Walking Lightly

I was planning to mow the yard today, maybe later if it doesn’t rain anymore. The ground has been soaking up all the rain we’ve had this past week and I noticed when I picked up the morning newspaper my foot was sinking into the yard. If it dries out I will get the edger and lawn mower so the yard will look nice for the weekend, if not, it will keep ‘till Monday. This had nothing to do with gaining weight or anything; the ground is wet so I have to walk lightly.

I wrote earlier this week that I’d purchased some music via the iTunes store; but some of the pieces I’d wanted were unavailable, at least through that venue. I have a Laser Disk version of the Tchaikovsky Gala in Leningrad, a celebration that would have marked his 150th birthday were he to have lived that long. There were some awesome performances, the kind that I’ve listened to over and over as the years have past. I thought it would be nice to have them on my computer/iPod and so I began my search only to find that iTunes didn’t have them. They didn’t have the Led Zeppelin single I wanted either; but that I can get later.

I went to Amazon.com and found the Tchaikovsky recording on CD, used but in excellent condition at a very reasonable price. It came today and I’ve added it to my MP3 collection. I have it playing on my main stereo in the den as I write, pushing the music all around the house loud enough to create the illusion that the orchestra is live while Lucy is out shopping and doing some errands. I have Yo-Yo Ma playing Variations on a Rococo Theme; possibly the finest single performance I ever watched or heard, truly hypnotizing as he nearly makes love to his cello.

One of the other great performances on that CD is the 1812 with a surprise near the end; something which would be missed had I not watched the performance. There were additional pieces added to the brass section, members of the Russian Military Band, waiting until just the right moment as they sat quietly in the alcove above the performing orchestra, as if they were simply observers. As the music bolted through to the ending sequence their added zeal was inspiring, the cannons outside the hall timed to go off with the music along with the church bells ringing from all across Leningrad.

When I went out to retrieve the mail and noticed that my copy of the CD had arrived, the ground was attempting to dry out, maybe by sundown I will get the chance to mow. I called my folks; my mother had returned from a trip to the local Walgreen’s, something which amused her no end. She found the isle, the one I call the Tourist Trap; T-shirts, pink flamingos, and all manner of novelty items that have “I went to Florida” stamped or painted across them. She spotted a pair of sandals, the kind you’d wear to the beach; wild pink and green flashes of color that she wanted.

“You don’t try on sandals at Walgreen’s”, she explained, the little plastic loop that hold the pair together along with its price tag make it awkward. She made her purchase and took the sandals home, keeping the receipt in case they didn’t fit. She walked across the tile floor and noticed, all of the sudden, that the sandals were emitting flashes of light with each step. Their cat, Max, got down low and was uneasy as the light show continued with each step. It seems that mom had purchased a pair of children’s sandals, the kind that illuminate as the weight of the child comes down on contact points in the heel so that they can be seen while walking at night. That tickled my mom’s fancy; to think that such things actually have been made, that she had never noticed light up sandals or sneakers before was an eye opener.

It’s getting close to the part in the 1812, almost there now, the part where the Russian Military Band comes in…oh that’s almost more than I can take; exquisite blending of the brass that powers down to the climax.

Lucy and I love to attend the 4th of July performances at the park. Many times they’ve played the 1812 as a closer for the show, fireworks going off with the timed cannon discharges. Maybe I’ll find me a pair of light up sandals to wear this year; "glow in the dark light up when I walk sandals" so I can see, or be seen, where I’m going, that would be interesting.