I have many fond memories of bagpipes. I remember going to the Fourth of July parade in my town where there was usually one pipe and drum band marching. I love the droning, wailing sound and I was intrigued by the way the drummers spun their drum sticks. If I did that, I would have whacked myself upside the head.
Another time I went to the Highland Games which is usually held around the summer solstice. I was there to hear the massing of the bagpipes. I remember asking a kilt-clad man if I was standing in an ok spot to see the spectacle. He responded, “Ah yes, lass, they come doon and go roond…” Which translated into they come down and go round and I was in the correct place.
And yet another time I remember hearing bagpipes at Edinburgh Castle. Could there have been a more magnificent setting? The castle, perched high above on a rocky outpost overlooking the city. It was grand.
And just this week, I was walking the dog and I heard a mechanical skirl in the near spring air. It was two leaf blowers, in tandem, blowing away the last bit of winter’s debris. It dawned on me that leaf blowers are the suburban answer to bagpipes. While their sound doesn’t have the same charm as bagpipes, it did make me think of their haunting sound.
I’m Rosie Klepper and that’s my perspective.
