Have you ever noticed that so many musicians have dogs as their companions?   I think it is a twofold purpose.   Dogs love music and musicians love dogs to sit and keep them company for hours of solitude while they are practicing their instruments.   You guessed it; day 7 of the Ten Days of Gratitude includes both music and solitude.    Think about it.    First of all, musicians spend a lot of time in solitude, working often hours to perfect just one note or even the silence surrounding  the note.  They had better enjoy all those hours of solitude because it is crucial for their art of music.

I myself, love my solitude and I don’t really get enough of it around here.   That does not mean I don’t love companionship.   I am totally secure in my own body.  In my solitude, I can allow the sounds of saxophone to interrupt  because the music fills any void that my solitude could not  fill.  There are actual saxophone sounds that bring me back to soothing sounds because I recall how they made me feel upon hearing them the first time.  One does not forget the engravings that music can leave on a heart.   Nancy claims there are several magical moments in her life when either she captured a sound in passing while playing saxophone or had the privilege to experience someone else’s sound.  According to her stories, they ranged from  a piece composed for her to a contra-alto opera singer.  Gosh, I have never had the privilege to hear great vocalist live, just amazing recordings.

By the way, I am hearing Happy Birthday played to me on saxophone today because, it is my birthday TODAY!   Below is included a photo of me in the frigid cold, out for our walk.