Autumn Chores

I'm a little early today but grabbing time when I can. I have an apple crisp in the oven and beets boiling on the stove. I'm making pickled beets this afternoon and preparing for a friend who is coming for dinner. Her husband is away again and when he is, we always have meals of fish or seafood together. Tonight I'm serving mussels and salmon - and apple crisp for dessert. Another friend called to ask me to dinner at his house but because of my plans we are rescheduling for tomorrow night. He is making roast beef. Yum!

I feel energized when I think of a bit of time off. I won't have a lot of off-time as I have some plans in the works, one being my three week trip to Florida. I am really looking forward to that. I'll happily trade early winter here for some Florida sun. I'm already looking at art projects and started some preparation today. I have been working on something for my grandkids too but have to get to a store tomorrow to pick up items to add some finishing touches. I worked on it today too.

If you've been reading here for a while you know my favorite music is the slow ballad in any language. First cd I put on this morning is one of slow Latin ballads but somehow this song, Se Me Van Los Pies by Susana Baca ended up on the disc instead of a on a dance cd. I had to stop what I was doing and dance for the five minutes it played. I felt like grabbing some drums too but resisted and just danced. I'd say that makes this song good for you. The cd ends with the following beauty that I thought was up already. It's Naila by Lila Downs and is so, so gorgeous!

Update: I was uploading the last song and the power went out. Luckily the apple crisp was able to finish cooking with the heat in the oven and the beets are boiling again. So much for an early post.....

Avid Walker and Dental Patient

There are fresh vases of flowers in the house, the cat hair is at bay and I have clean sheets. All is well for my second day off. I am normally off on Tuesday and Wednesday but switched to Wednesday and Thursday for this week. I had a Thursday evening appointment that I needed to keep. You won't believe this but yesterday I showed up at my dental appointment an hour early - just like I did last month. They must think I really like going to the dentist. I just think I'm becoming senile and we'll leave it at that.

I spent the extra hour in Victoria Park wondering around with my camera. They did a beautiful job decorating the light standards in the park by planting large planters around them and including Heavenly Blue morning glories. With the sunshine and fluffy clouds, it was a wonderful morning for a stroll.


I finally got the mp3 player that I bought two years ago up and running. I didn't like the earbuds with it but I needed an adapter in order to fit it with new ones. I bought it for walking in the winter but since I didn't do much walking this past winter, I put it off till now. In one month I'll be laid off from my seasonal job and will be walking in the autumn woods as much as last year so thought I'd prepare early in case I want the mp3 for any of the autumn walks. I only need it for windy days to protect my ears from the wind. The music is an added bonus though I like the sounds of nature on the walks just as much.

I'll be back later to add music. I have a friend coming minutes from now so I'll be back when I can.

Update: The specialist I had the appointment with was two hours late arriving at the hospital so I am adding music quit a bit later than I had hoped. Peru's wonderful Susana Baca is bringing the music today. Here's Bartola from her album,Vestida de Vida and Zamba Malato from her album, Susana Baca. That's the album that made me fall in love with her music. I still play it a lot after many years.

Esa Noche

I watched the fox last night at dusk again. That is the usual time that he makes his rounds though as we know, dropping by at four in the afternoon is not unheard of. He was running through the pasture, tail flying. He would suddenly stop, pounce to get a mouse, then run off again. When he reached my neighbour's decorative fence (it doesn't keep anything out) he lifted his leg and marked his territory then went toward their back door where I lost sight of him. This was all seen through binoculars. Just watching the way he was running made me think he seemed very happy. I don't know if that's so but he seemed almost joyful.

The temperature didn't warm up today like it did on the mainland. I went for a walk and wished I'd taken gloves and a hat. Maybe tomorrow afternoon I'll get in the garden. I still have all the tulips to plant that my friend took out. I got the daffodils back in but ran out of time. They're in a mud slurry so are ok but I believe they will be set back. I guess that's ok as they will bloom later, when the others are finished.

I'm listening to Latin music trying to build up some heat. Truthfully Latin is a genre I listen to a lot, when I'm hot or cold. I love to move and what better music to move to! I also love slow ballads and Latin ballads have a special appeal. I don't know the language enough to get all the lyrics so get lost in the feeling. I explain in a previous post about a favorite song and not understanding the lyrics:

Dos Gardenias is my favorite song from Buena Vista Social Club's first groundbreaking album, Buena Vista Social Club. I'm not fluent in Spanish but can get by after a few days of immersion. I can usually figure out the written word even easier.

This song I loved so much, but just couldn't figure out. It didn't make sense. These were the days before I knew about Babelfish. Turned out I had it figured out correctly. A few years later, in Mexico, I asked a friend for a translation and the jist is this: A man gives his lover two gardenias. If they die it means she is cheating on him and does not love him. Of course, being flowers, they did what flowers do, and died.

I have so much music to choose from. Most days what I'm writing about dictates the music but since I'm challenged with the language and lyrics, I'll just choose some favorites. These were removed and are from the essentials that I'm trying to bring back to the pages. Hearing this song about ten years ago from the Putumayo album, Music From the Coffee Lands sent me on a search for MORE from this artist Susana Baca. It was difficult as we don't have any great record stores here but I was able to order some cd's. Here's Maria Lando, the song that introduced me to a really fine Peruvian singer. Here is Cafe Tacuba from the same album with Esa Noche. I can not tell you how many copies of this album I've bought to give to friends. I even bought one in Australia for a friend there.

It's Sunday Again

My ears and my eyes are buggy. I've been burning music and making playlists all day long. I had other plans but kind got into what I was doing and here I am, still into it at almost four thirty. I got up this morning at the new five-thirty. Ah Ha!!! I just figured out this minute why I've been waking at four and four-thirty for the last couple of weeks. My weird little body time clock takes very good care of me. It has been anticipating this time change without my conscious knowledge. I've been waking an hour or an hour and a half early for the last couple of weeks. This morning it was at the exact right time. Wow, body/brain/timeclock!!

I have been trying to make a DVD of latin/african dance for my daily workout. For some weird reason, it is wanting to burn all the songs in alphabetical order. That won't work at all. I have eleven songs from Gotan Project, for example, but want them spread out. I'll probably just keep with cd's if this can't be remedied. This is ironic (and funny) because my big complaint is I would like to be able to sort my music page alphabetically for ease of trying to find songs I am looking for.

Since Latin/African dancing is the last part of what I am into today that is what the music will be. There's so much to choose from. I realized I don't have much Susana Baca on the music page though I listen to her a lot and there are only a few Lila Downs there and I listen to her a whole lot.

Lila is popular on the music page with Quisas, Quisas, Quisas receiving more than twenty plays every month and the Cumbia del Mole getting more than twenty plays between the English and Spanish versions. Of course, her wonderful version of Besame Mucho is the most popular. Here is something very different from Lila. This sounds like American jazzy blues but is sung in Spanish. Have a listen to Quinto Patio and experience the cross culture of Lila Downs. That's exactly what she is too, an American with a Mexican mother who took to the music of her mother's land after she had studied music at an American university. For a selection of Susana Baca I have Encciende Candela. The drums and call-back on this song are fabulous. Both are good for dancing.

What's Good For the Soul

No Squirrels!

Took a friend to the hospital today for a medical procedure that required anaesthetic thus she couldn't drive. Her appointment was 12:30 and she got in around 3:00. I'm up on current events now thanks to Time, MacLeans, Reader's Digest and Chatelaine. Usually waiting rooms have very old magazines but this waiting room had current ones. Waiting rooms are the only time I read magazines. I don't think I've bought one since I was a pre-teen though for years I had a subscription to National Geographic.

Books are another story but I won't get started on that other than it is absolutely impossible for me to fall asleep unless I read. I remember camping a few years ago and I'd forgotten to bring a flashlight or lantern. I laid there all night, then had to drive all the next day, then laid there all night the next night. I was completely wrecked....all because I couldn't read.

We are having very cold temperatures and wind for the next few days then moderating, above freezing temperatures for the weekend.

Music will be links again. With all that I've been reading on the music blogs, the music page may have to go. It is a wait and see situation. I don't have much new music, only old nostalgic songs, so it may not be as important to the forces that be. You Don't Know Me by Ray and Diana ( I can shorten it because I've introduced it properly before) and Maria Lando by Susana Baca - for your soul (or mine, anyway).

First Day of Autumn?

I've been bugged all day about why I couldn't upload on this blog. The other two blogs are having no problem. Well, all seems to be working now.

Weird day. I was trying to make apple jelly and the amount of apples was supposed to give me seven cups of juice. I got three. My cook told me that her mother said that this is the norm for the year...things are less juicy. Is that not odd? I should be out there picking more now but am wiped from the antibiotics and will do it in the morning.

We are getting ready for the 70 Mile Yard Sale that happens in Eastern PEI this weekend.....our busiest days of the year and we don't even have a yard sale. We have bathrooms and excellent food specials and there are 10's of thousands of people on the roads. One year S. and I were out grabbing the deals and were almost in accidents three times in 15 minutes. People are just thinking about the next stop on the map and pull out on the highway without even looking behind them. Defensive driving skills have never been as important as during PEI's 70 Mile Yard Sale.

Music today: An easy listening Brazilian beat though I don't know if the singer or band is Brazillian. It just reminds me of Brazilllian music. O Bonde Do Dom by Marisa Monte. With all the activity around I need relaxing. One of my favorite singers, Susana Baca, from Peru, has some relaxing music. Today's upload is La Macorina. A favorite from her is Maria Lando, not relaxing, but one of my favorite songs of the decade. It's a song about work....working alone. It's been listened to quite a bit on the music page. When I opened it to get the link, I see twenty-five hits. It should have double that because it is such a great song but again I say, it's all a matter of taste.