And so it is official: Olive will arrive and join our family on Monday, January 24th! The Reeds of Prune Ridge are pretty well ready and waiting. And in case you don't yet know, I'm a wee bit excited. Yes, I've made this count-down strip to tear off every day now that we know when she's coming! This is hanging near our front door, appropriately anchored (in my opinion) by the Tree of Life plaque!
Hooray and Happy New Year again, Friends!
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.
Good evening on the eve of the Harvest Moon!
I love the moon, and for some reason (reasons?) I have always loved the Harvest Moon the most - this is the full moon each year that's closest to the Autumnal Equinox (this past Sunday, September 23). The Harvest 
Moon can fall either before or after the Equinox. I love this moon partly for its size. From our Earthly perspective, this is a big one because the moonrise is rather early - it's up as the Sun is setting. I also love this moon for the season it ushers in. Just a few things I love in this season:
In case you are interested but not yet familiar with it, there's a wonderful children's book about the moons that I'd be happy to share. Thirteen Moons On Turtle's Back is a collection of Native American stories telling the stories of the 13 moons of the year. The stories are collected from many different Native traditions, and the illustrations are incredible. The author Joseph Bruchac is a great collector and re-teller of Native American stories, and this is my favorite collection of his. I have the book if anyone would like to borrow!
Happy Night and A Beautiful Harvest Moon (even in tonight's rain in Michigan/Ohio) to you All, Friends! May the season ahead bring you any change you need!
John and I got to see this unbelievable tap dancer perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra last weekend. Savion Glover is, quite simply, the most incredible dancer I have ever seen in person. His energy was infectious, inspiring the audience (a Symphony audience, mind you!) to "ohhhs" and "ahhs" and spontaneous applause (both during the music and between movements). He danced in basically the same outfit you see in the picture, with his dred locks pulled back in a loose knot. 
If you have a chance to see this man perform, DO IT! You can find more about performance dates and locations on Savion's website, or read a bit about everything he's done (including his earliest professional gigs at age 12, first feature film role in "Tap" at age 16, and Tony award for choreography) on his IMDb page.
If you're interested, also check out the Detroit Symphony website. We splurged on tickets for a few concerts this year. The Symphony hall - the Max M. Fisher Music Center - is beautiful and fairly accessible if you're driving into Detroit. (Getting back to the highway after a concert is another story, but we've almost mastered it!) This past weekend's concert was from the Classics Unmasked series. I especially appreciated the conversational dialog from the conductor (John Mauceri, a guest conductor) about the program, composers, history of the pieces, etc. I suspect that's part of the idea behind the Unmasked series!
Peace and good music to you all, Friends. Be Well and Be Taking Care!
Some things I count as my simplest and most basic pleasures that have washed over me tonight:
If you're interested, take a peek in the photo album of the Girls - there are a few new pics there.
Also, for everyone in the Toledo area: The Lights Before Christmas opens at The Toledo Zoo this Friday evening (November 17). Masterworks Chorale (including me!) will be singing for the opening. This is a first - we sang on a Sunday evening concert this past summer at The Zoo, and they invited us to sing for this pretty big event. If you'd like to come see the lights (it's a spectacular display, if you haven't seen it before!) we'll be there. There is a tree lighting sometime between 6:00-6:30 (at the whim of the local TV stations who will broadcast) when we will sing, and then we'll stroll and carol for the evening. Please think of coming out to hear us if you have the evening free - it should be fun!
Thank you to everyone who brings me joy - that's ALL of you! Peace to you, Friends. Be Well and Be Taking Care!
My husband John is playing the piano upstairs. This is one of my greatest joys! I count myself lucky in many ways, not the least of which is the length of my gratitude list when I take a few moments to really think about it. Off the top of my head, some of the things I am grateful for:
Thank you, husband, family, and friends, for all you are and all you do, and all you allow me to be.
That's John rockin' out with his Walkman. Yes, his Walkman - with actual cassette tapes and everything! We have some fancy technology, but he still likes the old-school stuff. (Plus we found all of his old tapes and the Walkman in Grandma & Grandpa Reed's basement)
Peace, All - Be Well and Be Taking Care.
