Here is what is going on: our family is gathering to toast an engagement announcement!  Oh my gosh!  Here starts the assemblage of “something old, new, borrowed, and blue”.  We are pretty excited.

So many arrangements!  So even though I am still doing stories and studies with my son every night (we just finished Charles Dickens and we are now reading about Princess Kaiulani of Hawaii), I won’t be able to put quality time into writing this blog until the end of October.

In the meantime, if you are yearning for something (ANYTHING) to read, here are some of my favorite posts:

• “Messenger Service”, posted May 15, 2015
• “Things that go bump in the night”, posted April 12, 2015
• “Desperately Seeking Ganesha”, posted February 1, 2015

If lack of a typically awesome blog entry renders you despondent, here is what my son and I listen to when we are feeling blue:

• “Blue Skies”, composed by Irving Berlin in 1926.  It was one of the first songs performed in a talkie (Al Jolson’s, “The Jazz Singer”)!  The following film clip was taken from the movie, “White Christmas”.  Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye sing a handful of songs, concluding with “Blue Skies”.  Always fun!

• “Blue Tango”, composed by Leroy Anderson in 1951.  My son cannot keep his feet still when we listen to this.  This video stars the always-over-the-top Liberace.  And why-oh-why need there be percussion played by phantom fingers?  And where did that trio of violinists come from?  (BTW, the violinist to the far left is Liberace’s bro, George.)  Vintage Liberace all the way.

• “The Blue Danube Waltz” (really, “By the Beautiful Blue Danube”), composed by Johann Strauss II in 1867 for the Paris World’s Fair.  The most frustrating part of this composition is the LONG (a minute and a half) introduction. C’mon Johann, get on with the good stuff.  We found a video of a young man playing the waltz by rubbing a large line up of wine glasses, which means, a LOT of high pitches (I needed a Tylenol about 4 minutes into the piece).  Gimmicky?  Yeah, but well played and my son was riveted.

Welcome to the best part of my day!

– Jane BH