A Tribute

Earlier this month I posted that there was a death in my family and that is why I would not be blogging very much. I was a bit circumspect - as that is my way - and I was not sure I would actually publicly say who died. Many of my cyber friends do know as I did share privately, but I have always had a reserve about what I share publicly on social media.

Today, however, I do want to share publicly because a dear friend did a wonderful tribute to my husband, Carl. He died September 5th while volunteering at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts where I have been so active in theatre. My husband fully supported my thespian activities, and was even known to take a small role now and then.

Lynn Adler, one-half of the singing duo Adler and Hearne, Lynn Adler and Lindy Hearne, did this musical tribute to Carl at a recent concert at the Art Center, and I just wanted to share the video here. Lynn and Lindy also sang at Carl's funeral, along with another talented friend, Shannon Monk, and their gift of music was such a comfort. Lindy did one of his original songs that he wrote with Lisa Aschmann, "Do Justice, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God" and that truly summed up a good part of who Carl was.

Here is the video, which was made by Jim Willis, another dear friend.



This next video is Lindy and Lynn doing "Do Justice, Love, Mercy, Walk Humbly With Your God."

Genre Favorites Blogfest

This is another blogfest from Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavanaugh. Thanks so much for putting this together, Alex. 

For this blogest, we are to list our favorite genre of Music, Movies, and books. Then share a guilty pleasure from any of the three categories.

My favorite music is Country. Not the newest Country Rock, but the old classics like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Charley Pride, Glen Campbell, and Patsy Cline.

Running a close second is folk and Americana. Among my favorite folk singers are Pete Seger, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Simon and Garfunkel. Their song, "The Sound of Silence" was written in 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy. (Note: I can sing every Peter Paul and Mary song on their greatest-hits album. Not as well as they do, but I've got heart.)

While on the subject of folk music, I'd like to introduce my readers to a terrific duo who also happen to be good friends of mine, Adler & Hearne. They live in my little corner of the world, when not touring, and they have some terrific songs. One of the songs Lynn wrote, "A Hundred Years From Now" has won several awards and has a terrific social message. (NOTE: I will be taking voice lessons from Lynn Adler. I'll never sing like her, or Mary Travers, but my goal is not to be a professional.)

My favorite movies are dramas that not only tell a great story but make me stop and think about life and social issues: "The Shawshank Redemption" "The Green Mile" "Philadelphia" "Sophie's Choice".  I think I see a pattern here. I really like stories, whether they be movies, songs, or books that say something significant.

I also love the classic black and white films: "Casablanca", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "The Maltese Falcon", "It's a Wonderful Life" "A Farewell to Arms".  (Captain Alex will note there is not a sci-fi movie listed. Sorry guy.)

While I do enjoy books that delve into social issues, my favorite genre to read just for fun is mystery and thriller. I first started reading Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner, then moved on to John D. McDonald, and Ed McBain.  (for a long time I did not know that Ed McBain was a pen name for Evan Hunter.) It was the 87th Precinct series that first stirred my interest in police procedural mysteries and the primary reason that I write them. 

My guilty pleasure is related to police procedural mysteries with continuing ensemble casts, and that is my addiction to the Law & Order series. All of them. I can waste an afternoon watching reruns of the earliest seasons. They don't stir my intellect and my consciousness the way some of my other favorites do, but it is always fun to see justice win out in the end. Well, almost always.

Visit Alex's Blog to see his favorites and get a list of all the bloggers participating in the blog fest.

Many Forms of Creativity

When you really stop and think about it, you realize   people are often creative in a number of different ways. My friend Lindy Hearne is a singer/songwriter, and he is also an amazing photographer. I tried to snag a copy of one of his pictures from Facebook, but couldn't. If you would like to see a few of his shots, here is a LINK  And if you would like to hear some of the music he creates with his partner, Lynn Adler, here is a LINK to their page on MySpace.

I have another friend who is a writer, Jory Sherman, and he is also a painter. What is the most amazing thing about that is that he is legally blind. Well, so am I in one eye, but he is blind in both. He can see light and dark and make out some large images, but that is all. The work he has turned out on canvas is stunning and he has won awards for that work as well as his writing. Here is a LINK to a story I did about Jory last year. You can see some of his paintings there.

I thought about this cross-over of creativity this morning when I set out on my morning walk. This will now explain the pictures of the buzzards in case you were wondering what on earth they have to do with this topic.

As I was walking, I was checking out the cows and the egrets in the pasture across the road from me when I saw this dead tree full of buzzards. It is a gray, cloudy morning and the silhouette of the birds against the gray sky was captivating. I thought about just walking on by, but couldn't resist the urge to go back and get my camera. 

That urge got me to thinking about this cross-over of creativity and  how people are loaded with it, even if they don't realize it or explore it. Since reading The Artist's Way,  I have been more aware of the forms of creativity I enjoy and am apparently gifted at. At least that's what people tell me.

I don't think I am as gifted as some of my friends, but then I have always had a hard time being my own cheerleader. I do enjoy singing, acting, directing, playing guitar, and I have even done some painting. All of that feeds my creative core, and as I learned from that book and from wise friends, all creativity is connected and feeds each other. So I believe I have become a better writer since allowing myself to enjoy all these other forms of creativity.

What about you? What types of creative endeavors do you enjoy? It doesn't have to be in the arts. Creativity can take many forms.