jennyarntzen.music

  Graphite, pen and ink, acrylic ink, wax resist - 9" x 12" 2023 A quick note about an idea - forming a no-profit caregiver arts alliance - this would be a cooperative venture to bring the creative works of culture workers - music, art, poetry, dance, needle arts - into the world of caregivers - who are constrained by their caregiving duties to living hermetic lives sealed up with their frail or medically compromised care recipient. Creating a flow of inspiring works into the fields of perception of caregivers - likely through computer screens - and also providing a space for caregivers to share their own creative works, works that are necessarily impacted by their caregiving lives, and an important part of processing and making meaning of their experience. Through the process of sharing, their sense of isolation and loneliness is lessened, they have a feeling of being seen, that the work they do is seen as important, they are not alone.

  Tonight I am home with dogs, getting ready to suit up for a cold, late night walk. This is my homemade movie of a song I wrote last year, played tonight to share with you. I wrote this song in response to disturbing events perpetrated on defenceless people by corrupt, sociopathic government forces. It was the month of May, 2025. The Trump regime was supporting genocide in Gaza of the Palestinian people and allowing food stockpiles to rot instead of delivering them to people in need. In the garden at the corner of my street, these gorgeous lavender irises were blooming. Their beautiful emergence despite the catastrophic policies of humanity, were an inspiration to me. Everyday I am out the door with the dogs, walking familiar routes and noticing the subtle and dramatic changes in nature as the seasons change. I take strength from the world of nature, and from the nature of sisterhood. It is through my honest, authentic and infuriated friendships with women, and the men who support...

  I don't remember the first time I heard this song. It is as if it was born in my DNA. Perhaps carried through my ancient Celt lineage through Grandpa Jones.  I do know I have felt a deep affinity for the melody as long as I can remember. The lyrics were also important to me. The idea that, "...we both shall row..." resonates most importantly today. The original lyrics, the first three verses in my version of the song, speak of romance, unrequited love, and ultimately, disappointment. These are powerful forces in our lives that guide milestone decisions in our life journeys.  Last year, 2025, I felt a need to broaden the scope of the lyrics to include other dimensions of our life stories, all that we experience beyond romantic love, to grief, betrayal, and resilience. I have added three verses that speak to making sense and meaning of current life events.  The first of my verses starts, "The water is wide, I cannot cross o'er, it's carrying me, to a far shor...

  If not now, when? This evening I made the trip across town to Vancouver Folk Song Society, carting along my autoharp, two music stands, and my music charts. I had hoped to be on the list to sing my new song, but it turned out I was too late. The hall was full and I didn't want to sit with my instrument and gear cluttering up the room. I was also feeling embarrassed that I was too late. I left to stow my gear in my car, but by the time I had walked the two blocks to where I was parked, I just loaded everything into the car and headed back home.  I vowed to myself that I would share this song one way or another, so I pulled myself together with a cup of mint tea and a delicious serving of rhubarb crisp, a give from our neighbours downstairs. Bolstered and determined, I made this recording of this new song, Life Lines. In the song, I start by considering the lines of life etched on my face. My reflection in the mirror does not show my view from the inside out. And my view of th...

  Water is Wide - Introductory comments - I wrote three verses to add to the traditional verses. The traditional verses were focused on romantic love, and issues of unrequited love, betrayal and abandonment.  My verses are focused on the pain of witnessing childhood harms arising from government neglect, genocide, and crimes against humanity. The first of my verses was inspired by the loss of young lives due to flooding in Texas in the summer of 2025. The second verse was inspired by the hunger and pain of Palestinian children in Gaza, victims of Israel's genocidal policies. The third verse was inspired by the heartless cruelty of the US federal government kidnapping innocent victims off the streets, in parking lots, and out of the hallways of courthouses. Water is wide - full song We need to feel, we need to not let our empathy be dulled to numb acceptance. We need to sing, and share our hope for a better future for humanity. We need to sing together when we cannot sing alone...

Ferris Wheel written by Jenny Arntzen, 2025 My brother Tom, he is playing the accordion in the video, took me and my dog for a walk to the PNE grounds in East Vancouver. I did not know that a section of the grounds had been turned into a 4 hectare wetland bird sanctuary. This sanctuary is right beside Playland, the amusement park where generations of us have stood in line every summer for a chance to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was about 6 months since Mom had passed at home and my caregiving service had ended after 33 months. I had been to a Vancouver Folk Song Society evening and an ancient version of Scarborough Fair got me thinking about fairs, amusement parks, and life journeys. The calliope intro speaks to the utter madness that lies near the surface of all our human experiences: being able to face life milestones with humour, sharing our losses, celebrating our wins, and having a good laugh at our ambitions when they threaten to overwhelm us. My children are grown now, they are ra...