CARTOON MUSIC

After school I decided to take the children for a drive. I had no destination in mind other than to avoid having them sit at home for the next three hours until it was time to leave for the drop off at their father's place. I also needed a change of scenery as the house was starting to feel a bit stuffy.

Jet lag still had its grip on me today. It seems to do so longer each time I return from a trip, this time being the worse. 'You look tired' said my boyfriend to me tonight when he saw me on Skype. He had a rare Friday off today so we were able to talk a few times in between his moving to another place. I was thinking of my move in less than two months and dreading the thought.

We drove in the general direction of the Arboretum. I thought about going to Whole Foods to get ice cream sandwiches as a treat for the three. Then changed my mind as I want to wait until at least springtime to start eating ice cream again. Somehow eating ice cream when it is not hot outside feels wrong. Winter is a time for chocolate, not ice cream.

At the beginning of our drive, I put on some music. I found a few collections of 1920s music on YouTube reminiscent of the music which played on a daily basis at the Suas CoffeeHouse in Ennis. The children seemed to like it. 'Oh, I know this' they would say. 'This is the one on Tom and Jerry' they continued. Then another song came on and they described a Christmas scene on another Looney Tunes cartoon which went along with the song. It made me smile as I grew up on Looney Tunes cartoons albeit most were not intended for children.

Trader Joes ended up being our destination. Saffron was not familiar with the store as it was built during the time she was in Berlin. She did not know about the small red shopping carts. Cinnamon and Sage grabbed one shopping cart each and had me place items in both of them. I had no plans to buy anything but I grabbed a few items nonetheless. Haricot vert beans for next week, lemons - because you always need lemons for something, nutrition bars for the kids' snacks on the drive home, dark chocolate hazelnut Rittersport, and wine.

The drive home was long as can be expected on a Friday afternoon. I did not mind waiting in traffic today and enjoyed the time listening to music. The children continued to discuss random things whilst the music played in the background. I remember something Conor told me about the reason for playing this music in his coffeehouse. The conversation continues with this type of music, he told me.

The Roaring Twenties, also known as the Jazz Age, must have been a fun time to experience. It was a time of economic prosperity, technological advances, a new direction in art, the introduction of sound and colour in cinema, a change in fashion, and the popularity of dance. The role of women changed in this time as well. They were now allowed to vote, work, and attend universities and colleges alongside the men. Unfortunately, the time of prosperity ended on Black Tuesday with the Great Depression taking over.

Life has its ups and downs. In a span of less than a decade the world went from prosperous to disastrous. But during the time of prosperity, the world enjoyed the moments just as we should enjoy the moments of happiness which come our way.