Wednesday, January 11, 2017

the sounds of music

I close the door to our den so I can open the closet behind it. I reach in and turn on our 30 year-old JVC cassette (yes, cassette) player, then turn on the attached 20 year-old single CD player, turn on the speaker connection, go across the room and turn on the speakers in the bookcase, go back and insert a CD, press play a few times, and then return to the speakers to adjust the volume. Then I close up the closet and reopen the den door. All that to listen to a CD. We have another small "boom box" kind of CD player but the sound isn't good, and the radio reception in our house, for some reason, is lousy. None of these options is audible to any good degree in other rooms since our house is not on the "open plan." 

So life here is silent way more than I'd like. We mainly resort to our phones or iPad
 for streaming music. The music often follows me from room to room in my pocket. 
So on my Christmas list went "something to improve the music situation at our house." 
And our wonderful kids got us what I call "Gizmo," instead of her real name.
A small black tower that has such great sound, 
it carries beautifully throughout our entire downstairs. 
We are enjoying beautiful music filling our home. 
And when we ask for the "oldies"
the music brings memories, as you all know.
Since the Gardener and I have been buddies since we were 18, 
we share many of those memories.
A song comes on and we just glance at each other and
know what we are remembering!
"It was a shared experience––a singular thing that had unfolded in a 
golden sliver of time long ago…. Joe was crying, at least in part, 
for the loss of that vanished moment but much 
more...for the sheer beauty of it."
 (Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat)

15 comments:

  1. So very, very perfect the quote you chose, Dotsie. And, I LOVE the photo of you and The Gardener. Music elicits those shared slivers of time... and scents. Love them both for that very reason as much as their stand alone beauties. So happy your home is filled with sweet sound and the memories it brings. blessings and hugs ~ tanna

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  2. I don't listen to music nearly as much as I used to. I have no explanation for it either.

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  3. Music stirs so many memories. I'm so glad your family gifted you with better enjoyment. What a sweet photo of you two. ♥

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  4. "Alexa, play some Christmas music." Is she the one? I think I need one. Loved the poignant note this ended on. Sweet.

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  5. I love that last photo of you two! I much prefer the sound of silence. Sometimes I try to listen to music or watch podcasts, but start to feel like it's just noise and turn it all off. Now, when I'm in the car, I do like upbeat tunes. :)

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  6. Love the photo of you and the Gardener!! Love shared memories!! I think it is one of the wonderful things about getting older.

    I, too, received some sort of gizmo for Christmas. But I am going to have to get one of the young people who live in my house to set it up for me. That is not not of the wonderful things about getting older. Did you get yours going all by yourself? If so, I am awed by your techie skills! :)

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  7. What a wonderful post. Music stirs up all sorts of memories for my husband and I just as it does for you and yours.

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  8. Such a poignant quote at the end . . . I guess we've lived long enough to know what it means to cry for those lost moments, or the sheer beauty of them . . .

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  9. Oh how darling you both were, and are! :)

    I love modern gizmo's for sound. We love our blue tooth speakers here, makes it so nice to listen to music!

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  10. You do have a way with words.

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  11. What a great gift! We still have all the old ways of playing music too and I'd love to have one of those gizmo's to enjoy it in our house. I'd have to compete with the Mr. though as he has his stereo system in the family room downstairs and when he plays it I don't need any music upstairs!! lol He likes it loud!!

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  12. What a beautiful thing, this post.

    Love you got a new music player. ♫ ♪ Music is love in search of a word. (unknown not from my brain.)

    Hugs!

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  13. I love having music streamed from our cable system to the speakers in the living room which is close enough for me in the kitchen as well. I'm usually playing easy listening or spa channels, they help soothe the soul. This system can be put on my phone through an app as well and I like the idea of carrying it with me throughout the house.

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  14. How lovely!! I hope that you and gizmo have many happy musical times together!

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