Here is a poem for the Clan Cumming. I wrote it for the event (Sam Houston Folk Festival) and read it to the crowd at the opening ceremonies. I think it will also likely be read at the Houston Highland Games and at the Scottish Festival at
Arlington. Their representative, Dawn Burgess–with her grandchild, Marjorie–is pictured below.

The Clan Cumming

The illustrious Clan Cumming,
Rivals of the Bruce for the crown,
The story of their troubled history
In Texas blood can be found.
For their sons died in the Alamo,
And languished in Mexican prisons
After thirsting in the desert
On the Santa Fe Expedition.
The ground was splashed with Scottish blood,
Wounded in America’s Civil War,
And soothed by a nurse named Kate,
Who healed hearts and bodies sore.
Today they are the honored clan
Of their Scottish kith and kin,
And today let us honor them,
The Cummings of old Scotland.

Today is the third and final day of the Sam Houston Folk Festival. I was able to visit the Sam Houston Museum here, and was amazed at the life of this man. I know there’s stories there. Am in a rush. I must go to the festival grounds to meet Jed Marum and help him pack up, as it looks like the rain and storms are going to end the festival early. Anyway, here’s a photo of me and a couple of the Southern Belles at the festival who helped me demonstrate the “Language of the Fan” that I mentioned on an earlier post as well as photo of the cannon at the festival, a reproduction of one of the two cannons that Sam Houston had with his army at the battle of San Jacinto. I’ve got pages of notes and thoughts on the festival. I’ll likely make another post tonight.

I’ve been so remiss in posting for my blog. I’m in Huntsville, TX this weekend. The festival’s attendance of school kids suffered terribly from the media and political hype surrounding the swine flu.  Here are some photos of the event that I thought you’d like to see. Here is me with Calamity Jane, followed by some Southern belles, followed by the Punch & Judy Show!  I go from here to Brownsboro, TX ISD for some programs there. Back to Monroe late Tuesday night.

Country Home for Rent

2788 Peanut Trail, Hendrix (Kemp), Oklahoma

Less than 90 miles from Dallas, this two-bath, three-bedroom house is perfect for a family seeking a safe, clean rural setting or for a weekend get-a-way. Located along the Red River, the unspoiled country community is in easy driving distance of Denison, Texas (15 miles) or Durant, Oklahoma (18 miles), and Lake Texoma, one of the finest fishing lakes in the nation.  Less than an hour and half drive from North Dallas, commuters would travel uncrowded highways to work or if they have college students, to Austin College in Sherman-Denison and Southeastern University in Durant.  Numerous festivals and fairs provide family fun, and top-notch medical care is available from Texoma Medical Center in Denison and the V.A. Hospital in Bonham, Texas (28 miles).

Rent: Only $600.00 a month. Deposit and one year lease required. Includes two-car covered carport and other parking. House furnished with refrigerator and gas stove. Propane heat and electric air.

For information and excellent service contact:

ERA Buchanan Real Estate
215 West Main  Durant, Oklahoma 74701 – Phone: (580) 931-3400

If you like clean, quiet, country living, then this house is for you!

Those who know me, know I don’t watch much TV, but I love movies. I saw Perfect Stranger (2007 with Bruce Willis and Halle Berry)  last week and heard this song and decided to learn it and add it to my Americana show. Chan Marshall’s (Cat Power) site (or at least one of them) is here: You can hear this song on YouTube here: If you want to know more about this beautiful and talented musician, I would suggest you read the Wickipedia entry on her. You can find that here:

“Troubled Waters” by Cat Power as Heard in the Movie, Perfect Stranger

I must be
One of the devil’s daughters
They look at me with scorn
I’ll never hear their horn
Sometimes
It’s like being in chains
Sometimes I hang my head
In shame
When people see me
They scandalize my name
I’m going down
To the devil’s water
I’m gonna drown
In that troubled water
It’s coming ’round my soul
It’s way beyond control
I must be one
I must be one
I must be
One of the devil’s daughters
They look at me with scorn
I’ll never hear their horn
Sometimes it’s like
Being in chains
Sometimes I hang my head
In shame
When people see me
They scandalize my name
I’m going down
To the devil’s water
I’m gonna drown
In that troubled water
It’s coming ’round my soul
It’s way beyond control
I must be one
I must be one
I must be

“Why We Remember the Confederacy”
Published: Sunday, March 29, 2009 3:27 PM CDT
Stephenville Empire-Tribune
by Joyce Whitis

Texas Senate Resolution No. 628 was adopted on March 30, 1999 and recognized the month of April as Confederate History and Heritage Month in the State of Texas. The resolution encourages all Texas schools and citizens to join the effort to become more knowledgeable about the role of the Confederate States of America in the history of our country.

So, does anybody out there care? Well, the Sons of the Confederate Veterans care. The United Daughters of the Confederacy care. But does anybody else out there really care that their ancestors, if they lived in the south, rallied to fight for their beliefs that states have rights not delegated to the Federal Government. The common term for the war that split this country apart and took the lives of hundreds of thousands of young men, is known as the American Civil War. But, in fact, a Civil War is an uprising among the citizens to overthrow the government. The South did not attempt to overthrow the government of the United States but was invaded by the North and simply fought back with everything that they had. In reality this war that took so many lives was an attempt by eleven states, all Southern, to withdraw from the Union and to establish their own government. The North did not want this to happen.

Because they had entered the United States on their own, Southerners believed that they could leave on their own. This was opposed by the Northern states. The North was industrialized. The South was almost entirely Agricultural. This was hardly one nation but two parts with very different trails set for the future. There was a clear separation in 1860, which exists to some extent to this very day.

It is a fact that Texas is generally thought of as a “western” rather than a “southern” state but it is also a fact that Texas played a significant role in the bloodiest of all wars that this nation has fought. Texas was settled by people from many states and to a lesser extent folks from other countries but mostly citizens from the Southern states came here and became Texas citizens. Therefore when the question of secession was presented, Texans voted overwhelmingly to leave the Union that they had joined only 15 years before and leave with the other southern states.

An ordinance to dissolve the Union between the State of Texas and the Federal Government was read to those assembled in convention in Austin the last day of February 1861; it was voted on and passed by a vote of 166 for to eight against.

The Texas flag was carried by Texas Confederate soldiers in every major battle of that war and the state sent more than 115,000 soldiers and sailors to the service of the Confederate States of America. The general opinion of that war is that it was all about slavery when in fact most of those soldiers owned no slaves but instead battled to save their country as soldiers everywhere have always done. They fought to defend their homes, their families and their proud heritage as Texans.

Several important battles took place in Texas including the Battle of Palmetto Ranch near Brownsville. Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered Confederate forces on April 8 but word had not reached the CSA army in Texas. This last battle took place May 12-14, weeks after the war was over. Texans were victorious so the final battle was won by Confederates…Texas Confederates!

Reminders of that war are everywhere throughout the South and especially in Texas where the “Bonnie Blue Flag” that bears a single star flew over very battle that involved Texans. Many of the towns, communities and counties in Texas are named for those soldiers including our own, Erath named for Col. George B. Erath; Gen. Pat Cleburne, John Bell Hood, Gen. Hiram B. Granbury, Lubbock, Hardeman, Robert Lee, to name only a few. There are more than 600 known CSA veterans buried in Erath County and many of those former Confederates made lasting contributions to this area.

The Huckabay community was settled by a wagon train composed mostly of Confederate veterans who left a devastated Southland in an attempt to find new homes in Texas. They settled in this area, built homes, churches and schools and they lie buried in the cemeteries of Huckabay, Mount Pleasant and Hannibal. But their descendents live on and work and thrive in the communities that they began so many years ago. Other descendents of Confederate soldiers live their daily lives in Stephenville, Dublin, Oak Dale, Morgan Mill, Shelby, Liberty, and Selden.

Texas suffered less than their sister states because of their location and so there was a vast movement of Southerners to Texas in the ‘70s. Today those veterans lie buried beneath the rich soil of Texas and in the month of April, Sons of Confederate Veterans and members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy will place Confederate flags on those graves out of respect for and remembrance of their ancestors. Texas was an important part of that Confederacy and the history of those men deserves to be remembered. When you see these flags remember that they are not racist symbols but instead each one flies in honor of soldier who fought for his country.

A Short Review: The Rogue’s March: John Riley and the St. Patrick’s Battalion, 1846-48

The Rogue’s March: John Riley and the St. Patrick’s Battalion, 1846-48 by Peter F. Stevens, (Potomac Books 2005) is a book that should be read by anyone who loves Irish history and heroes.  This very fine read is much more than just an historical account—it is an expose and condemnation of individual, philosophical, and governmental actions and policy during a crucial and volatile period of American history. Stevens’ research reveals many facts, files and other evidence that were previously unknown or denied in the myth-making that followed our “victory” in the Mexican War.

The back cover has this summary: “The Rogue’s March is the controversial true story of the U.S. Army deserters—the majority of them Irish immigrants—who fought valiantly for Mexico during the Mexican War.”

This book is also a vindication, a story of the Irish in America—of their suffering and persecution in their immigrant experience. It is a book that will make you rethink what you’ve been taught about the building of America, the people of Mexico, our war with Mexico, and especially the plight and predicament of the Irish-American in the mid-19th century.  The book is rich in allusions and in historical details that make John Riley and the men of the St. Patrick’s Battalion come alive. The 301 page book does include some photos, an appendix listing the men of the brigade, and excellent notes and bibliography.

I’ve already made a previous post concerning the St. Patrick’s Brigade, but once again I must say that this is a story that should be told, a story that has touched my own heart deeply.  I wonder: If I had been an Irishman of those days, persecuted for my faith, denied citizenship in the U. S. assaulted, abused and even tortured almost daily by Nativist officers, if I had been offered a commission, land, and freedom to worship, would I have taken the deal Mexico offered them? Perhaps I too would have gone over the hill to “march into the war’s major battles beneath a green silik banner emblazoned with gold-threaded images of St. Patrick, the harp of Erin, and a shamrock” (2). Here’s an interesting fact that Stevens brings out: “Of the nearly 40,000 regulars who saw duty during the conflict, a stunning 5,331, nearly 13 percent of the ranks—deserted” (3).

Of course, the U.S. won the Mexican War. Concerning the captured Irishmen serving as Mexican soldiers, the fifty who were hanged, and the fourteen who were whipped savagely and branded with D’s on their cheeks, (Riley had both cheeks branded) I would have to agree with Mexico that these men were heroes and deserve to be honored—not only in Mexico, but wherever the stories of Irish heroes are told.

Last week, I presented creative writing sessions and Celtic music to the Mississippi School of the Arts. I met so many wonderful and talented teachers and students. One student I met was Jamy Barnes, a fine poet. This post is devoted to her and is the first of several posts I’m going to devote to the students and faculty of the Mississippi School of the Arts.  Here is Jamy’s “official” biography:

Jamy Barnes is a Literary Arts senior at the Mississippi School of the Arts who graced the earth with her presence eighteen years ago. Born to Sonya Taylor and James Barnes, she has a brother and sister whose arguments and antics are constantly giving her new inspiration for pieces of writing. She prefers writing poetry because she can get away with slyly mentioning her infamous purple water bottle in a poem and it will seem like it’s meant to be there. She has a love for pigs and cats, both of which she refuses to eat. After graduation from high school, she plans to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, majoring in Library and Informational Sciences. Her poem “Ireland” was published in the first issue of Aerie International, a literary and visual arts magazine for high school students

“Ireland” by Jamy Barnes

I’ll go to Ireland
When the roses bloom next winter
And the bright red clover grows on the hills
When I go to Ireland
I’ll dance spasmodically in Dublin
With the untamed gypsy lizards
No snakes to worry about
Just that traveling heathen lizard
I’ll go to Ireland
When the dead doves open their wings
And the bright blue ferns create a wonderful bed
When I go to Ireland
I’ll sing praise at the Hill of Tara
With the stubborn purple hedgehog
Laughing in the fuchsia wind
Crying in the orange rain
All the while the few trees will
Groan in their sympathy
Heave in frustration
Let their papyrus leaves fall
To land on me.

Here’s a photo of the featured poet.

As I was driving to my parents house in Kemp, Oklahoma, a small town on the banks of the Red River, I was listening to 1,000 Kisses, a CD by Patty Griffin. I had heard one of her songs on the Americana station some time ago and more out of curiosity than anything, I purchased this CD. The song I’m posting is not the one I first heard, but it is the one I like best on her CD and the one I want to learn and add to my little music show. Here are the lyrics to this song (some sites on the Net say it was written by Bob Dylan). I follow the lyrics of each stanza with the chords. As most musicians can play songs they like by ear, you can hear when the chords change.  If the key is wrong for you, then transpose it. Evidently, a few others have recorded this song, so if you have a favorite version other than Patty’s, I’d like to know about it.

Tomorrow night will you remember what you said tonight?
Tomorrow night, will all the thrill be gone?
Tomorrow night will it be just another memory,
Or just another song that’s in my heart to linger on?

G, C, Cm, D7, G, Am7, D

G, C, Cm, D7, G

Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast
And you willingly surrender to me, to be my darling at last
Tomorrow night will you be with me when the moon is bright
Tomorrow night will you say those lovely things you said tonight?

D7, G, D7 G

G, C, Cm, D7, G

(Repeat each verse until your audience is weeping!)

Patty Griffin’s official website is here:

I’ve thought about this subject many times. Since I read and reread Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and since I’ve watched the TV programs of Edward (Bear) Michael Grylls (Born Survivor), I’ve thought about it even more. The subject is the lost art of survival.  It also comes into my mind every semester when I teach Thoreau in American Lit, though I don’t know how much we could he really roughed it on Walden Pond. You don’t hear much about the wilderness and the Boy Scouts these days, and I really need to look into that and see what’s going on with them. It used to be that Boy Scouts were known to be not only smart, but pretty tough. For example, I know that the Army targeted the recruiting of Eagle Scouts for the jungle warfare in Burma in World War II.

In all my years of teaching high school and college, I find fewer and fewer who possess any of the basic knowledge and skills necessary to survive in a rural environment.  I decided to have my students make a list of 10 items they would choose to take with them in a survival situation in the wild, when they would totally depend on their own resources and wits.  The answers were surprising. Perhaps I’ll share them. However, I thought today I’d make and post my own list of seven items. Some of them do require some previous training, but really not that much. However, if you are skilled and knowledgeable enough, you might could get by with much less.

1) A Lensatic compass

2) A good multipurpose knife. (Some knives have hollow handles for fishhooks, line, meds, etc.)

3) Some means to start fire: (This could be magnifying glass, flint and steel, etc.)

4) A carpenter’s axe/hammer

5) Plastic sheet of some kind. (protection against rain, and in the desert can be used to distill water)

6) a canteen

7) a water purifier

There’s probably more, but this will do for now. The knowledge one needs—well, that’s another post.