October 3, 2024 I took some much-needed self care time today while June (miraculously!) attended a day of ZigZag, the Agile Learning Community she had been part of prior to this school year. They were not much damaged by the storm and had a port-a-potty already set up there. I was a little wary about…
Author: Carla Seidl
Post-Helene Asheville, continued
October 1, 2024 I heard from a neighbor that the more people from this area who apply for FEMA assistance, the more they will prioritize and send aid (like food and water) our way. I went to try to do that, but it’s really difficult without reliable cell and Internet service. Looking at it in…
Post-Helene Asheville
September 30, 2024 And so I am writing now not to report on the conditions and culture of a remote, less-developed country, but rather from my own home in Asheville, North Carolina – a city to which many have been flocking, not only because of its food, beer, arts, and outdoor activity acclaim, but also…
“Memory” from Cats
I’ve been working on and off on accompanying myself to sing “Memory” from Cats with guitar. Here’s a recording of me playing it outside in the shed the other day.
Return to Togo
Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Togo, West Africa. I had served there as a Peace Corps volunteer working in Girls’ Education and Empowerment from 2009 to 2011, and I returned to my village in the north of the country this summer to visit my friends and contacts. I’ve written journal-style updates…
Making Yogurt at Home
While living in Azerbaijan during my Peace Corps days, I would watch my host mothers make yogurt at home and relish the thick, creamy, sour taste alongside meals of dolma or fresh green beans and bread. When living on my own in that country, I learned to take large, clean, glass jars (bankalar) to a…
Breast Cancer Rap
I’ve been trying out a new genre…rap! Here I am spinning verses about my recent experience with breast cancer. Lyrics below. What is the Answer? I had a lump in my breast it turned out to be cancer. The doctors said surgery’s the only good answer. Would I lose my whole breast, or only a…
The Grand Ball of Europe
Le Grand Bal de l’Europe, the Grand Ball of Europe commonly known as “Gennetines,” is a folk dance festival held each summer at a farm outside of Moulins, France, about a 2 ½ hour train ride south of Paris. It features traditional dance forms, known as balfolk, from various regions of France and Europe, plus…
Children, Go Where I Send Thee
This song was a traditional African-American spiritual that later became known as a Christmas carol. I have drawn here from the secularized lyrics by Nick Lowe that I discovered in a Pentatonix recording to create a festive holiday interpretation that brings in some of the activities we enjoy most about the season. Enjoy! Major lyric…
Redemption Song
Here is my latest video, a cover of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” After I started experimenting with playing this song a few months ago, I discovered that Marley had been diagnosed with cancer when he wrote this. His widow, Rita Marley, has remarked that she really hears, within this tune in particular, her husband’s reckoning…