Category Archives: Music and Musings

I sometimes do things before I am truly ready to do them. I get enthused, I can be impulsive, I like to try. Sometimes I try too hard and too soon. Several years ago, I wrote a song called, “Cradle of Love.” I liked the song, but I always felt that someone else would beContinue reading “Ripe Is Better”

My daughter, an introvert, has chosen to live her life on the plains of South Dakota with her husband, children and many pugs. Their home is on a ranch that is twenty miles from the nearest town, with no public transportation, a five mile dirt road that leads into the ranch, and no school bus.Continue reading “Glory of the Plains”

I’ve always loved the feel of the French language in my mouth. It’s sweet, smooth, round, rolling. It’s like melted chocolate, with maybe a few crunchy highlights in it: rice krispies, nuts, dried fruits. In high school I studied French for a few years. Unfortunately, in the U.S., the opportunities to speak French are fewContinue reading “The Flavor of French: La Vie En Rose”

Yep. Most people think the rhythm method is a contraception endeavor that often leads to having children. But I’m changing gears and talking about MY rhythm method: an attempt to find reliable rhythm solely by tapping my foot or by gently smacking my hand against my leg while saying, “One, two three four.” I wasContinue reading “The Rhythm Method”

Have you had the experience of meeting someone and of having the feeling that you have known that person before? One of my favorite quirky authors, Kurt Vonnegut, invented a term to describe that kind of felt connection. He said that such people moved through the world in the same “karass”, though they had notContinue reading “Vocal and Emotional Synergy”

Every now and then, I used to fancy the notion of being a multi-instrumentalist. This could include learning to play the spoons. Or thumping on just about anything, if I could get the rhythm right. I had a beautiful mountain dulcimer that I bought many years ago, but never learned to play it, because IContinue reading ““The Water Song””

For me, music and spirituality have always seemed bonded together. Even as a young person, I was drawn to songs that were “religious”, though I didn’t “believe in” the words. I thoroughly enjoyed learning the soprano arias from Handel’s Messiah when I was in my late teens. The one musical experience I had that wasContinue reading “A Journey Towards Spirituality”

The calendar year has changed and life keeps galloping by. The “holidays” are over again, and many of us are carrying them around on our bellies, waists and/or butts. I have a confession to make. I’ve never liked Christmas cookies. Occasionally there is one that is appealing, but for me, mostly they taste like sweetContinue reading “A New Year and an Old Song”

Sometimes I think about my comfort zone and what that means. For most of us, there are things we don’t much care for but continue with anyway. So in a weird way, we are in our comfort zone of discomfort. I do believe that much growth can come from stretching one’s comfort zone in theContinue reading “Stretching the Comfort Zone”

So it’s been a dry period for me on my music blog. One thing about writing a blog like this is there are no real requirements. Good part: you don’t get in trouble for abandoning it. Bad part: you lose momentum for refining something to the point that you can actually post it. If myContinue reading “Fields of Gold Are Waiting”