Friday, December 19, 2014. All I want for Christmas. Gorgeous centerpiece from the Meadow. This is the time of year when I gush about all the great gift ideas this area has to offer. I freeze in the face of holiday expectations.

Commended by the Boston Globe for her crystalline tone and graceful musicality, soprano Sonja DuToit Tengblad is a versatile performer with credits spanning the Renaissance era through the most current composers of our time.

Toward a tuning strategy for large Baroque ensembles. Shostakovitch for drum and bugle corps! Regional opera is alive and well.

The challenges and opportunities associated with late-middle age. How I braved my fears about skating on wild ice. Welcoming a good old dog into our lives. Back in May, after we made the sad decision to say goodbye to our lovely, 16-year-old lab-mix dog, Lucy, Douglas and I agreed to take a break from dog ownership. Although both of us have loved dogs all our lives and welcome.