Quahog On A Tightrope: Here’s To The Crimewriters

For anyone who is interested in mysteries- As anyone is who still has a drop of Airedale blood in them, that noble species we are all descended from, from detectives, to dancers, to clog hoppers, to singers (hey, Airedale is in Ireland. They have some great tenors there.) or who digs up gardens, to bury … Continue reading Quahog On A Tightrope: Here’s To The Crimewriters

And Gutenberg Lived Here: Of Cows, Collars, Satellites, Furniture Polish Tea, And Early Morning News.

By seven this morning, I had done the housework, prepared the officer in command in charge of the math's breakfast, written a good two hours- we don't sleep much here due to the constant noise of the ever-expanding "biggest job provider in the region"- the Frankfurt airport- and decided it was just about time for … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: Of Cows, Collars, Satellites, Furniture Polish Tea, And Early Morning News.

And Gutenberg Lived Here: And Finally It Was Sunday.

Did you ever have one of those weeks...? And this is the point where normal people put down a list of the totally bizarre and freaky things that happened to them in the last seven days, knowing full well that, even though such things happen, and are freaky, and weird, and scientifically fully on the … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: And Finally It Was Sunday.

And Gutenberg Lived Here: The Real First Day Of Spring

Dear whoever made the mistake of thinking spring starts on the twenty-first, or twenty-second of April, or somewhere near June in the Gregorian calendar, or whatever... because... today is the first day of spring. How do I know? Well.... This is the day that: Puxtahawny Phil and his crowd wash and dry the duvet and … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: The Real First Day Of Spring

And Gutenberg Lived Here: A Bestiary of Easter Animals.

The following is an A-Z Bestiary of the kind of Animals one sees in Germany, from zoos, to in the wilderness, to in the tourist areas, over Easter. Hope you enjoy. A shrewdness of apes, A sounder of boars, A pounce of cats, Our week here in Gutenberg land has been busy plus. Easter is … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: A Bestiary of Easter Animals.

And Gutenberg Lived Here: The Stillness of Three O’clock, Electric Candles, And A Chorister’s Ration of Eggnog

One of the biggest things about celebrating Good Friday here in Gutenberg Land is the extreme clash of opposites. The ever-growing number of "free church" members- anyone not Catholic or Lutheran, the two state churches, take things very very seriously on this day, with groups overnighting in the church, in the cold and the dark, … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: The Stillness of Three O’clock, Electric Candles, And A Chorister’s Ration of Eggnog

And Gutenberg Lived Here: When The Ides Of March Meet The Tides Of Spring, Birdies Tapdance

In the spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of.... hay fever. Or actually, as it is here, hazelnut pollen season poisoning. Which is a real bear normally anyway, but when, as at the moment, the temperatures suddenly shoot to sixty, drop to minus twenty, shoot to seventy.... the result is a pollen count … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: When The Ides Of March Meet The Tides Of Spring, Birdies Tapdance

And Gutenberg Lived Here: Too Much Cellotape, And When King Lear Speaks Cockney.

One of the blogs I much admire here on WordPress is Ellen Hawley's Notes From The UK. She's a New Yawker, living apparently if I understand her right, in Cornwall. And today her topic was the differences between the UK and the USA, a topic I adore, since I always learn so much from my … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: Too Much Cellotape, And When King Lear Speaks Cockney.

And Gutenberg Lived Here: Hula In The Snow For Your Health.

Friday, coming home from conducting, the BEAST hit. Well, actually, it was more like a beastlet. Or a beasturtium, or a beastiary conundrum. Why? It hit with a flurry, dropped about a foot of snow, then brought its little brother for a visit, melting everything the beasti beastorum had dropped. Leaving us with wet Saturday … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: Hula In The Snow For Your Health.

And Gutenberg Lived Here: That’s What You Get For Thinking About March

Ever since I wrote the blog about March yesterday, I've been thinking. It doesn't get more dangerous than that. But this time, I was thinking peaceful. Like... March is named for Mars, the god of war. It comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. Like a lot of musicians I know who … Continue reading And Gutenberg Lived Here: That’s What You Get For Thinking About March