Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, string player, choirmaster, and priest. A composer of both secular and sacred music, and a pioneer in the development of opera, he is considered a crucial transitional figure between the Renaissance and Baroque periods of music history.

There hasn’t to be anything more sedative than Claudio Monteverdi. My unwinding carcass is further soothed by the crisp air circulating the two-wheeler during my constitutional bicycle ride about the neighbourhood. The mixture of blue sky and fluffy white clouds was a vision. The moderate physical performance succeeded as well to expiate my guilt. I have opened one large window and the patio door each a crack. The wind outside is from the north at 19 km/h. According to my weather app the visibility is “perfectly clear right now” (an abnormally good-natured way to put it, I believe).

Yet I waffle unnecessarily! Certainly it matters that “I can see clearly now!” And yes I thrill to the Bach cantatas. There are however other considerations, small details about the day which enlarge upon the otherwise mundane character of events. To begin – and in full admission of the household nature of these observations – today is November 1st, the beginning of a new month; and, it’s a Monday, what I consider the first day of a new week. I haven’t a doubt that a numerologist would swoon to all the “ones (1)” in the date and the eleventh month of the year!

Our personal exhilaration from the date is that it measurably approaches our departure for the winter at the end of the month. No question, our sojourn there will relieve whatever it is that COVID contributed to the past year and a half. I am determined to drill deep on this adventure, not because I have any desire to leave our beloved hometown, but because

The time has come,’ the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.’

The Walrus and the Carpenter
By Lewis Carroll

Today also marked a visit to Lincoln Heights Ford dealership for a change of oil. In my world the automobile is the poetry of power and technology. I was out of bed at 5:30 am this morning to prepare myself to be at the dealership by 7:00 am. While the service department attended to the oil change, tyre rotation, etc. I dozed in the showroom observing proper social distancing beside two shiny Mustangs. My evaporation should not however be confused with ignorance. Though I am not mechanical I am capable of reviewing the overall picture to see what if anything has changed or is not the same – things like nozzle caps, covers, foot mat locations and pre-set computer details. It was the latter attention that drew me to an issue first with the display of information then with the information displayed. The tyre pressure gauge was all wrong – and so were the tyre pressures being gauged. Because I had to return to the dealership after 100 km to have the wheel nuts re-torqued we were able to address both matters simultaneously.

This uplifting account was preceded by one equally topping; viz., a sizeable country breakfast at the Antrim Truck Stop in Arnprior; and, followed by a similarly propitious attendance at a hardware store in Kanata to purchase an uncommon 17w fluorescent lamp for the kitchen counter. And speaking of curiosities, I omitted mentioning that shortly after I arrived at the dealership at 7:00 am this morning, both my Apple watch and iPhone showed the current time was 6:30 am.  I thought I was imagining things or confused. When, in my somnolent state, I formulated that there was either something wrong with the devices or the Ontario government had unexpectedly enacted daylight savings time, I decided to broaden my investigation by casually enquiring about the time. It turned out Bell Canada was the cause of the disturbance. Although I re-booted my iPhone, the time was correct when I regained access.

The collateral of the calendar date is the incremental decline of some matters and the advance of others. We have I believe adequately positioned ourselves for social engagements for the remainder of the year. There are outstanding minor appointments in addition to the anticipated  pharmaceutical, medical and cosmetic dates. All told, things are unfolding nicely!