Category: Family (Page 10 of 10)

Killer Tune Shoutout: "Give It To My People"

February 10, 2014 / laura bruno lilly

The dreaded drought season in the life of a working musician…while it can be excruciatingly hard to bear at the time, the good news is that it does not last forever. Also, during that period of seemingly non-productivity, the brain on music is constantly firing on some level or another. For myself, this period of non-performance, my ‘dry spell’ has been filled with more opportunities to compose, arrange, explore other instruments, actively research and listen to tons of music. Sifting through various genres, with piles of notes heaped high one on top of the other I have entered into a myriad of musical worlds; hence gaining insight into diverse approaches to the artistic need to create and express what is deep within…
That said, when fellow colleagues share audio clips, videos and good sources of musical material for listening and consideration, I eagerly attend to their suggestions. And, when a piece is presented to me by way of my son, I take even greater notice and engulf myself in its offerings.

Take a listen, folks.

A-MAC DZ – ‘Give It To My People’ from Rise Above c Alex Mackenzie-Low 2014

Alex Mackenzie-Low: vocals, acoustic guitar

How’s that for an in-progress EP rough mix? Let’s analyze it a bit…first off did you notice the voice? Who is this guy behind the Rod Stewart voice? When I got the mp3 from my son who plays on all the sax tracks, I started out listening only for his parts: the voicings, the integration of the instrumental tracks, compositional components; totally disregarding the normally banal lyrics of newer bands. Just my usual way of delving into the musicality of individual recordings.
But the guy behind the Rod Stewart voice was quite compelling. I couldn’t ignore the voice or the message. Continue reading

Longest Night of the Year: 2013 Reflections (part two)

December 29, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” -Victor Hugo

My homemade cannoli

What better way to ease into another set of 2013 Reflections than with luscious references to food?

My homemade sourdough bread

This past year, I resumed my life as a ‘good cooker.’ This family badge of honor, proudly reactivated now that I have a kitchen at my disposal, has provided nourishment to both body and soul.

~ 4/13 The unfolding of my ‘horse gentler’ skills learned during our time of horse rescue being placed within a new context of use. While making a final pilgrimage to visit Terry’s Mother in Dallas (just a week before she passed away) our ‘nephew’ Jeremy helped with a fundraiser for the ‘Horses for Heroes’ project in nearby Rocky Top Ranch. Himself a Wounded Warrior, he opened my eyes to this realm of horse therapy for returning veterans and their families.

Shortly thereafter, to my delight, I discovered a local established horse therapy group beginning to implement a Wounded Warriors component into their program offerings. I immediately contacted them and not only signed on as an active volunteer, but got in on the ground floor as part of the initial group starting the WW program. In addition, I work regularly with the other students. While my primary role is in enabling the horse(s) to be their very best while in use during therapy, I enjoy the blessings of working with the various students and their families, other volunteers sharing my passion, the therapists and owners of the stable…

Gracie on Freckles, First Annual BTR Horse Show (I’m wearing orange)

We all worked hard to put on the First Annual Bethlehem Therapy Horse Show this past November.

Matt’s victory salute after his horse show debut

Really, really cool.

~ The many loved ones who passed on this year. Continue reading

Longest Night of the Year: 2013 Reflections (part one)

December 24, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

“A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.” –Steve Martin

Winter Solstice: a day with the least amount of sunshine potential; the shortest day and longest night; a time of reversals.

According to the Farmers’ Almanac: The word solstice comes from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand still.” In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day; the high point in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, which occurs at local noon, also moves southward each day. At the winter solstice, the Sun’s path has reached its southernmost position. The next day, the path will advance northward. However, a few days before and after the winter solstice, the change is so slight that the Sun’s path seems to stay the same, or stand still. The Sun is directly overhead at “high-noon” on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice days are the days with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year.

Winter Solstice, Hilton Head, SC

To me, the Winter Solstice feels more like the ending of the past year with the dawning of the true ‘new year.’ An organic New Year’s Eve, so to speak. Perhaps this, then, is a good time to reflect on the past year, letting go and easing into the ‘new year’ as each day from this point in time gains length.

2013 Reflections: December 2012 – December 2013

~ 12/5/12 Jazzman Dave Brubeck died at the age of almost 92. Almost. One day short of 92. I remember that really hit me hard as my Jazzman Dad was ‘almost 90.’ Almost. Was he going to make it to 90?

~ Our first Christmas after weathering three-Christmases-on-the-road-between-homes was super charged with getting to share it with our daughter and new son-in-law. Gathering together in our little rental home blessed our ‘first Christmas’ with their first Christmas as a married couple.

David, Michelle, me & Flash (above my head) Christmas 2012

David, Michelle, me & Flash (under lights) Christmas 2012

Unpacking a few decos from the boxes that survived three plus years in the storage unit and the move from Colorado to South Carolina that year was like mining truths of traditions past. But even while in the midst of that newly unlocked comfort and sentiment, our first thought was to find a place for Flash.

Flash in our car-home

Flash gave his all for us during our lonely holiday times while on-the-road-between-homes…traveling 24/7 with us dangling from the rear-view mirror, faithfully swinging from side to side and blinking festive blue&red lights inside his white plastic snowman physique. Flash now graces a place of honor inside our little rental home 24/7, blessing us and reminding us we were not alone during our three-year-journey-between-homes.

~ Watching Les Miserables, the movie, with my cousin Chris. Experiencing the quality acting on screen, and being submerged in the surround sound scoring of the classic Victor Hugo novel; bonding over the inequities of life, past and present; the power of God, hope and dreams while living in a world of harsh realities…all contributed to strengthening and deepening our relationship.

Not much has changed about society’s perception and treatment of those less fortunate. Continue reading

Dad's Got His Groove On

October 1, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

Right now, this very moment, something normal, something comfortable, something so very ‘Family’ is happening: Dad is blowing his horn. After weeks of fooling around with re-organizing his music, the bane of us musicians which can become more procrastination than need, Dad’s got his groove on. He is blowing long tones on the mouth piece, testing out his own custom hand-shaved reeds, adjusting tension on the ligature; just about all the stuff a sax-man needs to get ready to start in on a serious practice session. Ahh, the riffs, the scales, the bits of favorite tunes, with squeaks here and there as attempts are made to blow those flashy odd harmonics, reachable only by a select and sacred few like my dad.

Dad in his new digs

Even with those super sax-man lungs he’s developed over the years, at age 90 Dad’s biggest hurdle at the moment is more with the stamina required to play a full set. And yet, I’d give it a couple weeks at the most for him to break through that temporary barrier.

Dad is my inspiration as a musician. Dealing with skin cancer on the top of his bald head, he loves to recount the story of how he got it in the first place…all my friends had to work days, but I got to lay out on the beach along Lake Michigan and sunbathe since I worked the clubs and joints at night. It’s almost a badge of professionalism for him, though he advises this generation to stay out of the sun.

A private moment

For the six years since Ma passed away, he put his sax down. While he kept up a semi-regular practice routine, his (he)art just wasn’t in it. In this difficult stage of his life, he laced up his dance shoes and began stepping to the music of others. An odd juxtaposition as the pull to play the music was ever nipping at his cha-cha heels.

Just two days moved into this Independent Living apartment and I get to listen to the sounds of my childhood, the background noises of everyday living in our home, the ever present music. Not from some recording or old radio show, but coming from the (he)art of our Family’s home: Dad’s horn.

The Biggest, Most Widespread Flooding in Colorado History & Dadland

September 16, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

During natural disasters, life gets interrupted; rudely and profoundly interrupted. The current flooding that is occurring along the entire Front Range of Colorado is no exception to this rule.

Except in Dadland.

Experts are beginning to call the flooding here in Colorado the ‘thousand year flood’ and I tend to believe them. While flash flooding tends to be a normal component to living in the West, this one has many elements which are unique. Not the least of which is getting half the total annual moisture in a mere 24-48 hours; then doing a rerun scenario after a 12 hour respite. Western land and soilscape is simply unable to absorb such massive rainfall.

In addition, this flooding is not isolated to any one canyon, or stream, or floodplain. It is occurring in multiple places throughout the entire Front Range simultaneously. It is like having the 1969 Boulder Basin Flood, the Big Thompson Canyon Flood of 1976 and any other epic floods you can recall, occurring all at once, and then some. And of course, once the waters recede, huge boulders, tons of mud and assorted debris will be left behind along with the devastation of individual households, vehicles and lives.

I get it, this is serious business.

And then there’s Dad. Continue reading

I Love Goofy Goats!

September 5, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

I love goofy goats!

This love, nay, obsession of all things ‘goat’ was birthed out of our time between-homes while living on the compound in the desert just outside of Las Cruces, NM. Along with horse rescue, Mama Goat and her then baby billy-kid, Tater tagged along for the ride. Turns out, goats are the best antidote for nervous race horses…and wouldn’t you know, in less than a year of rescuing those goats, we acquired yet another horse rescue; a thoroughbred. But those horse-rescue stories are for another time.

Goats make me smile.

Down the road from our former home in Colorado, there’s a sign that states: “Billy Goat Dairy Farm.” Does anyone besides myself and my hubby see the conflicting nature of that name?! Ahemm…billy-goats don’t make milk…a dairy farm made up of billy-goats is not one conducive to producing much in the way of anything dairy-like! Ah, yes, but passing the herd along the roadside, we see they are enjoying that universal goat-fav game of ‘king of the hill’…and they’re not billy-goats!

Goats are curious. Continue reading

Between Homes

July 28, 2013 / laura bruno lilly

from-Swimming with Swans: vignettes of our three-year journey between homes
6/2009 ~ 6/2012

July 2010 (North Webster, IN)

“Sometimes, when you possess nothing at all, the only thing you can do is hang on to your dignity. But even simple words can take that away from you if you’re not careful.” *

We are in transition, my husband and I.

As of June 26, 2009, we have been living life on the road.

Having sold our home in Colorado, we stored all non-portable, and “to be used later” items in a storage unit; packed two duffels with clothes, books, Bibles, toothpaste, and meds; filled the car trunk with tools, hydraulic jack, an air mattress, fold-up sports chairs, and mini basket with important papers; and the rest of the car with a greatly reduced number of items needed for our livelihood. For my husband, that included a computer with two screens, tech stuff, a mobile wi-fi device, and business materials; for myself, two guitars, one ukulele and a satchel crammed full of selected musical scores, teaching/marketing/composing materials, and of course my journals. Throw in our two pillows, a small “food/domestic needs” box, CDs, DVDs, camera, coffeepot, water bottles, maps and there you have our home on wheels.

Whatever we continue to take with us, has to be able to fit in our 2003 Toyota Camry, so if we have a non-disposable need other than what we have on hand, we usually do without; not only because of financial considerations, but also because it all has to fit back into the car once we’re on the road again between destinations. Most destinations have been house-sitting/house fixing up assignments and/or visiting and helping out family and friends, with lots of cross-country traveling thrown in for good measure.

Essentially, we are between homes. Continue reading