I was raised to praise things before condemning them and am going to do so now. This evening we are all sort of in a funk (more in a second) and I have been listening to music on the iPod. The voice that stopped me in my tracks was k.d. lang's. She is not a big woman but has a voice that will blow the roof off. (She and Roy Orbison won a Grammy together, and she held her own). It can also drop down to a register that would sound just fine murmuring in your ear. So I'm listening to music and listening to about 30 k.d. songs in a row. What a singer.

The funk is because Jim Gages, the dad of Tricia and the grandfather of Allie and Emily, passed away at 4:00 this morning. Tricia said he went peacefully.