Under the California sun

It is Beethoven's birthday so I was going to write about that. Beethoven is very close to my heart and I could go on about him for hours and was looking forward to doing just that.

But yesterday I went to Walgreen's to pick up Zicam because everyone I know is coughing and sneezing. And while I was there I picked up two batches of photos. The first one that fell out at me. That is Leonard Pennario and me in the hot tub. This was surely one of the last pictures taken of him. It was only a couple of weeks before he died.


I looked at the picture and started laughing. Then I started crying because that is the kind of schizo I have turned into working on this book. Pennario was just so ... there is a word for this wonderful man somewhere but I cannot think quite what it is. It was just such a crazy episode in my life. Is a crazy episode, I should say. It is not over yet!


Pennario's face is kind of in shadow in that picture so here is another picture that shows his face better.

Unfortunately in this picture you can see the braces on my teeth. I already had them by that time. I was self-conscious about them and Pennario was always telling me I was talking well in spite of them and that they did not look bad.

Did I choose a quality pianist to write about or what? I love how Pennario chose to spend one of his last remaining days on earth in the hot tub with me. And not only that, but when I showed these pictures to my mother yesterday, she got all disapproving. I loved that too.

Also I have a quality husband who lets me sit in the hot tub with concert pianists. I am so grateful. I wrote about that in May, back when these pictures were taken.

These pictures remind me that I am a very lucky gal.