Yesterday morning, as I was preparing the Thanksgiving dinner, I got a text from Clay Logue, organist on Maui and former student of mine.

Good morning, Kathy, and Happy Thanksgiving. Please call me when you get a chance, after today. Our vehicles were broken into last night and my large briefcase of Advent and Christmas organ music was stolen, including my notated Orgelbuchlein and my prescription organ glasses. Included was my spiral bound Malcolm Archer After the Last Verse and Rawsthorne 400 Last Verses. My Mayhew Wachet Auf was stolen. Augsburg Organ Library Advent collection. OUP Album of Christmas organ music. Everything I need for Advent and Christmas, plus. I’d practiced long time at St Johns yesterday and left my briefcase in my truck. I need advice on purchasing new music and your Orgelbuchlein notation is irreplaceable. I’m devastated.

Poor Clay! I’m thinking that the thief most surely was not an organist and didn’t know how valuable sheet music is to a church musician! I mean, who would steal organ music?

If this had happened to me, I too would be devastated, as I don’t memorize my music for every Sunday. I would be in a state of sheer panic! I know a lot of other organists who scan their music libraries for viewing on an iPad but I still like to read from paper scores!

Remember when I wrote the post, “Paper is best?” At that time, I was preparing my Clavierübung concert, and I spent quite a lot of time scanning my score at a reduced size so I could eliminate page turns.

And I embedded that old French TV commercial about toilet paper!

Ordinarily I keep most of my music in the library at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, but a couple of weeks ago, I had pulled all my Advent and Christmas collections to keep at home for the season. Luckily I had all the pieces Clay planned for this Sunday at home and was able to scan them in between making my corn pudding and peeling the potatoes.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving! Thanks to my friends who contributed food to this year’s day of feasting.