All at Once - Jack Johnson - Deep Water Horizon

Sometimes it feels a heart is no place to be singing from at all....... Jack Johnson

A Hole in the Ocean-the heartache of many

Gulf Coast Oil Spill Disaster
Official Music Video - A Hole In The Ocean
This song was written to keep the focus on the BP oil spill disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico. This is already the largest environmental disaster in United States history.

Lyrics and melody by Joe Monto & Steve Bartlett, performed by Joe Monto

Guinness on St. Paddy's Day

On February 1st, we really should celebrate the life of Irish pagan goddess/christian saint/ledgend Bridget. Thankfully, it is Patrick who is remembered with such fun and silliness and good times and not Bridget. (It would be like partying on Mother Theresa's Day.) Here's to all my "Irish" friends, whatever their nationalities may be.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Christy Moore (live performance with master guitarist Declan "Decky" Dinnot)



All together now..........
Goodbye to the Port and Brandy, to the Vodka and the Stag, To the Schmiddick and the Harpic, the bottled draught and keg. As I sat lookin' up the Guinness ad I could never figure out How your man stayed up on the surfboard after 14 pints of stout.

Wild Mountainside

More often than not, I find myself singing Wild Mountainside. Written by John Douglas (no doubt channelling Rabbie Burns) of the Trashcan Sinatras, and most famously performed by the Queen Eddi Reader at the opening of the new Scottish Parliament building.

Recently, a young friend brought his newly born sweet babe Betty Rose into the office. She was acting all red faced and fussy at being held by strangers. I was biting at the bit for my turn, trying hard to be patient. Once in my arms, instinct took over and as I softly sang her this oh so soothing melody she completely relaxed and opened her eyes. :)



Many thanks to mabooto for posting this video.

We all need somebody to lean on

Hope for Haiti Now telethon benefit took over all our TV stations last night. (I can't post them all, but you should check out all the musical performances at http://www.cmt.com/videos/hope-for-haiti-now-performances/1630346/playlist-detail.jhtml) The program was also broadcast in Canada - North Americans coming together in song and love with money pledges to help Haiti. It was really beautiful and many thanks to a great humanitarian, George Clooney, for organizing and bringing a great many of his friends to the event. (In addition to the musicians, countless super prominent film and TV actors answered pledge phone calls in LA and New York.) This is what our country is really all about.

Click on the little box in the far right bottom corner of each video for FULL SCREEN.

Amazing Performances All (Dave Matthews and Neil Young performing Hank Williams' Alone and Forsaken...Stevie Wonder performing Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water, Coldplay, Madonna(w/awesome gospel choir) performing Like a Prayer, Sting, Shakira, the Boss.....)

Sheryl Crow, Kid Rock & Keith Urban - Lean On Me (Bill Withers)



Hard Times Come Again No More (Stephen Foster's Civil War song) has been sung by all the greats: Emmylou, Dylan, Cash, Nanci Griffith, JT, Bruce, and Ireland's Mary Black and Maura O'Connell among others. I was struck silent last night by Mary J. Blige. Wow! I'm not into R&B but will easily add my name to the list of her admirers - it is no wonder they call her the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.



Christina Aguilera - Lift Me Up (Linda Perry-on piano)
Simply Sublime



Justin Timberlake and Matt Morris - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

Haiti

Haiti. Magnitude 7 earthquake. Complete devastation. Poor country with substandard construction - thousands dead and the suffering is unspeakable. We rock and roll through an 6.5 earthquake and come out relatively unscathed - the complete opposite of Haiti. I feel awful.

Earthquake footage - pump up the volume

The story in the Hebrides is freezing rain. Time to stay indoors and be thankful for your source of heat.

The story hereabouts is the earthquake. We felt it 200 miles away so those folks in Ferndale, Eureka, Arcada...were rockin' and rollin' big time. That section of the coast is a favorite of ours. An earthquake feels a lot MORE INTENSE in person than it looks on the videos. You have no way of knowing if it is a small tremor or if it will turn into something more.

It would be amazing to watch a redwood forest move in an earthquake - talk about a spiritual experience! What about those folks in sailing and fishing boats out in the Pacific - hold on and ride it out mate!

Video below shows the aftermath of the earthquake (and like the music plays mother earth was "pumpin' up the volume". I have never heard of MAARS but the music is super fun - see, I appreciate more than just "that Scottish stuff").



Footage from the security cameras at the Times-Standard in Eureka CA. Visit www.times-standard.com for full coverage of the 6.5 magnitude quake on 1-9-10.



The awesome dog is Sophie and she is actually taking off to find her owner, the second girl out the door. Sophie did a lap around the room until she found her and stayed right behind her as they left the building. Sophie can also be seen running behind her owner out the door in the stairwell video below. What a good dog!

All shook up (earthquake in Nor Cal)

Late this afternoon the rumbling under my feet made my heart race. What is THIS? Although it has been more years than I can recall, it was a feeling of helplessness I knew and dreaded. My childhood years were spent in Southern California and in a split second those memories came flooding back. Sitting in front of the computer listening to some Gaelic band (whose name escapes me) on iTunes I quickly ripped off the headset. A low flying plane can shake a house - perhaps that's it. But all was quiet. My sons were at their fathers house; it was just me and Lilly our dog. She acted like nothing was the matter (aren't animals supposed to sense these things?). I grabbed her and then it was over. All that remained was the soft swaying of the light fixture over the table. Although it had been soooo many years since I felt an earthquake, one never forgets.

A magnitude-6.5 earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California this afternoon, shaking buildings, knocking out power in several coastal communities and leaving a trail of broken windows, dishes and chimneys not to mention water, gas and sewer leaks throughout Humboldt County. Thankfully, no major injuries. A lot of mess to clean up. The powerful quake hit at about 4:27 p.m. PST about 22 miles off the coast of Ferndale. The quake hit at a depth of nearly 10 miles. It was felt as far east as Reno, Nevada.

All will be "fine" in time. It's California after all and the earth shakes, especially along the coast. A few short months ago we were vacationing on the redwood coast, an area I dearly LOVE. I feel bad for those who will have to deal with the aftermath of the quake. I don't mean to make light of it, but the possibility of earthquakes is a fact of life. It is out of our hands. Singing, especially in harmony, always makes me feel better. My Dad and the King have the same birthday-yesterday. Dad wasn't an Elvis fan, but I think he'd forgive me this one time.

Health and Happiness for 2010

Robert Burns just gets better and better with the passing of every year. Long may his songs live. Absolutely no one (including Eddi Reader whom I greatly admire) owns this song like Mairi Campbell accompanied by Davis Francis.



Video by Procrasticus

toast to time

Same Old Lang Syne-Dan Fogelberg



Video by kameiti1958

Go Lassie Go

One short year has passed. Thanks for being by my side - it's not quite the same but it helps. Here's to you Mom.

RIP Mary Travers

Before Emmylou there was Mary........

New York City 9/11/01

Eddi Reader -
New York City, Cambridge Folk Festival, August 2, 2009



Luka Bloom




In America singers singing, our world could be as one
In America brothers killing some poor mothers' son
But I thank God for New York City
A rainbow of faces walks alongside me, right beside me
In America, there's an old chief, I'm waiting to see
In America, there's an old chief, he's talking to me
But I thank God for New York City
A rainbow of faces walks alongside me, right beside me
In America

My people left our troubled shore
Broken hearted knocking on your door
Small green fields, I could not be free
And your hopeful music is calling me
How can I survive without the ties that bind?
How can I let go off all the pain I left behind?

I leave my Irishness at home
To be among you just as one
To walk across this sacred place
To find the dignity and grace
Of lovers where the eagle flies
Of buffalo under blue skies
I leave all sense of race behind
To be among you colourblind
To learn what history has done
And to find the love in everyone

I thank God for New York City
A rainbow of faces walks alongside me, right beside me
In America
I thank God, I thank God for New York City

Polk Salad Annie - Tony Joe White

Polk Salad Annie
Tony Joe White and Johnny Cash (from TV show 1970)



Folks down South have a way of talkin' makes understandin' a Scottish accent (not counting those from Glascow - yikes!) completely do-able. White and Cash together is pretty much perfection - two Southern boys having a whole lot of fun pickin' and singin' and makin' all us smile. I included the words below to answer "Say what?".

Note: Polk weed contains a lot of toxins/poison and can make you very very sick if not prepared properly. Only the very young leaves (never the berries, roots or seeds!) should be eaten (never raw) and they must first be boiled three separate times in clean water to reduce the toxins. My grandmother would fry spinach leaves in bacon grease (called it a wilted salad) which is very similar to how polk weed is prepared. In the past, poor families would cook polk weed as they had little else to eat. Fermented poke berries make an excellent ink and was used to write the Declaration of Independence, and the dye was used by the Native First People to decorate their horses. I'm not sure about dryin' an' smokin' it, or whether it make you 'more rested'. :)

POLK SALAD ANNIE
(words & music by Tony Joe White)

If some of ya'll never been down South too much
I'm gonna tell you a little bit about it, so that you'll understand
What I'm talking about
Down there we got a plant that grows out in the woods and the fields,
Looks somethin' like a turnip green. 'Except it ain't.
Everybody calls it Polk salad. Polk salad.
Used to know a girl that lived down there
And she'd go out in the evenings and pick a mess of it
Carry it home and cook it for supper
'Cause that's about all they had to eat
But they did all right.

Down in Louisiana
Where the alligators grow so mean
There lived a girl that I swear to the world
Made the alligators look tame

Polk salad Annie. Polk salad Annie
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama was working on the chain-gang
(a mean, vicious critter, sinful)

Everyday 'fore supper time
She'd go down by the truck patch
And pick her a mess o' Polk salad
And carry it home in a tote sack

Polk salad Annie
'Gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama was a workin' on the chain-gang
(a wretched, spiteful, straight-razor totin' woman,
Lord have mercy. Pick a mess of it)

Her daddy was lazy and no count
Claimed he had a bad back
All her brothers were fit for
Was stealin' watermelons out of my truck patch
Polk salad Annie
'Gators got your granny
Everybody said it was a shame
'Cause her mama was a working' on the chain gang
(Sock a little polk salad to me, you know I need me a mess of it)

Price of Freedom - Belated Independence Day Tribute

Many thanks to the absolutely fabulous Darrell Scott.



With a Memory Like Mine
Darrell Scott & Anthony Wayne Scott

I can see that train a-coming
Watch that big light shine this way
Hear that whistle softly blowing
Lord, it’s been an awful day

I watched them leave that Friday morning
It was in the month of May
I told my son to be a good soldier
But return again someday

He did return just one year later
And I’ll not forget the day
The baggage car is where he traveled
In a casket where he lay

Chorus:
Train man, keep your whistle blowing
Make it moan, make it whine
You make a man feel mighty lonesome
With a memory like mine

In that little country graveyard
On a dark and dreary day
They placed a flag upon the casket
And the casket in the grave

I couldn’t stand it any longer
And I knew not how to pray
I cried, Oh, Lord, I hate to leave him
All alone beneath the clay

Chorus

I can see him as a baby
I can hear him call my name
I can feel him under fire
And see him rising from the flame
Lord, if I could I’d trade places
I would gladly give my all
I’d wrap that flag around me like a blanket
And listen for the clods to fall

Chorus



American Tune is one of those songs one feels privileged to sing - it fills you up like few others. It is in my top 5. Paul Simon is the master bard of my generation. I always prefer the songwriter's recording of a song but Darrell Scott's interpretation of American Tune is mighty fine.

American Tune is a true patriotic song. A country with imperfections and mistake ridden but one of endless possibilities. Of sadness and self reflection but more than anything else, a positive belief to keep working and looking forward. Happy Birthday America.

Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
Oh, but I'm alright, I'm alright
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far a-way from home, so far away from home.

I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
Oh, but it's alright, it's alright
for we lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the
road we're traveling on
I wonder what's gone wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what's gone wrong.

And I dreamed I was dying
I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying.

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the a-ge's most uncertain hours
and sing an American tune
Oh, and it's alright, it's alright, it's alright
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying to get some rest.

Man Test

Many years ago upon returning from beautiful Ireland (sadly, they never were able to visit Scotland), my parents presented me with a gift from their trip. Not Belleek china. Not a piece of Irish knitwear. Something quite different and completely fascinating the likes of which I had never seen. With a twinkle in her eye Mother handed me a slightly irregular object about 9 inches long by 5 inches wide. The object was dense and dark, heavy but not too heavy, compressed. Obviously organic in nature, smooth but rough around the edges, odorless, clean. Puzzling. What the heck is this? I was baffled and then it came to me. OMG it's peat! I instantly loved it and my parents for carrying it all the way home.

The block was carefully wrapped in tissue paper and packed away (yes, in tissue paper - go ahead and make fun of me my Hebridean friends, it's a strange notion to be sure) and I completely forgot about it. About 8 or 9 years ago I happily re-discovered my little block of peat and placed in on a small china platter (alongside various rocks and minerals I had collected over the years) on my bookshelf in a place of prominence. (Crazy American, have you lost your mind woman - it's to be burnt not displayed!)

One day I got the inspiration to use the peat, but not in the traditional way. I would never ever burn my peat no more than I would purposefully break a piece of fine china. Instead, it serves as my "man test". When a man would come to call so to speak, I would hand him the peat and ask him what it was. It's a game I found immensely amusing. Nary a one figured it out. Nary a one is around today. :)

Muir's backside and Sacagawea

Derek MacLennan and his really awesome funk/fusion version of Bob Dylans 'All along the Watchtower' (Gaelic translation by Rody Gormans) Winner of Best Technical Direction at FilmG awards 2008 - Directed by Caty MacLennan
MacLennan's video has absolutely no relevance to the topic at hand, I just like it.



It's been ages since my last entry. Work and family duties have kept me dog tired.

When I started this blog, I began collecting the California quarter with John Muir's likeness. It's actually his backside on the backside of the coin, depending on how you see it. :))) I routinely check all quarters that pass through my hands, and it has been months and months and months since I have come across John. Until today. Today I found three! Eureka!

My count to date is now at a lucky 13. What is my eventual plan for these quarters? I am not quite sure; I just know they will come in handy. Someday when I finally set foot on the Outer Hebrides, I might simply give them to a schoolteacher for her kids. John Muir was a native of Scotland who loved California and made it his home. I envision the teacher giving each student a coin when they are learning about Muir - she could mention his legacy in both countries. Whether or not they would find it interesting I do not know, I can only assume. It just would be personally satisfying to share something tangible these kids might never otherwise have. Besides, my mother taught me to never visit empty handed - aways leave something small and thoughtful behind.



John Muir's quarter is the only coin I collect. However, the golden dollar honoring Sacagawea is really beautiful and meaningful so I might just have to collect a few of them as well. The US Mint just released a revised Sacagawea dollar with a different reverse replacing the standard flying eagle with a native woman sowing seeds in a field of corn, beans and squash (the Three Sisters). Very nice! I do not know when or if it will show up in the general circulation, as it is only issued by the Mint and not the Federal Reserve. Sadly, my bank will not be getting any. This lovely coin is only available for purchase from the Mint for an additional cost and for a limited time.

Sacagawea was the Shoshone First American who guided Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for thousands of miles on their arduous exhibition from North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean from 1804-1806. Her ‘husband’ was a French trapper hired by Lewis and Clark. She was an invaluable bonus! Her presence alone signaled their peacefully intentions with the natives. She translated/interpreted/negotiated with the tribes they encountered on their journey, including her own brother whom she had not seen since she was kidnapped as a young girl. She not only saved the party from being killed, her knowledge of native sources of food saved them from hunger. She bravely survived and assisted Lewis and Clark, all the while carrying her sweet papoose on her back. Her life's story is heart wrenching, timeless and inspirational to women worldwide. She was sold and bought like chattel, abused, neglected, loved, and ultimately respected and admired. She spoke Shoshoni, Hidatsa, English and French. By all accounts she maintained her dignity and self worth. She is a true American legend and much loved.

My niece Erin - the lovely & brilliant songbird

I am the auntie of 6 interesting young women of whom I am so proud. Each different than the other - all special.

My second (I'm the last) sister's daughter Erin is a talented singer and my very dear friend. Erin is exceptional, and I do not use the word lightly. We share the bond of a passion for making song - the polished driven contemporary pop singer with a vocal range and perfect pitch which resonates and the simple kitchen/back porch singer currently learning a Gaelic song from the 18th century. :) Surprisingly we have much in common. I am her self-acclaimed biggest fan.

It flows through our blood. My mother, her grandmother, had a lovely high soprano voice. It was full of vibrato and very operatic - truly amazing. She could have spent her life on the stage singing, but she never felt comfortable about her voice. She instead chose a life of service to her family. (One family holiday dinner, Erin stood up and sang for her grandmother – it still brings tears to my eyes it was so beautiful - the way it moved my mother. She has passed now, and I am sure Erin cherishes that memory.) The confidence my mother lacked, her grand daughter has in spades. It may be a generation or two until Erin’s gift is found again, it is that special. But then, I am her biggest fan.

Erin called a couple of days ago while stuck in traffic (how very LA) with breaking news she was releasing two original songs. Of course I was tickled pink she called considering her busy life. Although we long ago crossed the bridge from aunt and niece to friends, she still calls me Aunty and always ends with “I love you”. Nice! Anyway, she has been working, and I mean working, on this project for a long time. Thankfully, her abilities reach beyond voice and songwriting, to a shrewd sense of business. She also produced her songs, not a small feat. A beautiful girl with a kind heart, a brilliant mind and a ton of determination.

Her original (yes, she wrote them) music (2 songs so far) is posted on her revamped myspace page located at http://www.myspace.com/erinmorgado. Her voice...is completely amazing!!!! Opening the page, one can’t help but notice how pretty she is (the photos are a bit sultry so they don’t show the mischievous gleam in her eyes, but it’s there, trust me) - a super gorgeous revved-up version of my sister. Perhaps it would be better to not look and just listen, but marketing is part of the business, thus the photos. And it always helps to put a face with a voice.

Her technical singing abilities are obvious. She is a singer's singer. Unfortunately there is no video posted as I wish everyone could watch her sing. What I love most of all about my dear niece is she sings straight from the center of her heart. You can read on her face and it's a beautiful sight. There are a million talented singers – a really tough business to break into. It is the feeling Erin projects that makes her a great singer, and her Aunty Marty her biggest fan.

Leprechaun in lederhosen

I work in a school for higher education - specifically the doctorate degree in law. It’s a small program and my duties include assisting my friend the dean in the day to day operations, plus recruitment, admission counseling, attendance, tuition, exams, textbooks, graduation planning, keeping the faculty and students happy....the list is endless and occasionally includes plunging a toilet or two. We still do business the old fashioned way - up close and personal. I take great joy when a call comes in for my boss asking for her voice message machine, and I tell them they are speaking with it. I am without a doubt the shoulder the students cry on – the empathic listener, the go between, the boost when they are down and the raised eyebrow when they skip class. I remind them of the light at the end of the tunnel and how much I admire their personal sacrifice attending an evening program after working their usual jobs all day. Some have become my friends.

In the fall, one of our first year students was wearing a fancy fur sporran, which naturally made me curious as it is totally unusual and I had only seen pictures. (Now, I did not exactly ask to touch it at it as it is worn well, down there, and I have no interest of that nature in the man.) He had bought it while visiting Scotland (mainland - not the Hebrides) and decided it was handy for carrying stuff. In my opinion very few American men should wear a sporran, but on him it works ok (albeit a plain leather sporran would be more appropriate for casual wear, but no harm). He is a very quirky sort with an odd way of dressing/looking anyway – wispy long white hair held with a bandanna under a wide brimmed hat, full beard, suspenders, odd multi layering clothing, different accessories like a bright yellow coin purse made by women in South America…a culmination of all sorts of the unusual. The oddities make perfect sense because he is actually a roman catholic priest on some sort of leave-not exactly common knowledge. I guess when he took off the black pants, black shirt and white collar he went a bit nutty on the personal style expression. Early on, I shared with him my history with the church (raised in a strict catholic home, 11 years of parochial school, left the church on my 18th birthday…). Priests are somewhat regarded as demi-gods but not by me. As my Dad would say, they put their pants on one leg at a time like everyone else. One of our student librarians gives people nicknames, and she privately and aptly refers to him as the Leprechaun. I don’t know how he would react to such a title and I would never tell him, but I knew instantly whom she was referring to.

Anyway, he stopped by the office last week to say hello and as usual, I stopped my work to touch base. He said he was looking to buy one of those leather Bavarian shorts worn with suspenders. No disrespect to my Dad's ancestors, but good lord, not lederhosen! (Stereotypical visions of little boy embroidered short shorts crossed my mind.) I could feel my head and shoulders drop and my hand go to my forehead and through my hair in agony. Such was my fate to speak what he so desperately needed to hear. Without hesitating I told him absolutely NOT – to not even think of it. He already has his own style thing going, but there are limits. Get a pair of lederhosen and wear it to Oktoberfest and drink some beer and have fun, but that’s it. No lederhosen in Chico (leather shorts when it's 110 degrees? are you crazy?). No.

Then he said he was thinking about getting a kilt; how comfortable it would be. Are you kidding me!?! My answer was obvious (and no, he was not baiting me). I could not stop myself. Looking dead straight into his eyes, I told (ok more like scolded) him under no uncertain terms did I ever want to see him walk through the school doors wearing a kilt. Chico is not in Scotland, nor is he Scots! They make fun of Americans who do and he has to trust me on this. It would be ok to wear as formal attire at a wedding (kilt, jacket, hose, shoes and all is very handsome and appropriate), but not walking about town. No, no, no. If you have some sort of desire to feel the rush of air - wear it at home and in the yard, or go to a Highlands games in the Bay Area – knock yourself out. But no walking about town in a kilt.

After 25 years or so in the priesthood, the poor man just does not have a clue on how to fit in to secular society. One has to learn to check personal freedom from time to time. Even our college-age town transvestite dresses appropriately - simple blouse, skirt, heels, not too much make up - on a man way over 6 feet is quite unforgettable, but he pulls it off (of course it helps he has a pretty face and figure).

Why my otherwise intelligent student would want to open himself up to ridicule by wearing lederhosen or a kilt, I do not know. There is a time and place for such attire, and about town it ain't! Sadly, people might be judgemental and less likely to want to know the person he is inside. I am all in favor of personal style and rather like to see diversity, but there are boundaries (especially in the legal profession - especially if you hope to be employable). I could see he was a bit crushed, but it was for his own good and I told him so. (He actually said I was taking away his fantasy. What?!? This is his fantasy? Again, oh lord - they don't pay me enough for this.)

It was not easy to kindly give the hard truth knowing feelings might be hurt, but in good conscience I had no choice. Perhaps that is why he asked in the first place.

Guess I should now add “fashion consultant” to my job description.

super cute highland calfs

Seeing Simon's handsome photo was just too much to bear, so until I do a new post, here's some Highland mamma cows and their SUPER CUTE babies. :))


Stewart's herd on the Isle of Eigg.