Work has continued on my new Symphony No. 3: “English,” including a couple of writer’s block moments and a couple of breakthrough moments. I previously completed and posted the first movement here (see July 14), subtitled “Upon a Walk in the English Countryside,” Now I have been working on movement two, “The Lady of Shalott.”

This is something I’ve never before done, but for fun I’m going to share a “sneak peek,” just an excerpt, of this work-in-progress, the first three minutes of what will be a ten minute movement. I hope you enjoy it. It cuts off abruptly at 3 minutes – Of course the piece is just getting started. It may take another month to complete this movement, then I’ll post the full movement mockup. Recording the symphony live with a real orchestra will have to wait till all the movements are done, maybe by the fall of next year.

The remaining two movements of this new symphony will be subtitled “Stonehenge” and “The Major Oak of Sherwood Forest.” The latter is the biggest tree in England, a thousand years old. However, I have decided not to explain in the liner notes why I chose these subtitles, lest it distract from the music. This music doesn’t really tell a specific story, anyway. Each movement just sounds like the emotions and mood I feel about each of the subtitles, generally. You can picture anything you want.

The past two weeks have occupied both Crystal and I with routine domestic chores and repairs. We also attended a nice local performance of the original musical theater version of Peter Pan. Coming up, we will see performer friends in Singing in the Rain and Oliver and will hope to catch my close friend Kip Winger’s band (Winger) on tour at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Crystal is thick into rehearsals of her new show, the cast of which has still not yet been publicly announced – sorry. She has also enjoyed the start of her teaching for the year at St. Edward school (pre-K through 8^th grade music), with all of its teacher meetings and preparations, culminating in the return of the lovable little critters this past Monday.

I think I have put the finishing touches on my speech for the annual national conference of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars to be held in Washington D.C. next month. I’m not a member and not technically a scholar but appreciate being asked to speak to them about music. My manuscript of that talk has also been accepted for publication as an article in the Nov./Dec. issue of the magazine St. Austin Review. Both the conference and this issue of the magazine happen to be themed on the “Transcendentals” of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness – My talk/article is simply called “Truth in Music.” Specifically, I discuss how one of Thomas Aquinas’s five proofs of the existence of God, teleology, can be found in music. My, that sounds way more “scholarly” than my talk will really be!  It’s no more difficult to read or hear than this blog.

There have been no big changes in our garden since I last wrote, but there appear to have been a number of births in the deer herd. Must be the time of year for them! It’s fun to see a group of little spotted fawns romping playfully in the meadow out back, trying to nurse, or just relaxing in our front yard (as in this photo). All three of these kiddos were lying casually in the shade, but I and my camera startled the one on the left, who stood up. Meanwhile, the mamas were having their mama grazing time in the back yard (below).

My one tomato plant yielded a final four or five smaller tomatoes and then gave up the ghost and died rather quickly, so that’s it for this year. Thoughts and inklings of fall now begin to creep into my mind on rainy days and are welcome. I love summer but also love having four seasons, not to mention the foods you associate with each. It will soon be time for pumpkin soup, which has pumpkin flesh blended with chicken stock, with Italian sausage, mushrooms, fresh sage and other herbs, celery, onion, and dry marsala wine, sprinkled with grated parmesan and served with a good bread. I can post the recipe in the fall, if anyone would like it.

Till next time, enjoy.