September-October 2026 Newsletter

21 Sep 2026

September – October 2026

This is a newsletter that will cover September and October. I’ll be back in November. To find out why, read on…

Things can take a turn, can’t they? As you may recall, I was scheduled for total hip replacement surgery on Monday, August 24th. On the Friday before, I was informed that my surgery was canceled due to some blip in the pre-clearance testing. Seems that the EKG I had showed “something” and that further cardio testing was needed. I did the extra tests, there was still “something” and my Doctor would not clear me for surgery until I saw a cardiologist.

On September 2, I saw a cardiologist who said that the risk of anesthesia for the surgery was minimal and he will be clearing me. Turns out that my love of cheese and other high cholesterol foods along with genetics is my undoing; I possibly have a very slight blockage somewhere and he is willing to track it down after I have the surgery. Another present for the 70th birthday.

So, my surgery is now scheduled for Tuesday, September 22, thus I’ll be down for the count for a few weeks.

From what I am being told, hip replacement is a lot easier than knee replacement. I anticipate a lot of therapy to get back up to full mobility and hopefully, that might happen sooner than later. My wonderful sister is traveling out from Idaho and will be with me for the week following surgery. Her husband has had both hips replaced so she is an expert at this.

 

Bandcamp Friday, Oct 2, 2026

 

Debra’s Bandcamp Page

The next Bandcamp Friday will be on October 2 from midnight to midnight Pacific Time. I have been using Bandcamp for 18 years and I just love them. They have proved to be much more supportive of the musicians on their platform and than many others and they are always trying improve the site to make it better for us. So head on over to Bandcamp.com and see if your favorite musicians are there. It’s a great place to support the music you love and to discover new music as well.

 

 

Dining Room Table Concerts (DRTC)…

…will be on a hiatus for a while until I see how my recovery goes. There is a slight chance I might do one in late October, but I am hopefully going to have one in November. I have wanted to do a DRTC titled “I Didn’t Write These” that consist of some my very favorite songs composed by other people. Stay tuned and I’ll definitely let you know when I schedule the next one. Who knows? If my recovery is fairly quick, I may be able to do a DRTC in late October!

BTW-if you become a paying subscriber of my Patreon, you get access to a recording of the latest Dining Room Table Concert once they have been completed. You can sign up for my Patreon HERE

In the Meantime

I want to let you know about two artists whose work I admire. Please have a wander over to their websites and if you like what you hear, please purchase their music.

 

Tret Fure

I had Tret as a guest on my last “Dining Room Table Concert” in June. We had a great time and I loved singing harmony with her on her songs. Her compositions are wonderful and it amazes me how prolific she is. As I write this, she is now working on another recording. She tours everywhere and if she is in your area, please go to her concert. You can hear her songs and find out more about her at her website

 

Emily Portman

My dear friend, the late Louisa Jo Killen introduced me to Emily’s music way back in 2011 or so. I got a copy of her recording “The Glamoury”  and fell in love with her compositions. Emily is the rare composer that uses rich images in her lyrics and wonderfully complex music to enhance those lyrics, mainly to tell the stories that she creates. In many instances, she uses folkloric tales and old ballads as a starting place and puts those older stories in a contemporary setting. “Bones and Feathers”  from “Greening the Dark” is Emily’s composition. Her newest recording, “Dominion of Spells” is fantastic. You can find out more about Emily at her website

 

A Nice Compliment

I also want to share some very kind words that a friend said about my album “Greening the Dark”.  Walter Crockett is a musician from Worcester, MA and I have gotten to know him through my years here in Central Massachusetts. Last year, he and I met up for lunch and I gave him both “Fond Desire Farewell”  and “Greening the Dark”. From Walter:

“I got out the two albums you gave me when we got together.

In any case, I chose Greening The Dark because it was the newer.

And I was mesmerized. Humbled, deeply. Awestruck by the beauty of the music and your voice, the depth of the songs and the wonderful strangeness of the songs compared to most of what I listen to and play. The album cover itself (which lights up very nicely on YouTube, where I played it) is just perfect for the music. The impossible changes that fit so well together. The musicians playing to the songs, being the song instead of decorations within it. And your clear beautiful voice over and in it all.

It was a wonderful discovery for me. A timely lesson that there are oceans of beauty out there still waiting for me to find them.”

 

That’s all for now. I’ll see you on the other side of a brand new hip but for now, be kind to one another and keep in touch.

Debra