The Oppenheimer Report - 4/13/15

I think the winter of my discontent is finally on the wane. There may be a few surprises in store, because up here in the Almaguin Highlands it is April, not March, that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Thankfully, the past few days have been warmer, and the sun has peeked through several times. I get serious cabin fever around this time of year. One would think that having grown up in a sunless city like Buffalo I’d have learned to pace myself for long winters, but I still get anxious around this time. Today, I saw some robins in the woods, and the wild perennials are beginning to poke their green sprouts through the newly thawed landscape.

This spring there has been an unusually large population of deer in our area, and several times I have had to be especially vigilant to avoid them when driving into Huntsville. There were five or six on our property last week, and as the snow melts, they are coming out of the woods to scrounge for whatever Jack Frost has left behind. This has in turn attracted predators. The other day, I woke up to a strange sight out on the frozen lake. About two hundred yards out in front of our house were two gray wolves, laboriously dragging the carcass of a freshly killed deer to the cover of the nearby shore. All around there were crows and I thought I also spotted a bald eagle circling above. This was a sobering reminder of the symbiosis of nature. I love seeing the wild animals, but up here we are constantly reminded of the harsh realities of nature. I never saw this kind of thing when I was a “citiot," as the locals call us city folk. I am reminded of “Marlin Perkins’ Wild Kingdom”, a show I used to watch with some regularity when I was a kid. It always amused me that Perkins would be narrating the video of some jungle cat taking down a gazelle or antelope, and then he’d  segue into a commercial for the sponsor of the show: Mutual of Omaha life insurance. Marlin would say something like: “On the African savannah, only the fastest antelope can out run their predators, but human beings can’t outrun mortality … they need life insurance for their survival. Mutual of Omaha life insurance is the protection you need.” Or, “Baboons mate for life, but who will take care of YOU if your husband is blown to pieces in a boiler explosion? Mutual of Omaha, that’s who.”

Indeed we are perhaps more cognizant of the laws of nature up here in the near north. At present I am anxiously monitoring the spring thaw because we are concerned about flooding. The past several years, flooding has been particularly severe, and we recently installed a sump pump to deal with the excessive volumes of water. Last Thursday night we had the first major thunderstorm of the season, melting much of the snowpack in the area. It was a sleepless night for me. If the power goes out, we do have generator power, but so far the sump is not tied in to the generator.

The radio show is becoming more enjoyable, as I find my stride. At first it was awkward talking into a mic with nobody around, but it is getting easier. I recognize my arrogance in hosting a show wherein I talk about song  writing, and while I am not a widely recognized songwriter, I have been writing songs for a long time. I believe I have something to offer, and I certainly have strong opinions about what I do and do not like. I’m hoping to revisit some of my favorite songs and perhaps all of us will learn something in the process. Much of what I have played so far is music from the past, and to those who suggest I play new artists, I am open to suggestions. I am constantly being exposed to new songs that move me, and when that happens, I will present them for your consideration. That said, there is a lot of music from the past that in my opinion never got the recognition it deserved, and simply does not get air time on the radio today. Good songs do not go out of fashion, and in the show last Thursday night, in no particular order, I included Sammy Davis Jr singing a Cole Porter song, two live cuts from a Humble Pie concert, and a tune by Toronto song writer Willie P. Bennett. In my show, there will be songs that are not for everyone, but almost every song I play is one that has meaning to me, and/or has influenced my songwriting in some way. As I said, I welcome requests, and I am always willing to learn something new. To those who have caught the show, either locally or on the internet, thanks for listening!

 

Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED