November 11, 2025
Veterans Day
We are a military family. We know what it means to sacrifice for your Country. Our prayers and thanks go out to all military personnel, past and present, for their service. And to their families, who also endure through good times and bad.
SNOW – Lots of it. And so it begins, winter in Upstate NY. Both our home base in Liverpool and our lakehouse are firmly in CNY, but to a broader extent, we are in the 315. That large, expansive part of New York is mostly farmland, fields, and forest. Mountains and lakes populate this part of the world, and we sit conveniently at the West end of Lake Ontario – the monster Lake Effect Snow-generating behemoth.
We are used to getting our share of abundant snowfalls. Yes, I’m ready to plow us out, but we’re hardy. This early in the season, unless over a foot of snow is on the ground, we drive out and go about our business. Pack that stuff down and drive on top of it. In skiing, we call it a good base. Excellent for a cross-country trek on the trails through the forest around our lakehouse.
We already had our first fire in the fireplace. Cozy.
Projects:
Letizia and Todd – We have a few shows over the next few months. All private affairs. The repertoire is varied and lots of fun. We cover the American Songbook, Classic Rock, and favorites from all styles. With a healthy dose of songs from my catalog. In the Spring, we’ll break out the band. I am looking forward to it.
Studio – Today, I’ll meet with Bruce Coville. We’re writing some new songs. We will also discuss Thursday’s session with Brett. I am composing some music for an upcoming series of Full Cast Audio books. The topic is “Princess.” It’s a book series that is very popular right now. It should be fun.
We’re wrapping up Greg Hoover’s third album. This week, Loren Barrigar came in to record some magical tracks. I purposely make my string arrangements and guitar tracks open and airy, leaving PLENTY of space for Loren’s brilliant guitar work.
Le Moyne College – My students will be joining me for two nights of Classical Guitar. Gonzalo Biedma is here on an exchange program from Spain. He’s playing a concert tonight. Tomorrow night he’s going to join us for a workshop.
Art – I am still making my way through the five published books in the Ole Doc Turtle series by Richard Faith. I’m tidying up each panel to eliminate the text. These clean panels (pages) will be used to generate videos of each of these books.
I haven’t had much time to get back to book six in the series or to do much art for myself.
Politics – I am an observer, nothing more. That’s my job. I write about history. Things that have happened or are happening around me. I do vote – as in independent. Today, I’m observing a lot of talk about “Fake News.”
Let’s be clear about something. As I understand it, all politicians represent a constituency. Not only those who live in their district, but also their supporters. It’s unavoidable. They vote the way their supporters want them to vote.
I follow the money. That alone can tell you how a politician is going to vote. It will also tell you exactly who they represent. This is no secret. It’s right out there in public for all to see. Don’t count on demographics or voter registration or trends, or polls. They will only indicate the result of where the money is coming from.
Now, about Fake News. One person's gospel is another person’s propaganda.
NEWS – Who owns the news? Find that out first. Judge your sources. Somewhere between opinions lies the truth. The truth has a habit of finding itself eventually. And we find it in the broad daylight of experience. Weigh every fact against reality. Never believe what a politician says. They’re just trying to get a job or keep their job. Judge them on deeds, not words. Judge them against the cold, hard reality of your life experience.
I know that many people are hurting in America right now. That worries me. If we don’t take care of each other, what is wrong with us? Regardless of the politics, we should be gentle, kind, and loving. That is my core belief.
I also know that a reckoning comes to all, eventually.
As a history buff, I’m haunted by the French Revolution. “When the poor go hungry, they eat the rich.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau