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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGreetings to All, Dear Folks: Happy Solstice! There\u2019s been so much going on this spring I hardly know where to begin. In March we found out that Dan\u2019s painful jaw was actually infected and fractured due to the radiation cancer treatments he received four years ago. Luckily, they now have a surgical method to reconstruct the jawbone. On April 15th, Drs. Coniglio and Vega took a section of Dan\u2019s fibula from his leg and replaced a section of his jaw with it. The operation was a complete success but Dan has a long road of recovery, with swelling in his face and neck, a hole in his trachea, and an incision down the side of his leg from his knee to his ankle. As with previous treatment, Dan is a tenacious, courageous (not so patient) patient. Even though he is still walking with a limp, he has performed for three concerts already, sitting on a stool behind the dulcimer, which hasn\u2019t slowed him down one bit! Spring 2018 Newsletter Hello Friends, Fam, and Folk Fans! When I started this newsletter I was going to say happy new year, but by now the year is a teenager who is shaving and wants the car keys. 2017 was quite a year as Dan and I grappled with this new era of politics. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-158","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
Happy President\u2019s Day! My annual missive gets later and later. Dan and I had a great year, writing music, performing, traveling and playing with grandchildren. Ruthie, Winter\u2019s daughter, turned three in January and she is pretty entertaining. When we play with her we have to mind our p\u2019s and q\u2019s or else she leans down and gives us a good, serious talking to. At Thanksgiving we went outside with Weewo and Bampa Dan (Grandpa will come later) and made a snow turtle and then an agidator (alligator). I don\u2019t think our family will ever call that reptile by its correct name again. Dan\u2019s stepson, Taurin, and his wife, Courtney, had a baby boy, Jasper, on 8\/27. They came east in October so we got to meet the little guy. Yay! Winter works as a Speech Therapist at Helen Hayes Hospital three days a week now. Willow works as an ecologist for an engineering firm in Saratoga Springs.
On Feb. 5th I celebrated five years of teaching and mentoring for Empire State College. I had a great experience in going back to college decades after finishing my associate degree and getting my bachelors in Women\u2019s Studies. Now I get to help others develop their degree programs. Dan was chosen as our Artist in Residence this academic year so we\u2019ve had the opportunity to collaborate on courses, presentations and workshops. He\u2019ll be building lap dulcimers with students and staff in April.
I\u2019ve made an attempt at environmental activism in the past year. Dan and I both worked with a financial planner in Saratoga to divest ourselves of fossil fuel industry stock. We realize that our small funds won\u2019t make any difference to Exxon or BP, but we are part of a growing movement. I am also a supporting member of 350.org<\/a>. I went to the huge Climate Rally on Sept. 20th in Manhattan. I took my travel guitar and wandered the parade between the women from NOW, to a Balkan Brass Band, to the Sisters of Mercy in their purple t-shirts. Anyone who was singing or banging on something was a magnet for me. The minute of silence and big cheer afterward was incredibly profound. Imagine NYC completely quiet, no traffic, no blaring horns, no movement of bikes or pedestrians. Even babies were quiet. 400,000 people were silent. At the end of the minute a huge wave of sound came up the avenue from behind us and our yelling became part of it. AMAZING! I will also be part of SAMFest<\/a> (Science Arts Music) again this year at Paul Smith\u2019s on April 18th. I\u2019m looking forward to hearing what Curt Stager\u2019s Environmental Communications students\u2019 presentations and performing my new songs.
This September at the Arts and Healing Retreat at Great Camp Sagamore<\/a>, Fran Yardley, Wanda Burch and I stepped down from leading the retreats for Creative Healing Connections. Fran and I have been leading retreats there for the past 16 years so it was quite a decision to make. Last spring a group of 14 women gathered in Saranac Lake to record several songs written for, or at, the retreats. Dan made a live recording of our choir. I sang five other songs I wrote in collaboration with workshop groups at retreats. Now we have the project mixed and mastered and I hope to have CDs to give to everyone involved later this spring. I am happy to have this body of work documented. I am dedicating the recording to Randy Lewis, who led writing workshops at retreats and taught us the value of words.
As we near the decade we used to consider the gateway to old age, we are more and more grateful for good health, new music, audiences to hear it, the laughter of grandchildren, and our friends. Thank you for your love and support and being honest when our heads are. . well, not in the game! Keep in touch.
Peace – Peggy
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\n\n\n\nSpring 2013 Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I am still teaching and mentoring part time for Empire State College in their CNY Syracuse offices. Since I earned my Bachelors degree with them, it is gratifying to help fellow students meet their goals with college degrees. ESC named me a co-recipient of the prestigious Altes Prize this year for using my scholarship and expertise to benefit my community. This honor recognizes my work with Creative Healing Connections in leading workshops and activities at retreats for women with cancer and chronic illness.
By now you are thinking, \u201cWhat about the music?\u201d Well, we have just released a new duo recording called Esperance<\/a>, named for our farm in Red Creek, NY. It has five original songs from each of us, and a few swingy tunes that feature Tom Hodgson on guitar and Henry Jankiewicz on fiddle. I love singing those jazz standards!
I also have a new website, designed by my daughter, Willow. We have new promo and gallery photos, updated bios<\/a>, tracks you can listen to<\/a>, and you can order<\/a> product using Paypal. Will and I are just getting started so I hope you\u2019ll check back often and give us feedback. Quercus Music.com<\/a>
We\u2019re all hepped up about new songs and new arrangements we\u2019ll be performing with Dan Berggren this summer. Jamcrackers will be playing from one side of the Blue Line to the other and we hope to see you there. Thanks for all your purchases, performance attendance<\/a>, and praise. With friends like you, how can we keep from singing?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"