Up And Down ~ Early Evening Thoughts

Just a couple of notes ... I had a visit to the doctor today, and she was very pleased with my progress. She is very sure that it was bronchitis AND a viral infection. Of course, she had to add something she didn't tell me the other day ~ which was her concern that it would digress into pneumonia. I'm glad she didn't add that to the mix, my mind was already working overtime on possible problems. Thank you for those who added comments or emails. They were very encouraging, uplifting and ~ frankly ~ a great comfort to me.

And I am happy to report I am about 98% healthy. There is still a little coughing - at least I can talk in complete sentences now - and some "residual" issues. However, I can report I am back in the "pink" of things and enjoying being up and around once again.

The "down" news of the day is that Beverly Sills lost her battle against cancer today. And a beautiful voice has been silenced and a major supporter of the arts and people is no more. And yes, I had a chance to meet her ~ and she was as delightful as people say she was!!! A true artist and a wonderful human being ~ for whom no one was beneath her ~ and as a result had a zest for life and people!!

I said in the last post, that I couldn't find a video of her performances with her close friend Carol Burnett -- but I finally did ... a wonderful mash-up of jazz and opera. It's on the Beverly Sills website, so I can't embed the video ... but --->here is the link<--- which is appropriately titled "The Farewell Medley." One final video ... At the age of seven, Sills was chosen to be in the film short "Uncle Sol Solves It" in which she played a precocious singer whose family had various ideas about where she should study voice. She is taken to sing for Uncle Sol in his "Problem Court." He decides, after her perky rendition of the Arditi classic, that she should study in America. (performed in 1936)



And so I say farewell to a wonderful person, an incredible talent and a person who only wanted the best in all she put her hand to do...and expected no less from those around her.

---more tomorrow