Warning: I don't know where I'm going with this post.

This morning, I was walking my dog.  You may know him, he's a bit of a big deal.  His name is JD Thaddeus Cooper ("Just Dog" or anything else that fits the moment).  We normally walk with his best friend, one Duke (last name TBD).  Today we were alone in the predawn, walking below the stars and satellites, in 13 degrees of introverted bliss before the next April snow storm hits around 1:00pm.  JD perked up his ears and then sat down, listening.  It's a great thing when he does this, because he twitches his Aussie ears, he pulls them all the way forward, then all the way back, so he looks kind of annoyed (see video Exhibit A).  At times like this one, he sits with his old man face pointed out to the world, quietly reading the park newspaper.

So I stopped.  Why not?  I stopped and stood next to my dog, listening to see what he heard.  Was Duke on his way to the park?  Was there a deer nearby?  Let's let him have his moment.  Then I heard it.  A soft, low "whooooot" from an owl.  JD has little use for songbirds, but is enamored with owls, turkeys and falcons.  I know, he's a little weirdo.  I located the owl visually, shadowed in the dawning grayness, perched upon a tall light post.  It took flight, massive wide wings, lazily flapping, and landed in the trees, where another owl began hooting in response.  We sat there and listened to these two owls cooing and hooing to each other for about 5 minutes, and I thought, "when did this stop being amazing?  At what point did I just begin walking the dog to get him out and get him home?"

So that was it; a little moment to recenter how amazing life is when you're simply out in it, no phone, no screens, experiencing a moment of beauty.  Thanks, JD.

So today's song (tune) of the day is contemplative; soft.  Appropriately called "A Shadow and a Thought."  An original Hanneke Cassel tune. If you don't know her, you should.  You know that thing about me?  The one where I've met a TON of famous people and only fangirled one?  Well, now it's two.  I couldn't help it; she was standing there, talking to someone else, and a million flashbacks of perfect and terrible moments set to her tunes went through my mind.  And I just walked up and hugged her.  I'm not even a hugger, guys. There were just no words to tell her how beautiful, complicated, simple, and meaningful her music is.  She is a rare gift.  You should know her.  And she didn't TOTALLY freak out when I hugged her; just a little.  She did become slightly more uncomfortable with the subsequent verbal diarrhea. Hopefully our next conversation made things better, because when someone's work is that personal to you, you'd hate to think that you personally but a wall up that will never come down between you.  Because you're weird and overly attuned to the intricacies of tunes and songs.  Always have been.  Sorry not Sorry.  If you've never stood in your kitchen, spinning around to a particularly good moment of loud piping or fiddling, or anything that touches you, you are missing out, my friend.

Anywho, HERE is the tune.  Thank you, Hanneke. My Dad told me a few weeks ago that I was a very grateful person, and I am glad they raised me to be one.  Life is hard enough without bright-siding it (hence the blog).  Did you know that if you donate a certain amount of money to Manyhopes.org, Hanneke will let you name one of her original tunes?  I'm just saying...
this is how you get tunes like "Artsy Smartsy Phoebe," which is a GREAT tune. :)