These Days

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Hello all. Apologies for the extended absence. It's been a crazy busy few months - a crazy busy 6-8 months, really - at work. Things should quiet down now (she said hopefully). This upcoming weekend should, fingers, crossed, be the first weekend I haven't had to work (excepting when I was on vacation) in nearly that entire time.  As I said, crazy busy.

We've had one of the strangest winters and springs that I can recall. Believe it or not, the months of March and April were both colder - significantly colder - than February. The week of the 15th was typical of this atypical stretch. When I woke up on Tuesday morning the 16th, it was barely 40°F/4°C. It actually snowed in parts of New Hampshire and Maine. 

The next day, Wednesday the 17th, the high temperature was - believe it or not - 95°F (35°C). It was the first day of a three-day heatwave, with temperatures each day well above 90 temperatures.

To give you an idea of how big these extremes have been, I went from my winter coat and gloves on Tuesday to this on Wednesday:


Talk about wardrobe whiplash... Things became more seasonable last week, but it's still cooler than normal (I was sitting outdoors as I wrote this, but had to come inside because I was shivering). And tomorrow is looking even chillier, with yet more rain. On the bright side, we're no longer in drought conditions here in New England, as we have been for the past few years. Definitely a good thing, that.

All that being said, I'm hopeful that I can soon retire the coat and gloves, cute though they may be, and finally break out the sundresses at long last. Fingers crossed.  

Anyway, I promise to try to write more often. I know I've said that before, but hopefully this time I'll have enough time/energy to follow through. Quite a bit has been going on, and will be going on, so I'm hoping I can write about some of it here. Watch this space. Have a good week, everyone. :c)

***

I was originally going to post several songs from what is my favorite album so far this year, The Sadies' Northern Passages, but with the untimely passing of Gregg Allman this weekend I've decided to include a few personal favorites from his amazing career. 

First up is "Melissa," one of his most tender songs, with the Allman Brothers:


Next up is a ripping live version of my favorite Allman Brothers song, "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." 


I saw them play a jaw-dropping version of this during their headlining set on the second day of the 2007 Newport Folk Festival. The interplay between them is breathtaking.

And to bring this post to a close, here is his moving rendition of Jackon Browne's "These Days," from 1973's Laid Back, his debut solo album.


Jackson Browne recorded it on his For Everyman album, also from 1973, although he actually wrote it in 1965, when he was 15(!).  A number of other artists have covered it over the years (Annie Clark, a/k/a St. Vincent, does a particularly affecting version), but for my money Allman's version is definitive. RIP, Gregg...

5 comments:

Stace on May 29, 2017 at 3:39 AM said...

"wardrobe whiplash" I am going to have to remember that one!

Being a mad English woman I don't really do summer and winter clothes. I just add layers
< 10c = Summer Dress, tights, cardigan or jacket and winter coat
< 20c = lose the winter coat (maybe take a summer one instead)
<25 = lose the coats and jacket
>= 25 = lose the tights

But, I will readily admit that having a wonderfully warm Volvo with heated seats helps - I go from centrally heated house, to climate controlled car, to centrally heated office and only need to be outside for 10 to 15 minutes at most. Anything above -10c is fine for that amount of time, and anything less than that would mean I take the car between offices rather than walk ;p

Fingers crossed for the work load dropping a little. We have had a tough few months here as well, but I don't see it getting calmer any time soon :o

Groetjes,
Stace

Calie on May 29, 2017 at 12:08 PM said...

It will be warm and humid before you know it! Love the dress and, of course, your hair is fab!

RIP Greg Allman.

Calie xx

Cassidy on June 3, 2017 at 6:04 PM said...

@ Stace: Sounds as if you have a whole system down! You would fit right in out in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, etc.), where layers, by necessity, rule. Just be sure to add lots of flannel. :D Also, feel free to use "wardrobe whiplash" as you like. =)

@ Calie: I have no doubt you are correct - although it's currently in the upper 50s and overcast yet again, with more rain (and even lower temperatures) in store for the first half of next week. Guess I'll be wearing my rain gear when I run again! Oh, and thank you for the compliment! :#)

Hugs,
Cass

SusieJay on July 2, 2017 at 8:48 AM said...

I love the Allman's live version of 'In Memory of Elizabeth Reed'.

Cassidy on July 3, 2017 at 11:02 PM said...

Me too! I saw them do a breathtakingly great version of it at the Newport Folk Festival about 10 years ago. I remember being struck by how still they were as they played so ferociously, particularly Derek Trucks. A friend commented afterwards that it demonstrates the sustained concentration it takes to play at that level. It was a privilege to get to watch them...

== Cass

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