moon”: Stewart sings these and 10 other classic American songs. Except for a touch of British insouciance in his voice, he pays his compliments to this wonderful music by remaining loyal to it. Accompanying him on individual songs are such musicians as Bette Midler and Stevie Wonder. I highly recommend this album as a graduation gift. Who knows? Maybe a combination of Rod Stewart and Stardust will revive the idea of romance on college campuses.

The Big Heat

For years I’ve avoided this movie, mistakenly thinking that I wouldn’t like it or its star, Glenn Ford. This week, after reading an older laudatory review of The Big Heat by Roger Ebert, I checked the movie out of the library and promptly became entranced with it. The years may have thrown a little dust over the dialogue, but this story of a cop who won’t quit digging for the truth will catch you up and hold you until the movie ends. Glenn Ford is perfect as the cop who loses nearly everything of value in his attempts to hunt down the killers of a nightclub entertainer.

Tennis anyone?

Those were, I believe, Bogart’s first lines on stage. My youngest son, age 9, asked me to play tennis with him a week ago, and we’ve been playing every day since then. It will take him about a month to get good enough so that I will either have to run harder (a spectacle guaranteed to rouse fear and pity among any innocent bystanders) or be demolished; either way, I foresee the rapid approach of my own demolition. Something incredible joyful attaches itself to the game of tennis, at least at my level of the game; my elbows and knees make rice krispy noises, but I still can’t help but feel happy out there on a tennis court. The sun is shining, the air is clear and fresh, and for a little while the troubles of life give way to the spin of a little yellow ball.

aldaily.com

Here is a Web site, Arts and Letters Daily, in which politics and its attendant animosities take a backseat to truth, humor, and intelligence. Every time I go online, I take a look at this site with its marvelous editorials drawn from a hundred sources, its book reviews, its comments about the world. Its Latin heading — Veritas Odit Moras — means “Truth hates obstacles,” a motto that is indeed the focus of this intelligent site. Pour your morning coffee and begin your fine spring morning with a visit to a Web site that will leave you more intelligent. Enjoy!

— Jeff Minick