April 2014 Books

April is my favorite month - most years. It's the Spring and the forsythias, lilacs, hyacinths, and other blooming things bringing the beauty back after the long winter. And usually this is the time of year when new perfume and books show up.  What's not to like? As a special bonus,  this month includes World Book Night (coolest new find of the year),  National Library Week, and National Poetry Month! I have fond memories of libraries and a wish to some day live in a converted library. Or at least having a stunningly beautiful library in my home. 

To live surrounded by books. I can imagine nothing more grand.

Spring Flowers

The flowers bloom in quiet solitude. 

The garden has started to shine. I came to visit and nurture the flowers a bit. It seemed a good way to spend an unexpected day off. Tiny star flowers, peony shoots, tulip leaves, iris starts. So far it's an unusual year. The crocuses are spent. But yet the cherry blossoms are barely popping. 

Honored 2

It may not have gone unnoticed that I've been a bit neglectful of this space. Life sometimes gets in the way and some times I get lured by a "better" offer, which is what happened when a friend was kind enough to not only showcase my words in his blog space, but even created a playlist to accompany the entry! I'm deeply honored he'd share his space with me.

Opening Excerpt:

This is not the movie, The Words; this is the lyrics that go with the sound. For me, that's where it starts. I'll lay awake with pieces of songs rolling through my head like thunder. Daily, while walking around in the world, my musical sense gets triggered at random times. Someone will say a phrase in conversation and the lyric with melody will run through my head. Much of the time, I actually walk around with a soundtrack playing in my head.

Read the rest at Echoes and Silences - a blog on music, sounds, and all things related.

For the Love of Disney

A friend, Daniel, wrote this piece. To my knowledge, he loves two things most dearly - music and Disney. He writes often and eloquently on his own blog about music. I asked him to share in this space his love of Disney.

When I was a child, the word "Disney" represented something very different than it does today. In the 1970's, Disney had 2 theme parks, had television shows like "Wonderful World of Disney"  & Mickey Mouse Club, and its hit movies were "Freaky Friday" and "The Love Bug". Its animation was struggling, and Pixar wasn't even a glimmer in anyone's eye.

But for a little boy growing up in Southern California, Disney was mystical.