Many thanks to all of you who have sent birthday greetings! Your notes are very much appreciated.
Also, belated thanks are due to the kind soul, JV of PA who used my wish list to send me the three volumes of Dante’s Divine Comedy in a new translation by Anthony Esolen. They are in affordable paperbacks and have the wonderful advantage of the facing original Italian. I have a couple wonderful Italian editions with facing modern Italian, but it is nice to have the English. I haven’t started to drill into these yet, but I look forward to them. If you are interested, you can get the Inferno here, Purgatory here, and Paradise here. Far too many people look at some parts of the Inferno but don’t actually understand what Dante is trying to accomplish in the whole arc not only of that first part, but in the whole work.
Also, just in time for Pope Benedict’s new provisions for Anglicans, JH of MN sent me the music CD, Vol. 4 of the Complete New English Hymnal. There are This volume features the choir of 
Gloucester Cathedral. It was sent with a birthday greeting. Thanks! There are, I think, 10 volumes in the series and I have 1-5. Every once in a while I add a few to the list. They are nice during the day when I am working. It isn’t always Gregorian chant and polyphony folks! Sometimes its English hymns and Chinese Opera.
In the meantime, at the feeder:
The bold Chickadees are in complete control together with their Nuthatch allies.
During the summer I beleive the Chickadees were on a cruise. But they are back in large numbers. I believe they may be my favorites.
This one is stylin’ for the Z-Cam
Penjing and Penzai have both, rumor has it, lost most of their leaves. They are in seclusion and were unavailable for comment. Irohamomiji, on the other hand, if it is to be believed is entirely beleaved.
