JULY 6, SATURDAY

PASSING

Another retirement. Inessa Zaretsky is retiring after 40 years with the Chamber Music Society of the Carolinas which used to be Swannanoa Chamber Music. It seems like just day before yesterday that she replaced Ruth Geiger as pianist and yesterday (10 years ago) that Frank Ell retired and Inessa became director. She is the last of the group that used to play here for years. They are all retired and probably some of them are dead. The music was beautiful. Randall Lanier who said he would spend the night with me so that he didn‘t have to drive at night never showed up after Susie straightened up the house.

So the house is clean and the sheets washed. If I don‘t touch anything it will stay just as it is until next week when he might come and spend the night. Randall used to provide a beautiful bouquet that sat on stage every concert and would invite the entire group out to his cabin in Madison County for dinner. But he stopped doing both years ago. He wanted to be here last night. I don‘t know why he didn‘t come.

Later, he phoned me on Monday, he just forgot. When you are in your 80‘s and long retired there are no days of the week, time stops, I am in my 80‘s and live only in the present. I understand.