Twentieth century composer Laurie Conrad lives in Ithaca, NY. Cds of her works are now available at www.figarobooks.com
Monday, 9 a.m. Windgarth
Woke to a bright, grey sky & went to the windows. Geese were lined up in strands & traveling south in single file by our dock. Threw on my winter jacket & a blue thermal blanket & went outside wrapped like a Tibetan monk - a pale blue monk in some disarray (vs the traditional dark maroon). A small snow had begun, the sort you can barely see in the wind, tiny, cold impersonal flakes. A sizeable clump of geese had also gathered near Ester’s dock, a few houses north. It appeared as though every goose on the lake had come to our little enclave. I came back inside & many of the geese had formed a circle on the lake, directly beyond our dock. I made some decaf & looked out the window again & they had all disappeared - the lake was empty. A lone white gull, in the center of the lake quickly traveling north.
3 p.m.
A light mist over the lake, the water now grey, reflecting the sky. The waves dark & wintery, restless in the wind, almost menacing. The snow has already melted & the moving deer JF bought us, unlit, stand sentinel. One is gazing at the lake, expectant - the other’s head is reaching towards the earth. Graceful & innocent & unmoving. When plugged into our outdoor outlet their heads move slowly & meditatively, either side to side or towards & away from the earth. At night, they are riveting to look at, outlined by their strands of small, clear & brilliant lights. It is the same for us all really, here on earth - we think that we are only the body & our thoughts and we forget the inner constellations which are our true Selves, the soul. That immensity & Brilliance that is our very Being. We limit the soul, we limit ourselves.
I will be going back to town in a few hours. Then I will write in the final corrections to Bob’s printing up of Mt. I. A few changes, not many, mainly missed flats & sharps.
Our culture has taught us to believe in many ideas which aren't actually real. Exposing these illusions allows us to recover the power to live our lives according to our deepest desires.
