Adele!

I'm usually not much for popular music these days, but one new singer is making waves in both the pop arena, and some even say she is finding a fit with her music within the jazz realm and I find her voice something fresh in a world of duplicates these days.

Who's the special singer that is hitting all the high notes both in the UK and here in the States?  Another one name wonder - Adele.

If you haven't heard her yet you should check her out!  I heard her first in a recent NPR interview that was really something else.  She's a regular Brit, with an edgy sound that really grabs whether it's with a pounding beat, or a ballad that holds you close.  I personally love the grit in her voice that is so gorgeous while being so real too.  She's not the rail skinny star, and at the same time goes way beyond what we consider totally beautiful musically.

The NPR interview is a great place to get a taste of her music - check it out! http://www.npr.org/2011/04/18/133687905/adele-tiny-desk-concert

Beating Back the Cold

The cold that is creeping in again this week could well kill many a new plant in yards across the county. I've covered my tender annuals, but even that doesn't help sometimes. Funny how the plants are out there in area garden centers all over and it usually is way too early to plant them safely so we spend days sometimes weeks covering them or shuttling them in and out of building for warmth when they're really not ready to make any kind of appearance in our communities.

That kind of playing around with nature is called frustration for those of us who need warmth and color after nothing but whites and grays for months. So instead of thinking we buy to see and touch those tender petals once more, and in the process we are tempting fate. Will we beat the cold, or will the cold win out?

Each year those annuals are so beautiful, and that temptation often ends up being the loss of all that you've bought - or maybe, if you're lucky a reprieve for another summer of gorgeous flowers or veggies.