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I chose to listen to an old John Denver album while I sewed trim on the Christmas stocking and did some weaving. I've thought of this recently...that I don't have any of my albums/45's anymore, but I can easily access those old tunes online. I must keep my patience about the commercials, but that's okay. Any music I can dream of for free, right at my fingertips. It doesn't get much better than that, eh?

Does anyone know the correct name for this button-fastener? You can see how it opens (above). I'm having trouble visualizing how it would be attached and work on a particular garment. One side is labeled "NOV 11 1902". The other side is not readable to me.

So, today it was John Denver's Rocky Mountain High album. I know and remembered each song. But, something interesting happened...after listening to this since maybe 1974, I actually Heard the lyrics of Darcy Farrow in a new way. I made the connections between those lyrics and my beloved Northern Nevada. How did I never notice this before? How did I not connect the dots when I started traveling that way in 1977-78? To this day, I think of sections of the Walker River, on highway 395 before it gets to Walker, CA. The many times I stopped there in my older teen years. The way I dream of this place. Then to surprise me even more...the lyric about Yerrington, NV. I had a friend up there who grew up in Yerrington. His parents still lived there, so they visited out that way a lot. I remember a drive out there when my son was a baby and my ex was searching hard for work. It is so beautiful out that way. I still remember the wind of that day, along with the bottle warmer, which was suppose to plug into the lighter and worked not at all. Ha.

The backstory of the song here at Wikipedia sent me down a long rabbit hole of memories.

The Truckee (River) up in Reno...near the Hospital there and good old Virginia City - the old west, rather touristy town (fun all the same)...and the deeply loved Carson Valley plain. That Valley still holds my heart.

The Wikipedia page tells the story of how Gillette wrote this song partly based on someplace near there where he'd lived as a child. If that doesn't speak to the magic, I don't know what would.

"The place names are actual places around the region of the high valleys and the Walker River in Nevada, where Tom lived when he was eight or nine years old."

John Denver - Darcy Farrow (Official Audio)

LINK 4:26 minutes

Lyrics

Where the walker runs down to the Carson Valley Plain
There lived a maiden, Darcy Farrow was her name
The daughter of old Dundee and a fair one was she
The sweetest flower that bloomed o'er the range
Her voice was as sweet as the sugar candy
Her touch was as soft as a bed of goose down
Her eyes shone bright like the pretty lights
That shone in the night out of Yerrington town
She was courted by Young Vandamere
A fine lad was he as I am to hear
He gave her silver rings and lacy things
And she promised to wed before the snows came that year
But her pony did stumble and she did fall
Her dyin' touched the hearts of us one and all
Young Vandy in his pain put a bullet through his brain
And we buried them together as the snows began to fall
They sing of Darcy Farrow where the Truckee runs through
They sing of her beauty in Virginia City too
At dusky sundown to her name they drink a round
And to young Vandy whose love was true

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Stephen B Gillette / Thomas E Campbell

Darcy Farrow lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing

Later I moved on to James Taylor's, "Walking Man" album. I hadn't heard that in years!

Much of the stocking is now done. I have only to stitch and add the name/birthdate...stitch shut the top edges and upper parts on the side...and add the 'hook' for hanging. I chatted with the Grandma tonight and she gave me the name, that is ready and waiting for his birth! Almost there now.

I also got a lot done on the mini-wall hanging. I'm so curious about this experiment...what will it be like taking it off the loom? What will I do with the ends? Will I choose to add another Oak Stick on the bottom? All of these choices will be made very soon. I thought of my many recent photos and Stephanie while weaving a very blue sky with white clouds 🙂

NOTE: I opened up the "page" above, which I created to hold my WORDLE stories. I'll add to it as I go, but as of tonight, it is up to date.

May you see old things in new ways (again and again)

May you play around

May you find and enjoy the music that speaks to you

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2024   

Gray Sherbet and Cotton Candy

 

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The layers of clouds spoke of soft sherbet, calming gray.

I forgot to mention the 100's of geese we saw in a park in The Valley yesterday. Canada Geese.

I wanted to get some photos, but the parking was full and I was tired, ready to get home. Anyway, the whole park was filled with Geese standing around, which seemed fitting since that Lessons From Geese keeps popping up recently.

Lessons From Geese

As each goose flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following.   

By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71%  

more flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

 

Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the  

lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation  

with those who are headed where we want to go.

 

When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose 

 flies at the point position.

Lesson: It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership, allowing us to be interdependent with one another.

 

The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up

front to keep up their speed.

Lesson: We need to make sure our honking from behind is

encouraging - not something less than helpful.

 

When a goose gets sick, or wounded, or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it.  They stay with the goose until it is either able to fly again or dies.  Then they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Lesson: If we have as much sense as geese,

we’ll stand by each other this way.

What We Need Is Here

 Geese appear high over us,

pass, and the sky closes. Abandon,

as in love or sleep, holds

them to their way, clear

in the ancient faith: what we need

is here. And we pray, not

for new earth or heaven, but to be

quiet in heart, and in eye,

clear. What we need is here.

Wendell Berry

New postage stamps

The Oak Stick weaving is slowly growing. Today I was super tired, worn out from something, so I was not real productive. I want to get back to this one, as I'm already learning lessons from it. Do you see the white clouds in the blue sky? I'm ever so curious how it will look from the other side, once off the little loom. I'm wondering if I could figure out how to add a Crow or a Hawk?

May you see old things in new ways 

May you take the lessons as they come

May you absolutely rest as needed

xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2024