February 2018

Wednesday, Feb. 28th/18 

We are both mostly over our bout with the flu.  Even though it was a mild version, it still gave us a few uncomfortable days.  However, we both fought it off and are feeling much better.  If I ever want to be reminded how physically and emotionally difficult it is to practice piano for 2 hours a day, then I must try doing it when I am under the weather.  While I did manage to practice all days except for one, it took a lot out of me.

February weather has been extremely varied, with the first 13 days being very cold and snowy, and the final 15 days being very mild.  Who knows what March has in store, though more cold weather is predicted for this weekend, along with another snowstorm.  We might get mostly rain, but some snow is inevitable.  As usual, our county is along the border of the warmer weather and the colder, so it's hard to say what may happen here.  I'll let you know tomorrow.

Listening to music is continuing, even after two busy nights of teaching.  We've made it to Haydn Symphony #5, Mozart Piano Concerto # 8, and the Op. 46s of Brahms and Britten.  We are also making great progress in Longest Journey, an old game we are replaying on the PC.  It is one of the funnier games to play.  Watching an evil wizard win a hopscotch contest, win a spelling bee, and then fail miserably at simple arithmetic has been a lot of fun.  We are continuing to try and save not just one world, but two.  We will eventually succeed!

Saturday, Feb 25th/18  

For the past two days I've been fighting off a mild flu bug.  Tight head, aches and pains, and a slight fever.  Still a good appetite, and I've been reading a lot, listening to music, and watching some streaming.  Deb is now trying to fight off whatever I had, which I likely picked up from one of Tuesday darling students.  I am feeling better now--we'll see how her immune system copes.

I listened to the Brahms German Requiem tonight, for the simple fact that it was next on my list to hear as I march my way through the complete works of Brahms.  It is a very moving piece of music, and though it uses short quotes from the Bible, it is not really a religious piece.  However, I had 75 minutes lying on the couch to contemplate death, and those that I have known and loved and no longer have with me.  Sadly, some of those include former students, killed way before their time, and close relatives.  And I can't forget the many critters that have shared our lives, giving us much happiness, comfort, and amusement.  The piece is in 7 movements, and need not be heard in its complete form--certain parts work well as individual works for chorus and orchestra.  I'm certain to return to it from time to time.

Yesterday I resumed the Haydn Symphony project, one that I have left alone for too long now.  It was time for the earliest works, and we heard #s 1 & 2.  After that we listened to Mozart Piano Concerto #6, as we make our way through those masterpieces.  Next up will be another piece by Britten.  And I still have well over 100 records in the basement that I have yet to play.  The new turntable is fantastic, as is the new Yamaha stereo system.  Our component cassette player also works perfectly with it.  And for tax purposes, it's all a business expense.  Next up will be a new CD stand.  Right now CDs are scattered in five different places.  This will put everything in one place, and there will also be room for my PC games collection and many of our DVDs.

Usually I read about 10 books per month, most of them related to my Avon/Equinox SF project.  However, this month the number of books will be greatly reduced, thanks to a 677 page volume of short stories that took a long time to read and review, followed by a 480 page epic in Silverberg's Majipoor series.  I am currently reading a book of 275 pages, still long, but a bit closer to normal.  So my February count may seem like I haven't been reading as much, but I have.  Honest!

We just finished Emerald City, watching it on Amazon Prime.  We are giving it mixed reviews for unusual levels (by our standards) of violence, sadism, and emotional abuse (but at least there are no bare titties on display).  Also, the story tries to deal with far too many characters, none of whom are very appealing.  Glinda and the Wizard are the worst (by the way, why is he called Wizard, if he is trying to abolish magic and allow science to rule the city?  Shouldn't he be called Dr.?).  Dorothy quickly becomes very tiresome (and she has a very annoying habit of mumbling many of her lines), Jack gets cut to ribbons, and the Wizard lives way too long.  Toto remains a good character, at least, as does the dark Witch of the West (she is always amazing!).  The best parts are the special effects, the look of the cities, palaces, and various rooms, along with the wardrobe worn by the characters.  Though nothing seems in the works for a sequel, I would not be surprised to at least see a TV movie special in the next little while.  There are certainly some unresolved issues back in Oz.

I talked to Mom for awhile tonight (Hi Mom!).  She is just getting over a very nasty cold, lasting two weeks.  Ugh.  Other than that, all is well in the Great White North.  Though it's even better here--our snowdrops are ready to come out any day now!!

Thursday, Feb. 22nd/18 

Two weeks of teaching done, two more to go till my next week off.  I like how I have arranged my teaching schedule, giving me lots of breaks during the year when combined with the normal school breaks.  One adult seems to have dropped out, and another one barely comes, so in effect I have 14 active students.  Speaking of piano lessons, I finally got together with Philip Adamson yesterday for a lesson.  Some of the changes he proposes are quite jarring, as I have been doing things for so long a certain way it is hard to change.  I really need to see him earlier on in my studies of new pieces, rather than waiting until they are "ready."  I think I will hold off on further lessons until I begin work on my next program (mid-April).  Still, it was very helpful to actually have someone so knowledgeable to play for.  It reaffirms my position that I do not play well in front of people who are knowledgeable.

We are now 8 episodes into Emerald City.  I'm always amazed at how much violence can be shown on TV, but never a bare breast or buttock.  We all know that watching violence is not harmful to our youth, but that if they ever saw a bare breast it might mean the end of their little lives.  Such a sad world.  Anyway, the series continues to be visually stunning, though the writing has been failing for some time now.  There are no good people in this story that have any power.  It's all in the hands of people who wish to do harm.  My favourite characters are Jack, the mechanical boy, and the darker witch, Glinda's sister.  I have little sympathy for other characters, including Dorothy, who seems to think it's all about her. 

From Tuesday evening until Thursday morning we had 2.1" of rain.  This in itself is bad news, but considering how deep the snow was just before the rain, it's turned into a bit of a disaster for many people.  More rain and ice are expected overnight, then more rain tomorrow and Saturday.  Then it becomes sunny and nights will be clear (as we approach full moon, of course).

We have no deep plans for the weekend.  There are two symphony concerts we should attend, and I really need to get to John King Books again, but we will likely remain close to home.  Perhaps I'll get an Amazon SF book order ready.  Some gaming, some piano, some writing, and some listening are definitely on tap, at the very least.  and we hope to resume regular walking this weekend.

Monday, Feb. 19th/18

What a difference one week makes!  Last Monday the temp reached the mid 20s, we were awash in snow, and we went snowshoeing.  Today it is raining, foggy, the temp is in the 50s, and most of the snow is gone, except for patches where the sun doesn't shine.  It's been a very strange season this year.  We ended up having 4 lingering sessions of polar vortex weather, where the temp never approached 32 F, or 0 C.  The first one in mid-December lasted 7 days.  The second, straddling late Dec. and early January, lasted an incredible 16 days.  Then came another 7 day ordeal, followed by a final one of 9 days.  In between we had very brief thaws.  Then came a solid week of snow in early February.  In that one week we received 17" of snow (42 cm!).  I ended up shovelling six days of seven that week.

I finally selected a weekend for my recital.  The ideal weekend turned out to be Easter, so I had to throw that one away.  There is a full moon near there that would have worked out perfectly with my astronomy session.  So the following weekend will have to do, right at the start of astronomy season.  Friday April 6th and Saturday April 7th are the dates, at 7 pm.  Program to include works by Bach, Haydn, two female Canadian composers (astronomy themed works), Mendelssohn, and Liszt.  Though some of the pieces are quite small and intimate, overall it is an ambitious program.  I'm still hoping to get together with Philip A. for a few lessons.

Saturday, Feb. 17th/18 

I did something last night that I haven't done since November 8th.  It was perfectly clear, and not too cold (+28 F.), so I set up the 12" scope on the back deck and enjoyed a two hour observing session.  The scope was perfectly collimated, and the seeing was splendid, meaning that I was splitting doubles and triples better than a 6" or 7" refractor (that is very good, indeed!!).  All in all it was a really fun evening.

Comparing weather from last week to this, I noticed that I shovelled 6 days of 7 last week, with some days requiring multiple efforts.  And that even included a visit from Marc with his snowplow.  This week, I haven't had to shovel once.  And walking has resumed.  We have managed to get above the freezing mark every day since last Wednesday, and Tuesday it might reach 60 F, with thunderstorms.  Such interesting times in which we live.

Thursday, Feb. 15/18  

Brigid by candlelight.  She is one powerful figure!

Brigid certainly put in a stellar performance this year!  One day it was Winter, and the next day that season was virtually over and done with.  The 14th and 15th have seen temps rise way above average, with the result that it has been very foggy all day today and tonight.  A brief cool down is coming tonight and tomorrow, but above normal temps will return almost immediately.  It is currently raining and foggy, and the snow is disappearing very quickly.  No doubt that means flooding in much of the county.  So far we are okay.

My teaching is done for the week.  14 of 16 students showed up.  All children received a Valentine's Day cupcake (after their lesson).  I received payment for 10 lessons.  Seems fair to me.   We were supposed to enjoy a wood fire last night, but it was too warm!  Instead we enjoyed lasagna, and then hot chocolate (the real thing, containing only melted dark chocolate and some almond milk, whipped up).  We also listened to some music.  We have invested in a new and better stereo system.  It was quite inexpensive, and it is tiny.  Similar to a Bose system, it is made by Yamaha, half the price, and if on-line reviews mean anything, blows the Bose sound right out of the water!  We are still fiddling with it, but so far we are very happy with the sound we are getting.  We also bought a new turntable, and will hook it up this weekend.

Speaking of listening to music, the Brahms and Britten projects are still moving forward.  We are up to Op. 45 with both composers.  In addition we have added the Mozart operas, and his piano concertos.  And I am nearly through with Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words for piano.  Her wrote 8 sets of 6, and many of them are beautiful pieces.  I have learned several of them, and will be performing three of them at my next recital in March.  We are also listening to the complete organ works of Buxtehude (on vinyl), as well as concertos by Locatelli.  We also now receive local FM stations perfectly (not so with the old system), and as it is blue tooth technology we now have access to Internet radio with high quality sound.   Photos to come once the system is fully set up.

Monday, Feb. 12th/18 

It has been so long since we have snowshoed.  It was a perfect winter day for it, too.  Sunny and bright, temp about -4 C, or mid 20s F.  We went to Cedar Creek Conservation Area, and had the woods all to ourselves.  It was very still and quiet, except for the crunching of our shoes.  The snow had a light crust on it from the freezing rain, but it was alright for snowshoeing.  The creek was frozen over, but we stayed in the woods.  Even after one day there lots of footy prints everywhere; squirrel, rabbit, and deer mostly.  Sadly, this is likely our only outing.  We are expecting mild temps and even some rain by Wed. and Thursday.  The outing took a lot out of us, and we are pretty subdued tonight at home.

 It was a lovely day to be in the woods.  This is Cedar Creek Conservation Area.

A well-dressed female snowshoer.   Cedar Creek in behind, quite frozen over.

A rugged and outdoorsy Canadian male.

The beautiful Harrow Farmers' Co-op.  They also have a very good store, and we bought some locally roasted coffee, a Southwest design pillow for the living room couch, and a lithography by A.J. Casson, one of the Canadian Group of Seven artists.  The litho shows a heron in flight along a densely wooded creek, in summer.  It will hang on our main wall periodically.

Winter sunset, from the Homestead front window.

Sunday, Feb. 11th/18 

Most of the shovelling got finished up this afternoon.  Needless to say we did not get to Detroit for our Saint-Saens concert.  We awoke to more snow, and then several hours of freezing rain.  There was only 2" of new snow on the driveway, but it was very heavy stuff, and covered in ice.  The snowplow left us a really big mess at the foot of the driveway, too.  That's the heaviest of all.  Two more days of Winter (unofficially), and then Spring begins to arrive.

Our Spring Goddess, Brigid (or Persephone, if you prefer), has been out on the mantelpiece since Candlemas.  Her job is to see that Spring is in motion by mid-February.  And it seems as if she will hit it right on the nose this year.  By Wednesday we should be above freezing (first time in 9 days), and it will mostly stay above.

 Our Brigid figure, doing her utmost to hurry Spring along.  She appears to be succeeding, despite Winter's nastiest efforts so far this season.  She is in front of my great aunt's painting.

  

  Tomorrow is snowshoe day!  We are heading out around noon, after I clean off the vehicle, trim the driveway a bit more with a shovel, and practice piano.  I had to skip practice today due to very strained upper arm muscles.  If we are successful there will be photos posted tomorrow.

Teaching resumes this week.  Notices have gone out to everyone regarding Semester 3 dates, along with the fee schedule.  16 students expected.  We'll see how many show up.

Saturday, Feb. 10th/18 

By popular request, here are a few scenes from the Homestead today.  We got another inch of snow, with more coming tonight and tomorrow.  Mid-February is usually the beginning of the end of winter, and this year will be no exception.  We are scheduled to be mostly above freezing (daytime only, of course), after the 13th.  Looking forward to it!

 From inside the garage and looking out.

 View of the front of the house.  Note the snow cone on the sundial, giving a good indication of how much snow we received yesterday.  The thick snow on the roof is a good sign that our attic insulation is working well at keeping heat inside.  Now the snow on the roof gives an added layer of insulation, helping keep us snug.  Also note the icicle display!

 This is our table on the back deck, with a chair leaning up against it.  Again, a good indication of the snow amount received during our biggest snowfall of the season.

Friday. Feb. 9th/18 

The good news is that there is now enough snow to snowshoe, and then some.  The bad news is that there is now enough snow to shoeshoe--and then some.  It's been snowing now for 18 hours, and it's piling up pretty good around the old Homestead.  If we can unbury the Tiguan tomorrow, we may set out for a nearby forest and try to snowshoe.  Mark, the dad of a former student,  has come by with his snowplow and cleared most of our area, but by tomorrow I will have to shovel yet again.  Sort of an on-going hobby lately, one of which I am growing tired.  In addition to Wednesday's 4", we have received another 8" so far.  Stay tuned for weather updates....

Last night we attended our first formal concert of the year, an all-Ravel program in Detroit.  The full orchestra (about 90 musicians last night) was in top form for some virtuosic performances.  And then there was the pianist, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, who performed not one Ravel piano concerto, but two!  He played the jazzy G+ before intermission, and the Concerto For Left Hand right after it.  Zounds!  What a great concert!!  I got to speak with him briefly after the concert.  He is such an energetic and charismatic man, with one of the most enviable discographies I have ever encountered.  I will be buying some of his recent Haydn CDs, at the very least.  This Sunday afternoon is an all Saint-Saens concert with the orchestra, and another guest pianist (Concerto #2).  I'm really hoping that Detroit has cleaned up the snow enough for us to travel there by then.

We finished watching first season of Elementary (24 fabulous episodes), and Peter Gunn (37 episodes).  We are taking a break before watching the next season of each.  We are looking forward to Mozart In The City, Season 4.  In the meantime we are watching a very dark 10-part Oz series called Emerald City, from 2017.  Rated 16+, after two episodes it is showing great promise.  The sets, costumes, and landscapes are spectacular, and the acting has been superb so far.  Fingers crossed.

I have seen a lot of growth in my piano pieces in just the past week.  By early next week I hope to set a concert date.  I've rescheduled a lesson with Philip on the 20th.

We've also managed some gaming this week, playing Tokaido, Middle Earth The Wizards, and Akrotiri.  It's so nice not having to teach.  However, with so many trips coming up this year (London, NM, Vienna), I must continue until I can take it no longer.  Hopefully another few years....

Wednesday, Feb. 7th/18 

We awoke to nearly 5" on new snow in the 'Burg.  It was very light and fluffy, but there was a lot of it.  Yet again things are mostly cleaned up, except for one large parking area.  Luckily it is a non-teaching week.  Of course I had to take a rain check on my piano lesson in Windsor.  Most roads were okay by afternoon, but my arms were still stiff and sore from shovelling.  And now we are expecting the Big One, beginning around 2 am Friday morning and continuing all that day and into the evening.  So far in February we have had about 12" of new snow, and we are about to get 8" or 9" more.

We are still hoping to get over to Detroit tomorrow evening to attend the all-Ravel concert, including the two piano concerti.  Been looking forward to that one for awhile now.  We will be home a few hours before the expected storm.  And another concert there on Sunday--we'll have to see about that one.  Typically it takes Detroit several days to clean up after a big storm.  

We've been doing a bit of gaming this week, including a game of Tokaido, and tonight we played Middle Earth: The Wizards.  Nice to have the extra three nights a week off.  Once I resume Iaido, I only have two evenings to myself per week.  By the looks of this winter, I will not be resuming Iaido anytime soon.

Tuesday, Feb. 6th/18 

You know it's a bad winter when the daytime high is -6 C and you think that's pretty good!  Lately we have been getting snow nearly every day, and that will continue well into the weekend.  We might even be able to snowshoe this coming weekend.  My piano lesson with Philip tomorrow in Windsor is in jeopardy due to the next snowy system, coming in very early Wed. morning.

Today was Deb's infusion day.  It was bright and sunny, so we had no travel difficulties.  She has been feeling pretty good lately, too.  We have not heard once from Deb's sister regarding Blake's recovery.  We assume that no news is good news, in this case at least.

Deb has three showings this weekend of two of her films.  Friday and Saturday "Bolt From the Blue" is showing in Massachusetts, and on Sunday her coffee short is showing in California.  She is hard at work at her newest film, a Shakespeare short.  I've now lost count of how many films she has made, and she has had perhaps 30-40 showings around the world.  We're hoping she gets selected  for Origins Festival again in Columbus, Ohio, as that one is close enough to attend, something we did last year.

Sunday, Feb. 4th/18 

I have finished the 19th book of the Avon/Equinox Series, which has led me to read 193 books so far by 17 different authors, many of which I had never before heard of.  I took a lot of the work on this project on faith, hoping that at least some of the stories would be readable, and some of the authors worth investigating a bit deeper than one single book.  Wow!  Was I pleasantly surprised.  The most recent author added to my roster is Rex Gordon, a British SF writer, as well as author of other types of fiction.  So before I can read Book #20 in the series, I go through the list of authors and read one book by each of them.  I am gradually finishing up with some authors, as new ones are added.  Gordon wasn't overly prolific, leaving behind six SF novels and 6 other novels.  The book I just read by him is called First On Mars, and was the obvious inspiration for Andy Weir's much more up to date version of this story.  My review is up at the Avon/Equinox blog.  I am currently reading one of my few remaining books by P.J. Farmer, the very first author I came into contact with as a result of taking on this project.  He is still one of the best, Riverworld notwithstanding.

If you take away the worst of the polar vortexes to hit us this year (we are now well into our 4th), that event that lasted 16 days with temperatures so far below average that it seemed to put us into a different Earth climate zone, then we are still having a harsh winter.  There has been a lot of snow, but only a bit at a time, and never enough for good snow shoeing.  We need about a 10" base for that.  We get snow (like today), but then it goes away.  Then it returns.  Then it goes away....now it's back.  If you do include the worst of the polar vortexes, then it has been a dreadful season.  Luckily we have no hiking planned for the upcoming March Break, as we would not have enough time to work ourselves up for hiking in the mountains.  Next March we hope to return to the desert.  The Southwest US is having a much warmer and drier year than normal.  There is virtually no snow pack in NM, making it a very bad and very early start to fire season.  Usually by now there are meters of snow in higher elevations, but not this year.  Silver City, a mountain town and a favourite place of ours, is having daytime highs in the mid 60s.  It should be in the mid 30s.

 Action at the bird and squirrel feeding station #1 today, after some fresh snow.  

Piano practice continues to go well.  The program is entirely memorized (32 pages!), and I will be playing it Wednesday for Philip Adamson at his home.  I doubt we'll get through the whole thing in one lesson.  And concert season begins in earnest Thursday evening (I don't teach this week--huzzah!!).  We have two DSO concerts scheduled.  Thursday is an all-Ravel program, including both piano concerti, and Sunday afternoon is an all-Saint-Saens program, including his 2nd piano concerto.  Hoping the weather is good.  Had the concert been today, we would have been stuck at home.

Thursday, Feb. 1st/18  

It's my week off from teaching, and it got off to an early start.  My three Thursday students had to cancel, so I am off till Feb. 13th.  That is also the day I see my retina specialist, for a checkup.  We are due for a return of winter, with temps staying well below average until mid February.  So far this winter we have had three nasty cold weather periods, lasting 7, 16, and 7 days respectively.  We are now getting one to last for 14 days, at least.  We are over the worst as far as averages and norms go, but of course in our geographical area that means nothing.  I spent a lot of time and energy shovelling snow on Tuesday, only because it was a busy teaching day.  Any snow that falls over the next ten days won't be going anywhere from my shovel.

Deb had been having good success with her shoulder, but then she pulled a muscle in her back.  So she is in pain again, and frustrated because she had been making good progress.  Her range of motion had improved greatly, and her pain had really faded.  Hard to say how long her setback will be, but likely a few days.

Deb's nephew Blake had a recent heart attack.  He is 43.  He was in Sudbury hospital recently and had an angioplasty operation.  Hopefully everything will be well for him.   We'll know more in a few days.  

I am looking forward to a week of practice, lots of reading, some NM map work, and mostly staying home and trying to keep warm.  Tomorrow is Candlemas, and we will be celebrating the fact that we are halfway between Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox.  Wood fire, new Tarot cards, and lots of good eats.  

We finally have a lot of concerts coming up in Detroit.  It's been a quiet autumn and winter so far for us.  I will talk about them in my next post.  Good night.

January 2018

Monday, January 29th/18 

Our nearly week-long flirt with Spring has come to a crushing end.  A surprise snowstorm is currently creating havoc on area roads.  I've been listening to the fire department dispatch all day, and it's been accident after accident.  I'm not surprised; despite snow-covered and slippery roads, I've been watching cars shoot by the house all day at normal speeds.  If any proof is needed that humans don't really learn from the past....  Anyway, we are snug as two bugs tonight, having stayed in all day.  Deb has to go to physio on Tuesday, but it's supposed to be cold and sunny.  Wednesday is her bi-monthly blood work.  It's supposed to be mild and raining.  But come Friday, the real winter will return again, for an indefinite period of time.  At least we had a bit of a break from it.  And January is nearly over.

It's a good time to talk about plans for the new year, something I meant to do nearly four weeks ago.  Our first big adventure of the year will be a late April return to London, UK.  This is going to be a very short visit, where we will undertake more of the London Loop, a long distance trail than encircles Zone 6 London, sticking as much as possible to vast park lands and green spaces.  We also hope to spend a day at the National Gallery.  The cultural highlight so far will be hearing one of our favourite bands in performance.  Orchestra Baobab will be playing in town when we are there!!  First time we have connected.  What luck! 

The second major trip of the year will be our next drive to New Mexico, this time accompanied by Jennifer G. and her partner Brad, in their own vehicle.  This will be a really fun 15-day adventure, culminating in a stay at Cimarron Rose B&B in NM, and a climb of Mt. Taylor.  This was the mountain that came close to taking my life on our first ascent--hopefully I will have better luck this time! 

We are also hoping to return to Vienna in mid-to late November.  Tickets for the Bruegel painting exhibit are already on sale, and we hope to be booking that trip by mid-March.  It will be a fast trip, less than a week, expressly to visit the exhibit and the Kunst.  Fingers crossed we can pull all of this off this year!

Friday, January 26th/18 

It was a sunny and very mild day.  So far this January we have broken several cold weather records, and this week we broke one for warmest day.  Try to make some sense from that.  Winter returns, according to long range forecasts, next Friday, when we will be in for another prolonged blast of the cold weather.  Can't wait. 

This morning, my teaching group, ORMTA, was given a tour of the new School of Arts, in a renovated 1930 armoury in downtown Windsor.  It's still under construction, and filled with workmen, but is also trying to function as a university campus for music, art, and architecture.  The renovations are very impressive, and the new facility boasts three floors of classrooms, performance and gathering places, offices, and storage facilities.  The new 133 seat recital hall is not yet ready, but should be within a month.  That is where our own student concerts will take place.  I will also be able to use the space for my own personal recitals.  We were not allowed into the hall proper this morning, but we did manage to view it from a catwalk, above.

A view from above of the new recital hall.  Not all of the seats are in yet, but the acoustic woodwork is.  This will be a wonderful and very intimate space for our ORMTA student concerts. 

We ate lunch downtown afterwards (Deb came on the tour as well), then walked along the river.  This was my third walk so far this week, so you know our weather has been good.  After lunch we had planned a shopping trip to our favourite Asian grocery store.  Alack and alas, the store was empty and the business was gone.  International Grocers was a fantastic store, and a very great loss for us.  In other news, our VW Golf has been in the garage all winter so far, but today we took it for the downtown journey.  I don't want to get any road salt on it yet, so it won't be used during most winter days, until December 2019, when the Tiguan lease expires.  From then on we will likely use only one vehicle.  Nothing else is planned for the weekend, except some walking, reading, NM map work, and, of course, mucho piano practice.

Thursday, January 15th/18 

Edgar Pangborn only wrote six novels.  An early SF effort was good, but not newsworthy.  Then came A Mirror For Observers, which left me delightedly stunned.  The author (long deceased) has a strong cult following, most of whom have read his works many times.  There followed a long historical novel, and then a courtroom drama.  These are must-reads for his fans.  Then followed two loosely connected novels, Davy, followed by The Company of Glory.  Along with Mirror, these are likely the best SF novels ever written.  He also wrote a lot of short stories, and two volumes were published.  The first was Good Neighbours and Other Strangers, and the second (and final book of his to be published) is called Still I Persist In Wondering.  This final volume contains seven stories, all loosely connected to Davy and Company of Glory.  So far they have been as stunning as the novels.  A few loose stories were published on Kindle, including the unforgettable and unimaginably imaginable "Angel's Egg", and the delightful and wise "The Wrens In Grandpa's Whiskers".  Another story, "Music-Master of Babylon", awaits me on Kindle.  Then there is no more, a fact that saddens me deeply.  He wrote a few other stories, but they are not available anywhere except in the original SF pulp magazines in which they were printed.  Good luck finding those.  Anyway, I plan to read all of his SF again, and am already looking forward to Mirror.

The third teaching week of the new year is now over.  I missed two adults this week, but all the children showed up.  I am currently pulling in about $360 per week, x 37 weeks.  Summer business slackens off, but is still more that I really want to have.  And that is our travel fund.  When the new semester begins in February, I expect to be up another 45 minutes per week.  Come September I will begin to pull in my old age pension, making four incomes for me (three pensions and the teaching), and two pensions for Deb.  It sounds impressive, but Canada is a very expensive place to live.  We haven't received our heating bill yet for the massive cold spell we had in late December and early January.  It is certain to chill me even more.

It's been a week now since Deb had a cortisone shot in her upper arm.  Her symptoms have improved markedly, though certainly not back to any kind of normal.  She went to physio on Tuesday, and will go once more next week.  Then she will be on her own for awhile with a set of exercises to do at home.  We are hoping that any noted improvement will remain with her.

Monday, January 22nd/18 

Today was Detroit day.  It's been awhile.  For one thing, we were down to half a tank of gas in the SUV.  The vehicle takes premium fuel, which is extremely expensive in Canada and not so much in Detroit.  The price in Windsor today was about $6 per gallon.  In Detroit, about $3.50 Can.  Big difference, if you are over there anyway.

Deb had a coupon for a free birthday pizza at Buddy's.  After that we went for a walk in Dearborn.  The temp was in the low 50s F., and the sky darkened as we walked.  However, any rain that fell was very light, and we had an enjoyable time digesting our Tuscan Vegan Pizza!

The Rouge River was flowing fast and hard today.  We no longer have any traces of snow.    

Next stop was Hashem's Nuts and Coffee, one of the city's best little shops.  Crowded with coffee, tea, exotic sweets, nuts, and so many other things that it's easy to spend a happy hour browsing this small shop.  They have four stores altogether: 2 in Dearborn, one in Dearborn Heights, and one in Lebanon.  Al least we can easily get to three of them.  We stocked up on some sweets, as well as their coffee, which is half coffee and half cardamom!  They grind it for you to order!

 One of the irresistible displays at Hashem's.

 Candy and nougat at Hashem's.

After we had stocked up on supplies (we are going to serve their treats at my next recital) we headed to Batch Brewing.  I enjoyed a stupendous sampler of 4 of their excellent ales.  This is now my favourite micro-brewery in the universe.  For one thing, it is off on its own in a semi-industrial semi-residential area of the city, away from the hustle and bustle of the much busier areas in Midtown, Corktown, and Downtown (Detroit has a lot of "towns").  In the old days Deb and I pretty much had Detroit to ourselves.  Now it is a bustling, busy city, and it's much more difficult to access the areas we once took for granted.  However, things keep spreading out, so there are always outlier places.  Batch is one of those.  They are opening a 2nd location in another up and coming area of the city, called North End.  It will have larger brewing facilities.  Can't wait for that to happen!

18 taps were on today at Batch Brewing in Detroit.  They had just finished their weekend cask ale selection. 

I tried 4 ales:  Pennsylvania, a brown session ale with star anise; Empire, a super fine pale ale; Drawing Down The Moon, a delicious experimental ale with Finnish juniper (recipe also from Finland); and Porter Street Porter (the brewery is on Porter Street), a high gravity porter that sticks to the ribs.  I enjoyed 4 oz (US) servings of each.  Pricey, but delicious.  There is no beer this good in Windsor yet.

Just down the road is Anthology Coffee, another place tucked away in an industrial area.  Little walk-in trade here. Some of the best coffee ever tasted is roasted and brewed here.  In addition to our pour overs, Deb came home with a bag of coffee beans.  Buy their coffee beans and the pour over is not charged!  Call it a free coffee.

Inside Anthology Coffee, Detroit.  Hidden as it is, people still know about it.  However, it isn't filled with students on their laptops all day, like most other cafes. 

Then it was home for some cardamom coffee and treats, and the last night of the birthday weekend.  We are currently baking one last apple crispy thingy, and the house smells heavenly, between the coffee and the baking.  If this was a teaching day and kids and parents walked in, they would surely die of the good smells!

I'll finish up with this internet FB photo of downtown Detroit this evening...

 

Friday, January 19th/18

Thanks to Deb having a lot of patience, my Avon/Equinox SF page is now a lot more accessible to interested readers.  We added a right hand column that should allow immediate access to any of the authors in the series I have read so far.  With my book count nearing 200, it really is a fun site to browse.  It's also fun to write it.  I am currently reading a slim novel by Chad Oliver.  This man has written some really fantastic SF novels about first contact.  Check him out on the Avon page!

Speaking of Deb, the birthday girl got a good report from her heart doctor.  We also got out of his office quicker than expected.  We then headed to a new cafe in Walkerville, enjoying late pm coffee and dessert.  Anchor Coffee's 2nd location is cozy and has a lot of vegan food and pastries.  Deb bought some of their in-house roasted coffee beans.  We'll be back!  Next door is Origins, a beautiful gift and clothing store with a Buddhist twist.  Deb got herself a comfy shawl-type hoodie, as well as a box of turmeric-ginger-black pepper tea.  Then it was home for a W.C. Fields movie, and an episode of Elementary and Peter Gunn.  We baked an apple crisp and enjoyed it with soy ice cream.  One of the best parts of the day was the fact that the temperature actually went above 0 C!!  Huzzah.  The long range forecast looks much better than the first month of winter.  We even went out for a walk this afternoon, our first in a long time.

Today the wind was down a bit, the temperature was warm enough to be outside, the back deck was bare of snow, and I had plenty of time to set up my scope if need be.  Of course it was cloudy.  Being an astronomer in Essex County is one of the poorest match-ups one could ever make.  In fact, it's pretty much a joke.

Thursday, January 18th/18 

It's clear tonight, and I came close to setting up for an observing session.  Except I had to teach till 7:30 pm.  And it's very windy out.  When the stars are really twinkling, it is not a great night to look at them through a telescope.  It means the air is very turbulent, and the poor seeing is magnified by the scope.  Still, I would have set up on the back deck if not for the teaching.  It takes about an hour from scratch to set up at home, so I would have needed some daylight first.  Move the vehicles out of the garage.  Shovel the snow off the deck.  Set up the tarps.  Set up the scope.  Study the charts.  Dress appropriately.  As I said, I came close.  Today was the 7th day in a row of the latest cold blast of air.  However, we got to -2 C, a respectable temp for this time of year, and the warmest it's been all week.  Tomorrow comes +2 C, the first time above 0 in a week.  Then a mild spell, with temps somewhat above average for this time.  It's still early winter, though, so we all know there is more misery to come.

Two weeks of teaching are complete.  Two more to go, and then a week off to polish my piano program.  Memorization is now about 95% secure.  Not bad.  It is a lot of hard work.

Deb had the first of two medical appointments of the week today.  She got a shot of cortisone in her right shoulder.  It's supposed to help in about three days.  Then she can resume physio.  Tomorrow is her annual check up with her heart specialist.  It's also her birthday, so hopefully we'll do more than visit her doctor.

I have read three fabulous epic SF novels in a row lately.  The first was Silverberg's Lord Prestimion.  Next came another very long one by Spinrad, called The Mind Game.  It is a hard-hitting story about cult capturing a man's wife and cutting off his access to her.  Extremely well done, well researched, and highly entertaining.  And I just recently finished one of the best SF novels I have ever read.  Macroscope by Piers Anthony is almost 500 pages in its original form (a shorter version was published later, but there was nothing in the long one that I would cut out).  So a lot of things have been turning over in my mind the last few weeks besides piano pieces and piano students.  I am now reading short stories by Eric Frank Russell, one of the funniest and scariest SF writers I've ever encountered.  This is laugh out loud stuff one minute, and then pure horror the next.  A truly wonderful writer. His specialty is writing stories similar to the movie Forbidden Planet, with an all-male crew having adventures in deep space.

It's been too cold and too windy to be outside walking.  I am slowly turning into jelly.  I'm glad we are not heading to the desert this March for hiking.  We've been watching a lot of Elementary and Peter Gunn, with more W.C. Fields coming up this weekend.

Friday, January 12th/18 

Dad is out of the hospital and home today, after spending almost 8 days there.  He had a bowel obstruction.  According to the specialist, things like skin from fruit often get stuck, and over the years cause a build up.  Grapes, tomatoes, peaches, etc.  About two hours before his attack, Dad had eaten a small bunch of grapes, which apparently was the grand finale of 86 years of buildup.  For some reason it took doctors 8 days to figure this out.  Anyway, all is well once again.  However, I am swearing off grapes...

Week 1 of teaching is complete.  3 more to go before my next week off.  I have one adult student still booking off, recoverving from foot surgery, and 2 others were ill.  So not a strenuous week.  Piano practice continues to be fruitful, and memorization of the final 10% of the pieces continues slowly. 

Winter has returned.  Yesterday was more like Autumn, with temps in the mid 50s F.  All of our snow went away.  Today was one of those weird days where the temperature continued to drop all day.  Our warmest period was in the early morning, and then things continued to crash all day.  We will be at least 7 days in a row again with temps remaining well below 0 C (which is our average high).  The wind is from the north tonight, and really howling.  However, we seemed to have dodged a major ice and snow storm.  So there was some good news.

Wednesday, January 10th/18 

Dad is still in the hospital in Sudbury, and they are continuing to run tests.  He is eating a bit, mostly out of pain now, and Mom says he is looking well.  Still waiting patiently for some results.

Our first January thaw arrived on schedule.  Monday it got up to 36 F, and the same on Tuesday.  Currently it is in the mid-40s at 10 pm Wed.  Thursday is supposed to be even warmer, and then we get slammed again by severe cold, preceded by some fresh snow Friday.  Late next week it is supposed to modify again, so at least this time there might me something to look forward to.

I have completed two nights of teaching in this four-week segment, which continues till the end of January.   Everyone showed up last night as expected.  I got to work with Januda for the first time, who is now my most advanced student.  We worked on some Gr. X technic, as well as the Chopin Polonaise in A Major.  It is a really big piece requiring hands that can reach big chords.  He has very small hands, so unfortunately he plays it with a lot of physical tension.  I will have strong input into any further pieces we choose, so I will be trying to find some works that he can reach more easily.  On Wednesdays I teach two young girls who are both A.D.D. cases.  The first one was sick today, but the second one showed up in fine form.  It's not how many distractions per lesson with her, but rather how many per minute.  No meds are involved, and I don't think her mom, who is a school teacher, even realizes the problem.  It will be brought up very soon.

April is a relatively new student.  She was pretty uptight at her first few lessons back in late Nov. and through Dec.  She is 13 and at the age where she fears looking foolish in front of others, me included.  As a result she tries just a bit too earnestly at lessons, and ends up making even more mistakes.  She is a genuine sweetheart, and we have been working on keeping things pretty casual.  Today she really seemed to relax, and we spent about half of her thirty minutes just chatting.  It seemed to do some good, as she played quite well afterwards.  She wants to be a writer, so we had lots to talk about.  Mom sits on the couch nearby and doesn't say much, but she seemed pleased today after the lesson, even though music wasn't the dominant topic.  Tomorrow I have four students remaining to finish up my work week.  Then we hunker down for more winter weather. 

I just finished the 6th book of Robert Silverberg's massive and engrossing Majipoor series.  The series is hit and miss, with the first two books being quite brilliant, and the fourth one eminently readable.  The 3rd and 5th were weak, but this 6th one, Lord Prestimion, was awesome.  Majipoor is a vast planet colonized thousands of years ago by humans, which now  is pretty much left to itself.  Many different species of intelligent life live there alongside the humans, including an indigenous people.  The book is more about sorcery and magic than actual SF, but there is a definite science core to the series.  I'm glad I discovered it.  I am currently reading a fascinating novel by Norman Spinrad called The Mind Games, about a guy's wife who is brainwashed and essentially kidnapped by a cult called the Transformationalists, and his attempts to get her back.  It is a very scary book, and the author not only knows the ins and outs of working in Hollywood, but understands the whole cult science scene extremely well.  Deb finally picked up Roderick by John Sladek to read, and is enjoying it a lot.

Monday, Jan. 8th/18 

19 glorious days of vacation have finally come to an end.  Beginning with our all day fire and party on Winter Solstice, and ending today with our long-awaited thaw, it's been a blast.  My one and only regret was that we were unable to get outside much due to extreme temps and wind.  Today got to 37 F, the first time above freezing since Dec. 23rd!  Usually around this date winter is just getting started--we have already had two long rounds of eye-watering, blood-freezing cold.  Today I awoke to 2" of neutron star material on our driveway.  It was the heaviest, densest snow of the winter,  but it has been pushed aside now.  Some very mild temps are coming later this week, too!  Methinks the snow will be mostly gone by the end of the week, though the river is frozen solid.

 Tonight's sunset from our south window, showing a completely frozen river. 

There has been no update yet on Dad's condition.  Mom said she would phone if they had learned anything yet.  Soon, I hope.

I return tomorrow to 15 students, including a new one for me.  Januda is in Gr. X piano, and I am looking forward to working with him.  He is in Gr. 11 at school.  One of my adult students is still off, recovering from foot surgery, but is expected back in early February.  I am not feeling very retired just now.

I had great success with piano memorization work over the break.  I wanted to be at the 90% mark, and that is exactly where I am.  My upcoming concert could be called "Good Things Come In Threes."  Here is my report card, much improved from the start of the holiday period. 

     3 Bach pieces--memorized!

     3 Haydn Sonata movements--memorized!!

     3 astronomy pieces--1 page remaining, out of 8 pages!

     3 Mendelssohn Venetian Gondola Songs--2 memorized, 1 with 2 pages to go.

     Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody--memorized!!

Out of 32 pages, I have about 3 1/4 left to go.  I am happy with this.  another week of decent practice should see me complete the memorization.  Concert possible early March.  I will decide by Feb. 12th.  In the meantime I need to schedule a few lessons with Philip Adamson.

Sunday, Jan. 7th/18 

In winter, when the daytime temperature reaches about 25 F (-4 C), it is usually okay to be outside for fun, unless it is unusually windy.  For the first time in 16 days the temperature has reached that plateau.  However, it is quite windy outside, thus no walk this evening.  The mercury has been slowly rising all day, and will continue to rise into the night.  We will finally go above freezing tomorrow!!  However, as if to make certain we don't get too giddy, we are expecting 2-4" of snow tonight.  There seems to be no winning for us so far this winter.  Not having done much exercise in the past 10 days, I am not looking forward to shovelling heavy snow tomorrow.

Dad is in the hospital, and has been since late Friday night.  He had some type of very painful gastro attack, and they have kept him in to run a battery of tests.  No one knows anything yet.  He should be home tomorrow, but whether the tests will show anything definite is anybody's guess.  As terrible as the cold has been here, it has been far worse in Sudbury.  Some days their high temp was -27 C.  That is extreme cold.  Our highs some days was -17 C.  Add some wind to that and you will know why this has been the most indoor holiday break we have ever had.  Somehow I survived 22 years living in Sudbury before moving south.  Meanwhile, the temperature in Sydney, Australia was 117 F.  Quite the extremes going on these days.

Friday, Jan. 5th/18 

It is now been 14 days since our temperatures have remained savagely far below 0C.  Of those only two were windless.  Relief is coming by Monday, though.  For two days now we have gone beyond the beyond, with records shattered and a stiff wind from the NW.  Our little boiler and house are fine in any temperature providing the winds are not strong.   With recent extreme temps and strong winds, we are barely keeping the house at 19C.  And it will be our highest heating bill ever.  Can't wait for that to arrive.  Cabin fever is setting in.  Without fresh air and

exercise my practicing and memorizing are going downhill, and even my sleep pattern.  Sure we go out.  We even went to Detroit on Wednesday.  But it's house to car, car to shop, shop to car, etc.  There is very little outdoors involved.  Prior to this event we had 7 days in a row of similar weather before Christmas, though not to this extreme.  That makes 21 days in a row, in two sections, of frigid air.  However, there is an upside.  Storm patterns have been unable to penetrate the cold air.  As a result, we have had very little snow since Christmas Eve.  No pipes have burst yet, or frozen.  Two more bitter nights to go in this stretch, until the next one comes.

We have been getting engrossed in a TV series called Elementary.  Sherlock Holmes is a modern day English detecting consultant for the NYPD.  Watson is female.  It is very good, and we will stay with it.  There seems to be a lot of episodes, and they are riveting and go by quickly.

This is a much more believable and likable Holmes than the one portrayed by Cumberpatch.  I honestly do not know how that series became so popular.  He is nothing more than an android, though with less feeling.  We are also watching a series from 1958 called Peter Gunn.  This is Blake Edwards' baby, and it's really fun.  It is classic Noir in 25 minute episodes.  Lola Albright, Pete's girl, is completely awesome and captivating.  And the music is really with it, man!  There is never any talking in the opening segment, which usually shows a murder.  Just music.  Great classic stuff!  And of course some Forest Ranger episodes!

Wednesday, Jan. 3rd/18 

The music of Mozart doesn't seem to fit into any category or definition of creativity that I have ever come across.  There are no scribbled notebooks, no long walks in the countryside to sort things out, no struggle with this or that concept.  With Mozart there is only music.  And what music!  Probably only fit for gods (does this make me a god?).  He seems to pull music out of the air, as if he could tap into a flowing stream of heavenly sound and divert it to either a page of neat writing, or bypassing notation completely and simply improvising at the keyboard or with his violin.  He died so young, and yet he left us so much.  What isn't left to us are the hundreds of lengthy improvisations, heard one time perhaps by a few, perhaps by many.  But they are gone forever.  And if he had lived at least into his forties?  Fifties?  It is a staggering thought.

We have immersed ourselves often in the music of Mozart, including all of the operas, the piano sonatas, all the concerti, chamber music.  Much of his youthful writing is just that.  But suddenly, in his late twenties, begins the most amazing musical gift to humankind that has ever been bestowed.  Like all great gifts, it is there for everyone to celebrate.  Mozart's music has a direct connection to the brain and to the emotions, and in such amount and depth as no other composer ever achieved.  There have been so many great composers, but Mozart rises far above them all, except perhaps for Bach (he struggled with writing, as did Beethoven, as did almost all composers, except perhaps Mendelssohn, the other boy genius). 

It is not uncommon, after hearing a Mozart masterpiece, to have it ring throughout ones head for days and weeks afterwards.  After listening to Don Giovanni on Dec. 21st, it is still going through my head.  Then, Jan. 1st I added Marriage of Figaro to that internal music.  When I go to sleep, I am hearing one of the arias.  If I awaken in the middle of the night, I realize that the music has been running non-stop in my head.  This is from a guy who is currently memorizing a piano program, with no music by Mozart.  How can there be room for more?

Here are some quotes and thoughts by famous people,  after hearing Marriage of Figaro performed in Vienna, with Mozart conducting....

The Hungarian poet Ferenc Kazinczy was in the audience for a May performance, and later remembered the powerful impression the work made on him:

[Nancy] Storace, the beautiful singer, enchanted eye, ear, and soul. – Mozart directed the orchestra, playing his fortepiano; the joy which this music causes is so far removed from all sensuality that one cannot speak of it. Where could words be found that are worthy to describe such joy?

 Okay, so this is why I usually do not write about music.  If a famous poet can find no words to describe it, then how hopeless a task is it for me?

Joseph Haydn appreciated the opera greatly, writing to a friend that he heard it in his dreams.

My experience exactly!

Johannes Brahms said "In my opinion, each number in Figaro is a miracle; it is totally beyond me how anyone could create anything so perfect; nothing like it was ever done again, not even by Beethoven."

I'm glad he said it first.  All quotes are from the wiki on Figaro.

Franz Liszt loved the work so much that he wrote a fantasia on themes from Figaro and Don Giovanni.  I could go on, but I think my point has been made.  My life goes on, and there is much music being tossed about in my head. 

Monday, January 1st/18

It's been a fun day around the Homestead.  Being a full moon and a holiday, we turned things into an all-day party.  It was too cold and too windy to even think about going outside (except twice for bird feeding).  The underlying theme was Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro."  If there is a better way to begin a new calendar year, it has not yet been discovered.  Also weaving their way into our day was fabulous vegan food, a home-baked apple pie, some reading, a perfect wood fire, and some writing.  The writing consisted of my January astronomy article for the club newsletter.  It still requires some editing, but it is done.

Last night also saw great food with a wood fire layed on.  The cultural highlight was watching "It's A Gift," with W.C. Fields, quite likely one of the funniest movies ever made.  It's a laugh-aloud riot of a movie, but all, like Mozart, told in a restrained and highly civilized manner.  Mr. "Bissonay" is a very funny man!

This is a good time of year to look back and see what happened in 2017.  Beginning with health issues, Deb continues to make exemplary progress with her RA, thanks to the two drugs she takes.  One is taken weekly, and the other every two months.  Progress has been made with her Fibromyalgia, too, as the worst of her neck pain is now much subdued.  All that is left is the shoulder pain, caused by a bad case of tendonitis.  This is quite common in both RA and Fibro.  She has only been twice to physio, but resumes tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.  And me?  No complaints...

Next come some musical highlights.  Last year's Mozart festival at the DSO is still paying dividends.  We are now focusing on the operas, and after that will come the piano concertos.  Perfection can be tricky to find, but it is everywhere in Mozart's music.  His operas are the highlight of humankind's achievements, though his style of writing is also at home in his concertos, symphonies, sacred music, and chamber works.  But to really know and understand what perfection is, study his operas.  We are also continuing the Britten and Brahms listening project.  We are now at Op 43 of Britten, and Op 41 of Brahms.  We will continue to enjoy listening to great music, especially if it continues to be such a savage winter.

Last year, due to the vagaries of weather, I performed two different piano programs.  My concert of December 2016 had to be cancelled due to last winter's one and only snowstorm.  The date was changed to mid-January 2017.  After that program was performed I began work on the next program, and performed it in early September, just before heading to Vienna.  The new (present) program began to be learned on our return in early October.  So I guess I worked on three different programs last year!  A good week of practice for me is 12 hours spread over six days.  However, so many things come up to disturb my best intentions, including too many piano students.  Usually by the time I am done teaching I have nothing left in me, so any more practicing is useless or worse.  This year I have a record number of students.  We'll see if that lasts.  Come September I will get yet another pension, so will hardly need the teaching money to eat well.  We'll see.  Then there is Iaido (currently taking the winter off), and astronomy, when it is clear.

I managed to get my class count up to 70 in Iaido.  I require 250 classes before I can test for 3rd degree black belt.  Astronomy was a slow year, mostly due to weather issues.  I managed 34 outings, not all of them highly successful.  Hoping for much better skies in 2018!

2017 was a great travel year for us, with the highlight being our long overdue visit to Vienna.  Seeing the paintings by Bruegel (and others) in the Kunsthistoriches was certainly a lifetime highlight, and an experience I would very much like to repeat.  The city itself is very beautiful, and much of it is uncrowded and undiscovered by the mass of tourists who drop in for one to three days.  Even the art museum was relatively uncrowded, due no doubt to a pretty steep entrance fee, and not allowing backpacks.

Our first trip of the year was in March, when we took Amtrak to Chicago.  We stayed at a great hotel within walking distance of Union Station, and enjoyed two nights and two days in a very wintry city.  In late April came yet another visit to our 2nd favourite world city, London.  We continued our progress walking the Capital Ring and the London Loop, as well as exploring the area's pubs, cafes, and museums.  On our day out from London we visited Leigh On Sea, with its nearby ruined castle overlooking the Thames Estuary.

After getting back from London we were soon off to Columbus, Ohio, where two of Deb's short films were screening.  The event was also a large board game convention, and it was two days of paradise!  It was also fun watching Deb's films with an audience.  Deb had a great year with her movies, both in making several of them, and in having them screened across the world.  She even won a few firsts!!  Her new Alys movie is now uploaded and ready for prime time!

Next came the annual drive to Sudbury in July to visit family and help celebrate Dad's birthday.  Sadly, we did not get out of the city this time, but next time we would love to do a backroad drive somewhere nearby, and possible climb a favourite hill at Lake Penage.  Last year we made it to Lake Nipissing and Steve and Lynne's cottage.

Next came the Vienna visit, in late September.  In November we spent two nights in a restored coaching inn in Marshall, MI.  Deb went to Lindsay for two nights to visit her mom, also in November.  We owe a lot of our freedom to travel to Theresa, our vet-tech pet sitter, who seems to be available almost every time we need her.  She will likely be busy again this year.

Finally, I'll say some words about my SF reading project.  Firstly, not all SF authors write only SF, so I have read many genres of fiction within this project.  Last January I read #8 in the Avon/Equinox SF series.  Omnivore, by Piers Anthony, was the first of a trilogy, and the first book I have read of his.  I was totally hooked, not only finishing that series (Of Man and Manta), but reading two other series by him during the year.  Next came my discovery of Eric Frank Russell, a writer I can no longer live without.  He is an oldie but a goodie, and his Men, Martians, and Machines has to be one of the funniest, scariest, and most must read books I have come across in a goodly while.  Deb read it too, and totally agrees.  The man is a pure delight!

Chad Oliver was another amazing discovery.  He was an anthropologist, and his novels and short stories are usually about first encounters between humans and aliens.  Most of his books (there aren't many) are first class reading material, with a great background in science showing just beneath the surface.  John Christopher came next, and I have now read 8 of his books, most recently The Little People, an odd but engrossing story about people 12" tall discovered in an old manor house in Ireland. He is a solid writer of adventure SF, usually using world wide catastrophe as his starting point, such as in his very fine novel No Blade of Grass.  Christopher also has a way with developing characters, making us feel as if we know them personally by the time the story is over.

The biggest and best surprise of them all for me was discovering the author Edgar Pangborn, #12 in the Avon/Equinox series.  His writing is superb, stylish, sometimes difficult, but always rewarding.  Beginning with his incomparable A Mirror For Observers, I have now read 7 of his books.  The one I am now reading is his 8th (Judgement of Eve).  After this, there is only one more novel by him.  Damn!  He also wrote a very good historical novel, as well as a gripping courtroom drama.  So, not much SF.  But it is all amazing material to read, and then reread.  In a year of discovering many great authors, he has been the best discovery of them all.

Then came Harry Harrison, Hugo Gernsbeck,  Kenneth Bulmer, Jack Williamson, and E.C. Tubb.  It is a fun project, and I am glad to say that it will go on and on and on...  Though my official book count only happens in June, when I began this project in 2016, I can safely say that I read over 100 books this year.

In my next post (shorter, I promise!), I'll talk about some upcoming plans for 2018.  In the meantime, wishing you a Happy New Year!

Mapman Mike

December 2017

Sunday, December 31st/17 

There are only two times each year that we are stuck inside the house--summer and winter.  Ha ha.  But it is rather true--very often summers are too warm and humid in Essex County to really enjoy the outdoors, especially doing physical activity.  Sitting on a shady porch isn't so bad.  And winters--what can one say about our winters?  They are either warm and mushy, with little snow, or so severe as to often make it dangerous to be outside.  We enjoy snow shoeing, but it has been too cold so far.  Temps around 25 F are perfect for outdoor winter activities, such as skating, skiing, etc.  However, we haven't come near that temperature in over a week, and several days had strong winds.  Today was a high of 17 F, but the wind was very subdued.  So we managed to get outside for our second walk since Winter Solstice.

 A recent view out of our south window, looking southwest.  It's cold outside!

Tonight's sunset, the last one of 2017.  Same view as above. 

It was very sunny today, and the wind was pretty calm.  In addition to our long walk, we went to the Windsor riverfront.  Deb needed some footage of ice floes.  I took some stills, which does not do a very good job of capturing the bizarre sounds the ice makes as it crinkles and booms its way downstream.  We went to lunch at The Garden, an Asian veg restaurant near the university.  

Afterwards we stopped at Pet Valu for more bird seed and cat food.  The birds have been voracious lately, but so has the neighbourhood hawk, who swoops down whenever it wishes and helps itself to a nice, well-fed pigeon.  Then it was on to Fred's Farm Fresh Market for some evening snacks for us.  There will be a wood fire, some great music and food, and a very quiet, unsocial night.  While I would be more than happy to welcome friends over, my days of wishing to go "out" for NYE are long over.

It was a chilly day on the Detroit River, and very few people were on the path. 

We have a relaxing day planned for tomorrow (other than laundry).  It's also the first full moon of the new year, and the first of two for January.  Our moon cake this time will be home baked apple pie! I'm certain there will be a photo.  Also another Mozart opera is on tap, followed by a night of board games.  I'll also write up a brief summary of our year, along with some of our big plans for 2018.  Until then, have a fun and Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 28th/17 

Our cold air problem deepens, as records begin to fall.  This is turning into the longest severe early cold spell on record, and we are not due to get up near the freezing mark until Jan. 11th.  Good grief!  This time of year is usually foggy and damp.  Not this year.  We had a small snowfall, about 4", to help keep the underground water lines a bit warmer, but for this type of cold we really need much more snow, at least another 6".  None on the way.  We went out for a walk today.  It was -10C.  That was our high temp for the day, not counting the wind chill.

Yesterday we went to Windsor with Amanda and her mom.  We visited three brew pubs, with Deb driving after the first stop.  First came Walkerville Brewery, followed by Craftheads, and lastly came Sandwich Brewery.  It was a fun day, but we did not linger outside.  The snow is crunchy, the way it gets when it is very cold outside.  I am going through a lot of birdseed these days.  No doubt our gas heating bill is going to be off the scale, too.

For much of the holidays I have been sequestered at my piano, trying to memorize my pieces.  If you want to feel helpless and assured of the fact that your brain does not work properly, try to memorize something complicated.  Each time I commit a new program to memory, it hurts.  A lot.  However, by just chipping away, and usually falling back some and forgetting a lot, things get done.  I am about where I expected to be right now.  My goal is still to have the project 90% done by the time I resume teaching on January 8th.  So far so good.  But pain is involved.

Monday, December 25th/17 

Merry Christmas to one and all!  We are already into our second round of deep winter weather, and this one is much worse than the first one, which was pretty severe.  We are at the lowest limit of any winter temperatures we ever get down here, and the strong winds are making it imperative that we remain indoors.  I went out twice today to feed the birds, but I didn't even shovel the driveway from yesterday's snow.  Maybe tomorrow, but I doubt it, unless the arctic winds subside.  Temp right now is -7 C, with wind chill at -15 C.  And it is just beginning.  We are not scheduled to get anywhere near the freezing mark until January 8th.  Nice.  As bad as it ever gets here.  Our poor boiler.

Yesterday we managed to get together here with Jennifer and Amanda, the first time we've been altogether.  We tried seven different craft ales, all remarkably delicious!!  Deb provided snacks and coffee.  It snowed all day and evening, but I kept a wood fire going for the visit.  Good times!  Deb also showed her newest movie, her Alys adventure.  It is a really beautiful short film, and all of us that saw it are in awe of her ever-developing skills as an animator. 

Amanda, me, and Jennifer enjoying our afternoon beer tasting session. 

 The really important stuff!!

Saturday, December 23rd/17 

The final teaching week went well.  I received a number of memorable gifts, including a 6-pack of craft beer, a $50 gift card, a $15 gift card, and some beautifully done Christmas colouring sheets from a 9 yr. old and a 7 yr old.  I always receive something spectacular from the 3 Savoni children, which will likely arrive by personal delivery sometime tomorrow.  Anyway, I am done teaching until January 9th.  I hope to have most of my piano program memorized by that time.

This was the sunset last Wed.  I watched it with my trumpet student.  It was Solstice Eve! 

Our Winter Solstice holiday was as perfect as ever, helped along by an all-day wood fire, endless snacks, continuous music (more later), an appearance of the sun around 11:45 pm, and no internet (and thus no Trump).  We got up at 7 am, and it soon began to get light.  Sunrise was just before 8 am, and some pink was showing.  However, overcast skies kept things dark until the noon time appearance.  Sunset was dismal and grey.  

We usually feature an opera on that day, and this time it was Don Giovanni.  This opera gets my vote not only for the best thing Mozart ever wrote, and not only the best opera ever written, and not only the best piece of music ever written, but the best work of art in any category ever created.  Listen to it three times in one year and then tell me I am mistaken.  Anyway, it was a blissful day.

Tomorrow (Sunday), we are getting together with Amanda and Jennifer for a day of craft beer sampling.  We are heading off to a new brewery in Windsor, and then back to the Homestead for samplings provided by the three beer drinkers, and snacks provided by Deb.  It may seem odd that my two best beer drinking buddies are both female, and both former music students of mine from APS.  However, they are the best there is, anywhere!  Sadly one lives in Toronto and the other in Cambridge (a bit closer).  Amanda has accompanied us on a hiking trip to New Mexico.  Next September it will be Jennifer's turn, as we plan a road trip to end all road trips.  Much more on that later.  We may even make some plans tomorrow.

Today we awoke to a light coating of new snow.  I took these photos in our backyard when I went outside to feed the birds.

 Taken from our back yard this morning, after a light snowfall.

Monday, December 18th/17

Today was Detroit day.  It didn't start off so well.  We usually take the tunnel from downtown Windsor to Detroit.  It requires about ten minutes total from one downtown to the other.  Not today.  Just as we entered the mile-long tunnel we came upon stopped traffic.  It took about 10 minutes to start moving.  Slowly.  Once in Detroit, traffic was a total nightmare.  We made it with our lives intact, and went to the mailbox.  There was a HUGE lineup to mail packages.  We just wanted to pick ours up (some books), but we had to wait in line.  By the time we got free and were heading downtown, I wasn't much in the mood for more crowds, line ups, and busy streets.  However, at the last moment I continued on into downtown Detroit rather than head for home.  And guess what?  We had a really fun time!!

We finally made it inside Founders Brewery, and I enjoyed three 5 oz samples of some pretty incredible beer (they make about 28 different kinds), and we both enjoyed delicious and different vegan lunches.  Deb had a gigantic harvest sandwich, and I had a sloppy joe.

 Founders Brewery, on the outskirts of downtown Detroit.  We couldn't get in last week, but had no trouble this Monday.  I bought a tee-shirt (photo coming soon) and a bottle of barrel aged beer. 

We had parked the car behind Orchestra Hall and were able to walk to all three of today's Detroit destinations.  After lunch we went to  New Order Coffee Roasters.  I had a fabulous organic Timor brew, and Deb had Burundi.  After coffee we walked to Whole Foods, and eventually back to our vehicle.  Two hours parking for $2.  Not bad for a big city!  Read and weep, Toronto and London!

 View from New Order Coffee, towards Woodward.  The snow is mostly gone now.

My cup of incredibly good organic Timor coffee.  They were roasting right in front of us as we sat and sipped.

The temps were much milder today than expected.  As a result the snow is almost gone.  Tonight the temp will remain above freezing, with another very mild day expected tomorrow.  We have been able to walk three days in a row so far.

We had to be home today by 4 pm.  I had to switch my Thursday lessons to Monday, as Thursday is Solstice, our biggest annual holiday.  All the firewood has been laid in, and the snackies are awaiting.  Good times ahead.  11 more students and I will be done till January 9th! 

Saturday, December 16th/17 

For the past two winters the Town of Amherstburg has provided a sidewalk plowing and salting service for all town sidewalks.  As a result, barely three days after our snowstorm, we were able to get out and walk today on bare sidewalks.  In winters past, we would be done walking outside until the snow melted in the spring.  It was cold.  The temp has not been above freezing for over a week now.  It should get above freezing for the next three days at least, and perhaps a lot of the snow will melt.  Then we can start over again.

Friday was my final Iaido class until Spring.  I reviewed all of my major techniques, and will try to do some work at home during the winter months.  If not, I'll be a near beginner again in a few months.  It has been good to get back into training, which I resumed last July.

In piano news, I am now officially attempting to memorize my program.  I would like to have 90% of that job complete by the time I resume teaching lessons, which next year will be January 9th.  I still have three more nights of teaching, but without the two Iaido nights I now have a lot more time on my hands.  The program should be easy to memorize.  I only have one large piece, and it is one I recently learned again and brought up to concert standard (Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #7).  It hasn't been played for a wider audience, though, at least since 1979.  The other pieces are all small scale (for me), and do not pose any big problems.  One of the reasons I have backed away from larger works lately is to allow my elbows time to heal, which they are doing.  Another reason is that I truly enjoy playing so many of the smaller pieces, ones that are seldom heard in the concert hall.  My love of the early Haydn Sonatas is an example of this.  Next time I have two major pieces planned.

Sunday we will put up the Solstice decorations, in preparation for this week's big astronomical event.  Thursday will feature all day snacks, music, and an indoor wood fire, as we welcome the Sun back, and wish it all speed as it heads north for longer days and shorter nights.

Friday, December 15th/17  

This week early winter weather delivered us a quick one-two punch, leaving us half-buried in snow, and watching the gas heating bill rise alarmingly.  Tuesday we received a few inches of snow.  That was easily cleared away, but the frigid temps and blowing winds made it very uncomfortable to be outside shovelling.  Wednesday we got hit harder, enough to shut down the county school buses, giving most kids a holiday.  It snowed most of Wednesday, and it was cold.  The combination is actually a good one, as cold air means fluffier snow, and the roads are not as slippery.

Wednesday was also Deb's infusion day.  In addition, the Tiguan went to VW for its annual service.  Though it snowed all day, we were back home before the heavier stuff arrived.  Only one of my students cancelled due to weather that afternoon, despite pretty bad county driving conditions.  Thursday dawned clear, very cold, but with no wind it was actually a pleasant day.  We have someone who clears our driveway, but I had to go out and unbury our vehicle, shovel the steps, and then tackle the heavy, chunky mess left at the foot of our driveway by the overnight snowplow passes.  Still, it was a beautiful day, though not exactly autumnal.  With still a week to go before winter officially arrives....

I met my newest student this week, and his dad.  Januda will be my most advanced student in many years.  It's rare to get someone at the Gr. 10 piano level, but it also means I get to work with very advanced pieces.  I have two adults studying in Gr. 9 at the moment, too.  One girl in Gr. 7 piano, and the rest are Gr. 5 and under.

Tonight will be my final Iaido attendance until most of winter has passed by.  I will not return until March, unless, like last year, winter pulls a sudden vanishing act.  Tonight will be my 70th class since my last test.  I need 250 classes total before my next test.  Long way to go.

Tuesday, December 12th/17  

Another new piano student has arrived on scene, a boy (Januda) in Gr. 11 at school and in Gr. 10 piano.   He will study with me on Tuesday evenings beginning in January, for one hour per week.  Please, no more student requests.  I only took this one because he is so advanced.  I certainly do not want any more beginners.  But after wanting only 10 students overall, I now have 16.

Winter weather has been in full swing now since last Thursday.  I had to shovel snow today in a biting cold wind, and more snow and much colder weather is arriving tomorrow morning.  That is also the morning we have to drive across the county for Deb's infusion.  Perfect timing.  The VW Tiguan is also due for its annual service, and we are hoping to get both done.  It looks as if my afternoon teaching will have to be cancelled, if the expected storm arrives as predicted.  It was so cold today that the snow that fell was light and fluffy, and thus easy to shovel.  I hope tomorrow's is similar.  There may be enough snow by Friday for us to snowshoe. 

Piano practice goes well, and I am at the beginning stages of memorizing the program.  Whether or not I will perform some pieces using the music, everything will first be memorized.  This is excellent brain exercise, for one thing.  For another, communication with the music of certain pieces is greatly enhanced when the work is memorized.  However, if it becomes apparent that insecure memory is guaranteed, then I will perform a piece with the music.  Last time I played the whole program from memory, but there were some slips.  These are impossible to predict until a performance is given.  It's kind of a Catch-22.

Sunday, December 10th/17 

We managed a short walk today, but it was treacherous.  While the main roads are clear, the sidewalks and secondary roads are sheets of ice.  We will not go above freezing until next Saturday (it was last Thursday that all this began, so it will be over a week), so that is it for walking.  I went to Iaido tonight, but will be wrapping up that project in a few days until winter is over. 

As promised, here are a few photos from our weekend...

 Deb, Sandi (Jenn's mom), and Jenn.  Jennifer is a former APS student, and now a drinking buddy.  She recently moved back from B.C., where she ran a small but busy motel at a ski resort.  She's now working at Chapters Books in Cambridge, ON.  This is Atwater Brewery in Detroit.  Deb and I arrived first, so my samples are nearly done.  This was Jenn's first visit to Atwater.

 One of many new breweries opening in Detroit recently, this was a first visit for all of us.

 Street view from inside Eastern Markert Brewing Co.  They had several good beer choices, and a favourite of mine was Chai!

 Also in Eastern Market is German Coffee Roasters, where we went next for some high quality caffeine.  It was Ethiopian Harrar pour overs all the way around the table.

 This is 8 Degrees Plato, a taproom with about a dozen kinds of ever-changing beer on tap, as well as the best beer shop in Detroit.

 Kresge Court Cafe at the DIA.

Saturday, December 9th/17 

We are back from a busy and fun overnight trip to Detroit.  We went over on Friday morning, first heading to our Dearborn mailbox.  Deb had a new winter coat awaiting, and winter boots.  I had gloves waiting for me.  There were also 3 SF books I had ordered from Amazon.  Next we filled up the SUV gas tank and took it through a car wash.  Then we went downtown and browsed John King.  I was looking for some books by E.C. Tubb (I found three), Jack Williamson (I found over a dozen!), and I picked up two by P.G. Wodehouse.  Deb and I have been enjoying a silly BBC series called Blandings, based on his humourous novels.

Next we met up with Jennifer G. and her mom Sandy.  They had come from Cambridge, ON, to see the Frederic Church exhibit at the DIA (see my November entry).  But first, it was time for some Detroit craft beer!  We met at Atwater Brewery, where we (not Deb) enjoyed a sample tray each, called a flight, of 5 ales of our choosing.  We also ate some lunch here, including vegan buffalo wings (made from cauliflower) and falafel sliders.

Our second stop was a new one for all of us (Jenn had never been to Atwater yet).  Eastern Market Brewery is a new spot, and it already seems to have a loyal following.   Again we took small servings of several of their brews, and had a very enjoyable stop.  Nearby is Germac Coffee Roasters, and we walked over there for coffee.  It was sunset when we headed off to the next pub.  Founders Brewery (Detroit) opened last Monday, and we got in the door, but couldn't get a table or anywhere near the bar.  We even tried again later in the night, with no luck.  This is a huge place, too, with room for a couple of hundred people.  And Detroit has 10 other breweries nearby.  Didn't matter.  I'll have to try here on our next Monday visit.  Fridays are going to be impossible.  Instead, we popped around the corner to 8 Degrees Plato and had some very enjoyable samples there.

I took some photos of that day, which I will hopefully upload to here tomorrow.  And more details of the incredible variety and flavours of beer sampled will also be forthcoming.

Next, we drove up to New Center to our hotel.  Deb and I checked in, parked the vehicle, then took a ride with Jennifer back to the DIA.  While she and her mom went to the exhibit, Deb and I had some dinner and then walked around the museum.  It's open till 10 pm every Friday evening.  The Canadian pianist performing there turned out to be not so very interesting (she was performing electronic music accompanied by live piano sounds).  We all met up later, and then went to TJs so they could eat, and then finished up with a few more small beer samples at Jolly Pumpkin, right next door.

We got dropped off at our hotel around 11 pm, and then Jenn and her mom headed back to Canada.  We spent a comfortable night at the St. Regis Hotel.  We awoke to some snow Saturday morning, but easily made our way back to the DIA for 10 am.  We were attending a day of illustrated lectures by top scholars in their field on the painting of Frederick Church.  We heard all six lectures, sneaking out for coffee and some Asian food across the street on the hour-long lunch break.  We were done by 1:45 pm and heading home, through a very busy Detroit.  All in all a very fun time!  Some photos tomorrow.

Thursday, December 7th/17 

Winter has arrived, in all of its dubious glory.  Temps for the next 12 days are cold, with the mercury barely rising to freezing, and on many days not even coming near it.  I hate those days, especially if strong wind is involved.  We had our first dusting of snow today, too, the latest that I can ever remember.  But the next few weeks promise January-like weather.

We have two more weeks of teaching before our two-week holiday break.  All of my students showed up this week, except for one adult off for foot surgery till January.  Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and evenings are busy times, with student after student arriving for lessons.  I often forget who is next, and am surprised by who shows up.  The kids are aged 6-14, plus three adults.  Deb's harp student is in first year college.

We are heading to Detroit Friday for an overnight stay.  Tomorrow we are going to our mailbox to pick up a lot of parcels, including books, gloves for me, winter coat for Deb, and winter boots for Deb.  Next comes John King  Books.  We will also seek out two new micro-breweries.  A total of 7 new ones are scheduled to open in Detroit by next Spring.  Our friend Jennifer is also coming over on Friday.  Friday night we will hang out at the art museum (open till 10 pm) before heading to our hotel.  Saturday we are attending a series of lectures at the museum related to the Frederic Church painting exhibit, before heading home around 5 pm.

We heard more good news from Randy today.  Not only are Anita's tumours shrinking, but she is gaining weight.  Since beginning her chemo treatments she has been making good progress with a disease that at first looked certain to greatly shorten her life.  If the tumours continue to shrink it may be possible to remove them through surgery.  A modern miracle, to be sure!  Congratulations, Anita!!  We are cheering for you and your team!

Monday, December 4th/17  

Today was medical appointment day.  Last week Deb saw her family doctor regarding her shoulder (right), the final link in her epic journey vs. pain.  X-rays followed, and today she had an ultrasound.  Results soon.  In the meantime she has begun home physio.  We believe this may be an old injury caused by cutting practice with a heavy sword, which she needed to do for her Nidan test in Iaido.  Next she had to go elsewhere for her bi-monthly blood work, as next week is her bi-monthly RA drug infusion.  Also today was my routine checkup, which is way overdue.  So now I have to go for my bloodwork soon.

Last night at Iaido practice, as I reached for the staircase railing as I headed downstairs after class to change, I took a very nasty wooden splinter into my 4th finger, right hand.  I was able to yank part of it out, but a long part remained buried beneath the finger nail.  Ouch.  I tried to dig it out when I got home, but no luck.  Luckily I happened to go see my doctor today for my routine check up.  He dug it out for me.  It only really hurt when the damned thing came out.  It was very thin but almost half an inch long.  Needless to say I am unable to practice piano today, but the finger does feel so much better!

Today we got the garden hose put away, as our first real winter weather arrives in less than 24 hours.  We have enjoyed temps way above average for several weeks now, so much so that my allergies are still quite bad, and Deb has been happily roasting coffee out of doors.  Tomorrow I will set up the winter heater for the bird bath, and we will shut off the outside water taps till spring.  We are due for a very nasty awakening to what life in Canada, even in the far south, has in store for people who live here during the winter.

Sunday, December 3rd/17  

It sounds from her recent e-mails that Caroline had a great time in Chile and especially on Easter Island.  I'm sure the trip will resonate with her for a long time.  Our Vienna trip in Sept. is still very much on our minds.

I have begun to memorize my next piano program.  I have no time line; when it's ready it's ready.  Long way to go.  I'm learning three Venetian Gondola Songs by Mendelssohn, among other works by various composers.  Even though these three songs are small scale masterpieces about being in Venice, there is something Homeric and epic about them, as if we are hearing of some of Ulysses' lesser known adventures that kept him from returning to Ithaca.  I'm certain they will be a big hit at the concert.

November and early December weather has been very kind to us.  Very mild weather has really set us up for a bad time come Wednesday.  January-type weather will be arriving, and it looks as if it will stick around.  We have been out walking every day, enjoying the last hurrah of a beautiful autumn.  I do not yet have winter tires for the new car--they are very expensive, though necessary.  Probably later this week will force me into buying some.

For the past four or five nights in a row I have been having and remembering many very long, involved, and detailed dreams, within wonderful architectural spaces and very colourful environments.  It's like I'm watching and involved in movies all night.  Very weird.