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Not Dark Yet
Our eldest son sent me a song in a message and said, “I can’t get this song out of my head. It seems to sum up the mood of the world these days.” I listened to it and enjoyed the brooding, shadowy tone, so I thought I’d share it tonight while the rain falls and the cattle call to each other across the hollers. The lights are out in America, my friends. But Christ Jesus is still the light of the world, and I pray that we can — all of us — take heart. ~ S.K. Orr
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One Warm Day
Ice is forecast for Thursday, but for now, the pleasant respite of warm air has settled upon these mountains. Snow is a memory, the birds are a painted and scurrying mob, the clouds have fled, the honeysuckle almost looks green, the waterfall sounds like artillery, Jinx resents every minute spent indoors, the crape myrtle and the snowball bush keep pestering me to prune them, and the furnace has enjoyed a small rest. One warm day is a luxurious stretch of the limbs of the soul. But it will be spring soon enough, and the noisy, insectified summer will follow, and who will stretch whom then? I am forever tugged between…
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More Serious, More Sedate
Instead of animal opera, here is a better offering. Old Willie is nearing the end of his race. His latest CD, which I gave Mrs. Orr for a Christmas gift, is a nice collection of tunes. This is one of my favorites. The end of the year brings a wistfulness, a glancing back over the shoulder, a resignation to what has gone before. ~ S.K. Orr
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How About A Little Fire, Scarecrow?
Wait…I meant, how about a little opera? Something classy to close out the year. ~ S.K. Orr
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All Hallow’s Eve
Jinx and I went for our morning stroll while it was still full dark, the coin of the full moon shining down on the grass, the blades silvered by the breath of some Frost Giant who slumbered among these mountains during the night. I watched my dog sprint and prance among the tombstones in the graveyard, his shadow flitting along with him while the large owl in the adjacent trees asked his eternal question and the coyotes on the ridge sang their eerie songs across the lit valley and a rooster crowed in a nearby farmyard. Halloween already, and tonight we turn the clocks back to what my grandmother used…
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My Education Continues
Until this morning, I did not know that the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche composed music. I did a bit of poking around and found a selection. Thought I would share it here. ~ S.K. Orr
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The Seal Lullaby — Eric Whiteacre
I treasure those songs that can impart peace to me when I listen to them. This is one of them. ~ S.K. Orr
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The Death of Edward Van Halen
I received news yesterday that Edward Van Halen died of cancer. He wasn’t that much older than me, and his music was a constant through my twenties. As the conflicts within the band surged and receded, and as Mr. Van Halen’s personal life was ravaged by his fondness for drink, and as I grew older and my tastes evolved, I lost interest in the California quartet that strutted through the late 70s and early 80s with a wink and a knowing grin. Oh, the memory is so clear, the first time I heard Van Halen. It was the Fourth of July in 1978. My girlfriend and I had been invited…
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Two More Gone
Like we baby boomers tend to do, I always pause when notable public figures from my young years die. This is true even if I didn’t like or appreciate their work or their persona. This pause is an inner reaction to the reminder of the passage of time, and is a sort of superficial memento mori. Yesterday, a pop star and a country star from my youth died on the same day, at the same age. Mac Davis and Helen Reddy, both 78, departed this life. Ms. Reddy was reportedly in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s Disease, and Mr. Davis had recently undergone cardiac surgery. I was not a fan…
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Friday Dreams
I was very weary on the drive home today, the week having taken a toll on me. I was daydreaming of seeing my wife and the dogs when I arrived home. I turned on the radio, selecting a classic rock station out of Knoxville, TN, that I can sometimes pick up clearly. The fatigue melted away for a few minutes when this song came on. Took me back to the days before everything Southern was scorned and hated. The days when Southern Rock was a genuine sub-genre of rock music. The days when I had never filled out a tax return. The days when the length of my hair was…