Today I came home to a free concert that Beth and her friend Erin were putting on for the neighbors. That is to say, they were practicing their violin duets on the deck out back. They are excellent musicians, so I couldn’t resist juxtaposing the end of “Ode to Joy” with a few bars of my ending on the harmonica, which I picked up a few weeks ago. Beth, being such a good sport, not only didn’t complain, but asked me to play a song for Erin.
At the end, we heard a distant clapping sound. It was Ethan, standing in his crib where he had recently been put down for a nap, looking out his upstairs window and applauding. I’m sure he must like the classics on violin, but it was “Skip to My Lou” on harmonica that garnered his accolades.
Some good news came a few minutes later, when he finally did applaud for the string duet. More good news followed in a few more minutes, when the fine melodies finally soothed him to sleep.