I stepped out the door to embark on a walk with 20 mph wind gusting this morning. I was prepared though; I stuck some cotton in my ears so the wind would not travel in one ear and out the other. It was so breezy the slate “Welcome” sign outside the door was wiggling, wobbling and slapping against the brick wall as each gust of wind caught it. Shhhhhh … Marge is still sleeping! In the distance I heard the gentle tinkle of my wind chimes from the farthest corner of the backyard. Often the clapper gets tangled in my Dream Cloud rose and silences the gentle, soothing sound, but not today. As I walked through the subdivisions enroute to the Park, I noticed the wind was wreaking havoc with many hanging baskets and some of them were swinging precariously. I passed many wind chimes, running the gamut from large with long pipes to smaller, more-dainty bamboo varieties. It is pleasant to hear the gentle noises emitting from the wind chimes in the early morning – it makes you feel at peace with the world. When I worked on site at Stroh River Place, at the center of the courtyard was a huge fountain and carillon bells which played on the hour. Stroh River Place consisted of an office building, apartment building and parking garage and wherever you were, the sound of the bells pealing was carried throughout the entire compound. It always seemed to me that this is what Heaven might sound like – soft music tolling on the hour … perhaps I am a dreamer sometimes.

Well this post could be entitled “All Things Alpine”. The noisy chimes this morning made me think about bells and I have an amusing story about cow bells which I must share. My parents and I visited Austria in 1979 and spent a week in the Austrian Alps. We went in May and the Alpine meadows were reminiscent of scenery from “The Sound of Music” and the beauty of the pristine, grassy knolls and colorful Alpine flowers everywhere made you want to sing out in joy. If you liked to walk or hike, this was the place to be.

We stayed in a quaint town in a bed-and-board chalet. There was a farm in back of the chalet where the farmer kept some chickens and a herd of dairy cattle. They used the milk for fresh cream to pour into mugs of strong coffee, churned their own butter and made their own cheese. The proprietors were a husband and wife – he did the farming and she made all the meals and they shared upkeep of the chalet chores.

Every morning at the crack of dawn, the farmer would stream the cows out of the barn and up through the narrow street to take them to the Alpine slopes to graze all day. He would reverse the trip at night to bring them back home. The cows wore very large, flat metal bells with monstrous clappers on a leather collar around their neck. If you got about 50-60 head of cows lowing and walking along with their bells in tow, it was loud enough to wake the dead as they walked past your bedroom window in the early a.m. The only plus to all that noise was sitting down to warm Kaiser rolls spread with fresh chunks of creamy butter. It seemed all the farmers led their respective herds through the tiny Alpine towns, and thus a miniature alpine cow bell hanging on an embroidered leather strap was a souvenir that a visitor to Austria could not pass up. I had one for years which hung from my rearview mirror until the fabric faded and it finally fell down.

One did not have to travel far to get to Grossglockner, the tallest mountain in Austria. At this tourist attraction, you can start at the base of the mountain in short sleeves and wind your way by car to the very top. Halfway there, if you got out the car to admire the view, you must have a sweater with you due to the snow. By the time you reach the mountain peak you needed a heavy coat as snow is everywhere except on the mountain pass road. We travelled to the peak by car but it was also a trip for hiking or walking enthusiasts who were everywhere.

Another souvenir from Austria that came home with me was an Alpine walking stick. Everyone in the Alps walks everywhere, no matter their age; most of them walk with a cane with a metal point on the bottom that is used to help navigate the steep hills. Walking or hiking enthusiasts collect badges or metal shields from every town in the Alps. The shields are about 1½ by 1½ inches and curved to fit on the side of the stick. They are nailed right onto the stick – the more towns you visit, the more shields you collect and exhibit up and down the walking stick. I brought home mine proudly displaying a half-dozen shields. I walked miles and miles that week, never tiring, and the stick was well used during my Alpine adventure. Thinking about it makes me want to break out singing with “Climb Every Mountain” from the “Sound of Music” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spUpMv6PjXY