Eileen and I did the Farmers Market this morning. We bought corn, cukes, trout, tomatoes, peaches, and melon. We are certainly eating good these days. I’m not exactly losing weight, but at least my BP is still passable (consistently under 130/100).It was unbearably hot two nights ago, but last night was not as bad. We are still resisting window air conditioners at this point.

Choir season is coming up and I need to get going on it. I’m planning on buying one of Helen Kemp’s books if it still in print. I’m want to add it to the weekly  use of the  songbook we use now, Sing Legato. The choir knows most of these by heart so that shouldn’t be too hard.

Eileen likes Canons, Songs and Blessings more.  I agree that it has better music. But Where in the World: Folksong Warmups from Many Lands has more directed exercises toward vocal development. I want to decided and order multiple copies of one of them today.

We will  probably begin rehearsing on Sept 7 so we can sing on Sept 11 – the Kick off Sunday). But I’m not too worried about it. The parameters of trying to do more one rehearsal wonders to offset the expected lowering of consistent attendance makes it simpler. The possibilities are fewer. If I’m wrong in predicting this I can always adjust music to make it more interesting, I guess.

Yesterday was pretty warm here in Holland all day. I went to the church and rehearsed piano and organ for a few hours. The church wasn’t any cooler than home. Eileen walked downtown for sidewalk sales in the rain.

I found myself carefully playing some of the more difficult variations of the Goldberg Variations at church yesterday on the piano. Then I rehearsed a couple of Philip Glass etudes. At the organ I worked over the psalm for Sunday. Then I rehearsed the postlude. I have scheduled an excerpt of Andrew Clarke’s rather lengthy piece for organ and brass on “How Firm a Foundation.” He composed it so that it can be done on organ alone. It’s very sectional. Originally I had thought that the closing toccata would be a bit much in such a short time. But I’m planning on it and have been working on it.

I also continue to systematically read Bach’s organ works. I have finished reading the Orgelbuchlein and am reading through the volume of the Leipzig chorales (at least I think that’s the volume). Yesterday I read the entire ornamented chorale prelude on Komm Heileger Geist.

This is extremely cool. Bach’s original autograph scrolls while the perform plays it.

This morning after my continual battle with Greek past tense, I returned to reading Alex Ross’s Listen to This. I left off at Chapter 7 which is on Schubert. It of course inspired my weak little pea brain to sit down and play some Schubert at the piano. I do enjoy his music very much. Rhonda and I have been playing some of his four hand music. This is lots of fun!

I listened to the August 12th podcast of FAIR this morning as I cleaned the kitchen and made coffee. Donna Murch was interviewed. Here’s a link to her latest pertinent article.

Paying for Punishment | Boston Review

I haven’t read it yet but was very impressed with her in the podcast.

Letters to the Editor on Think Tanks and Corporate America – The New York Times

The first letter is by Harvey Cox. Wow. He’s still alive.