May 11 - It's Been One Year

     It's been one year since Rocky died. My grief has been slow and I've felt worse somedays than others. I have found solace in sharing my thoughts and feelings with my friends. I'm not one for public show except when telling stories.
     I do not consider myself a poet. I do not think poetically with every thought. However, I do appreciate metaphors, imagery, and other forms of speech that makes up a poet's vocabulary. Occasionally I am overcome with emotional thought and lines of a poem come up for me. That's what happened with the following poem.
     On December 10, I had the phrases, the "gist," and the ending. But I knew it needed to simmer and I didn't want to publish it until the anniversary of Rocky's death. It simmered until today when I opened it up in the word processor. By now, it easily assumed a poetic form, and some new words make it stronger, in my opinion.
     Here it is, in honor of Reginald B. Rockwell, my beloved Rocky:

The Music Dies Away

The Hospice room has been full of Rachmaninov,

Music from that foreign land and long ago time,

Well-loved by my mate throughout his eighty years,

Always playing in the background,

As he toiled and played and loved me,

His body moving to the rhythm of a concerto

With the look of an eighteen-year old,

Our bodies touched and our damp hair mingled,

Sometimes I could tell he'd become the melody,

The notes, the staff, the harmony,

Sometimes he'd wave his fists into the air to conduct

   the energy,

And the concerto became the foreground, the background,

And all of it became the All Of It,

My love's energy unites with the music now,

The CD woos his worn-out heart,

Caresses his medicated mind, calms his slowed breaths,

He slowly drifts along with the fading life's flow,

The end of the last Track is here,

The Bose turns itself off,

The power of a vibrant creator hangs in the air,

The room becomes still as the beautiful music 

.....dies away

Rocky at age 18 playing his beloved music.

A New Friend

     What a boost to an old lady's ego to meet a young seventeen year old who is full of talent and intelligence, make a connection, and then bond.
After 24 hours we were in love! She is Jessica Miller, the granddaughter of my friend, Molly Catron. 


     This all came about because my friend Linda Poland invited me to her home in the country last evening to hear Elizabeth Ellis, Master Storyteller, try out some new stories. About 40 people (maybe 50?) gathered in a half-circle on the lawn under old trees sipping wine and ice tea and listened to Elizabeth tell new stories none of us had ever heard before.

Linda Poland, Hostess                     

             Elizabeth Ellis, Master Storyteller


     Because the night sky grew dark by the time we finished snacking, imbibing more tea (ahem!) and chatting with EE in Linda's house, it was too late for me to drive back to Bristol, so at Molly's invitation, I stayed at her house for the night. Her granddaughter, Jessica, had expressed an interest in hearing Elizabeth, and Molly had brought her along. She was the youngest person there.


     Jessica and I connected during a story break chatting socially, but we really connected on the 45-minute drive to Molly's home when Jessica mentioned she recently joined the high school band playing the snare drums. To keep the conversation going, I mentioned my grandson is touring the U.S. this summer with the International Drum and Bugle Corps. Jessica let out a squeal because she knew all about the drum and bugle corps and has great admiration for the discipline and precision the members must demonstrate. She expressed surprise that someone my age (this was implied, not frankly shared) would know about band life and music.  We talked drums and trumpets all the way to Molly's home.


     Then at the house, Jessica entertained us with some melodies on the electric guitar, many of which she has composed herself. She demonstrated today how she learns a composition "by ear," or as she calls it, her "listening ear." I was amazed at her talent and her passion for music. I am still dumbfounded that I should know two budding musicians with so much talent and potential as Jessica and my grandson, Christopher, and they are the same age, one in Kingsport, TN and one in Lynchburg, VA.  They talk the same language although they've involved with different instruments.


     Today, I visited with Molly. She kept me well fed with a frittata from her fresh eggs and garden tomatoes for breakfast, and a tomato tart with a tomato/cucumber salad for an early dinner before I left to drive home.
We sat on her porch in wicker chairs drinking iced tea to escape the heat, then toured her grounds looking at veggie garden, amazing deep red zinnias and other flowers, her chickens and rooster, greenhouse, and two Great Pyranees dogs, a golden retriever mix, and a Pomeranian Molly inherited from her mother. I saw everything but the goats who were grazing on the other side of a hill. That means I have to go back for another visit!


     But Jessica and I had more opportunity today to listen to her iPod that she connected to a laptop so she could play for me different electric guitar artists who play with major orchestras their versions of classical and jazz compositions. The theme for me was that music can bring the generations together. My experience with this young talented musician gives me optimism for a culturally-enriched future.         Mimi


    

"Bugle Boy" Our Grandson, Chris

This is a small portion of the Blue Stars, a drum and bugle corps sponsored by an international d. and b. organization. Our 15 year old grandson, Chris, is touring the U.S. this summer with them. They performed last night in Kingsport, TN about a 40 minute drive from our home.

Chris had to audition along with over 1000 others in order to become a member of this group and only 150 were selected, so he is very musically advanced for his age. Average age is 19 and many of the other members are music majors in college.

The Corps musicians play the trumpet, mellophone, drums, tuba, and xylophone. There are an additional 30 members of a color guard troup. Chris, in addition to the mellophone, plays the trumpet, French Horn, and piano and he can read music as well as play by ear. He is a Sophomore in High School and is a member of the marching band, the school orchestra, and a jazz band. He is passionate about music and wants to major in it when he goes to college. You can imagine how proud of him we are.

He got to visit with us for about half an hour following the performance last night and the following photo shows Chris between us two proud grandparents.

I snapped pictures of all the bands last night but video taped the Blue Stars program, so the only still photos I got was of their encore performance when they were in concert formation. He is one of the corps members on the far left, back row, of the photo, but with their helmets on it's hard to tell one from another. I haven't had a chance to check out the video yet, but will post it if it's good.

MimiRock at Castle Yonder

A Tie Is Classic(al)

 I never gave a thought to giving Chris a tie--until I saw this one for sale in a ship's boutique when we went on our Caribbean cruise last Dec.  The horizontal print in the picture are musical notes and the photo is of Tchaikovsky. I knew Chris would be required to wear a tie for his school concerts, and thought he would find this one novel and amusing. Well, from his reaction today when he saw it, I would say he loved it!