Toccata and Fugue in d minor

My son, Daniel, found this excellent animation of the Toccata and Fugue in d minor. It is mesmerizing, beautiful and intuitive. I'm convinced that an organist needs at least 3 brains to play such music! Enjoy.

Zucchinis anyone?

I assume that I'm not the only person who is enjoying a bountiful harvest of zucchini! I love trying new ways to serve them. Here is a recipe that I tried recently. I've had the recipe card for years and have forgotten where I got it from, yet I had never tried it until this summer. It is delicious! It's similar to a ratatouille. It was nice to use my homegrown tomatoes and zucchini for this!

Zucchini in Tomato Sauce

6 medium zucchini, or 12 small

3 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 minced garlic cloves

2 peeled and chopped tomatoes

1 diced red pepper

1/2 cup diced green pepper

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped olives

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

pinch of thyme

Prepare zucchini. In a large, deep pot heat oil and fry onions and garlic for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peppers and chopped tomatoes and fry for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and stir. Add zucchini. Cover and cook over low-medium heat for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Stir in olives, tomato paste, and water and cook uncovered to evaporate some liquid until vegetables are soft.

Enjoy!

Hava Nagila

Here is something I did a couple of years ago when I was desperate for a choral "fix"! I learned 3 of the 4 parts (too hard for me to sing a believable bass line) and recorded it. The hopefully not too annoying thing about it is the metronome sound throughout to help me keep the rhythm for the counterpoint and syncopation. Maybe one day I'll try it again and tidy it up, but perhaps you'll enjoy a quick listen of Hava Nagila! Please excuse the out-of-shape voice as well!!

http://daniel.grebeweb.com/audio/michelle/havanagila.mp3

*Hava Nagila means approximately "let us rejoice"