May 30, of each year, National Hole in My Bucket Day is observed. This wacky holiday is in honor of the fun children’s song; There’s a Hole in My Bucket. The song which has …
From Book Riot Little Free Libraries are pure literary generosity. These charming book exchanges, which stand in front yards across the country (and around the world), are typically self-sustaining. Neighbors take a book when …
Another of the Who Knew?-type posts. It’s National Tap Dance Day. When I was a little kid, I took the “required” ballet and tap classes for a year. My mom has a picture of me in …
Each year, May 25 is Towel Day. Do you know why? Towel Day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams by his fans. On this day, fans …
Thanks, Grandpa… You weren’t American, but you fought valiantly for the cause overseas. I never met my grandfather. He had died in Peshawar, India, fighting for the Black Watch during World War l. Peshawar …
Spring has sprung, the grass has riz,
I wonder where the birdies is.
Some say the birds is on the wing,
but that’s absurd, the wing is on the bird.
That’s how I learned this little ditty. A quick internet search shows that some wonder where the “flowers is “and other variations.
“Welcome, sweet Springtime! We greet thee in song,
Murmurs of gladness fall on the ear,
Voices long hushed now their full notes prolong
Echoing far and near.
Sunshine now wakes all the flow’rets from sleep,
Joy-giving incense floats on the air;
Snow-drop and primrose both timidly peep,
Hailing the glad new year.
Balmy and life-breathing breezes are blowing,
Swiftly to nature new vigor bestowing.
Ah, how my heart beats with rapture anew,
As earth’s fairest beauties again meet my view. (Rest…)
Sing then, ye birds: raise your voices on high;
Flow’rets awake ye! Burst into bloom!
Springtime is come! and sweet Summer is nigh,
Sing then, ye birds, O sing!”
Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.
When I was a child, my dad, a Scottish person, had me wear orange to school on Saint Patrick’s Day, as a minor form of protest. All that did was have the kids make fun of me even more than usual.
As my own form of protest, I later married an Irish Roman Catholic, but that’s a topic for another post.
Quite a while later, a friend of my husband’s friends lent him a copy of something called “Riverdance”. I took one look and figured I would never be interested in some kind of Irish dancing. WRONG!
It turned out I loved Riverdance and we have seen the video, I have my own DVDs, we have seen it at Wolftrap whenever it’s been here, I have 2 copies of piano transcriptions, own the Tshirt… One weekend, we even saw it twice.
We had seen it at Wolftrap on a Friday night. Our son came home on a Saturday and we were telling him about it. We went directly from the train station back to Wolftrap.
As luck would have it, there was a bus driver there who had brought a bunch of people on a tour from a retirement home. Three people hadn’t come and he had 3 tickets to get rid of, right in the front section.
Were we lucky, or what?
One of my favorite dances:
And another favorite:
And, of course, that finale!
Just for fun, there was a flashmob, bringing us back to St. Patrick’s Day…
Needless to say, I was quite sorry to see that Riverdance is not coming to the East Coast this year.
Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green.
Everyone knows we’re supposed to beware the Ides of March and may even remember they’re from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar,” but what exactly do they mean?
The Ides of March marked the day the Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate in 44 B.C.E.
A soothsayer, or psychic, warned Caesar to beware the day, but Caesar doesn’t heed him.
He was then stabbed 23 times by about 60 conspirators, including his friend Marcus Brutus, as immortalized by Shakespeare’s “Et tu Brute?”
I remember learning all about this in Latin class in High School.
I remember another movie, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, discussing the Ides of March and someone asked why a month would need an “idea”.
We found Bill and Ted purely by accident. We were looking at videos for rent in a grocery store and one of the bag boys (remember them?) recommended this one.
Today would probably have been a better day for the Music Man post since it’s about marching forth on March Fourth.
In honor of dedicated musicians and performers of many diverse styles and backgrounds, Marching Music Day celebrates all varieties of the art forms bringing us “music on the move.”
For centuries, the beat of a drum has kept military units moving in unison. From the training field to the battlefield, the football stadium to the Broadway stage, small gyms, auditoriums and grand arena spectacles, fifers, pipers, buglers, drum corps, marching bands, parade groups, drill teams and color guards bring music to life to the delight of millions of performers and spectators.
The military roots of the drum corps have evolved into an art form which moves us during somber memorials and thrills us with their ability to perform delightful music while executing intricate routines with exact precision. Drill squads, marching bands, drum lines, and drum corps name but a few of the many styles of marching music which have developed over the years, engaging hundreds of thousands of performers of all ages, abilities and experience levels.
We see marching music in schools, military units, community celebrations and local auxiliaries. The music is as varied as the ensembles themselves. Instruments may be limited to brass in some settings or may include woodwinds and electric guitars in others. Dance teams, baton twirlers and color guards perform to soundtracks ranging from traditional, standard marches to rock and roll, jazz, contemporary and electronic dance music.
And marching music keeps changing! Spectacular string bands incorporate their own unique sound and elaborate costuming. Technology has brought about the production of lighter, electronic and digital instruments making it possible for musicians to march with violins, cellos, basses and synthesizers to entertain crowds in unique and creative new ways.
Today, March 4 (“March Forth”) is also National Grammar Day. In past years, the National Grammar Day organization promoted the annual date as follows: “Language is something to be celebrated, and March 4 is the perfect day to do it. It’s not only a date, it’s an imperative: March forth on March 4 to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!”
TCM is currently doing 31 Days of Oscars. I first sort of noticed this a couple years ago when I looked ahead in the scheduling and noticed that all TCM shows were alphabetized. At first, I thought maybe that this scheme was some sort of placeholder before I realized what they were doing. Personally, I preferred when 31 Days grouped films by nomination category, by studio or by actor. Alphabetical is easy for them but hard on me, looking through every entry to see what to record.
Today, Tivo faithfully recorded (The) Music Man. When I watched it on Sunday, I was most pleased to realize that I remembered all the words.
Remembering all the words is no small feat.
I first started collecting records (yes, records!) of musicals when I was in high school in Springfield, MA. Our library had an outstanding record collection, but I could only check out one (or 2?) at a time.
I would bring my record(s) home, and listen to them like crazy. Then I’d save my allowance and any work money I had and go to the local department store to buy my favorites. I always bought musicals and they were nearly Original Broadway Cast. Years later, I still have all these records, even though I usually listen on Spotify or on one of my carefully curated playlists. (I also can’t listen to any of the music out of order.)
As the years roll by, many of these musicals, like The Music Man, have gone on to become films. I am not usually a happy camper when the music is changed from what I remember of the OBCs and the film, but The Music Man film made the cut for me 🙂
Our wonderful daughter-in-law is Chinese, so we are celebrating the Year of the Dog. (Mimi likes that, too and thinks that every year should be about and for her!)
Welcome to Cushing's Help and Support. This site provides information, support, news, and education for people with Cushing's or other endocrine problems, their friends and families. Cushing's syndrome is a hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissues to high levels of cortisol. Cushing's is a debilitating disease which causes the overproduction of […]
Diagnosed with a rare disease that only affects between two and ten people per million, Marie Conley used emails to communicate with family, friends, and co-workers to keep them apprised of the diagnosis and prognosis of Cushing's disease and the many complications she experienced on this journey. Her ironic humor and raw, emotional approach helps […]
Adrenal crisis is a life-threatening medical emergency, associated with a high mortality unless it is appropriately recognized and early treatment is rendered. Despite it being a treatable condition for almost 70 years, failure of adequate preventive measures or delayed treatment has often led to unnecessary deaths.
A 40-year-old female patient, hypertensive for three months and treated with 5 mg of amlodipine, with newly diagnosed untreated diabetes mellitus, presented to the emergency department with severe asthenia, abdominal pain, and vomiting. The medical history revealed prolonged self-medication with dexamethasone at a dose of 1 mg/day for three years in order to gain weight. […]
I am writing this letter to share with you some basic facts about Cushing’s Disease/Syndrome and the recovery process so that you will have sufficient information to form realistic expectations about me and my ability to engage in certain activities in light of this disease and its aftermath.
These Cushing’s bios aren’t your typical “bedtime story” but they tell the truth about what Cushing’s patients go through to get diagnosed – and hopefully go into remission. There aren’t necessarily a lot of happy endings here. If you’re looking for those, look at the ones in the category “Success Stories”. If you see yourself […]
Didn't we all do this? Cleo saved her own life after successfully self-diagnosing cancer/Cushing's that doctors had missed because she researched her own worrying symptoms on TikTok.
Handbells are not just for children and teens! We have adult handbell groups for beginner to advanced ringers. The difficulty level of handbell music is rated from Level 1 (easy) to Level 6 (most difficult). Each of the groups rings 6-8 times in worship between September and June and participates in the annual Christmas handbell […]
Picture a seven-foot grand piano in a studio. The lid’s missing, so you can see all the strings. Researchers suspend a rod embedded with 32 microphones over the piano’s body. “We played this middle C at a very soft level, a medium level, and a very loud level,”…
Named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci (c. 1170- c. 1250) who brought the Indian-Arabic numeral system to Europe, the Fibonacci series appear in nature and in music, and finds application in architecture and in instrument design, much before the Fibonacci Steinway.
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite of ten pieces (plus a recurring, varied Promenade) composed for the piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The suite is Mussorgsky’s most famous piano composition and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists.
We’re delighted to revive our Prayer Shawl / Baby Blanket / Care Bag ministry as an in-person gathering once again! We meet at 10:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month in the Pender UMC Library. This is a relaxed, welcoming time to knit, crochet, talk, and share as we work together. Our handmade […]
Discover a supportive space for new beginnings! Join us every Wednesday at 6:00 PM, in the serene ambiance of Pender UMC's Library. At 5:00 PM there will be a time of casual chat, known as the "meeting before the meeting". Engage in meaningful conversations and find camaraderie at our AA meetings, guided by the experienced […]
Pender UMC Carillon and Joy Ringers, directed by Brian Stevenson, combined to play Siyahamba for their final offering of the 2024 school year. Arranged by R. Ward for handbells, this song is in The Faith We Sing, page 2235-b.
Enjoy the joyful postlude from worship at Pender United Methodist Church on Sunday, July 12, 2026. "A Song of Glory" by Jerry van der Pol is a festive piano-organ medley celebrating God's glory through three beloved hymns: * To God Be the Glory * We Worship and Adore Thee * Come, Christians, Join to Sing […]
Step into a world of giggles and song with “Fun with Music" at Pender! This is not just any music class – it's a journey through sound and imagination designed especially for preschoolers and their favorite grown-ups. Since 2013, Jim and Roberta Pont have been creating a space where tiny toes tap, and little voices […]
Today we listen to Hot Cross Buns. “Hot Cross Buns” is an English language nursery rhyme, Easter song, and street cry referring to the spiced English bun known as a hot cross bun, which is associated with the end of Lent and is eaten on Good Friday in various countries.
