Category Archives: Country

Upcoming Recital

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Jon

I’m giving a recital at the Blooming Grove (NY) United Church of Christ on Sunday, November 18, at 4 PM. Here is an article about the event. I’ll be joined by Bill Powers, saxophonist, for a few pieces. Works will … Continue reading →

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Spooky Time

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Jon

I love October. As far back as high school, I identified it as probably my favorite month of the year. (I say “probably” because every month is a symphony in a different key.) This is the spooky time. Sunlight is … Continue reading →

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Barbecuing in the Rain

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Jon

Several times this summer I have doggedly grilled or barbecued despite rain. Today is turning out to be one of those times. I have pork chops on the Weber getting a bath in hickory smoke. A few drops have fallen … Continue reading →

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Labor Day

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Jon

Happy Labor Day. The official Labor Day barbecue chez Hall was yesterday. Neighbors and friends old and new converged to have a lovely dinner. From scratch, your humble chef prepared mesquite-smoked ribs and hickory-smoked chicken and sausage. Much house preparation … Continue reading →

Posted in Country, Friends, New York Life, Seasons of the Year | Comments Off

Summer’s Ending

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Jon

Here’s Peekaboo by a stack of firewood. Not the substantial cuts of hardwood that will heat the place all winter; just a small stack of scavenged kindling that will take the chill off. I don’t expect to need regular fires … Continue reading →

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Loopin’ the Lupine

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Jon

Please, please, pronounce “lupine” correctly. There is a word spelled LUPINE and pronounced LOO-pine, and it is an adjective meaning “wolflike.” There is another word spelled LUPINE and pronounced LOO-pin, and it is a noun meaning “perennial flower from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Country, Flowers and Gardens, Gardening, The Agonies of Art | Comments Off

Edelweiss

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Jon

I planted a small Edelweiss two years ago. As recently as this spring, it was flowering. Then it vanished, the victim of careless weeding. So, today, a box of three healthy new Edelweiss plants arrived from Bavarian Specialties. One is … Continue reading →

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Ribs, Rain, Miracles

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Jon

How I spent my summer vacation… 1. Happy Lammas Day! Lammas, or Loaf-Mass, a festival of first fruits, isn’t in the church calendar anymore, but was held over and recontextualized from the Celtic festival of Lughnasa, marking the first day … Continue reading →

Posted in Americana, Astronomy, Church, Country, The Lapping Shore of Psycholand, Theology etc. | Comments Off

Mars After All

Posted on July 27, 2018 by Jon

Last evening Slooh had a program on the Mars opposition–when the Sun, earth, and Mars were in syzygy (a straight line, with earth in the middle). Further, Mars was at perihelion and earth nearly at aphelion. (Counterintuitively for Northern Hemisphere … Continue reading →

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First Mars, Now Aquarius

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Jon

So tomorrow is the total lunar eclipse and Mars at opposition. Two gorgeous red bodies in the sky at once. Mind you, the northeastern United States won’t see the eclipse, but I’m hopeful thanks to Slooh, a community of stargazers … Continue reading →

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