The world is all lake and sky

Here are the links for the July Newsletter:

Smatterings

Books: This month I discovered the mystery writer Laura Joh Rowland and her Sano Ichiro novels, incredible historical mysteries set in feudal Japan with rich plots and evocative description. I also revisited the Leaphorn and Chee books of my old favorite, Tony Hillerman, a master of the mystery genre whose novels are set on the Navaho reservation.

Children’s Book: A Leaf Can Be by Laura Purdie Salas is a lovely and poetic paean to leaves, and an entreaty to get outside and figure out what else they can be.

Music on my Mind: Thanks to Minnesota’s legacy amendment, the kids and I got to see children’s musician Ralph Covert perform live in little ol’ New York Mills. I also spent a bunch of time last month listening to Patsy Cline’s version of “Crazy” by Willie Nelson, so that I could do my own rendition in my “Crazy About You” live show about mental illness.

Television: I’m smitten with the children’s television program “Little Einsteins” starring a conductor, a singer, a dancer, and a multi-instrumentalist. Each episode features a piece of classical music and a work of art. I can’t ask for more for teaching my toddler, and I benefit from listening carefully to the stunning melodies that have stood the test of time.

Free song download

“Lean into the Curve” a song off my second studio album Concrete written to acknowledge that sometimes the best way to deal with the curves life throws you is to lean into them. It also goes with the July Oddball of the month, Elizabeth Packard, acknowledging how she turned a terrible circumstance — being unfairly committed to an insane asylum simply for disagreeing with her husband’s religious views — into an opportunity to advocate for the rights of married women and the mentally ill. By leaning into the curve, Elizabeth Packard transformed the lives of women and the mentally ill in the United States.

You can play the song in the music player below; the lyrics are below the player. You can download song here.

Lyrics

It’s coming up too fast
Can’t turn back
Too late to break
Can’t even fake it
Heading straight
Now it’s too late
Wanna go home
Gotta stay on the road

Lean into the curve
When you’ve lost your nerve
Centripetal force will keep you steady
Soon you will be ready

Ride myself too hard
Always on guard
Pretend to steer
All I do is veer
Can’t see past the bend
Scared to hit a dead end
Gotta let it go
Gotta trust in the road

Lean into the curve
When you’ve lost your nerve
Centripetal force will keep you steady
Soon you will be ready

We’re made to bend
So we don’t break
We’re make to learn
From our mistakes
Don’t give up now
You’re half way there
It’s just another way
To get there

Lean into the curve
When you’ve lost your nerve
Centripetal force will keep you steady
Soon you will be ready