Winter Resumes (sort of) - Rolling Hills Radio

A Night With Phoebe Legere

8:03

It's 7:40, the sun has risen somewhere behind the cloud cover, the lake and sky a whitish-gray.  It's 30º and perfect for a few wet snowflakes this morning when I walked out to get the Post Journal.  It should stay in the low 30's with the possibility of an inch or two snow.

We had an easy Monday, with not much happening until dinner time.  I was up early, wrote the blog, then drove off to yoga class, with a substitute teacher.  The class was different which I liked and went quickly.  I stopped for coffee, drove home and Evie was in Mayville for a doctor's appointment.  She had thoughtfully prepared my lunch, a plate of leftover rice and chicken piccata so all I had to do was pop it in the oven and then enjoy it.  Since my series, Peaky Blinders had ended, I needed to find a new series so I watched the first episode of a series called Hand Of God.  I am not sure I will stick with it, a bit silly as a judge is born again, hears voices that lead him to bad guys.

Evie was back by the time I finished lunch and we watched with great amusement as Ken Starr tried to suggest impeachment was a bad thing for the body politic after he had been the lead counsel in the impeachment of Clinton because of sex with Monica Lewinsky and lying about it, clearly a threat to America hegemony and world peace.  What a hypocrite.

The afternoon went quickly and by 5:15, we were showered and ready to be picked up by Ron and Linda and drive to Jamestown, for another concert at Shawbucks, part of the Rolling Hills Radio program.  For twenty-five bucks, we get a concert and a buffet, of soup/salad and beef stroganoff, a good deal.  We were there mainly to see the much-ballyhooed, fifty-seven-year-old Phoebe Legere, an old fashion dame, a combination 'of Edith Piaf and Lucille Ball.'

'O, Mama,'

From Wikipedia:

Phoebe Hemenway Legere is a multi-disciplinary artist.^[1][2] She is a Juilliard-educated composer,^[3] soprano, pianist and accordionist, painter,^[4] poet,^[5] and a filmmaker,  graduate of Vassar College^[6]

Tough Old Bird

Before she took the stage, a folk group from Buffalo called Tough Old Bird.  They were great good, singing original songs about Lake Erie and the Rust Belt cities like Buffalo.  Phoebe followed, backed up by a group called the Crawdaddies.  She was a hoot, belting out originals, playing either a guitar or accordion, loving the attention of being on stage.  She is definitely a performer, having been an opening act for David Bowie, a friend of Huner Thompson. The audience loved her and her band so it was another great night of music.

Finale

Phoebe With Another Tough Old Bird

We didn't get home until 9:30 and the roads were fine, no snow.  We had enough time to race through the Grammy's, watching a view of the acts we wanted until it was time for bed.

A Quiet Lake Morning

Rockin Out At Shawbucks 

7:32

It's 7:30, a lake like a mirror, not a ripple, just reflections of the trees, some color off to the south. When I walked out to pick the paper, it did not feel like 27º because of the lack of a breeze.  It's 8:30 and I just returned from an amazing morning paddle, the sun rising above the clouds as I paddled south, dodging ice floes,  having to turn around at the reeds because of the ice.  Blue skies and sunshine in January erase the winter blues.

A Beautiful Kayak Morning

Blue Skies And Sunshine

Monday, Monday, the beginning of the week and I started it with a paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back, then finished the blog and drove off to Yin Yoga with Danielle.  It was a surprisingly small class as the winter sets in, all the snowbirds head south and only the locals are around.  I stopped for coffee, of course, talked with the regulars, then drove to Walmart to pick up a few things we needed, a new shower rod since ours collapsed yesterday.

Our House In January

The afternoon went quickly since we were going out that night at 5:00.  Evie seemed to enjoy her leisure for once and didn't do much during the day.  Neither did I other than having lunch, the leftover Asian dinner, nap, read, and watch some TV.  We both showered and were ready to drive to Jamestown at 5:00 with Linda and Ron.  We were going to see our favorite local band, Uncle Ben's Remedy play, along with another local singer, Sean Patrick McGraw.  They were playing at a Jamestown bar, Shawbucks, a venue every couple of months of the Rolling Hills Radio Show.  The show is taped then broadcast on radio and also on YouTube.  We got there an hour early to save seats, then sat at the bar before the show, having a beer and buying a buffet for ten bucks, soup, and rigatoni with sausage, surprisingly tasty.

Because it was being taped for radio, it was introduced by Ken Hardley, a local guitar legend, and Uncle Ben's Remedy and Sean Patrick McGraw, both played a couple of tunes before an intermission, so the patrons could get another beer.  They then played for another half hour, with interludes and the radio part ended.  The show really then began as I did not realize that they knew each other and had collaborated on some songs.

Uncle Ben's Remedy, Sean Patrick Mc Graw and Ken Hardley

So the show really took off and both were amazingly good.  They write their own material and we liked all of their songs and for once, I paid attention to the lyrics.  It's too bad it was so crowded, probably 150 patrons, because the music made us want to get up and dance.  Uncle Ben's is energetic, full of mojo, Sean Patrick a bit more relaxed but when they collaborated, it was great.  I don't think we could have asked for a  better show.

Thanks For A Great Night

Da Boys

We didn't get home till 9:30, in time to watch LSU come back and take the lead on Clemson, led by Athens, Ohio native, Joe Burrows.  We ended up going to bed around 10:30, still jazzed by our evening, hoping we could get to sleep.

A fun poem by one by of my favorite modern poets:  Enjoy

Horseplay by George Bilgere I am floating in the public pool, an older guy who has achieved much, including a mortgage, two children, and health insurance, including dental. I have a Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, and my car is large. I have traveled to Finland. In addition, I once met Toni Morrison at a book signing and made some remarks she found “extremely interesting.” And last month I was the subject of a local news story called “Recyclers: Neighbors Who Care.” In short, I am not someone you would take lightly. But when I begin to playfully splash my wife, the teenaged lifeguard raises her megaphone and calls down from her throne, “No horseplay in the pool,” and suddenly I am twelve again, a pale worm at the feet of a blond and suntanned goddess, and I just wish my mom would come pick me up.