Don — Page 134

Flocks, Murmurations, and the Radio

October 23, 2015 at 9:17 am by Claudia

10-23 canadageese

It’s that time of year when I can hear the honking of the Canada Geese overhead. If I happen to have a camera nearby, all the better. They gather by the river that’s just down the road; hundreds and hundreds of them.

The other day, we experienced another fall event: a murmuration of starlings. As I was sitting in my chair, I caught a glimpse of several starlings flying and landing, taking off and soaring. Then I heard them. I quickly got up and went to the kitchen window and there they were: hundreds and hundreds of them, landing on the grass, then rising into the trees, then flying in a circular, soaring swirl.

It’s amazing. And it doesn’t last long, so you have to drop everything and watch.

10-23 horsesinthedistance

I listened to my husband being interviewed on the radio last night. He was on Radio Woodstock. The show was hosted by Lisa Wexler, a musician and the daughter of the incredible Jerry Wexler, one of the most famous producers in the history of the recording industry. Google him and you’ll see what I mean.

Don was on between 10 pm and midnight. I grabbed a portable radio, ran a bubble bath and listened to a chunk of the show while immersed in bubbles. And then I listened to the rest while reading in bed. It reminded me of those days in my youth when an ever-present transistor radio was at my side, always tuned in to our local radio station. There’s something really wonderful about listening to the radio without earbuds or a computer. Just low-tech. The way it used to be.

Don was great, as was Lisa. He talked about his life, Lisa played tracks from the new CD, and he sang live. He also shared five songs/recordings that had had an impact on his life. In Don’s case, most of them were recordings that he heard when he was 12 or so. It was fascinating. As he said, it wasn’t so much that the records were incredibly good or huge sellers, but that they came into his awareness at a point in his life where they resonated with him on a very powerful level.

I love hearing his new CD being played on the radio. It’s as it should be, especially since the title is Ready for the Radio. I love hearing his voice coming out of my portable radio, knowing that everyone listening is getting the chance to get to hear him speak and share his warmth, compassion, wisdom, and great sense of humor.

Good job, Don!

Happy Friday.

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The CD Release Party

October 18, 2015 at 9:24 am by Claudia

Last night’s CD Release Party was simply incredible.

Magical. That’s the word I kept using. Magical. I couldn’t find a better one.

The restaurant was full of friends and supporters and singers and songwriters. The Hudson Valley has a thriving music scene and the level of talent continues to amaze and delight me.

Don had set up the evening to include performances by his fellow musicians. First up, was Montgomery Delaney, then Dave Kearney and Elly Wininger (Small Engine), then Open Book (Rick and Michele Gedney), then Marji Zintz – all of them sang two songs and all of them had completely different styles. Extraordinary. Don introduced each of the acts, telling a little story about his connection to them, how they have influenced his musical journey.

Then, I got up and introduced Don and Dan and they performed all ten cuts from their album, plus, after a standing ovation, an encore.

10-18 open book

Rick and Michele Gedney, known as Open Book. Simply exquisite. Rick was also intimately involved in this CD as it was recorded and mixed in his studio. He is so talented! And to add to all of his skills, he is a gifted landscape painter and I would love nothing more than to own one of his paintings.

10-18 marji zintz

Our extraordinarily talented friend, Marji Zintz. She is a chanteuse, singing intricate, sexy, jazzy songs that cast a spell on you.

10-18 donanddan

The stars of the night: Don and Dan.

And yes, he is hot.

10-18 donanddanandrick

Don, Rick and Dan.

I’ve witnessed many moments of joy and delight in the years I’ve been with Don. But last night might be one of the most joy-filled evenings I’ve ever been a part of. He was so moved by the support of his friends, by the performances of his fellow musicians, by, as he said, ‘a dream fulfilled.’

The entire evening, from start to finish, was magical. I am so, so happy for my husband. And for Dan. But seeing my husband so moved, with tears in his eyes? I’ll never forget it.

We’ll be talking about it for days to come, that I know.

Hard freeze last night. I’m just about to go take the sheets off. I almost resigned to the fact that my plants might be done. The catalpa is shedding hundreds of leaves as I write this.

That, my friends, is not making me happy.

The zinnias didn’t make it, and I don’t think the morning glories did, either. We’ll wait and see. But the geraniums in the barrels are hanging in there. And all of the porch plants are safely inside the house, making it look like a jungle.

Thank goodness I have memories of last night to balance everything out.

Happy Sunday.

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Let’s Hang On

October 17, 2015 at 8:59 am by Claudia

10-17 zinnia

Do you remember that old Four Seasons song?

Let’s hang on to what we got
Don’t let go, girl, we got a lot
Got a lot of love between us
Hang on, hang on, hang on to what we got.

That’s what I’m singing to my plants today and tomorrow. Yes, the dreaded hard freeze will be here for two nights, not one. Crap. I followed Janet’s advice and watered everything at dusk yesterday. I’ll have to cover everything with sheets around 5:30 pm, as I have to get to the CD Release Party by 6 or so. Earlier than planned, but better to be safe. And I have to bring in all the plants from the porch and there are a lot of them.

And then I’ll have to do it again tomorrow, if all goes well tonight.

10-17 beebalm

The only bee balm blossom that’s still going strong – the others are long gone. Will he make it through the freeze?

Don and Dan (who stayed the night with us) are on their way to the radio station, which is in the Catskills. They’ll be on live from 11 -12 this morning – if you’re interested in listening to them you can catch the program streaming live here.

Tonight is the CD Release Party, with lots of friends coming to celebrate. Some of them will also be performing along with Don and Dan. I wish you all could be here, too! I know we’d have a lot of fun.

Quandary: what does one do when one has a stack of books from the library, among them All the Light We Cannot See, which said person knows she should read but for some reason isn’t very excited about, and an email arrives informing that person that after weeks of waiting in a long queue, Make Me by Lee Child is finally sitting on a shelf reserved under said person’s name at the local library?

(Quite a long and awkward sentence but you get the picture.)

Answer: One drops everything in her own personal ‘queue’ and runs to the library to check it out, which she will be doing as soon as the radio show is over.

I mean, come on, it’s Lee Child. It’s Jack Reacher. End of story.

10-17 wildflowers

Dad is being transferred to rehab today and it is the one we wanted him to be in all along. He had a rocky day yesterday. We finally figured out that he’d been given a sleeping pill in the middle of the night and he was out of it for most of the day. By the time I spoke to him a second time later in the day, he sounded better.

We’re grateful that everything has worked out in the end. Now to rehab and, hopefully, back home in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed.

Okay. To those of you battling the hard freeze, I wish you luck! Wish me luck, too.

Happy Saturday.

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Flocks, Murmurations, and the Radio

The CD Release Party

Let’s Hang On

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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