Gratitude

I'm at the age, like many of us, when I never take another spring for granted. I mean no matter what the age, we never should. But at my age, well, when I see Spring nudging her way over the horizon and down the bay and up my driveway, well, Ansa and I greet her with whoops and, yes, a wee bit of tears on my part. For Ansa just lives in the moment, as I try to do most of the time. My dog is one of my best teachers.

But now and again, like this glorious morning, I look off at the boats in the distance getting ready for the crab season, and out at the bay which is like a mirror, with the sun bathing every living thing in the spirit of renewal and rebirth and think: there's another summer in this old girl yet.

An Obscure (and unmarketable) Skill Set

Part 1



Part 2

Today I had Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony playing. One of those kinds of days, a Denim Day on the Bay. Sun sparkling, 50 shades of blue dancing around: ocean, bluejays, sky, the trim on my house, even my jeans.

And I realized, like OMG, I can hum (and conduct if my hands are free) the entire symphony from beginning to end. Seriously. How on earth did I ever memorize all of it? Have I listened to it this many times and feel so much joy rapture each time?

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Beethoven? Over one summer in Toronto, the Toronto Symphony played all his symphonies. One week after the other. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

My favourite piece of music of all time is Beethoven's Choral Fantasy. Rarely performed as it so enormously expensive to mount.

In two parts above. Watch for Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlam along with Daniel Barenboim conducting and on piano.