September: Looking Back

            The iconic song from the play The Fantasticks, “Try to Remember” (the kind of September) has such bittersweet connotations for me. In the past 30 years, the month of September now has too many sad memories to be associated with. Some of my most devastating personal losses occurred in September. 1985 my Father died, 1992 I lost my soulmate Ron, and now 2013 my beloved cat Dagney.

I’ve been playing the “time game” in that it is now two weeks ago I had Daggy put down. I try to not dwell on these losses. In the movie Gone With the Wind, Scarlett told Ashley at the ill fated meeting at the lumberyard, “Don’t look back Ashley, it drags your heart down, till that’s all you can do, is to look back.” Unlike Ashley, when I look back it brings my heart up a bit as I can reinforce the positive happy times I’ve lived, and still look to the future with hope.

Stumpy is inside today as it has been raining steadily all morning. The 7:00 a.m. row practice was cancelled. I’ll try to get to the “Y” later on to get some erg time in on the Concept 2. There is a “virtual team challenge” going on the Concept 2 site this month. My team, the “Tim-buck-toos” are in 8th place. So long as we are around the top ten I’m happy! The blisters are returning to my butt from the long erg sessions! I know…TMI!!!

A contented Stumpy on a rainy morning:

I just popped in a CD into my computer tower. I was hearing the news loop of NPR for the second time. Once is enough! It is difficult for me to imagine that CD’s are now considered “old technology”. This CD I’m listening to, the Dvorak American Quartet played by the Cleveland Quartet has such a special meaning for me.  

It was in the wintertime on a Saturday morning in the late 1980’s Ron and I headed out from his apartment in Rochester. He was the first occupant of this unit located in “Old Rochesterville”, a converted industrial building on the GeneseeRiver in downtown Rochester. There was a store specializing in classical cd’s which operated out of an old brick house on East Ave which was always a must stop for us. I can relive that morning like it was yesterday. The sun was streaming in through the arched windows and this beautiful string quartet playing in the background. I asked what was playing and was told it was the “American Quartet” by Dvorak. I left the store with that CD!

The “Writing for the Media” class I took ten years ago instilled into me the importance of always fact checking my writing. Because of this, it can take me hours to pound out a journal entry!  Using Google maps I was able to pinpoint that old record store location. I’m so happy to see this building is still standing and functioning as a viable business. I don’t live in the past, but I do enjoy my visits in this fashion.