Thanks for clocking in, Bradley. They were the best. Mary was maybe the finest natural comedienne of her generation. Even when she wasn't trying to be funny.
Thoreau would love it that we gather here to read this gorgeous elegy to his leaves and to him.
How gladly he shares his immortal soul with us! We see the autumn beauty through his eyes.
"The words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living" (as Auden wrote of Yeats.)
I love that Matt's guts and tender words bring us his own fresh vision of Thoreau, so that we can have Henry David with us as we scuff gladly through the autumn leaves of our lives.
I stumbled on your blog by accident, while doing a little research into Slack. I'm so glad I found you. You write like I hope I do when I'm at my best. A bit of random trivia that may interest you... Eva Cassidy is Hugh Cassidy's daughter. Hugh was a superheavyweight powerlifter and the 1971 world champion. He was also my coach, Marty Gallagher's coach. Hugh was a math teacher in Maryland but also a metal sculptor of some renown in a second career. None of this is really related to your blog post at all, but then again, it kind of is, as all things are connected by these threads, some thick and some thin.
Thanks for stumbling, Chuck, even if you have my sincere condolences for having to research Slack. (Something I refused to join, even when I belonged to an office.) Here's another weird connection for you: I've met Hugh, and his wife. Hung out with them for an afternoon at their house in Bowie when I was doing a short profile of Eva. (Five years after her death.) They were wonderful, both of them. I really liked the guy. What got me is that he kept his cello out, and would still play it to her music. Hope he's still with us. Imagine he's in his mid-80s now.
That is so cool! Last I heard from Marty (incidentally a prolific strength training writer), Hugh was alive and doing well. I lost a daughter myself. You don't get over that one, so I'm not surprised at him playing along to her music. I mistyped above... I wasn't researching Slack but was instead looking into Substack for blog hosting. That was painful too.
Awesome, I have never read that particular book of Thoreau's...
Autumn has always been my favorite time. I loved back to school shopping for clothes and cool school supplies. The crispness of the air, the cool clothing, and fashion boots..I was born in October also, and think it is the best month to have a birthday...lol..I love the change of colors ( but not raking leaves...lol..) in the trees and the clothes and the pumpkins and Halloween ( I still dressed up as an adult for many years to give out candy, go to parties, or the costume contests at the bingo halls). I cried when I was 12 and one of my neighbors yelled at me and told me I was too old to trick or treat. Sigh, I had no idea there was an age limit...lol...I just loved dressing up...
Orange and Brown were my HS school colors ( they were the "in" colors at that time) and I wanted to have those as my wedding colors ( didn't happen for a variety of reasons ) and get married in October...( if I ever got married again, it would be around Christmas and I would wear a Christmas Red Velvet dress...
Spring has her charms but the fall with the joys of the harvest gracing our tables and filling our stomachs . . . The festivals celebrating pumpkins, potatoes and popcorn . . . The rituals of the school year with a new box of crayons all pointy and crying to be worn down. These sustain us for the rigors of the bleak.
There's been some unauthorized releases, so be careful. But I highly recommend her "Live At Blues Alley" album. From which that recording came. One keeper after another. "Songbird" is also pretty can't-miss.
That is the cd I ordered from Amazon last night! I'm a blues hound from way back but love all kinds of music, old and new. It's the only time I feel my old heart lift! Happy Thanksgiving and if you get a chance and haven't already, listen to Soldiers Gift by Josh Turner. I'm not a huge country music fan, more blue grass but this is a good one for the holidays. Thanks for the awesome posts and memories they bring.
Wow! Take me back to childhood. Take me back to when I moved back home and passing out candy with our neighbor. We would set up his DVD and projector on the driveway playing Charlie Brown Halloween special for the kids and a cooler with beer and spiked cider for the foot weary parents, a 30 minute break of chasing the little ones. A massively huge success. Even the local PD would show up and pass out candy and a visit with the K-9 Storm. Then throw in one of my all time favs HD Thoreau. I sit here now looking for one of his books that Dad introduced me too many many years ago. Tremendous amount of respect for you Matt. Of the charts again. Thanks
My third grade teacher read us “To Autumn” by Keats. It always comes back to me this time of year. Thanks for a great piece!
What a beautiful article. Your writing nourishes me in a way for something I wasn’t aware was missing. Thank you again.
thanks for this, matt.
i have been one that relates with your teenager's view
fall was the end of all that was good and righteous in my world
in my 70s i have started to come around to the picture thoreau painted
and your fall memories inspired me to read aloud to my wife and one of my adult (age only) kids
listening to eva cassidy sing autumn leaves gave me goosebumps
a perfect voice for one of johnny mercer's most beautiful and wistful songs
and one of my mom's favorites, too
$30 an hour to mow the lawn in the 1980s!
You fact-checking me, Ben? Fair enough. More like 30 bucks total, but if it was a small yard, you'd get it done in an hour. Hence, 30 dollars an hour.
Haha I wondered it is was something like that.
Beautiful Aunt Mary and Uncle Dean! Pure souls that lavished us all with nothing but love, laughter, and money-shirts!
Thanks for clocking in, Bradley. They were the best. Mary was maybe the finest natural comedienne of her generation. Even when she wasn't trying to be funny.
Great article and memories Matt!
Thoreau would love it that we gather here to read this gorgeous elegy to his leaves and to him.
How gladly he shares his immortal soul with us! We see the autumn beauty through his eyes.
"The words of a dead man are modified in the guts of the living" (as Auden wrote of Yeats.)
I love that Matt's guts and tender words bring us his own fresh vision of Thoreau, so that we can have Henry David with us as we scuff gladly through the autumn leaves of our lives.
I stumbled on your blog by accident, while doing a little research into Slack. I'm so glad I found you. You write like I hope I do when I'm at my best. A bit of random trivia that may interest you... Eva Cassidy is Hugh Cassidy's daughter. Hugh was a superheavyweight powerlifter and the 1971 world champion. He was also my coach, Marty Gallagher's coach. Hugh was a math teacher in Maryland but also a metal sculptor of some renown in a second career. None of this is really related to your blog post at all, but then again, it kind of is, as all things are connected by these threads, some thick and some thin.
Thanks for stumbling, Chuck, even if you have my sincere condolences for having to research Slack. (Something I refused to join, even when I belonged to an office.) Here's another weird connection for you: I've met Hugh, and his wife. Hung out with them for an afternoon at their house in Bowie when I was doing a short profile of Eva. (Five years after her death.) They were wonderful, both of them. I really liked the guy. What got me is that he kept his cello out, and would still play it to her music. Hope he's still with us. Imagine he's in his mid-80s now.
That is so cool! Last I heard from Marty (incidentally a prolific strength training writer), Hugh was alive and doing well. I lost a daughter myself. You don't get over that one, so I'm not surprised at him playing along to her music. I mistyped above... I wasn't researching Slack but was instead looking into Substack for blog hosting. That was painful too.
Good to hear about Hugh. Really sorry about your daughter, Chuck. The ultimate crusher. My sympathies.......
Awesome, I have never read that particular book of Thoreau's...
Autumn has always been my favorite time. I loved back to school shopping for clothes and cool school supplies. The crispness of the air, the cool clothing, and fashion boots..I was born in October also, and think it is the best month to have a birthday...lol..I love the change of colors ( but not raking leaves...lol..) in the trees and the clothes and the pumpkins and Halloween ( I still dressed up as an adult for many years to give out candy, go to parties, or the costume contests at the bingo halls). I cried when I was 12 and one of my neighbors yelled at me and told me I was too old to trick or treat. Sigh, I had no idea there was an age limit...lol...I just loved dressing up...
Orange and Brown were my HS school colors ( they were the "in" colors at that time) and I wanted to have those as my wedding colors ( didn't happen for a variety of reasons ) and get married in October...( if I ever got married again, it would be around Christmas and I would wear a Christmas Red Velvet dress...
Oh, I forgot caramel apples...lol...
Spring has her charms but the fall with the joys of the harvest gracing our tables and filling our stomachs . . . The festivals celebrating pumpkins, potatoes and popcorn . . . The rituals of the school year with a new box of crayons all pointy and crying to be worn down. These sustain us for the rigors of the bleak.
Not only wonderful and evocative writing, but you always attach such great music to your essays. Townes Van Zandt nods. Thanks, Matt.
Townes! Thanks, man.
My favorite time of the year and sharing Eva Cassidy, an incredible voice so thanks for that. I will get a CD by her!
There's been some unauthorized releases, so be careful. But I highly recommend her "Live At Blues Alley" album. From which that recording came. One keeper after another. "Songbird" is also pretty can't-miss.
That is the cd I ordered from Amazon last night! I'm a blues hound from way back but love all kinds of music, old and new. It's the only time I feel my old heart lift! Happy Thanksgiving and if you get a chance and haven't already, listen to Soldiers Gift by Josh Turner. I'm not a huge country music fan, more blue grass but this is a good one for the holidays. Thanks for the awesome posts and memories they bring.
My favorite season and you described it so beautifully! God sure has given us a beautiful world to live in!
Think we know some of the same people.
Wow! Take me back to childhood. Take me back to when I moved back home and passing out candy with our neighbor. We would set up his DVD and projector on the driveway playing Charlie Brown Halloween special for the kids and a cooler with beer and spiked cider for the foot weary parents, a 30 minute break of chasing the little ones. A massively huge success. Even the local PD would show up and pass out candy and a visit with the K-9 Storm. Then throw in one of my all time favs HD Thoreau. I sit here now looking for one of his books that Dad introduced me too many many years ago. Tremendous amount of respect for you Matt. Of the charts again. Thanks
I can't believe I've gone my whole life without knowing about Eva Cassidy. Something else I owe to Matt
This made me laugh and cry.
Thank you for this piece and the Cassidy video. I’ve always loved Thoreau.