Mary Chapin-Carpenter sang it for me: "Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug." Her song The Bug expresses, for me, the essential nature of the dance of life. As Tom Robbins demonstrated in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, if you're intent on dancing, you can even dance to the 6 o'clock news (6:30 in Newfoundland).

Chapin-Carpenter's lyrics are certainly an accurate reflection of my experiences during the past month (and most of my life, if I'm honest) as I've sought to make a more permanent home for myself here in Newfoundland. I've enjoyed indescribable body-bliss as I took in roseate first-light over the Atlantic the day my plane landed at Torbay. I've held my breath and choked back the heartache of missing my beloved friends in Ontario. I've been frustrated and elated; delighted and disheartened; honoured and humbled. Sometimes, I've handled it gracefully; other times, I've railed and wailed at the fates. Soon, very soon, my "stuff" will arrive from long-term storage and I can get on with settling down here.

When I came to St. John's in 1998 after a thirty-year absence, I met some members of the SJFAC at a "session" at the Ship Inn. They introduced me to Folk Club (then held at the Blarney Stone) and introduced me to people interested in traditional folk arts here in town. My continued association with them has eased my transition to life in St. John's. The drawing card for me is the music. I grew up on the prairies dancing in the livingroom while my father played Newfoundland and Irish tunes on his accordian. In my Manitoba school, I was fortunate to be exposed to folk music from many cultures and had opportunities to sing Newfoundland songs at music recitals. I visited my father's home in New Harbour, Trinity Bay several times as a child and thrived on the salt air--scuffing across solitary stony beaches and listening to the Atlantic heave and sigh. Music elated and informed my body about itself then and continues to do so; hence, my involvement with the St. John's Folk Arts Council.

So, there's a little snapshot of your new editor. My job is to publish this newsletter regularly in alignment with the SJFAC Mandate (published herein). My vision is to publish a newsletter that is meaningful for and responsive to the membership of the council. I'd like to publish news about members, so if you've achieved something in the world of the folk arts, please let us know. Perhaps you've discovered or experienced something related to folk arts and would like to write about it for The Broadside. I also want to include pieces that inform us about historical and living folk arts such as song lyrics, tunes, stories, historical and technical information about traditional arts and crafts. You get the idea. I welcome suggestions from potential regular and feature columnists and will happily consider story ideas and submissions from any member of the SJFAC.

Please feel free to contact me, to make suggestions regarding this newsletter and to submit items for publication to aurora@nfld.com or through the SJFAC office.