Thoughts from Alison that might at least entertain you!

Masterworks Gets Ready!

Good evening, All! 

I'm just in from an energizing Masterworks Chorale rehearsal in Toledo. I only just realized as I was gathering my music at home this afternoon that we are less than two weeks away from our holiday performances.  Yikes!  Masterworks will perform on Saturday, December 5th (8pm) and Sunday, December 6th (4pm) at Epworth United Methodist Church in Toledo.  If you're unfamiliar with the church, but familiar with Wildwood Metropark (where John and I were married!) - Epworth is just across the street from the park on Central Avenue.  I have two - count them - two tickets to the Saturday evening performance to give away, so give me a holler if you'd be interested.  Tickets are for sale at $20.00 each, and I can also sell tickets in advance if you would like to join us. 

Our Masterworks holiday performances have become an important holiday tradition to many in the Toledo area, and this year's program will certainly please.  We will offer some folk tunes, some classics, and some things you've probably not heard before.  Pieces are included by Sweelinck, Peter Warlock, de Victoria, Biebl, Bach, Rutter, and more!  Please consider joining us.  (I will also be offering a small bit of solo work on one of the pieces.)  We typically fill the audience on Sunday afternoon, but Saturday night tickets are often available at the door.  I'd love to see you in the audience and greet you after a show! 

Be Well Dear Friends, and have fantastic and lovely celebrations that fit you and fill you this holiday week and in the season ahead.

Cats Causing More Laughter

And so today's theme is "Stuff the Girls Like to be On."  In their quest to provide myself and others with laughter, the girls have come up with these antics: 

Maggie B (in a rare moment of calm and cuteness) spent a bit of time napping on her mom's lap this afternoon before I returned to work for the second shift of the day.  I think there may also have been a message here - "Don't go, mom - don't go..." 

A couple of weeks ago Tori wedged herself in here, on top of my collection of crap (heating pad, random towel, laptop pad thing, etc). 

And tonight when I arrived home, she was wedged in here (below), where the boots I was wearing were sitting before I left.  She does indeed love to sit on her mom's stuff. 

Thanks, Girls!  And thanks for reading, Friends - Be Well!

Children Laughing

I am thankful for the easy and simple laughter of children. 

While my first choice for a Sunday afternoon is not generally to be at work, I am thankful for this Sunday afternoon and next when I will be working shows for children who are full of laughter. 

Be Well and Laugh Often, Friends!

Cats Causing Laughter

I am thankful for my cats who provide endless entertainment (as well as annoyances, of course).    After today's bill for prescription cat food, I'm especially pleased with tonight's entertainment. 

Here we have Maggie B.  She's checking out my bag (as yet un-stored after my overnight getaway earlier in the week).  Maggie is trying to figure out exactly what's in that bag. 

 

 

 

 

And that would be...  Yeah, Tori.  She likes to lay on my stuff in general, and apparently if she fits inside it - she also like to lay in my stuff.

Thanks Continued

Tonight I find myself so happy to have married John's family when I married John!

Be well, Friends.

Breath

I am thankful for the moments amidst chaos when I remember to just pause and just breathe.  It seems a thing I wouldn't be able to forget, but sometimes I do.

Giving Thanks

Simply put,  I can hardly describe the gratitude I have for music.  But here goes: 

How lucky I am to have been born to parents who loved, performed, and listened to folk music.  How blessed I am that Mr. Miller at Southview Highschool recommended I have some private voice lessons.  How different my life might be if I hadn't come of age listening to U2, The Violent Femmes, and The Smiths.  How perfect it is that so much of my Self was discovered by studying music, meeting and loving other musicians, and performing.  How strange and full circle it is that I now work in a fantastic acoustic music venue that at once challenges me, engages my brain, and enriches my life.  Thank you, Music.

Gratitude

Good evening, All! 

I'm back from the blogging void yet again.  What a long strange week it's been.  I've found very little time for much of anything besides work.  Meals shared with my husband were even lacking this week, and I can hardly remember the last time I cooked anything!  I'm happy to say that after this weekend (when I've worked about 5 days worth in 2 1/2 days) things will return to a slightly more regular pace at work for a little while. 

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I've decided to take a cue from a Facebook friend and try to pause for a moment each day leading up to the holiday to consider something I'm thankful for.  I'm going to do my best to share these thoughts here.  Since this is my first moment of pause in quite some time, many things come to mind.  On this day, I have special gratitude for my beautiful man of a husband who loves me no matter how work is going or what kind of day I'm having.  I am thankful also for the perfect reminder this afternoon (a terrific Orientation for new Volunteers at work) of why I love the job I have!  Many thanks also for the short escape I will snag with my mom for an annual getaway in just a few days.  Life is good. 

Be Well, Friends!

Bring on the Birds

Greetings, Friends!

Prune Ridge is now officially ready for the birds to begin fall feasting.  Our tiny tree is laden with the black berries they seem to covet and birdseed has been restocked.  I've hung the feeder after stowing it away for the summer/early fall, and filled it full.  Also this year, we've added a couple of suet feeders.  The girls have both taken to gazing through the dining room window regularly, so it seems we needed another feeding point for birds out there.

I'll be working this evening following a week when every work day got to be quite a bit longer than it should have.  Looking forward to a couple of slower days for the weekend before the madness begins again next week.  On the agenda this weekend?  Probably baking a batch of scones, possibly also a batch of cookies.  Otherwise...  many things to read, maybe a couple of naps to take, and certainly some interwebs to surf.

Happy weekend, All.  Be Well!

Googly Eyes and Silly Good Fun

So imagine my surprise with this one... 

You may certainly know (or not) that I'm a fan of all things childish, especially books and animated movies.  And very especially Wallace & Gromit, the claymation figures from Nick Parks - as well as many of his other creations.  Today is the 20th anniversary of Wallace & Gromit!  Their first short film - A Grand Day Out - was screened on this date 20 years ago.  I read in my inbox just now that Wallace and Gromit were being honored today on the Google search page.  They are one of only 3 "Google Doodles" ever to be made outside of Google HQ! 

So I went to google.com only to find Big Bird legs there instead.  Today is ALSO the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street!  Coincidence?  I think not.  Everything is connected in the strange and mysterious world of Awesome Things Invented in the Interest of Learning Through Youthful Fun and Whimsy!  Turns out the W&G Doodle is on the google.co.uk search page!

The Dinner That Rocked Prune Ridge

Good evening, All - and Happy Halloween to you! 

I embarked on a cooking extravaganza tonight to try out two new recipes that sounded like things I should try, and I'm pleased to say dinner at Prune Ridge was terrific.  I've been a Cook's Illustrated magazine subscriber for many years now, and have never been disappointed with anything I tried from them.  If you aren't familiar with Cook's Illustrated you might just want to know about it.  They publish 6 issues a year, and have no advertising so the whole magazine is chock-full of nuggets of their wisdom.  The scientist in me loves their approach to recipes - each is preceded with an article detailing the entire research process (failed attempts, variables considered and adjusted for, etc) that went into the finished recipe.  I have also recieved a few free issues of their newer publication, Cook's Country.  The magazine hasn't hooked me as a subscriber, but I have appreciated the few copies I recieved and found a gem of a recipe in the most recent issue sent my way.  I'm sharing links here to the articles on both recipes.  You can't see the recipe if you're not a subscriber, but I am happy to pass along the recipe if you'd like to try it.  Both sites do offer a free 14-day trial membership when you provide your email that would allow you to see & print the whole recipe. 

From the September/October 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated, I tried the Lighter Chicken and Dumplings.  This is a favorite classic comfort food dish of mine to begin with, but I've never made it myself.  I decided the Cook's Illustrated version was one to start with, and we were not disappointed.  The process is fairly involved so it's not a quickie dinner, but it was definitely worth a fun few hours of cooking.  I halved the recipe (plus an extra chicken thigh since I couldn't find a package with just 3) and we ended up with 4 good sized portions so we have leftovers to boot!  As a side dish tonight, from the most recent copy of Cook's Country I tried a Glazed Butternut Squash.  This was a pretty simple (although peeling a butternut squash is quite a workout) and simply awesome recipe.  Yummy! 

Don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight, by the way.  Be Well out there, Friends.

My Very Effective Shopping List:

Coming Up For Air

Alright, it's been a long time - and a couple of very long weeks!  Today is the first chance I've had in quite a while to catch up on the little things like groceries and a leisurely bookstore visit.  I believe I'll have a chance to be more present in life and blogging in the near future. 

Happy weekend, Friends!  Don't forget to turn your clocks back, and enjoy at least one little snack and possibly a spook or two for Halloween.  The best signs of coming up for air are these (finally!) new flowers in the kitchen at Prune Ridge:

Hocking Hills 2009, Part IV

One last set of yammering notes and photos from our recent getaway to Hocking Hills for you...

Our last stop on the day of three sight stops was to Cedar Falls.  I honestly can't pick a favorite thing we did or saw on this trip, but this was certainly near the top!

Cedar Falls is not far from Old Man's Cave - I think there's actually a walking trail connecting the two, so not more than a couple of miles.  Cedar Falls is another valley type formation carved amazingly in the sandstone - with, yes, a fantastic water fall.  The trail to the falls was beautiful, and I especially enjoyed the informational markers on this trail.  There was a lot of information about the Hocking Hills region, the geographical features there, and "how it happened."  There also apparently was a very large flood in the area about 10 years ago that especially decimated the Cedar Falls area.  The valley was changed dramatically, and evidence of that recent change is everywhere.  The informational bits said the sort of flood that happened 10 years ago isn't unusual - just not common.  I believe it said it was the kind of flood that happens in the area about every 100 years.

The falls themselves are beautiful.  The "Rock Man" seen at the end of this post is actually a stone pedestal thing with an informational sign perched on top.  I don't know that it's supposed to look like a man made of stone wearing a hat, but it sure did to me!

The trail we chose away from the falls (there are two ways to approach and/or leave, and we took the "loop" pattern that took us in by one and out by the other) was interesting at the least!  The picture here is me heading into a dramatically narrowing path.  I wasn't certain it was going to take me anywhere other than into a corner, but eventually we came through.  I should mention that there are no cedar trees at Cedar Falls.  Settlers to the area who named the falls mistook the hemlock trees that surround the falls for cedars.

All in all, of course - our escape to the Hocking Hills area south of Columbus was great fun and we will likely return!

Alright, Just Watch It. This one made me cry!

If you click on the "YouTube" icon @ lower right corner you can see the explanation there, or just watch this lovely 4 mintues and be charmed!