The older I get, the more I’m able to look back at the hard lessons with gratitude instead of sorrow. “Old joy taught me to laugh, and it taught me to weep.”  The lyrics are a combination of two of my poems (written 15 years ago), a short journal entry from the water color artist Charles Burchfield (I recalled something he wrote about curling up under two pine trees), and a little bit of wisdom.  “All this snow piled out the door/ you did what you knew/ now you know right.”  Jim Whitford once again helped me to carry this song off the page — his vocals and guitar playing add such a richness to the lyrics. “Warm winter in my heart….old joy of mine.”  

This song is about Wilson Bentley one of the first snow flake photographers. There is something quite beautiful about his calling, and his dedication to his craft.

This was the second song I wrote for Robot Holiday [the original version was recorded in 2005]. The lyrics were originally written for an entirely different song. When Jonathan asked (berated) me to try to come up with something for 2005 I went back to this song, but couldn’t find the music, so I took the lyrics and re-wrote the song.