There is a difference between politician: “one engaged in party
politics, especially as a trade; one who promotes the interests of a
political party, one concerned with public affairs for the sake of
profit or of a clique.” and statesman: “enlightened, disinterested,
and high-minded service to the state or the people of the state”.
We usually have too many politicians and not enough statesmen.
We as adults are afraid of things that we as children were ignorant
of. Sometimes we think it would be nice to be back at that age, but
now we are the ones with responsibility.
Expats are temporary immigrants. But there are different types of
expats. Some just treat it as an extended vacation. Others are
seasonal and tend to forget the real truth that they are guests and
the local rules apply. Some become more native than the natives. A
fourth group is more internationalist and are more at home crossing
borders and dealing with multiple cultures than they are back home.
This song is about that last group.
Fall is my favorite time of year. Fall in New England is especially
entrancing. This has also been called a love song.
Spouses have been waiting for their loved ones to return from business
trips for centuries. This story happens at Christmas.
Written for the wedding of one of my sisters. She teaches kindergarten
and some of the children were worried that she would leave after she
got married.
Written about an old farmhouse in New Hampshire. Some people grow up
and leave their childhood homes without a further thought. Others
seem to grow up and have left their hearts behind.
You can never go home again. Or, if you do, it has changed and is not
the place you left.
Written for my grandmother who spent many years alone after her husband passed.
The Ogre is San Francisco Bay Area English Country Dance slang for the Dancemaster at the English Country Dance Playford Ball. If you don’t know what English Country Dance is, think of the kind of dancing you might see in movies like “Pride and Prejudice”.