SHAD SHINDIG

I spent an enjoyable afternoon at Lambertville's Shad Festival.

Yes, I know it's also celebrated in New Hope, but I much prefer Lambertville.  New Hope is too much like a theme park, with traffic jams.

There were probably over a hundred vendors selling jewelry, chotchkies, funnel cake, and cellphone plans.  Your usual mix.

But also a fascinating mix of music: Dixieland, jazz, rock, and country.  Some were on their own.

Others were in groups.

One thing that was surprising was how many dogs there were, and so many were pampered little prima donnas, like this little twitcher.

There was even a vendor selling doggie treats.  Oddly, I didn't see a single cat.

This was a truly cosmopolitan festival.  In the space of the afternoon I had a gyro, some samosas, a soft pretzel, and of course a lovely bacon-wrapped fried shad roe at Lambertville Station.

 

It is a shad festival, after all.  There were ferry rides,

 

And fancy cars.

Besides the festival, you still have Lambertville.  This is basically an art and antiques community, like New Hope, but more blue collar, somehow.  Here's a random shot of a unique planter in someone's front yard.

Altogether, a beautiful day.

 

GOOD JAZZ

Spent a pleasant evening in the company of other local jazz aficionados listening to the Three Blind Mice http://www.threeblindmicejazz.com/ on Thursday.

This little get-together benefitted an organization called Jazz Bridge, http://www.jazzbridge.org/  which supports (among other things) ageing musicians.

Check out upcoming events at the websites attached and give them your support, and get great jazz in return.

TAX DAY

It pleases me to taunt those of you who are frantically trying to complete your annual struggle with the income tax by noting that not only am I long since done, but the refunds are already safely tucked away in the bank.  In fact, I was so in a hurry to be done that I was mightily unhappy when I realized that some 1099s weren't due until after the end of February.

Anyway, here's my favorite quote on taxes, from a fictional detective some would unkindly say I resemble:

A man condemning the income tax because of the annoyance it gives him or the expense it puts him to is merely a dog baring its teeth, and he forfeits the privileges of civilized discourse. But it is possible to criticize it on other and impersonal grounds. A government, like an individual, spends money for any or all of three reasons: because it needs to, because it wants to, or simply because it has it to spend. The last is much the shabbiest. It is arguable, if not manifest, that a substantial portion of the great spring flood of billions pouring into the Treasury will in effect get spent for the last shabby reason.

Nero Wolfe - And Be a Villain (1948)

And a final thought.  I've always heard it said that nothing's certain except death and taxes, but here's a refreshing take on the relationship 'tween the two.

FLU

I'm going to get out for a walk today for the first time in two weeks.  For the first time in many years, I lost my annual bet with my doctor over the flu vaccine.  It wasn't severe, but tedious.  I guess I will bow now to my increasing age and take it next year.  The most surprising symptom, by the way, was that I got really constipated, to the point where I was eyeing the little bottle of Fleet phosphate!  I've heard the old saw to 'starve a fever', but I never knew the flu virus subscribed to the same notion.  Still, I did drop a few pounds, so no harm done there.

In related news, my sister confirmed that I did have chicken pox as a kid, although I don't remember it.  (I do remember a severe case of the mumps, but I still have my tonsils anyway).  So I guess I have to also take the shingles shot.  I've never personally known anyone with this rather peculiar affliction, but I do remember it knocked Lou Dobbs off the air for several weeks, back when he was the Squawk Box anchor on CNBC.