2 Sep

Beauty is Pain

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks. Tagged: , .

A post in which our hero prepares for the coming season.

I am here, Friends, on a folding chair next to the organ bench. I’m on a folding chair because my back hurts. My back hurts because it’s Fall. Not following me? It’s a keyboardist thing – sitting on a piano and organ bench most of each day for a week … you get the idea.

The Fall season kickoff is upon us. The choir I accompany is starting up again, and I have two new groups to choose, organize, and direct music for. (Handbells! Ding-dong.) Besides, I want to have some really special organ solos for a few of the special days coming up. Yesterday alone, I went over and over two pieces from Bach, and repeated several others multiple times from a Bach son, Beethoven, Haydn, Elgar, Mozart, Rutter, some guy I can’t remember the name of, and several hymnodists.

To give you an idea of the volume of music coming up, I counted. (I know, childish.) I currently have 27 pieces of music on deck, many of them lengthy pieces by old masters. It’s a lot. But, do let’s be completely honest. I love playing and learning new music. I even usually enjoy practicing. And sure, when you’re into the music, all ills fade away. Even during rehearsal.

And you learn the tricks. You pace yourself. You save bookwork/writing/arranging for later in the week because you know your back will bother you and you’ll want to sit in a chair instead of on the bench. I have a few favorite places I like to sit outside on the church campus to take a break (pictured). In my previous vocation (musical theatre), I tried to always remember that to me, the biggest part of the job is providing people with something beautiful. I think of my job here at the church the same way. Art and beauty are important, and often, we don’t get quite enough of it nowadays.

But, I have to tell you … I’m leaving at noon today, taking two days to relax, and I’m not sitting in a chair that doesn’t have back support until Sunday morning!

You have a great day too!

27 Aug

State Fair Chapter Four

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks.

Best part of the fair? The traditional crafts area. Spinning, weaving, a working log cabin, broom making. Awesome. I bought a hand made broom. Awesome.

27 Aug

State Fair Chapter Three

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks.

The Midway from atop the Ferris Wheel! We’re midwayed out, and heading to the NYS products, the International Pavilion, and possibly … lunch!

27 Aug

State Fair Chapter Two

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks.

Butter sculpture! It’s a butter village! Mmmmm … butter.

27 Aug

State Fair Chapter One

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Did we all know I’d spend quite a while in the poultry building? Had some NY State chocolate milk, and we’re headed for the Midway! I’m saving the foods-on-sticks for AFTER the rides!

25 Aug

Testing … Testing

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks.

What is this? What’s going on? Why are you looking at a random photo of the hen house?

It’s a Mobile Blogging Test. We’re going to be going to the New York State Fair  (and to visit with friends) this weekend, beginning Thursday. My music for Sunday is all practiced up, and we’re headed out tomorrow, coming back Saturday evening.

As for this particular post, I wanted to be able to mobile blog from the Fair … especially with photos! You’re currently looking at the test, and evidently, I’m all set up to blog from my cell phone.

I’ll be coming at you live from the Midway, the NY State Products Store, The Butter Sculpture, the Petting Zoo, the Agriculture building, the model homes … Which reminds me – Fair warning – I can only send one pic at a time, so there will be several posts this Friday. Hope it’s not too too irritating, in-box wise.

You have a great day too!

24 Aug

Success!

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks. Tagged: .

They’re here! The sunflowers are here! Hundreds of ‘em. And a little bonus – because I planted three different varieties, some are behind the others schedule-wise, and we’ll have blooms for quite a while. The giants in the back should bloom in a few weeks if the weather holds out and we don’t have a hard frost.

You have a great day too!

20 Aug

Late Summer Blooms

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The perennials have bloomed their last, the lily and hosta stalks are more and more brown each day, and the catnip is more silver than green these days. Yes Friends, my favorite perennial beds are nearly spent. However, the annuals I sprinkled here and there have taken up the slack. And the big patch of sunflowers? I’m predicting quite a spectacle in about three days!

17 Aug

The Bells

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Hear the sledges with the bells
Silver bells!
What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

-Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells

I never miss an opportunity to throw in a Poe quote, do I? Go on with your creepy self, Edgar. Beautiful words. At any rate, I’m thinking a lot about bells this week, and Poe’s masterpiece came to mind.

We’re headed for Fall and I’m thinking about handbells. I love handbells. I really do. Ha! Let the Handbell Dork jokes fly! I have a sense of humor about it. I figure everybody is somebody else’s weirdo.

Our church has a magnificent set of handbells (truly), and I’m hard at work sorting far-flung boxes and boxes (and boxes and boxes) of music, finding the bell tables and stands, choosing music, putting books/folders together, and even writing and arranging music for the Handbell Ensemble at St. Luke’s.

Rather than doing a wall-of-people-at-tables-out-front performance sort of thing, my preferred approach to the handbells is a bit different. I see those crystalline tones as an organic part of a whole. Perhaps the bells chime the hour or play a prelude from the organ loft. Perhaps they support a hymn along with the pipe organ. Perhaps a simple, quiet solo or duet serves as special music. Small. Simple. Organic. I’m aiming for a quartet, or an octet at most.

Is it too weird to be dreaming of Christmas music in August? Ding dong.

You have a great day too!

16 Aug

An Existential Housing Crisis

Posted by smallpines in adirondacks. Tagged: .

Oh, hell. I don’t know.

I wish I were one of those people who just sees something and says, “That looks good. I’ll take it.” But I’m not. I’m someone who looks at all the options, and honestly, for me, there are too many options. We went out to the ‘Burgh and looked at a modular Cape-style 4-bedroom. It fits the footprint we’d like to build on nicely. It’s pretty. In fact, it’s gorgeous. Great price, and it includes everything except the foundation – cranes, utility hookups, cabinets, finish carpentry, the works. It’s a beautiful house. And still, it didn’t wow me. I didn’t “want it.”

I’ve been looking at A-frames for two weeks. Really, an absolutely ideal fit for the property, and an Alpine-style house would look terrific. But, I’m not crazy about offering passers-by a view of a big, two-story, black roof-wall for all time. There are some weird space issues inside, and I’ve started to feel, “If we’re spending tens of thousands of dollars on a house, I want space.” We love the look of the A-frames, we adore the novelty and the cool design. But I don’t feel like I “have to have it.”

I have a few really nifty frame house plans bookmarked to look at. Oddly, I don’t really care to investigate them right now.

I’ve mentioned that we’re looking into a home loan to a few banker-type friends. Sort of put it out there, talked about talking. You know, I can’t exactly say that I’m excited about it. I spoke to one friend partially in-depth, a prelim conversation. You’d think I would have gotten a little charge out of a finance professional telling me that this all sounds like a good possibility. But I really didn’t have much of a reaction at all.

Maybe we’re not house people. You’d think two creative people could come up with an idea for what sort of house they’d like. I dunno. I’m going to ignore it for a while. I’ll see what a builder friend says. Maybe we need to build a small, basic board-and-batten-box-with-a-bump-out, and then make it what we want it to be. I’m better when I have a starting point anyway. There are also bound to be modulars we can look at on the ground of the State Fair.

Perhaps it’s best to let it work itself out. When something is right, it’ll be right.

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