To a Wild Rose

  Lady Barbara waited for the taxi driver to place her walker under the front door.She climbed down and she held on to her walker. She gave me a book and I told her more about a famous relative called Edward MacDowell.
    My feather friend sat down next to me with her hand on my knee. "My research of Edward MacDowell proved he was one of the true great early American composers. In fact, there are CD's of his many compositions. And guess what? Our government made a stamp of him along with four others. You can purchase it from a stamp store. His face is on a forty cent stamp. (Two hours later I found his likeness on a 1940 stamp next to four other composers.
 Lady Barbara's excitement opened up a few brain cells later. The Oak Cafe featured meat balls and noodles. Barbara's mind became fewer noodles but more gravy. She had more to say about the MacDowells.
    "I remember when Edward's wife visited us in Santa Monica. I must have been six or seven but still remember the encounter. I must have been in the early thirties that we met in Marian's hotel room. Now it comes back to me. The sweet lady told us how she met and later married MacDowell. 'My parents sent me to France to learn how to play the piano. I expected a French teacher, but instead Ed showed up. It took three years of lessons until he proposed. We wanted children but I couldn't have any.'"
   Now how I came up with this story had begun two mornings ago. My mind kept playing a song over and over again. I could not get it out of my head. I asked Lady Barbara about the song she played so well and so often. I wondered if it had a name, by chance.
    "Why a relative of ours published the tune many years ago. My Mom could play it and so did I. The French recognized MacDowell  as the first great American composer. Later he lived in upstate New York My Mom always spoke about him, in fact we drove to Santa Monica to meet her. The song I played was To a Wild Rose."
   Do you know the name of Ed's wife?
   "No I forgot it."
   She slowly unhinged her back from her chair and walked to the grand piano to play To a Wild Rose. My frail feathered friend played it softly, and I shut my eyes to savor every note. I had her play Ave Maria for me when Citizen Cahn came towards her. He gave her a hug. "You can't touch Lady, I saw her first." "Is she upset? Then there is no use  complaining for the one you love. ,
   Let me interrupt my interlude with Lady to let you know Horst will be speaking in April at Oceanside High School. He is the only living survivor of an Auschwitz camp and will be speaking about the Holocaust and how hate can kill. Today like always, my 88 year old friends dresses in a golfers cap wearing immaculate sporting clothes.
   We now sat down to eat, that is all except me. I can't stand a chicken filled with cheese, but I sponged off some of the rolls. I decided to play, for the first time, To a Wild Rose. Barbara came to the piano. "Now listen George." She played and I noticed she brought her hands down two octaves to provide richness to the flower. I thanked her and then her taxi arrived.
   After she left I ran to the Encinitas Computer Center.  I just couldn't believe my Royal Highness ancestor was celebrated in France, but I knew if I hummed it she could play it. I checked out the internet and sure enough, he was listed as our foremost American composer.
   The name of Edward MacDowell was listed in the Internet. In fact, what she had told me about him was not only correct, but I found that he was one of five noted composers to be placed on a forty cent stamp. He was born in 1860 and studied  mainly in France. He composed, performed, and gave lessons.
   Furthermore, my research showed a cab injury contributed to his early dementia and finally death in 1906. A Hansom cab injury contributed to his dementia and early death in 1906. The lady that Lady Barbara met at Santa Monica beach was Marian MacDowell. She survived him long after her piano teacher's death, and long enough to to meet Barbara and her mother.
   Lady Barbara's family had their own combo in their living room. "Mom played the piano, an uncle the tuba and another the flute. Mom could not play the piano too well , but it did not matter. It is too bad I didn't keep all of her hymns and stories."
   Lady Barbara can play any tune if she knows the melody. She could have been a prodigy if given piano lessons for more than six weeks.