The piano room
About seven o’clock in the evening the day after I moved in, Paul, the owner of this 21-room mansion, mentioned that it was his birthday. He didn’t want any fuss made, which I certainly can relate to. But what could Heaven Admin and I do but think of something to do to celebrate this wonderful man’s birthday?
I had some Blood Orange soda from Italy that my daughter had given me. This was something to celebrate with! I also had a triangle of dokla (an Indian savory) and lit a candle as if the dokla were a cake. Paul had to make his wish and blow the candle out. Heaven Admin made an incredible dish of strawberries and his sweetened home-made kefir.
We met in the piano room. This room does not have a baby grand piano. It has a GRAND piano. Many nights Paul plays here. When he does, I feel like I’m in a movie.
The walls of the piano room are purple, as you can see in the photo above. What you can’t see is the red of the carpet! I love the combination. Just right for a piano room.
Paul regales us many nights with songs like Stardust, Moon Glow, Mood Indigo, An American in Paris, My Romance, Lover, and I’ve Got the World on a String.
At his impromptu party, Paul played Happy Birthday to himself. He also played some of the 30’s standbys.
And he sang the lyrics to such delights as I Didn’t Know the Gun Was Loaded. Do you know that one?
“I didn’t know the gun was loaded. I’m so sorry, my friend. I didn’t know the gun was loaded, and I’ll never do it again.”
And Put Something on the Bar besides Your Elbow.
“Put something on the bar besides your elbow, something like a crisp ten dollar bill. Put something on the bar besides your elbow. We can’t ring up your elbow on the till.”
Alas, I neglected to take photos of the food, but here are a few scenes from the impromptu party.
The first calm cool collected person here is familiar to you — none other than Heaven Admin himself! Paul is a pharmacist, and the chest that Heaven Admin is leaning against, I’m pretty sure, is an apothecary chest.
The two other people living here wandered in.
First you see Greg.
Greg is a great listener, an electrician, and he has some great stories to tell as well and a great sense of humor.
Bruce, whom you’ll see below, is a musician and artist and rides a 25-year old motorcycle. I’ll get a photo of his motorcycle one day too.
In this photo with Paul and Bruce, Bruce is sitting down. That’s Paul standing up.
Incidentally, just as I was rereading this blog before posting, I went to Bruce’s web site www.brucewilsonstudio.com
I was impressed with Bruce’s art and also touched deeply by the simplicity and openness of what he wrote. Beautiful.
As for a party, impromptu is the best! A lovely time was had by all.
Wish you all could have been here listening to the music and feeling the happiness.
And, dear Paul, thanks for sharing your birthday with us.
Godwriting is a blog by Gloria Wendroff and is about Gloria's daily life as the Godwriter of the Heavenletters project that is having a profound effect on the lives of people around the world.
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