Solstice Letter 2004
Red Roof Farm

The sun is conceived in darkness, cold;
in the shadow of death, life unfolds;
a shred of light begins to burn;
from death comes life, the circle turns.
P. Telesco

I came across these words while researching material for a Solstice ritual, and I thought they were a good way to start this year's letter from the Evans clan. As I type this, it is 50 degrees out and raining! It doesn't feel like winter, doesn't look like winter, and although the calendar page says December, I am still having a hard time getting a grip on the fact that the wheel of the year is about to turn again.

We are all well, and even if we weren't, I don't give 'organ recitals'. =) We were among the few lucky ones who managed to snag flu shots before the supply dried up, so I am hoping we will remain healthy throughout the holidays. Jewel is wearing braces now, and had all her wisdom teeth out this summer in one procedure. She has been a brave little soul through the whole miserable experience, and we can already see progress in her treatment. She did not have to sacrifice any other teeth to the straightening process, and we are very grateful to her wonderful orthodontist for his innovative approach.

The violin shop is thriving, and we got a lot of really good publicity from two newspapers which did in-depth articles about Harold, Michael, and the shop. The Herald Times and the Indiana Daily Student both did an excellent job of telling the story of Evans Violins, and business definitely picked up afterwards, a nice bonus. Michael mostly runs the retail end of the business, while Harold is responsible for the restorations and repairs, but there is plenty of overlap for father and son to spend a lot of time in each other's company.

Jewel is still home-schooled, although now she is also enrolled at Indiana University part time. She is just finishing up a course in jazz improvisation, and she played cello in a jazz combo first semester. She holds her own very well with the college kids. Although she enjoyed the high school Big Band she played in last year, she is much happier in the college environment. She takes some of her high school classes through an IU distance learning program, and studies some subjects with Beth. She changed cello teachers again this year, and is working toward the goal of being accepted in the IU School of Music Performance Diploma program soon. She will very likely double major in classical and jazz studies. Jewel still studies piano, loves it, and is doing splendidly.

Michael, as mentioned previously, is busy with the violin shop, but he still performs on violin, and is lending his talents to the Bloomington Symphony this year. He has a number of violin students as well. Although it is not 'official' yet, it is safe to say that there will be a wedding at Red Roof Farm next fall. His fiancee, Dawn, is a talented pianist, and has opened her own Suzuki Method piano studio downstairs from the violin shop. We love having her as part of this musical family. Dawn, Michael, and Jewel formed a trio last summer, and gave a recital that was very well received. They have plans to continue working together, and may even take a trip back to Virginia to perform. We'll keep you posted.

Harold did his civic duty on the Water Board for a year or so, but is now happy to have relinquished those responsibilities so he can spend more time in the shop, and enjoying our property. He recently completed a professional level course in water management, (an irony since he resigned from the Board), but he found it fascinating and challenging. The opportunity arose to take this class and he jumped on it. It was fascinating how his long neglected math skills were helpful in the real world. Beth spends most of her time schooling Jewel and taking care of the family, so when pressed, has not much to say about her life at the moment other than it is very busy. She is taking a course in linguistics from IU, occasionally plays with an early music consort, and when called upon, leads ritual in local Pagan circles. That's it for another year, I guess. If you ever pass through southern Indiana, be sure to stop and say hello.

We wish all of you the very happiest of holiday seasons. May this time of light and joy bring you peace and love. Blessed be.

The Evans Family.