tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40246267396509840852024-03-05T23:15:09.893-05:00Judy's Notes, Musical and OtherwiseJudy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-51144287577824775532011-08-24T18:54:00.000-05:002011-08-24T18:54:41.305-05:00Signing Your Child up for Music and Dance Lessons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This is the time of year when many parents consider signing their children up for lessons: music, dance, karate, art, the list goes on and on. I'd like to offer a few helpful hints for those of you considering music or dance lessons for your child.<br />
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1. Do your research! Just because someone "hangs out a shingle" to advertise that they give lessons doesn't mean they are truly qualified. Ask about the teacher's background. Does he or she have a degree in music or dance? Are they certified by any professional organizations? Do they, themselves, perform? Be sure they can give you some sort of credentials. We made this mistake with our daughter's first dance teacher. She was the owner and main teacher at her studio. Our girl took lessons from her for five years before we discovered that the woman's degree was in Business and she had never studied dance beyond high school. By then our daughter was attached to her and it took us five more years until she was mature enough to realize that she'd learned all she could there (and had several years before that!) When we switched studios we discovered that our daughter did not know any of the proper technique or nomenclature, and she had to work very hard to learn all over again.<br />
2. Who else teaches at the studio? If your child is taking more than one dance class they will probably have more than one teacher. Go to the Open House at the beginning of the year and talk to all the teachers. Ask them about their backgrounds, and their personal theories about the art. <br />
3. Ask the owner of the studio if any of the older students ever teach classes. This is okay in some cases, but not always. Make sure you meet EVERYONE who is going to be teaching your child.<br />
4. Ask for references and call them. Better yet, ask your friends and acquaintances where their children study. You'll get a more honest answer than if you get references directly from the teacher.<br />
5. If your child is taking music lessons, make sure the teacher includes Music Theory as part of every lesson. The teacher should approach every student as though he or she is going to be the next great musician or composer, and therefore should teach every student music theory!<br />
6. There are varying theories about the age at which your child should begin music lessons. Personally, I don't believe in starting children on any formal training on an instrument until they are at least five years old. Their motor skills are simply not well-developed enough at that age and it can be very frustrating. Better to go to "Music Together" type classes with your young children if you want training. Or just expose them to lots of different types of music at home, in the car, wherever. Make sure you bounce them on your knee when they are babies, dance with them, and do everything to encourage a development of a sense of rhythm. This is most important!!<br />
7. Here I speak only about piano lessons, because it is my area of expertise: if your child has been taking lessons for a year or two and wants to quit: DON"T LET HIM OR HER! They are just reaching the point where things are getting a little bit harder, and maybe the excitement of first being able to play has passed and they might be getting a little bored. Ask the teacher to work with you to help the child regain interest, perhaps by adding a few popular songs to the repertoire, or playing some musical games as part of the lesson. But don't let them quit. This is <b style="color: #cc0000;">NOT</b> a decision your child should make. I know this can be very hard, and you will have to lay down the law and go through tough times when your child doesn't want to practice. They may throw tantrums like my own child did (she went on to be a music major in college). Don't fall for it. After all, if they hated school , would you let them quit? Tell them to ask this question to every grown-up they meet for a week: "Do you know how to play a musical instrument?" I guarantee you that most people who don't play an instrument will tell your child that they wish they could! Some will say, "I took lessons when I was a kid, and then I quit. I wish I hadn't quit." No one will EVER say, "Yes, I know how to play an instrument. I had to practice a lot when I was a kid and it was really hard. And I'm so sorry I did. I wish I did not know how to play an instrument."<br />
Now, if your child has been playing for a number of years and is now going into the upper grades in school, and wants to quit, that's another story. By this time you should know if your child has the talent and passion to pursue music as anything other than a hobby. If they do, then by all means find a way to let them continue lessons and help them manage their time. If they are only an average player, and have lost interest in lessons, and have other priorities, then consider letting them quit or just take time off. If they've studied for six years or so, they have a firm foundation and will be able to play at parties and for their own pleasure for the rest of their lives.<br />
Because I am biased toward the piano, I believe every child who shows any sort of musical talent should have the opportunity to take piano lessons. Piano lessons provide a base in music education that will make it easier for the child to then learn other instruments if they wish. And if your child sings, he or she will never have to look to anyone else for musical accompaniment! Of course, music lessons help develop skills that translate into other academic areas, especially math. There is absolutely not one bad thing to say about exposing your child to music lessons. Start looking for a teacher today!!!<br />
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</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-42151817518643320592011-03-10T11:52:00.000-05:002011-03-10T11:52:56.535-05:00A Question from the Mail Box<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We just got a letter! We just got a letter! We just got a letter! Wonder who it's from?<br />
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It's from Leigh Ann, and she asks:<br />
<i>We were wondering how you chose the books you talk about in "Reading Our Way"?</i><br />
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Here's my answer!<br />
<i>Hi Leigh Ann,<br />
Are you asking specifically about the books I mention in that one song, or throughout the CD? I'm going to assume it's throughout the CD.....<br />
First of all, as with all the books, places and "weird things" on the CD I chose what has been special to my family over the years.<br />
Secondly, I undertook a ton of research to find books that were specific to various states/regions around the country. It was a lot of internet research, plus writing emails and asking librarians. Some books were an automatic "given," such as <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Make Way for Ducklings</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Misty of Chincoteague</span> because they are so closely associated with places. Others were not so easy. For example, I was totally surprised to find out that the "Ramona" books took place in Oregon!<br />
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As for the specific "Reading our Way" song, that song came from personal experience. I have read to my children from Stephen King books (yes, even when they were young...I just chose the stories carefully!) and we have gone to see Eloise at the Plaza Hotel and read and done the other things mentioned in that song as well. We have traveled to 49 US states and read to each other and listened to audiobooks all along the way. We didn't go to Alaska, but we did go looking for Balto in Central Park, and we found him, too!</i> <br />
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<i>I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing!</i><br />
<i>Judy</i><br />
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If you have any questions for me, don't hesitate! Send them TODAY! Just click "contact Judy" on the home page of my website to get my email address. Maybe you'll see your name here on my blog!<br />
</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-42552846769229692062011-03-07T17:45:00.000-05:002011-03-07T17:45:30.270-05:00WANTED: New Dancers for the Judy Crew<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It's just so much easier for me to post the official press release than rewrite all the info, so here it is:<br />
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PRESS RELEASE<br />
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March 5, 2011<br />
For immediate release<br />
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Grammy Nominated Children’s Performer Judy Pancoast is looking to add fresh faces her fabulous Judy Crew dance team, and auditions are Saturday, March 12 from 1-3pm at Bedford Dance Center, 172 Route 101 in Bedford, NH.<br />
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The Judy Crew Dance team performs with Judy at her major stage shows, performing choreographed routines, skits, and moving into the audience to dance with the children during the last part of the show. They are an integral part of Pancoast's stage show, and, as such, prospective Crew members must have professional dance training or experience dancing on stage. Judy is looking for boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 17 who love to perform, are comfortable with young children and are energetic, enthusiastic and fun-loving! You must be available to travel around New England this summer.<br />
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Teens of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to attend. Being “Disney Perfect” is not necessary, but a positive attitude is a must. <br />
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Past Judy Crews have accompanied the singer to perform at the New York Kids 4 Kids Carnival and Robert DeNiro's Tribeca Street Fair in New York City, among other shows.<br />
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Come prepared to learn a short routine and demonstrate your dancing skills. You must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. You will meet other members of the team and be able to learn first-hand about their experiences performing with Judy. Please note that there is no monetary compensation for being on the Judy Crew, but travel expenses for overnight stays are covered and meals are provided for day trips.<br />
Although car-pooling is often arranged, Crew members are responsible for their own transportation to rehearsals and shows.<br />
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For more information, email Judy@judypancoast.com.<br />
</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-28855446845996933232011-03-07T17:41:00.000-05:002011-03-07T17:41:12.494-05:00It Was a Wonderful Time!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">By now you probably know that I didn't take home the Grammy, but I want to thank Pete Seeger for winning because it was much easier to save face when losing to a LIVING LEGEND. And I was okay. It was the most glamorous and exciting weekend of my life and I got to share it with my whole family and everything went swimmingly. I want to thank everyone who prayed for me, for our safe trip and everything....and sure enough, I'm home now, and I can still sing!<br />
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In fact, I've already begun work on the next CD, which, after long negotiations with the North Pole, will be entitled "Judy Pancoast Presents Christmas with Mrs. Claus." I have had a close personal relationship with the dear lady ever since I began producing her TV show here in NH back in 2004. You can take peep at a portion of that show here: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWFbXPZ90vo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWFbXPZ90vo</a> and it will give you some idea about what an enthusiastic person Mrs. Claus is, and she's very excited about this new venture.<br />
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I've also been booking shows for spring and summer, which is always a big project and does not get easier every year, as you might think. With Arts funding and support for libraries being cut right and left, and donations to festivals and community celebrations down it is harder and harder for people like me to make a living. But that's okay, because I've got my biggest project ever in the works ...the "Weird Things are Everywhere!" multi-media stage show for theaters and performing arts centers. I'm working with some brilliant young production designers and this is going to be an unbelievably fun show, with cool stuff to see AND hear along with me and the Judy Crew Dancers. We're premiering the show at the Regent Theater in Arlington, MA on April 23. You can find out more about that here: <a href="http://www.regenttheatre.com/tickets_events/2011/04">http://www.regenttheatre.com/tickets_events/2011/04</a><br />
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If you want me to come to your town this spring or summer then please know that my best booking agent is WORD OF MOUTH! Talk to your librarian, fair or festival presenter or parks and rec person about me and send them to my website. My best bookings come from fan referrals! And thank you from the bottom of my heart.<br />
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</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-42027586052495195722011-02-09T08:37:00.000-05:002011-02-09T08:37:25.375-05:00To God be the Glory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I've been thinking about this a lot, of course. What will it be like to be the one sitting there in the audience as they announce the nominees and waiting to see if it's my name in that envelope. I'm sure my blood pressure will be sky high. For two months I managed to be pretty cool, saying, "Well, I'm probably not going to win, but I'll get nominated again. Now that my work has been recognized, I'll get nominated again..."<br />
But then lately all of the people I see are saying "I know you're gonna win!" and stuff like that, and I'm beginning to worry, because of course, deep down, I really do want to take home that statue. I want to bring it to show all my friends and family and all the people who have supported me. I want to post pictures of it on FB so you can all see it. I want to put it on my mantle and be able to see it every day and think, "Yeah....all these years of making music have been validated in a big way."<br />
I want to show it to the little kids and say, "Look! I got a trophy!"<br />
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Of course I do, it's just really hard to admit it, because then there's more of a chance of feeling bad if my name is not called. Even just writing about it here is a risk because I'll look really stupid if they don't call my name. So it's better just to say I don't really care. HA.<br />
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As I said, I've been thinking about this a lot. The whole insanity of the nomination....how I dreamed of it when I was young, and how as every year of music has gone by I have felt that I was further and further away from the possibility of it happening. How when I turned 50 I cried all day, thinking my chance had passed and it was all downhill from there.<br />
Every year of music....<br />
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And then it dawned on me. Every year of my life I have had the ability and the joy of making music. Even when I was little, before piano lessons, singing was what I did. All the time. My father sang to me when I was a baby and a toddler in his lap, and my mother always had the radio or the stereo on and would sing in her crazy wild way. And I sang with them. My mother bought me my first 45, "Georgy Girl," because I knew all the words from hearing it on the radio. I sang in front of an audience for the first time on the stage in the basement of Notre Dame School in Waterville, Maine. I sang "Those Were the Days." (nobody ever said I probably shouldn't sing a song about a tavern in a Catholic school...ha ha!" I have to laugh thinking of it now.) In my teenage years I went to church with my father and during the hymns he would whisper in my ear, 'Sing louder, Judy...sing louder!" cause he just loved it when people would turn around to see who was singing, and I loved making my Daddy proud.<br />
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The point is, I can take no credit for being able to sing, to make music. I can take no credit that writing songs came naturally to me. I can only give God the glory.<br />
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There have been miracles in my life, for sure. I'll tell you about them sometime if you want. But I only just recently, with all this Grammy madness, realized that the biggest miracle in my life is that I can sing. That I can make myself and other people happy by singing, and none of it was my doing in the first place. For whatever reason, God decided that I should be one of the lucky ones to get that ability. He gave that same ability to many of you who are reading this, and I've had the sheer joy of singing and making music with many of you. All because of God's grace.<br />
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SO whatever happens on Sunday, to God be the glory, because without God's grace, none of this would be happening. I'm not gonna pray that I win, because I don't think that's the kind of prayer God wants to hear. I'll just be thanking Him (or Her, if you will) for what I've already got. I want to remember that, to keep that in my heart, cause even if I come home on Monday without a trophy, I'll still be able to sing. Thanks be to God.<br />
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</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-31253216197933101692011-02-02T13:41:00.006-05:002011-02-02T17:45:23.911-05:00In Defense of Children's Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">A few years ago I met Livingston Taylor after a show he performed at the Mall of New Hampshire. I purchased one of his CDs and told him that I was a children's musician, to which he blithely responded, "There's no such thing as children's music. All music can be for children." At the time I was somewhat taken aback. After all, I've always felt that music written for children should be child-centered, with lyrics about a child's world. I don't know about you, but I don't know of too many adults who have gone bug hunting or enjoyed princess stories or used their imaginations to swim in jello unless they were with kids. And while I do think that most music can be shared with children, and they may enjoy it, I suspect that they enjoy it more when it's about something they can relate to, just as with adults.<br />
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But lately I'm beginning to think that Livingston Taylor was prophetic, because I keep reading the blogs of children's music "pundits" who rhapsodize about children's music "that doesn't drive parents crazy" and children's music that "doesn't make parents want to pull their hair out." And recently I had a video rejected by "jitterbug.tv" because the guy who runs it said, "I just don't see much here for the parents." Well EXCUSE me, silly me! I thought this was about the KIDS!!<br />
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It used to be that if a child loved something, the parents loved it too because it made their children happy. But now the tables have turned,. Now, it seems, a kid can't love music unless their parents love it too. <br />
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When Emma was little someone gave her a set of cassettes by "Judy and David" that featured endless hours of traditional children's music like "The Noble Duke of York" and "Old MacDonald." Was I crazy about them? Not really. But Emma LOVED them so we played them over and over until the tapes wore out. I used to take her and Louisa to concerts by Maine's <a href="http://www.rickcharette.com/">Rick Charette</a>. Did "Alligator in the Elevator" offer something for me? Nothing but the pure joy of watching my kids, and hundreds of others, sing and dance around like fools. <br />
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Still, the trend in children's music today is toward music which has to appeal to parents as well, so you get a lot of "indie" rock music (now called "kindie") that makes parents feel "hip" and like they are raising cool kids who are "hip" as well. I'm not sure but I think this may have started with "KidzBop," those insidious renditions of pop songs "sanitized" and sung by kids that have sold a jillion copies. Then along came the musicians with "rock cred" who'd had indie rock bands but had now turned to writing music for kids. That's great! There's room for everybody here. But where is the variety? Where is the gentle, foolish, silly music that only kids love? Don't kids get to have their OWN tastes? Their OWN things that are special just for them? It seems these hipster parents will never expose their children to "Old MacDonald" unless it's done rock-style. Frankly, I'm a little worried about Winken, Blinken and Nod, to be honest.<br />
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I guess I'm making a case for my own music here, which has always been about the kids. There have been some parents who have told me they love my music as much as their kids do, and while I appreciate that, there have been some parents who have told me they are sick of hearing my music, as they laugh and say how many times they've had to listen to a particular song in a row. I'm okay with that, too. I'm aiming at the kids, and if they love it, then I'm doing my job.<br />
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There are many wonderful children's musicians out here who are the farthest thing from "kindie" but have made zillions of children happy....people like <a href="http://www.barrylou.com/">Barry Louis Polisar</a>, <a href="http://www.bobbysussersongs.com/">Bobby Susser</a>, <a href="http://www.joaniebartels.com/">Joanie Bartels</a>, <a href="http://www.marlalewis.com/">Marla Lewis</a>, <a href="http://www.steveblunt.com/">Steve Blunt</a>, <a href="http://www.hunktabunkta.com/">Katherine Dines</a>, <a href="http://www.misterbilly.com/">Mr. Billy</a>, <a href="http://www.patriciashih.com/">Patricia Shih,</a> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_485326284"></a> and many more that you can find out about at the Children's Music Network (<a href="http://www.cmnonline.org/">http://www.cmnonline.org</a>.) We can't let their art, their truly child-centered art, be lost in the "kindie" trend. So yeah, I love rock music for kids and would probably be getting my kids into the music of Justin Roberts if they were still the right age, but we'd also be listening to the artists I mentioned above. Because while some children's music can appeal to parents, it really shouldn't HAVE to.<br />
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</div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-35302454007248398212011-01-26T08:38:00.000-05:002011-01-26T08:38:16.062-05:00Why Music Education Must be Mandatory in Schools<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yesterday I did something I have never done before. I went to the NH State House to speak before the House Education Committee regarding HB 39, a bill that would remove <strong>Technology Education, Health Education, World Languages, and Arts Education </strong>from the mandated core curriculum in our public schools. As the Representative who wrote the bill said, it would not mean that schools couldn't teach those subjects, it just means they don't HAVE to. Can you imagine how ludicrous this is? Under the guise of "local control" a local school board could choose to cut TECHNOLOGY education, for crying out loud, if they had to make budget cuts. But for me, the part of this bill I'm most passionate about is the notion of cutting funding for arts education. That's why I decided to go to Concord and speak.<br />
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I posted my remarks on my Facebook page, but for those of you who don't "do" Facebook, I'll post them here as well:<br />
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<em>My name is Judy Pancoast, and I am a resident of Goffstown and a 2011 Grammy Award nominee.</em><br />
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<em>I’m here to speak in anecdotal form about my opposition to H.B. 39.</em><br />
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<em>In 1973, when I was 13 years old, I was bullied mercilessly by the kids in my Jr. High School because I was the fat girl. At home I spent hours playing the piano and singing and making up songs, which brought me relief from the daily torture I experienced. At school no one wanted to sit with me at lunch, so I used to sneak into the music room and play the piano and sing.</em><br />
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<em>One day, the chorus teacher walked into the room as I was singing. Next thing I knew, with his encouragement, I was singing a solo in the spring concert. I would never have been able to do it without his help and confidence in me. That teacher changed my life. Soon I was no longer just the fat girl…. I was the girl who could sing and write songs. Throughout the rest of Jr. High and High School I took every music class offered and participated in chorus and band. I was fortunate that my high school offered music theory and music history courses as well as performing groups. Eventually I went on to study music in college. I have made a living as a professional musician ever since, and I have traveled and performed in 49 US States and abroad because of music. In two weeks I will be attending the Grammy Awards ceremony as a nominee, and, in 1997, I was honored by the New Hampshire State Senate for my work as a children’s musician. I am also a juried member of the Arts in Education roster of the NH State Council on the Arts. I am sure that none of this would have happened without that first music teacher’s encouragement and my subsequent public school music education and experiences.</em><br />
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<em>To me, Music was not just a core curriculum subject it was THE core curriculum subject. Although I excelled in other academic areas they never held the interest for me that my music courses did. I was one of millions of kids through the years who go to school because of the chance to make music. In fact, many children find their only opportunity to learn music and learn to play an instrument at school. And many children find in the arts not only a place where they are accepted and a refuge from bullying, but a lifelong passion and a career.</em><br />
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<em>It is a well known fact that when economic times are tough music programs are the first to be cut. If music education is not mandatory in our schools then how many children like me will lose their chance to grow and shine and benefit their communities and the world?</em><br />
<em>Just imagine a world with no music because there is no one to make it; then it should be easy to understand why arts education must be a substantive part of a child’s education. I am here as living proof.</em></div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-80796770470232050672011-01-12T10:45:00.000-05:002011-01-12T10:45:48.212-05:00Musings on Weird ThingsI was thinking yesterday about what I had to do over four years to get this album completed, and the thing that first sprang to mind is all the stuff I sold on Ebay to finance it. As an indie musician there is no "big money" behind me so I had to come up with every cent to pay for it, and believe me, I didn't skimp as you can probably tell from the production values on the CD. I wanted everything to be just right...an album I could say is truly the best I have to offer. So I sold my treasures...including ancient Barbie dolls I'd had since I was little and my set of ceramic buildings from "Mitford," the wonderful little town in the "Father Tim" books I love so much from Jan Karon, among other things. These are things that were very important to me, but I told myself at the time that doing the thing I love the best now and moving forward with my creative life was more important than holding on to material things and memories from the past. But I have to admit, it wasn't easy selling those things. Still I was happy while working on the CD with my producer and one of my dearest friends, Jim West, and I was excited about my idea of a concept CD that would take kids on a journey across the USA with me. I've just loved traveling and discovering new things in this amazing country and I wanted to get kids excited about learning all about our great country and the many wonderful and varied treats it has to offer.<br />
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It would be a lie to say I wasn't also apprehensive, though. I was doing a concept CD, something that is rarely done anymore in this age of downloading single songs, and I had all kinds of doubts: "Is it boring? Am I doing okay on the narration? Does it make sense? WILL KIDS ACTUALLY LIKE IT?" Jim had to reassure me at just about every session, but he's really good at that and bringing out the absolute best in me, so we forged on.<br />
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Now, the CD has been out there for a year, and it has done more than I ever expected it to do. Lookie here:<br />
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*Paula Slade from Examiner.com called it a "one-of-a-kind" CD and said it was an "engaging musical road trip," plus:<br />
<blockquote><em>All in all, <strong>Weird Things are Everywhere</strong> is a very special trip for children ages five through 10 that offers plenty of entertainment and packs an educational punch perfect for classrooms and home school families. </em></blockquote><em>* </em>It received a coveted STARRED review in School Library Journal, which said I was a "vocal chameleon" (my kids are so sick of hearing me say that!) and:<br />
<blockquote>The focus on literacy and reading, the fun segues between songs, and the performer's superb voice makes this an excellent choice for use in a school setting.</blockquote>*Amber Bobnar from BostonChildrensMusic.com said it was one of the 12 best children's CDs of the year!<br />
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aaaaaannnnnnndddddddd....<br />
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There IS that little matter of a GRAMMY NOMINATION!!!<br />
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So, all in all, I'd say it was good decision to sell that stuff. <br />
Still, the indie musician struggle goes on. A Grammy Award nomination does not instantly make one rich, so now begins the matter of buying the plane tickets, paying for the hotel, finding a DRESS to wear on the red carpet and all that stuff. And I wasn't expecting to have this kind of expense in the quiet month of January so I didn't exactly plan ahead! We should all have such troubles, huh? That's easy for you to say....you don't have MY husband who is peering over my shoulder every second saying, "How are we gonna pay for all this?"<br />
I swore to him this morning that I would do it, just like I've managed to do all the other stuff...the CD, the tour, etc. etc. <br />
So my point is? I need to sell CDs...lots of CDs...between now and the end of January. Would you consider purchasing one? Is there a child in your life who has a birthday any time this year? How about getting that end of year teacher gift out of the way now? Is there a librarian you know who has a small budget but would LOVE to have a CD that's been given a starred review in School Library Journal? Buy one for your special niece, your Godchild, the kid next door.... <br />
It's $15 and that includes the shipping and handling. You can pay through PayPal or send me a check. For the details, click here: http://judypancoast.com/tune_room_store.htm<br />
<br />
You can also get them at Amazon.com and at CDbaby.com but the only place you can get a personally autographed one is from my website or at one of my shows. Plus buying it directly from me means you aren't giving any of your hard earned money to a middleman.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank you once again for supporting my music and helping to make my dreams come true!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-37498975716508326662010-12-24T11:04:00.000-05:002010-12-24T11:04:14.487-05:00Somewhere there is a child.....Somewhere out there, there is a child who will be alone tonight. While other children are leaving out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, this child will be staring anxiously at the lights on the tree, hoping and praying that his or her parents will make it home safely from that Christmas party where too much alcohol is being served.<br />
<br />
Somewhere there is a child who will be taken to a Christmas party where too much alcohol is being served, and she or he will probably witness some sort of fight or argument with tears and then have to pray all the way home that his or her drunk-driving parent will somehow miraculously get them all home alive. When they get home, he or she will fervently hope that they will go to bed and not scream or fight or cry o,r even worse, involve him or her in some alcohol fueled madness.<br />
<br />
Somewhere there is a child who will go down to the tree on Christmas morning afraid to wake up his or her hung-over parents. And when they do wake up, they won't be in a very festive mood, or, worse yet, they will still be drunk from the night before. There may be tears /fights around the Christmas tree. This child is not excited, he or she is anxious and afraid and just wants it all to be over.<br />
<br />
Somewhere there is a child who has lots of expensive presents waiting for him or her under the tree, whose parents think that all they have to do is buy stuff to make a nice Christmas, when all that kid really wishes and hopes and prays for every night is for his or her parents to STOP DRINKING.<br />
<br />
How do I know these children are out there?<br />
<br />
Because I was all of them at one Christmas or another.<br />
<br />
Your children are learning everything about how to celebrate Christmas from YOU. Please don't drink this Christmas. Show them that it's possible to have fun without having alcohol to drink. It's the BEST gift you could ever give them.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
JudyJudy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-2243422112592379412010-12-02T02:54:00.004-05:002010-12-25T22:03:10.860-05:00HUGE ANNOUNCEMENTI'm just thrilled to announce that I have just received news that I've been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Children's Album. I am absolutely over the moon!!!!!<br />
I know I really don't stand a chance of winning but it really is true that it's a total thrill just to be nominated!!!!!<br />
<a href="http://www.grammy.com/nominees"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.grammy.com/nominees">http://www.grammy.com/nominees</a>The only other times in my life when I have been this filled with joy and excitement were the times I found out I was "with child." This is a dream I've had since I was 12 years old. I really just can't believe it!!!!<br />
Thank you, my friends and fans, for supporting my music through the years!!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-51743217519389440202010-11-11T19:03:00.003-05:002010-11-11T19:06:23.333-05:00New Tour Page and BlogI've decided to revive a blog I began last year about The House on Christmas Street and use that as a tour update blog. I've also now got a brand new tour page on my website which is a hub for all things tour-related. You can get to the blog from that page. Please visit it here: <a href="http://http//judypancoast.com/2010_tour.htm">http://http://judypancoast.com/2010_tour.htm</a><br />and please comment and keep in touch while I'm on the road. Who knows? Maybe I'll see YOU out there somewhere!<br /><br />In the meantime, I'll continue to post things here that are non-Christmas related. It's just that right now in my life, EVERYTHING is Christmas related!! It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-20783664638753486732010-10-28T19:36:00.001-05:002010-10-28T19:38:25.846-05:00The House on Christmas Street International Tour 2010<div class="content"> <div id="post_message_524137"> <blockquote class="postcontent restore"> Here's the latest news on the tour:<br /><br />There are two OFFICIAL tour sponsors:<br /><br />The Official Internet Christmas Site Sponsor of the tour is Planet Christmas! This is the site that really made it happen for me back three years ago (has it only been three years?) Thank you Chuck Smith!<br /><br />The Official Internet Christmas Music Station is <a href="http://www.lightfavorites.com/" target="_blank">www.LightFavorites.com</a>. During the Christmas season they switch on the "Christmas Lite" ...The Christmas Lite broadcasts Christmas music 24/7 live from the North Pole, with Santa Claus as the DJ! Just click the link from The Lite Site to tune in.<br />They will be providing bumper stickers to give away and a banner for the tour.<br /><br />The first stop on the tour is less than a month away, at Mitchell's Magic Christmas in Claremont, NH (<a href="http://www.claremonthchristmaslights.com/" target="_blank">www.claremonthchristmaslights.com</a>) on November 27th. I'd love to see it be a big hoopla, so if you are anywhere in the area please come on over! The concert begins at 6pm.<br /><br />I would also like to mention the two "47-Thousand Twinkling Lights" level sponsors who have come forward. They are:<br />Dan Bicknase of Fairmont Lights: <a href="http://www.fairmontlights.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fairmontlights.com/</a><br /><br />And Designs by JuJu (adorable machine embroidery designs for babies and children and the people who love them!) : <a href="http://www.designsbyjuju.com/" target="_blank">http://www.designsbyjuju.com/</a><br /><br />At each stop on the tour I will be autographing free color photos, holding trivia contests and dance contests for free CDs, and, of course, looking for a "manly man" to sing "Candy" with me. Check this out if you want to see what I'm talking about: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5IPzF8cCtY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5IPzF8cCtY</a><br /><br />In short, it's going to be a blast! <br /><br />One month from today I fly to the Toole Castle in England! More on that in the next update.... </blockquote> </div> </div> <blockquote class="signature restore"><div class="signaturecontainer">Judy<br /><br />Composer and Performer of The House on Christmas Street..The OFFICIAL theme song of Planet Christmas!<br /><br />WANTED: Sponsors for the "The House on Christmas Street International Tour 2010" Christmas related businesses take note: Your company name, website and logo can be featured on Judy's website, tour t-shirts and more. For info, click here: <a href="http://judypancoast.com/sponsor_judy.htm" target="_blank">http://judypancoast.com/sponsor_judy.htm</a><br /><br />Support from individuals also GREATLY appreciated! Invest in a dream!!</div></blockquote>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-43804691089854320362010-09-30T10:33:00.000-05:002010-09-30T10:33:42.603-05:00The Singing Pumpkin<object style="background-image: url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/3cRx6qZ4kv0/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3cRx6qZ4kv0?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3cRx6qZ4kv0?fs=1&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-37102539309104126972010-09-30T10:27:00.003-05:002010-09-30T10:33:36.373-05:00Halloweeeeeeeen!Here in NH the leaves are doing their fall thing and it's starting to be really beautiful this year. In my own yard things look pretty dismal. I haven't taken the summer stuff in yet, and my perennial garden looks sad. I'm the dummy that managed to plant everything to bloom in high summer, and nothing is blooming now...in fact things are turning brown. Maybe I'll just put up a sign that says "Garden of the Dead" for Halloween this year!<br />Speaking of Halloween, I will be officially putting up my display outside and decorating inside over the next few days. I refuse to put anything up until the first of October, and then I go nuts!<br />Does your family get in the car during October and go around looking at the displays, like folks do at Christmas time? A lot of the same people who go nuts with the lights at Christmas also like to do it up at Halloween, and there are some pretty creative things going on out there. In fact....take a look at my next post to see what one ingenious decorator did with one of my songs!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-4248412885281452962010-09-25T14:33:00.004-05:002010-09-25T14:38:08.771-05:00I Love it HereI'm happy to be featured among the NH celebrities on the "I Love It Here" website for Visit NH. You can check out all the pictures here: <a href="http://www.nhdreamvacation.com/celebrities/">http://www.nhdreamvacation.com/celebrities/</a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://http://www.nhdreamvacation.com/celebrities/"></a>It's exciting to be featured with such NH notables as Tomie dePaula, Sarah Silverman and Tom Bergeron.<br /><div><br /></div><div>And it's true...I DO love it here in New Hampshire....and one of my favorite NH places is The Milford Drive-In!</div></div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-69757304249097221692010-09-20T13:04:00.008-05:002010-09-30T10:22:11.137-05:00Getting to Know the People on the TourJust thought you might be interested in seeing the web pages for some of the places I'm going to be visiting on the "The House on Christmas Street International Tour 2010!"<br /><br />In Tennessee: <span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1188"></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.planetchristmas.com/">www.PlanetChristmas.com</a><br /><br />In Wyoming: <span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:black;" ><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1189"></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:black;" ><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;color:black;" ><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ajschristmasmagic.webs.com/">http://www.ajschristmasmagic.webs.com/</a></span></span><br /><br />In Texas: <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1284"><a href="http://twiceshy.webs.com/" target="_blank">http://twiceshy.webs.com/</a><br /><br />Also in Texas: </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:85%;" ><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1173"><a href="http://www.mainchristmasinelgin.com/" target="_blank">www.mainchristmasinelgin.com</a></span>. and <a href="http://www.elgintx.com/xmas.asp">http://www.elgintx.com/xmas.asp</a></span><br /><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1284"><br />In Georgia: </span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1379"></span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://larrydrum.home.comcast.net/%7Elarrydrum/christmashome.html" target="_blank">http://larrydrum.home.comcast.net/~larrydrum/christmashome.html</a></span><br /><br />In North Carolina: <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1434"><a href="http://www.lakeparklights.com/" target="_blank">www.LakeParkLights.com</a><br /><br />Also in North Carolina: </span><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT776"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.highcountrylights.com/">www.highcountrylights.com</a></span><br /><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1434"><br />In Washington: </span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:11pt;" ><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT1575"></span></span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.woodinvillewonderland.com/">www.woodinvillewonderland.com</a><br /><br />In Minnesota: <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://www.fairmontlights.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fairmontlights.com/</a><br /></span><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT845"><br />In Pennsylvania: <a href="http://www.rephswinterwonderland.webs.com/" target="_blank">www.rephswinterwonderland.webs.com</a></span><br /><br />Also in Pennsylvania:<br /><span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT167"><a href="http://www.moyerdisplays.com/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.moyerdisplays.com/index.html</a><br /><br /><br /></span>In North Carolina: <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><a href="http://pilotmountainchristmas.com/" target="_blank">http://pilotmountainchristmas.com/</a></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">In Virginia</span></span>:</span> </span><a href="http://www.fredericksburglights.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fredericksburglights.com</a><br /><br />In Indiana: <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT457"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.joneslights.com/">www.joneslights.com</a></span><br /><br />And in New Hampshire: <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT993"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.claremontchristmaslights.com/" target="_blank">www.ClaremontChristmasLights.com</a></span><br /><br />I can't wait to meet all these folks!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-5640611567265916272010-09-15T20:34:00.003-05:002010-09-15T20:37:22.480-05:00I'm happy to say...If you read my post the other day about the lovely and delightful waitress my husband and I met the other night who has musical aspirations then you will understand my excitement at receiving a link from her to a couple of videos she has on YouTube. They showcase her beautiful voice very well and I thought you might like to watch them, so here's the link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvQqsXSrvJ8&NR=1">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvQqsXSrvJ8&NR=1</a><br /><br />Isn't she great? Now she needs a band!!Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-54184513738049259842010-09-15T09:05:00.006-05:002010-11-08T12:05:11.098-05:00Updated Tour ScheduleI just updated the tour schedule yet again and I believe this will be the final itinerary. Still to come..details on the big finale in Orlando on CHRISTMAS EVE!! Stay tuned!<br /><br /><p><strong>Saturday, November 27th</strong></p><p><strong>6pm<br /></strong></p><p>The Mitchell Homestead</p><p>16 Francis Street</p><p>Claremont, NH 03743</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 1</strong></p><p>The Toole Castle</p><p>Manning Close</p><p>Wells, <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">United Kingdom</span></p><p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Friday, December 3</strong></p><p><strong>12 noon</strong></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">The Factory at Franklin Shopping Experience</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Food Court</span><br /></strong></p><p><span style="VISIBILITY: visible" id="main"><span style="VISIBILITY: visible" id="search">230 Franklin Rd<br />Franklin, TN 37064-2256<br />(615) 791-1777</span></span></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 4</strong></p><p>Christmas by the Tracks</p><p><strong></strong>Elgin, TX</p><p>Several performances at the gazebo throughout the day</p><p>and that evening a performance at</p><p>The Dennis Residence</p><p>806 N Main St.</p><p>Elgin, TX 78621</p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><strong>Sunday, December 5<br /></strong></p><p><strong>6:30pm<br /></strong></p><p>The Brown Residence</p><p><strong></strong>6607 Avenue S</p><p>Lubbock, Texas 79412</p><p></p><strong><br />Tuesday , December 7</strong> <p>The Hurlle Homestead</p><p>1003 N.W. 24th St.</p><p>Fruitland, Id 83619</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday December 8<br /></strong></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">The Zembruski Residence</span></strong></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:';font-size:85%;">23620 NE 183rd St </span></p><p style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:';font-size:85%;">Woodinville, WA 98077</span></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></span><br /></strong></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 11</strong></p><p>The Bicknase Homestead</p><p>1027 North Hampton street</p><p>Fairmont, Minnesota 56031</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Sunday, December 12</strong></p><p>The Jeffries Homestead</p><p>2112 NE Waterfield Drive</p><p>Blue Springs, Missouri(east side of Kansas City)</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Monday, December 13</strong></p><p><strong></strong>The Home of Indiana Jones (been dying to say that!)</p><p>11720 Gatwick View Dr.</p><p>Fishers, IN 46037</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Tuesday, December 14</strong></p><p><strong>7pm</strong></p><p>The Reph Homestead<strong> </strong></p><p>198 Firehouse Lane</p><p>Nazareth, PA. 18064</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 15</strong></p><p><strong>6pm<br /></strong></p><p>The Moyer Residence</p><p>117 West Penn. Ave.</p><p>Cleona, PA 17042</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Thursday, December 16</strong></p><p><strong>12 noon<br /></strong></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">Special appearance at Paul's Bakery in Fredericksburg...more details to come~</span><br /></strong></p><p><strong>5pm</strong></p><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal">The Shank Homestead</span></strong></p><div>9410 Deep Creek Lane</div><div>Fredericksburg, VA 22407</div><p><strong><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal"></span><br /></strong></p><p></p><p><strong>Friday, December 17</strong></p><p>Annual Driveway Party at the Joyce House</p><p>Sponsored by XTRA 99.1</p><p>Gloucester, VA</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 18</strong></p><p>The Bottomley Estate</p><p>8010 Glade Valley Road</p><p>Ennice, NC 28623</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Sunday, December 19</strong></p><p>The Brown Homestead</p><p>4019 Lake Charles Way</p><p>Indian Trail, NC 28079</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Monday, December 20</strong></p><p>The Charpiat Mountain Home<strong> </strong></p><p>2 miles east of Old Highway 52 on NC Highway 268 East in Pilot Mountain North Carolina.</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Tuesday, December 21 (the first day of WINTER and the official RIBBON CANDY DAY)</strong></p><p></p><p>The Greer Residence</p><p>114 University Drive</p><p>Conway, SC 20526</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 22</strong></p><p>The Drum Compound (Larry and his neighbors)</p><p>4730 Bryn Ridge Ct.</p><p>Cumming, Ga. 30028</p><p></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Thursday, December 23</strong></p><p><strong>6pm</strong></p><p>The Walker Residence<br /></p><p>1013 Mare Bello Dr</p>Winter Park, FL 3279Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-7390965190146125472010-09-14T10:28:00.003-05:002010-11-06T04:19:10.860-05:00"The House on Christmas Street International Tour" CHARITYOne of my other goals for the tour is to somehow improve each community I visit along the way by doing a concert there. To that end, I present the list of charities that my tour hosts are collecting for along the route. I'm honored to be a part of their efforts to make the world a better place:<br /><br />The Mitchells, Claremont, NH: Children's Hospital at Dartmouth<br /><br />The Browns, Lubbock, TX: South Plains Food Bank.<br /><a href="http://www.spfb.org/site/c.lgLQIVOyGpF/b.5475427/k.5CCB/South_Plains_Food_Bank.htm" target="_blank">http://www.spfb.org/site/c.lgLQIVOyGpF/b.5475427/k.5CCB/South_Plains_Food_Bank.htm</a><br /><br />The Hurles, Fruitland, ID: Food drive for two local Senior Centers and CASA, Court Appointed Special<br />Avocates for children.<br /><br />The Zembruskis, Woodinville, WA: Special Olympics of Washington<br /><br />The Jones' of Torrington, WY: The ALS Association<br /><br />The Charpiats of Pilot Mt., NC: The Pilot Mountain Outreach Center<br /><br />The Greers of Conway, SC: St. Jude's Children's Hospital<br /><br />The Drums and their neighbors in Cumming, GA: Family Haven a local Forsyth County battered woman's (and children's) support center, shelter and legal aid group. We will be collecting cash and supplies for their shelter.<br /><a href="https://www.forsythcountyfamilyhaven.info/Home.html" target="_blank">https://www.forsythcountyfamilyhaven.info/Home.html</a><br /><br />The Bicknase's in Fairmont, MN: The Salvation Army<br /><br />The Moyer's of Cleona, PA: Shining Light <a href="http://shining-light.com/" target="_blank">http://shining-light.com/</a>.<br /><br />The Jones' of Fishers, IN: Humane Society for Hamilton County, a non-kill humane society that is very<br />overcrowded.<br /><br />The Bottomleys of Ennice, NC: Glade Creek Volunteer Fire Department<br /><br />The Walkers of Winter Park, FL: Give Kids the World where a lot of the Make A Wish Children go when they<br />wish to go to Disney World<br /><br />The Jeffries' of Blue Spring, MO: The Salvation Army<br /><br />The Browns of Indian Trail, NC: the Union County Christmas Bureau:<br /><a href="http://www.co.union.nc.us/HumanServices/SocialServices/ChristmasBureau.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.co.union.nc.us/HumanServices/SocialServices/ChristmasBureau.aspx</a><br /><br />XTRA 99.1 in Gloucester, VA: The Peninsula Food Bank.<br /><br /><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0)">And the </span><span style="COLOR: rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial;font-size:11;" >Holiday by the Tracks event in Elgin will help to support various local non-profits through the sale of decorated Christmas trees.</span><br /><br />And coming soon, an announcement about how YOU can help a major children's charity during this tour....Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-56259529518140067392010-09-12T14:11:00.003-05:002010-09-12T14:50:35.385-05:00The Fall-Back Plan ...a Fear-based NotionThe other day my husband and I were enjoying a dinner out and got into a conversation with our lovely waitress (it was rather late in the evening and the restaurant was quieting down). Turns out she is an aspiring singer who dreams of making it big. She's waitressing in Manchester, NH and trying to decide what her next move should be. So I asked her if she had a demo, and she's going to work on one. And I asked her if she had a pro FB page, or a website, and she doesn't. And I asked her if she writes songs, and she said she used to but hadn't in a while. So I said, "What are you doing to make your dream come true?" and she said not much, really because, she said, she is afraid to fail. And right now she is stuck in the day-to-day of waitressing, seeing her friends and her boyfriend, paying the bills and so forth. She needs desperately to get unstuck before today's choices become tomorrow's stumbling blocks.<br /><br />I've had conversations like this with young people before, and it always drives me kinda crazy because I wish that someone like me had spoken to me 30 years ago. What I mean is...I wish someone older had really encouraged me to GO FOR IT in a big way and not be afraid.<br /><br />I was not raised to GO FOR IT. Without disparaging my parents, who did, in fact, give me the gift of piano lessons, I have to admit that they were not the type of people who thought of the possibilities outside of our home. I was discouraged from going to college ( I went anyway, thanks to my sister) and the first time I was invited to go to another town to sing (at a church) was when I was 19 years old and my mother absolutely refused to let me go because she was afraid something bad might happen to me. I don't want to go any more into my upbringing than that; I just want to say that I wasn't raised with "wings." I was raised with fear. Wings were something I had to grow on my own, and it took me a looooong time to develop the confidence that is needed to make it big in the performing arts world.<br /><br />When I did get the chance to go to college, I was told by several of my high school teachers that I should study Music Education, because I should have a "fall back plan." I wish I'd never heard those words, because (as I've learned later in life) they are based on fear. You're afraid you're gonna fail at what you're good at and what you love, so you plan something solid for when you do fail. You know what? If you have a fall-back plan, you fall back. You never work hard enough at your dream to make it come true.<br /><br />It ended up that though I spent three years in the Music Ed. program, I never got a degree in Music Ed. I dropped out after my Junior year when I accidentally became a radio deejay (that's a story for another time). I worked at a radio station and sang at a piano bar for a year, and when I went back to school and got my degree it was a Bachelor's in Music. I still had a fall-back plan, but now it was radio and not teaching.<br /><br />At the age of 26, having worked in radio full-time for several years and singing "on the side," I finally got up the guts to leave Maine and move to Nashville and try to make it there. I had radio as my fall-back plan (oh, and a husband by that time too!). I was so terrified and intimated by all the excellent musicians around me that I hardly dared to open my mouth to say I was a songwriter, let alone go on auditions. I finally did audition for the famed Bluebird Cafe, got a slot on open mic night and was received well enough that I was invited back. Meanwhile, the radio station I worked for went bankrupt and, in a panic because I needed that fall-back plan, I got another radio job outside of Nashville which involved our leaving the state and I never got that chance to play at the Bluebird again. Fear, fear, fear. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have lived on the street to get the chance to play at the Bluebird again. Who knows what might have happened?<br /><br />I'm not sure if I'm expressing myself eloquently enough here, but I guess the real point I'm trying to make is that if you are reading this, and you have a dream, you need to be courageous, not fearful. Forget the dang fall-back plan. Yes, you need to earn a living, but do something (like waitressing, if need be) that you are not invested in and spend ALL of your free time working on your passion to make your dream come true. There is no blueprint for making it in the performing arts world, but if you are dedicated, courageous and willing to take chances, you will find your way.<br /><br />So I never got to be as famous as Madonna (who I believe does not have a fearful bone in her body) but I finally got the guts to make the leap and go into music full-time just 15 years ago...and I have never regretted it. My only regret is that I was not courageous enough when I was young to really go for the gold. Now, however, I've learned how to take risks and go out on limbs to try to make my career bigger...which is why I'm going on this nutty tour in December. I'm still hoping for that hit record, and if it never happens then at least I will know when I'm 97 years old that I tried as much as I could and I never gave up, and that's the legacy I leave for my children and maybe my grandchildren.<br /><br />I'll probably never be invited to speak at a college commencement, but if I did I would say to the graduates: Don't have a fall-back plan!! The world is filled with gifted people who have fallen back. You are young, you are talented and you have no encumbrances....put all of your energies into developing your talent into a career and take every chance and every risk and never sit by the phone afraid to pick it up and make that call, and never be afraid to walk through that door or ask that person for help. BE COURAGEOUS. <br /><br />I would end that speech with my favorite quote in the whole world, and I hope you take it to heart....<br />"Of what use is a dream if not a blueprint for courageous action?"Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-83336949056710356262010-08-31T08:32:00.004-05:002010-09-15T09:04:49.768-05:00The Official Line Up for the "The House on Christmas Street" Tour<span style="font-family:arial;">It's all set. In case you missed my other post, this year I've decided to do something really big to try to push "The House on Christmas Street" into the mainstream. It's been beloved and promoted by Christmas decorating enthusiasts all over the place, and I've figured out a way to say "Thanks" to them, bring attention to the song and help out some charitable organizations along the way.<br />Starting on Nov. 27th I will be touring the land (and even going to the UK) and doing outdoor concerts at the homes of people who use my song in their animated lighting displays. I am doing this at no charge to the homeowners except that they have to provide lodging and they are expected to work on publicity for their event. At each stop we will be collecting donations for some local or national charity.<br />Everyone on this list invited me, and it's taken a while to put it all together, but here it is:<br /></span><div class="mbl notesBlogText clearfix"><div><p><strong>Saturday, November 27th</strong></p><p><strong>6pm<br /></strong></p><p>The Mitchell Homestead</p><p>16 Francis Street</p><p>Claremont, NH 03743</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 1</strong></p><p>The Toole Castle</p><p>Manning Close</p><p>Wells, <span style="font-weight: bold;">United Kingdom</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></p><p> </p><p><strong>Friday, December 3</strong></p><p><strong>12 noon</strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Factory at Franklin Shopping Experience</span></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">Food Court</span><br /></strong></p><p><span style="visibility: visible;" id="main"><span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">230 Franklin Rd<br />Franklin, TN 37064-2256<br />(615) 791-1777</span></span></p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 4</strong></p><p>Christmas by the Tracks</p><p><strong> </strong>Elgin, TX</p><p>Several performances at the gazebo throughout the day</p><p>and that evening a performance at</p><p>The Dennis Residence</p><p>806 N Main St.</p><p>Elgin, TX 78621</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><strong>Sunday, December 5 <br /></strong></p><p><strong> 6:30pm<br /></strong></p><p>The Brown Residence</p><p><strong> </strong>6607 Avenue S</p><p>Lubbock, Texas 79412</p><p> </p><strong><br />Tuesday , December 7</strong><p>The Hurlle Homestead</p><p>1003 N.W. 24th St.</p><p>Fruitland, Id 83619</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday December 8<br /></strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Zembruski Residence</span></strong></p><p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">23620 NE 183rd St </span></p> <p style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Woodinville, WA 98077</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br /></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Friday, December 10</strong></p><p>The Jones Residence</p><p>211 Lupine Drive</p><p>Torrington, Wyoming 82240</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 11</strong></p><p>The Bicknase Homestead</p><p>1027 North Hampton street</p><p>Fairmont, Minnesota 56031</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Sunday, December 12</strong></p><p>The Jeffries Homestead</p><p>2112 NE Waterfield Drive</p><p>Blue Springs, Missouri(east side of Kansas City)</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Monday, December 13</strong></p><p><strong> </strong>The Home of Indiana Jones (been dying to say that!)</p><p>11720 Gatwick View Dr.</p><p>Fishers, IN 46037</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Tuesday, December 14</strong></p><p>The Reph Homestead<strong> </strong></p><p>198 Firehouse Lane</p><p>Nazareth, PA. 18064</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 15</strong></p><p>The Moyer Residence</p><p>117 West Penn. Ave.</p><p>Cleona, PA 17042</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Thursday, December 16</strong></p><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">The Shank Homestead</span></strong></p><div>9410 Deep Creek Lane</div> <div>Fredericksburg, VA 22407</div><p><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><br /></strong></p><p> </p><p><strong>Friday, December 17</strong></p><p>Annual Driveway Party at the Joyce House</p><p>Sponsored by XTRA 99.1</p><p>Gloucester, VA</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Saturday, December 18</strong></p><p>The Bottomley Estate</p><p>8010 Glade Valley Road</p><p>Ennice, NC 28623</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Sunday, December 19</strong></p><p>The Brown Homestead</p><p>4019 Lake Charles Way</p><p>Indian Trail, NC 28079</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Monday, December 20</strong></p><p>The Charpiat Mountain Home<strong> </strong></p><p>2 miles east of Old Highway 52 on NC Highway 268 East in Pilot Mountain North Carolina.</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Tuesday, December 21 (the first day of WINTER and the official RIBBON CANDY DAY)</strong></p><p> </p><p>The Greer Residence</p><p>114 University Drive</p><p>Conway, SC 20526</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Wednesday, December 22</strong></p><p>The Drum Compound (Larry and his neighbors)</p><p>4730 Bryn Ridge Ct.</p><p>Cumming, Ga. 30028</p><p> </p><p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Thursday, December 23</strong></p><p> The Walker Residence<br /></p><p>1013 Mare Bello Dr</p><p>Winter Park, FL 32792</p><p> </p><p>I am hoping to end on the 24th with a marathon, gathering pledges for the number of times I can sing "The House on Christmas Street" in a row. I've contacted a couple of charities and am waiting to hear.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So what do you think?</p><p><strong> </strong></p></div></div>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-24077240046847934112010-07-31T21:25:00.001-05:002010-07-31T21:26:11.625-05:00School Library Journal Gives "Weird Things" a STARRED reviewI'm just honored and so happy to let you know that School Library Journal has given my latest CD, "Weird Things are Everywhere!" a starred review in their August issue!<br />This is one of the most wonderful things that's happened in my career and a great reward for all the hard work I put into the CD over four years, but a raft of credit has to go to my producer and co-conspirator, Jim West of West Sound and Video in Londonderry, NH. He's THE best!!<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissue/currentissue/885772-427/multimedia_reviews_videodvdaudio.html.csp">Multimedia Reviews: VIDEO/DVD/AUDIO</a>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-91500505576495544622010-07-27T12:10:00.003-05:002010-07-27T12:17:30.292-05:00More About My Great In-Laws: Nick's Ride for Kids<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"></span></span> My wonderful brother-in-law, Nicholas Pancoast, is the GeneralManager for the <a href="http://www.bostonloganairport.hamptoninn.com/" target="_blank">Hampton Inn, Boston Logan Airport</a> and the Area Director of Operations for <a href="http://www.linchris.com/" target="_blank">The Linchris Hotel Corporation</a>. He will be riding his bicycle 630 miles in 10 days in an effort to raise funds for three New England Children’s Hospitals.<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;"></span></span> <br /><p>On September 3rd Nick will leave the northwest tip of New Hampshire and spend the next 10 days traveling to all 22 Linchris hotels throughout New England. He will leave Littleton, NH, riding along northern Vermont from St. Johnsbury to Colchester. He will then ascend down the western part of the state through Rutland and over to the east side in Springfield, at which point, Nick will then re-enter the state of New Hampshire. He will ride along the southern border from Keene to Manchester and visit Salem before entering Massachusetts. Nick will cover the east coast, stopping at 13 Massachusetts hotels before ending his ride in Provincetown, at the tip of Cape Co. on September 12th. Nick will also visit the <a href="http://174.121.38.99/%7Epugdad/the-linchris-challenge/childrens-hospitals">three children’s hospitals</a> along the way and I will be doing concerts for the kids at all the hospitals as well.</p><p>This is a wonderful project and I am so proud of him. I hope you will support his efforts by visiting his site and leaving a note of encouragement, and perhaps donating as well. The website is <a href="http://www.nicksrideforkids.com/">http://www.nicksrideforkids.com/</a><br /></p><p>Thanks!<br /></p> <em><strong></strong></em>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-86690790943922770422010-07-27T10:28:00.003-05:002010-07-27T10:32:23.286-05:00The International Appalachian Trail<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As you know, the name of this blog is "Judy's Notes, Musical and Otherwise." Today's entry is one that fall into the heading of "Otherwise."<br />I'm so proud of my father-in-law, Richard Anderson, that I want to share this article with you. Richard has been in my life for 25 years and during that time I have learned so much from him; most importantly, that no idea is ever too big to accomplish if you forge ahead and create a team to help you. And that even if people snicker at your idea, if you believe in it and work hard you can prove them wrong.<br />You'll understand exactly what I mean when you read this article:</span></span><br /><table class="headerPF" style="padding: 5px 5px 0px; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="130"><img src="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/bcom_logo_printerfriendly.gif" title="Boston.com" alt="Boston.com" dfsrc="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/bcom_logo_printerfriendly.gif" width="130" border="0" height="31" /></td> <td class="small" style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: 'ms sans serif',arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" align="right" valign="bottom">THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING</td></tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <div class="pfRule" style="margin: 3px 0px 5px; background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><img src="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/spacer.gif" alt="" dfsrc="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/spacer.gif" width="1" border="0" height="1" /></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="story" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <div class="overline" style="padding-left: 2px; font-size: 8pt; padding-bottom: 4px; text-transform: uppercase; color: rgb(72, 72, 72); font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">VOICES</div> <h1 class="mainHead" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 16.5pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Across the great divides</h1> <h2 class="subHead" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 13pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">A movement is afoot to extend the Appalachian Trail all the way to Morocco</h2> <div style="margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; padding-bottom: 12px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">By Alex Beam, Globe Columnist | <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="white-space: nowrap;">July 23, 2010</span></div> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Not so long ago, South Carolina’s “love guv’’ Mark Sanford extended the Appalachian Trail when he claimed to be hiking the famous Maine-to-Georgia path, while in fact he was dallying with his mistress in Argentina. Catcalls and guffawing ensued.</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Now there is talk of pushing the AT beyond its northward endpoint, Maine’s Mount Katahdin, through the geological continuation of the Appalachian range, which rises in Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, and Morocco. And yes, a bit of tittering has been heard.</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Author Simon Winchester, who lives near the trail in Sandisfield, explains the geology for us: “About 350 million years ago, there was a huge mountain building episode on the supercontinent Pangea, before the Atlantic Ocean came into being. It occurred in the Appalachians, along Nova Scotia and the West Coast of Scotland, all the way into central Morocco,’’ says Winchester, whose next book, a “biography’’ of the Atlantic, will be released this fall. “This great arc was created, so yes, there is a geological symmetry between the Appalachians and the Atlas Mountains in northern Africa.’’</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Whose idea was the International Appalachian Trail? “It was my idea,’’ says Richard Anderson, Maine’s former conservation commissioner. Anderson and a group of like-minded Canadian colleagues have already tacked on AT hiking trails in New Brunswick, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland/Labrador. Now they have begun discussions with hiking types in the British Isles and elsewhere about creating a geologically correct Appalachian Trail.</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">“Thinking beyond borders is our basic philosophy,’’ Anderson says. “We’re not trying to sell anything, we’re just proposing the idea.’’ They’ve had positive responses from Spain, and will be talking to the Norwegians about trekking on the Svalbard archipelago next month. “We’re waiting for somebody from Morocco to call us,’’ Anderson says.</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Anderson and his crew say they aren’t exactly “extending’’ the AT, which has federally protected status and is co-managed by the National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. Brian King, associate director of the Harpers Ferry, W.Va.-based ATC, wrote in an e-mail that “we do not support any of the talked-about extensions of our responsibilities (there is a proposal from Alabamans) for a number of reasons, not least of which being we and our volunteers have all we can handle right now in present and planned programs.’’</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Winchester recently attended an International Appalachian Trail gathering in Maine, and reports that “they are the most wonderful enthusiasts. Most of them are geologists or scientists, and who is going to complain about the idea of walking, anyway? One can envision the Northern Irish walking community working with the Republic of Ireland on a trail from the North Antrim coast to County Cork. It would be another way to bring peace and harmony between Northern and Southern Ireland.’’</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">What about the many bodies of water that have interposed themselves among the Appalachian mountains during the past 200 million years? “That is a bit of a problem,’’ Winchester allows. “Hiking the whole thing would require a logistical sleight of hand, and several short-hop airplane rides. But it’s doable, and someone will do it. Maybe Bill Bryson [author of the mega-selling AT book, “A Walk in the Woods’’] will do it and be eaten by a camel.’’</p> <p style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I hope not!</p> <div style="font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></div> <div class="crosshead" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></span>Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024626739650984085.post-28070801672185333222010-07-09T18:30:00.002-05:002010-07-09T18:39:30.129-05:00Rain Rain ...This summer the Massachusetts libraries are using the theme "Go Green" for their Summer Reading Programs. My presentation is called "Come Outside and Play" and it encourages kids to spend more time outdoors, because I believe that fostering a relationship between children and the Earth will help them become more invested in its care. I presented this program twice yesterday, and it got me thinking....<br />It rained nearly every day in June 2009 here in NH....this summer things are quite a bit different. We've hardly had any rain at all, and you can tell by the looks of our front lawn...burned to a crisp. We don't believe in watering our lawn, but we do water the fruit trees, flower and vegetable gardens. We use a hose for the fruit trees and watering cans for the veggies and flowers. <br />Why am I telling you this?<br />Because it's important to conserve water, and nothing drives me crazier than driving down the street and seeing automatic (or even non-automatic) sprinklers going and WATERING THE SIDEWALK OR THE STREET!! You can probably tell that I've seen this quite a bit already this summer. Please... if you use a sprinkler make sure the water is falling on plants and not on tar.<br />And if you live somewhere where there is sparse rain please consider purchasing a rain barrel. They usually have them at the local hardware or agri-store. That way, when it DOES rain, you can recycle the rain you catch to water your growing things....or, as I say in my song "I Love the Rain," to wash your car.<br />Now, if it would only just rain.....Judy Pancoasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02704587452129818002noreply@blogger.com0