Although the first day of Fall is not until September 22nd, I already feel Autumn in my heart and spirit.

There are six more sleeps before I meet with Dr. Anderson, my ETN surgeon, to get the lab results from the biopsy from my tongue/throat on August 25th in Vancouver.

The waiting is the worst part, and I try to remain calm and positive. It’s almost impossible.

I lack energy, so my physical activity is limited, and I spend most of the day inside.

However, I keep my thoughts occupied with music and reading.

My biggest worry is that the cancer has returned, and the implications are frightening.

And then it happened!

I was lying in bed, staring at the outside world through the window and playing a song by a singer I had never heard of.

So, I entered her name (Eva Cassidy) on YouTube and chose a song (Autumn Leaves) from her album I Can Only Be Me, covering songs of well-known favorites.

I did not recognize her name or photo, so I entered her name on Wikipedia, and here’s an excerpt:

Eva Marie Cassidy (February 2, 1963 – November 2, 1996) was an American singer and musician known for her interpretations of jazz, folk, and blues music, sung with a powerful, emotive soprano voice. In 1992, she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by the 1996 live solo album titled Live at Blues Alley. Although she had been honored by the Washington Area Music Association, she was virtually unknown outside her native Washington, D.C., at the time of her death from melanoma at the age of 33 in 1996.

Two years after her death, Cassidy’s music was brought to the attention of British audiences, when her versions of “Fields of Gold” and “Over the Rainbow” were played by Mike Harding and Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2. Following the overwhelming response, a camcorder recording of “Over the Rainbow”, taken at Blues Alley in Washington by her friend Bryan McCulley, was shown on BBC Two‘s Top of the Pops 2. Shortly afterwards, the compilation album Songbird climbed to the top of the UK Albums Chart, almost three years after its initial release. The chart success in the United Kingdom and Ireland led to increased recognition of Cassidy worldwide. Her posthumously released recordings, including three number-one albums and one number-one single in the UK, have sold more than ten million copies.[1] Her music has also charted within the top 10 in Australia, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.[2]

In total, nine posthumous albums have been released. The most recent, I Can Only Be Me, a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, was released in 2023 and charted at number 9 on the UK album chart.

I now have three of Eva’s albums: I Can Only Be Me, Songbird, and Acoustic, and I love her voice and interpretation of the originals. Her rendition is more enjoyable.

My anxieties will continue, but my heart is whole. It’s 4:45 AM, and the sun will soon rise (Sunday, August 31, 2025).

Stay well and enjoy the Labor Day Holiday weekend.

Dedicated to the late Eva Cassidy

I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart,

Hugs,

Danny

Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):

The falling leaves drift by my window
The falling leaves of red and gold
I see your lips, the summer kisses
The sunburned hands I used to hold

Since you went away, the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

[Instrumental]

Since you went away, the days grow long
And soon I’ll hear old winter song
But I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

I miss you most of all, my darling
When autumn leaves start to fall

Songwriters: Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer & Joseph Kosma

Here are other songs I’m listening to: These Songs Will Make You Smile Today.