On Dog-Sitting, Legacies & This Blog

This past weekend found us in another home in another city, as friends needed a dog sitter for their two canine companions. That meant major tweaks to our routines. Instead of rolling out of bed, downing much coffee, scrolling through my social-media feeds, and concentrating on new and forthcoming songs and albums here in the den/guest bedroom, I found myself sipping java in a living room in relative silence while two dogs studied my every move.

In some respects, it was a much-needed break.

I’ve written more in the past year-plus than ever before. What was once a weekend endeavor has become a near-daily exercise, with many of my “First Impressions” the result of requests from publicists and/or artists themselves. It’s fun, don’t get me wrong, but can be something of a grind and, too, frustrating when things slip through my net. No one reached out about Lili Mare, a singer-songwriter from Cologne who I stumbled upon Sunday afternoon via a YouTube video, for example. She released a sterling EP last month that I’ve only discovered now. Wow. Just wow. I’ll give it a few more spins and spotlight it tomorrow.

Back on point: Friday and Saturday nights, after nice dinners out, we did what we often do—turn on the TV. Without our full retinue of streaming options available to us, especially Hulu and Peacock, we turned to YouTube and Netflix, where the legacy of our viewing choices will likely live on in our friends’ household for several weeks via video recommendations. We enjoyed two evenings of Nanci Griffith clips, including a wonderful show from December 1984, plus many episodes of The Great British Bake-Off: The Professionals.

Today’s Daily Prompt question asks, “What is the legacy you want to leave behind?”

“Legacy” is an odd word to contemplate. The initial definition given by Merriam-Webster is “a gift by will especially of money or other personal property,” while the secondary meaning offers a more abstract option: “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” I.e., an idea or body of art. If the fine folks at WordPress meant the former, our heirs should be able to enjoy a few nice meals on us. If the latter: While I’m positive I will remembered by loved ones and friends, the sands of time being what they are means that, as with most of us, I’ll be forgotten soon enough.

That said, I do hope this blog lives on for as long as WordPress remains in operation. I imagine the AI engines will pick clean its carcass and spit out my sublime takes and wondrous opinions whenever future generations of music fans ask about this or that obscure album or song—and I’m cool with it.