A Slovenian Waltz

This is Vojko Ukmar, and he is a sweet player.

Watch for WC at mister anchovy's

I've been following Wandering Coyote's blog for quite some time now and I know many of the regulars here at mister anchovy's have been as well. Her blog is warm and amusing and at the same time frank and personal. I was very pleased to find out that she was interested in being a contributor to this little oasis as well.

Please welcome Wandering Coyote to mister anchovy's neighbourhood, and also take some time to visit her at her own blog.

BC Burning

Thanks so much to Mr. Anchovy for inviting me to contribute here. For those of you who don't know me, I live in a very small town called Rossland in the southern portion of British Columbia called the Kootenays. It's a beautiful and geographically diverse area, predominated by alpine mountains, large rivers like the Columbia, and clean, glacier-fed lakes.

Rossland itself is situated on top of a mountain that, way back in the mists of time, was once a volcano. We get tons of snow, and last winter we had a lot of snow, which is good news because the snow pack is what provides us with our water supply. However, we are having an exceptionally hot, dry summer, which is bad news because this means that our forest fire risk is extremely high right now.

Back on July 9, we had a spectacular thunderstorm that, via some wicked fork lightning, ignited several small forest fires within view of our town. They were reported to the forestry service quickly, and soon thereafter we had a lot of water bomber, plane, and helicopter action. It was great to see these fires dealt with in a timely manner.

Not everyone in the area has been so lucky. One of the most pristine, beautiful areas in the Kootenays, the Slocan, is dealing with a large fire that has necessitated the evacuation of several homes near Slocan City. There is also a decent-sized fire near Nelson, another beautiful spot about an hour from here.

The CBC reported yesterday that the Trail area, which is where I live (Trail is 10km down the mountain from Rossland) is having the hottest summer on record. I am not surprised; often the temperature recorded in Trail (admittedly in the hottest part of the city - right downtown in the middle of a cement parking lot) is in the low to mid 40s. I've even seen it as high as 47C. There is no rain in sight. Today, the CBC reports that more houses are on evacuation alert due to the fires in the area, and a ban on all open burning is now in place.

This is by no means the worst fire season in BC. 2003 saw the devastating Okanagan Mountain Park fire, as well as huge fires near Chase and Kamloops - the damage from which can still be seen to day if you're traveling along the Trans Canada in that area.

For those of us who reside in these tinder-dry forested areas of BC, it is so important to exercise caution when out in the woods. No campfires. Don't even put a cigarette out on a hiking trail! Keep your vehicle on the street, because even exhaust can ignite a fire. Obey fire bans. Wait to get your firewood until it's safe - chainsaws can start fires, too.

For more information on how to help prevent our forests from burning, you can visit the BC wildfire prevention page here, and if you're a reader in BC, the forest fire hotline is 1-800-663-5555, or *5555 on your cell phone.

Tom Snyder RIP

Broadcaster Tom Snyder, best known for the Tomorrow show has died at 71.

I used to enjoy the very peculiar Tomorrow program, where Tom and his guests would fill the studio with cigarette smoke while conversing. I recall the night he had John Lyndon on from his Public Image Ltd days. As I recall, John kept correcting Tom, saying it's a company, not a band. Although it has been many years since I have seen him on TV, I found Tom Snyder to be an entertaining, engaging and somewhat odd broadcaster. RIP

Is the Toronto Sun being petty?

Is the Toronto Sun being petty examining how our city councillors are spending their office budgets? Since the Mayor was not successful in his immediate bid to hike taxes and is now looking at budget cuts, it's fair game to look at how our elected officials are spending our money. Sure the rag is being sensationalist as usual, but our councillors should be open and accountable when spending our dough. In fact, a healthy and public audit is not a bad idea.

Favourite Covers + Roland Kirk

What's your favourite cover tune? There are quite a few I like a lot, like Boozoo Chavis playing The Twist, and Chris Ardoin playing Papa's got a brand new bag. There is Johnny Winter playing Highway 61 revisited; Johnny Cash singing Nick Lowe's The Beast in Me; Lucinda Williams singing Cold Cold Heart. Johnny Cash singing Gentle on my Mind; Handsome Ned singing Merle Haggard's Silver Wings.

Here's one I found surfing around on You Tube tonight. It's Roland Kirk in Hamburg, playing (and singing) My Girl. I wouldn't know anything at all about Roland Kirk except that I play Go with a fellow who plays Kirk's material quite a bit while we sit down with the Go stones. Mr. Kirk was a fantastic player, and I think you'll really enjoy this video (no accordions, promise).

Clutter

I have been invited to add an occasional post to Mr Anchovy's message board blog. I had an absolutely wonderful article to begin my guest-blogging career. Full of humour and deep meaningful thoughts.

This morning, just as I was about to reach for it, ready to type it into this post, IT arose from the bowels of my desk, a formless mass that spread and covered itself over everything I was looking for.

"Who are you?" I asked IT.

"I am Clutter," the mass answered, "and I am here to confound your life. I am the things you refuse to throw out though you haven't used them in six years, the miscellaneous papers, phone numbers, business cards, and chatckas you accumulate and don't put away. I am the inevitable manifestation of your sloppiness. I am Clutter."

I grabbed Clutter and moved it from one end of the desk to the other.

Clutter chortled. "That's my favorite pastime. Moving from one end of the desk to the other."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"To frustrate you. I will resist all attempts to remove me, reduce me, or otherwise eliminate me. It's my purpose to hide whatever important piece of paper you need, whichever phone number you must call."

"I'm throwing you out," I stormed.

Clutter shook his untidy mass sadly, as in pity. "Not without looking through me to see if there's anything you really need," Clutter answered. "The odds are slim, but you won't take that chance. And while your sorting through me, I'll re-form in another pile."

"But you'll be smaller, more manageable."

"Not really. You'll decide to keep 90% of me, as you always do. And soon, new papers, numbers, documents will gather, making me more obstructive than ever."

"You won't ruin my life, Clutter! I'll start a filing system. Put a bit of you where you belong."

Clutter gazed at me contemptuously. "The last time you tried that, you created my cousins, Chaos and Disorder. It'll never work."

Clutter had me and I knew it. Attempts in the past to file things alphabetically had only created 26 piles of mess instead of one. I was desperate, so I decided to bluff.

"I'll take a time management course," I threatened. Clutter quite rightly ignored my remark. I wasn't dealing with an idiot, after all.

"Then I'll buy a computer and store you on my floppy disks!"

"And within a month your disk-filing system will be in total disarray, plus you'll have another pile of papers waiting to be entered onto disks. Face it, you can't win."

Exasperated, I ran to the closet. "I'll throw you in here!"

Clutter had been to the closet before me. Shoes were scattered, shirts were unhung, clumps of pants and underwear lay strewn next to towels and a lawn chair. Socks congealed in small piles, looking like the waste product of some nylon-eating monster. Cliff notes from A Tale of Two Cities lay atop the heater.

"Clutter," I yelled. "You have crippled my productivity for the last time. No longer will I be late, no more will I miss appointments, Never again shall I be overwhelmed by your size and withdraw into reading old magazines. I am going out to the store to buy a paper shredder."

I looked around for a long moment. "Now where did I leave my keys?"

Clutter burped.

Providing the stars align and Blogger accepts me and Mr Anchovy permits me, I'll be back in a week with something more.

Hey, what's going on over here?

I mentioned a week or so ago that I wanted to introduce some new voices to this little island. Hence, the name change from mister anchovy to mister anchovy's. It turns out that there are a few folks out there in blogland who are interested in contributing some posts. There isn't really any structure around this. As it develops, some contributors will post from time-to-time, and others may post all-the-time. No rulebook. It's hard to say what will happen along the way.

Once the blogger 'widget' decides to allow me to add a new page element (see post below...it has been behaving inconsistently), I'll add a list of contributors with links to the side bar, so you know who is coming and going. As well, there is an identifier on each post, so you know who is posting what.

The first person to venture forth into anchovy-world is Ærchie from Archie's Archive, The Curmudgeon’s Magazine. I've only been following his blog for a short while, but I find myself drawn back there regularly. Check it out. Readers can expect to see a first post over here by Ærchie soon, and future posts, whenever he feels the urge.

Watch for other new contributors soon.

Blogger not cooperating

Well, I started messing about with my template tonight, including adding a new banner with photos, that I did up in PhotoShop. I loaded earlier versions no problem, but when I tried to load the final version, Blogger just decided not to cooperate...no explanation, no error messages, nada. I just couldn't upload the picture. So, if you see some inexplicable changes happening to my banner Sunday, it's just me trying to get my new banner in place. grrrrrr

Update:
I was able to do some of the things I wanted to my template but not all, using Blogger's handy widget. For instance, I merged two link lists, but when I tried to create a new link list page element, I was able to do it in Safari but not in Firefox, and in neither could I then move the page element. I hope Blogger will still let me mess with the html...maybe I can go into the code and do what I want that way (kinda like the old blogger, eh?)

Ask a Mexican

I have an accordion news RSS feed on my sidebar, that picked up this curious
column today, called Ask a Mexican. It's about Sinaloa and the Mexican narco-culture. The RSS picked it up because it refers to the narco-corrido, which is described as gangsta rap gone polka.

Rock Garden

Well, here's the rock garden I've been working on. It's going to look a lot better when all those new plants settle in, and spread around a bit - but you can get a good idea now my vision for the overall garden.

A Stompin Tom moment

Every had an earworm? You know, a song that plays over and over in your mind? I was working out in the garden this afternoon to the tune of Tilsonburg by Stompin Tom Connors.

Here's a Toronto group, Novar Road, covering Tilsonburg. For those of you not from around here, Tilsonburg is tobacco country, in Southwestern Ontario. Tilsonburg, Tilsonburg, my back still aches when I hear the word.
The notes on YouTube mention that this was recorded at the Black Swan Tavern.

I guess if I post a Stompin Tom cover, I'd better post something performed by Mr. Connors himself. Here's a live clip of Sudbury Saturday Night, from way back.


Leamington Ontario is the Ketchup capital of Ontario. Here's a fun video of Stompin Tom's Ketchup song. The bottle drips all over the chips, down in ketchup country.


And finally, what must be Tom's most famous effort, Bud the Spud

The Folk Den - Roger McGuinn in the Folk Tradition

Roger McGuinn (yes, he used to be a Byrd) has been recording, archiving and making available on the net, folk songs, for over a decade now. You can access mp3s of over 200 songs here. They're categorized in groups like Mountain/Southern, Seafaring, Cowboy, and so on. He has also re-recorded them at better sound quality and made them available for sale in a 4 CD set. Fantastic Project, and a great resource for the folk music freaks in the crowd (um, uh, ok that's me).

Postcard, Forest of No Return

Here's a different sort of postcard. This is a new painting called Postcard, Forest of No Return that I made for my friend C. To give you an idea of scale, the whole painting is around 30 inches wide. It is made up of two panels that hang butted together. This painting is oil and alkyd enamel on canvas.

I've made several other paintings in the past year or so also bearing the title Forest of No Return. Those paintings are all the same size and all quite small. The title was borrowed from the title of a song. I first heard the song on a CD called Second Star to the Right by Sun Ra and his Arkestra - a CD that is a tribute to Walt Disney. I understand that the song comes from the 1961 Disney flick, Babes in Toyland. There is also a 1934 Laurel and Hardy Babes in Toyland, but I don't know if Forest of no Return is on that film or not. Maybe the movie freaks in the crowd can help me out on this.

Postcard 1

Dear Sis,
You were right when you said the farm was in my blood. When I left for the city I never expected to land a job making combines, that's for sure. I took two rooms above the five & dime and there's a diner just down the street. Please tell mom city life is all I hoped it would be, and more. Give my love to everyone.

Gus

Fast fingers

Here's a Portuguese piece I found on You Tube. This fellow - his name is Nelson Costa - is a very fast player. The sound has kind of a carnival feel about it, and that has to do with the tuning of his box. Many of the Portuguese players favour what they call wet tuning or full musette. I found a good explanation of this on Wiki:
The tuning used in accordions, also called "wet" tuning, where two or more sets of reeds are tuned slightly off pitch from each other, giving a vibrato effect. True musette tuning uses three reeds, one "on pitch", one slightly below, and one slightly above; however, many accordions only use two sets of reeds tuned slightly apart from one other. The degree of "wetness" is determined by how far apart the reeds are tuned. Musette can also mean a register setting of two middle reeds together (two "clarinet" reeds equaling a "violin" reed) plus a higher octave reed, producing a pleasant, bright sound that is associated with French accordion music.

The box i play is tuned with some musette, particularly on the right side, but not nearly to the degree of the instrument in this video. It's possible to change the tuning of your reeds, but it requires either expertise or money - as somebody who knows what they are doing has to scrape and file the reeds to get the sound just so.

The John B Sails

J & I recorded tonight. The last one we put down, a College St. version of a traditional Cajun two-step sounds great - J added some synthesized tuba during the week and now it just needs to be mixed down.

I sat down and played a version of the Sloop John B. for J, and we decided to record it, with a slow hymn-like intro, and new instruments added each verse. Everyone knows this melody and I think most people would say it is a Beach Boys tune, because they had a pop hit with it. Here's a description of the origin of the song, from the Old Town School of Music in Chicago:
Around 1926, John T. McCutcheon and his wife learned to sing this song while spending time in the West Indies. McCutcheon was a world traveller, philosopher and the Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist for the Chicago Tribune. He said of “The John B. Sails” that, “Time and usage have given the song almost the dignity of a national anthem around Nassau.”
A sloop is a kind of sailing vessel which commonly has only one mast and perhaps a bowsprit - a single spar extending forward from the front end of the boat. The kind of sloops that sailed around Nassau, and the kind referenced in “The John B. Sails,” were smallish, perhaps 16-footers. They functioned much like country wagons in pioneer America. With a crew of 4 or 5 sailors, a crowded little sloop may have brought livestock, produce, passengers and other goods for trade from an island two or three hundred miles away. Sea-scarred and ragged, its deck only a few inches above the waves, a sloop carried no charts, no compasses and no auxiliary engine. The only navigational tools were the instincts and experience of a Bahamian pilot who was at home on the reef-filled azure sea.
In the mid-1950s, singer and actor Harry Belafonte added many of the popular folk songs from his Caribbean heritage - including “The John B. Sails” - to his performances and recordings, effectively igniting the Calypso movement in American popular song.
Around that same time, the Old Town School of Folk Music was founded in Chicago. There's a story that says “The John B. Sails” was the first song sung by Frank Hamilton, Win Stracke and a host of other musicians and prospective students as part of the opening ceremonies at the Old Town School.

We are recording the tune as an instrumental, but many of you will remember these lyrics:

THE JOHN B's SAILS

[D] We come on the sloop John B,
my Grandfather and me.
Around Nassau town we did [A7] roam.
Drinkin' all [D] night.
Got into a [G] - [Em] fight.
Well, I [D] feel so break up, [A7] I want to go [D] home.

Chorus:
Hoist up the John B's sails.
See how the main sails set.
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home.
Let me go home.
I want to go home.
Well, I feel so break up, I want to go home.

First mate, he got drunk.
Broke up the people's trunk.
Constable had to come and take him away.
Sheriff John Stone,
why don't you leave me alone?
Well, I feel so break up, I want to go home.

Chorus

Well, the poor cook he caught the fits.
Throw away all of my grits.
Then he took and he ate up all of my corn.
Let me go home.
I want to go home.
This is the worst trip since I've been born.

Chorus

Here is Roger McGuinn singing The John B Sails.
And here is the Beach Boys with their take on the song:


...but how about Johnny Cash and Eddy Albert (???) singing it? Har!

a day off

I'm taking tomorrow off work....I want to try to finish off the back yard landscaping, which seems to be an everlasting project. I still have to make a little rock garden and clean up the original patio... but tonight I'm off to play some Go, so I might have to sleep in a little in the morning....see ya later

Railroading on the Great Divide

It's great to see Utah Phillips is still out there playing. This is from 2007 at the Strawberry Music Festival. I particularly enjoyed his comments about oil. Utah is a fantastic storyteller and a fabulous songwriter too. If he ever comes to your town, be there! I attended one of his shows many years ago at the Transat Club in Toronto. I think that was located in the Annex, but I can't remember exactly where now. Utah came out dressed like some old time train engineer, with his long white hair tied back and hanging down to his waste. He's a self-professed anarchist and a Wobbly too. Phillips walks out on stage as if he is walking out of another time. The past, after all, didn't go anywhere.

A blast from the past...for East Texas Red

I was surfing around looking at some old music clips tonight and came across this one by Ian & Sylvia, from many years back, singing about a dog named blue. I thought my friend East Texas Red would enjoy this one.

Oh by the way....

For those of you hoping for an accordion video tonight, please visit Let's Polka for a superb bit of Brazilian folk music.

Hollyhocks

I love hollyhocks, and today I saw this beautiful bunch of them growing at Tuffy's dad's cottage. He has some fantastic gardens up there.

Kawartha Lakes dead carp

I had heard about bacteria-related carp kills in the Kawarthas lately - particularly in Scugog and in Sturgeon Lakes. I spent today at my father-in-law's cottage on Pigeon Lake and I saw for myself that the problem has spread here too. I counted half a dozen large dead carp afloat within a few yards of where I was standing.

Was it something I said?

I couldn't help but notice that visits to this little oasis have dropped in half in the last week. Is this summer blogging doldrums, or is it something I said? Well, mister anchovy, a friend said, you HAVE been posting a lot of accordion videos lately. Har, I say! And you have been very critical of that nice man Mayor Miller in the last week. Bah, I say!

So who's still coming, beyond what Phil Ochs called 'a small circle of friends'. Let's look at recent search words:

cfrb radio the motts pictures - well, I certainly wouldn't post those!
beau jest long beach - I HAVE written about Beau Jocque.
mister anchovy - that's me!
johnny cash finger - ya,ya,ya already
vibrandoneon - I'm not sure why google picks this one up. Maybe I posted a pic of one once?
mr.anchovie - only one person spells my name this way.
bonnie stern, guacamole - is pretty good
scrubby and the dynatones - may have been the best polka band in the 80's, out of Buffalo New York
johnny cash unearthed - ya,ya,ya already
johnny cash unearthed - you'd think all I do is write about Johnny freakin Cash
exotic-beast - The beast in me is held by frail and fragile bars / Nick Lowe
mister anchovy - hey that's me again
johnny cash finger - ya, ya, ya
vibrandoneon - again
johnny cash finger - OK, already
John Howlin Artist painter - an old friend who died not so long ago
johnny cash finger - !
john howlin - again
Bukowski obit omaha, nebraska - I like Bukowski's work, but I don't think I've written about it, or at least not much
mister anchovy - me again


An idea for the future

For some time, I've nurtured the idea of evolving this place from mister anchovy to mister anchovy's - featuring a number of regular 'columns' by various people who hang out here. One person might write about movies, or books; another might write about food; another might write about art, and so on. I'm open for suggestions. The problem of course is that most people who want to write on blogs, write on their own blog.
If any of you out there are interested in participating in this experiment and writing or posting on mister anchovy, email me and let's talk (email: misteranchovy@excite.com). Meanwhile, it's about time for an accordion video, isn't it? Har!

Shuffle off to Buffalo

Late this morning, we packed a lunch, hopped in the car and drove to Buffalo to see the exhibition Francis Bacon in the 1950s, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. We normally only have an occasional opportunity to see one of Bacon's paintings, and to see such a large group of them is rare indeed. I'll really like the Albright-Knox and have as long as I can recall. They get some fantastic shows traveling through, and they have a permanent collection that I really enjoy.

Traffic was bad most of the way to Buffalo. We decided to cross to the States at Lewiston, which turned out to be a bad idea. It took close to three hours to cross the border. It seemed like the customs people were spending a lot of time with just about everyone. Once we finally got to the customs booth, we got through quickly, but the wait before that seemed never-ending. The fellow at customs saw our cooler and asked us if we were transporting any food across the border...we said no, and he said, "I know, you planned a picnic and ended up eating it all on the bridge. Have a good trip".

The Bacon show was fantastic. His paintings are dark and twisted and intense. From the catalogue, by Michael Peppiatt:"Photographs of Francis Bacon as a very young man show an immaculately dressed youth with neatly parted hair and a fresh round face consumed by the intensity of his wide-set eyes. It is the gaze of a child surprised and fascinated by the mystery of the world. It both penetrates and receives: nothing is taken for granted. Years later, his look remains wide-eyed and astonished, its pure visual energy unclouded. Yet by the time Cecil Beaton photographs Bacon in the late 1950s, a wariness has crept into the eyes. The young man has lost his innocence, but not his wonder. The gaze turns now to the scream of pain and pleasure; the shudder of beast and man; the monkey in the cage; the couple in the grass; the grain of the paint; the blur of a snapshot. Having taken in so much of the world, the eyes harden. Later they will grow old in a young face. The smooth cheeks, the carefully tousled hair will continue to proclaim Bacon's uncanny youth, defying a lifetime of every excess. But like the portrait of Dorian Grey, the eyes will continue to absorb and record.

Here's an overview of the show from the gallery website.

In the short time we had at the Bacon exhibition, I learned quite a bit about Bacon's work, and a thing or two about painting along the way. Very powerful pictures!

There was also a nice little show of photographs on by Ken Heyman, called Pop Portraits. These are photos of some of the pop artists in their heyday. It offered some light relief from the intensity of the Bacon work.

And so now, after the drive, the wait, the gallery, and the drive back, we're both tired out. Good night, all.

Scare Tactics

The papers are full of City Hall scare tactics. They can't have their tax hikes, so now there is talk of shutting down the Shepherd subway line - big TTC cuts. Big cuts everywhere.

Breathe deeply. Calm Blue Ocean Calm Blue Ocean Calm Blue Ocean.

Be reasonable, Mr. Miller.

10 years

Thanks to The Presurfer for pointing out the other day that blogging is ten years old.

Squid Jiggin'

Every have one of those days, when you'd just rather be squid-jiggin'? That's today.
The video on top features Ryan's Fancy from the 70s.

Toronto Tax Revolt

Mister Anchovy salutes Suzan Hall, for her motion to defer the Miller tax hikes until after the provincial elections in the fall to put pressure on provincial candidates to upload social services money. To quote Royson James in the Star, "Council's mushy middle collapsed arund Miller, likely because they have never been wooed and made to feel a part of the action at city hall".

Now there is time for some second thought, and some creative proposals on the cost side.

For those readers not from Toronto, please bear with me, as I list the councillors and their votes.

Councillors who voted yes to Ms. Hall's motion:
Brian Ashton, Maria Augimeri, Mike Del Grande, Mike Feldman, Rob Ford, Mark Grimes, Suzan Hall, Doug Holyday, Cliff Jenkins, Chin Lee, Peter Milczn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ron Moeser, Frances Nunziata, Case Ootes, Cesar Palacia, John Parker, Anthony Peruzza, Bill Saundercook, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson and Michael Walker.

Councillors who voted no:
Paul Ainslie, Sandra Bussin, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Frank di Giorgio, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Adam Giambrone, Adrian Heaps, Norm Kelly, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Pam McConnell, Joe Mihevc, Mayor Miller, Howard Moscoe, Joe Pantalone, Gord Perks, Kyle Rae, and Adam Vaughan.

Politicos out there will have noted that Brian Ashton, from Mayor Miller's Executive Council - voted yes. He will likely be turfed from the Miller camp for his disobedience to the king. It was a brave move.

The Jon-a-thon

We were at a benefit show last night called the Jon-a-thon, a benefit for Jonathan Purdy-Flacks. I was very happy to see a sold out show, and lots of bidders on the silent auction items. We came home with some excellent silent auction items ourselves.

The show featured appearances by Sho Mo & the Monkey Bunch, Sonja Smits, John Alcorn, Dawn Whitwell, Women Fully Clothed, Elvira Kurt, Peter Kellechan, Leah Pinsent, Mann Murray, Christine Brubaker, Richard Greenblatt, Jane Ford, Maggie Cassella, Colin Mochrie, Michele Landsberg and Mark McKinney, and was hosted by Bruce McCulloch.

We had a great time for a great cause!

I think Rossi has decided he likes it here

New taxes in Toronto?

If our tax money is being spent appropriately, and we don't have enough to maintain good services, I don't have an issue with new or additional taxes. Before I hear about them though, I want to hear how the local politicians are spending our money more wisely. I haven't heard that. I have heard a lot about about a TTC right of way on St. Clair and I have heard a lot about whacking down old trees and narrowing Lansdowne, both with large price tags.


I suspect Mr. Miller was re-elected due to lack of viable opponents. I don't recall him telling us during the last campaign that he was going to raise taxes. I was involved with the last election, and I don't think I would have missed such a statement. Suddenly, we're in trouble, we have a huge short-fall, there are no options.... How much did the Mayor's new office cost again?


Forgive my cynicism.

Update
I just watched the news on Global. Hundreds of people went down to City Hall today, filling the Council chambers, including standing room, in what I can only call a tax revolt.

Bill Carroll, in his commentary, suggested that Torontonians will have a long memory about this, and predicted, "Miller is finished in Toronto". They will be debating until late tonight before the vote, but Mr. Carroll believes it will pass because Councillors know there are three long years for people to forget before the next election.

We see very low interest in municipal politics in Toronto, but if you don't find out about the candidates and what they stand for, and if you don't vote, we have to suffer bad Councillors.

wait, wait....Tuffy just called me - she says they've decided to defer the tax hikes until after the Ontario elections in the fall....this by one vote.

New Raised Garden

I made my wacky tower garden today. You can see along the left side of it that I have planted a trumpet vine....there is one beside the other raised garden now too. The idea is that it will grow all over the cobbles.

Our Rose of Sharon has started to bloom

The blooms just started the other day...pretty soon, it will be engulfed in them.

A musical visit to Newfoundland

The volume on this video is a little low, but still, it is fantastic - they're playing Mussels in the Corner, a Newfoundland reel. I love this tune, and I've been practicing a version of it on my 3-row.


and here, it's great to see some young people keeping the music alive. This piece builds and gets better and better.


....and finally, this is Mike and Renee Batten again squeezing out a set of jigs.
I love this music.

The Kimberley Accordion Championships

The Kimberley Accordion Championships are happening as we speak in beautiful British Columbia. It was written up in the Globe today. If anyone out there was able to go and enjoy the festivities, please report in.

Black convicted on 4 counts

This is the big news headline here in Toronto as former Canadian, former press baron, soon to be former arrogant rich guy, Conrad Black....is convicted for mail fraud and obstructing justice. He will appeal, but from what I've read, his chances won't be great. He may also have to give up much if not all of his wealth to settle the civil suits which will inevitably follow. You can bet that Hollinger shareholders what their $60M back.

CTV reported tonight that Black wants his Canadian citizenship back, but may not be able to get it. He renounced it a while back so he could become a British Lord. Now that he is a convicted felon, he will have trouble getting into Canada at all.

So, will he do his time, and write about it? Will he disappear with wife Barbara? Or will he, as was suggested by a commenter the other day, simply off himself to avoid facing the humiliation. Meanwhile, Black has a new book out about Richard Nixon, and I understand he is no slouch as an amateur historian.

Senior cat

William is the senior cat around here, since Twiggy died. He's about 14, and he's one complex cat. To start with, he's way too smart to be a cat, and that's a problem when you're stuck in a cat's body and you don't even have opposable thumbs.

Honest Ed, RIP

Honest Ed Mirvish has died. He was 92. All Torontonians know something or other about Honest Ed. He built a retail empire at Bloor and Bathurst. He gave away free turkeys every Thanksgiving. He spearheaded commercial theatre in Toronto after purchasing the building that would become the Royal Alex, on King St. He became a restauranteur, after opening Ed's Warehouse in the theatre district he created. An area of several blocks in the Annex is known as Mirvish Village. RIP

Will Black do time?

I just checked the headlines and I don't see a verdict, so I guess the jury is still out on Conrad Black and his cronies.

What do you think....will they find him guilty on some or all of the charges?....will he do time in the big house?

I predict he will go down on some of the charges only, and will have to do modest jail time......

Searches that found Anchovy World Headquarters

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Concertina

sweet.

This next one is lovely too. Note that the Pedrosini box has a much "wetter" sound than the Hohner - it sounds like there is more tremelo.

You Kill Me

First, I have to say:
- I'd watch Ben Kingsley in anything
- I really liked several films directed by John Dahl, such as Kill me Again with Val Kilmer, Red Rock West with Nicolas Cage and Dennis Hopper, and The Last Seduction with Linda Fiorentino

Unlike most Dahl films, You Kill Me isn't driven by the plot twist. It's more about character, and in this case, the character of an alcoholic hit-man. That said, I want to describe the film as a romantic comedy.

It's a ridiculous film. Kingsley is great in it and his co-star Tia Lioni is delightful.

Rating: A 3/4 full can of tasty, juicy salties

We were looking for something to watch on TV and....

came across the broadcast of that weird long earth concert yesterday....not quite sure what it was supposed to accomplish but....

....we saw a bit of an interview with a band called Black-eyed Peas, and one of the fellows in the band was telling us he took the environment very seriously, and even decided to sell his Hummer.

Admirable contribution.

I've been tagged

....by the Underground Baker

1. Name your favorite professional cook or restaurant.
That changes all the time. I had an uncle who was a French chef, and coincidentally also a spy....
3.What kind of pitch would you give the Food Network?
I don't know but there would be a little accordion combo on the show for sure.
4.Which is your favorite city for food, (not mentioning your home town)? I haven't traveled all that much. I loved the bbq in Memphis and the grilled sardines in Lisboa.
5.Who is your favorite food writer?
I really enjoyed reading Stanley Park, by Timothy Taylor. It is a novel and not technically food writing, but one of the main characters is a chef.
6.Are you a Wilsonian Idealist or Nixonian Realist in foreign policy?
Huh?
7.What is your favorite food show?
I used to really like that British show, Two Fat Ladies

Whew, that was the first set of tag questions, and now for the second.

1.What were you doing 10 years ago?
Working, painting, playing Go, chasing trout, living in Toronto
2.What were you doing 1 year ago?
Same but add making music
3.What five snacks do you enjoy?
pizza, guacamole and chips, hot olives, coffee flavoured yoghurt, pistachios
4.What five recipes do you have memorized?
Lots, but most importantly, my mom's recipes for pirogi, cabbage rolls and patychkys.
5.What five things would you do if you were a millionaire?
I'd get in a little more trout fishing, painting and music-making for sure.
6.List five bad food/eating habits.
I'm sure I've got them all.
7.What five things do you like cooking/preparing?
I like to slow bbq short ribs; I like to make pizza; I like to make bread; I like braising meats; I like making omlettes
8.What five things would you never eat or buy?
I just can't work up a taste for organ meats.

I don't tag anyone.

Recording continues

Yesterday, J and I recorded the Vira de Santa Marta, a Portuguese tune. We played button accordion and piano accordion together, then added a tambourine track, bass drum track and finally triangle. Next week, the plan is to put down another Portuguese tune, this time an untitled corridinho (it may have a title but we don't know it). A corridinho is a fast Portuguese dance played in 4/4 time.

Fantastic Jam

Follow the link to Squeezy's blog and check out this amazing Klezmer jam session. This video left me breathless.

The Yellowstone and Teton Song Contest

"Based on a simple premise that America’s greatest places should be accompanied by great songs, the Western Folklife Center is sponsoring a contest for the best songs and other musical compositions inspired by the greater Yellowstone area. The contest runs from May 1 through July 31, 2007."
details...
...thanks East Texas Red

Off to play go tonight

I'm off to my friend R's house to play Go tonight. He's been playing particularly well lately and last time out, he beat me every game. All the more reason to redouble my efforts and figure out how to destroy his positions.

“I always wanted to be somebody so I composed music,” he said.

Sad Songs Act as Heritage of Community

thanks, East Texas Red

Backyard update

Click on the photo to enlarge.
The yard isn't quite done yet, but it's getting there. On the weekend, I completed the path. If you take it to the back of the property, my studio is the building at the back, and to the right of that is the new patio, behind the Japanese maple. I also completed the raised garden on the weekend. It will look a lot better once the plants make themselves at home. Next year, I'm going to have flowering vines climbing the outside of the raised garden. Just behind it, you can see the remainder of my 13,000 pounds of stone. It is going to be one more small raised garden, beyond and to the left of the Grey Owl pompom juniper. There is much more room in there than there appears to be in the picture. I took the photo from the patio just behind the house, which I'm not touching this year. In the foreground on the left, there remains a pile of soil. I'm going make that area into a rockery from the raised garden to the foreground patio - hopefully before the end of the month.

This is a situation where the power of a vision is stronger than daunting physical reality - in other words, it has been way more work than I considered. If I had allowed myself to seriously consider the extent of the labour, I may well have not done it. As well, my neighbours Joseph and Clarence each helped me when I really needed it. Tuffy and I are fortunate to have some fantastic people living around us.

By the way, there is another garden you can't see, off to the right. It includes several peonies, a butterfly japanese maple, a big old rose, and a rose o' sharon, among other things.

96 tears

The other day I posted Mendocino by the Sir Douglas Quintet. It reminded me of 96 tears by ? and the Mysterians. Interesting tune....almost rock&roll, almost tex-mex, extra cheese with that organ, waiter.

There are a few bands in the known universe that haven't played this tune, but I'll spare you.

Ice Cream Army Update

When I left off, my list of Toronto ice cream trucks looked like this:

Ice Cream Army
Captain Cone
Mister Softee
Mister Twister
MMM MMM Good Johnny Jr.
Delicious Desserts
King of Cones

June 28 - spotted Mr. Freeze

Now I can add:
July 3 - spotted King Kone II + Tiny Treats

Mendocino

This is the Sir Douglas Quintet from the late 60s, featuring the late Doug Sahm and Augie Meyers. If this sound seems familiar, it may be because you've heard Sahm and Meyers 25 years later in the incarnation they called Texas Tornados with Freddie Fender and squeezebox great Flaco Jimenez.

Doug Sahm was only 58 when he died of a heart attack while vacationing in Taos, New Mexico. Sahm was a prodigy on most stringed instruments, and even played with Hank Williams weeks before Mr. Williams checked out.

Tuffy's Canada Day Muffins