Sunday, February 22, 2009

Finish This Sentence: What the World Needs Now Is ...



My usual answer, probably like yours, would be "bleach". Times being what they are, however, I guess I'll change that to "money".



Driving around Stowe the other day in a fog, with the snow tired and dirty, even dangerous, and all the news bad, I hopped out of the van to take these pictures. Not exactly subtle, I know, but something of the zeitgeist presented itself: the normally benign fields and mountains of Vermont transformed into an Orc-blasted landscape. (These are actually color shots...)



It's Sunday, however, just barely, as I am doing some insomniac blogging in the small hours after some time away. I have the headphones on and am listening to Paul Hillier & the Theater of Voices singing Arvo Part's "Summa". I have just heard it three times through. It suffices to remind a person of, well, many things beyond the cares of the day, or even the cares of the times.

I could not find Paul Hillier & Co. on Youtube - I paid my .99 for it at iTunes and it was, of course, well worth it. Here's a string version for your contemplation.

6 comments:

Madame DeFarge said...

Those pictures are wonderful. I see what you mean about the orc blighted landscape.

And this is the first Avro Part that I've ever listened to. Well worth it.

uphilldowndale said...

You need a big bowl of gaudy daffodils to bury your face in, inhale the scent of spring... it will come

Kim Velk said...

Hi Mme. Thanks for the kind words. I am a recent Part fan. There's a haunting version of R. Burns's "My Heart is the Highlands" (set to music by Part, of course) out there on YouTube. You might want to check that out.

Hi Mrs. Uhdd. Yes to daffodils!But we are economizing, aren't we? They had fresh flowers at the posh cafeteria at Stowe Mountain Resort, where we were today. I was (pleasantly) startled by a breath of lily while I pumped ketchup onto my daughter's french fries.

Anonymous said...

I tried to leave a comment yesterday, but blogger was acting up. If this is duplicate comment, please ignore it.

I loved the photos. There's something about nature's grays which gets us primed for the first flowers of spring.

And thanks for the Music, BTW.

Cheers.

Kim Velk said...

R- So nice to have your gentlemanly presence back around the old blog. How did that big trial go? You are very welcome for the music, or at least my very small part in presenting it.

uphilldowndale said...

economise on the fries not the flowers, it's the soul you need to feed!
I've taken to twigs and leaves, cut flowers have gone from the budget; but I was given a big bowl of lilies and orchids at the weekend, so I'm storing up the beauty of them like a squirrel collecting nuts.