The Honeymoon is Over

The Honeymoon is Over.
The first few weeks of the Social Distancing and Home Sheltering went smoothly.  With the exception of the “Black Friday” rush for toilet paper, people everywhere were helping their neighbors. My friend Tilda, a seamstress, is making masks for all 50 people in her building. My upstairs neighbor, Shawn, brought me two boxes of wine. There were a lot of stories like that. But recently I’m noticing that some people are starting to come unglued. For them, the honeymoon is over.

I have been de-stressing by using my phone to video myself playing the clarinet, and I’ve been posting some of the less squeaky songs on Facebook. I can’t post video on this blog, so I’ve been posting them there. Count your blessings. My Facebook friends have been very supportive, though, making positive comments, and even offering some suggestions. I played The Ballad of Davy Crocket and my friend Denise suggested I wear a coonskin cap. I just so happen to have a coonskin cap. So, I’m going to “Head back into the studio” for that one.

I started making lists of songs I can play that might be fun on the clarinet. I can do those notes at the beginning of Smoke on the Water, and it sounds pretty cool, but it goes immediately downhill after that. It’s just not a good clarinet song. Yankee Doodle sounds good on a clarinet. I added that to my song list, and I’ve got notes on what would be good to wear while playing those songs, an appropriate t-shirt or hat, like a ballcap for Take Me Out to the Ballgame. Now, I’m starting to wonder what I should have in the background while I’m playing. Pictures???  Maybe I could add sound effects???
It’s getting crazy out there, and I have a feeling that I’ll be right near the front of the crazy parade, at least virtually. Hey, I wonder if Seventy-six Trombones would be a good song on the clarinet. I wonder what kind of outfit would go with that song.

Avoid the crazies.  Be safe at home.

Peace & Love and all of the above,
Earl