Found this quote on a blog I read... thought it appropriate...
“It is often said that something may survive of a person after his death if that person was an artist and put a little of himself into his work. It is perhaps in the same way that a sort of cutting taken from one person and grafted onto the heart of another continues to carry on its existence even when the person from whom it had been detached has perished.” -Marcel Proust
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Sing with the angels, Dan.
I know I've been incommunicado for a while, it's just that time of year when there are not enough days in the week, hours in the day, or minutes in the hour, but I had to take some time for this.
On Sunday we lost Dan Fogelberg. He was a poet who set his words to music. He's been a part of my life since 1978, when a friend from college introduced me to his music. He's comforted me, excited me, showed me love and strength and pain and loss. His music has been the backdrop to my life since first I heard him sing.
I've gone to concerts, joined fan clubs, written notes of support when he announced he was suffering from prostate cancer, and this morning, I had to write a note of condolence to his family. I know it was the right thing to do. I know, having lost many special people in my life, that knowing how others loved him will help his wife. But that note of condolence? It helped me, too.
I cried yesterday. I cried for him. For his wife. For his family. And I cried for me. I cried because there will never be a minute I can hope and pray he will recover. There will never be another concert, or another new CD. As selfish as that sounds, he has brought me such joy through his words and his music that I am diminished with his passing. I have lost something and someone so special, so much a part of me.
When I hear Leader of the Band, I think of my dad. When I hear A Love Like This, I think of my husband (this was our wedding song). When I hear Auld Lang Syne, I think of all those many people who used to be a part of my life, who are gone, in any definition of the word.
When I listen to his music, I think that he wrote for an orchestra, but he played it on a guitar. His acoustical tour was incredible. To see him sitting on the stage with a guitar, just a guitar, to hear that music, and that voice. Incredible.
I have a funny feeling that every CD I listen to for the foreseeable future will be his. And I have a funny feeling that I will love every note and every word even more.
I know I've been incommunicado for a while, it's just that time of year when there are not enough days in the week, hours in the day, or minutes in the hour, but I had to take some time for this.
On Sunday we lost Dan Fogelberg. He was a poet who set his words to music. He's been a part of my life since 1978, when a friend from college introduced me to his music. He's comforted me, excited me, showed me love and strength and pain and loss. His music has been the backdrop to my life since first I heard him sing.
I've gone to concerts, joined fan clubs, written notes of support when he announced he was suffering from prostate cancer, and this morning, I had to write a note of condolence to his family. I know it was the right thing to do. I know, having lost many special people in my life, that knowing how others loved him will help his wife. But that note of condolence? It helped me, too.
I cried yesterday. I cried for him. For his wife. For his family. And I cried for me. I cried because there will never be a minute I can hope and pray he will recover. There will never be another concert, or another new CD. As selfish as that sounds, he has brought me such joy through his words and his music that I am diminished with his passing. I have lost something and someone so special, so much a part of me.
When I hear Leader of the Band, I think of my dad. When I hear A Love Like This, I think of my husband (this was our wedding song). When I hear Auld Lang Syne, I think of all those many people who used to be a part of my life, who are gone, in any definition of the word.
When I listen to his music, I think that he wrote for an orchestra, but he played it on a guitar. His acoustical tour was incredible. To see him sitting on the stage with a guitar, just a guitar, to hear that music, and that voice. Incredible.
I have a funny feeling that every CD I listen to for the foreseeable future will be his. And I have a funny feeling that I will love every note and every word even more.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Okay, I owe you.
"What do I owe you?" you might ask.
I owe you some blogging and some photos. What with Turkey Day and working my a$$ off at the lake on weekends, I've fallen horribly behind on keeping up with the bloggers, so here's a brief update, with lots more stories to come...
I did pretty darn well over Thanksgiving. In fact, when I went to Weight Watchers on the Saturday after the holiday, I was down 1.6 pounds! I said, "down," not "up." Yay, me!
Although I didn't spend the holiday with my mom (she went to my sister's boyfriend's house this year), she was home, which means a lot to me. My poor mom has to alternate holidays between the East Coast and Arizona, where my sister lives. Since Mom doesn't fly, she alternates the holiday season every other year... DH and I weren't invited to Tim's house. After dinner Mom and I talked. She seems to think it wasn't a deliberate slap, that because of the limited size of his apartment, C didn't invite us (all two of us!). Apparently the kids and the grandmas sat and ate, and when one (anyone) left the table, then either C or T sat down and ate. Now, I own more than one card table, and we have snack tables she could have borrowed. There's always a way to make room for family, IMHO. I guess I'm just different from her...
Jack and I went to his sister's house. We walked in to his niece on the phone with her aunt (on her dad's side) telling her it was okay to come but that she couldn't kiss anyone or touch anyone or touch the kittens... It turns out she had shingles! And at the end of the night, when she was leaving, who do you think she came up to from behind and hugged goodbye?!? That's right: yours truly!!! (Thank goodness I've had chicken pox before, and thank goodness our skin didn't touch, or I'd probably stress myself into a great case of them!)
There were 17 of us at dinner. We had turkey with most of the trimmings: my delicious salad, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, turkey, meatballs, manicotti, cranberry sauce, rolls, and all the desserts known to man - pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, coconut cream pie, cannolis, chocolate cake, brownies, blueberry pie, rice pudding with whipped cream, cream puffs, pumpkin cheesecake, Italian pastries - need I say more? A feast fit for a king! (But there was no green stuff or mashed potatoes or cole slaw so it most definitely wasn't our family Thanksgiving!)
We spent the rest of the weekend at the lake. Everything is painted. The heat works on both floors. The house is totally hooked up for propane (we're just waiting on the gas fireplace to get wired up and fired up - current due date: December 28th). The attic stairs are in.
California Closets came on this past Saturday. $2358, less 10% if we sign before 12/21, no tax (it's a capital improvement to the home), materials AND installation. Were it up to me, I'd sign on the dotted line, but Jack and I will be jerry-rigging it with Home Depot and/or Lowes product in a similar fashion. 'Cause we like to do it cheaper. Sorry: 'cause we can save bucketloads of $$$ doing it ourselves!
This past Sunday was the 48th Annual Nigro Christmas Party. We had SOOO much fun! Pictures to come! The kiddies are growing up so fast that they're unrecognizable from last Christmas! There are new babies galore, with more on the way! Just LOVE these family get togethers...
More later this week...
"What do I owe you?" you might ask.
I owe you some blogging and some photos. What with Turkey Day and working my a$$ off at the lake on weekends, I've fallen horribly behind on keeping up with the bloggers, so here's a brief update, with lots more stories to come...
I did pretty darn well over Thanksgiving. In fact, when I went to Weight Watchers on the Saturday after the holiday, I was down 1.6 pounds! I said, "down," not "up." Yay, me!
Although I didn't spend the holiday with my mom (she went to my sister's boyfriend's house this year), she was home, which means a lot to me. My poor mom has to alternate holidays between the East Coast and Arizona, where my sister lives. Since Mom doesn't fly, she alternates the holiday season every other year... DH and I weren't invited to Tim's house. After dinner Mom and I talked. She seems to think it wasn't a deliberate slap, that because of the limited size of his apartment, C didn't invite us (all two of us!). Apparently the kids and the grandmas sat and ate, and when one (anyone) left the table, then either C or T sat down and ate. Now, I own more than one card table, and we have snack tables she could have borrowed. There's always a way to make room for family, IMHO. I guess I'm just different from her...
Jack and I went to his sister's house. We walked in to his niece on the phone with her aunt (on her dad's side) telling her it was okay to come but that she couldn't kiss anyone or touch anyone or touch the kittens... It turns out she had shingles! And at the end of the night, when she was leaving, who do you think she came up to from behind and hugged goodbye?!? That's right: yours truly!!! (Thank goodness I've had chicken pox before, and thank goodness our skin didn't touch, or I'd probably stress myself into a great case of them!)
There were 17 of us at dinner. We had turkey with most of the trimmings: my delicious salad, mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows, stuffing, turkey, meatballs, manicotti, cranberry sauce, rolls, and all the desserts known to man - pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, coconut cream pie, cannolis, chocolate cake, brownies, blueberry pie, rice pudding with whipped cream, cream puffs, pumpkin cheesecake, Italian pastries - need I say more? A feast fit for a king! (But there was no green stuff or mashed potatoes or cole slaw so it most definitely wasn't our family Thanksgiving!)
We spent the rest of the weekend at the lake. Everything is painted. The heat works on both floors. The house is totally hooked up for propane (we're just waiting on the gas fireplace to get wired up and fired up - current due date: December 28th). The attic stairs are in.
California Closets came on this past Saturday. $2358, less 10% if we sign before 12/21, no tax (it's a capital improvement to the home), materials AND installation. Were it up to me, I'd sign on the dotted line, but Jack and I will be jerry-rigging it with Home Depot and/or Lowes product in a similar fashion. 'Cause we like to do it cheaper. Sorry: 'cause we can save bucketloads of $$$ doing it ourselves!
This past Sunday was the 48th Annual Nigro Christmas Party. We had SOOO much fun! Pictures to come! The kiddies are growing up so fast that they're unrecognizable from last Christmas! There are new babies galore, with more on the way! Just LOVE these family get togethers...
More later this week...