Mute

I just am. Every day I make lists, and I get only a few things on those lists done. I can’t seem to write anything here but lists: lists of 153s, lists of birds (a good list), lists of activities. Like, I thought about saying that in 2019, I was away only 65 nights—a lot, but not the 91 of 2018: four nights in January (Portland, Maine, Tim’s photo shoot), three nights in February (two Portland, one near a Vermont hospital preprocedure), five in March (four in Maryland to see Mom, one in New Jersey en route home), seven in April (Portland, two trips), three in May (Old Forge, New York, Tim photo shoot), sixteen in June (eight in Pennsylvania, split between a friend’s house, Tim’s mom, and my college reunion; two in New Jersey en route to and from six in Maryland to see Mom), eight in July (four in Portland, two in New Jersey for a wedding, two in Pennsylvania for a Rolling Stones concert), three in August (Portland), five in September (Maryland, for funeral and to visit Mom), four in October (Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for anniversary, closest thing to a vacation in a couple of years), two in November (Massachusetts for Thanksgiving with cousins), five in December (one Saratoga Springs, New York, for Fred Hersch concert en route to two in Maryland and two in Pennsylvania for Christmas). But that would probably bore you.

It might also bore you to hear that instead of not vacationing, I attended a lot of live music events last year, including a couple of festivals and some intimate house concerts. I don’t know whether I’m not vacationing because I have tickets to too many things or if going to these concerts helps to ease the pain of not vacationing. But in 2019, I was in the presence of Lizz Wright, Tony Trischka and Bruce Molsky, Strangled Darlings, Liz Cooper and the Stampede, Hiss Golden Messenger, Erin Rae, Monterey Jazz Fest on Tour (Cécile McLorin Salvant, Bria Skonberg, Melissa Aldana, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura, Jamison Ross), STIG (twice), Dave Gutter, SPAC Jazz Fest (Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Norah Jones, Django Festival All-Stars [with Edmar Castaneda and Grace Kelly], Joshua Redman Quartet [with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, and Gregory Hutchinson], Youn Sun Nah, Joel Harrison’s Angel Band, Kansas Smitty’s House Band), Upstate, Rolling Stones, Maggie Rogers, Natalie Merchant, Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival (Terrible Mountain String Band, Sunny War, Beg Steal or Borrow, Lonesome Ace Stringband, Dead Horses, John Reichman & Eli West, Lonely Hearts String Band, Rachel Baiman, Chatham County Line, Sam Bush Band, Town Mountain, Donna the Buffalo, Lula Wiles, Hawktail, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, Mipso, Strength in Numbers Tribute, Darrell Scott, Jordan Tice & Friends, Robby Britt, Josh Oliver, Christian Sedelmyer, Mandolin Orange), Santana (with Doobie Brothers), Moose Crossing, Pink Martini, Ali McGuirk, Mary-Elaine Jenkins, Frances Blanchard, Ernest, Twisted Pine, and Fred Hersch. It was fun.

If I had a list of favorite cats, Gary would be at the top. I met him in 2011 (see item 10, with photo) and fell instantly in love. When his person, Esther, later sent me a photo of Gary, it went onto my refrigerator door and has been there ever since. Gary—who lived nineteen years and almost five months—left us yesterday. I made it back to Bloomington to see him one more time, back in August 2018. Now he’s gone. I’m sad. And mewt.