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JBB's Musings |
Friday, September 24, 2004
Hiking by the light of the moon
My neighbor and I went on a moonlight hike in Eaton Canyon for the second time. Such a simple activity yet so wonderful. This time we weren't feeling as energetic, so we went on the moderate walk along the canyon floor from the parking lot to the bridge and back. Because we've just passed the autumnal equinox ("equal night"), it was already dark when we set off. In early July, it was still dusk at the beginning of the hike. The moon was really bright tonight, although it's not a full moon until Our guide was the husband of the woman who led our hike last time. (See the July 3 comments.) My neighbor is very interested in photography, and the conversation came around to the plant photography and cataloguing Gabi and Cliff McLean do. Cliff mentioned another cataloguer and photographer, Tom Chester. Tom is an astrophysicist who has applied his incredible discipline as a scientist to, amongst other things, documenting the plants along Southern California hiking trails. Beginning at a trailhead, he and his collaborator, Jane Strong, catalogue each plant as they encounter it. I'm taking forever to finish this post because I keep getting sidetracked reading Tom's site and marvelling at how precisely he has classified and organized all the data on it. | Saturday, September 18, 2004
To do
This business of working full-time surely makes it more difficult to do all the other things that need doing. So, today's list:
| Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Autumn transitions
I was struck by reading the notes for Autumn in the Lutheran worship planning guide, Sundays and Seasons. The seasons are marked by cycles of reversals: the stars shift in the sky; the natural world finds new ways of living. Likewise, school's days begin or end, new calendar years are established, old patterns of living are undertaken. A cabin might be closed for the winter, new windows put up on the house, clothing styles changed—these are marks of a shifting and transitional time. (p. 288)Here in So Cal, the hot summer weather kicks into high gear for a last hurrah. However, in spite of the weather, subtle changes can be seen, notably the shortening of daylight hours. The theme of transition is looked at slightly differently in the notes for preaching, which muse that "we get several fresh, new starts at life per year." (p. 291) For many in the Christian tradition, Autumn is the winding down of the church year with Advent (this year, November 28) beginning a new liturgical year. However, in Judaism and for Christian groups that follow a Jewish calendar, Autumn is the beginning of the year with Rosh Hashanah followed by Yom Kippur. The civic New Year arrives on January 1, and then, later, the Chinese New Year. I sometimes get frustrated with how out of sync all these endings and beginnings are. But I like the idea of being able at least to acknowledge the opportunity for several new beginnings. Right on cue, Autumn (in spite of the weather) is lining up to be a season of transition for me. I have formally withdrawn from my academic program for a period of time, and my change of status request from part-time to full-time at work is making its way through the required approval levels. I'm glad, finally, to have come to a decision, although my feelings around these changes have an autumnal melancholic tinge to them. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the situation at my church is in transition with the pastor leaving soon. Cycles of reversals. | Friday, September 03, 2004
Community singing
This afternoon I was looking for song books for informal group singing. I came across two volumes called Get America Singing ... Again!, put together by the Music Educators National Conference. In the tradition of school song books my grandmother used, these two books feature traditional and folk songs, spirituals and gospel songs, patriotic music, 1960s folk/rock, and songs from musicals. Pete Seeger is the honorary chair of the campaign. Content lists: Volume 1 Amazing Grace America, The Beautiful Battle Hymn Of The Republic Blue Skies Danny Boy De Colores Do-Re-Mi Dona Nobis Pacem Down By The Riverside Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?) Give My Regards To Broadway God Bless America God Bless The U.S.A. Green Green Grass Of Home Havah Nagilah He's Got The Whole World In His Hands Home On The Range I've Been Working On The Railroad If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) Let There Be Peace On Earth Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing Michael Row The Boat Ashore Music Alone Shall Live My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean My Country, 'Tis Of Thee (America) Oh! Susanna Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' Over My Head Puff The Magic Dragon Rock-A-My Soul Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) Shalom Chaveyrim (Shalom Friends) She'll Be Comin' 'Round The Mountain Shenandoah Simple Gifts Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child Swing Low, Sweet Chariot The Star Spangled Banner This Land Is Your Land This Little Light Of Mine Yesterday Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Volume 2 (Oh, My Darling) Clementine All Through The Night Auld Lang Syne Both Sides Now Camptown Races Down In The Valley Edelweiss Every Time I Feel The Spirit Five Hundred Miles Follow The Drinkin' Gourd Getting To Know You Goodnight, Irene Guantanamera I Got Rhythm I Love The Mountains I've Got Peace Like A River It's A Small World Jamaica Farewell Kum Ba Yah Let It Be Let Me Call You Sweetheart Make New Friends My Favorite Things Old Macdonald Had A Farm Over The Rainbow Precious Lord, Take My Hand (Take My Hand, Precious Lord) Rock Around The Clock Side By Side Take Me Home, Country Roads The Erie Canal The Midnight Special The Red River Valley Try To Remember Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season) Water Is Wide We Shall Overcome What A Wonderful World When Johnny Comes Marching Home When The Saints Go Marching In Where Have All The Flowers Gone? Yankee Doodle You Are My Sunshine You Are The Sunshine Of My Life You're A Grand Old Flag You've Got A Friend You can purchase inexpensive singer's editions (linked to above) that have the words, melody line, and guitar chords, and piano music editions, at approximately the intermediate level. From the Introduction to Volume 2: Singing with others builds community, and America and the world are in bad need of that. When people join together in song it creates a sense of being connected, of belonging, and of being an active participant in life. This feeling is so needed in an age of electronic isolation and "virtual" participation in life. There is also mounting evidence that singing and other forms of interpersonal active music making [...] has [sic] significant health and long-term wellness benefits.I hope to try out the books with a group this weekend, so I'll report back how they worked. | 
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