Album Notes

Notes: “Stories for Fertile Soil” Now, you can pull these little stories apart for analysis, or simply let them snuggle into the most welcoming parts of your being. Here’re a few notes, perhaps to tell you the reason I put them there, or the route they took to get there. Maybe they’ll touch off a discussion, with others, or inside yourself. Fairy tales, unlike myths, which are immortal beings having human experience, are about humans having a supernatural experience. As such, they present the unique opportunity to show us the consequences of choice, good, and not-so good, and guide those choices in a non-preachy way. Planxty Irwin I imposed my will upon Bea to play this one, as the theatrical side of my nature is attributed to my grandfather, Robert Irwin. He and his father were performers in vaudeville and USO. He got me interested in music and shows, and always asked how I was doing with it. The word “planxty” has no origin in either English or Gaelic (the language of Ireland, where this tune is from). Some people think that the word is of fairy origin. The Story Begins An invocation is an important part of ceremonies like graduations and public awards. They set the tone for what is about to happen. This one includes a few thoughts on why storytelling is important. Bridget, who is mentioned, is the goddess of knowledge, metalsmithy, and the hearthfire in Irish mythology. We are a storytelling species. Our neo-cortex has the largest portion dedicate to the tongue (for speech) and the thumbs (for gesture). The ability to carry knowledge defines us. The Green Man of No Name A minor attempt at epic storytelling. You know, there was a day when a story would last for hours, or even consecutive days to tell. Makes 10 minutes sound like nothing, doesn’t it? I’ve replaced the hero’s original tasks with animal related tasks in order to connect him more to the earth, and beef up his “Green Man” importance. The Green Man is kind of a guy version of “Mother Earth”, and his leafy face is seen throughout Celtic and Anglo-Celtic art, especially in continental Europe. The young man has to learn that he has a place in his world, and that life isn’t all fun and games. The King of All Birds This is part of the Wren celebration and show that we do as part of BogSkippers band. It explains, in part what a small dead bird has to do with Christmas. Light of the world, brought by a king, indeed. Sometimes these things have more than one explanation, like this one. The wren is also blamed for tapping his beak on a drumhead, giving away the position of Celtic warriors who were being attacked. He is celebrated on St. Steven’s Day, Dec. 26, the day when family “secular” celebrations take place. The Wren Boys (and girls!) are costumed carolers who perform in exchange for offerings taken in the name of the wren. The Universal Fool A few years ago I went off on a hare-brained tangent (perhaps a fool’s errand?) researching fooling traditions around the world, and found many common traits. This piece is a partial list. The things we can learn from “the least among us!” The Feast of Fools was a common celebration on April 1st, when the bishop and an altar server changed places, in accord with the scripture “the first shall be last and the last shall be first.” This is the origin of our April Fool’s Day. However, the observance of a day of foolishness and socially condoned chaos is more or less universal, with the central fool having many names around the world. The Lost Jewel A brief (well, not that brief!) rant against “celebutantes”. For moral of the story, see above notes. The Fool and the Mule Buncha Guys, no effective male leadership, no mother in sight, not good. There was a woman’s love yet to be earned, foolishness left behind, a long lost father gained. This story is dedicated to the delightful bunch of puppy-guys my son has dragged through my kitchen. The Two Kates This story is about two young women finding beau