Jancy

This is Jan C. Snow, aka Jancy. She’s a writer, an artist, a musician, a mother, a grandmother and a friend. She is one of the MVP’s in Windsong, Cleveland’s Feminist chorus.

Jan knows all the fun, (and often free) things to do in Cleveland.

For instance, a couple of months back, we enjoyed a Wednesday lunchtime performance of the GroundWorks Dance Theater at Trinity Cathedral.

Last week she was with us at Orchid Mania at the Botanical Gardens, free if you have a season pass, which we do.

She recently went on vacation to Florida and Peurto Rico, and provided us her itinerary, so we could make a homeschool thing of it. We learned about the Burmese Python problem in the Florida Everglades, and the bio-luminescent waters of Puerto Rico, among other things.

She is well traveled and gave us a bunch of coins from all around the world to use as inspiration for our homeschool endeavors. The kids have especially enjoyed learning about the Maori people of New Zealand.

Jan is a very sensitive person herself and she really “gets” Riley. Jan also refuses to sit next to me at chorus if I have on scented lotion, if I’m chewing Juicy Fruit gum, or if there is too much cat hair on my clothes. She has perfect pitch and thinks nothing of leaning over to correct you if you are off your note. Prior to Riley, this might have offended me. Now, I love Jan all the more for it. Jan “gets” Riley. I “get” Jan. We’re all good. And really, I need to know when I’m not on my note.

Jan is the one who wrote the song I mentioned in this post, about giving yourself permission to set some things down when you are carrying more than you can handle.

She also wrote one of my very favorite songs Windsong performs, called Away Ye Merry Lassies. Give it a listen. It is so much fun to sing. And yes, that’s Jan, playing the dulcimer on that track.

She recently taught Riley how to knit. After her first lesson, as we were leaving, Riley stood on Jan’s front porch and said,

“Jan, you really inspire me.”

Yes, Riley. That about sums it up.