our white earth and singing

We got about a half-foot of snow yesterday. We had a day full of sunshine, reflecting intensely off our white landscape. I shoveled out my walk and drive this morning -- forecasts call for Indy temps rising above freezing by a week from Friday, and what looks nice and fluffy today will quickly turn to solid ice under these conditions.

The high today has been around 5 degrees (F), but the sunshine helps me cope.

Tonight is my last rehearsal with the choir -- we have an ordination on Saturday afternoon -- our Deacon Jeff Brewer will be ordained as priest, the Bishop returns on Sunday morning for her annual visit, and we have a choral evensong service on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm. We're singing Gerald Finzi's Lo, the full, final sacrifice at evensong. Finzi wrote this piece for the parish in Northhampton where the Rev. Walter Hussey was the rector. Hussey commissioned several works of art at the parish (Britten's Rejoice In The Lamb was composed for Hussey's parish). And of course, Chichester Psalms by Bernstein was written for Chichester Cathedral when Hussey was its Dean.