This is that time of year, when I begin to question my sanity. The sun sets before 5pm, the ice starts to crust over the rivers and lakes, and a bone-deep cold burrows in and refuses to let go until spring. I don’t ski, I don’t ice-skate because the few times I have tried I have spent most of it on my ass, and we don’t have a fireplace around which to warm up.
And yet, there is something about the winter months that I find profoundly inspiring: long weekend days spent stirring a bubbling stew and listening to old country records, the way the wind breathes through the bare trees, and how even those cold-hardy veggies in my garden finally give up the ghost until the spring thaw. I write more in the winter months. With no ticks or black flies to bat away, hiking is even more pleasurable. Sure, I will miss sliding my canoe in the water or driving tent stakes into soft soil, ready to spend a warm night under the stars, but the time away from those activities make me appreciate them more. At least that’s what I will keep telling myself. Remind me to come back and reread (and eat) my own words three months from now!
On Friday, we returned to The Mouzon House in Saratoga Springs, NY, for yet another super-fun show. Mouzon House gigs are a homecoming, of sorts; a joyous occasion to catch up with old friends and family and make music with good people. Thank you to Tony Markellis for continuing to invite us back to his long-running music series. Best of all, we get to do it again soon! If you missed our November show, we will be back on Friday, December 28!
We have begun to book our winter and early spring dates, so be on the lookout for those. On Friday, March 1, we will return to one of our favorite venues, the Fallout Shelter, in Norwood, MA. Check back soon for info about tickets and start time. For now, I will leave you with a live performance of “Burning Down the Dark” shot there last year. Enjoy!