John Farrell: Newsletter

Greetings Friends, The hot water moving through the pipes creaks out an uneven rhythm. The cool wind rustling through the pine trees and blowing leaves across the yard seems more self-assured each day. It is late October and the seasons are changing. I hope you are well and keeping warm. It’s been over six months since I sent a newsletter and there is much to report but I want to get this sent soon. I’ll be uncharacteristically brief and hope we have a chance to visit in person somewhere soon. Our big news! We have moved from our home in Brewster NY to a quieter, more rural setting in Hillsdale, NY. We lived in Brewster as a family since 1989, and Ann Marie and I have lived there most of our lives. The decision to leave and the mechanics of searching and moving are major events in a family life. I wouldn’t like to do it again any time soon but we are thrilled with our new surroundings and confident we did the right thing. We are at the end of a long driveway, at the edge of the Berkshire Mountains, three miles from the Massachusetts border, close to the place where New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts come together. It is an area of rolling hills, dairy farms, long dirt roads, and dark night skies. It feels just right. Ann Marie is a new kindergarten teacher at the local K-12 regional school where Patrick and Colleen are now students. They are on opposite ends of the campus but it’s nice they are all in the same location. Everyone is adjusting to the change. Since we only moved 65 miles north it is possible to see and stay connected with old friends as we explore and make new friends. It is an exciting time for us. NEW BOOK and CD in 2007 “Stargazer’s Alphabet,” a picture book based on my song of the same title will be released in the spring of 2007 by Boyds Mills Press. I’ve seen the layout and the photographs and graphics are spectacular. The book includes a rhyming line for each letter of the alphabet and teaches something about the stars, constellations and planets. A is for Andromeda, our neighbor galaxy B is for the Big Dipper, that’s an easy one to see In addition to the rhyming text there is also a brief paragraph or two about each topic. I am also nearly finished a new CD of songs about nature, animals and science. The tentative title for the CD is “All Around Us.” Some of songs included are; It All Begins With Just a Seed / Welcome to the World Baby Dolphin / What’s So Great About the Great White Shark? /The Paleontologist Told Us So / In the Garden / I Am an Amphibian / There’s a Bear Over There / Underneath the Sea / and Metamorphosis CONFERENCES and BRIDGES of PEACE I will be presenting at several conferences in the next few months including trips to Nice, France for the ECIS conference in November and the California Kindergarten Alliance in January 2007. Check the web site www.johnfarrell.net to find out when and where I will be presenting. The “Bridges of Peace” project has been in a “chrysalis” stage for several months as we have dealt with the process of moving but I am hoping to engage new students, teachers and schools to help me build this idea in the months and years to come. Check out www.abridgeofpeace.org to learn more about “Bridges of Peace.” SEASON of LIGHT, HOPE and PEACE Special Offer $10 or 3 for $25 As thanks to all of you who have joined our mailing list we are offering the holiday CD at a reduced price of $10 each or 3 for $25. This price includes shipping and is only available through the newsletter. Just call or email Mary Jain at 800-928-4007 or at mdayger@stny.rr.com and tell her what you would like. She’ll send the CD’s right out and send you a bill. Season of Light, Hope and Peace includes the Thanksgiving song “One By One” (aka We Count Our Blessings) and the following; It’s Snowing! / Dear Santa / Hot Chocolate and Diplomacy / A Little Bit of Scrooge in Everyone / Gotta Get Going / Birthday of a Child / It’s the Christmas Play / Christmas is Coming / and I Should Close My Eyes If you are unfamiliar with the songs you can listen to some of them on the website by going to http://www.johnfarrell.net/music.htm#Season and clicking on “listen to samples.” Special Offer will run From October 30, 2006 to December 31, 2006 As we move to the darkest period of the year with the shortest days it is a time of reflection and thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for. I am grateful to each of you for reaching out to me in some way. By singing, laughing and sharing your stories with me you have enriched my life. Thanks and best wishes. Keep a Song in Your Heart! John Click Here to Read John's November 2005 Newsletter about his trip to South Africa