Giving Thanks.

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

Consider making your own list of the positives that you can think of in your life, this past and most momentous year.

I have a favorite postcard for this day:

This is part of the Busch farm “collection” – old postcards saved by my grandparents primarily between 1905 and 1915.  They were young farmers on never-plowed land when they arrived in the spring of 1905.  Grandpa was 24, Grandma 21.  “Home” in Wisconsin was about 600 miles away, and they were the first from home to migrate.  Such cards took the edge off of loneliness.  This card seems to have been produced in 1904, and probably sent as an insert with a long letter (Here’s a story I wrote about the postcards in 2006.  Here’s the US Postal Service write-up about this means of communication.)

This Thanksgiving post is almost a week early, for a specific reason.

Yesterday we heard the Minnesota Orchestra and Minnesota Chorale do a wonderful performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No 9 in D minor.  This performance will be live this evening, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, 8-10 p.m. CST on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).  Here is the link to MPR.

Here is the program note on the concert both in jpeg and pdf: Beethoven Mn Orch Nov 18 2021.

In the live performance, we in the audience saw the English text of Ode to Joy.  Here is the translation from the original German by Friedrich Schiller in 1785.   Here is an article about it.

Joy, beautiful spark of Divinity [or: of gods],
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, drunk with fire,
Heavenly one, thy sanctuary!
Thy magic binds again
What custom strictly divided;*
All people become brothers,*
Where thy gentle wing abides.

Whoever has succeeded in the great attempt,
To be a friend’s friend,
Whoever has won a lovely woman,
Add his to the jubilation!
Yes, and also whoever has just one soul
To call his own in this world!
And he who never managed it should slink
Weeping from this union!

All creatures drink of joy
At nature’s breasts.
All the Just, all the Evil
Follow her trail of roses.
Kisses she gave us and grapevines,
A friend, proven in death.
Ecstasy was given to the worm
And the cherub stands before God.

Gladly, as His suns fly
through the heavens’ grand plan
Go on, brothers, your way,
Joyful, like a hero to victory.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss to all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father.
Are you collapsing, millions?
Do you sense the creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy!
Above stars must He dwell

POSTNOTE: I don’t publicize to my list each post I make.  The Rittenhouse verdict has just been announced, and at the conclusion of my post on Rittenhouse Nov. 15, 2021, I will be posting my own impressions as an individual, but not until a little later today.

COMMENTS:

from Jeff: The other day I was driving up Cty Rd 5 from my home to the Cub store, the speed limit is45mph.  there is about a 1/2 mile stretch up a hill between lights… and at the end there is a left turn lane at the stop light with a left turn arrow, one that does not turn to yellow flashing because it is a fairly busy interesection (5 and McAndrews).  I was in the left lane knowing I wanted to turn left at the top of the hill, I was going about 48-50, i.e. a bit over the posted limit. A guy in a small black sedan came up behind me and tailgaited for a few seconds, then when he cleared a car in the right lane, shot in there accelerated to 55 or 60 and passed me on the right and got into the left lane. we were both nearing the top of the hill and the turn arrow was red, however no one was coming from the forward traffic and the guy just took his left on the red arrow.