Jenny Creek C.O.R.

Fifteen miles south of Gerlach.

It was in 2018 that I went past and noted an "inviting" looking road. This time we ascended beyond Jenny Creek...to the top where "dee hills ver uh-life mit dee zound uhf meeewwzik."

See THIS BLOGPOST for an explanation of C.O.R.

Theerrrrrreeee's Phoebe!

Climber

Making fun of above human

Location shot

Camp

Jollility

It was sometime around '94, soon after I took up with the artist and social critic Michelle D. Cook, that I began studying the accordion (the two were NOT coincidental). Perhaps it stems from her love of cats, but  Michelle's sardonic perspective imagined me, a morose German, hopping & skipping in lederhosen while squeezing something. 

She's always been the idea person in our relationship and being well-trained I immediately began my studies. To help me along she purchased a Hero Midget 

and presented it to me on the Solstice. 





As a busy art dealer, I made time to practice while waiting at red lights.  As incentive, Michelle composed a new national anthem. I spent several months learning it. (As you're aware, literary folks are drawn to magazines and journals with the word REVIEW in their title; Bloomsbury Review, The New York Review of Books and The Yale Law & Policy Review are popular. Cats, being the olfactory creatures that they are, get their news via the Cat Odor Review -- which comes via pee-mail.)

NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM

I never progressed beyond C. O. R., but our enthusiasm led us, in 2008,  to attend the Cotati Accordion Festival in Cotati, California. The festival was curated by Renee de la Prade and included the great Duckmandu. 

THE GREAT DUCKMANDU

While surfing the web the other day I stumbled upon Renee's 2015 calendar

 that comes with a music CD. I ordered, paid and went on my way.

Now, a month later, while perusing emails I noticed a paypal receipt. One thing led to another and the following email soon arrived.

I'm sorry for the delay Michael!

I'm very disorganized this year because I moved to Europe and my regular mail-order-filler was on extended vacation, so it's a bit of a scramble. When I publish future editions, (the next will be 2017,) I plan to sign up with either CD Baby or Amazon or both, so that it's easy to fill orders in a timely manner, even when I'm travelling.

Thanks for your patience, thanks for contacting me. I'm sending you a special present along with your original order; you should get a shipping confirmation email with a tracking number within the next few days.

Best wishes,

Renee de la Prade

Renee is in Hamburg, Germany, where she resides with her new (as of August) husband, Ingo. That's Ingo on drums in the first video.


So that brings us to today. I'm in Albuquerque, the armpit of the SW, where Michelle's mother is dying of olde age. And although the sun is shining, it's cold and I felt the need of a bit of jollility. 

I hope you too got a chuckle.










UPDATE:

Susie slid into the otherworld at 11:43 p.m. on Nov 12, mere minutes before what is known as ALL SMIRKETS DAY (Friday the 13th). Smirket, for those unfamiliar, is the proper term for a black cat.

Halloween

The print above the Jack-o-lantern is by Marjie Bassler.

We demand a trick. An elementary teacher who lived up the street gave us the idea; she used to make them scream or shake their booties. We've never tried the booty bit, but they seem to enjoy screaming. Their first attempt is always met with "You call that a scream?" 

The teenagers are taught Cat Odor Review and then have to perform it. Keeping a straight face while they "learn" it is half the fun. Watching them sing is priceless. Surprisingly, none have ever refused. 


From 2014...

Age takes its toll.....

The lovely terra-cotta girl (above the pumpkin) was the daughter of the Chief of Police of Munich, Germany. He gave the statue, one of six, to my dad. She was killed in an automobile accident not long after it was made. She was sixteen.

Halloween Cat Odor Review

The story is told how cats, literary creatures that they are, glean the latest news, stock reports and foreign affairs from the publication delivered whenever the opportunity arises...via pee mail. 



It's read, or rather flehmmed, with concentration, much the way humans partake of the Yale Law Review, Bloomsbury, or Atlantic Review. As an addition to the aesthetic experience, this song was created to be hummed while reading and/or sung on special occasions such as birthdays, weddings and art receptions. 

It's also a "trick" quickly learned and performed by the beggars, esp the teenagers.*

Vincent Distasio Performs

Happy Halloween!!











* A former neighbor, an elementary teacher, began the tradition of having them perform tricks for their treats; her list included screaming. My usual response to the first attempt is an obviously affected "That was pathetic!" I give a count of three and am, each year, amazed at the enthusiasm embodied in the second and occasionally third performance as the children embrace the encouragement. Watching the teenagers reactions to learning and performing Cat Odor Review is incomparably more valuable (to me) than the wealth of candy I reward them with. Awwwww, maaAAAAANNN!