Elgar's 'Enigma Variations - Nimrod'

If you have ten minutes to spare

Mahler's music, Hopper's paintings. A poignant combination.

The Visit

My wife and I visited an old friend who is recovering from a recent operation. He is looking much better than he had sounded recently on the phone, and he and his wife were delighted that we came.

Having learned that his appetite had diminished, we brought with us some barbecued delicacies in hopes of whetting it.

I think we were successful.
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Schubert - Impromptu in G flat Major

New Year's Day - 2010

A time for reflection.

Here in Northern California, the day dawns bright and clear, and quite chilly, as befits the season. Clouds, yes, but blue sky too, in the spaces between.

In a few days your humble scribe will have completed three-fourths of a century of terrestrial existence, and retains hopes of a continuance of the same for some time to come. How much time is of course the real question, but one that he is not really of a mind to pursue on this beautiful day.

At such times we think of the living people we love, and also of the ones who have gone on. Nostalgic reflections upon the past, rooted in a present laced with uncertainty.

At the party last night, over a hundred people. Hats, noisemakers, music, the whole shebang. A countdown from ten. The acquaintances, both auld and new, formed a circle, arms crossed and holding hands. Swaying to the strains of 'Auld Lang Syne', we cheered the birth of the new year.

Then a lot of kissing of cheeks and shaking of hands. And dancing.

And hopes for the future.

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