The Season Cometh… As I'm writing this, I'm sitting down after a long day of filling Christmas-time CD and T-shirt orders from the DRM website, getting the house ready for winter (yes—it's coming…), getting press releases out for upcoming shows, and baking a few cookies (chocolate chip!). I could feel the chill in the air today, and the overcast reminded me that snow is right around the corner. There is still much to do and so little time—especially here in Maine as the ground is starting to freeze. Sometimes it seems like the peas have barely been planted when the pumpkins are catching that first frost of the season. The march of the seasons persists, and here I find myself once again contemplating my holiday message to you in a perpetually troubled and wonderful world.  As I was preparing my thoughts for this message, I was reminded of a poem Christmas Bells written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who also lived in Portland, Maine—my home town. You may know it as the carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. He wrote the poem soon after he'd learned that his son had joined up and was off to the war front in the Civil War against his wishes, and shortly after losing his wife in a house fire. It was a dark time for Longfellow. We've all had those moments of intense loss being made more intense by the holidays. Inspired by Longfellow's words, I put pen to paper this afternoon and created my own poem of the season.

'Tis the Season… A poem by Dave Rowe Dec. 1, 2015 Frost on creaking stair Leaves crinkle underfoot Still, crisp air tickles the nose The autumn has left its fleeting mark Soon flakes will cover fallow ground As winter takes its place Trees will be gathered and brought inside Glowing warmly in windows Laden with lights and garlands Anticipation and hope of rebirth For a world rife with hardships and pain Soon it shall come The day, the feasts, the parties Friends and families gathered by tradition Bound by love, embraces, and cheer Until the final day of the year So it continues, this year to the next So it shall always… __________________________ May the season bless you all, -Dave

Yesterday I asked Facebook friends and fans to comment on my website. I got a a number of very helpful responses (I've already implemented a number of suggestions), and one common thread was that folks seemed to want to see this blog more active. I'd love to promise that. I'd love to say that I'm going to start blogging as a daily habit—every day I'd have something new to say about some interesting topic. Monday I'd extol the virtues of house plants; Tuesday I'd wax poetic about the lesser-known virtues of bacon; Wednesday I'd talk about how much I love gardening, and so on…. It would be a wonderful, continuous monologue about the world from my point of view. It would be filled with meandering verse about my hobbies, habits, foibles, pet peeves, and interests and cover topics as varied as songwriting, auto repair, sauna maintenance, and cuisine. I could demonstrate to all who care to read exactly how fun and interesting my life as a professional musician is—and it is.

The truth of the matter is, however, that despite my best intentions when I started this blog, I'll never be a regular blogger. Not only do I lack the discipline to sit down regularly and do this, but I also lack the time and energy. Entertainers necessarily have to spend a lot of time pounding on social media to stay relevant to their friends and fans so that they will come out to shows and buy our latest work, and I fear the time I spend doing that really is my limit for tapping out ideas on the old computer keyboard. I'm far more likely to put out a 140 character tweet on Twitter (I'm @daverowemusic) or repost someone else's cat picture on Facebook (Music Page: http://facebook.com/daverowefolk or Personal Page: http://facebook.com/daverowemusic) from my cellphone while on one of my daily walks than I'll ever be to pen a full blog post like this on a regular basis.

I'm flattered that people want to read my musings, and I'm certainly not going to stop blogging or take down this blog, but committing to blogging as a regular part of my life is something I just don't see happening…at least not until I can fill out a staff of full-time minions who are willing to take care of all the other crap I have to do and are willing to work for barbecue leftovers—despite the fact that my barbecue is ranked among the best within a three-house radius and my cole slaw is to die for, I still don't think there will be a line forming outside the Dave Rowe Music H.R. office to fill the positions any time soon. If, however, you are a motivated individual looking for thankless work and willing to work for less than the average border collie's annual income, feel free to email your resume and qualifications to humanresources@daverowemusic.com and someone will get back to you soon.