Aubade, or Morning Song

I. A songbird woke me up this morning and when I went outside, it was clear that spring is on the way. This little bird triggered another thought: there's a name for what she (or he) is doing -- performing an aubade, or morning song (sounds like oh-baud, or ō-ˈbäd).

Wallace Fowlie taught me this back in the 80s.

Believe it or not, Erik's Choice is moving into its fifth year of existence and I am moving toward my 50th year on Earth. I began this "web log" back in February of 2006, and have posted at least once daily ever since, more than 1600 posts so far.  Not only have I enjoyed ruminating and posting, but more importantly, it's been a great pleasure getting to know other bloggers, readers and commenters from around the globe.  Many thanks for stopping by -- and for those who also write their own stuff, for writing!




















II. My main advice after four years of posting: write about folks 65 or older. Go out and listen to more "seniors." Cherish, treasure, engage and record.

Besides extended family members and students and teachers and librarians and writers who are of all ages, some of my best friends are (or were if they're gone) people I met when they were considerably past 65. For instance, Nishan Baba Toumajan and his younger wife, Louise Toumajan taught me about their lives as Armenians in the Ottoman Empire/Turkey -- and in the USA through most of the 20th century. Baba had been born in the 1800s; Louise had been a professional tennis player after the First World War. Madame Françoise Marcus has taught me about her life growing up in France and is always quick with charm and conversation, the good life. I only met with Wallace Fowlie maybe a dozen times but we also became good friends. Then there were the Germans who'd been captured at Normandy on D-Day (Willy Wiederstein and comrades) and then worked on Scottish, Canadian and American farms during the last year of the Second World War. There was also Doctor Dick Pearse, who'd inspired me and my pal Kenny to walk the eleven miles between Durham and Chapel Hill. And there was an older guy walking along what was left of Hastings Street in Detroit, who remembered the days when John Lee Hooker lived in town playing the Apex Bar and Henry's Swing Club, and the day he saw Jimi Hendrix play.

You see what I'm saying -- seek and ye shall find, and listen well when you do, whether you meet once or a hundred times.

Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.