goldenrod and the 4-H stone
I saw this post by Claire at greenjewls yesterday, and it reminded me of my favourite song of the moment- 'Casimir Pulaski Day' by Sufjan Stevens (and yes, I do believe he is knitting in that picture, which I read somewhere he likes to do.) The first verse of the song is:
'Goldenrod and the 4-H stone / were the things i brought you when I found out you had cancer of the bone / your father cried on the telephone / and he drove his car to the navy-yard / just to show that he was sorry...'
The whole album, Illinois, is breathtakingly beautiful, but this track stands out for me. It's the saddest song i've ever heard. As my sister Tamsin pointed out, the almost-cheerful melody and upbeat feel of the music completely belie the heartbreaking lyrics that swim on top. I'd never stopped to listen to them properly until a couple of weeks ago. If you get a chance to listen to this album, you must.
Now, thanks to Claire, I know what goldenrod looks like, but I still don't know what a 4-H stone is.
I've been experimenting with brooch-making a bit lately, trying to make flower brooches that look like different varieties of plants that we have in the garden. At the moment, our Icelandic poppies are getting ready to open and see the world, but my 'poppy' brooches are still under construction. Here are a few I made this week, just to give a home to some of my favourite scraps of vintage fabric. I expect they'll fray like crazy though.
Very pretty little flowers! Could you use some of that glue-like stuff that holds seams. I forget what it is called, but if you'd like to try it and don't have it in your area I can send some your way!
Posted by:Laura | October 13, 2006 at 05:54 PM
I love your brooches, especially the colour mixes! I will de-lurk to say that I'm a huge fan of Sufjan Stevens and Illinois is one of my favourite albums of his ~ I can't listen to 'John Wayne Gacy Jr' without getting a tad melancholy, it's such a beautiful song (so sad!). I don't know if you have any of the other albums but 'Seven Swans', 'Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lake State' and 'The Avalanche' are all good, but Illinois and Michigan are definitely the best in my eyes. :)
Posted by:Tash | October 13, 2006 at 09:09 PM
I am loving that CD right now too! (We were meant to be friends.)
Posted by:Kelli | October 14, 2006 at 06:21 AM
Actually, I just looked and it is a different one of his CDs I have: Greetings from Michigan, the great lake state.
Posted by:Kelli | October 14, 2006 at 06:23 AM
hey hun, those brooches are so pretty! And I was also going to suggest the fray-stop stuff. You can get it at spotlight : ) Not sur ehow much it is though. I used to use actual glue back when i was young and poor : P that worked quite well actually. Either that or putting interfacing on the top flower would slow the fray!
Sorry.. rambling! Have a lovely day, we'll see you at the markets! xx
Posted by:Rhiannon | October 14, 2006 at 09:19 AM
i'll have to check out that music.
and actually the real plant goldenrod looks nothing like that fabric or plate. i have some blooming in the garden now, will take picture for you. it is just that the crayon goldenrod is more a browy yellow than the actual plant.
Posted by:mimulus | October 14, 2006 at 06:28 PM
I love the brooches and think frayed edges will only add to the appeal!Lovely blog by the way.
Posted by:Kristy | October 14, 2006 at 08:57 PM
Who cares if they fray - they look great!
Posted by:The Weekend Warrior | October 14, 2006 at 11:21 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
jip jip hoera!
See you soon Melissa! Hope you're having a wonderful birthday morning!
Posted by:Rhiannon | October 15, 2006 at 11:05 AM
Love your Poppy brooches!
I cannot stop listening to Sufjan either. :) His lyrics are so quotable and the melodies continue to grow. In exactly one month I will have a chance to hear and see(!) him at a smallish venue and I am sooooo looking forward to that.
Posted by:Emma | October 16, 2006 at 12:00 AM
I am not sure if this solves the mystery or not but in the US 4-H is a program for kids (especially teenagers) that helps them get involved in many different types of volunteer experiences. The name 4-H comes from the four main goals of the program: for kids to grow in Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. The 4-H stone is something that is often sold in 4-H fundraisers. the symbolism behind it being that the 4-H program is similar to a good skimming stone - one that starts local ripples in the water , but then extends those ripples to further shores to make an at not just the local level, but also a more global level. I hope this was of some help!
Great blog by the way! I am pretty new to the blogging world and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog.
cheers!
carrie
Posted by:carrie Schwarz | October 21, 2006 at 06:26 AM