IAT Newsletter

Fall 2010

This issue of the IAT newsletter is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and teacher, John Denver, who left us much too soon.

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"IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BEGIN IT,
TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND . . . "

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ORGANIZATION INFORMATION
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Co-Founder/Former President -- Marcelle Orswell (notmartha2@yahoo.com)
Co-Founder and Secretary -- Theresa Shea (Tree1A@aol.com)
Co-Founder/Webpage Designer -- Sandy Clark (tybrenn@comcast.net)
Co-Presidents -- Ann Schnitz (aerie01@comcast.net) and
Mary Ledford (eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
Web Site -- -- http://home.comcast.net/~tybrenn/iat/
Facebook -- -- IAT – John Denver: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=100472756285

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
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My luck is generally so bad, it’s become a joke to me. My motto should be Ray Charles’ song: “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all”. Case in point. The only time I ever won anything was a door prize raffle at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Baily Circus home in Sarasota, Florida. My parents and I were vacationing down there when I was 11 years old, and I won a plastic salt and pepper shaker set that was shaped like a clown's head (actually, the placement of the holes was enough to horrify a child). Yep. Envy me all you like. That sucker was mine :)

But something else happened in 1972 that changed my life and my luck forever. I saw “Bighorn”, and heard “Rocky Mountain High” for the first time. It may have been no coincidence, really, since I always loved nature shows and watched every one I could. What was luckier, though, is that I actually saw it twice. By accident, we caught it the second time while visiting the home of a friend of my parents’, and it just happened to be on that night. I parked myself in front of the TV, and made the other kids watch too. It was probably the second viewing that the magic really happened. There was that friendly, smiling guy again, with his shaggy, blond hair and his wire-rimmed glasses, who reminded me of my friend’s brother, who lived down the street. And there was that song, that talked about coming home to a place he’d never been before. Even at 11, I knew what that meant, and what that might feel like.

The day, probably 25, 30 years later, when I held the DVD of “Bighorn!” in my hand, the lightning struck again. I sat down and watched it and could recite every line, remember every moment as if I’d just seen it the night before.

So is that luck? Is it lucky to find that thing that defines your life? People that define you? If not luck, then coincidence? I leave the name of it up to you. I don’t have any personal belief system, so “luck” works for me. And even with losing John, the luck continues. I met my best friend – and all of you – as a direct result of that loss. Perhaps it’s very much that old saying, “When a door closes, a window opens.” I hope all of you know how lucky you are too ;)

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue of the IAT newsletter – and let me send my best wishes in advance for a joyous winter holiday season. See you in January, 2011.

My heart to yours,
Ann

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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The difference between animals and humans is that animals change themselves for the environment, but humans change the environment for themselves. - Ayn Rand (worldwildlife.org)

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I'm not an environmentalist. I'm an Earth warrior. ~Darryl Cherney, quoted in Smithsonian, April 1990

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It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life...we can never help
another without helping ourselves. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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November
November 6th, 2010 - Germany - John Denver Benefit concert for "Verein für das Krebskranke Kind" (Children with Cancer) 20:00 Uhr Gerhart-Hauptmann-Realschule Mühlbachstr.3 45891 Gelsenkirchen http://www.kerstinsiewek.de
In loving Memory Of John Denver

November 20, 2010 – Marlton, NJ – Christopher Westfall at the Wiley Church Singer/Songwriter Concert Series. A free will offering will be taken by the church. 7PM, 99 East Main St. Marlton, NJ 08053

December
December 31, 2010 – Haddonfield, NJ – Christopher Westfall at First Night. 6PM + Show times will be announced. Contact : www.firstnighthaddonfield.org (Please check www.chriswestfall.com before leaving for this event, for any last minute changes.)

Branson, MO - Monday through Saturday 10:00am "A Tribute to John Denver & Country Music Legends". James Garrett sings John Denver's best-loved hits. IMAX Little Opry Theatre / 3562 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway / Branson, MO 65616 (800) 419-4832

(thanks to Emily Parris and the Rocky Mountain High newsletter for these dates; thanks too, to Karen Tupek for keeping us up to date with Mack Bailey’s schedule, Judy Therrien, PattiAnn Cutter, Pat Hough and others for information on Chris Westfall and Charlie Zahm’s engagements, and Deb Sanderson for news of events in California)

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LETTERS & POEMS
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From Nancy Huffman [nancye@hotmail.com]

I have been going to Aspen over the years and would like to say that though the crowd is smaller, it is still a magical experience. I have never been anywhere where so many musicians have entertained and so many were willling to go without sleep just to be there and listen. The Wheeler Concert was great this year too! Loved hearing John's old songs in a new light...especially "Prisoners"!! Molly was great! All the musicians really are wonderful and what is best they all look like they really enjoy being there too. Thanks to Pete for coordinating it all and we all missed him!

Although the leaves had fallen for the most part, my friends and I were able to enjoy the mountains in a way we never had before. I wholeheartedly recommend a trek through the back country via jeep! We drove to Marble and took a 3 hour tour with Smitty from Crystal Jeep Tours.    It was, to say the very least, FAROUT!

Of course there is nothing better than an afternoon at the Pinecreek Cookhouse. The band was great and the food extraordinary! John Wilcox always finds a way to "Wow" us with his DVD's. It was nice to have an environmental subject this year too.   I especially was motivated by The Sierra Club seminar given on Sunday- thanks Jennifer for arranging that! We all need to be ever vigilant - that almost sounds like something John would have written in one of his songs. The worst mistake we can make is to think that one bill will fix it all. Check out the Sierra Club in your area.

The memorial bench for Erma is beautiful and the wolves were great! Thanks Jake for the song too.

So when you go to Aspen, do something new and when you are at home, find something to be involved in, no matter how big or small.

You only live once !

Peace and hugs--   Nancy Huffman - Westminster Md

The Healing Power of Nature
(by Carole Romanowski - whispjesse@aol.com)

The simple act of digging around in the dirt and growing things can be a salvation, a coping mechanism that gets us through the most trying times - a cancer diagnosis, adjusting to losing one's home - according to an article in my daily newspaper, The Journal News.

Gloria Bisaccia, a Bronxville, NY resident, knows this well. Her garden became her sanctuary, a place to revitalize her spirit. The garden has taken on an emotional quality, becoming a sacred place of grief and therapeutic value as Gloria helps care for her ailing 94 year old mother, whom she visits 3 days a week in a nursing home.

Gloria loves to walk and meditate in her shady garden quietly with a cup of coffee. "It's a great comfort and escape here," she says. Her garden boasts a wonderful collection of long-blooming perennials like black-eyed Susans, Japanese maple trees, yew hedges, lilacs, peonies, soft mosses and hostas, to name a few of her plants.

"It's a great sanctuary for me", she states. "Going there is like a vacation. I go there whenever I need time out or something soothing for my soul. It is a veritable cathedral of solace in our own backyard."

"You get so connected to a garden. I like to say it's a spirit of place...it's got just the right sort of spirituality to nurture the soul - and the soil."

Gloria isn't alone in this. Countless other residents in Westchester County, NY and further north feel the same way.

One Nanuet resident writes after losing her home and getting help through social services who also found an apartment for her in her area, she started gardening on an empty lot to give back to the community. She also goes to women's shelters to help others, using nature - gardening - as her healing tool.

Another Cortlandt Manor woman, after losing her husband to cancer, also uses gardening to heal. She calls her yard her "serenity garden."

Countless residents have turned to nature to heal. One retired man in Armonk gardened to fill up his empty days and to stave off depression from knee replacement surgery. Another resident from Harrison states "gardening got me through living with recurring non- Hodgkins lymphoma. It kind of breathes life back into me when I feel low. Nature is the one thing that kept me sane."

Reading this article strongly brought to my mind John Denver, Mother Nature's son. When he'd feel overwhelmed, he'd turn to nature and go to Alaska - or the" Wild Country" ...".I'll find peace there"......and he did.

Something very special – a transcript of a John Denver concert, courtesy of my dear friend, Virginia Allen – enjoy!

SALT PALACE ACORD ARENA
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
January 7, 1987

"Good evening, Salt Lake City."
LOVE IS THE MASTER
ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH
BOY FROM THE COUNTRY
    Intro to FAREWELL ANDROMEDA.
    "La-la-la- that's the singalong part. Every time it comes around, I want you all to sing it. No matter what I do, that's what I want you to sing. Try it."
FAREWELL ANDROMEDA

    "Thank you very much, everybody. Once again, good evening and welcome to my part of the celebration tonight here in Salt Lake City. That was quite a tadoo awhile ago and I was very excited to see what little I did. I'm very, very pleased to join you all in support of the Utah Winter Games and I wish I could race! I went skiing...I've only skiied three times this winter so far and I found out that I have little skinny legs. I don't know what happened to them. They used to be big, but they're not working that way now.
    "So I'm pleased to be able to share the evening with you and to sing a few songs. I've got a couple of surprises in store for you, I think, a couple of brand new songs also. For the songs that are familiar, you're invited to sing anytime. I really like an audience to sing with me. I'm very grateful when they do the song that I'm doing. I appreciate that very much. So I hope you'll sing along when you find one that you know, or just kinda mouth the words in your seat if you're shy. Ladies, I want you to start warming up because later on in the show I want to hear you sing Olivia's part when I do FLY AWAY. It'll be lovely- knock your socks off. I want to hear everybody yodel on CALYPSO. You better start warming up. That's what I do. I sing about an hour and a half before I can get the high notes on that song. So thank you for inviting me here to be part of the celebration. Thanks for being here tonight I hope you enjoy yourselves, folks."

ME AND MY UNCLE
    "Terrible song."
TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS
    "I want to hear you now."
GRANDMA'S FEATHER BED

    "Everywhere in the world that I go, and I've performed in some 34 countries now around the world, as soon as I start the song, the same thing happens, everybody starts to get little smiles on their faces, right away their toes are tapping, next thing you know they're clapping their hands. I don't know if it's because everybody relates to 'Grandma's Feather Bed' or Aunt Lou. Now sometimes when I'm out around the world I do a bit more talking than I do when people seem to be familiar with the songs. I like to tell folks the story behind some of them. Like that song. I was the Soviet Union in October. I did a Benefit Concert for the people of Chernobyl in Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine and I had the largest audience that I've performed to in the Soviet Union, a little over 4000 people were there. And like all of the audiences there and some places elsewhere around the world, they were very, very stiff when I began, you see. But as you begin to tell the stories and sing the songs, you can see people as they sort of start to loosen up and warm up to you, and accept you, their reaction starts to become more enthusiastic, and then, you know, when I get to that song, like I say, usually everybody's clapping their hands. Well, when I told the story about the song, speaking through a Russian interpretor, buy the way, whose name was Oleg Smirnov. Perfect name. He was a wonderful guy, and so I would tell the folks, you kow that to me those two songs, a lot of music that I do has to do not only with my feeling, not only about my life, the way that I live, and where I live, certainly nature and the country has had a big influence on me. Now that song comes from... My father was the oldest son, the second child of a family of eleven children. And this was on a small farm back in Oklahoma and some of the my favorite memories from childhood were visiting that farm. Families would gather around the kitchen and start telling stories, and there's laughter and carrying on, and all the kids, they kinda want to be around that, you know. But pretty soon we'd start falling asleep in our parents' laps and they'd cart us off to Grandma's feather bed, which when I was about that big, it seemed like it was nine feet high, six feet wide. There were nights we had 13-14 kids in that bed, generally there'd be a dog or two, a cat, I'll never forget as long as I live the night the pig was in there with us. And I'll tell you, even speaking through a translator, you'd get to that part and people in the Soviet Union would fall out of their chairs. And I explained to them Aunt Lou, you know, perhaps they didn't understand 'kissing Aunt Lou'.
    He tells the story of Aunt Lou kissing him, "used to drive me crazy, I couldn't breathe, etc.
    "I want to do a couple of brand new songs for you tonight if I may, over here on the piano.
    Cheers and catcalls from the audience
    "Uh, I know it's just the shirt. Add a little flash to your life- get a sparkly shirt, and magic things happen.
    "So I don't know how to play the piano, folks. This will be very obvious to you in a moment. But I have one at home and I'm trying to learn to play it and every once in awhile I write a song on it. This- there's two songs- both are fairly new. The first one is less than a month old. It's called NEVER A DOUBT. Hope I can do it."
NEVER A DOUBT
    "So another one if I may. This song is about six months old, and I think it may be the best love song that I've written. It's going to be a wedding songg, I'll tell you that. People, I think, all over the world will sing it at their weddings. Placido Domingo is going to record it and I'll do it on my next album. It's called FOR YOU."
FOR YOU
    "I'll sing more love songs for you in awhile."
IT AMAZES ME- starts introduction and stops.
    "I'm thinking about whether I want to do that right now or in a couple of minutes.
    "I'm going to make a radical departure from singing with just me and my guitar, me and the piano, folks. I'd like to sing a song with a track. And the reason I'd most specifically like to do that is that with this beautiful music I have a video that goes with it.
    "A lot of incredible things happened last year. I know that for many people across our country, and around the world, the greatest tragedy was the terrible thing in the sky on January 28 that took the life of the seven astronauts on board. So I feel very, very connected and I'm a very strong supporter of NASA. I think it's one of the best things going on, not only in our country, but in the world. Anyway, I'm sure that's a sight that anyone who witnessed it will never forget. But I'd like to sing a song for you that I wrote not only for the seven astronauts on board but for all their families, for the people who are part of the larger family which makes up NASA.   And tonight I'd like to sing it especially to your wonderful, wonderful Senator, Mr. Jake Garn, who's been up there. This is called FLYING FOR ME, and gentlemen, if you please."

FLYING FOR ME
WILD MONTANA SKIES

    "I'd like you to welcome my string quartet. I'd like to introduce these folks to you. On first violin, Marcelee Hancock, on second violin, Peggy Wheelwright, on viola, Nola Campbell, on the cello, Vincent Humphries. (tuning)
    "Now these few songs you're probably going to know, so I want you to sit upright and sing them. People get a little bit nervous when they're singing with an orchestra. Don't let that happen, alright?

HOW CAN I LEAVE YOU AGAIN?
    Mistake: He tunes guitar. "What happened?"
I'M SORRY

    "One of the reasons that I love to include this medley of songs in my shows is that it's truly something that people experience all over the world. I truly believe that people are basically the same and yet we find ways to separate ourselves one from the other. You know, you always hear it said that children are the same all over the world. Of course they are. The birth cry of every newborn baby is the same. But how often do you hear it said that parents are the same all over the world? Grandparents, lovers; lovers are the same everywhere. So when I travel around, this next song, I introduce as being about two people, two lovers who find themselves on opposite sides of the planet, and they're feeling very, very much alone, very distant, separated from one another, until one night in a phone call they talk about the fact that they both live under the same moon, the same stars and all of a sudden the distance between them vanishes. And so I tell people everywhere that I go that we should always remember, all of us, no matter what language we speak, no matter what color we are, no matter the form of our politics or the expression of our faith, we're all human beings, we are all the same. We are part of humankind. This is called SHANGHAI BREEZES."

SHANGHAI BREEZES
    "Sing!"
    "Allright, ladies. You guys- it will be a chorus of angels!"
FLY AWAY
HEART TO HEART

    "I believe that perhaps this is my most popular love song around the world, I think the most popular song. People use it in their weddings everywhere. It amazes me. And I've gotten into the habit now that when I visit another country, of singing at least one verse in the language of the country that I'm in. Tonight I'll do a verse for you in Russian. This is ANNIE'S SONG."

ANNIE'S SONG
CALYPSO

    "I'm very much in favor of preventive measures, whether it has to do with health care, or crime or war. This is a little poem about prevention that I found in my chiropractor's office that I'd like to share with you. This is the story of THE AMBULANCE DOWN IN THE VALLEY."

THE AMBULANCE DOWN IN THE VALLEY

    "Some information- the combined firepower expended in the Second World War is equal to three megatons. We have today, between ourselves and the Soviet Union, 18,000 megatons of nuclear bombs, 6,000 World War II's. So- preventive measures, right? I had the great privilege, I've been to the Soviet Union four times. The first trip there was perhaps one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life and one specific thing that I will carry with me forever. I visited a cemetary outside of Leningrad called P    Memorial. It's a memorial for all the people, all the people who lost their lives in the Second World War. And in the cemetary are buried, in mass graves, 470,000 people of the over 650,000 who died in Leningrad alone in the Second World War. The Soviets lost over 20,000,000 people in that war. It was an incredible experience. There's a lot of things I could tell you about it, the things that I saw there, but the point is, is that I began writing a song during that cold bitter December morning in P Memorial. And I recorded it.
    "Another thing that came along with the song is my own involvement in the hunger issue, and my great heritage from a small family farm, here in our country. Last year we lost over 40,000 small family farms, more this year.
    "So anyway, when I recorded this song last spring, I tried to get a fellow whose name is Alexander Gradsky to come over and sing it with me. Sasha, as he's called in the Soviet Union, is probably the most popular singe-songwriter, balladeer in that country and is a dear friend of mine. In fact, where we cemented our relationship was one evening after a concert I did, we went to Sasha's apartment and stayed up until 4 in the morning drinking Vodka and singing Beatle songs. It's the only English he knew. He does not speak or understand English. Anyway, we were unable to work it out last spring, but on the trip in early October that I mentioned, when I sang in Kiev, I was able to go to Moscow and record this song with Sasha. I believe that this is the first time that an American artist and a Soviet artist have ever recorded together. I believe it's the first- I know it's the first time an American artist has ever recorded in Melodiya Studios in Moscow in the Soviet Union. It's the first time that records have been released simultaneously in the Soviet Union on Melodiya and in the United States and around the rest of the world on RCA, which is my record label.
    "There's also a chorus at the end of the song- some 24 men, singing in Russian. We have a video that we have made and the package of the song, the video and two 'Windstar Journals', and a little idea that I have which is called the 1% option, have been delivered as of the first of this year into the hands of Sec. Gen. Gorbachev, Pres. Reagan and Pope John Paul II. And I have a little program that stretches out for however long it takes to see if perhaps there's not some way we can work to prevent the thing that we all fear. So this song is called LET US BEGIN or WHAT ARE WE MAKING WEAPONS FOR? Gentlemen..."
LET US BEGIN

    Before the second verse: "Alexander Gradsky."
    Standing ovation
    "There's a version we have of that video that has Russian subtitles and it's being shown now over in the Soviet Union on Moscow TV.
    "There's an incredible change going on on this planet, you know. It can be felt everywhere. It's a wonderful thing. Last night I had dinner with a group of men who are called the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers. They're people who fought against one another in the Second World War, and now they have joined together to do whatever they can to promote peace, to get rid of these weapons that threaten us all. So..
    "I've loved being here, and I've overstayed my welcome I think a little bit and prolonged the show."
    Audience: "No!!"
    "I love it here in Utah, and I'm looking forward to going skiing tomorrow, only the second time I've skiied in Utah. I'm going to try and get out in the steep and deep, see how I'm doing. See if I can't get these little skinny legs a little larger. So before we leave, with the help of my string quartet, I'd like to ask you to join me in thanking the people who work behind the scenes on the show and making it possible for me to get up here and do my part. My group mostly comes from LA and Aspen, where I live, and Sacramento, and travel all over the world. They're the finest in the business. But the people here that we've worked with- the ushers and the usherettes, everybody that's been involved in the program, they're a pleasure to work with. Give 'em all a hand."
PERHAPS LOVE
    "Perhaps love is like a mountain."
    "Goodnight, everybody. God bless you all. Goodnight, my friends. Be careful driving home. Pray for peace. I'll see you all again. Thank you."

"Will You Remember?"

(by Carole Romanowski - whispjesse@aol.com)

Will you remember me years from now
Should your life dwell in another time or place?
For I believe wisdom and Spirit live forever
In eternity no lapse of time can erase.

When you behold sunlit waters on summer days
Will you remember sunshine made me high?
And should you espy an eagle in lofty flight
Will you recall my deep passion to fly?

Please never forget I wrote songs just for you
With messages that escape growing old.
So remember me in "singing skies, dancing waters"
"And in the truth when it is told."

(copyright by Carole Romanowski)

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BITS ‘N BOBS
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"10 toughest things to get rid of"
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_consumer/151/10-toughest-things-to
-get-rid-of.html
(courtesy of Sandy Clark)

And check out other entries on this blog – some good stuff here!

**
Get involved with Terracycle:
http://www.terracycle.net/

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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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Cousteau"s Grandson Keeps Gulf's Health on Viewers' Minds
(by Carole Romanowski - whispjesse@aol.com)

Two generations after Jacques Cousteau introduced television viewers to an undersea world, his grandson is becoming a go-to environmentalist for TV producers on some of the same topics, according to an article in my local Newspaper "The Journal News".

Phillippe Cousteau was a frequent guest on news programs to discuss the Gulf oil spill, particularly on CNN. He dived into the Gulf of Mexico for ABC's "Good Morning America" for a report on how oil was spreading away from the surface.

Cousteau, 30, said he hopes to use his growing celebrity status to make sure the Gulf story isn't forgotten. "We are so eager to make declarative statements and to wrap things up in an easy box," he said. "It's so easy to do that, and we can't allow that to happen."

Cousteau's grandfather became a celebrity through his nature documentaries, mostly focused on bodies of water and how they are affected by humans. "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" captivated audiences on ABC from the late 1960's to mid-1970's. Phillippe was a frequent traveler on the research ship The Calypso.

A decade ago, Phillippe started a foundation aimed at empowering youngsters to take action on keeping oceans clean and healthy. Cousteau speaks to youth groups, he blogs and is an energetic networker in the environmental community.

He's also cognizant of the power his last name holds in the environmental and media worlds and stated "It's such an honor to be part of that legacy and a responsibility. It opens doors."

Good for you, Phillippe! I know John Denver would be, as I am, looking forward to "the things that you show us, the stories you tell!"

Rescuing Oiled Wildlife: http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Animals/Archives/2010/Can-We-Rescue-Oiled-Wildlife.aspx?s_src=20100807_NWM_Aug

Earth Hour is 8:30PM, Saturday, March 26, 2011 – find out about it now: http://www.earthhour.org/?enews=enews1004t

Obama Plan for the Gulf Coast: http://online.nwf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=15838&security=4061&news_iv_ctrl=-1

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NEWSLETTER NEWS
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If you would like to submit articles, news items, stories, poetry, or any other pertinent
information to IT'S ABOUT TIME, please e-mail any of the IAT staff. The submission deadline
for the next edition is January 19, 2011. Please be sure to include any contact information so
that members can e-mail or snail-mail for further details.

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The contents of this newsletter are entirely at the discretion of the "It's About Time" staff.
Contributions, as always, are welcomed, although inclusion is not guaranteed.
All contributed material may be subject to editing for content and length.
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". . . IT'S ABOUT TIME WE START TO LIVE IT,
THE FAMILY OF MAN,
IT'S ABOUT TIME
AND IT'S ABOUT CHANGES . . .
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME."

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IAT NEWSLETTER

Fall 2010