Happy Saturday morning to everyone. Sorry, but it’s early and I am still a bit dazed. Our hardwired central fire alarm screeches mightily whenever there is a power interruption – which it did at least twice over last night.

It also almost never happens (power-outage that is), so my response was at least a step beyond just being startled. Marcia mumbled that her scanner had informed her that a car had hit a power pole not too far away.

Couple all that with it being a ‘muggy’ night and you’ll forgive my being a bit dazed.

”May your hats be big, your juleps fine, your burgoo tasty, and the winner a long-shot. Happy Kentucky Derby, y’all.” ~ greeting card

Years ago, for us this was a party day, Derby party that is. Then, Canada began to take center stage. Nowadays it’s become a quick tuning in on the radio listening to “the fastest race” moment.

Now tomorrow it’s a huge day in the ‘Nati – the Flying Pig marathon (some races are happening today). I might just high-tail it to my old haunts in Hyde Park at a place where a band is playing and where I can cheer on all the runners.

Last year’s event included more runners than ever with total participation of 37,244 from all 50 states and 20 countries. More than 18,400 people competed in the full marathon, half marathon and four-person relay on Sunday alone.

I t’s a BIG deal!

Tillamook – Costco has edged to the front of the pack as my guide to only selling a quality product. It’s setting the standard to guide by.

My go-to daily cheese is from a Wisconsin Farmer’s Co-op making a cheese under the name of Tillamook. Come time to prep for Canada (where cheese is crazily expensive and variety limited) and picking up a 2.5lb brick of this wonder becomes a no-brainer.

Not only do we have the stuff in-house (pic will demonstrate just how much of a wild man I become with the stuff). But, I just read where the Tillamook ‘caravan’ will be piling into our neighboring community of Northside to hand out freebies from their vintage fleet of refurbished VW vans, and since it’s coming later on in May we’ll miss it. Noooooo! Say it isn’t so!

Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir – Last weekend we had a 3-day festival (Homecoming Music Festival). Aside from the perfunctory Indie bands it promised to be a “celebration of music, art, and cultural connections. … and feature a variety of world-class contemporary classical, electronica, folk and alternative rock concerts.”

Sunday noon I hightailed it to our Art Museum to catch an hour with a woman from Iceland, Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, classically trained, with an amazingly ethereal voice, and singing with some very distinct guttural sounds of her native language; I quickly became mesmerized.

Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir    — Audio track 

It did take some moments to acquaint with her musical style, but then it quickly became lovely. Her final piece of her song-cycle (years in the making) I managed to record and message over to Marcia, who earlier had stated she had little interest in going. When I walked into the front door, Marcia’s first words were; “I am so happy I didn’t go.” And so it goes.

Finis – Yesterday marks the anniversary of that awful day at Kent State in Kent [near Akron], Ohio (May 4, 1970); with the shooting of unarmed students by National Guard troops; all as the result of a situation where talk stops, and nerves run taut. I think that today people do not realize just how divided and tense our nation was as during the Vietnam days and then how this event triggered by protests over the Cambodian bombings changed the nation for ever.

Up north it’s been very rainy, warmer but still cold, and the ice still hard on the lake. But, Marcia is DETERMINED; “we shall go!” is her mantra. Thus, go we shall, leaving the comforts of our condo to then wade into an icy lake to place the water line and thus prepare for a season of fresh air, warm breezes, pine scents, and soaring Eagles. Maybe Marcia is right after all.

Momentarily it’ll be a trip to Ikea – I think it’s for more bedding ‘stuff’

Make it a great week everybody.

Cheers.
Dirk