Friday Frappe

Thought I'd better check in here every once in a while though it seems to be the same old news most weeks. There was a major change in my rhythm this week though. Due to scheduling differences with both of us, my hiking partner and I last had a walk on Saturday. I am itching to go out and stretch my legs and will tomorrow for sure. I miss it very much.

With walking not on the schedule I got a lot more painting done, the outside chores finished and have started on some fall indoor jobs. I am going to put removable caulking on the windows in the next couple of days and a plastic storm window on one window. We had snow today though it did not accumulate here. I saw on a news preview that some of the Maritimes did get quite a bit and it just as well could have been here. I must make an appt. to get my snow tires on too. There seems to be an awful lot to do to get ready for winter and I don't even burn wood.

Kenz is lying in my arms as I type. We have this position worked out where she fits herself in and lays happily here unless I have to use the left hand shift key a lot. I only mind it if my arm starts to fall asleep then I use capitals (and the shift key) as much as possible. LOL

With no way to store music at some spot on the web I have to re-introduce music that has been featured here before. How can you not have the opportunity to play these two fabulous songs any time you want. The marvelous, wonderful, awesome, fantastic, stupendous music of Chevela Vargas should be at everyone's fingertips all the time. It is much like eating oysters to me. Her music somehow enters the body and mixes with vital fluids that are of life itself. I feel that way about Van Morrison's music as well but he has forbidden people to hear his music on blogs. Here are two songs from Chevela that do it for me: La Llorona and Paloma Negra. You may recognize the last song from the soundtrack of the movie, Frida. I am listening to a longer version ( over 8 minutes) of La Llorona at the moment and it is giving me the shivers.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Chavela Again

My whole body is sore. Shoveling is not an activity for the middle aged. How many times do you hear of heart attacks brought on by shoveling snow. My lower back was sore from earlier in the week shoveling but now I'm sore everywhere. We were supposed to get two centimeters of snow overnight turning to rain but the rain never came and we got about four inches of the white fluffy stuff. It was perfect snow for making snow people but the shoveling had to be done.

I had no idea what a metal roof was going to bring. Huge banks have already materialized against the house where snow has slid off the steep roof. Snow that close could cause basement flooding. My gutters are not able to handle all the falling snow and after two snows, one section is already broken. It's always something, eh?

Gosh, I just got completely lost on a new music blog and forgot about this one. Music. We need music so it's back to the essentials. Chavela Vargas' La Llorona, which I've fawned over in the past is essential for sure. I've told the story of this remarkable woman and won't again but will provide a few links - Wikipedia, her own website, and a Youtube performance of La Llorona. This video is from the movie Frida, one of my favorite all time movies. The song uploaded today is from Chavela's very famous appearance at Carnegie Hall made in her eighties. She is eighty-eight now. I really like her music as she sang a traditional Latin ballad that was sung by men to seduce women. It's unusual to hear these songs by women but she did it anyway.

The second song is, Paloma Negra, which she also did for the movie Frida. I will never forget seeing this movie for the first time and when this song played I was awestruck. I immediately tried to find the soundtrack but in Charlottetown where we have no good record stores, it took six months. I got the movie when it became available. Both songs are very powerful. Enjoy!