The success of Netflix’s “A House of Dynamite,” about the 18 minutes preceding the destruction of Chicago in a nuclear attack, has renewed discussion about the profound danger of nuclear war.

Eelgrass has disappeared and warmer water has brought a certain parasite, but there is some hope.

Sometimes I have these memory visions in which I recapture for a moment very clearly the feeling of stability and permanence of American life in the late 20th century.