I have pineapple on my mind. Craig and I spent a luscious week in Hawaii for our 27th wedding anniversary --  and we enjoyed (among other things) pineapple in all sorts of dishes. Our favorite, of course, was a wedge tucked on the top of tropical cocktail. But back to real life....sigh.  I was looking

Redding City Hall was buzzing with art fans last Friday evening. They were enjoying a fun stop on the 2012 Cultural Cruise, where artwork is displayed on all three floors.  There was much oohing and aahing over a variety of works - paintings, photographs and sculptures. It took me awhile snap a picture of this amazing

A city-wide event celebrating art and culture -- it's a Redding tradition and we love being part of it. Craig and I will be joined by several other North State songwriters at Redding City Hall on Friday, January 27th. On the bill are:  5:00  Nick Ciampi        

Last year, I took Christine Kane's advice regarding New Year's Resolutions. Kane is a singer-songwriter and "Mentor to Women Who are Changing the World."  She explains her philosophy on her blog: "Choose a word for the year and let it guide you to take action." You can read the whole piece on her website:

It's that time, again....a post from last year -- and the year before -- but cookie recipes are ageless. AIn't life grand? I make about 70 pounds of this shortbread dough in December -- we give away most of the cookies - to customers, friends, roving bands of neighborhood teens. It's my favorite holiday rec

I completely flaked out in 2010 (and still feel guilty about it)  but this year I managed to put  together a Friedman Family video Christmas Card for 2011. It comes with wishes of joy for your Holiday Season and all throughout the New Year. or click

It's true. Christmas is just 51 frantic fun-filled days away. If you're thinking lists, gifts and oh-my-where-did-the-year-go? Don't worry, because local artists are here to help get

Celebrating the brilliant Paul Simon on his 70th birthday. This is my favorite version of my favorite Paul Simon tune: Kathy's Song, performed by Eva Cassidy. Enjoy:

I'm thrilled that Forbes Magazine has named the Sundial Bridge "One of the World's Most Incredible Brid

Come out for the opening of abstract artist Lita Couhart's show on Wednesday evening, 5 - 7, at the Bohemian Art Loft. Her work is colorful and exciting and she uses textures and shapes in wonderfully imaginative ways. Lita is celebrating her first solo show here in Redding - come out and enjoy music and refreshments and m

Out little town of Cottonwood is pulling together this weekend. The mission? Raise $14,000 to fix the weather-damaged roof on the Community Center. The building is dear to my heart -- it's where my kids first learned to dance - and they ALL live to dance now. Cottonwood is dear to my heart because we fell in love with

My word for 2011 is "FORGE" (see New Year's blog post) and when I picked that word, I made a few promises to myself. One thing I vowed to do was participate in more Open Mic events. Sharing songs in a casual setting is perfect for network

We're very excited that our song The Hour of the Outlaw received an Honorable Mention in the Folk category of the West Coast Songwriters International Song Contest. I wrote the song in response to a challenge on the Songwriting Scene blog: "Write

Bob Dylan celebrates his 70th birthday this Tuesday, so singer-songwriter (and devoted Dylan fan) Nick Ciampi has organized a party. May 24th, 5:30 PM Ultimate Pizza 1730 Pleasant Street

He's a mix of Jack Johnson and John Lennon with a dash of Ralph Stanley and he's coming to town on Thursday. You can catch Saul T. 's acoustic folk show at The Bohemian Art Loft - doors open at 8.The

Several years ago when we had baby chicks, we cobbled together some plywood bins and called it a chicken house. Amazingly, the chickens thrived - produced many years of eggs, though their offerings were not always easy to find. We are older and wiser, now, and one of us has obsessive-compulsive tendencies whe

According to family legend, my great-great grandfather, George Convy, brought a piece of sod from the homeland when he emigrated from Ireland in 1866. Now and then, when he was feeling particularly homesick, he would take it out and have a good cry.The Irish, who fled their country by the thousands, did not have

Our dear friend and musical mentor, Nick Ciampi, will be rocking Vintage in Downtown Redding this Saturday night, at the ArtHop After-Party. Nick plays the folk rock tunes you know by heart and a huge selection of his original tunes. In addition to being an all-around wonderful guy, Nick is also an inventor, music

The Business That Pays the Bills (Wrap-N-Pack) has demanded our undivided attention for the past year. We've managed some songwriting and recording, and we play occasional gigs, but mostly we've been busy helping our customers. We probably should have stepped into this musician thing back when we were young and bull

The Cultural Cruise - a city-wide celebration of the arts - gets underway on January 28th at 4 PM. From the Turtle Bay website: Join the Turtle Bay Museum, Shasta County Arts Council’s Old City Hall Gallery, Redding City Hall, Redding Library, First United Methodist Church, Shasta State Historic Park, Shasta

This year I'm taking Christine Kane's advice. Kane is a singer-songwriter, and, according to her website: "Mentor to Women who are Changing the World." Kane suggests that instead of making (and breaking) resolutions, we choose a single word for the year - a "word that can guide you to take action." She explains it eloquen

It's unique, it's local, it's inexpensive. And heck, we've arrived at Countdown Time and those stockings simply must be stuffed. Why not stuff them with local music and support our local art community, too?

It's that time, again....a post from last year:The freezer is cleared out in preparation for my annual holiday ritual: The Stockpiling of the Cookie Dough. I make about 70 pounds of this shortbread dough in December -- we give away most of the cookies - to customers, friends, roving bands of neigh

These years are starting to run together a bit...tonight is Christmas Movie and Latke Night at our house.It's about this time each year that we prescribe a little R & R for ourselves. It involves champagne and movie-watching. The movie is always the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life.It

Our family will gather, count our blessings and celebrate Hanukkah this week -- with piles of latkes and mounds of applesauce. All together we'll plow headlong into our busy Christmas shipping season. In our business (Wrap-N-Pack) we meet a lot of folks whose loved ones are far from home and this song was written with t

Just in time for the holidays - our new CD - Storms and Other Blessed Burdens -- is available in Redding at Wrap-N-Pack (2205 Hilltop Drive) and on CDBaby.com.The 10-song collection was inspired by the Shasta County landscape, and it pays tribute to the po

Singer-songwriter Chuck McCabe endeared himself to local audiences with his clever song "I'd Rather Be in Redding." He endeared himself to me with his enthusiastic support of the local songwriting communit

Our new CD, Storms and Other Blessed Burdens, will be finished and ready for sale any day now. The release coincides with our uber-busy time of year (we run Wrap-N-Pack in Redding, where "Shipping's a Snap") so any CD release celebration will have to wait until after the first of the year.I'm looking fo

Singer-songwriter Rita Hosking grew up in Eastern Shasta County and she'll return to her roots on November 19th when she and her band, Cousin Jack, perform at Bernie's. The last time they played h

What I have NOT been doing: Blogging, cleaning my house, organizing my nightmare of a closet, dealing with garage vermin.....What I have been doing is listening. Intently. I'm wrapping up the mixing and mastering of ten songs for our CD. I can see the finish line from here, and I'm ready to sprint for

Did you know that October is National Arts and Humanities month? I didn't. But now I do, and Craig and I will celebrate with a great group of local artists, musicians and performers at the Shasta Arts Council's

He's been compared to Jason Mraz and plays gigs all over the West Coast. On Wednesday, singer- songwriter Chris Parreira will bring his considerable talent to The Vintage Wine Bar in downtown Redding.The sho

The technical term for this new song is a "Musical Do-Over." Several years ago, I wrote a song called "A Kiss Beneath the Sundial Bridge." I liked the story, loved the inspiration, and felt the

The new Jewish year has begun and we're celebrating the arrival of 5771 with some glorious fall weather here in the North State. Our family will be feasting tonight, when we finally gather all the kiddos together - not an easy feat, between dancing, classes and work.Apples are traditional for Rosh Hashana, so I'

As a veteran home school mom and a leader in the local home schooling community, I'm often asked "What's the best curriculum for my kids?" My answer? "Seek Joy - everything else will follow."

Help -- my hair is a wreck!Cottonwood's Dona Dollar always comes to my rescue. Dona is the hairstylist who goes out of her way to fit you in -- (8 AM on Friday because that's what works for you? No problem.) She the gal who'll spend a full 30 minutes working on my boys' hair, because they are so darned pa

There's a darling new arrival on Hilltop Drive -- Miss Bella's Boutique -- next to Wrap-N-Pack. It's chock full of goodies -- beautifully crafted new items (fairy wings! soft little

We visited with my sister Nora and her husband JB a couple of weeks ago. They may be the cutest couple ever:Nora's best thing is spoiling her guests, so while the gang was splashing in the pool, we as

Mark is married to my sister Katie -- he's a fire captain and an amazing chef who's used to whipping up hearty meals for hungry firefighters. We love going down to Mark and Katie's Simi Valley h

Chuck has a whole lot of devoted fans and friends here in the North State. Here's a chance to help his wife, Cindy.According to Chuck's website:"Both Chuck and his wife Cindy encountered challenging circumstances in the last two years of his life. Contributions toward ex

photo by Bryce GoldsteinThis Bohemian Art Loft will ring with the sounds of original folk rock music this weekend, when

Singer songwriter Chuck McCabe lost a battle with cancer last Friday, and the North State music community lost a dear friend.I met Chuck when he offered a weekend songwriting workshop through the Shasta County Arts Council several years ago. He listened to us -- all rank amateurs - and he shared stories and advice and

We eat bushels of fresh veggies this time of year -- love the organic produce at the Farmers Markets and our Cottonwood Holiday Market.This Ranch Dip/Dressing is much better - and more wholesome -- than the bottled versions. We go through a lot of it. The secret is the Cow Camp Garlic Season-All:

Cottonwood singer-songwriter Diana Wallis and her husband Wally are finalists in the Next Wedding Song Contest. Diana and Wally are terrific writers, engaging performers and good-hearted souls. You can help them out -- together they are The Pine Dogz -- by casting a vote (or two or three) on the contest

Without any gigs on our schedule, Craig and I are having fun learning a few cover songs. I love this one - Remember Me - a 70-year-old song written by Scotty Wiseman, a songwriter and singer who also penned "Have I Told You Lately that I Loved You?"He and his wife Lulu Belle (

A couple years ago, Craig and I played an evening parking lot gig in Anderson in July. Because my husband has a bit of a sadistic streak, he brought a thermometer onstage, and at the time we finished our 2-hour set, the temperature was 109 degrees. The restaurant is long gone, (I don't think THAT was our fault), but the me

My sister Nora recently shared a recipe for Pork Char Sui - brined and barbecued pork tenderloin sandwiches. It was wonderful - but I'm seriously into simplifying my recipes. And I'm currently in love with my crockpot - It cooks while I'm at work! It's like having a a maid without the guilt of that comes with ordering peopl

Wednesday, June 23 and Saturday, June 26th.Redding singer-songwriter Nick Ciampi will help Redding usher in Summertime with a performance at The Post Office in The Downtown M

It's Friday and that's reason enough to celebrate. I'm giving away two Still Marri

When I met Craig back in 1977, this was the picture hanging in his bedroom.Craig had ordered the print (Gray and Gold - by John Rogers Cox) when he was a teenager - bec