I took these shots this morning in a local forest. So, what’s the plural of trillium? Is it trilliums? Trillia? Or is it simply trillium?
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The left hand
On the piano accordion, I’m much better on the keyboard side than on the bass side. I play basic bass and chord stuff OK but I’m not very accomplished at playing single note bass runs. I want to change that, so I’ve started practicing scales with my left hand. Then I’m going to learn some basic bass runs and practice them up until I can apply them wherever I need to. I think I’ve been avoiding this, but the time has come to crash down that barrier to my playing. Click on the diagram to expand.
How ’bout them Habs, eh?
Readers of this here blog know full well I’m no big sports enthusiast. But, hey, I do love a giant-killer, don’t you? And what an exciting finish….a trifle more exciting that your average mid-season hockey extravaganza, that’s for sure. Bring on the next bunch…go Habs!
Mazurka
The following is from Wikipedia:
The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow kujawiak, and the fast oberek. The mazurek is always found to have either a triplet, trill, dotted eighth note (quaver) pair, or an ordinary eighth note pair before two quarter notes (crotchets). In the 19th century, the dance became popular in ballrooms in the rest of Europe. The Polish national anthem has a mazurek rhythm but is too slow to be considered a mazurek. There are many Polish editions of the mazurek but the most notable one is the mazurka.
In Polish, this musical form is called “mazurek“—a word derived from “mazur,” which up to the nineteenth century denoted an inhabitant of Poland’s Mazovia region, and which also became the root for “Masuria.” In Polish, “mazurka” is actually the genitive and accusative cases of “mazurek.”
The player in the first example is playing a chromatic button accordion made by Petosa, which is based in Seattle.
I like this simple and beautiful arrangement. The instrument looks like a triple row diatonic button accordion, but it has an unusual bass setup with three rows on the bass side instead of two.
Here’s one that features two squeeze-boxes.
Finally, here’s a mazurka played on an Anglo Concertina:
Ramps
On Sunday, I’m going to meet up with my brother Salvelinas in an effort to find a few morels. Since we’ve had little rain, I’m not too confident we’re going to find mushrooms, but it is a chance to take the dogs for a good walk in the woods, and that’s always fun, even if there are no mushrooms to be had. We’re going to explore a forest I’ve only been in once, and even then for just a short way and for just a short time. Salvelinas tells me that there is a very good possibility we will find wild leeks, also known as ramps, in this forest. I’ve never foraged for these delicacies before, so I’m looking forward to it. I understand they are tasty and you can use them as you would spring onions.
Have any of you gathered or cooked with wild leeks before?
Talijanska
I like this piece a lot. I also really like the lovely little chromatic button accordion this fellow is playing. It’s a beauty.
What Happened?
I just realized that my blogroll had gone AWOL. I don’t know what happened, but I found it, gave it a good talking to, and put it back.
Oscar
Join me over at SqueezeMyLemon for some bluesy Oscar Peterson selections.
Parsnip Nut Salad
Here’s what to do:
Slice some parsnips into eighth inch thick pieces. Put them in a baking dish. Drizzle a little nice olive oil on them, and also a little bit of honey. Roast them at 425f until you see the edges begin to darken a bit.
Meanwhile, toast some walnut halves in a cast iron pan until they start to darken…but don’t let those nuts burn.
Sautee a few shiitake mushroom caps in olive oil for a few minutes.
Slice up a couple ripe Bartlett pears into thin slices.
Grate some cheese. I used an Ontario gouda. Make a simple dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the grated cheese.
Put handfuls of arugula and baby spinach on a wide serving platter. Add all the ingredients. Toss it around, and enjoy.
He wants to be mayor
The Toronto Sun has reported that Toronto mayoralty candidate Giorgio Mammoliti wants to arm by-law officers so they can arrest taggers:
“I am in favour of giving them guns and the power to arrest people,” Mammoliti said. “I think people will stop painting graffiti or putting up posters if the fine is high enough.”
Maybe the Sun is making this up. Hard to believe anybody would want to give our by-law officers guns. If that happens, I’ll be a lot more careful about staying within the boundaries of the leash free area when I let the dogs off-leash. Can you imagine some by-law officer shouting, “Freeze! – Bylaw officer”. Har.
I’ll admit that I’ve voted for fringe candidates in the past, but not this time.
27th Street 