Shaker music

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Music has always been an essential part of Shakers’ experience. Right from the beginning, music was an important part of Shaker worship. At first, the music was chanting and were transmitted by word of mouth. But, as some of the members experienced a ‘spiritual gift’, the hymns were written down.

Since most of them had no formal musical training, their hymns were not written in musical notation but in a form using letters. The Shakers felt that these hymns were inspired by God.

The Shakers’ first hymnal, Millennial Praises, contained 140 songs and was published in 1812.

Most people are familiar with the song, Simple Gifts. Simple Gifts was composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett, on or about the time he moved to the Shaker community at Alfred, Maine, otherwise known as Sabbathday Lake. This community is the model for Zion, the community I include in my Will Rees mysteries.

Here is a link to a version done by Allison Krauss and Yo Yo Ma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baNueuDCue0&list=RDbaNueuDCue0&start_radio=1

Currently Reading

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Erie Ending by Christy J. Kendall follows Refuge Manager Angela Martin, who manages the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge on the shores of Lake Erie. On a frog counting survey late one night, she comes across a car submerged in the swamp with a woman’s body inside. Later identified as Connie King, the woman was an active member of an environmental group – but also enjoyed a cozy relationship with several developers. Angela is relieved that Connie is dead. But when a beloved volunteer is accused of the murder, Angela and her friend Lilly begin investigating and discover double dealing, blackmail, and shady real estate deals. And Angela soon finds herself running for her life through the wildlife refuge.

At the same time, Angela is dealing with personal issues with her live-in lover LJ.

What an interesting book. The descriptions of the refuge, and the various jobs, is captivating. And the mystery has plenty of red herrings and a murderer that I did not guess.

Recommended.

Modern luxuries

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After spending more than two weeks without hot water, I have been reflecting on all the conveniences we take for granted. Running water, for example. Indoor plumbing. And, of course, hot water.

In March, our furnace broke down. The tech spent 9 hours working on it, bitching all the way. He advised us to stick with oil. (We have propane.) Fast forward a couple of months and suddenly we had no hot water. A succession of techs looked at it. Most admitted they had no idea how to fix it.

Did I mention we bought the system from their company?

The aforementioned tech arrived three different times. Finally, he took the system apart and sent pictures to the manufacturer. They had to order several expensive parts that, for all that we have a warranty on the rest of the system, were NOT on warranty. 17 days later we have hot water. The tech admitted he is not sure the furnace is completely fixed and if the problem reoccurs he will be back.

Last night I took my first hot shower at home in more than two weeks. (Thankfully, we have a gym membership and they have showers.)

I guess this could have been worse. It could have been January. Or we could have no water at all. Most of the time, we don’t even think about these conveniences. Boy howdy, I sure appreciate my hot water now.

Currently Reading

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Clarissa Bell is an Oxford trained archaeologist in the 1920s so no one takes her seriously. But her father’s wealth enables her to join a dig in Egypt. And her speciality on pottery and various Egyptian pigments quickly embroils her in a mystery involving missing artifacts, forgeries, and murder. She meets a charming rogue, Benedict Quinn, who may or may not be trustworthy. Events take a serious turn when she realizes some of the forgeries are designed to suppress information – and several groups do not want this to get out. She is threatened, kidnapped and almost killed before the murderer is discovered.

But the man behind the larger crime remains unknown.

This mystery had more than a whiff of Crocodile on the Sandbank (the first Amelia Peabody mystery by Elizabeth Peters.) Clarissa is an annoying protagonist, especially in the beginning; arrogant, a know-it-all and reckless to the point of foolishness. I almost didn’t finish the book because of her character. However, her flaws smooth out a little, and some explanation is given for her academic arrogance. The mystery is interesting and the setting can’t be beat. All the information on pottery and pigments was very interesting.

So, recommended, with the caveat I mentioned.

Who was Ataturk?

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Ataturk means father of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal was given the name since, like George Washington in the United States, Attaturk is considered the father of modern Turkiye.

When he was born, Turkey (and it was Turkey then) was still part of the Ottoman Empire. Early in his youth, he was arrested for protesting against the Sultan. He joined the Army and was involved in the defense of Gallipoli.

In 1922, the Turkish National Movement, which he directed, overthrew the Ottomans. (They, by the way, ruled for several hundred years.) In 1923, Kamal was given the name Ataturk and appointed President. He ruled until 1938, the year of his death.

He is credited with making Turkiye a secular country, passing many reforms. Religion was pushed back. When one is in the country, the call to prayer is still heard from the minarets but prayer five times a day is not required. The cursive Arabic alphabet was abandoned in favor of the Roman. (This helps an English speaker since you quickly recognize and understand written words.) He opened thousands of schools, and women were given equal rights. He is rightly called the father of the modern Turkiye. Visiting Istanbul is like visiting any large, modern, cosmopolitan city with McDonalds, multi-ethnic restaurants, and many different languages heard in the street.

However, he was a dictator. He governed under one party rule. During the overthrow of the caliphate, the Greeks and Armenians were expelled and many Armenians were massacred. The current relationship with Syria and especially Iran is poor because of the country’s secularism. And Turkiye is an ally of the United States.

Currently Reading

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This week I read two books in series I’ve begun, and enjoy very much.

Striking Range is number 7 in the K-( Timber Creek series. Mattie Cobb and a federal officer, Jim Hauck, journey to the prison to interview John Cobb, the man who killed Mattie’s brother and tried to kill Mattie. But Cobb is found dead. The only clue is a map of Timber Creek with several Xs marked on it. Mattie is forced to return to the cave where Cobb kept her prisoner.

Before a thorough search can be accomplished, Mattie is called away. The body of a young woman has been found in a camp. Mattie recognizes her as a young girl who was pregnant just a day or two previously.

The two cases come together in a surprising way. Another winner!

Murder on the Vine by Camilla Trinchieri is the third in this series.

Nico and Maraschiello Perillo are having breakfast when they are called away. Laura Benati, the manager of the Bella Vista hotel, is worried about her barman, Cesare Costanzi. He has been missing for three days. Shortly after, Nico is called to assist a friend, Jimmy, who has run out of gas. One Wag, Nico’s dog, is fascinated by something in Jimmy’s trunk and a further investigation reveals the body of Costanzi. Has Jimmy ever even met the man? And what is Laura’s connection? She is far closer to Cesare than would be expected of a manager and an employee.

I love these books, for the mysteries and for the feel of the Tuscan countryside. Food plays a huge part and every dish is lovingly described. I just wish they came with recipes! Highly Recommended.

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This week I read two cozies, one I liked very much. The other not so much.

An A-list for Murder is the second in the Evelyn Gallagher series by Amy Patricia Meade. Evelyn is working on another movie with Hitchcock at the beginning of WWII. She meets a sobbing young woman, Phoebe Dillon, in the bathroom. The next day, the body of the young woman is discovered in an empty lot and soon after an article slandering her appears in the paper. Evelyn contacts her friend, Lt. Ziegler and is soon involved in questioning people who knew the girl. At an event, Evelyn meets Ted Dorton and he swears he did not write the article about Phoebe.And Alex, Evelyn’s love, makes a surprise appearance.

As Evelyn investigates, she discovered the girl’s murder had far more to do with world events than the movies, involving, among other things, the Nazi efforts to keep the US out of the war.

This one is even better than the first one was. Highly Recommended.

I also read Hiss me Deadly by Miranda James. Librarian Charlie and his cat Diesel are involved in another mystery. The return of an Athena native, who ran away at 16 and made a huge success of himself as a musician, has the town in a tizzy. Wil wants to talk to Charlie; the young man feels something is off and wants Charlie to look around. Charlie soon discovers that Wil’s success, breaking up a local band, has caused some hard feelings. When the lead singer of the high school band shows up at an event featuring Will and his current band, and is electrocuted, Charlie realizes that the situation is far more serious than he realized.

Several other murders occur before Charlie finally understands what is happening.

The beginning of this book was interesting (although I found Diesel not at all catlike.) However, about halfway through, the story got away from James. It read as though she’d put down the book and picked up the story later; it didn’t really hang together. So, not terrible, but not wonderful either.

The Basilica Cistern and the spice market

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One of the most interesting sights in Istanbul is the Basilica Cistern, an enormous underground cistern. Ancient columns hold up the building above, some very ancient. Prior to the creation of the cistern, a Basilica stood on this spot. This was probably in the 3rd or fourth centuries of the Roman Empire. It is an eerie feeling walking underground (on a new concrete walkway) with water all around.

At the base if two of the columns are Medusa heads. No one is quite sure where they came from or why they are there. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to know they were simply repurposed from older columns. We saw many examples of newer buildings with much older stone blocks or columns.

Locals drew water from the cistern until the mid eighteen hundreds but the cistern is no longer used as a water source.

The other sight we saw was one of the largest spice markets. An indoor market crowded with tiny niches, all with different specialities, this one is one of the largest in Istanbul. It smells powerful of spices. I bought a tea, which came as leaves and berries, and saffron. Even in Turkey, one of the largest exporters of saffron, it was pretty expensive.

This is what the crowd looked like outside; it was even more crowded inside.

Currently Reading

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I picked up Lost and Found In Prague, by Kelly Jones, because I have been in Prague. It did not disappoint.

Dana Pierson receives a frantic note from her cousin Caroline, a Carmelite nun in Prague, that she needs Dana’s help. Dana and Caroline had gone to Prague some twenty years previously, arriving during the Velvet Revolution when the then named Czechoslovakia separated from Communist Russia. Dana had gone home but Caroline remained, having fallen in love with a Czech.

When she arrives, Dana has trouble meeting with Caroline. An old nun has died in the church and the nunnery is closed to outsiders. At the same time a priest, Giovanni Borelli arrives at the request of the church’s priest. They form a duo of sorts to investigate not only the nun’s death but the disappearance of the Infant of Prague. The local detective Damcek, who is investigating the assassination of a senator, becomes an unlikely ally.

The mystery becomes more intricate than I expected, involving a long ago murder, blackmail, political chicanery and more as well as the death of the nun and the disappearance of the religious artifact.And yes, Dana goes to many of the places I visited while in Prague.

Recommended.

Istanbul

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Istanbul was highlight. It is a modern, secular city, divided in two by the Bosphorus Strait. As one would expect, it is filled with mosques. I visited several, including the famous Sofia Hagida. Built as a Christian church, it became a mosque when the Ottomans took over. Christian symbols are still visible on the second floor, which has been turned into a museum.

We visited several mosques. The tile work is amazing.