One of the great things about doing a Throwback Thursday is re-visiting old blog posts.
Today I am throwing back to January 15, 2014 — and a post about seeing Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” painting in person.
I had completely forgotten this visit to the Museum of Modern Art in NYC — probably made with my friends Steve and Kate.
I had not forgotten, however, Don McLean’s lovely (and long) song about Van Gogh.
Doug Hammer and I recorded a version of this song — which eventually I hope to release.
For the time being it is accessible via this 1/15/14 blog post.
I have also included a few iris photos from Pixabay in today’s post because Van Gogh painted iris on more than one occasion..
And I am eager for spring to arrive here in New England!
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
I have spent a lot of time shoveling snow in recent days.
Now snow is piled high on both sides of our sidewalk.
This limits one’s visibility when crossing the street…
It also makes parking a challenge for the folks who work in a nearby office building.
Another deep breath in.
And deep breath out.
So far this winter our furnace is behaving.
And I haven’t injured my back.
And I remain grateful for food, shelter, electricity, heat and a functioning internet.
All this snow may also help our reservoirs remain in better shape as the year unfolds…
We shall see!
Thank you to the wonderful photographers at Pixabay.
And thank YOU for checking out yet another one of my blog posts.
You are always welcome to visit my website — WillSings.com — by clicking here.
PS: More snow (or possibly rain) is forecast in the Boston area for next week…
amusicalifeonplanetearth 
Flowers and music are a great reprieve from snow. I wouldn’t mind a little snow, but not the storm that hit you and the northeast. Spring is beginning to poke out here.
Hurrah that spring is beginning to poke out where you are, Brad! We had some warmer temperatures (in the low 40s) today, but it will take a while for our big piles/banks/walls of snow to melt…
Thank you for connecting us to this beautiful tribute to van Gogh’s and his magnificalent Starry Night. I enjoyed listening to your very moving cover of Don McLean’s song.!🎶
It’s still on my “bucket list” to see. Last time I was anywhere near MoMA in NYC, the painting was on tour in Europe. I’ll remember to bring tissues. Thank you for the links to the MoNA pages about the painting.
So, depending on how much of a van Gogh fan you are and if you enjoy such movies, I highly recommend the movie Starry Night (1999). It feels dated now, but it’s a rom com fantasy about Vincent returning to earth to continue his art 100 years after his death, for 100 days, and the wild Adventures around that.
Of course, Dr. Who made sure there was a van Gogh episode in the series. I believe it was #11 (Matt Smith).
That STARRY NIGHT movie sounds lovely. I will see if i can track it down. I am not a big fan of museums (visiting them usually makes me very drowsy…) but sometimes it is truly exciting/inspiring to see a famous work of art up close and personal. Thank you for making time to read and listen and then leave a comment!
And the colour of rain is ?
Don’t need to check the forecast.. UK, mostly, has been raining forever. Would love snow, or better still, a white frost.
Only white in our garden is from drifts of snowdrops.
The thought of “drifts of snowdrops” makes my heart leap up in my chest! Thank you for dropping by…
The snowdrops ? Enjoy.
To a former inner city kid, they’re perfect – so quietly too.
Our little patch of snowdrops is directly underneath a LOT of snow pushed from a parking lot next to our house. Hopefully they are receiving messages in temperature saying, “Stay put for now… wait until all/most of this huge pile of snow is melted before starting to push up and out of the frozen earth.”
What a gorgeous version of the Don McLean song. Thank you. I feel like it should be on my Sunday open studio playlist.
I hope your furnace continues to behave, and the comfort of food and shelter keeps you happy.
Paula
Paula Ogier http://www.paulaogierart.com
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Thank you for visiting my blog, Paula. I hope you continue to heal well!!! This recording of “Vincent” is on a long list of songs to mix/master/release with dear Doug Hammer…
What a wonderful cover of “Vincent”. So spacious, and your interpretation goes on such journey from start to finish. I’ve loved this song since the 70s (played that album in the ground 😉 )but your version adds somuch more. I hope you do get to remaster and release this soon.
Arrr….shoveling snow! But also grateful for all the things you listed.
Cheers,
Julie
THANK YOU for your enthusiastic feedback, Julie! I, too, played that Don McLean album over and over and over again… Today is another sunny day which will help melt our snow. But there are so many huge banks/piles of it everywhere, I am curious to see how long that process will take… and when crocus will start pushing their noses out of the earth…
I played French horn in the wind ensemble in my little high school in western mass. I had the idea that the french horn section should play “Waters of Babylon” a la Don McLean at our concert, because , why not? I think we probably played it pretty well, complete with the round. …Ah, youth….
Yeah! I love that song, and I love the sound of French horns. Sounds like a great sonic experiment!
We had snow down here in Virginia, but nothing like you! I too have done some shoveling and am not sure I want any more snow this season. I do love the song Vincent and your version is really lovely–as a previous commenter said, spacious. It’s nice to revisit songs from my youth. I hear things now I didn’t know to listen for then.
Thank you for listening and commenting! I was surprised to find myself wanting to do some shoveling today because of the nice way it warms up my entire body… I think I will get the chance in a few days (although the forecast says snow and/or rain). I hope early flowers are starting to push their way out of the ground in Virginia. I spent my childhood in MD and then DC — and more recently my niece was studying at ODU in Norfolk. I helped her and her husband and newborn baby pack up their home outside Norfolk a couple of summers ago, and some of us are heading back that way in May for her PhD graduation ceremony.
I keep meaning to visit the Norfolk area. There’s a lot to see down there. Good luck to your niece on finishing up and safe travels down in May!
Yes. Lots of history — often involving the US Navy — and other stuff to explore in the Norfolk area…
What a treat to see Starry Night in person! Let’s hope the snow is over for the season… but based on this year’s New England winter weather I doubt it. Sigh!
The snow falling today isn’t sticking here in East Arlington. I am in a cocoon of Beatles music — preparing to share a new one-hour program of their songs at a retirement community in Brookline this afternoon. I feel very grateful for music to help keep the horrible news coming from the middle east at bay for a few hours…
Ah, the Beatles! My favorite!! Music is a great healer, among other things.
People at the retirement community in Brookline were very ready to sing yesterday afternoon! I hope we all healed each other a little bit. And songs like “Let It Be” — with the opening lines “When I find myself in times of trouble…” were poignantly topical.
That is so wonderful, Will! Doesn’t it make you feel good to bring music to people and make a difference? I love that song!
Oh I so hear you about the shoveling of snow!!!! It’s been non stop up here in VT…Cold too and I too am so ready for spring. Loved the Iris pic’s you posted….Such wonderful flowers….I’m ready to see color again! At least the birds are slowly coming back because I keep hearing new bird song! Love it. Time to manifest spring!!!! VK 🙂
Hurrah for returning birds and their songs! Although more snow is falling in the Boston area as I type this comment, the weather is forecast to shift to rain. Then a few warmer days are predicted later this week, I think. So maybe our huge piles of snow will melt enough for a snowdrop or crocus to bravely bloom…
Sorry for the delay in getting to this post, Will. Oh my–what a gorgeous version of the song! One can hear all the emotion and yearning in your voice, and Doug’s piano notes are like falling stars and swirling clouds. I hope you do release it.
And I hope the snow is or will be melting soon. We’re getting lots of rain now.
Today is a big day of melting. Birds are chirping. I am even opening the windows a bit to get some fresh air. We are so blessed to have warmer weather, to have enough food and water, to have our WordPress community… and not to be bombed!
I’m glad you’re getting a little taste of spring, Will–and yes, we should never forget what joy and beauty we have.
This is incredible, they’re my favorite flowers! Thank you so much!
you are very welcome. Some greenish iris leaves just revealed themselves from beneath a (now melted) snow bank next to our driveway…
The flowers look lovely!
Thank you, Dawn. Pixabay is a wonderful resource for beautiful images.