March 2003

March 4

Oh my. I'm having a memory lane trip tonight, courtesy of PBS. I can even ignore the pledge breaks, because I'm enjoying the folk music program so much. I just hit mute during the breaks, and go on singing.

I am not joking, kids. I love folk music. I have since I was a child. I remember where I was when I first heard some of the songs I'm hearing tonight. ("Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" and "Five Hundred Miles" were learned on a school field trip. "Green, Green" was in high school band.) This is letting me remember some really happy times.

I should warn the people I work with they may catch me humming tomorrow.

That school field trip mentioned above was not during the regular school year, but was a summer school program for students from all over the state, held at what's now Western Carolina University (was College at the time). The were lots of people in that group who loved music, though the focus of the summer program was academics, not arts. We didn't let the fact that it was school get in the way of our enjoyment of the summer, which included teaching each other songs we had learned in our respective hometowns.

One thing a lot of us did that summer was buy souvenier rings at the college's Student Union. I had forgotten about that, but I just grabbed mine out of my jewelry box, and am pleased to report it fits just fine. Wearing it strengthens those nice memories.

I'll no doubt write more another time about folk music and how much I love it. Right now, though, I need to go sing harmony with Judy Collins.

Home - Archives - Links