...to Ludwig Van Beethoven, born in 1770.
So, I'm standing in my living room letting my mind wander for a minute or two as I stare out the window and watch the day go by, and I see my neighbors walking their dogs down the street. They are nice neighbors who are always friendly and responsible with their property. That is to say they aren't like the other neighbors who heap rubbish behind their house like Ma and Pa Kettle and let their dogs bark for thirty minutes at a time . Anyway, I see the nice people walking their dogs, a big golden retriever who is as sweet as can be and as dumb as a post—he once ate a sock and nearly died before it was surgically removed—and a new golden retriever puppy. Then I see Neighbor Wife suddenly run down the street with the big dog. Then I see Neighbor Husband stopped in front of my house with the puppy on its leash. And then I see the puppy taking a huge dump in my grass. Let me tell you, that is not done in this town unless the dog owner has a plastic bag handy and is ready to pick up ...
Comments
Thanks for the reminder, Robyn; Peanuts isn't syndicated in the Guardian so I've not had Schröder marching up and down with placards counting down the days.
The "Pastoral" is blaring through the house at the moment. I'll put the 9th on later and do the obligatory karaoke "Ode to Joy".
Happy birthday, Ludwig.
The 9th is a pounding wonder. When we performed this last year I was seated as 4th horn, so it fell to me to play the extended solo in the adagio (3 movement), and it was the highlight of my short career. I'm sure I have mentioned this here before and will mention it again.
That is a great picture. I'm with Kim.