Addiction

Perhaps "addiction" is too strong a term, but I do tend to be a rather compulsive person, and my friend Tom Brown has gotten me hooked on the Facebook application "Typing Maniac."

Blatant self-revelation

This spring a good friend of mine, Dan Stauffer, had to assemble a multimedia presentation as part of some graduate school work he was doing in music. Feeling that a portrayal of my life would have "excellent dramatic potential," he sought and obtained my cooperation. His presentation is now available for viewing on YouTube -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NbWeGj4YPw

The music you will hear in it was all composed by me, with the exception of a 4-hand piano duet you will hear me playing in recital. That is Scaramouche, by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974).

Weather

After having endured an exceptionally hard and lengthy season this past winter, we are this week enmeshed in terribly sultry summer weather. It is a bit exasperating, when it is still so early in the summer. This morning I ran seven and a quarter miles, starting out just before 5:15, and it was already nearly 80 degrees and very humid. I suppose I shouldn't complain, given the severity of the winter, and how we all looked forward to summer weather. But I have always preferred winter to summer, and, although my changes in physique in recent years have changed that preference substantially, I believe that in this case it still holds.

Essential Substance of Life

Saturday I am giving blood again - for the 101st time. That number reminds me of an amusing incident. In 1998, when my Grandmother turned 101, my then-3-year-old niece Courtney amused everyone by noting, "Grandma Fida's just like the dalamatians!" (The movie "101 Dalmatians")

Years ago, when she was quite young, my now-25-year-old daughter Christy emailed me about my giving blood, and referred to it as the "essential substance of life." She has now forgotten this, and credits me with the phrase ... but it all started with her.

A BIG day

I am here on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota (my alma mater), celebrating my 30th reunion, as I graduated May 27, 1979. However, more importantly, my son John is graduating this afternoon ... and the weather is gorgeous, so they announced that commencement will, indeed, be held outside, as had been planned. John gets to end his St. Olaf years in style, too, as tomorrow the St. Olaf Choir (of which he is the bass section leader) departs on a 10-day tour of England, Ireland, and Wales. It has been a glorious weekend of connecting with old friends, and enjoying delectable musical treats.

Minnesota 5K

This morning I ran a 5K on the St. Olaf College campus which is part of what they call Celebration Weekend (Commencement) - we came to Minnesota yesterday to see my son John graduate tomorrow, and also to enjoy my 30th reunion (as I graduated from St. Olaf on May 27, 1979). Conditions were not conducive to a good time - it had been raining, and the course was all on grass and a few dirt/gravel roads - but at least, thankfully, the rain stopped during the race. So, as opposed to my personal best of 29:14 from May 1, this morning my time was 31:08. But I was just trying to focus on staying upright today, and in that, I succeeded. Christy came, and although she didn't run it, as she had suggested she might; but it was wonderful to see her there, cheering me on loudly (WOO, DADDERS!).

Celebration Weekend

Michelle and I are in Minnesota, having traveled here yesterday for what St. Olaf College terms "Celebration Weekend" - my son John is graduating, and, in a happy combination of circumstances, it is also my 30th reunion, as I graduated from St. Olaf on May 27, 1979. As I write, it is about 5:45 on Saturday morning, and I am still at the suburban Minneapolis home of our hosts, David and Cynthia Lenz (David being our former Pastor in Ann Arbor). I will leave before too long to drive the 40 minutes or so down to St. Olaf, that I might pick up my registration packet for the reunion, and check in to run an 8 AM 5K race on campus - a good way to start the day!

Later, John's mother Deb sent us this picture of Michelle, John, and me at the graduation ceremony just after he had become an official alumnus.

The Shack

For Christmas, I was given The Shack, a Christian novel that has gained immense popularity over the last couple of years. I read it this spring, and am now participating in a small discussion group at our church led by our Associate Pastor. It is a real eye-opener and mind-stretcher, and I value it and recommend it to any who might wish to try it. For reference, you might wish to check out the website .

Unusual family dynamics

My Dad, R. Loyle Borton (b. July 4, 1907), the 6th of 9 children (7 of whom lived into adulthood - such a mortality rate was not uncommon in those days), was just weeks shy of 50 when I was born, eldest of 3 children in his second marriage. Thus I have an older half-brother (Jerry) and half-sister (Joanne), both now deceased, who would be 76 and 74 respectively this coming August. I also have several near-contemporary nephews and nieces, the oldest of whom, Jeff, is only 6 weeks younger than I! When Joanne died in August 2007, and I was at her home following the funeral, I was reminded of our enjoyable visits there when we were children, and the home next door of the family of my Dad's younger brother Von (which has since been turned into a home for senior citizens). When Uncle Von died in April 1974, I remember how shocked and stunned Dad was, telling us, "It just doesn't seem real - Von was the youngest of all of us, and the strongest and most vital."

Predictability

I am very much a creature of habit, and this time of year provides a perfect example. I am a strong baseball fan (having followed the Detroit Tigers since the mid-sixties), and enjoy grilling a turkey burger as I watch each game. So I am enjoying that dinner right now (immediately post-run ... I did 10K this evening, in just over 1:02) as I watch the Tigers play the Chicago White Sox.

Conducting again

On Thursday night (April 30), I was delighted to return to my former profession of conducting, when I guest conducted the Emerson (Middle School) Orchestra in a piece I wrote for them ("Emerson's Enduring Excellence"), as I had done twice previously (11/14/06 and 6/3/08). Here, in this photo taken by my good friend Doug Tidd, I am receiving the applause of the audience afterwards.

Grant and Lauren

Since the previous post contained the most recent picture of our godchildren that I had at the time (2006), here is a more recent one of Grant (now almost 3) and Lauren (now almost 6).

Easter Sunday

Since, for the first time in many years, neither Michelle nor I have binding commitments to keep us in Ann Arbor, we are going to go worship with the family of her younger brother Chip tomorrow in Mason, the town where they live, a bit south of Lansing. Chip and his wife Carla are the parents of Lauren (5) and Grant (2), both of whom we are godparents to, so we really look forward to spending this time with these delightful children. (We haven't a recent picture of them both; this one is from August 2006.) Then afterwards, we will all go to Charlotte (another 20 miles or so southwest), where Michelle's parents will host a traditional holiday dinner.

My son

My son John (age 22) was home on spring break from St. Olaf this past week, staying with his mother, and came down on Friday and spent the night with Michelle and me. What a joy to have time with him! We had a nice lunch, afternoon, and dinner together on Friday; went to the musical that Michelle conducted that night ("Annie"), thoroughly enjoying it; and then I ran him back up to Okemos on Saturday. He flew back to Minnesota today (Sunday), and graduates this May 24. The next day, he leaves with the St. Olaf Choir for a two-week tour of England, Ireland, and Wales.

The Borton family, 1985

In the summer of 1985, several of my family gathered for a photograph in my parents' driveway (9569 Devils Lake Highway, Manitou Beach, Michigan). Here, left to right, are my brother John Borton, my mother Helen Borton, my sister Marianne Borton, my daughter Christy Borton (now Loewen), age appoximately 9 months, my maternal grandmother, "Grandma Fida" (1897-1999) at the still-spry age of 88, my father Loyle Borton, and my ex- (Christy's mother), Deb Borton.

1959, 1962, 1972, 1980

A couple of years ago, my mother gave me several pictures which are quite old (like I am). I have scanned them, and here are a few representative ones. The first is with my paternal grandmother ("Grandma B."), on my second birthday (March 17, 1959). The second shows me nattily attired for my first day of Kindergarten on September 5, 1962. Next is my 10th-grade picture (1972). And then is an undated photo which I believe is from around 1980 (age 23).