Tag Archives: Quotes

Longfellow’s laughing Allegra

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I was telling some friends about my Mom’s situation (currently in hospital), and they asked about her name (which is Allegra). When they asked me where the name came from, I didn’t know.

So today when I stopped by to visit Mom, I asked her if she knew how her parents chose her name. Mom said she believed it came from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who had a daughter named Allegra.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

Mom told me she heard this story much later in life, from her sister. Apparently there is some question as to how true it is. Nevertheless, I thought it was an interesting story and worthy of posting here.

If you’d like to read the entire poem, here’s a link to The Children’s Hour by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

A cold start to Spring

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Today is the first day of spring (in the northern hemisphere). Here in Madison it’s been pretty cold and windy. It reminds me of a song written by David Gray, “What Does It Matter,” an outstanding version of which is on Mary Black’s excellent album, Shine.

What should it matter if the sun don’t rise
Its midnight forever in my Janie’s eyes
What should it matter if it comes on spring
When I’m finding winter in everything

Lived in this cold wind city all of my life
Walking around still looks the same
Same people coming and going
It doesn’t feel right
See it all now
From so far away

All of the wisdom that I held so high
Shining and useless as this April sky
The hedgerows are singing and it comes on spring
But I’m finding winter in everything

Wilderness

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Forty years ago this past Friday, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wilderness Act establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System to “…secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness.”

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Lives In The Balance

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I was driving to work today listening to my latest CD purchase, The Very Best of Jackson Browne, when the song “Lives In The Balance” came on. Jackson Browne was inspired to write that song by the political events of the Iran-Contra scandal in the mid 1980’s. As I listened to the lyrics I was struck by how a song written 18 years ago was so appropriate for today. In particular, the final verse is especially relevant for 2004.

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One by One

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Every so often, older music that I own winds up in heavy rotation on my current play list. An older album that I’ve been listening to a lot lately is Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco. On this CD, they took some lyrics that Woody Guthrie wrote years ago (which were never set to music) and created their own music for them. My favorite song on the album is One By One. They lyrics (and music) are perfect for a cool and cloudy autumn day like today.

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The hounds of winter

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I am definitely behind in my blogging. I blame it on the winter. It certainly isn’t MY fault. [grin]

Short days and long nights in bitter cold temperatures bring out the hibernator in me. I find I sleep more in the wintertime and I spend more time curled up on the couch with a good book (and maybe a blanket). Of course the lack of snow doesn’t help. Looking out the window and seeing a winter wonderland of brown can be a bit depressing.

I’m as dark as December.
I’m as cold as the man in the moon.
All I hear is that lonesome sound.
The hounds of winter, they follow me down.

– Sting, The Hounds Of Winter

Peace on Earth

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It’s been three months since the terrorist attack, and the ruins at ground zero are still smoking and smoldering. I certainly don’t want to appear to be an ignorant American, but it just boggles my mind that people can have so much hatred as to cause that kind of devastation. To quote U2 (from their latest album):

Peace on Earth, we need it now. I’m sick of all of this hanging around.
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain, sick of hearing again and again,
That there’s gonna be peace on Earth.

Hear it every Christmas time, but hope and history won’t rhyme.
So what’s it worth, this peace on Earth? Peace on Earth…