Tuesday, March 24

We snoozed late this morning, and after a cold cereal breakfast, I headed to the treadmill. My back is fine now, so I was able to walk at my usual speed and use the ski arms to get my heart rate up. I was also comfortable using my five-pound and eight-pound weights for a workout.



We didn't have any special projects in mind for today, so we goofed off watching one-hour shows I'd recorded on DVR. For lunch, we all had something different...Mother had Ramen noodle soup and cheese and crackers (her favorite lunch, because it's easy on her persnickety tummy); Hubbie ate the leftover beef strips with bell peppers and onions, over leftover mashed potatoes; and I had egg substitute scrambled with fresh mushrooms, green onions, and bell peppers. We all had leftover bran muffins with our meals.



We wasted more time in front of TV this afternoon, until about 2:30 p.m., when Mother and I went over to the college library to hear three members of the National Symphony Orchestra perform. 100 members of the orchestra are in the state, with various groups of them doing teaching programs around the state. We are fortunate that the friends of the college library organization was able to bring these three musicians to our town.



About 60 people turned out for the program on this iffy weather afternoon. The musicians, on violin, bass, and cello, played various selections from Bach: Cello Suite no. 1; and Sarabande from Suite in D arranged for the string trio.



They also performed "Assorted short contrapunctal delights by Bach, Teleman, Bartok," and Handel-Halvorson: Passacaglia for Violin and Cello; as well as Saint-Saens: The Swan. The musician who performed The Swan on his cello said that when he was young, his great-aunt frequently requested that he play this piece. I can see why. He also commented that the cello he plays was made in the 1700s, during the time that Bach lived. The instrument must be worth a fortune! I think I'd be afraid to take it out on tour for fear it'd be damaged or stolen.



Before playing each piece, the musicians explained the music to us, which helped us appreciate it more. For instance, one musician explained that contrapunctal is "the art of combining melodies, each of which is independent, though forming part of a homogenous texture...." sort of like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."



The sky was dark, and it was windy and rainy when we left the concert. By the time we got back home, weather reports on TV warned of thunderstorms in our area. We got a pretty good downpour with some thunder, but it soon passed.



Hubbie did not accompany us to the concert this time, since he had made an appointment for Shih Tzu to see the vet for a persistent cough. The vet said Shih Tzu is in good shape for her age. She has various tumors on her skin, but none are cancerous. She also has a bit of a leaky bladder problem, for which there is apparently no cure. But otherwise, she's fine. He prescribed a medication for Shih Tzu's cough.



For supper, we had hot roast pork sandwiches, with mashed potatoes, gravy, and carrots and onions, and individual cups of applesauce. Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I spent our quiet hour reading and playing on the laptop.



At 7:30, we went to the college to hear a lecture by a journalist who works for our state newspaper. He is an investigative reporter, who has won many awards over his lengthy career. He emphasized that early in his career, he surrendered himself to a Higher Power, Who led him where he needed to go as he investigated and unearthed the truth in several controversial murder cases, some of which went back as far as 20 years. Along the way, he was able to bring to light bigotry by corrupt law enforcement, an ineffective and bungling state crime lab, and innocent men wrongly accused and incarcerated.