Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

“The Scream” Safe Again

Two Stolen Edvard Munch Works Recovered
“The Scream” is one of the most familiar images in Western art. Its open-mouth, head-clutching howl of angst has been reproduced on every manner of poster, balloon and T-shirt for generations.

Who doesn’t love “The Scream”? I was genuinely upset when it was stolen from its home in Oslo two years ago. Happily, the painting has been recovered and the robbers arrested. Hurray! “The Scream” is safe again.

Three Boats

Here’s kind of a neat capture from the Allete LakeCam of three boats right off the shore of Duluth. The boat in the middle just left the harbor. The other two have been there most of the day.

It’s been suggested to me that maybe I have an unhealthy fascination with the city of Duluth — what with all the pictures I post. What do you think?

One Hundred Grackles

I love birds as much as the next person — more maybe. But when you’ve got about a hundred grackles on your deck, even I’ve got to admit… it’s a little creepy.

I’m just saying…

It’s a regular Tippi Hedren kind of moment.

The birds are starting to flock around here, you see. So, when I noticed a bunch of grackles hanging out together earlier in the day, I thought it would be nice to put some sunflower seed kernels out on the deck rail and the floor of the deck for them. And, boy-oh-boy, do those grackles love sunflower seed kernels! The group I saw earlier apparently invited several dozen of their closest friends and they’re all having a big party out on the deck — eating seed, posturing for one another, and making that wonderful noise they make.

Cheney Lies Yet Again

Bush Team Casts Foes as Defeatist
Vice President Cheney this week said critics “claim retreat from Iraq would satisfy the appetite of the terrorists and get them to leave us alone.”

That is a LIE. No serious critic of the Iraq war has ever said, or even implied, such a thing.

This kind of thing drives me crazy. Cheney doesn’t want to talk about the real criticisms people have against the war in Iraq, so he makes up this complete bullshit and argues against that instead. That’s dishonest — and sleazy — and all you good folks reading this should step up and call him on it.

Here’s what critics of the Iraq war are really saying:

• The war in Iraq isn’t doing anything to reduce the number of America-hating terrorists.
• Terrorists don’t hate us “because of our freedom” — they hate us because of our policies in the Middle East. Our cultural expansionism. Our lust for oil. And our support of totalitarian regimes who are willing to sell us oil cheap. They hate us because of our hypocrisy.
• Invading Iraq was the wrong thing to do. There were no weapons of mass destruction and Iraq had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11. All we have accomplished in Iraq is to completely rip up the country and destabilize things to the point where now there’s a civil war.

What real critics of the Iraq war are saying is that it’s too late now to simply pick up and leave. We’ve created such a huge mess that we owe it to the Iraqis to try to repair some of the damage. BUT — we can’t do it alone, because we obviously don’t have the first clue as to how we can fix things.

I’m no international policy genius. I don’t have a clue for how Iraq can be fixed, either. All I know for sure is that what we’re doing now isn’t working and no amount of lie-filled bluster on the part of Dick Cheney or his ilk is going to make any difference.

Comment Form Improved

A couple of you have mentioned that the font size on the comment form is too small for easy reading and editing. I finally have got around to fixing that! I think you will find it’s much easier to see what you’re entering as a comment now. Sorry it took so long to do this!

Feel free to test it out by leaving a comment on THIS post.

Sunset on Lake Au Train

Pretty…

A Happy Ending

One of my flutist friends sent this story and the picture. It’s really wonderful that W and S (my friend’s newlywed daughter and son-in-law) were willing to take care of this little guy. I love a happy ending!

As I said at the rehearsal, W and S have a dog now. When they were moving furniture into their home, W saw a little dog sitting on the front porch as she drove up. When she got out of the car, the dog ran over and greeted her joyously, than ran into the house ahead of her. He greeted S, who was a little puzzled, and then the dog ran from room to room, checking things out. Finally, he found a likely spot and settled in to supervise the proceedings. They had been adopted.

The dog did have a collar, but it was dilapidated, he was filthy, matted, covered with fleas, and when they had him checked at the vet, he had a full-blown case of heartworm. He hadn’t been taken care of for a long time. He also had a microchip, but it had never been registered. No one contacted the humane society, responded to ads, or recognized him in the area.

While he was being treated for heartworm, his little body was so overwhelmed by the medications that he developed pancreatitis and W found him unconscious on the floor in dire straits. She rushed him to the vet, and they were able to pull him through.

She and S both feel that God sent him to them to take care of, or maybe he’s was sent to teach them something. (Like how to have your budget blown away by almost $1000 in vet bills, but that’s another story.) Anyhow, Buddy (named by S) was feeling a little better as W drove up here with him to get ready for the wedding, and his recovery took a leap when he met Ginger, a LADY dog living at our house. Too busy trying to woo her to remember he didn’t feel good. She considered him a puppy who needed to be corrected, and she did. [He lost his last puppy tooth while he was here, so the vet is guessing he’s about 7 months old.)

Here’s Buddy:

The Best Thing in the World

Canadian flutist, Jennifer Cluff, has begun a flute-related podcast series called “FluteLoops”. You can listen to the first one by clicking on her name.

At the very end of the recording, Jenn and flutist Nathan Zalman talk a little bit about the emotional aspect of playing in an ensemble — about being moved to tears while performing — and this is something I’ve thought a lot about over the years, too.

Playing music alone can be good. It can be very satisfying. But playing in an ensemble — be it a quintet or a full orchestra — can be an incredible emotional high. It’s not all the time. But sometimes… when the music is right, you can feel that all the musicians around you are in exactly the same emotional place that you are, and it makes what’s happening to you even more intense. Even more beautiful. And the bigger the ensemble, the more amazing the experience. You’re transported. You’re part of something much bigger than the sum of its parts. You’re not an outsider just listening to the music. You are a part of it.

When people ask me why I’m a musician, this is what I tell them: when you’re playing music with other people and everything’s right, it’s absolutely the best thing in the world.

Debbie Does Duluth

Debbie Does Duluth-MN: Insanity on a Stick
Two interests have come out of my gardening, one being dyeing fiber from plants in my garden and the other being my interest in the bees in my garden. I could literally sit for hours and watch the bees on the flowers in my garden. I will sit on the front steps near the sidewalk as the bees buzz a few inches away from my head and they will just go about their business as I gawk. When I planted pumpkins in the vegetable garden, the bees would disappear into the flower and reappear totally covered with bright yellow pollen. I found it charming and hey, it beats taking drugs to get happy.

Hey! I really like bees too! Bees are my little pals. I intentionally plant some things because I’ve seen how much they enjoy them. Anise-scented hyssop, for example. The bees really like the flowers on that. Here’s a picture of a bee on last year’s hyssop.

See the little pollen basket on his leg? Cool.

The original clump of hyssop isn’t doing as well this year. Apparently it’s one of those herbs that’s only really healthy for a single year. Might as well rip it out this fall and start fresh next year.

Anyway… bees. As far as I know, I’ve never been stung by a bee. Ever. I think they must know I’m their friend.

Besides hyssop, I’ve also sometimes planted purple basil for them. Bees are CRAZY for the flowers that form on purple basil. Plus, there’s the added benefits to humans of a really nice-looking plant with an amazing scent, and some basil for cooking.

Okay… So. Before going off on this bee and flower tangent, I’d intended simply to draw your attention to a blog I recently discovered: Debbie Does Duluth-MN. I really like this one. The author is a wonderful writer and seems to be the kind of person who, if I met her, I’d like a lot. I can tell we have similar values. That she’s writing from my favorite city is just an added bonus.

Why Mommy is a Democrat

I’m sorry, but this is just bizarre.

And what’s that cover illustration all about anyway? Those look like squirrels wearing shirts. Squirrels with strange tufts of fur on their ears. And is that horse symbolic or what??

Overall, I think the Democratic party comes a little closer than the Republicans to actually supporting the ideals I personally hold dear, but let’s get real here, shall we? Democratic politicians are still politicians.

Why Mommy is a Democrat brings to life the core values of the Democratic party in ways that young children will easily understand and thoroughly enjoy. Using plain and non-judgmental language, along with warm and whimsical illustrations, this colorful 28-page paperback depicts the Democratic principles of fairness, tolerance, peace, and concern for the well-being of others. It’s a great way for parents to gently communicate their committment to these principles and explain their support for the party.

Hmmmm.