Category: musings

Baltic concert

Last Sunday, I sang a concert of music from the Baltic region with the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton under the direction of John M. Vaida.

It was a great experience for us and for our audience. We got to perform pieces by composers that were new to most of us. I added languages to my personal list of sung texts, Swedish and Estonian. We also welcomed the Fair Winds Quintet as our guests, made possible by a grant from the United Cultural Fund of the Broome County Arts Council. They played a set before the sung concert and another to begin the second half of the program after intermission. It was wonderful to have these talented local artists join us for the concert.

One of my favorite pieces on the program was “Cantate Domino”, a setting of part of Psalm 98 by the Lithunian composer Vytautas Miškinis. Another highlight was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Bogoroditse Devo” from his All-Night Vigil. I had first sung this under the direction of Dr. Bruce Borton with the University Chorus. Bruce had prepared a new edition of the Vigil for us to use and we later sang this movement in later programs, so it always reminds me of him. Bruce also became the second artistic director of the Madrigal Choir a few years before his retirement from Binghamton University. After the pandemic shutdown and the end of University Chorus, Bruce welcomed me to Madrigal Choir. Shortly after I joined, Bruce fell ill. I wrote about the last concert he conducted with Madrigal Choir here and about singing at his funeral and Madrigal Choir tribute here. This Rachmoninoff piece was part of a concert dedicated to Bruce at the University. I was grateful for the opportunity to sing it again, especially at Trinity Episcopal Church where Bruce had sung and volunteered for many years as a congregant.

I particularly loved the final piece of the program, a newly written hymn by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, set to the tune “Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius. Rev. Gillette is a local Presbyterian pastor and hymnist with over 500 hymns to her credit. This poem, “O God of Love, This Is a Time of Turning”, was written in January, 2026, after speaking with a seminary friend serving in Minneapolis. We printed the words in the program and invited the audience to join us in singing – and they did!

We sang, “May we stand firm for truth and peace and justice;
May we leave fear and hatred far behind.”

May it be so.

One-Liner Wednesday: for Earth Day

“A vibrant, fair, and regenerative future is possible — not when thousands of people do climate justice activism perfectly but when millions of people do the best they can.”— Xiye Bastida

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/22/one-liner-wednesday-decisions-decisions-2/

closures

Last Wednesday, I learned of two closures that are significant to me, one local and one further afield.

McCoy’s Chophouse closed abruptly due to health issues with long-time restauranteur Jim McCoy. McCoy had had a number of restaurants in the area over the last fifty years, most notably Number 5, housed in a renovated Binghamton (NY) fire station, complete with fire pole, which operated from 1978-2020. When Jim sold the Number 5 building in 2020, Lampy’s, the Endicott Italian restaurant Jim owned, became McCoy’s Chophouse, merging Number 5’s fine dining and Lampy’s Italian specialties. Of course, given that it was 2020, a lot of business was takeout at first due to the pandemic. As cases eased, more people chose to eat in the dining room or the bar/lounge, which featured its own, less formal menu.

While we splurged on the fine-dining menu for special occasions, we most oftened visited McCoy’s lounge on Wednesday to enjoy the $10 signature burger deal each week. The kitchen ground the trimmings from the prime steaks they prepared on the fine dining side for the burgers, topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles. You could leave off certain toppings; I usually asked for no onion, no pickle. The burgers were served with freshly-made potato chips. If we had room, we would order luscious desserts from the always-tempting tray.

Everyone knew that Jim had been trying to sell the restaurant so that he could retire but no buyer materialized. Apparently, a health issue arose that caused McCoy to decide to close this week. Everyone was surprised at the news. We will miss going there but have many happy memories, including B’s retirement luncheon, held in McCoy’s private dining room.

That same day, I learned that Hampshire College will close at the end of the fall semester this year. When I enrolled at Smith College, Hampshire was less than ten years old. While also a liberal arts college, it followed an alternative curriculum where each student designed their own course of study. It was part of the Five College Consortium with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Amherst, and UMass. I had several Hampshire students in my classes at Smith.

Apparently, low enrollment and high costs combined to lead to the closure decision. Seniors will be able to finish their degrees in the fall semester and Hampshire will help other students find placement. The hope is that many of the remaining students will be able to finish their degrees by transferring to one of the other Five Colleges. I know that Smith has long had a process for self-designed majors which could be helpful for Hampshire students. Another option might be to transfer into a traditional department major with the major project that Hampshire students pursue becoming an honors project. These options would be more restrictive than Hampshire’s model and would involve grading, which Hampshire famously did not use, but would keep students in the familiar and beautiful Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts.

I’m sorry that Hampshire College will be closing and that US higher education will lose their unique approach. I am also concerned that so many fail to recognize the value of liberal arts education. Liberal arts institutions are dedicated to fostering the ability to think critically and creatively. These skills can then be applied to all aspects of one’s life, in work, personal and public life. It helps people adapt to change. One of the dangers that I see of using college as primarily job training is that too many jobs disappear. Many people work in different fields over their lifetime. Liberal arts colleges aim to educate the person rather than the worker, making their graduates more versatile and resilient.

My liberal arts education at Smith has been instrumental to my life, something that continues to bear fruit over the decades. I’m saddened that fewer of today’s students have the same opportunity that I had to learn and grow in this way.

One-Liner Wednesday: MCOB concert on Sunday!

Binghamton NY area folks are invited to Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church (opposite Binghamton High School) on Sunday, April 19, 2026, for a concert by the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton highlighting music of the Baltic region, beginning with the Fair Winds Quintet at 2:45 followed by the choral concert at 3:00.

This invitation brought to you through Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/15/one-liner-wednesday-id-rather-be/

No to war and war crimes!

Vote for Democracy #55

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I wanted to add my voice to the millions in the United States and around the world that I am opposed to Trump and Israel’s war against Iran.

In particular, I want to say that it is absolutely unacceptable to bomb infrastructure that civilians use, such as power plants, roads, bridges, and desalination plants. To do so is a war crime, as recogonized by both US and international law. Military leaders given such orders have a duty to refuse them because they are illegal.

I have long feared that Trump is mentally ill and it seems his condition is deteriorating. He should be removed from office by the 25th amendment which provides for the removal from office of a president who is unfit to serve.

I fear, though, that no one will intervene and Trump will perpetrate war crimes against the Iranian public. As a US citizen, this action is undertaken in my name but I am disavowing it here, not that I expect it to have any impact.

I appreciate Pope Leo speaking so forcefully and so often on behalf of peace. If only Trump would listen to him and the millions of others trying to avert any more war, death, and destruction.

One-Liner Wednesday: MCOB Baltic concert!

Binghamton, NY area folks, please plan to join the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton and our special guests, the Fair Winds Quintet, for a concert of music from the Baltic region at Trinity Episcopal across from Binghamton High on Sunday, April 19th with Fair Winds at 2:45 and MCOB at 3:00 (NOTE NEW START TIMES)!

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! I’m double-dipping today so that I can also spread the news of Ellen Morris Prewitt’s book launch today!

One-Liner Wednesday: Ellen’s new book launches!

Ellen Morris Prewitt‘s new novel, When We Were Murderous Time-Traveling Women, launches today, so get your copy of what promises to be an imaginative, fun read!

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/01/one-liner-wednesday-a-cure/

Doug Rose

(Photo from Channel 12 News.)

Yesterday, spouse B, daughter T, and I attended the memorial service for our neighbor, Doug Rose.

Doug had lived a life of service, including being a police officer, but was known to most in our town for his fifty years of service with our volunteer fire department. He began volunteering at age 16, eventually becoming chief and training dozens of firefighters. The colon cancer that took his life was considered in the line of service, bringing to mind that firefighting is a hazardous endeavor with a lot of toxic exposure. Even during his illness when he could no longer go out on calls, Doug continued working for the department, doing planning, advising, and reports.

The fire department stood by Doug and his family, keeping vigil in his final days and helping with the memorials. Uniformed members of the department filled a third of the church at the memorial service, with emergency vehicles ready to be part of the cortege.

The most touching part of the service was when Doug’s daughter shared memories and stories of her dad. There were touches of humor, which were welcome at such a sad time. It was also a reminder of how we knew Doug and his family as neighbors. His children were a bit younger than ours but still close enough to play together and then be in school together. The whole family was service-oriented. Doug’s wife was a nurse until her retirement. His daughter now teaches at the same neighborhood elementary school that she, her brother, and our daughters attended. His son began volunteering with the fire department at 16, as Doug had, and now works as a dispatcher. Our neighborhood and town are safer and more cared-for because of Doug and his family.

A number of the stories shared involved Doug’s size. I remember the first time we met that he had to duck a bit to enter our house, his 7’2″ (220 cm) frame putting his head perilously close to the ceiling. B remembers seeing him directing traffic when he was a police officer, towering over the roof of his squad car. T recalls that, even though he was so big, she wasn’t afraid of him when she was a child. He was a dad looking out for the kids; she didn’t know that he was also well-known for his ability to break up bar fights.

Doug’s family was very important to him. He became a grandfather but his grandson, who was born early, only lived a few days. Because my faith tradition believes that we are reunited with our loved ones after death, I am imagining Doug now cradling his grandson and telling him stories about his family still on earth. As we were reminded by the reading of 1 Cor 13 at the memorial service, “Love never ends.”

Rest in peace, Doug.

SoCS: No Kings!

Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “portrait.”

The photo above is a new portrait of me today, dressed in honor of the third No Kings! Day held in the United States in Donald Trump’s second term.

There are over 3,300 marches, rallies, demonstrations, or other events planned across the country with a few being held in other countries in solidarity.

Due to my health issues, I won’t be able to be at any of them in person, so I am declaring my solidarity here on my blog.

I’m hoping to watch some of the coverage on television. This is the largest yet of the No Kings protests against the rising autocracy we are experiencing here in the US with Trump and his administration. The situation becomes more dire by the day, especially with the Iran war.

Of course, there are also the ongoing problems across many issues both domestically and internationally. The flagship protest for No Kings today is in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, where an alleged immigration crackdown early this year led to terror, including the deaths of two US citizen observers who were trying to assist their immigrant neighbors and other citizen observers.

There are also many organizations that are standing up for our Constitution, laws, ethics, values, and humanity and rights. Special shout-out to CREW, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. They do a lot of legal work in trying to call attention to and file suits about the abuses of power in the nation’s capital. I ordered this shirt from them – in yellow, which is one of the colors associated with No Kings.

I also appreciate how the No Kings events are held. They are peaceful and designed for there to be safety and fun for participants. Some people even wear fun costumes, like inflatable animals.

Even while people are having fun, though, the cause is very serious.

Presidents are not Kings!

what is lost

(Hearts by Angie Traverse)

Today is the 21st anniversary of the death of my friend Angie.

I’m thinking today about what is lost when a person dies at a younger-than-expected age. Angie was 54.

During one of her remissions, Angie and her spouse bought a second home on a lake that was special to their family. Angie told me she imagined grandchildren visiting there some day. I imagined visiting, perhaps with grandchildren of my own.

At the time, our children were tweens and teens.

Now, I have granddaughters, who are far away in London, UK.

I know that Angie’s children have children of their own, although I’m not sure how many or what their ages are. I imagine that they go visit the lake house sometimes. I imagine they tell stories about Angie so that her grandchildren have some inkling about who and how she was, even though she died long before they were born.

I imagine that there are still touches of Angie’s artistic and decorating skills on display.

I imagine that Angie’s spirit is still alive in her children.

Somehow.