For the longest day of the year, after what feels like the longest week of MY year, I'd planned to get some rest. While camp is in session, my time is not my own, for the most part. Today was the first time in weeks where I didn't have something about camp actively rattling around in my head on a list of "do immediately."
My plans for a Solstice Saturday included getting the increasingly shaggy lawn mowed, doing some porch sitting and music making, and listening to Prairie Home Companion which was being broadcast from Blossom Music Center tonight while noshing on some blue cheese burgers.
The lawn got some attention, but not hear enough. I did some singing, but not enough. The hard rain was preceded by a big strong wind that rattled windows and doors and blew me indoors before PHC came on. Dinner will be later tonight - I hope the rain lets up and the sky clears so I can sit on the porch and watch a late sunset.
Saturday 21 June 2008
Friday 6 June 2008
Have a Cuppa Sarcasm
I get a kick out of William for a number of reasons. A big one is that some of his interests overlap my own. (Another big one is how they don't, and reading his blog exposes me to parts of the world I don't contact on a regular basis.
He recently blogged about the Science of Sarcasm as well as one of the more bizzare ways to Have a Cuppa. Much of what he writes is fascinating, but these two piqued my attention; one for "oh, that's how that works" and one for "oh, that's just too weird."
My own cuppa these days tends to be tall and full of ice. It's threatening to be 99° tomorrow, I'll need iced tea. I suppose I'm a half purist - I do ice my tea in the hot weather - but I brew the tea and cool it before icing it. Today I'm drinking Twinnings Four Red Fruits black tea, a summer favorite. I was fortunate that my friend Kate asked me "what do you want me to bring you from my safari to Jungle Jim's?" as it's not a tea I've found anywhere in Cleveland.
He recently blogged about the Science of Sarcasm as well as one of the more bizzare ways to Have a Cuppa. Much of what he writes is fascinating, but these two piqued my attention; one for "oh, that's how that works" and one for "oh, that's just too weird."
My own cuppa these days tends to be tall and full of ice. It's threatening to be 99° tomorrow, I'll need iced tea. I suppose I'm a half purist - I do ice my tea in the hot weather - but I brew the tea and cool it before icing it. Today I'm drinking Twinnings Four Red Fruits black tea, a summer favorite. I was fortunate that my friend Kate asked me "what do you want me to bring you from my safari to Jungle Jim's?" as it's not a tea I've found anywhere in Cleveland.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Too late to the party
When I talk with my friends who have always been involved in folk music, one of the things that keeps coming up is the incredible things I've just missed. By the time I got back into the edges of the folk scene in the 1980s, I'd missed alot. One of the big things I've missed is I never got to see Stan Rogers perform live. Today is the 25th anniversary of his death. I've friends and acquaintances who were friends of his. I've sung his songs, heard the near legendary stories, admired the man, but I missed the pleasure of knowing him. I've spent time with his brother Garnet, heard him perform a dozen times or more. Hard to fathom two such immense talents in the same family.
Irony of ironies - I had just gotten my first taste of Kate Wolf's music the week she died. I'd taken a break from listening to a tape of "Gold in California" in my car coming home from Illinois, and heard it on the news. I learned to make the effort to see performers whose work I admired on recordings or on the radio. Being in Grad school outside Chicago made that possible. Being part of the early years of Folk Alliance & attending conferences made that more possible, and introduced me to some performers live before I had a chance to fall in love with their body of work. Years of helping present concerts gave me the delight of hearing and getting to chat with Pete Seeger, Eric Bogle, had Jean Redpath dandle my puppy on her knee, had Bob Copper buy me a pint, ironed Andy M. Stewart's shirt, punned with Art Thieme ... many wonderful experiences in being part of the path of music coming in front of people.
It's harder now for me to get to see the performers I crave, but I still don't want to be late to the party to see David Francey or Jez Lowe or... there's dozens. Many of the performers I love are seldom in this area, where traditional music isn't as valued generally. I need to keep reminding myself that it's worth it to make the effort to be part of the audience & tell the performers how much I value their work.
Irony of ironies - I had just gotten my first taste of Kate Wolf's music the week she died. I'd taken a break from listening to a tape of "Gold in California" in my car coming home from Illinois, and heard it on the news. I learned to make the effort to see performers whose work I admired on recordings or on the radio. Being in Grad school outside Chicago made that possible. Being part of the early years of Folk Alliance & attending conferences made that more possible, and introduced me to some performers live before I had a chance to fall in love with their body of work. Years of helping present concerts gave me the delight of hearing and getting to chat with Pete Seeger, Eric Bogle, had Jean Redpath dandle my puppy on her knee, had Bob Copper buy me a pint, ironed Andy M. Stewart's shirt, punned with Art Thieme ... many wonderful experiences in being part of the path of music coming in front of people.
It's harder now for me to get to see the performers I crave, but I still don't want to be late to the party to see David Francey or Jez Lowe or... there's dozens. Many of the performers I love are seldom in this area, where traditional music isn't as valued generally. I need to keep reminding myself that it's worth it to make the effort to be part of the audience & tell the performers how much I value their work.
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