LYDIA MCCAULEY - QUIETING

2011-11-15T14:03:00.001-08:00

Last November I opened a shop at http://Etsy.com to sell my GARDEN OF SIMPLES soap and lotion. This summer I added in Vintage items for sale. My shop is full of white plates and damask napkins, silver plated bowls and trays, and other things that I love having in my own home.

GARDEN OF SIMPLES is featured in a new online catalog/magazine called STYLISH HOMES. To view this Winter Issue #1 click here: http://www.stylishhome.com/sites/default/files/StylishHome%20Winter%20Collection%20Catalog.pdf

GARDEN OF SIMPLES antique Steubenville Plates are featured on page 10.
Ivory coloured American made semi-porcelain from Steubenville Pottery.
This elegant embossed dinnerware was created in the 1930's - 1950's.

You'll find them here as well: http://www.etsy.com/listing/83381962/adam-antique-steubenville-pottery-set-of
Please feel free to share this link with your friends, especially if you enjoy handmade items and vintage collectibles.

And please visit my shop where you will find hand poured soap and lotion and lovely vintage items for your home: http://gardenofsimples.etsy.com

Here's a Garden of Simples 10% OFF COUPON, good until Dec. 27, 2011:
Use this Code at checkout: LYDIAMCCAULEYBLOG11

   Music by Lydia McCauley will be available soon at Etsy!

   Find Lydia McCauley's music at http://lydiamccauley.com

Lydia McCauley and Band in Concert

2011-11-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

Lydia McCauley and Band
The Moon of Wintertime Candlelight Reunion Concert

Sunday, December 4, 2011 7 pm
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
2117 Walnut Street, Bellingham, WA 98225

Celebrate this Season of Mirth with Lydia McCauley and her Band as they reunite for one special evening! McCauley and her talented touring and recording band will be playing music from Lydia’s best selling album THE MOON OF WINTERTIME - music from The British Isles and Europe, plus new original and traditional songs.

This is an exciting reunion for Lydia and her band. Each member contributes in a special way, helping to create their sound, which is a combination of Folk, New Age, and Americana. It’s been several years since they have played together in this setting. “Saint Paul’s is a perfect place to share the season’s music. We love playing by candlelight and the sanctuary has wonderful acoustics,” says Lydia.

Lydia McCauley is a vocalist and composer who performs original and traditional music. She has six albums to her name, and is included on several compilations, including an upcoming Putamayo Records world release which will feature her rendition of “Shenandoah”. Her music is included on Jet Blue, Frontier Airlines, Martha Stewart Living Radio, Sirius, XM, Pandora and NPR.

Musicians include:
Lydia McCauley – vocals, keyboards, harmonium
Phil Heaven – viola
Frank Jackson – woodwinds
Brian Cunningham – guitar
Lynne Givler – bass and vocals
Jason Darling – percussion
Keith Carpenter – mandolin
Kurt Scherer – sound production

Tickets: $20.00 General, $16.00 Seniors (65+)
Tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/210167
Tickets available at Village Books in Fairhaven, The Community Food Co-op (downtown location) and at the door

Venue is wheelchair accessible.

More information: http://lydiamccauley.com

Squalicum Valley Artisans Faire, Saturday, September 24, The Rome Grange

2011-08-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

SQUALICUM VALLEY ARTISANS FAIREFine Quality Art, Handmade Crafts, Vintage Collectibles and Live Music
Saturday, September 24, 2011 from 10 am – 4 pm
The Rome Grange, 2821 Mount Baker Highway, Bellingham, WA

Squalicum Valley Artisans Faire celebrates the Art, Craft, and Music of Whatcom County. Specially created by Squalicum Valley residents and their invited friends! The event will take place at the historical Rome Grange, just six miles east of Bellingham.

Beautiful and unique items will be available for purchase including jewelry, handmade cards, fused glass, paper collage, fine art photography, silk scarves and prayer flags, Chinese calligraphy, handspun yarn, knitted items, hand poured soap, vintage collectibles and much more.

Musicians Lydia McCauley, Brian Cunningham, Tina Thomsen-Park and Linda Scoboria will perform at intervals throughout the day.

Musicians Schedule:
11:00 - 12:00 Brian Cunningham - acoustic guitar
12:30 - 1:30 Tina Thomsen-Park - vocals, acoustic guitar with Linda Scoboria - banjo
1:30 - 2:30 Lydia McCauley - vocals, keyboard, harmonium

The event is Free and open to the public. Parking available, wheelchair accessible.
Information telephone: 360-647-0152

SQUALICUM VALLEY ARTISANS FAIRE PARTICIPANTS

Janet Lewalder - Moonlight Silks
Shell Jewelry, Silk Scarves
Silk Classes Available. Special Faire prices. Explore the simple, yet exquisite technique of painting on silk in a one-day, six-hour workshop. Simple enough for absolute beginners, this is also an exciting way for more experienced painters to transfer their talents to fabric.

Erica Dean-Crawford - For The Birds
My jewelry is crafty, handmade of glass, chains and charms. Each piece is one-of-kind and unique. You'll be sure to find something for every gal on your shopping list and even yourself! Making jewelry is something I find relaxing and fun - which is the most important thing!

Tina Thomsen-Park - Marietta Shetlands
Ewenique 4 You Creations offers a variety of handspun wool and wool blend yarns, one of a kind hand crocheted items and Shetland wool roving from the award winning fleeces at Marietta Shetlands.
Tina Thomsen-Park has been spinning wool into yarn for about five years. She learned how to crochet sitting around the kitchen table with her grandmother. The wool roving comes from her husband John’s small flock of Shetland sheep that live on their farm north of Belllingham.
Marietta Shetlands / Ewenique 4 You Creations
John Park & Tina Thomsen-Park Ph: 360-671-4562
Email: marietta_shetlands@hotmail.com

Donna Holmes - Whatcom County Photo Cards
Donna Holmes recently retired after working for 34 years in the Mt. Baker, Bellingham and Meridian School Districts as a regular & special education teacher & middle school counselor. She is currently working part-time in a women's clothing consignment shop giving her time to enjoy hobbies including floral design, photography & preparing for her first Bellingham Bay 1/2 marathon.

Donna's cowboy boots flower arrangement/book ends win the Novice category in the 2010 NW WA Fair

K. L. Espeland Studio
Natures sights, sounds and patterns influence the work that I have shaped using fire. In nature, fire transforms our environment in many ways. I use this fire (or controlled heat), creating unique pieces of jewelry, ornaments and plates through the fused glass, metal smithing, and PMC mediums.

Creating art has been a life long passion. My flame ignited in 2000 when I began fusing glass. Since then I have looked for new & unique ways to present fused glass and this has led me to combine old & new art & craft techniques.

In the past, my work has been shown in Whatcom County at:
Roeder Home Arts Show – Kale House Art Show - Artwood
And a yearly open house at my private studio.

David Eisenhower - Swift Current Studios
David Eisenhower is a Photographer. He specializes in travel and landscapes photography. His inspiration comes from encounters with people and places, and those moments when light and color come together to awaken a special feeling. "Photography is a way of telling what you feel about what you see." - Ansel Adams

Jan Willing - Wool Dryer balls - cut drying time by 30% and reduce static cling! Hand painted silk flower flags and fans! Felted dolls with unique and individual stories!
All from Jan Willing at the Squalicum Valley Artisans Faire.
To read a little more about Jan Willing's art click here: http://lydiamccauley-quieting.blogspot.com/2008/10/quietingjan-willingheart-home.html

Pat Padden - Zen-influenced Art, Jewelry, Cards, Books,
Semi-Precious Stone and Recycled Necklaces
Pat Padden was a corporate diamond and colored stone buyer for 25 years. When Pat retired to Bellingham she changed her art focus and began creating unusual pieces of jewelry. These incorporate recycled materials whenever possible, and Chinese Calligraphy, which she has studied for five years.
Pat also makes books using these same techniques, which result in unusual one-of-a-kind pieces of art. Her jewelry has been sold at MONA in LaConner, New Jersey and Manhattan, and several venues in Bellingham, including the Whatcom Museum.
To read a little more about Pat Padden's art click here: http://lydiamccauley-quieting.blogspot.com/2008/12/chinese-calligraphy-study-in-softness.html

Margo Graf - Handmade Greeting Cards
I am Margo Graf and I love to create greeting cards. I have enjoyed working with rubber stamps, paper folding, and fabric since I was a child. These cards have been a perfect outlet for that interest.

Jennie Bosch - Glen Echo Gardens
Jennie makes jeans pocket hot pads, scrubbies, and molten chocolate
cake-in-a-mug.

Martha Music - A swallow tail scarf, felted entrelac bag, felted shetland wool bag, wool hat with button are pictured as examples of the lovely hand knitted items. Other knitted items wonderfully crafted by Martha and friends will also be for sale at reasonable prices. Perhaps you will find the perfect gift for someone or something for yourself!

Lydia McCauley - Garden of Simples
Hand-poured soap, lotions, salves, herbs.
Recordings from Brimstone Music.

I have been hand-pouring soap for several years and I really enjoy working with essential oils and herbs. In Medieval times people had a "garden of simples" where one grew herbs and plants to create healing medicines. I carry on that tradition at my own home called MeadowHouse. I feel a close connection to the natural world and enjoy sharing that inspiration with others.
Garden of Simples combines the simplest of Earth-friendly, healthful ingredients in body enriching products. Compositions include vegetable sourced cleansers, extra virgin olive oil, shea butter, pure aloe vera, essential oils, and infused oils. Also - Postcards from Provence, soap from Provence, and lovely woven shawls from India.

Linda Scoboria - paper collage landscape art prints and greeting cards

Nancy Rumbel - Vintage Collectibles, Ocarinas, Music

Heather Borland - Homemade barbeque spices and rubs

Italian Concert - Bella Notte

2011-08-03T17:00:00.001-07:00

Lydia McCauley, Nancy Rumbel and Phil Heaven performed a Sold Out Italian Concert last weekend. It was held at IL Caffe Rifugio in Deming, WA on a beautiful summer night. Food was great, the view was lovely, and a good time was had by most everyone we hope!

Music selections for the concert included Bella Notte, Funiculi, Tarantella, O Sole Mio, Mattinatta, That's Amore and so much a- more!

Italian Concert and Dinner

2011-07-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Italian Dinner and Concert
Lydia McCauley, Nancy Rumbel, and Phil Heaven

Saturday, July 30, 2011 at Caffe IL Rifugio in Deming, WA
Seating at 6:30 pm

Come for an Italian meal in the countryside and hear three well known Pacific Northwest musicians present a concert of Italian music. The program features Traditional and original Italian songs such as “O Sole Mio,” “Tarantella,” and other favorites. Piano and woodwinds, vocals, ocarina, viola and harmonium combine into a program that is at once entertaining, soul-rendering and delightful.

The event will take place outdoors at IL Caffe Rifugio in Deming, WA. Dinner will be served Italian Family Style and will include light appetizers, main course and dessert.

$35.00 Reservations Required. Tel: (360) 592-2888
$15.00 for Concert Only without dinner, beverages available for purchase
Caffe IL Rifugio – 5415 Mount Baker Highway, Deming, WA 98244

For more information visit: http://lydiamccauley.com, http://nancyrumbel.com, and http://ilcafferifugio.com

LYDIA MCCAULEY performs original and traditional music inspired by her travels around the globe. She is a passionate singer, composer and pianist whose music style ranges from Folk to New Age to Pop. Independent from the start, Lydia’s recordings have made their way onto some prestigious worldwide radio playlists that feature Norah Jones, Enya, Diana Krall, Loreena McKennitt, James Taylor, Paul McCartney, and Sting. Now that’s good company. Lydia’s six recordings are a mixture of original music, Traditional songs from the British Isles and the Appalachian Mountains of the U.S., and instrumental compositions. Her writing style is influenced by medieval music, hymnody, Classical and Folk music genres. Instruments include voice, piano, keyboard, Appalachian dulcimer and the harmonium.

NANCY RUMBEL is a professional composer, recording artist, performer and teacher. Her primary instruments are oboe, English horn, double wooden ocarinas, clay ocarinas and keyboards. She is well known for her work for the past 25 years with the GRAMMY award-winning duo Tingstad & Rumbel. She has also recorded on several releases with Susan Osborn whose recordings are popular in Japan. She is recently involved with a newly formed trio RIVER, a collaboration with composer/performers Lydia McCauley and Jami Sieber.
In the late 70s/early 80s she toured and recorded extensively with the Paul Winter Consort. Her music career has brought her countless honors including reviews in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Billboard and number one debuts on radio charts. In 1998, Tingstad and Rumbel’s album “American Acoustic” was honored as "Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year." A Carnegie Hall appearance in 2000. And in 2003 Nancy Rumbel and Eric Tingstad received a Grammy Award for "Acoustic Garden."

PHIL HEAVEN, violist, has been recording and performing with Lydia McCauley for fourteen years. He has a B.A. in music and Audio Recording Technology from Case Western Reserve University. His skills as a musician, engineer, and producer have been invaluable to many different music groups as well as independent music labels on a local and international basis. He currently also performs with Millie and the Mentshn and occasionally appears as a guest with Marion Weston. Phil also manages live sound for The Chuckanut Radio Hour, and The Kulshan Chorus.

2011-04-01T12:57:00.001-07:00

Above the town
in fields of green
I first heard
the nightingale sing

What do I hear
in eventide
by waterside
Over the meadow
in a small tree
I can hear a chickadee

A forest glen
where I walked through
above the blue
a raven flew

Best of all
light-hearted friend
red breasted song
the robin
the robin

Here all year
the robin
evening's hush
called by a thrush
and robin

-LM

At Home in Rome

2011-02-10T13:10:00.001-08:00

I must say that I've always wanted to live in Rome. Italy, that is.
But well, I do live in Rome. Whatcom County, that is.

It took me a while to realize this after we sold our last home and moved further into the countryside. With mountains surrounding us (we see Canada from here) and meadows, woodlands, a beautiful lake, a Rome Community Church, The Rome Store, and The Rome Grange, it dawned on me that I did indeed live in Rome. How nice.

Here's a few photos of the area. And one of The Rome Grange where Nancy Rumbel and I will present an evening of music called LIVE IN ROME! We will be sharing Italian classics as well as original pieces that we have composed. Phil Heaven (viola) is joining us, as well as Andy Simmons (bass).

LIVE IN ROME! happens on March 5 at 7 pm. Rome Grange, that is. More information here: http://lydiamccauley.com/performance/

Dreaming of Italy

2011-01-27T11:44:00.000-08:00

Lydia McCauley in Concert March 5

Nancy Rumbel and Lydia McCauley
Live in Rome!
The Rome Grange that is...
Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 7 pm

2821 Mt. Baker Hwy
Bellingham, WA 98226
Only six miles from Bellingham

Special Guests:
Phil Heaven, viola
Andy Simmons, bass

http://lydiamccauley.com/performance/
http://Nancy Rumbel.com

The Rome Grange was built in 1908, one of many Grange Halls throughout Washington State. It's a lovely old building of quiet simplicity set in the Rome area of Whatcom County. Just perfect for an evening concert of Italian music. You'll hear classic and original music from Italy, along with other favorites performed on piano and woodwinds, with vocals and ocarina, harmonium, viola and bass. It promises to be an event that is at once entertaining, soul-rendering, and delightful.

Tickets available on February 5 at Village Books in Fairhaven, and The Community Co-op (downtown location).
Admission: $18.00 General, $40.00 Families, $12.00 Seniors 65 and over.

The Deep Black Sea

2010-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Buying Harmoniums in India

2010-11-09T16:23:00.000-08:00

Buying harmoniums in India shouldn’t be difficult, after all they are everywhere. Or most places. Well, you see them sometimes.

Our second trip to India was the fulfillment of two and a half months of pure pandemonium. In a good way, of course. We started in at Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu. How we got to Rajastan is anyone’s guess. I can’t remember to save my life.

Oh right, it was the train. We were in a small compartment with several people traveling through the desert. It was very hot and dry, as you can imagine and we sat beside a woman and her shoeless son who was resting. They both had clothing of the deepest sunflower yellow wrapped about them. I noticed the mother carrying a bamboo staff. During the ride the son’s foot kept inching over to my leg and then pulling away. Inch, inch, pull back. Inch, inch. I was a little perturbed and doubly so because I knew it’s considered terribly impolite to touch anyone with your feet in India.

Anywhere else as well. Anyway. He kept his eyes closed and she tried to keep his foot back until it was time for them to get off the train. It was then that I realized that the son was blind. He may have been resting, but indeed he could not open his eyes and never saw me. I felt a bit bad about being so peeved. I watched them go, mother guiding son with staff, walking together in golden robalia.

So.

Bundhi is the first place in Rajastan that we stayed. It’s a tiny town of 88,000 people and perhaps as many pigs, cows, and goats.

There’s a palace hanging from the cliff where one can walk about freely and enjoy 17th century murals in nearly every room. Above the palace is a fort where monkeys abound. Before you go through the elephant gate passageway, someone hands you a big stick to keep the menacing hoodlums at bay. I took it eagerly, but fortunately didn’t need to bonk anyone’s head. Instead we found this group of monkeys simply sitting, watching the sunset in a quite dignified manner.

In the evenings it was our custom to sit atop a hotel whilst having a lukewarm beer. Here's a copy of important information for the hotel customer - we could somehow never comprehend the gist of it. Is it the beer, dear, or is it just me?

At one point we found ourselves in Jodhpur. That's where I first had the idea that I'd be buying harmoniums in India. We wondered into a fancy hotel courtyard and listened to these guys play music. They gave us a mini puppet show and demonstrated how to play the instruments. I was smitten, directed, and now full of purpose.

Onward.

Sometime before or after that we were in Agra. Oh yes, the Taj Mahal is fantastic. It truly looks exactly like the photos we've always seen. It's entirely magical and it's really cold there. I remember that. We found this pottery statue in a ditch outside of town. I regret not bringing it back with us.

I did some shopping from time to time. There are billions of things to buy in India. We carried what we could and took photos of the rest.

Of course one needs to eat everyday. We enjoyed Tibetan food in Rewalsar Lake.

We made it through the desert in a sand storm. We waited for trains with the locals. I looked down every street for harmoniums. I ask people to help me and they wrote down addresses. I found spices, incense divine, and the most beautifully woven shawls. We went round and round the sub-continent and I kept my eyes open.

That's when I saw the bus. It was such a lucky break. It had a phone number and everything on it.

After that we found the harmonium shop with no trouble at all.

I bought two. We put them in crates and nailed them down. Oh my, hope we missed the keyboard with the nail. I worried about that for a year.

One of the nicest things we did was travel by night coach to The Golden Temple in Amritsar. It's the major pilgrimage site for Sikhs. Stunningly beautiful and truly hospitable, the temple had a group of men playing harmoniums night and day. The music could be heard in and outside of the burnished gold building.

Later.

We made it home. It took some months to recover from such a journey. A year after, just as we were embarking on another trip, the harmoniums arrived. In fact they showed up the day we left. Mind you they didn't work. It took a bit of spit and shine to get them going. After four months they suddenly began to play like new.

I'll be bringing one to my event at Village Books next week. It's travelled a long way to get here and is enjoying learning a whole bunch of different songs. : )

Join Lydia McCauley on November 27 at noon for an in-store performance at Village Books in Bellingham, WA. More information at http://lydiamccauley.com/performance/.

New! Garden of Simples Shop

2010-11-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose we know not, though sometimes sense it. But we know from daily life that we exist for other people first of all for whose smiles and well-being our own happiness depends." - Albert Einstein

I am very happy to introduce one of my other passions - Garden of Simples, healthful body enriching soaps and salves.
Somewhere deep inside of me is this yearning to conjure up healing products. My Grandmother Cora McCauley used to tell stories of walking through meadows, collecting plants with her Grandpa Morgan, a pharmacist who lived in Michigan. He was a devout Quaker who spoke in thee's and thou's whilst creating an Apothecary of healing simples and tinctures.

I take great pleasure in growing and collecting herbs, infusing and combining them into salves. There's great joy in hand-pouring a soap that is all natural and scented with essential oil. Then there's the naming of them, and designing a label to wrap them in. Here's the Hellebore Smock that I do my lab work in. All creations are overseen by a gentle doggy guy mask that hangs on the wall.

I welcome your comments and questions. Visit the Garden of Simples shop at Etsy.com
With a $20.00 purchase of Garden of Simples product, you'll receive a complimentary Lydia McCauley CD.

The Music of Lydia McCauley, In Retrospect

2010-10-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

I am giving a performance tomorrow at Village Books in Fairhaven/Bellingham, WA. I'll be talking about my six recording projects and sharing songs from each. Twelve years have gone by since my first album, Sabbath Day's Journey. Looking back at the project I can see the beginning of patterns that would continue through my music to this day. There are several categories that showed up from the start: Appalachian/British Isles songs that are usually full of sweet sorrow, Medieval songs, Nature songs, Ecstatic prayers, Unity songs, and Relational songs.

At the time of writing the music for Sabbath Day's Journey, I walked most every day around a lake near my home. There is a marvelous stand of Fir trees at one side of the lake. It seemed that the trees became my companions as I often went to visit them. I named them "The Brotherwood". The photo shoot for the liner notes took place there. These solitary walks through the woods and along the shore influenced my writing. I kept journals of my thoughts and eventually they would find their way into songs.

The album starts out with Mother's Heart, which I can put into the Ecstatic prayer and Nature categories. "The morning air is clear/the morning skye is blue/my morning spirit closed/my morning heart a rue." It moves on to a Medieval sounding instrumental that celebrates St. Francis of Assisi and his band of merry men. It includes a piece about my ancestral family leaving Ireland, an Appalachian love-song, Black is the Colour of My True Love's Hair, and the story of my journey from youth to adulthood Apples on the Tree. There are a few more songs, Nature oriented, Relational, and one Unity song that sounds like a hymn, Burning Bush. The album ends with the most encouraging words I had ever heard at the time, "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well" from the 14th Century English Mystic Julian of Norwich.

A follow-up release, Entrances, came out the very next year in 1999. The word has two meanings, one being an entrance such as a portal or gate, the other meaning being to fill with wonder. We recorded this one in Vancouver, B.C. by candlelight.

I stepped further into Nature poetry/Ecstatic prayer in Entrances, The Fire, and The Cloister Within. There's a Relational song Ashes and two Appalachian pieces Foggy Dew and Come All Ye Fair. I was reading St. Catherine of Siena, The Carmina Gadelica, and Etty Hillesum's Diaries (Hope Grows) at the time and each of them showed up in the album. Traveling Moorland celebrates our unity as a human race and leaves the listener with a blessing that is used in Scotland, "safe home."

By 2002, I had written several new songs for a project called The Beauty of the Earth.

The Beauty of the Earth, the title song, is both a Relational and Nature song. It weaves meadows, leaves, pears, and the wind around into a love-song. It holds the elements of bread and wine in a communion, and says "come my love and drink with me of the beauty so divine."

I Want to be Free was written in The Brotherwood at the lake. "I heard the wind in my soul, I heard the song of the earth and it's making me whole." Ecstatic prayer I think.

The River of Life was written on December 31, 1999, just at the turn of the new millennium. "Changed, formed and recreated... The sweetness and joy and the sadness and pain, the river of life I float upon."

There's The Lark in the Morn and Burning of the Piper's Hut, both from the British Isles. Aeternitas and Kyrie Eleison are both sung in Latin and are somewhat Medieval in character. Kyrie Eleison was written on September 11, 2001.

When You See is a Unity song inspired by a Jewish Midrash, or illustrated truth. "When you see a soul on the horizon that your heart has never known before, if you embrace the other as your sister or brother then you'll know that dawn is breaking in your heart, and the light has overcome the dark." It's interesting to me that most of the songs that I deem "Unity songs" sound like hymns. They are simply structured that way, not on purpose, but that's how I hear them to begin with as I compose them.

The photos from The Beauty of the Earth were taken in Italy.

We recorded The Moon of Wintertime just after The Beauty of the Earth. I mean, just one hour afterwards. We had been performing the songs for Solstice programs so we were familiar with the material. It was a quick and fun jaunt into the Winter season. There's only one original song on it, Gifts of the Magi, and I suppose we could classify it as the old favorite category Ecstatic, although it's not a prayer. It's Medieval sounding as well and I played it on the Appalachian dulcimer.

The rest of the material ranges from 14th Century Italy, to Medieval England, Scotland, and into the early Appalachian settlements. It's bright and merry with a little bit of mystery. True to form we used photos from The Brotherwood and Italy inside the liner notes.

That brings us to the album ForeignLander, which is a stepping back to my roots kind of recording. This is where a new category slips in: Birds. There are birds in several songs, which is quite normal in Appalachian music. It's full of sweet sorrow. I wrote one original piece for ForeignLander and it is called Swallow's Return. Stella is a Medieval piece and Softly and Tenderly is a hymn.

The liner notes include graphics of maps and boats, a hint of what was coming next...

New territory!
It was four years before I was ready to release another recording. I called it Quieting, because that's what I was doing at the time that the music came forward. It's an all instrumental album, which is new for me. Here's an excerpt from the liner notes:

This music celebrates a deepening connection with the natural world.
It is a place where every bug counts.
Cottonwood seeds hold the potential for one's very breath.
The shape of a mountain is a song in itself.
Frogs become close companions.
Hawthorn trees open the heart.
Pigs can dance. Bees can swing.
Children grow up into beautiful people while adults rediscover the wonder of childhood.
Wishes are granted.
Life and death are honored as one in the same.

Quieting includes several Nature inspired pieces. I lived in the woods at the time of writing them and couldn't help myself. It also opens a new category for me: Bugs! - Every Bug, Every Bee, Every Breath. And Pigs - Porcero Danza - Dance of the Pigs. And Humor - The Busy Bees of Sansepolcro. There is a frog chorus recorded from our own pond. I wrote a piece For My Daughters in remembrance of their childhood years, and one for my cat, Willow, rest her soul.

While contemplating a deeper connection with the natural world, I passed from youth to midlife through a quiet turnstyle. Here's a quote from William Wordsworth - "...with an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things."

The imagery for this project comes from Burma. The boat on the cover is from an astonishing place called Inle Lake.

From my journal: May 10, 2007 Thursday

It's simple.
You have what it takes.
Sing your own vision.
Contribute to the river.
The great river winding
round the world.
Everything counts.

What's next? Perhaps a new project full of boats and water, ravens, meadows. I suspect there will be some Ecstatic songs, Relational bits, Appalachian/Medieval stuff and maybe even a prayer. Here's one of the latest in the Unity category.

In the Same Boat

We are in a river
Headed downstream
All of us together
In an earthly dream
Traveling together
But we think we don't
Separate in our vessels
In the same boat
Row, heave ho

Headed for the ocean
In a crooked line
Wending round the boulders
Yours and mine
Looking for an answer
In a simple rhyme
Headed for the ocean
Serpentine
Row, heave ho

Will we live forever
We don't know
No one here can tell us
Exactly where we'll go
But we'll go together
In the same boat
Headed for the ocean
To find our way home
Row, heave ho

Okay, now I guess I'm ready for my talk tomorrow!

Surprising Things

2010-09-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Summer leaned toward Autumn. Autumn ushered itself in on a full moon. Some of us couldn't sleep for the magnetic pull of the year's tide.

Beans came off the vine in multi-colors. We sat at the table opening the pods, each one a different hue: hand-painted cream, dove grey, lavender speckles, and purple purple. All of the colours came from the same plant. This was truly a wonder.

One morning we woke to hundreds of spider webs. It seemed the little creatures got a cue all at the same time and suddenly started webbing up. These silver strung beads hung from grass to twig, rafter to trellis, on berry and bush. There were gossamer wings on the ground that caught enough dew to quench a thirst.

I was in South Dakota at summer's end and was surprised to see such beautiful haystacks.

A friend and I dyed wool with St. John's Wort this year. We were hoping for a red colour, but here's the golden reward of our efforts. One never knows what will happen with natural dyes.

That's the thing. There's so much to not know about and to see and experience. It's surprising.

RIVER, a confluence of three composers

2010-07-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I invited Nancy Rumbel and Jami Sieber to join me whilst recording my 2008 album release QUIETING. I had been a fan of both of them for some time. As we began the project it seemed that we complemented each other musically, that there was a spirit between us that came forth when our notes combined.

Jami travelled up to our studio for a summer's day session that was recorded by Kurt Scherer and Phil Heaven. I sat in the corner, knitting through every track as Jami seamlessly played song after song on her acoustic cello. I would look up and say, "that was wonderful!" because it was.

We FTP'd the piano tracks to Nancy. She chose two songs upon which to add her Grammy Winning oboe and English horn. She recorded the parts at her own Water Garden Studio and sent them back via the internet. Who knew a few short years ago that one could do such a thing? When we added the tracks into the mix, I looked up and said, "that was wonderful!" because it was.

A few months later we were on stage together during the CD Release of QUIETING. Later that night we sat in my living room in pajamas and talked over Everything. The idea popped in to construct a performance that included all three of us - a confluence of three composers. We would each have an opportunity to share our own music, and be able to accompany each other. After great deliberation we decided to call ourselves RIVER. "Cello, oboe, piano, English horn, vocals, and double wooden ocarinas flow seamlessly into a current of sound that is at once entertaining, soul-rendering and delightful."

July 17, 2010 will mark the first concert performance for RIVER. It's going to be a house concert at Meadow House in the countryside not far from Bellingham, Washington. It promises to be an interesting evening. I am sure that the three of us will enjoy it, because we just do. And it's Sold Out! How wonderful.

To listen to a "Hawthorn" and "Every Bug, Every Bee, Every Breath" from the QUIETING album, click here: http://www.ilike.com/artist/Lydia+McCauley

Monkey Pete

2010-01-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

I've been excited for some time to introduce a delightful little guy named Monkey Pete. Here he is. Monkey Pete.

We first met him in early 2006 just before a trip to Ireland and Italy. Our friends brought him over in his sleeping bag. I stuffed him in my backpack and he got through customs just fine. Off we went. That's how I got to know him and his quiet, sweet ways.

Here he is on Arranmore Island, County Donegal. Hi Monkey Pete!

Monkey Pete came to visit the other night and I was able to interview him with the help of his adopted mother Susan B.

A friend in Boston gave Monkey Pete to Susan B. in 1992. He has since had many adventures and travelled to several countries. He married (Monkey) Suki and has a child named Teeny Pete. They live separately, and I don't know the whole story. Sometimes its better for one not to ask.

These days Monkey Pete spends some time meditating. Here he is in a meditative pose. OM Monkey Padme OM.

He also likes the savasana (resting pose), which is my favorite too.

Monkey Pete is a world traveller. Why, he has journeyed to Turkey two or three times, Italy, Greece, Scotland, had a big trip to Nepal, and has visited Ireland on several occasions. He met the O'Pete's there and I do believe they made quite an impression on him.

One might find him sitting atop the Rialto.

Or helping Kurt gather firewood in Tuscany.

Now, Monkey Pete can get bored. It's only natural. But he finds ways to move forward and he encourages others to do so. That's the marvelous thing about him, he has a positive outlook.

Here are a few facts about him which I will put into a list because this blog entry is getting long:

1. He is very spiritual, and is often on another plane (no pun here) of existence, however - he hates the word - it gives him a stomach ache.

2. He is not a social climber, and is unconcerned with making a lot of money.

3. He is not a name dropper, but he could. Yes, he could. He's had his photo taken with a high Llama in Nepal. At the time of this interview he could not remember the name.

4. He's the subject of a Flip book (limited edition).

5. He is the subject of the book Young Monkeys in Love - Suki and Monkey Pete's Adventures at The Color Shack by Chelan and Susan B.

6. He wrote a memoir entitled Monkey Pete Returns to Ireland.

There's so much more about Monkey Pete. He's in a quiet phase right now, taking each day as it comes. I think that's healthy.
He is well loved by his family and indeed by many others around the planet. He's my favorite monkey, I know that.

Santa Lucia, The Return of the Light

2009-12-13T14:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Santa Lucia Day. I love this day in December. Lovely memories... When my daughters were young we used to celebrate it by getting up really early in the morning and baking some rolls. Then we would arrange a tea tray with a beautiful cloth, teapot and the baked goods. One of the girls would don a candle wreath on her head (we actually lit the candles), wear a white nightgown and a red ribbon, climb the stairs with tray in hand, and serve each person in bed. I always followed them up, checking for hair fires and dripping wax.

Somewhere deep in my genetic recesses I felt that the light began to return on December 13. I thought that perhaps I was imagining it, but come to find out it's true. According to Katherine Swift, THE MORVILLE HOURS, daylight begins to "draw out again... Though the solstice is not until the 21st, from now on the sun will set a minute or two later each day. There is no net gain in daylight hours for another week, as the sun will go on rising later until 30 December." She goes on to say that before the reform of the calendar, St. Lucy's Day coincided with Winter Solstice.

Here's a few family photos from our Lucia days. And a few earlier winter ones. Where did the time go?

Is it just me or does it seem that Dad wasn't quite as enthusiastic about the early hour as we were?

And here's one of the old snow guys. Looks like we used most of the snow in the front yard to create him. Oui! Oui! Joyeux Noel!

Happy return of the Light and Happy Christmas to all!

Mary McCauley, Needle Felted Wool Sculpture

2009-11-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

Mary McCauley makes the most wonderful wool felted sculpture. The thing about it is, these animal sculptures seem to have real life. I mean it's as though they have a spirit. I'll attribute that to Mary, who has been drawing, painting, sewing, whittling, beading and shaping materials for dozens of years. Now her felting needle leads her hands into creating specific dog breeds that look so real - they are real.

She first began to study art while in high school, enjoying pencil drawing and learning to hand build and throw pottery. I remember one of her pieces from that time. It was a wonderful African water vessel with a woman's head on the top. Seems she had the gift of creating spirit from the start.

While living in Alaska, Mary collected pieces of fur and leather and began to sew them into hats and gloves. Later she hand-made moccasins (called Mary's Mocs) and leather-bound journals of buffalo, elk, deer, and boar hides. This led into the Mare's Bears phase of designing and sewing stuffed bears of all sorts. She also worked with FIMO for a while, continuing her desire to shape and form.

About a year and a half ago she found a little book by Nobuko Nagakubo called Fleece Dog in a toy store right here in Bellingham. Mary told me, "I thought needle-felting looked really fun and the subjects that I could felt were endless. I bought wool and a needle and went to work. It is what I do in the evenings while I am resting, like some people do with knitting. I love felting all kinds of critters. Animals have always interested and inspired me."

When I asked Mary what she liked best about creating things, she replied, "It feels good to work at something and see immediately the product of your labor. I do it because I like the result, the little woolly creatures. It also feels good when others like them and appreciate them as gifts."

I'm really proud of my sister and her talent. She brought several of her animals with her to a family reunion this Fall. Each of us got to pick one or two of them to take home. Here's a photo of my pick: two curious Meerkats. They grace my piano and help me to practice!

If you'd like to get in touch with Mary about her sculptures (yes, they are for sale), here's her email: marymccauley@windstream.net

Here's Mary (on the right) and Charlia happily driving our sister's Mini through the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Phil Heaven, violist for Geoffrey's Nephew, in an interview with Margaret Bikman

2009-11-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to both Phil and Margaret!

Bellingham Entertainment, Movies, Restaurants | Bellingham Herald

The Fabric Tells Me What To Do

2009-10-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tone Piper has been sewing since she was nine years old. She was born in Oslo, Norway, and her grandmother was a professional seamstress. Her mother sewed too, perfectly always. Tone started with doll clothes and gowns, then moved on to making her own clothes. As her own family grew she sewed all manner of garments for them, including costumes and prom dresses.

"The more experience one has using different kinds of fabrics, the more skilled one becomes." She draws inspiration from the fabric and with a twinkle in her eye says, "it tells me what to do. I love fabrics. I impulse buy something that I really like. I usually don't decide on the design until I have the fabric."

Then she turns it into a wonderful piece.

Such as this wedding dress for her daughter Cassiopia Piper (who will take on the new name Cassiopia Coyne on October 10, 2009). Cassy is a talented actress/dancer who lives in New York City. She acquired seventeen yards of designer silk blend fabric, which she sent to her mother, knowing that Tone would come up with something beautiful for her wedding.

She did.

As I write this, I can see Cassy in it, waltzing around on the dance floor like Cinderella. And Tone enjoying the fruits of her labour(s).

When asked what designing and sewing brings into her life, Tone replied, "joy, peace, a sense of centeredness, focus. It has given me self-confidence in general."

That joyous sense of confidence gets transferred to the lucky people who wear Tone's designs. She has sewn several pieces for me, and I love them all, especially the ones I wear for concert performances.

Hey... who is that behind the dress form? How did he get in here?

Capturing the last of Summer, a Goldenrod Dye Pot

2009-08-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

A friend and I spent the day doing a Dye pot, that is dyeing wool from natural plants. We gathered goldenrod and tansy, those ochre-gold pungent herbs that bloom late in the summer season. It's a joy to pick them, to smell them, and then to stuff them into old pantyhose and drop them into a canning pot of hot water to steep. The hardest part was finding the old pantyhose - it's been a while since I've worn them. We let the water boil. Marya commented that it looked like we were trying to make Haggis. Indeed, the little stuffed britches full of botanical matter resembled what I've seen but never tasted of that Scottish...umm...delicacy.

We began by washing the wool with gentle soap, taking care to use lukewarm water at first, then adding more hot gradually. We added some borax to soften the water and let the wool sit in the bath for a spell. We had to mordant the wool with aluminum sulfate and cream of tartar. This took about an hour of simmering heat on the stove. It looked like noodles cooking. We poked it, but never stirred. Wool doesn't like to be agitated or to have an extreme change in temperature. I don't either for that matter.

It was time to add the wool skeins into the haggis pot. One by one we fished them out and in. They caught the color almost instantly. We cooked them for over an hour. They gradually grew to a deep yellow.

It was getting on in the day so we decided to rinse them in a clean pot of hot water and added a slight bit of vinegar to set the color. The rinsing seemed to fade the color just a little, which was sad. We hung the skeins outside on a stick between two chairs. It's important to dry them in the shade, so that's what we did. To our delight, the yellow seemed to brighten as the skeins dried. It's the color of late summer and I like it.

Marya is going to knit a blanket for her lovely boy, Kristijan. I wound my yarn up and put it in a basket, along with other yarn dyed from previous summers. It will eventually become someone's scarf. Someone who might enjoy the sight and fragrance of summer's end during the cold grey of winter.

India Slides, Vol. 11, Rajastan

2009-07-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Feels almost as hot today in the Pacific NW as it did in Rajastan, India this winter.

Mammoth Lakes, California

2009-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is a journal entry from July 10, 2007 while we were visiting Yosemite.

I loom about the world
forgetting to follow my breath
I walk dizzy in the heat
I muddle about

We trek together
It's important to walk together
but not easy
takes patience

We wind about
though old forests
granite stones
heavy on the earth

Coming to the river
cool water dances
bouncing downward
upward
flowing cold

One puddle
in the rock
holds pebbles
so clearly they lie
so bright the light
catches
enlightens the water
and even though
I cannot see my reflection
I see my Self
in that
I am That.

This is a photo of Hannah and Lucas, our daughter and son-in-law, ever the enlightened jokesters.

Muzlink - music search - Lydia McCauley

2009-07-03T15:08:00.001-07:00

Muzlink - music search - Lydia McCauley

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It's All So Fine When You Are At The Clothesline

2009-06-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've always had respect for laundry. I mean, I like laundry. It's sort of sacred to me. Hand washing, hanging clothes to dry, pressing linens. It's odd because I certainly don't feel that way about other "household chores" such as vacuuming or doing dishes (although, come to think of it I have some delightful times just thinking at the sink). At our house laundry piles up long about Thursday or Friday. It gets divided into whites, colours, delicates. The sheets get pulled from the bed and thrown in.

In warm or sunny weather the clothes get hung outside on an umbrella looking line. You know, the old fashioned kind. It took us quite a while to locate one. We store it away in the winter and joyfully bring it back out in the spring. That's when the first swallows are returning, and the catkins are hanging from the big leaf maple. One can notice things whilst hanging out clothes on the line. There are small and dear Savannah sparrows that sing in our meadow, "sweet bird, sweet sweet bird, pretty pretty pretty." I've seen murders of crows flying in circles above the hay fields. And hawks, eagles, even owls going by. As you pin the linens on the line the sky shows through, very blue. Sometimes clouds. It's all so fine when you are at the clothesline.

There's that fresh scent that comes from being aired outside. Everything is crispy and cleaner it seems from the sun. Now, towels have their own way of becoming stiff and uninviting. It's just the way they are. However, the exfoliating advantages from a towel on the line can be recommended by some. And by day two of using them they usually soften up.

Early this spring I was hanging some clothes in the wind. I kept hearing a distant flute in a simple combination of notes. Over and over this little ditty kept playing. Was it a neighbor practicing a penny whistle? How quaint I thought. We have neighbors who practice the whistle. But it kept happening every time it was windy. I finally figured out that these little holes on the clothesline pole were making a little tune. A musical clothesline! I loved it even more.

One thing about being a laundress is you may find treasures that come from the pockets of the laundry. Sometimes it's only nails or screws, or the singular earplug. But last week I hit the jackpot. Seventeen dollars! Thus the dilemma, does one get to keep the money?

A long time ago people used to dry laundry over lavender bushes.

Here's a dictionary reference for lavender:
c.1265, "fragrant plant of the mint family," from Anglo-Fr. lavendre, from M.L. lavendula "lavender" (10c.), perhaps from L. lividus "bluish, livid." Associated with Fr. lavande, It. lavanda "a washing" (from L. lavare "to wash;" see lave) because it was used to scent washed fabrics and as a bath perfume. The meaning "pale purple color" is from 1840.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

It's raining today and the clothes are in the dryer, but maybe I'll try draping them over the lavender next week. What could be better?

Happy laundering to all, and to all a good day.

Photo of Meadowhouse by Mary McCauley

Incredible India 2009, Vol. 1

2009-05-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Kurt and I spent most of the winter in India - we'll let the pictures tell the story for now. Vol. 2 coming soon.

The Lunchmaid and Willow

2009-05-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Our story begins at the end of Willow's life of thirteen years.

Willow Violet Scherer, born April 1.
Grandest kitty in the world, princess kitty, best kitty that ever lived.
Found at the pound from a ferral mother.
Named by Hannah at the age of eleven, while looking at a blue willow-ware platter.
Lover of Wisteria and Ocean Spray, Hostas, and Cat Mint.
Beloved by her family.
Bonded by life and death to the Lunchmaid

The Lunchmaid was accustomed to feeding Willow every afternoon. A little 'wet' food and a little 'dry' food in her little willow ware and glass bowls. Willow would come inside from her daily rounds of hunting grasshoppers, lightly making her way back to Yellow Lily Pond, napping under the cedars, and generally sitting, simply viewing the world under the ocean spray that arched its branches over the entrance of Willow's Path.

This went on for years until one day Willow did not want to eat. And she didn't eat for several days. And she didn't drink from her little bowl. Nor did she prance about anymore. So, the Lunchmaid put Willow in the car (Little Stuart - an Austin Somerset with a big steering wheel. He was made in England, but felt himself to be Scottish at heart) and proceeded to drive all the way to the Vetenarian's house away into the countryside with Willow in her lap, strangely quiet.

At the Doctor's first glance Willow simply needed some rehydration. A further exam determined a tumor in her tummy. The Lunchmaid put her back into the car, on her lap. When out on the road home, the Lunchmaid's tears began to fall and a hollow sound came from her body, a deep sorrow poured from her heart. Willow heard her mourning and laid on her lap in a knowing kind of silence. The two would soon part.

It happened that the weather at Yellow Lily Pond was quite warm and all the doors and windows were open in the house. Willow did not have the strength to walk outside, so the Lunchmaid would carry her gently down to the pond to catch the gentle breeze. They would sit together and listen to the frogs and birds. Willow would make her way to the edge for a small drink.

The Boatman's hostas were fully leaved and provided Willow a respite from the heat. There she lay where she once played Tiger in the perennial garden next to the house. She barely moved.

Meanwhile, the Boatman was busy being a carpenter, building a very fine house further down the road. The next morning he bought a piece of cedar to form a small casket for his beloved kitty. He cut the pieces and nailed them together at about three in the afternoon. It hurt his heart to do so, but he wanted Willow to have a beautiful box that water could not penetrate when put in the ground.

That afternoon was a blessed one for Willow and the Lunchmaid. Again they visited the pond and Willow drank a sip from it. It was as though the organic green of the water was the only thing that could sustain her, and she toddled to the edge, with the Lunchmaid carrying her back, so as not to topple over. A great silence fell over the pond. No frog, no bird, no wind.

They went back into the house. Willow began to cry, the first sound that she had made in days. The Lunchmaid sought to comfort her. And then something happened. Willow rose up on her forepaws and stretched her head back and let out a wild kind of howl. Something primordial, something so deep and real that the Lunchmaid began to chant. She began to chant a song of death, a song for God to take the soul of her Willow. For angels to take Willow across the great waters. This is a chant that the Lunchmaid had to sing, and she made up the words and tune as she went along. Just then Willow took a breath. She took one more deep breath and all of the air went from her body. Her head rested on her paws. Her spirit was gone.

The Lunchmaid was afraid to touch Willow's body. She sat in front of her in awe. Life to death.

A few minutes passed and the Lunchmaid heard a knock at the door. There stood a friend who she had not seen for many months, bearing a basket of freshly picked strawberries and some whipping cream. The Lunchmaid brought her over to Willow's body. It was then that the telephone rang. It was the boatman and he had just finished putting the last nail in the coffin a few minutes before and was on his way home.

Beautiful white linens were wrapped around Willow's body as she was laid out. Candles were lit on the dining room table around the open casket. Potpourri was sprinkled inside. The cream was whipped, the berries eaten, wine was opened, and stories began to flow from the three at the table.

Another knock at the door and a friend from far away stood with four children in hand. In they came to see the beautiful kitty. They petted her, they said a blessing for her. They ran outside to find daisies, clover, and other wild flowers which they made into necklaces to place around the head of Willow. Now her casket became a bower and joy was all around. Joy stayed throughout the evening as another friend came to view the body. And the candles burned. And the Lunchmaid and her Boatman slept until morning.

And the next day was the burial. Early morning sun was pouring through the grand firs. The Boatman so carefully dug the plot of soil, deep, deep enough very near to Willow's Path. Together the two closed the lid and nailed it. The Boatman asked the Lunchmaid to say a prayer and silence and joy were present. Willow was lowered into the ground, and yes, next to Lady Guinnivere Pig ( a beloved Guinnea Pig, a story for another time). The earth covered her casket. The sun sprayed down upon it. Ocean Spray was laid upon it.

Let the wind say Willow
Let it say Beauty
Let the portals open
and freely pour out
Thanks
and pour out Life,
The preciousness of it.

...................................

Click on this post's title and find a link to QUIETING. Song number 6 - Willow - was written the week that she died.

A Contemporary Mass

2009-05-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

MISSA AZZURRO VERDE
Lydia McCauley, Composer

A Contemporary Mass Setting

Commissioned by
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Bellingham, Washington
Frederick Frahm, Director of Music

A new Mass setting is being sung at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bellingham, Washington. MISSA AZZURRO VERDE, commissioned by St. Paul’s in 2006, is used in the nine a.m. less formal Eucharist service, and is supported by an ensemble of vocalists and musicians with flute, guitar and piano.

Composed by Lydia McCauley, professional musician and co-owner of the independent music label Brimstone Music, “Missa Azzurro Verde” (mass of blue and green) is a tribute to the heavens and the earth meeting as one in unity. The Mass includes settings of the Kyrie eleison, Gloria in excelsis, Sanctus and Agnus Dei. There are also optional settings of the fraction anthem (Pascha nostrum) and the Trisagion.

Frederick Frahm, prolific composer of organ works, chamber music and choral scores, asked Lydia to compose the Mass for a contemporary Eucharist in her simple songwriting style. He mentored her through the process, engraved the music, and arranged the keyboard setting of the Sanctus. Lydia was deeply honored to write music for a church congregation and to be tutored by a master such as Frahm. [Learn more about this composer at http://www.frederickfrahm.com]

Missa Azzurro Verde is set for Congregation, Choir, Keyboard and Guitar. It includes a pew score.The Kyrie and Christ our Passover are set in a minor key and may be performed unaccompanied as plainchant, with or without a faux bourdon. The contemplative settings of the Trisagion and Agnus Dei incorporate Lydia’s love of Celtic and Appalachian music, which grows full with joy in the Gloria in excelsis
and Sanctus. Performance licences for the Mass are available from the composer.

Lydia McCauley is a singer, pianist, and composer whose music is influenced by Folk, medieval, and Classical genres. She began studying piano at age five, grew up singing in choirs, documentedAppalachian Folk music in college, and maintained a piano studio while raising a family. She has released six full length albums on her own music label, and has been touring the U.S, and Canada with her ensemble of musicians for ten years.

Lydia’s album cut “Kyrie eleison” from The Beauty of the Earth recording is currently featured on Jet Blue, Frontier Airlines, Musak, Sirius Satellite Radio, and Martha Stewart Living. [For more information visit her website at http://www.LydiaMcCauley.com]

The Dalai Lama

2009-05-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Kurt and I spent most of this winter in India. We stayed in the South for one month, then travelled in the North through Rajastan, the Punjab, and into the Himalayan foothills to the home of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. We were there for the 50th Anniversary of the Chinese takeover of Tibet. The photos above are from the temple just outside of The Dalai Lama's residence. It was truly a wonderful thing to hear The Dalai Lama speak, to hear him chant in the temple, and to simply be in his presence.

Recently I received an email from my daughter's husband's sister's husband. (Did you get that?) He is currently attending MIT and had the opportunity to hear The Dalai Lama speak on April 30, at the Inaugaral Event for The Dalai Lama Center For Ethics. Here's what he had to say about the event:

"It was very interesting to hear him speak. His English is a bit hard to understand, but he seems to be a very genuine and humorous person. He came to MIT for the opening of the new Center for Ethics and Transformational Values (http://www.thecenter.mit.edu/) that he is setting up in cooperation with MIT. Basically, the institution is being established to explore how compassion can be taught in a formal sense to non-religious people. He believes our global economic recession was proceeded by a recession in ethics and values. He does not feel he needs to promote Buddhism, rather he hopes that compassion can be taught. He feels MIT can help finds ways to do this. He clarified his definition of “secular” as one who has respect for all religions rather than one who rejects religion (the MIT center is secular). He accepted the fact that a growing portion of the developed world is becoming secular and that their needs to be a way to instill compassion and values into this portion of the world. He does not feel that everyone in the world needs to become a Buddhist and that other religions can serve a purpose for others. He is a surprisingly realistic leader. He accepts the reality of history, while hoping for a better future. He hopes for a more democratic United Nations (indicating that the Security Council was not ideal). He stated that if he were able to return to an autonomous Tibet (clearly stated as not independent) he would not serve as its leader. He feels the people in Tibet, who have suffered through oppression, would best lead their own region. He hopes for a demilitarized world, but understands that it is not realistic in the short-term. He indicated that the individual should be disarmed, but seemed to feel that inter-country conflict may be necessary. When questioned by a student who asked about the moral conflict of working for a defense contractor, he affirmed that people kill people, not weapons. Implying that some weapons and violence may be necessary as long as it kills the right people, but he also feels this line of thinking is unrealistic. He never gives clear-cut answers, but his responses usually guide you in a direction." - Matt Thompson

Beautitudes and Blesseds

2009-04-23T18:13:00.000-07:00

Beautitudes

Blessed are the cottonwood seeds, they care not which way they fly.

Blessed are the hawthornes, producing sweet joy in May.

Blessed are the winds, bringing new seasons.

Blessed are the rains, watering the dry places.

Blessed are the clouds.

Blessed are you, when you find your home here on earth.
When your very breath is a guide.
When you and your children are free to be yourselves.

Blessed is the world and everything in it.

Blessed are the empty vessels, they shall forever be filled.

........................................................................................

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

They shall be like a tree standing by the water.
They shall be like a well, drawing deep.
They shall be like a child in a womb.

They shall be forever changed by sadness.
They shall be made golden.
They shall walk in green pastures breathing the very breath of God.

L. McCauley

Chinese Calligraphy, a study in softness

2008-12-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

PAT PADDEN had a keen desire to learn Chinese Martial Arts at the age of thirteen. She told me "I begged my father to let me study, but the studio was in a bad part of town and Dad would not allow it... I got over it." In California as an adult in her thirties, Pat drove by two martial art studios every day on her way to work and she could not resist joining in. First she started with Chinese Kung Fu (and proceeded to earn a black belt in just about everything). She studied sword fighting, staff, and double stick fighting. Then she moved on to Tai Chi. It was there that she learned about the Chinese people, philosophy, medicine and message. "Both Kung Fu and Tai Chi are martial arts, the first being hard, the second being soft," says Pat.

Some years later Pat and her husband Bill moved to Bellingham. Pat found a good studio, Chinese Martial Arts, in Bellingham and continued her disciplines. She became mesmerized at the calligraphy hanging in the studio. She says she would stare at it for long periods of time, and get lost in it. She wanted to learn how to do it.

Cathy Pak, Master Calligrapher from Hong Kong, who lives in Vancouver, B.C. was giving a children's class (ages 6 - 9) in Bellingham. Pat signed up. She thought, "Why not study as a child? I want to start from the beginning anyway." She studied alongside the children for three months. (I love her for this!) About three years ago Cathy started an adult class which meets at the Chinese Church in Bellingham. Pat found that using a brush came easily for her. From the beginning Chinese looking cranes flew right out of the end of the brush. And bamboo! Bamboo was waiting to be drawn on her paper. Here Pat's voice gets low and she chants, "Must do bamboo...sometimes it's bad, sometimes it good, but must do bamboo before writing anything else!" Even Chinese people have taken note at the authentic way that Pat is able to write their characters. It seems to come naturally for her.

I asked Pat if doing Chinese calligraphy has changed her, and what benefit has it brought to her and those around her? In her own words, "It has become a meditation. It's calming and very relaxing. It affects my whole life. It affects the people around me because I am less stressed. It's bringing out the softness in me and I am much more open and more easily adaptable to things. Tai Chi and calligraphy is part of my life - for good."

Pat's work can be found in select Art Shows in Bellingham. And if one is lucky, may find her practicing Tai Chi somewhere. I am glad to call her friend. When we met together at Pat's favorite CAFE ADAGIO in downtown Bellingham the other day, the owner had decorated Pat's latte foam with a beautiful fern leaf design. That, and the fact that the definition for Adagio is a slow tempo seemed quite appropriate.

Extra:
a·da·gio (-däj, -j-, -zh, -zh-)
1. Music A slow passage, movement, or work, especially one using adagio as the direction.
2. A section of a pas de deux in which the ballerina and her partner perform steps requiring lyricism and great skill in lifting, balancing, and turning.

Cadel Viva, Anghiari, Arezzo, Italy

2008-12-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

Cadel Viva is a farm in Anghiari, Italy that is belongs to our friend Herbert Nagel. It was formerly part of a large estate owned by a Florentine marquis. Herbert has restored the old buildings and built some new ones that fit beautifully into the Tuscan countryside. We have visited him there on several occasions and always enjoy our time there. To find out more about Cadel Viva, visit the website: http://www.cadelviva.com/english/cadelviva.html

The top photo is of Kurt working on Herbert's farm. Upon a closer look you'll see Monkey Pete sitting upon the axe. Monkey Pete lives in Bellingham and is a world-wide traveller.

Herbert's front door has a way of letting in that Tuscan light that we love so much.

The third photo was taken at the English Cemetery in Florence. From left to right: Kurt, Assunta, Herbert, Lydia, and Sister Julia Bolton Holloway (a hermit of The Holy Family who lives in the gatehouse of the cemetery). More about Sister Julia soon...and the delightful Monkey Pete.

Candles in December

2008-12-06T20:04:00.000-08:00

Having a fire or even a small flame is a comfort this time of year. December's long nights call for candles. Candles at 4:00 in the afternoon, candles on the dinner table. Candles for ritual.

The photo of three candles was taken in Bagan, Burma in one of the thousands of temples there. Just below is a river of flame that is lit each night at the Schwedegon Pagoda in Rangoon.

The candelabra on the table is at our friend Herbert's house in Anghiari, Italy. He owns a wonderful farm and accommodates guests. http://www.cadelviva.com/english/cadelviva.html

Welcome Marionettes

2008-11-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

An afternoon show with the Welcome Marionettes has become a summer tradition for my family and friends. The puppets are designed and made by Laura Carroll of Deming, Washington. Laura and Mike live in a stone cottage of which Laura built herself. It is set into the woods with magical paths going here and yon, leading to a creek and gardens. A delightful place indeed!

I asked Laura to write her thoughts about her occupation, when she began, what inspires her, and the benefits she receives from this work. We corresponded by mail - and it was very dear to receive this letter of hers. Here it is.

...............

In response to your question my occupation was art teacher. I taught for a while and enjoyed it much. I quit to pursue sculpture, my media is wood. I got very tired of sanding. In and around this I helped my husband Mike with his gardening business. When I hit fifty I decided a change was in order. Marionettes were a natural choice, my parents had been puppeteers. For twenty years they built and performed The Scotts Marionettes. The show had been more of a myth than a reality for me, as it ended with my Father's death when I was twelve. The puppets were destroyed by fire some years later. Now all that remains of their show are photos. I felt a new beginning was in order. At present, building and performing marionettes is my primary occupation. It has turned out to be a delightful one.

The marionettes and their operation take every thing I have ever learned and more. They are sculpture and engineering, they are theater, music and painting. They are all the doll clothes I ever made for my daughters. They are scriptwriting and production, promotion, and business. And as a dividend we get to perform. After months of practice alone in the studio, what a delight to hear the audience response. On top of that we get paid. How good can it get?

I have been very fortunate to have the help of my husband Michael and my neighbor Betty Ann Abeid. Mike is a musician with a special flare for children's music, and as it turns out a fine gift for marionettes. Betty Ann, already an accomplished seamstress has discovered a talent for singing and acting. The marionettes have taught us all a great deal about ourselves. The three of us have been performing together for the past seven years. We have built over sixty puppets and the larcy classical stage we work from. We are now in the midst of fittiing out a trailer from which we can perform for outdoor events. And of course, another show.

You ask what inspires me to create. I hate to sound flipped. I have given your question due thought. All I can truly say is that it is the same thing that inspires me to breathe.

Thank you for your interest.
As always yours,
Laura Scott Carroll
Welcome Marionettes
PO Box 292
Deming, WA 98244
Tel. (360) 220-3144

................

Welcome Marionettes have produced several shows which include:

TEDDY BEAR and THE KING'S BREAKFAST - from A.A. Milne's set of poems - When We Were Very Young, and Now We Are Six

DOROTHY MEETS HER FRIENDS - from The Wizard of Oz

PETER AND THE WOLF, complete with music by Sergei Prokofiev

A MUSICAL MEDLEY of all sorts of fun!

Here are some of the venues where they have performed:

Everett Public Library
Bellingham Public Library
Mt. Vernon Public Library
Bellingham Public Schools
Lummi Island School
Ballard Seafood Festival
Stillaguamish River Festival
Magnolia Family Festival, Seattle

For more information please visit their blog at http://welcomemarionettes.blogspot.com
Contact Laura Carroll or Betty Ann Abeid
Tel. (360) 592-2203
That's Betty Ann's grandson Theo in the photo above!

Support for Patrol Base Doria in Iraq

2008-11-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

SUPPORT FOR PATROL BASE DORIA in Iraq began when Kyle and Eva Willett received word that Kyle's brother Army Staff Sargeant Ian Willett and the soldiers of the 2nd Platoon in Iraq did not have enough supplies to keep them warm or fed. They called their friends in for a meeting and decided to send a few boxes of food, hand warmers, soap, and other things that might make it easier for the troops. One church group donated the shipping charges. The box reached the soldiers and they were very grateful to be thought of and cared for. So Eva and Kyle decided to take the idea to the public and set up two tables at a local grocery store last Saturday. They made a banner and cards for people to write greetings to the troops. There were boxes for supply donations and a large glass jar for cash donations. They collected $1100.00 that day! plus various things to make the troops lives a little more bearable. With the money collected, they will be able to ship boxes of socks, t-shirts, etc... for the 2nd Platoon as well as others at Patrol Base Doria.

This group will set up donation tables once again at the Barkely HAGGEN Grocery Store in Bellingham, Washington on December 7 from 10-6.

Suggested supply donations include:
Snacks (protein bars)
Easy to make foods (like Top Ramen or freeze dried soups)
Powdered Drink Mixes
Handwarmers
Boot socks
Deodorant (unscented)
Lip balm (unscented)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste
Vitamins
Emergen-C (powdered vitamin drink)
Eye drops
DVDs (used or new)
CDs (used or new)
AA Batteries
Magazines
Books
Card/games
Thank you cards
Donations for shipping (each box costs $10.95 to ship)

All items will be shipped to Patrol Base Doria in Iraq.
Any questions please feel free to contact Kyle or Eva Willett. (360) 592-2302

P.S. Eva is our daughter and Kyle is our new son-in-law.

Thoughts on Peace

2008-11-19T09:06:00.000-08:00

"Peace cannot be obtained by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstein

"Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men
doesn't try to force issues
or defeat enemies by force of arms.
For every force there is a counterforce.
Violence, even well intentioned,
always rebounds upon oneself."

Tao Te Ching
Trans. Stephen Mitchell

"...every great artist is a man who has freed himself from his family, his nation, his race. Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a "universal" without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere." Chaim Potok, The Art Spirit, from MY NAME IS ASHER LEV

The photo above is of Kurt, and our daughter Hannah who was visiting this summer from San Francisco. We got the hanging brass gong in Burma. They are used by the monks in their morning waking bowl ceremony. The flags in our garden were given to us by a Tibetan friend in India. Here is his house in Bela Kuppa, India.

A Thoughtful Radio Program

2008-11-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Jerry Nelms for his kind permission to post a portion of the notes from last week's radio broadcast.

Beyond The Lakes Playlist for November 9, 2008

Playlist
Music from Beyond the Lakes
Produced by Jerry Nelms and Namdar Mogharreban Sundays, 8-10 pm Central Time, USA WDBX, 91.1 FM, Carbondale, Illinois (www.wdbx.org) Streamed LIVE at wdbx.scientistsuperstar.com Listen by going to www.wdbx.org and click on "Listen"

This program featured music by Soulfood with Peter Schimke; Johan Agebjörn; Deuter; Gregory Kyryluk; Lydia McCauley; Jane Sibbery; Davol; Jeff Pearce; John Gregorius; William Ackerman; Michael Logozar; and Dan Kennedy.

November 9, 2008

“The Lessons of Honor and Dignity” (produced by Jerry Nelms)

Time: the morning after the 2008 election.

It’s almost like a dream—that Barrack Obama won the election. People were cheering in the streets, crying with joy, in spontaneous celebrations all over the country, all over the world, for that matter. It was a landslide victory, and Obama gave a wonderful speech in Grant Park in Chicago last night. And I am so delighted that my late-night anxieties the other night, my distrust in the American electorate turned out wrong. And I think, maybe, I was wrong about John McCain, too.

McCain gave a gracious concession speech in Arizona. Indeed, McCain’s speech marked for me his return to genuine honor. He said: I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too. But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States. Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

That concession speech, to me, may have been the most meaningful thing said last night. As novelist Hermann Hesse once wrote, “It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see [others] and honor [them] for what [they are].” The lessons of honor and dignity continue to be taught—and sometimes, they spring from unlikely sources.

And so, this evening, let’s consider these important human values through a program of acoustic and electronic music entitled “The Lessons of Honor and Dignity.” We begin with this airy, contemplative music by Soulfood in collaboration with pianist Peter Schimke, from Serenity. We’ll continue with a confident piano and keyboard composition by Swedish librarian and electronic music artist Johan Agebjörn from Mossebo; dream-like piano and keyboard textures from native German multi-instrumentalist Deuter’s Atmospherics; and a lovely, lightly bittersweet melody by Gregory Kyryluk from Ephemeral Highways. In our second half-hour, we’ll hear two solemn tracks from Washington state pianist Lydia McCauley’s Quieting, also featuring Jami Sieber on cello; a short poem by singer-songwriter Jane Siberry, set to music by Morgan Fisher, from Siberry’s retrospective collection City; shimmering, gently flowing atmospherics by Johan Agebjörn, again from Mossebo; a richly textured radio mix of a new composition for a video project entitled Truth by Colorado electronic music artist Davol; and finally, shadowy ambience by Indiana Chapman Stick player and sound artist Jeff Pearce from Rainshadow Sky.

We’re contemplating “The Lessons of Honor and Dignity” on our program tonight, ongoing lessons in our own initiations, lessons that can come from unlikely sources and take us to the higher realms of our human nature and give us a glimpse Beyond the Lakes.

8:00-8:30pm

Soulfood – Serenity – Soulfood Music – 2002
“Harvest Moon”

Johan Agebjörn – Mossebo – Lotuspike – 2008
“Shoreline”

Deuter – Atmospherics – New Earth Records – 2008
“Four”

Gregory Kyryluk – Ephemeral Highways – Harmonic Resonance Recordings – 2005
“Tomorrows Journeys”

8:30-9:00pm

Lydia McCauley – Quieting – Brimstone Music – 2008
“Hawthorn”
“Cottonwood”

Jane Siberry – City – Sheeba Records – 2001
“Narrow Bridge/Millennium”

Davol – Truth – GIRA Sound – 2008
“Truth (radio mix)”

Jeff Pearce – Rainshadow Sky – Jeff Pearce Music – 2008
“Harvest Storms”

We’re contemplating the importance of honor and dignity on our program tonight, those sometimes seemingly antiquated names for beliefs and behaviors that speak to our higher human aspirations and values and how lessons of honor and dignity can sometimes come from unlikely sources.

We begin our second hour of these considerations with four sparkling compositions from the debut album of John Gregorius, Heaven and Earth.

Later, venerable guitarist, producer, and co-founder of Windham Hill Records, William Ackerman, will perform new recordings of two of his classic compositions, both from his new CD collection, Meditations. Deuter returns to begin our final half-hour with another coolly ethereal track from Atmospherics. We’ll also hear two delicate, bittersweet compositions by Canadian-born pianist Michael Logozar from Coming into View; and two lovely melodies by Amherst, Massachusetts, pianist Dan Kennedy from Lantern.

“The Lessons of Honor and Dignity,” tonight on Music from Beyond the Lakes.

9:00-9:30pm

John Gregorius – Heaven and Earth – 03e/Spotted Peccary – 2008
“Secret to Light”
“Mercy”
“Heaven & Earth”
“Sackcloth to Ashes”

William Ackerman – Meditations – Compass Records – 2008
“Processional”
“Hawk Circle”

9:30-10:00pm

Deuter – Atmospherics – New Earth Records – 2008
“Nine”

Michael Logozar – Coming into View – Michael Logozar – 2007
“Soaring”
“Waiting”

Dan Kennedy – Lantern – Dan Kennedy – 2007
“Ballad”
“Cycle”

Profile of Beyond the Lakes:

Music from Beyond the Lakes was first aired on Easter Sunday evening, 1996.

Jerry Nelms began as the show's sole producer and host. Namdar Mogharreban joined as co-host that summer and began producing his first programs in the fall. Beyond the Lakes airs eclectic new age and contemplative world music, both ambient and rhythmic; electronic and acoustic; instrumental and vocal. Beyond the Lakes is thematically programmed each week. Jerry's understanding of "new age" music: it provides a space for the imagination, and, so, can take many different forms but always functions in that way of allowing the listener space for the play of the imagination.

Contact Jerry at gnelms@verizon.net.

Send all promotional materials to the following:

Jerry Nelms
Beyond the Lakes
114 Magnolia Lane
Carbondale, Illinois 62903

Thanks to all musical artists for enriching our world!

Rehearsal at Meadow House

2008-11-09T09:12:00.000-08:00

My sister Mary and her partner Charlia came to visit us this summer. The band (Lynne, Phil, and Frank) came over for a rehearsal and Mary caught it on her digital camera. It was lovely to have them here.

Beautiful Beautiful Change

2008-11-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating this new change today, and are so very grateful for the election's outcome. Congratulations to the whole world. Congratulations to Barack Obama. May Peace Prevail on Earth.

The Master doesn't talk, he acts.
When his work is done,
the people say, "Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!"

Tao Te Ching
Trans. Stephen Mitchell

Trust the People

2008-11-03T20:39:00.000-08:00

If you don't trust the people,
you make them untrustworthy.

Tao Te Ching
Trans. Stephen Mitchell

The practice of putting others in the center is not simply a crusade to do "good." It is a practice based on the understanding that our own happiness is inextricably linked with the happiness of others.

Dzigar Kongtruil, Light Comes Through

Christ is the population of the world,
and every object as well. There is no room
for hypocrisy. Why use bitter soup for healing
when sweet water is everywhere?

Rumi
Trans. Coleman Barks

Voluntary Simplicity

2008-11-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

"Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer conditions. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose."
-Richard Gregg, 1936

2008-10-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

A timely email arrived from Susan Bradbury the other day. Find Susan's project information here: http://www.awish.net/NA/sound_essence.htm and http://www.soundessenceproject.org/

To the Women of the World,

I just came out of a retreat at Kripalu in Mass. where I was studying 11th Century healing techniques from Tibet, with Lama Tsultrium. She is also building a temple dedicated to the Sacred Feminine on 700 acres in Colorado. Next year the Dalai Lama will conscreate it. During this sacred time of doing chod, a spiritual practice from Machig Lapdron, a mystic and yogini of the 11th century, we also put our attention at night on a beautiful verse below. You are welcome to pass this far and wide. Namaste, Susan

We are women gathering around the world to ask that the wisdom and powerful gentle feminine strength guide this country to a path of harmony, hope and the highest good for all people, all living beings and the earth.

May the hearts of the American voters be opened to truth beyond selfishness and ingrained beliefs.

May attacks and negative or untrue messages just run off of us and be completely ineffective. For may America now resonate with hope, with concern for others and themselves equally, with forgiveness and also with loving ourselves as well as others.

May we know that when one being is happy, we all feel more joy. May we be blessed by welcoming the differences among all people, all countries and all living beings, and in return may they be blessed by opening theirs hearts to us.

May we know that each individual who lives their own uniques path contributes to the sound of earth's harmony which is beautiful beyond our imaginations.

May all beings have what they need to thrive and follow their own hearts including courage to do so.

May we remember that generosity frees us from loneliness and helping someone else fills our own hearts with joy.

On November 4, 2008 may the vast majority of American voters vote for the president and all legislators who will best help us live this vision.

May the true goodness of the United States of America flourish and may the entire earth benefit.

With Love,

Susan

Quieting/Jan Willing/Heart Home

2008-10-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about people that I've met that surround themselves with quiet. What changes does it make in their lives? And what sort of change does quieting bring to the world?

Jan Willing lives at Heart Home. Whenever I have dropped in to say hello, Jan has been baking bread, making rosehip jelly from her garden, pressing cider, or illustrating a new book. She makes felted dolls and writes stories about them. Grace and Earl are in the photo above. She also carves stone into beautiful sculptures. The list goes on.

I recently asked her how being quiet influences her life and work. What is her occupation? Where does her inspiration come from?

Here is her answer:

My occupation is to attempt to live, every day, with moments of peace. I am in the enviable position of not heeding an alarm clock or a commute or a boss, so my days are mostly my own. Often it does not feel that way because of pulls of all the tasks around here, but then I calm myself down and realize what I don't do today, can most likely be done tomorrow. Or if not tomorrow, maybe it doesn't need to be done.

I have always felt that if I were a church, I would have a very small congregation. I do not advertise or market my artistic endeavors because I find it revealing and awkward and boring. I can't claim "ownership" of my various creations because of how I work. I seem to pull images and words out of the air, in an odd sort of collaboration.

When I have an "epiphany", as today, I experience joy. Most of my work in whatever medium, is intuitive. I follow the opening image or line that appears in my head, and watch as it develops.

Right now, today, I wrote this poem that responds to the idea of Quieting so much, I had to write it down. Then I thought to myself, Gee, I wish I could sing or make a tune. This sounds like a song in my head.

DROP WHERE I FALL

I used to watch the lovely fall trees
And all their colorful leaves
They would fly like the birds
They would scatter and search
For new places to learn
To see faraway lands-
But me, I’m going to stay where I land.

I’m going to drop where I fall
I’m going to nourish this earth
I’m not flying away
Because here is where
I want to stay.

This place, this place above everywhere else
Is where I want to be
I am just like that tree
On a windless fall day
When my leaves go their way,
I want to drop where I fall.

So wind-
Don’t fly me away
Please be calm, let me stay
Because here is where
I want to be.

- by Jan Willing 10/26/08
Epiphany while gazing at Weeping Catsura at 4402 Y Road, Heart Home, whose leaves fell straight down to the edges of the drip line, peacefully and quietly.

Jan's email: jan.willing@gmail.com

Slides from our travels in Burma, Cambodia, India, Italy & Ireland

2008-10-24T14:30:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Meadow House

2008-10-21T12:11:00.001-07:00

Meadow House is where we live. It's an open piece of land that has been a meadow for a long time, oh let's say maybe one hundred years. In the spring time there are myriads of lupin that bloom. In the fall the grasses lose their green and fade to a lovely blond.

It's here that I have learned a little more about Gardening and Soapmaking and Wild Geese that land on the rooftop of Kurt's shop. It's here that I have come to appreciate some quieter pursuits.

I wanted to see how brussel sprouts grew so I planted some in late spring. They are still growing out there in our little garden like baby cabbages on a stock. I've put quite a few bags of them in the freezer. Some people really like their taste. Here's a recipe that we enjoy this time of year.

GOOD AUTUMN BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Ingredients
Sweet onion (Walla Wallas are wonderful)
Brussel sprouts
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dark brown sugar (My favorite is BILLINGTON'S Dark Brown Molasses Sugar, which I get at The Community Food Co-op)
Vegetarian sausages (in Bellingham I can only find these at Haggen Foods)
Blue Cheese (The Community Food Co-op in Bellingham carries some wonderful varieties of blue cheese)

Wash and trim some brussel sprouts.
Slice up some sweet onions, say 1/2 a large onion.
Saute the onions with a bit of good quality extra virgin olive oil.
When the onions are soft, add about a tablespoon of the darkest brown sugar that you can find.
Carmelize the onions and add the brussel sprouts to the mix. You can halve the cute little cabbages if you like, up to you.
Cook them a while until they get really green and begin to soften.

Phase two:
Now, here's what we love: BOCA Italian Sausages, which are vegetarian. If yours are frozen, defrost them by putting them in a pan, adding some water, and cooking them on medium heat until the liquid disappears. Now add some olive oil in the pan
and let them brown. Slice them up into 1/2" rounds and let the pieces brown. Try not to eat them all before you continue to the next phase.

Phase three:
Add the sausages to the brussel sprout mix.
Now, add some good quality blue cheese and let it melt as you stir.
Add a little stout beer to the mix if it needs some moistening.

This is an autumn tasting meal that helps us celebrate the intensive beauty of this season.
Serve with rye bread and enjoy some red wine, or dark beer such as Lagunitas Cappucino Stout.
Now all you might desire is a little music to enjoy your meal by.

I know what's coming

2008-10-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

Kurt and I lived in the woods for a few years, with a view to the East that included farmland, beautiful fir trees, and the volcano Mount Baker. It was a quiet time for me. Here are some journal entries from that time. I was taking time off from the music business, but several piano compositions simply presented themselves. They became a collection of songs on a new album - QUIETING. Find the album here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/lydiam5

September 16, 2006

I came from the blue of evening
the deepening sapphire skye
here midnight, there cerulean

After the time of thistle down
which blows over the meadow
furry stars of two or three seeds
wandering about
gleaming in the sun
not thinking of where they land

I came from the garden of artichoke, cousin to thistle
purply headed spiked blossom of giant serrated leaves

I came and I went
often with you
and every year was a dream

October 29, 2006

She was free.
Freer than she had been in a long time.
Perhaps ever.
She felt like she did when she was in the garden
alive to things,
breathing with trees.
Hearing, smelling, perceiving the breeze.
Like a baby laughs.
Like a song is heard.
Like a blossom, like a bee.
Like hay in summer.
Like feeling her part in the Whole.
A unique combination of an age-old continuum.
No longer afraid to stand.

Like an integral part of the whole.

She no longer recited the creed.
She no longer needed one.

The last thing she heard in that building was "Be not afraid."
And she wasn't.

She bought bread and wine and went home.

November 1, 2006

Watching a dark sun rise
through great firs
everything black and grey
lightening behind Mount Baker
cirrus clouds darkly feather
and now the first hint of blue
an inkling of yellow
an imagination of purple

I know what's coming

The night extends longer into morning now
so long so dark

Outside the other day
outside beyond the firs
an eagle flew past
even with my line of sight
across the field
and then a heron just off the deck
flying toward the pond
northward

My soul caught the message
I know what's coming

Watching sunrise
facing East for two years
I have begun to experience
resurrection

And Found Three Ducks By Stolen Boat

2008-09-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

The lunchmaid
went out with her boatman
to row in a stolen boat
Titlings were tatting
high in the firs
ever green,
there was no tide
save Christmas
which was waning.

The wind was low
as was the sun
that banished clouds
for a spell.
Atop the pond
the two did float
and found three ducks
by stolen boat.

The lunchmaid's cat
creeped 'round the bank
surprised to find
her lord and lass
in stolen boat
on pond afloat.

The boatman cleared
the pond's debris
and rowed the maid
and decoys three
with care not to blemish her velvet cloak
as they did float in stolen boat.

The greenish pond
now carefully cleaned
had a quiet, tidy look.
So man and maid
they floated back,
returned the skiff
and went inside.

PORCERO DANZA

Kurt and I took a trip to Ireland and Italy.
We met with a herd of exuberant pigs in Arezzo, Tuscany.
I have never seen pigs run, but these romped down the hillside to greet us.
Indeed, they are the most amiable pigs that I have ever met.
The memory stayed with me and eventually grew into a song. It's included on our new album, QUIETING.
It's called PORCERO DANZA (Dance of the Pigs).

9 February 2006
After Ireland and Italy
Home.

Quiet in the balance
home now
from the hum of trains
in otherlands
reflecting on the way the light lay
across the fields
the stones so full of winter
the skies reprieve of cloud
the green, the blue, the brown,
The gold.
We made our way
against the wind
to find the grasses blown
and ground without trees,
save a few that held the songs of birds so sweet.
Over old rock, worn smooth by water and time.
the heather a soft carpet beneath our feet
we looked through the eyes of the ancients
Cottages so thick with cold
and smoke from earth's bog.
Streams sluicing through algen green gel.
Voices, sounds
language that rolled off the tongue like
parting clouds clearing the hills and rills.
Such simpleness.
The stories unwound on paths of place
and held us, held us.
Shaking the hands of the good people.
Touching the soil.
Breathing the air.
Feeling the gravity of home, yet not home.
Home left
and home found.

In praise of oats and grains

2008-07-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

QUIETING, my new music recording will be released this Autumn. It's all-instrumental, which is new for me. The journal entries that I am including here are reflections that shaped the compositions.

24 May 2005

In praise
of oats & grains
grasses green
& grey

thistle
mustard
glades
glens
pre-dusk gold
weeds that tumble
birds that skim over waters

This is an entry from July 17, 2005, Birch Bay, Washington.

Mechtild of Magdeburg, 13th C.

True love in every moment praises God.
Longing love brings a sorrow sweet to the pure.
Seeking love belongs to itself alone.
Understanding love gives itself equally to all.
Enlightened love is mingled with the sadness of the world.
But selfless love bears an effortless fruit,
working so quietly even the body
cannot say how it comes and goes.

September 1, 2005

Calm, calm down
quiet here
only me & the cat
& the sound of the refridgerator
& my dreams that dance
back and forth in my mind.
Quiet! Silly dreams!

The sun pushes the darkness up
somewhere across the planet
and in a quiet brilliance
lays in patches on walls and floor.

Calm, calm down.
Life is mine-
and everyone elses.
Cars go by. Where do they go and come from?
Whole lives are walking around everywhere.
I am but a grain of sand.
On some shore
sometimes tossed
sometimes still
enough to hear the calm.
Calm down.

Trip to Laos 2005

2008-06-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

After we moved into our new house in the country, we were ready for our third journey to Southeast Asia. We met our daughter in Bangkok, and the three of us went to Hua Lamphoung Train Station with our small packs and boarded the night train to Laos. Here are a few journal entries from the trip:

January 13, 2005 Vang Vieng

There's something about being beside a river and letting it flow beside you. It's calming. And this early morning light is illuminating the karsts with a pink saffron. Soft, Laos-like. The karsts here are full of songs and melodies. (This is the first time I literally followed the shape of a mountain, turned it into notes and composed a song. The melody I found here is not on the new album, but another song, Searching for the Clovis Point, was composed in the same way and is featured on QUIETING.)

January 16, 2005 Luang Prabang

Love penetrates the world through individual and creative response. Love swirls from person to person.

January 17

The sun came out yesterday and I, like a bird, began to sing immediately. It's rosy here with the sun in the afternoon. Everything soft and pink. La Vie En Rose. The French must have liked it here. It's soft air, like breathing nothing, as though one has no breath at all. On the great steps at the Mekong River I began to sing again and two young boys joined in with their own song until they realized what we were doing and then we laughed! It was so simple.

.........

Most places I look there is some spire in view, some orange cloth, some reminder of Buddhism, some incense on the wind. We were late for chanting the other night at Wat Xieng Thong and afterwards we saw a novice that we recognized from our last trip here. His name is Pheng, of immensely quiet demeanor, and he is now a monk. He was waiting to talk with us behind a small temple. I remember now that a woman's head should be lower than a monk's when speaking. But he is very short so we stand a ways apart. I wonder why he wants to be a monk and what he thinks.

.........

Something hurts

Something pains me

A home I left behind

is calling me

My place in the world

so surely I knew it

so strongly I loved it

Something called me

Something new beckoned me

Something quiet

and sheltered drew me in

I am in such pain now

that my children are grown

I need to move on

and find new vision

and keep going

..........

January 23

Teak leaves clatter

loosened by the wind they sail

like magic carpets round

Secrets whispered

loosened by the wind

Let no whit adown

my sorrowing soul

Flowers like thoughts

open fully, transcending

then gently drift to the ground

laying in coloured piles

Welcome!

2008-06-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hello there. I've created this blog site as a place to write thoughts about my upcoming album, QUIETING. The plan is to keep it informal and informative. So - welcome!

I will be releasing a new album called QUIETING this Autumn. This is the sixth release on my independent music label Brimstone Music. And it is the first all-instrumental album that I've recorded. It's title, QUIETING, comes from what I was doing when the pieces came forward to present themselves.

Here is a journal entry from November 2004, long before the idea of this album started. It sets the tone for what was to come in both my life and my music. This was just after the release of the album, FOREIGNLANDER. My husband Kurt Scherer and I had recently sold our family home and moved to a new house in the country.

Nov. 6, 2004

Some days the woods are silent

with nothing to tell me,

minding their way, breathing their own breath

and some days they let me through the veil

there's an opening somewhere

and inside I go

inspirited

an elning

that's when the shadows cover the light

in deep browns

and golds make a path through the mosses

now the leaves are falling with the rain

so much golden stands of cottonwood

and birch has shimmered this week

so much cedar is gathering on the ground
and fir and cones

twigs

this woodland soil is even dry

these large living trees are breathing

wondering about us

becoming very quiet

I would like to bound and leap

like the deer running from distant shots

I would like to lift up my voice

I would like to come alive

but I am slowing with the the sun

and waning like a moon

and quieting with the sap of the birch

It's hard to tell when the beginning of a new project, well, begins... but this must have been it. Further journal entries like "opposite the full moon/for me, the skye is dark/with new/the tides are out/the embers barely glow/and I am finding my footing as my girls go on finding theirs" reveal the kind of space that I was going into. Quieting. Soon I was to find that I could no longer sing and I lost the ambition that I once had for being in the music business. But I'll save that story for another day.