JANUARY 2010 - I’m sure I’m not the first to say “Happy New Year”.  If I am the first, it still has a familiar sound. Didn’t we just say that a short time ago as we welcomed in 2009??? Yes and 2009 seemed to go by so quickly. I’m not alone in that observation. Could time be quickening??? Far out concept.

Got a few gigs this month;

I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday, January 7^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Friday, January 22^nd, 8:00 to 11:00pm.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

January 8^th, I’ll be performing at the Winter Garden Gazebo on Plant Street from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

On January 17^th, I’ll be performing at 5:00pm at The South Florida Folk Roundup, 9020 West State Road Davie, Florida. Info at www.browardfolkclub.com

On January 23^rd, I’ll perform at Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlantic Ave Orlando from 9:00pm to midnight. They brew the beer. Very cool place. Check out  www.orlandobrewing.com

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FEBRUARY 2010 - January has gone and hopefully has taken with it it’s very cold weather. Orlando had record breaking temperatures in the 20s. I walk 2 miles every morning at about 7:00am. Man did I walk fast on those cold mornings. I lived in Cleveland Ohio many years ago. I’m done with cold weather. I’d rather put up with 8 months of Florida heat.

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday the 11^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Saturday the 20^th, 8:00 to 11:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On Saturday, February 20th I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

On Saturday, February 13^th, I’ll be at the Vineyard from 7:00 to 10:00pm. It’s located at 4848 Apopka Vineland Rd.  The Vineyard is an intimate, upscale wine bar. It’s a great place to hang with friends, have a drink and listen to live music.

I’ll be performing at The 8^th Annual Folk Festival at The Mennello Museum of Art on February the 14^th from 1:45 to 2:30pm. Check out www.mennellomuseum.org

MARCH 2010 - It’s been said that March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb. We are still in winter and officially will be till March 21^st, the beginning of spring. As a kid I enjoyed the snowy days of winter, snow fights, snow men and sled rides. Still the spring was always welcomed. I’m sure that this year, everyone is anticipating the spring. I read that there was at least one day this winter that 49 of the 50 states experienced snow. The only state that didn’t get snowed on was Hawaii. It even snowed in Florida. So yeah!!! Bring on March.

This month, on Friday, March 5^th, I’ll perform at the Winter Garden Gazebo on Plant Street from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday, March 11^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Saturday, March 20^th, 8:00 to 11:00pm.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.

On Saturday, March 20th I'll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

On Saturday, March 27^th, I’ll perform at the Deland Art Festival. My set is 4:00 to 5:00pm.  There will be music all day long. www.delandoutdoorartfest.com  

APRIL 2010 - In the Roman calendar, most of the months were named in honor of divinities. April is associated with Venus. The Greek calendar associates April with Aphrodite. I associate April with spring, but how can anyone not think of April Fool’s Day. Got me wondering what April Fool’s Day is all about so I did some research and this is what I found.

In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII, ordered a new calendar, the Gregorian calendar to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year's Day to be celebrated on January 1st. So In the Julian Calendar the new year began on April 1^st. That year, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year's Day to January 1st.  According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or didn’t learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year's Day on April 1st. Other people began to make fun of those traditionalists, sending them on "fool's errands" or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe. This seems to be the most popular and believable explanation for April Fool’s Day.

Here are my public gigs for April. Always check with the venue. Sometimes dates are switched out. This is for real. Not an April Fool’s prank.

I’ll be performing at Pizza Fusion on April 7^th, from 7:00 to 9:00pm. The address is 7563 Sand Lake Road Orlando, Fl 32819. They make really great tasting organic pizzas. www.pizzafusion.com

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday the 8^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Friday the 23^rd, 8:00 to 11:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

This month, on Friday the 9^th, I’ll perform at the Winter Garden Gazebo on Plant Street from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

On Saturday, April 10^th, I’ll be at the Vineyard from 8:00 to 11:00pm. It’s located at 4848 Apopka Vineland Rd.  The Vineyard is an intimate, upscale wine bar. It’s a great place to hang with friends, have a drink and listen to live music.

On Saturday, April 24^th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

MAY 2010 - Last month I wrote about the significance of April 1^st. May 1^st also has meaning in our culture. It’s roots go back a long way. For the Druids of the British Isles, May 1^st was the second most important holiday of the year, because it was when the festival of Beltane which means “shining fire”, was held. It was a festive occasion, celebrated during the day. It was thought that the day divides the year into half. Then the Romans came to occupy the British Isles. The beginning of May was a very popular feast time for the Romans. It was devoted primarily to the worship of Flora, the goddess of flowers. Somewhere in time the Maypole got into the act.

May Day also has meaning to the labor movement. On May 1, 1886, more than 300,000 workers in 13,000 businesses across the United States walked off their jobs. This walkout was the culmination of the labor movement fighting for an eight hour work day. So May Day has become for the common person around the world a traditional day of protest.

Here are my gigs for May:

On Saturday, May 8^th, I’ll perform at around 7:45pm at the Windermere Rotary Festival Among The Lakes. Check out the web site for details.  www.windermererotary.org/Festival/FestivalIndex.html

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday the 6^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Saturday the 22^nd, 8:00 to 11:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On Saturday, May 29^th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com  

JUNE 2010 - In past posts, I wrote about the months April and May.  This being June, I’ll write a few words about this month. It’s been said that June was named after the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter. It’s also been said that the name comes from the Latin word iuniores, meaning "younger ones," as opposed to maiores ("elders") for which the preceding month May is named. As I stepped outside this morning to do my daily run through the streets of Orlando at 6:45 am, the only thing that crossed my mind was it’s damn hot.

This month I’ll be performing at the Maitland Farmers Market on Sunday, June 6^th from 10:00am to 1:00 pm. The market is located on Lake Lily in Maitland.

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Saturday the 19^th, 8:00 to 11:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor  

JULY 2010 - Summer is here as of June 21^st, the summer solstice. June 21^st is also the day of the year with the longest period of sunlight. So, though we are now in the thick of summer, our daily periods of sunlight are getting shorter. The day with the shortest period of sunlight is the winter solstice, December 21^st. So we are now in July, Independence Day and all.

After taking a long break, I’ve decided to start writing again and will soon post some new songs on my Myspace page. Don’t know if I’ll do another CD. For the time being, I’ll record the songs for archive purposes.

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday, July 1st, 7:00 to 10:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On Saturday, July 3rd, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

This month, on Friday, July 16^th, I’ll perform at the Winter Garden Gazebo on Plant Street from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

On Saturday, July 17^th, I’ll perform in concert with my good friend Larry Dolamore in Eustis at the Trout Lake Nature Center. The music begins at 7:45pm. They’ll be plenty of home cooked food to eat, and even more if you bring a covered dish. Check www.troutlakenature.org

On Saturday, July 24^th, I’ll be back in Eustis, performing at Olivia’s Coffee House, 113 N. Bay Street from 7:30 to 10:00pm. This is a really fun, lively coffee house. Good food to eat.    www.oliviascoffeehouse.com  

AUGUST 2010 - August is here. The Romans named it to honor the emperor Augustus. Not only did the Romans name the month, but they also decided that it should have 31 days to equal July, the month named after Julius Caesar. August is usually the hottest month, so if it’s hotter than July has been in Orlando, we’re in for a real hot one.

This month I’ll be at the Attic Door, 28 W Plant Street in Winter Garden on Thursday, August 5th, 7:00 to 10:00pm and Wednesday, August 25^th, 7:00 to 10:00pm. The Attic Door owners, Lisa and Lori have recently opened a cozy adjoining restaurant next door to the Attic Door called Bistro 24. In the evening, Bistro 24 is open for seating Attic Door patrons.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On August 12^th, I’ll be performing at a benefit for an artist named Marsha Smith. Marsha was in a bad accident and needs to raise money to pay bills. Also on the program will be Steve Waters, Brian Smalley and my good friend John French. The benefit will be in Eustis at Olivia’s Coffee House, 113 N. Bay Street from 7:00 to 10:00pm. This is a really fun, lively coffee house. Good food to eat.    www.oliviascoffeehouse.com

On Saturday, August 14th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. This is a great outside venue and a wonderful bakery, serving all sorts of baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and music. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

SEPTEMBER 2010 - September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, and the seventh month of the year in the Roman Calendar. In Latin, “septem” means seven. Interestingly, September begins on the same day of the week as December every year, because there are 91 days separating September and December, which is a multiple of seven. When I think of September, what comes to mind is that for me as a youth, the school year always began in September. September brought with it the end of the freedom called summer vacation. I wasn’t much of a scholar. Outside of learning the basics; reading, writing and arithmetic, all of which were learned in elementary school, I’ve learned more the last few years on the internet.

I was going to go on a trip this September, but cancelled it, so I have but one gig this month.

On Friday, September 3^rd, I’ll be at the Attic Door in Winter Garden from 8:00 to 11:00pm.  

OCTOBER 2010 - My wife started the Halloween decorating early this year. It’s still a few days before the start of October.  Up here in my second story music room, I have a good view of the lawn, which has been converted into a ghoulish graveyard, complete with gravestones and skeletons hanging from the trees. Each year, the army of ghosts and skeletons grows in numbers. My wife has a passion for decorating the yard and house with things that reflect the festive holidays, rituals and happenings. I’m sort of indifferent to such things, though this Halloween extravaganza has come in handy when giving directions to our house. “When you turn on my street, look for the graveyard”. Nighttime is easy. It lights up.

This month, I’ll be in Winter Garden at The Attic Door on Friday, October 8^th, 8:00 to 11:00pm.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On October 9^th and 10^th, I’ll be at the Lake County Folk Festival. Great festival. For details check www.lakecountyfolkfest.com

October 15^th, I’ll be performing at the Winter Garden Gazebo on Plant Street from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

On Saturday, October 16^th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com  

NOVEMBER 2010 - It seems we have barely enough time to take down the Halloween extravaganza on our lawn and put up the Thanksgiving/Fall "show", turkeys, scarecrows, pumpkins. While all of this is going on, all the commercial mentality stores are already selling Christmas trappings. This is all quite confusing. It sort of messes up my time line. Which holiday happens first???? And more important, is our garage big enough to store all of these decorations, growing in numbers as my wife continues to buy more each year???? Well if not, it’s her car that will have to find a new home on the driveway.   Hey!! While we’re on the subject of Christmas, check out my Christmas CD, “Six String Christmas”. You can purchase it through this web site.

I’ll be performing at the 2010 Barberville Fall Jamboree on Saturday, November 6th. Check out  http://www.folkfiddle.com/barber.htm

This month, I’ll be in Winter Garden at The Attic Door on Thursday, November 11th, 7:00 to 10:00pm.     www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor

On Saturday, November 20^th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00am to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com  

DECEMBER 2010 - Thanksgiving was wonderful, enjoyed with friends. The food was the best, though I did pay a price. My stomach rumbled all night long. Yet… I would do it again, in fact I will. Still to come is Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years. Please take care of yourselves and your family.

On Saturday, December 11^th, I’ll be performing at The Yalaha Bakery. The hours for music have been expanded, 11:00 to 2:00pm. Check www.yalahabakery.com

This month, I’ll be in Winter Garden at The Attic Door on Wednesday, December 11th, 7:00 to 10:00pm.  www.myspace.com/jrsatticdoor