Comment from Wayne Fowler

Exceptional

Except for your mal-aligned order in your closing sentence, I found your essay the funniest thing since, well, since ... You should take up a clarinet, or the saxophone, and be sure to practice on occasions that your daughter comes to visit. And get a dog. Nothing quite like the smell of wet dog for your wife to enjoy.
Hah! Isn't there medicine for their conditions?
Well done. I loved it!

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2023

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

Thanks, Wayne. Believe it or not, my daughter studied music and got a masters degree in clarinet with the goal of being in an orchestra. It was such a competitive field because most orchestras have only 2 or 3 clarinets (vs about 389 violins), that she never could hope for a job in a big enough orchestra to pay her a decent salary, so she switched to interior design. I think the real reason, though, is that clarinets sit right in front of trumpets in an orchestra, and I think those noisy trumpets were too much for her delicate ears!

reply by Wayne Fowler on 03-Dec-2023

Hah!
I was thinking of the retched sounds from those instruments by beginners!

reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023

That's a good point. I'm surprised now that she didn't give it up in 5th grade when she first played in the band.

BTW, the only "medicines" I know for these conditions are ear plugs and nose plugs.